Private An Interruption

[Arlo Renard]

Iris had more or less dragged Kai straight from the Reef back to the Jedi Temple, and from there to Master Valery Noble.

They caught up with Valery in one of the meditation rooms. This area of the Temple had survived the sacking of Coruscant more or less intact, so there was little to no reconstruction being done. That was just as well, given that meditation required peace and quiet.

Perhaps the two Padawans shouldn’t have interrupted the master’s concentration, but Iris wouldn’t be deterred. It was urgent business, she insisted. Kai had to see Master Noble right away.

So, with a heavy heart, Kai entered the chamber alongside Iris.

Iris Arani Valery Noble​

 

[Iris Arani]

This wasn't something Iris was going to let go. She was learning still how to care about her friends, how to help. But there were some things she knew she couldn't. And the help Kai needed? Valery could help. She practically dragged Kai into the room. She'd already sent a message to let her Master know they were on their way. There was no smile on her face as she dipped her head to Master Noble.

"Master? Kai needs to speak with you."

Valery Noble | Arlo Renard

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Coruscant Temple

These were stressful times.

With constant action at the front, her new training, and Padawans to take care of, Valery had very little time to breathe, and as a result, she felt a lot of pressure on her. But within the meditation chambers on the Temple, she could always find her center again, clear her thoughts and focus her mind to tackle everything on her path.

So when a sudden call interrupted her meditation routine, she had been rather frustrated at first. At least, until she read the message from Iris and understood something was really off. It was extremely rare for Iris to ask her to drop everything and help out immediately, so Valery took this very seriously.

Within the room, Valery sat crossed-legged and waited until the doors opened and two Padawans stepped inside. She briefly looked at Iris, noting the lack of her usual smile, and turned her gaze to Kai to figure out what was going on. She could feel that something was terribly wrong and that it likely ran deep.

"Of course, make yourself comfortable," Valery gestured at the comfortable mat on the floor. "What's going on?"

Iris Arani | Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai stood by in silence as Iris thrust him at her master’s feet. Or at least, that’s what it inevitably felt like.

He took a seat as commanded. Before he knew it, it was his turn to speak. He glanced between the two before his gaze settled on Val—or rather, Val’s boots.

<Iris told me to come here and see you. I don’t have a master. I’ve never really had one… but since you’ve been taking on other Padawans, I was wondering if you’d have me too. Or at least, if you knew anybody who was looking for an apprentice.>

Iris Arani Valery Noble​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris blinked for a moment, glancing to Kai. Then frowned. That wasn't everything, but.. Well. He'd talk about what he needed to. First steps and all. She kept quiet, just looking back to her master earnestly.

Valery Noble | Arlo Renard

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Coruscant Temple

Much like her Padawan, Valery blinked at first.

She knew this wasn't really everything that he wanted to talk about, or Iris wouldn't have made it all feel so urgent. But it was still an important topic, so she wasn't just going to shrug it off and move on. "Well, I might be able to, and I can also reach out to find others who are potentially interested to find the best match," she began.

With Briana having chosen to stay on her homeworld, for now, she was technically down a Padawan again. But picking up another immediately to fill the "gap" was maybe not the smartest move. It was just hard to resist.

"But... is this really all you were wanting to talk about? If this has been on your mind a lot, I do understand, though." She wasn't going to push too much yet, but hoped to see even just a glimpse of there being more to this conversation.

Iris Arani | Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

<Sounds good,> Kai replied, nodding his head with something approaching enthusiasm. <I’m sure you’d be a good master. You come highly recommended.>

Kai didn’t need the Force to tell that they were both confused by his answer. It was written all over their faces. Only Val attempted to push the matter, asking if he had anything else to talk about.

But he had zero intention of telling her about his more personal issues. That was none of her business, and he certainly wasn’t about to try and guilt her into taking him on as an apprentice.

<No,> he replied, shaking his head. <It’s… not the cause of all my problems right now, but it’s at the root of most of them. I really, really need a mentor to guide me. I’ve been running wild for too long.>

His words were those of someone wise and mature beyond their years, though Kai knew he had been behaving more like a child as of late. But what else could be expected from a masterless Padawan?

Iris Arani Valery Noble​

 

[Iris Arani]

<You need to tell her everything, Kai. Please.> That was all Iris could think to say at this point. In only Kai's head. Guilt didn't matter. It was important.

Arlo Renard | Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Coruscant Temple

A troubled student without a Mentor.

There was a time when the balance between Padawans, Knights, and Masters was very different, and younger students were either picked up to be trained or moved on to the Service Corps. But these days, there were a lot more Padawans without Masters, and she had always felt it could cause problems.

"Maybe we can start with a training session or an assignment where you come along. I know it can be difficult to keep going without a Mentor, but it's important that you feel you're with the right one." She then paused a moment and glanced at Iris, who seemed to still be troubled — Kai wasn't telling her everything but she couldn't force him to. In order to help someone, it was important that they opened up enough.

Hopefully, Iris could help persuade him. She was likely the reason he was here in the first place.

"Hmm, maybe an assignment with the three of us? There is plenty to do." She knew they had always been friends, and if he was going to become her Padawan, he'd have to be able to work alongside her others to some extent. Even if there was friction, they had to all be mature enough to still do what was needed.

Iris Arani | Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

<You need to tell her everything, Kai. Please.>

Kai didn’t reply. Iris didn’t understand why he had told her the rest of it, but not Val. She didn't get that it was never about wanting to die. No one ever wanted to die. They only wanted to stop the pain, or for someone else to stop it. Then it was a desperate cry for help.

Well, now he had the help he needed. Or some of it, anyway. At least Iris wouldn’t spill the beans. She respected him enough not to abuse his trust that way.

