As Far As The Roots Dare Go

[Lief]

Rwookrrorro​

Kashyyyk​

​

She had been here but once before, just following the Je'daii's re-emergence into the Galaxy and the Great Gathering on Teth. So much had happened since that time that it felt as though an eternity had passed, though she knew this simply was not the case. They were back on Aurum now, the birthplace of the modern Je'daii Order who had been so mercilessly slain by the hate-filled Horde, and though the wounds were still fresh, though many among them still mourned, it had proven a wise choice to return.

Unlike last time, Jyn was not here on Je'daii business. Not truly, at least, though it did concern her heritage and, well, that tied into the Order in some regard. With a small sigh she set her gaze around the Capital of the Wookiee homeworld, a place which had been ravaged in recent years and yet somehow remained. Amazing species, Wookiee, ridiculously resilient it would seem.

Upon her shoulder Kipo chittered away. The fat monkey was always happy to accompany her on her strange journeys across the stars, especially when it meant being back among greenery such as they knew back on Aurum. The great wroshyr trees were ridiculous in height, easily dwarfing any that they had back home, and she could sense her furry companions awe through the Force.

"I know," she muttered, giving him a good fuss behind the ear, "Isn't it just magnificent?"

Now all that she had to do was find out information on a certain Jedi whose name had cropped up in holocrons, diaries, and visions concerning her Mother... Her sources wouldn't get her much farther than here.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The Jedi Master had begun to adjust to moving between his home and the Silver Jedi's new base of Kashyyyk. He would either come here for training his students, or to take missions. As well as to fulfill his duty as a member of the Silver Assembly. A question came then... What would Asha think, seeing him in a similar position as to when she'd known him? Would she be proud? Or would she wonder if he'd get bored being in the same spot as before? Not that it was entirely the same, mind...

Josh had just finished with training his student, Dusaro Dresari and had stepped out after giving the Padawan his advice. He was near the end of the program, that one... Just needed a little more, one last push he supposed. He just hoped that he'd be able to pull it off.

Yet, something told him that his day wasn't over yet. A feeling, a gut feeling perhaps? Or perhaps a feeling in the force... For one reason or another, he was feeling rather nostalgic.

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

High above, in the great wroshyr trees, platforms had been made. There were slopes which wound all the way up to them around the trees, quite the long and dizzying walk that would afford such astounding views provided you stuck to it and didn't give up half way through.

Jyn was no stranger to such, she could recall the time she walked across Teth, when she had been abandoned, and had been forced to scale the side of a mountain in order to reach the famed Silent Temple. It was a place she missed dearly to this day, but ultimately the move back to Aurum had been beneficial for all involved.

Once at the top, and somewhat breathless, she ventured into the same tavern she had come across with Sobaan on her last visit to Kashyyyk. The interior was rather dark, but what more could you expect given that it was formed inside the innards of the tree?

Heading to the bar she leaned against it and glanced to one of the bartenders; surprisingly enough it was not a wookiee which looked back at her but a human, which she may have found particularly odd if her contact hadn't already informed her that he was the one she needed to speak to concerning a certain Jedi.

Leaning against the table, she tipped her head toward him and waited to have his attention. Only when he was in earshot did she make her request.

"I'm looking for the one known as Dragonsflame," she informed him, before taking a seat on one of the barstools and waiting patiently as the man - who had nodded his head in understanding - pulled out his commlink and began to speak into it. Who was on the other end, Jyn did not know.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Arisa would have loved this planet, he thought to himself as he would gingerly make his way into a tavern, meaning to grab a drink before he set off. It was teeming with plant life. Clean, un-damaged plant life. It would have been the stuff of Arisa Yune's dreams to have had a Jedi Temple here, and now here it was. Was just a damn shame she wasn't here anymore. It was bittersweet, being here, and he found himself frowning a moment at the thought. But he would quickly shake it off as he would take a seat at the bar, just as he would near someone say...

"I'm looking for the one known as Dragonsflame,"

He quirked a brow at that, and watched as the bartender would pull out a commlink, and he couldn't help but smirk lightly. He hadn't seen him. Interested, the very much amused Jedi Master, who was quite literally sitting next to the woman in question, would lean over and whisper into her ear...

"Which one?"

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

Just as quickly as the bartender turned to make his calls, a voice from her side had her startled.

