Private A walk in the snow

[Jenn Kryze]

| Location | Ilum
| Objective | Begin the journey.
| Focus | Valery Noble

Jenn had faced her fair share of doubts since the beginning of the war. And, in a way, she knew they would never leave her. All the could haves and should haves were here to stay, to remind her of every missed opportunity, every mistake, every failed chance at resolution.

But after the Mandalorian strike against the Galactic Alliance, she found purpose, and determination. Daring to speak the truth, she drew her own line in the sand: no longer would she partake in the Crusade, no matter how much the Jedi seemed to despise her and her people. They regarded them as barbarians, brutal conquerors, far too akin to the Sith to ever consider them allies again: they dismissed their culture and hardened their hearts, condemning them as warmongers incapable of understanding any other language than violence. Hearing them talk of her people like this brought about anger, to be sure... but, as a dear friend had told her shortly before the raid into Alliance space, there was no choice but to accept the harsh reality they lived in.

And so Jenn endeavored to be strong. To harden her heart as well. There was no sense in showing respect and understanding to the Jetii when they practically spat upon all that she held dear, and when their retaliatory strike would inevitably lead them to Enclave space. To Hefi, where she lived with her beloved. And Kestri, where her people were forged anew in the purifying flame of hope.

The ramp of the small craft was lowered, and the Kayatr'ade slowly made her way down, taking in the raw, naked beauty of the world around her. For all of the Jedi's faults, and how much she wishes to show them the scorn they so rightfully deserved when they treated her people like dogs, Jenn could not find it in herself to truly hate them. Ever since her nature was revealed to her, she had done her best to learn, to study how best to achieve a measure of control over herself... and, repulsed as she was by the dogma behind the Jedi Order, the Mandalorian still held a great deal of appreciation for their ways, their search for balance and control within themselves. With the right master, padawans could be raised into what the Jedi sought to be seen as: kind-hearted peacekeepers, vowed to bring justice.

<I can't stay here for long, girl - cold's karking awful for the engines, and I'm not sticking around to see if a Master and their Padawans decide to show up. I'll pick you up when you're done doing... whatever it is you need to do here. Good hunting, vod.>

That voice shook her from her reverie. Yes, she had not come to Ilum for idle sight-seeing, but to embark on a spiritual quest of sorts. Perhaps she was a fool for doing so, to walk in the steps of a Jedi when she felt such complicated feelings towards them, but she had made her choice. Dropping her off right by a cavern was no journey, and the texts she had seen spoke of being guided by the Force. To let one's mind be at peace, and follow the Light.

The Force. The Manda. Were they one and the same? Perceptions of the same idea through different lenses? Opposing forces? Or perhaps even... completely different contexts.

<Do not bring attention to yourself. We are not here to fight.>

Jenn cut the transmission and walked out into the snow as the dropship behind her roared to life, leaving her all alone with her thoughts.

The Mandalorian began to walk. Shrouded as she was in the ample cloak so characteristic of her Clan, once upon a time, she cut a rather mysterious figure from afar. Only by drawing in close would one realize just who and what she was.

​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

Few things went unnoticed on Ilum.

After the Empire's sudden attack to try and strip Ilum of its Kyber Crystals, the New Jedi Order had increased security measures. Both at the rebuilt Temple, and around the icy planes of the planet. So, even within her little office at the Temple, the Watchmen of Ilum received signal that an unknown ship had entered the system, landed on the planet nearby the canyon, and dropped someone off.

Jedi would always go through their gathering in the caves behind the Temple itself, so Valery knew that this was no Jedi. It had to either be a lone Force User, looking to find a crystal for their weapon, or it was trouble. She always approached this assuming it'd be trouble, so with her robes drawn around her tunic, Valery climbed onto her speeder and blasted off towards the last known location of the dropship.

From there, she felt confident that she could track whoever was out there.

<This is Master Noble. Leaving the Temple for a quick patrol — we have a contact at the caves,> she reported back to the Temple, just to be safe.