He nodded along with Val’s suggestions eagerly. <Of course. That would be great.>

A small flame of hope was kindled inside him. Maybe this was how it was meant to be. Maybe things would work out.

<What assignment did you have in mind?>

Iris Arani Valery Noble​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris's frown didn't fade, but she did look to her master. Whatever Valery's plan was, she'd at least know what to do about.. All of this, right? She nodded to her master. This would have to do, for now.

Valery Noble | Arlo Renard

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Coruscant Temple

<Of course. That would be great.>

Valery nodded with a soft smile, as she felt something brighten up within the young Padawan. But a single glance in Iris' direction was enough to understand that something was still up. She just offered her Padawan a nod and returned her eyes to Kai when he asked about the assignment.

"I'm not sure how much you both know about the Maw's advance into the core, but not all worlds they captured were fought over heavily. After Selvaris, we took a tactical retreat to Foerost and Empress Teta, and we never fought heavily over Xa Fel. We only destroyed the drive yards to deny them ship-building capabilities in the core," Valery explained.

"Since then, we've been in contact with a rebel cell who work to ensure they can't rebuild, and I'd like to make an infiltration attempt to help them directly with an upcoming strike they're launching."

She looked between the two Padawans to gauge their reactions, "If you're both ready to be off-Temple for about a week at most, you can come with me." This was a pretty risky mission, but it could test them in the field quite well.

Iris Arani | Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai had fought at Foerost as part of the attempted defense of Empress Teta. He’d encountered the cannibalistic Jin X in the halls of a starship. She was a little hard to forget.

But he’d spent much of the rest of the Maw’s advance elsewhere, away from the battlefront. Now was the time for that to change.

<I have the time,> he said. <Ready when you are.>

Iris Arani Valery Noble​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris nodded once. Rebellion work. She could support that. Or just, she could support Valery in trying to help Kai. That's what she cared about right now. She smiled, glancing to her friend only briefly before glancing back to her master.

"Yeah. Let's go."

Valery Noble | Arlo Renard

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Coruscant Temple

"Then it's settled."

Valery got up to her feet and looked between the two Padawans for a moment, before finally turning to Iris first, "Iris, you'll be our pilot to reach Xa Fel. Can you go and prep the shuttle?" She asked before turning to Kai, "While Iris prepares the shuttle, come walk with me. We have something to pick up before we go."

It wasn't the only reason she wanted a moment alone with Kai, but it wasn't a lie at least.

If he accepted, she brought him down the hallways and began to move towards one of the cargo rooms, "We'll be picking up a few crates with supplies we're delivering there, but as I'm sure you've guessed, this isn't just about the supplies. I had a question for you as well," Valery began as they entered the supply room.

"What does failure mean to you?" she asked, her eyes now shifting to his.

Iris Arani | Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Val gave them their orders. Iris was told to go prep the shuttle, while Kai was to follow Val while she went to pick something up.

Kai suspected Master Noble wanted to speak to him alone, and sure enough, she asked him a curious question about failure.

<Failure is setting out to do something, and not doing it,> he answered. <Whether you couldn’t do it because something came up that was out of your control, or if it’s all your fault, you still failed either way.>

Iris Arani Valery Noble​

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris nodded once. It wasn't hard to figure what Valery wanted to do, so the Padawan left to go get the ship started and get them all set for the mission at hand.

Valery Noble | Arlo Renard

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Coruscant Temple

<Failure is setting out to do something, and not doing it,> he answered. <Whether you couldn't do it because something came up that was out of your control, or if it's all your fault, you still failed either way.>

Valery dipped her head in response, "It's also something that, no matter how hard you try, is completely unavoidable. Whether you're a Padawan, a Knight, or a Master, you will have to deal with it," Valery said while she loaded a crate onto the hover trolly so they could carry them to the shuttle.

"You've been without a Master for a while, and to use your own words, you've been running wild for too long. In that position, it's rare for you to be held accountable for your mistakes, decisions, or actions. But that's very different under a Master. I want to know how you'll respond to this type of confrontation." She paused a moment while they loaded up the second crate.

"In return, a Padawan must also hold their Master accountable, and not just blindly follow everything. It's okay to question decisions, within reason, but there is a responsibility to being a Padawan."

Iris Arani | Arlo Renard ​

 

[Arlo Renard]

Kai searched Val’s eyes as she spoke. He knew what she was getting at—and he knew where it was all coming from.

He’d done some pretty stupid things. Fighting Corin. Arguing with and insulting his peers. Drinking and doing drugs. Getting involved in politics. When confronted he might’ve pointed out how difficult his life had been lately, but that was no excuse. Plenty of people had hard times and didn’t turn into jerks because of it.

Kai swallowed. <Responsibility, okay,> he murmured. <I can do it, Master Noble.>

Iris Arani Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Outfit | Weapon | Appearance

Location: Coruscant Temple

"Good, that's all I really ask for," Valery said as the final crate was loaded up, and they were about ready to head back. "I feel comfortable training just about any student, but I need them to take things seriously, and actually feel motivated to progress as a Jedi."

She pushed the trolly along and kept her eyes on Kai, "We'll have to talk about some things you've already learned, and what might be a good place to start as well, but it's going to get progressively more challenging, and I train my Padawans out in the field a lot. Those assignments are the real deal, so I expect you to be focused." Valery was beginning to feel a little bad drilling all of this into him, or possibly even scaring him at the idea of all that sudden responsibility, but it was for the best, to be honest about what would follow.

"On another note, do you have any questions for me? Or something you might have on your mind regarding all of this?"

Iris Arani | Arlo Renard ​