She looked across to the source of it, surprised that a stranger would interject themselves into a conversation, only to be stunned by who it was that sat there. A quick blink proved that she was not, in fact, seeing things, and she quickly rose from her chair and bowed her head.

"It's you..." she murmured, still not quite able to believe it, "You're Josh..."

Realizing she was drawing more attention to herself than she would have liked she quickly sat back down and turned in the chair to face him.

"You don't know how long I've been trying to find you."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

A warm smile crossed his lips as she seemed to figure out the truth. Though he was curious as to how she would recognize him so quickly. Nobody he would know from a long time ago would have recognized him now, considering he'd grown out his hair, grown out his beard, and looked a fair but older... But there was something about this woman he recognized, somehow. But he just wasn't sure why.

"How do you know I am Josh?" He inquired, a small grin starting to cross his lips. "I could be his brother, James. My sibling and I do look alike, after all, we're both blondes and all that."

He was teasing, of course. But he was curious.

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"It's not about how you look" she told him, with a soft frown, though she could sense through the Force that he was mostly teasing her at this point, "I know it's you. I can feel it."

The bartender returned a moment later, but seeing her so deep in conversation he left her in peace and simply set a piece of flimsiplast with a few notes scrawled on it down on the bar beside her. Not that she needed such now, of course.

"Could you get me some Muja juice?" she said, looking to the bartender, "and whatever my friend here wants to drink."

Friend was obviously an overstatement at this point, but she didn't care. Sounded better than this stranger I barely know.

Once he was gone, she turned back to Josh and studied his face for a few moments. That same frown remained in place, furrowing her brows.

"You don't look as I expected," she confided, after a moment or so of silence.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The Jedi would simply shrug at that. Well, whatever floated her boat, he supposed. But he was still cautious as to how she knew him. I mean he didn't live this long by trusting every shmuck that shows up, right? When she would remark for the bartender to get him whatever he liked, he shrugged again, ordered a Coreillian ale and continued their conversation.

Though it was interesting that apparently, he didn't look the way that she expected. Considering he had never met her in his life, he didn't think there was much to expect, really. "Oh really, now?" He would inquire, though the teasing smile would remain.

"And what precisely, if I might ask, were you expecting me to look like?"

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"I thought you'd be a lot older than you look," she offered, with a very light shrug of her shoulders.

Was that rude of her to presume, or say? She did not know. But it was the truth of the matter. He had known her Mother, after all, that had to account for something.

You do not know how long ago he and your mother worked together. She did not raise you, after all...

Leaning against the bar somewhat, she tipped her head to one side and let out a small breath. This was... Much more awkward than she had expected it would be. Difficult, too. This man likely knew a tonne more about her heritage than she herself did, about the woman who had given birth to her, and had ultimately cast her aside.

Asha saw why, she reminded herself, thinking of the young Hex and not her namesake, It was not by choice.

Jyn had long since let go of any bitterness she held toward the situation, but it still hurt at times.

"You knew her, didn't you? Asha..."

She couldn't help herself. She had to know for sure.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

“I get that a lot” He joked then with a light smile. “Shocker, if I told you that I’m not yet even 30, would you believe me?” He would inquire, chuckling a bit then. He waited for her to explain why she was here and what she wanted. Then he frowned as he heard the word.

Asha.

“Asha Seren?” He inquired with a curious glint in his eye. Asha was a sore spot. The whole lot, the whole family were. He took a deep breath then, and slowly, he nodded his head. How did she know that name? He could sense she meant it. She had some connection to Seren.

“How do you know that name?” He would ask. “What exactly do you seek?”

 

[Lief]

For a moment Jyn could only stare.

She could feel the emotions such a name drew from him, they were more intense than she had expected and brought unwanted tears to her eyes. Turning her head she looked away from him and quickly wiped them away, frustrated with herself in that moment, and felt her skin begin to prickle.

Not now she warned herself, taming the beast within and keeping it at bay.

With a heavy sigh she refused to look back to him as he ambushed her with questions.

"Information," she breathed, "I seek information."

Fidgeting in place, Jyn reached out to take the glass which had just been set down on the bar and distracted herself by taking a sip.