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Ilum
| Objective | To walk, to see, to become.
| Focus | Valery Noble

Jenn was more than aware that one could not sneak so easily into the Galactic Alliance's worlds- doubly so those that held such importance to the Jedi. But Ilum was at the edge, and surely such a desolate world would not be quite as closely guarded as the others... or so she thought. Unaware that her insertion had been noticed, the lone Mandalorian walked through the snow, taking a certain solace in the isolation. The Kayatr'ade thought of the shaman's words, of the lesson imparted unto her. The Manda was neither a force of Light nor Dark, the mystic had told her: whatever she made of it would be her own choice.

And, for all of her difficult grasping the spirituality behind it all, the fierce Nite Owl took the words to heart. On she walked through the snow, opening herself to the Manda and its touch, almost desperate to feel something, some measure of communion with this hallowed Force, to feel it flow through her as it did with every living being! But all she felt was her own presence, and... peace. Peace was not what she wanted, and so the warrior rejected the peaceful state she had found herself in as she walked, closing her hands into fists and drawing her gauntlet-mounted vibroblade.

SHUK!

"Why do I feel nothing! No answers, no guidance, no Light!"

Driven by her desire to prove herself worthy of the ancient world, the Mandalorian all but stormed in, leaving the emptiness of the frozen tundra behind for the massive cavern system before her pursuer could catch up to her. Not that she knew she was being pursued just yet, so blinded by anger was she...

​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

It didn't take long for Valery to reach the entrance of the caves. After serving as Ilum's Watchman for many years, she knew exactly where all accessible crystal caves were. But what perhaps helped even more, was the familiar presence that had entered them. It almost seemed impossible, at this point, that they met this often, but she was glad that it wasn't some other Mandalorian who dared enter the caves.

Or worse, a Sith Lord.

Still, Jenn wasn't going to make it easy for Valery to find her — not in a cave full of crystals that all had their own unique presence in the Force. Only a single one would truly call out to her and belong, but the caves still felt a little overwhelming to the refined senses of a Jedi Master.

"Jenn? Can you hear me?"

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Ilum. Hopelessly lost.
| Objective | Seek, seek, seek...
| Focus | Valery Noble

Unlike her pursuer, Jenn was almost instantly lost within Ilum's cave system.

It was truly overwhelming to one such as her. Everything was still fresh in her mind, her understanding of what she was approximative at best - and, clearly, she had underestimated what entering the cave would feel like. Thinking of the Manda as a vast ocean made things easier to understand for her at times, and if Valery was akin to a roiling wave, more than capable of capsizing most vessels, and herself nothing more than seafoam, then... the crystals surrounding her, they were as the ever-shifting focus of the tide.

And the Ersansyr was so, so very lost in the current. With her Force Sense overwhelmed like this and the sheer Light and serenity all around her, she felt akin to an intruder, falling down to her knees and reflexively bringing her hands to cover her visor in an instinctive attempt to block out the blinding light. Mustering to her feet demanded far more of an effort from her than she would have thought possible from such a simple act, and even then, she could only stumble through the cave, half-blind and... clearly not quite in her right mind.

"Jenn? Can you hear me?"

This has to be a trick. Has to be. I'm being tested, I just know I am!

Valery was a good friend, and a voice of... wisdom, and reason. In another life, perhaps they could have been of the same Clan, or she could have become a Jedi herself. But this was not the galaxy they lived in, and she had to acknowledge that. Jenn had been a part of the bold raid into Alliance space, after all, and with her boarding the Ans Corvo and taking a Senator as her prisoner, she had no doubt that her face (and name) might just appear in a few briefings and discussions on the topic.

After their talk on Scarif, she found it difficult to be vulnerable with Valery again. The Grandmaster had already done so much for her. Asking for more would be... immensely selfish of her. After all, Valery had better people to worry about. People like her husband, her children, her Padawans...

But not a Mandalorian. She doesn't need that burden.

That was why Jenn hurried away from that voice, deeper into the embrace of the Light, searing as it may be to one so hopelessly lost, confused, and afraid.

​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

"Jenn, stop running! It isn't safe!" Valery called out.

Years ago, during the Second Great Hyperspace War, the Empire had invaded Ilum in an attempt to strip it of Kyber Crystals. Much like the Empire of old, they wanted to use these crystals for a new superweapon, and they had gotten close to building one. But while the battle for Ilum had been won by the Alliance, many of the caves were far less stable after their deep mining operations. In one location, a huge trench had even been left behind.

The deeper Jenn went into these caves, the more risky it became.