"I never knew her" she finally stated, only then daring to lift her gaze to look upon him, "She was my mother."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The Jedi Master would squint a moment when tears would begin to erupt from the woman's eyes. He would begin to hold out a hand, reaching out to her as his eyes would show a sense of gentleness, and betray his concern for her, but her pulling away would cause him to retract his hand in his usual defense mechanism. Since his initial incident with the Republic's Jedi Order years back, Josh rarely if not never even let people into his mind. His trust in people, Jedi and Sith and neutrals alike, trust in them all was broken, likely permanently. The first motion that could seem harmful would cause him to shirk back, as it did now.

He took a breath then, taking a sip from his drink as he let her talk. But what he heard almost caused him to spit-take. But he composed himself quickly, letting out another deep breath.

"Figures she had more kids running around. But seeing as you don't appear to be based off Sith Alchemy... I guess she's older than I'd taken her for" He would admit softly, his tone soft but a joking one clearly, attempting to lighten the mood. "What do you wish to know of her?"

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

More Kids?

That statement stood out to Jyn far more than anything else, and she stared at him as though trying to deduce whether what he said was true or not. She sensed no deception in his tone nor his emotions, though, and aside from that what reason could he have to lie?

"There are others?" she breathed, trying to break the slight spell which had been put over her. Brows furrowed, before she shook off the strange feeling and let out the breath she had been holding. It wasn't odd for people to have more than one child, she had to have figured that at some point she would meet others.

"Our kind age at a different rate, that is true."

For a moment it looked as though she wasn't going to ask anything more, but of course that wasn't the case. She simply didn't know how to ask what she wanted to know. Or perhaps she simply didn't want the information she had already been given to be true.

"Where is she?" Jyn finally asked, "Is she... Alive?"

Maybe little Hex had been wrong. Maybe Thurion had been wrong. Though... The look in this man's eyes told her everything she needed to know.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He blinked a few times, before scratching his head at her reaction. "Oh. You didn't know. Well, that does put a damper on our relationship" Josh would admit, half-jokingly, letting out a sigh and shaking his head. He had no reason to lie, he had been there the day Kobe and the other kid had been born. Though it only felt like a few years ago, even if Asha had insisted it was a decade ago... Josh wasn't that old, you know. The Jedi Master hadn't even reached 30 yet. Closing in though.

"Our kind?" He would ask. Okay, now clearly this was getting weird. What kind? Was she an alien? Was Asha an alien? She'd looked pretty damn human to him. He quirked a brow then, staring at her for a moment as though waiting for an answer. Either way, he would brush a bit of the long, golden hair that had gotten in the way of his eyes. They brimmed with worry and stress as he would look around the room a bit, as though anxious over what he was hearing and what he knew that the girl was going to ask.

And then the question came, and it was clear by the way he looked at her what the answer was.

"No" He spoke softly. "I'm sorry. She died a long time ago. She died years ago, and I haven't seen Tracyn, or Kobe, or any of their clan in a very long time. I know Tracyn is alive, but he refuses to keep in contact with me. He's likely still upset over the fact that Asha and I were close. He was never happy about that."

Well, and the fact she'd once gotten intoxicated and attempted to sit on his face, but that was a story for another day.

After an uncomfortable pause and a few moments passed, the Jedi Master would sit up straight and hold out an arm to her, holding it out there a few moments in case she wanted it. He knew he hadn't given her the answer she wanted to hear. Perhaps it was weird for a stranger to offer a hug, but she was Asha's kid. It was the least he could do if she needed it.

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"Epicanthix" she said, tipping her head curiously to one side. Was that not something he'd ever been made aware of? "We are Epicanthix."

A momentary distraction from the heartache which was about to present itself, not just to her but to him also. It was wrong of her to have brought it up, she knew, but she had to find out for certain. How was Jyn to know that she hadn't been put into hiding, or something similar? Alas that most definitely proved not to be the case. She was gone.

Bracing herself to avoid succumbing to her emotions - and allowing the curse to take form, which would no doubt scare the man off - she focused instead on some of the other things he had said.

"Tracyn... Is her husband?" she inquired, deducing as much from what had been said, "And Kobe is a brother?"

She had been raised with a brother, Jiaa... The pair had been inseparable, up until the point in time that her 'parents' had shipped her off to Korriban. She never did find out what happened to him. The thought that she had real siblings, ones borne of the same blood, blew her mind. Not that she would ever see Kyra or Jiaa as anything less than siblings, of course, even despite all of that.

"What was she like?" she finally asked, "I know nothing about her."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"I've... Never heard of them" Josh would admit softly, scratching his head. "I never thought Asha to be an alien, to be honest with you. What... What are the Epicanthix?"

Regardless, she would continue to ask questions, mainly asking him to reaffirm what he had said before. "Yes" He spoke. "Tracyn was her husband. Kobe was one of her sons. She had twins, but... The Sith took one of them. I don't know what happened to the other baby" The Jedi would admit, frowning a bit. "I temporarily took Kobe as my ward for some time, but Tracyn took him back later when he was ready to take care of his son. I haven't seen Kobe in the years since."

To her next question, he had to think about it a moment. How to sum it up...

"She was an angel" He spoke softly. "She was my best friend, my mission partner, we spent a lot of time together. Her sanity took a turn for the worse later, but she was still one of the greatest I had ever met."

[member="Jyn Sol"]

 

[Lief]

"Human," she said, with a loose shrug, "Or close enough that it's difficult to tell the difference. We live a little longer, oh and our minds are an impenetrable fortress, but outside of that? We're the same as the rest of your kind." Had she ever been so casual about explaining her heritage before? Nope. But Jyn had been an Epicanthix all her life, even before she had found out about Asha and Eli she had known she was such a being. In a Galaxy such as this though, the chances of having both parents be Epicanthix Jedi? Yeah, that was an odd thing to wrap her head around.

"I'm grateful that you were there for her," Jyn said, her voice little more than a whisper at this point as she listened to all that [member='Josh Dragonsflame'] had to say on the matter. The more she learned, the more she couldn't blame the woman for the decisions she had made. For her slip in mental state. To have to give one child up for their safety, to lose another to the Sith? Jyn wasn't even a parent, and for her it didn't bear thinking about.

There ought to have been more questions, more facts to unearth, but for the moment she was feeling pretty... Numb. To be faced with so much, even though she had come here to purposely seek him out, to seek out more on her Mother, was overwhelming to say the least.

"I know you probably have better things to do than sit around talking to a reminder of your past. But... Would you mind if I stuck around for a little while? You're a Jedi, right? I might not follow your doctrine, but I'm never opposed to learning more about other's beliefs, and maybe it will help me understand her a little more..."

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

It made Josh wonder then, what was going through Asha's head that had caused even her "fortress" of a mind to be lost. Losing a child would do that, he supposed. "Well, that and the age thing, judging by your age. No way Asha kept her good looks through luck alone" He spoke, smirking lightly. "You share those good looks too. Something to walk with a spring in your step over when this is said and done. I'd almost be tempted to become a suitor... If knowing your mother didn't make that idea awkward" The Jedi would joke, chuckling lightly in turn.

When she would ask to stay, he would nod his head in turn. "Of course" He spoke. "And if you have any other questions, feel free to ask."

[member="Jyn Lorr"]

 

[Lief]

Jyn merely smiled to the Jedi's kind words, and finished her drink in the meantime. Suitor was such a strange word to her, one she hadn't really heard verbally before now, and it almost made her laugh to hear it though she couldn't for the life of her figure out what made it so funny. Regardless she did not laugh, instead she slowly rose up from her seat and straightened out her clothes.

"Thank you, Master Jedi. I suppose I should hunt down somewhere to stay while I'm here on Kashyyyk. If your schedule is not too full, could I ask for an hour or so of your time tomorrow? As I say I am interested in learning more about the Jedi Order, and who knows if information regarding my mother is also shared then that would be nice too."

She lowered her head into a bow, settling the glass back upon the bar top so that it could be taken away, and offered him another smile.

Truly she had not expected it to be so easy to find him.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

<Mobile>

Did that joke fall flat? He wasn’t sure. Her expression didn’t tell it. Geez, things had already been awkward with Asha the last time he’d seen her... For different, more lewd reasons sure but geez, he didn’t want to already get off on the wrong foot with her conveniently showing up suddenly adult mystery deus ex daughter too. Regardless he would finish his drink. He was very tempted to order a second.

“Of course” He spoke softly. “I won’t be leaving until the afternoon so if you can find me in the morning when training is finished, I’d be happy to accommodate you.”

He would slide his glass over from there, still fretting a bit on impressions. Normally he wouldn’t care, but Asha... And someone who looked so much like her... Well she was special.