Valery did understand that Jenn was likely not wanting to stop, either for fear of being caught and taken away, or perhaps her own reason. Whatever it was, she could tell that the Mandalorian din't want to be found. "Jenn, I won't hurt you! But I need you to stop!" she yelled, her voice echoing through the caves in hopes of finding Jenn before it was too late. Whether or not she stopped, however, Valery would keep running.

The Force was her ally, allowing her to be much faster than anybody could hope to run naturally, and it was also her guide — she would find her way through the caves and locate Jenn.

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Ilum, Cave System
| Objective | Run, run, and don't look back-
| Focus | Valery Noble

Although she heard Valery's voice, the words had no meaning to Jenn. Not in the state she was in. Practically blind because of the overwhelming presence she could feel with her Force Sense, terrified out of her mind and still oh-so angry with herself for how helpless she was to deal with the Light all around her. The last thing she needed was for her to have another breakdown in front of Valery. The thought alone forced ugly, ugly thoughts into her head: here she was, foolishly venturing alone in Alliance-controlled space, meddling with matters beyond her understanding.

"Leave me alone!" called out the Mandalorian as she kept on fleeing, taking a look over her shoulder- only to see the familiar figure of her friend coming into view. Evidently, Valery would catch up to her sooner rather than later, considering how rapidly she was gaining ground! A thought passed by her mind, and she found herself tempted to let off a blind shots with her pair of blaster pistols, if only to get the Grandmaster to break her chase-

And that was when she fell.

The echo of the Jedi's voice, the overwhelming presence in the Force making her almost blind to everything around her, the fear of finding herself humiliated if she allowed her to catch up and assume a position of strength again- all of it left her distracted. Too distracted to notice the steep descent. A deep, deep hole.

A scream escaped her as she found herself falling, her jetpack and rocket boots bursting to life as the Mandalorian tried to regain control. Which, normally, would have been well within the scope of her abilities. But with the state she was in, Jenn found it difficult to handle it all, crashing against a wall as she tried to ascend back to safety.

​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

"Jenn, watch out!"

Valery had already seen the edge, and felt the danger through the Force, but even her warning didn't prepare Jenn quickly enough. Her footing slipped away over the ice, and down she went. Of course, a flash of panic shot through Valery's heart, but she also knew that Mandalorians didn't go down so easily — she still had her jetpack, and maybe other tools to help her survive the fall or slow it down enough to make it harmless.

But something was off about Jenn.

Sliding to a stop around the edge, Valery could tell that her jetpack had ignited, but there wasn't enough time to figure out whether or not it was going to save her. So, in an attempt to help Jenn as well, Valery extended a hand out towards her, and extended an invisible grip with the Force.

One way or another, she'd pull the woman back up.

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Ilum, Cave System
| Objective | Terror and Flight

Valery's warning came too late to alert Jenn, and down she went, her panic made all too clear in her instinctive scream at the prospect of splattering down at the bottom of the chasm.

Even with her jetpack and rocket boots helping her to stabilize herself and slow down her descent, it was something of a losing battle: every attempt to truly boost herself back up led to her miscalculating and slamming against a wall, her hands flailing to find purchase of some sort, only to slip - and for her to fall once more, sending her out of control again. Formidable as her equipment may be, it was only a matter of time until she crashed a little too hard, or until the fuel supply ran dry - and then, there would be nothing stopping her from falling.

Perhaps she might have regained her senses and made it back up before then. But now, neither of them would know- not with Valery wisely, and kindly choosing to help her friend, pulling her up with the Force. With the only problem being, of course, the sharp cry echoing in the cave when Jenn realized just what the Jedi was doing, her voice practically hysterical as she screamed in truly abject terror.

"STOP! PUT ME DOWN! PLEASE, PLEASE, JUST LET ME GO!"

Jenn never had a good track record with Force Users using their powers on her. And, in spite of the personal growth she had gone through since her days as a Crusader, hateful of those capable of calling upon the Manda to do their bidding... there was no mistaking the fear she felt at the prospect of someone extending that power and taking away her control. All she could think of when Valery reached out to help her through the Force was the reminder of the last time she had found herself subjected to the will of another strong in the Force.

Her very being had been altered. No matter how well things had turned out, in a manner of speaking, the memory of what had been done to her unbidden remained, a gross violation whose shadow still loomed over her life and perception.

​

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

"STOP! PUT ME DOWN! PLEASE, PLEASE, JUST LET ME GO!"

It wasn't really the request to be put down that worried Valery — even though releasing the woman now would have her plummet to the ground — but it was that way that she asked. The panic that Valery could not only hear, but feel in the Force was almost palpable. Valery decided to speed up the process a little because of it, and brought Jenn all the way back up before softly putting her down in the snow.

Hopefully, a sign that everything was going to be just fine.

"Jenn, calm down," Valery tried to reason with her. "You're not in trouble, but these caves aren't that safe. The deeper you go, the more unstable they are," she said, her voice calm so it'd hopefully resonate with the other woman and get her to calm down as well. In situations like this, those who panicked would always get themselves hurt.

Something that had just nearly happened to Jenn already.

"What's going on with you? Why were you running from me?" she asked with a frown. Of course, she wanted to know why Jenn was panicking the way she was moments ago as well, but one step at a time.

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Ilum
| Objective | Fear

Valery did not listen to her terrified pleas. For the better, of course, but Jenn could scarcely understand this in the moment, not with the terror coursing through her mind, rejecting anything resembling rational thought. So much so, in fact, that she all but scrambled to her feet as soon as she was finally put down, practically falling over halfway through the motion. Clearly, she was still... rattled by it all. Both of her blaster pistols were drawn, if not quite pointed at the Jedi just yet- but that she had even gone this far was doubtlessly alarming.

Judging by how rapidly her chest rose and fell, the Mandalorian was hyperventilating. The helmet prevented any closer analysis, but her presence in the Force said enough: the smith was a crossed wire away from falling back onto the usual choice her people made when confronted by an intense fight or flight reaction. "Can't you see?!" cried out the Ersansyr, waving an armed hand about to point towards the cavern surrounding them. "Of course I'm in trouble! Your Light - it's beyond me, and we both know what that means, now don't we!" There was panic in her voice, and perhaps a touch of resentment.

And, astoundingly, jealousy as well.

"It guides you, doesn't it? You, your husband, your Padawans- you follow that Light! I tried following it, and look at me! Stumbling around like it's burning me!"

There was a slight whine as she flipped the blasters over to stun.

"I wanted to try, you know? See things... your way. The Jedi way. Make a real- a real try at it, let that Light guide me, too. But I was an idiot, deluding herself. I can't do it. I know what you do to Sithspawn."

​

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

"Put the weapon away, Jenn," Valery said, her voice still calm but far more assertive. People who were panicking won't listen to soft voices trying to tell them to calm down — they needed to hear it more directly and without too much emotion to rile them up even more. But this time, Jenn didn't listen and only set her weapon to stun. It showed Valery that she was still reasonable behind all that emotion, but she was also quite worried.

Why was she freaking out this much over it all?

"Jenn, don't worry — this can be overwhelming to anybody at first. But that's why you should let me help you," Valery tried to argue with a frown. "Why is all of this making you raise a weapon against a friend? Have I ever done anything to threaten you?" Valery continued, and while she knew the answer to that question, she wasn't really expecting what Jenn said next. It confused her, and had her tilt her head a little.

"Sithspawn? What do you mean?"

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Ilum, Cave System
| Objective | Fear and Torment

Valery's tone changed, and, for a moment, it seemed as if the command might just be obeyed: during their shared experience in that haunted mansion, the Mandalorian had regarded the Grandmaster as she would her Alor'ad, following her commands to the letter and bowing to her experience. Perhaps some of that sentiment still lingered... or perhaps, in another life, the two might have fought alongside one another, and her mind lingered on the what ifs and could bes still.

And when her friend brought her attention towards the fact that she had, after all, just pulled a weapon on her, the fierce warrior looked about ready to drop the blasters, seeing how limply they rested in her hands. There was a clear moment of confusion, as if her mind failed to comprehend what she had done. Truth was her guiding light, always, and Valery had only ever been honest and true with her. Why was she pulling a weapon on her? Was she this poor of a friend to the Grandmaster? No different to the image painted of her people - warriors with battle in their blood?

But then, that word was uttered, and she a mirthless bark escaped her, laughter dripping with mockery, or perhaps merely anguish. Again were those blasters raised.

"What do you think I am?" asked the siren, her words bitter. "I was not born this way, Valery. I am Ersansyr. We are the Songbirds of the Sith, and as with many of my kind, I was remade in some laboratory. It doesn't matter that I had no choice! I am Sithspawn either way, and you- you're a Jedi!"

​

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

"It does matter," Valery said, now finally with an understanding about Jenn's troubles. Historically, the stance of Jedi towards Sithspawn has been quite clear — they were to be purged. But in recent years, a new effort had been made to help them instead, and Valery felt no darkness in the woman to suggest she was beyond that kind of healing. "We don't kill all Sithspawn, Jenn. We've built a new facility on New Cov to heal those we can."

Of course, even Jenn would know that some Sithspawn were pure manifestations of the Dark Side with only slaughter on their minds. Some beasts, sadly, just couldn't be healed or had never been anything but a creation of the Sith. Jenn was different — the Dark Side had been used to manipulate who she was, but it hadn't consumed her.

"You're not a mindless beast or slave to the Sith. Hell, you fight against them - the entire Enclave's motto is about it," Valery continued with a shake of her head.

"I'm not going to strike you down for who you are, Jenn."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Ilum, Cave System
| Objective | Doubt

The Ersansyr, products of a rather eccentric Dark Lord of the Sith as they were, were fortunate enough to feel no more temptation towards the Dark than one might expect from any other individual. Not that Jenn knew that, of course - after all, she had hardly been informed of her nature by her tormentor, forced to come and ask a friend for help when she could live in denial of what she had become no longer. A friend who was, herself, a Sith, although willing to help her for old time's sake. Every choice she made was hers, and hers alone: towards the Light, or towards the Dark. But when Valery spoke of the Jedi's stance on how they chose to handle Sithspawn, she stepped back, more so in fear than anything else.

"Heal?" asked the Ersansyr incredulously at first - evidently, this was news to her, and her first instinct was to dismiss the Grandmaster's words as nothing but lies. It would hardly be the first time a Jedi chose to resort to falsehoods to avoid violence, after all. Through no small effort of her own, she swallowed her anger, her doubts... and chose to trust her friend, if only for now. Perhaps there was a facility on New Cov. Perhaps the Jedi had changed, and chose to stop being hypocrites. Not that such a development comforted her, her fear all too easy to see as her chest kept on rising and falling rapidly. "I don't want to be- there is nothing wrong with me!"

Would Valery strike her down for this? For the words about to escape her? Jenn had always been honest to a fault, but now, the truth hardly felt like a cloak. No, something more akin to a noose.

"I had no choice in what I became! It was forced on me, because my tormentor wanted to humiliate me. But- I have made the circumstances forced onto me my own. I am not ashamed of what I am." There was a certain firmness to her voice, now. A determination to stand her ground and die knowing herself, if that was what it took. Self-acceptance was a long and particularly difficult road for someone to walk, doubly so when plagued with insecurities about her appearance and identity from an early age - but Jenn had found herself in the end, and she refused to let her own perception of who she had become be challenged.

"Will you strike me down, now, knowing that I am who I want to be? Is my nature abhorrent, if I come to accept it as my own?"

​

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

"I'm not saying there is something wrong with you, but it shows our willingness to help the ones who are badly affected by the Dark Side." A lot of Sithspawn lived in pain, or were essentially forced against their will to be murderous monsters. Those, at times, could be healed as long as they weren't pure creations of the Dark Side. Jenn was different, though — she had been manipulated by the Dark Side, but she was no raging Sithspawn, looking to devour whatever she could find.

She was still a sentient being, and mostly in control of herself. Enough to not be Sith or dangerous to innocent people, and that's what mattered most.

"Strike you down? Jenn, we have a Sithspawn Jedi in the Order," Valery said with a sigh. "Things are very different from what you've been told, at least now. But we're not going to strike you down — you're not a monster who mindlessly kills anything that moves." She shook her head again and frowned.

"Things aren't that black and white to us."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Ilum, Cave System
| Objective | Return to peace

Jenn was lost in her own rage: that much became all too obvious as Valery spoke of how the Order treated Sithspawn. Her thoughts danced towards the Sanctorium on Coruscant, on the desperate attempts from one of her own friends to keep them safe, to give them a future... and how they feared the Jedi. The words spoken about purity, their singular vision of the Light leaving little room for creature such as themselves. For a moment, it truly felt as if the Mandalorian would finally step over the line and call her friend a liar, and perhaps even discharge her blaster pistol. So much anger festered within her, some of it unrelated to the topic at hand and merely the extension of all that she was currently going through.

But, in the end, those eyes kept her anchored into reality. Those were the eyes of Valery Noble, Grandmaster of the Jedi Order - but, more than any of that, her truest friend. Slowly, carefully, she returned her pistols to their holster, turning her back on her friend to sit down, disoriented as she was by the crystals all around them... and most of all, ashamed of herself. For losing control of herself like this, and for levelling a weapon at Valery.

"I've made a fool of myself again", muttered the siren, more to herself than the Jedi with her. "You show up, and I act like a weak-minded fool who cannot keep her own emotions in check. Pathetic." This time, all of her scorn was directed inwards. Valery's intense gaze was too much for her to withstand at that moment: the fire of truth that burned in her eyes was something she respected, to be sure, now, she feared what she might see in them. Disgust. Judgement. Disappointment.

"So much for walking in the footsteps of the Jedi."

​

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

"Do you think the Jedi who entered these caves were all perfect?" Valery asked with a tilt of her head, but no judgement or disappointment in her eyes alone. "Don't be too harsh on yourself, Jenn. If anything, this was just a misunderstanding, but as long as you stay open minded and remain willing to learn, it's never too late." Valery smiled this time, knowing she was throwing some typical Jedi talk at her, but perhaps that's what she needed right now.

She was, after all, on Ilum looking for a crystal of her own.

"Why don't you let me help you find a crystal? These caves were almost destroyed by the Empire a few years ago, so they're not the safest to walk through alone." But with an experienced Jedi Master, and especially one who had been a Shield of Ilum many times before, it'd be safe enough.

"I can help you find your calm in all of this."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

​

| Location | Ilum, Cave System
| Objective | Follow the Light

As ever, Valery showed her wisdom - disarming the Mandalorian with a meaningful (and rhetorical) question. She had spoken with enough Padawans by now to see the differences between them and their Masters, after all. A part of her wanted to tell her friend that she truly felt as if she was, if nothing else, not harsh enough on herself, and yet... Jenn only shook her head, inhaling deeply through her gills and daring to turn back around, meeting the Grandmaster's gaze once more. Frankly, she had become rather talented at blocking out the moralizing Jedi talk a long time ago, but with how earnest Valery always seemed to be, the Ersansyr found it only fair to direct all of her attention towards her. To acknowledge her as well as her words.

"I keep asking myself why you keep on helping me", admitted the siren as she slowly mustered to her feet, almost begrudgingly so. If not for the Grandmaster, things might have gone worse for her friend, and the fierce warrior seemed to acknowledge that much. Inhaling deeply, she two fingers to tap against her helmet, on each side of the downwards-facing side of the Y visor. A means for her to convey a smile without baring her face. "But... I don't think the why matters. You've only ever been compassionate and patient with me. I guess, what I am trying to say is... thank you. I would be honored to accept your guidance."

And then, she frowned, suddenly worried once more. "I just hope I don't make a fool of myself again. What if nothing calls to me? If no crystal wants me?"

Perhaps the entire line of reasoning might sound ridiculous, but, then again, Jenn was Kayatr'ade - a smith of her people, and all too keenly aware of the place held by weapons in her religion. Attributing something resembling thought to a crystal was not too far-fetched to her.

​

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Ilum

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Jenn Kryze

Valery smiled at Jenn's words and dipped her head, "A Jedi should always be willing to help," she began, her tone still somewhat professional but with something more to it. "... I'm also a friend, and I take that seriously. If I can help, I always will." Even now, as they were on opposite sides of a war. A conflict that was going to have them face-to-face sooner, rather than later.

But for now, there was no reason to worry about that.

"As for the crystal, don't worry. There's always one that calls out to you," Valery said before she turned to face the hallway littered with crystals. "You just have to be open to their song and listen carefully. Block out distractions and empty the mind of thoughts, emotions, and memories — all that matters now is the Force."