Private Back in the Saddle Again

[Jax Thio]

Location: Coruscant
Equipment: Travelling Robes, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Third Lightsaber, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Novalie Krii

The Jedi Temple was in sight, yet Jax wasn't brave enough to step foot in it again.

The Jedi Master spent a long time in self-exile attempting to reconnect with the Force and to come to terms that Darth Carnifex is his father. It took some encouraging or rather wrangling from his stepdaughter Dreidi Xeraic to get back to Alliance space. Jax looked up at the Temple taking in the peaceful serenity that it radiated. The Jedi and Alliance triumphed over the Brotherhood of the Maw and were now the dominant superpower in the Galaxy spreading its reach far and wide. Jax couldn't help but wonder if it would make the Alliance a bloated mess, but it wasn't like he was around to witness the expansion boom.

Jax turned on his heel blending with the crowd as he headed to the lower levels. He hadn't heard Carnifex's voice in a long while which was good, but he still hasn't figured out if he completely severed his connection to Carnifex. Jax and BB-8 were close to a breakthrough, but Dreidi cut it short. Jax on the other hand, was determined to succeed in trying to get free from his father's grip.

 

[Novalie Krii]

Novalie was still trying adjust to her new surroundings. Coruscant was everything her homeworld wasn't. Loud. Hundreds to thousands of hovercraft vehicles racing overhead at any given moment, often honking at one another to get out of the way or trying to drown out the sounds of the surrounding ecumenopolis by playing their music as loud as possible. Congested. Every street teeming with life, with people in a rush to get to work, in a rush to get home. Venders. Entertainers. Off-worlders. Security forces. There was never a dull moment on Coruscant.

Where Novalie was accustomed to seeing distant mountain ranges and fast flowing rivers that wound through their valleys, she saw skyscrapers and office buildings. Instead of a clear horizon with only the occasional cloud to blanket it, there was pollution and dark, billowing masses that rose from industrial smokestacks.

The Keshiri hadn't made her mind up about the planet yet. The majority of her time had been spent inside, within the walls of the Jedi Temple so far, so there had been no opportunity to explore. Today was the day all of that changed, and she set off to see Coruscant for herself—up close and personal—and to perhaps at last sample a few of the tempting foods she'd smelled the day she'd arrived. Jax Thio ​

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Name (optional)
Equipment: Travelling Robes, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Third Lightsaber, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Novalie Krii

Just as Jax reached the lower levels to check and see if his old apartment still existed, he sensed something in the Force. A strong presence was here somewhere. Jax smiled at that, it felt good to be entuned with the Force again. Being disconnected from the Force felt like being blind knowing that the Force was out there but being unable to reach out to it was a terrible feeling. Jax learned plenty about himself during his self-exile and didn't like what he saw but being a Jedi was all about accepting what happened in the past and learning to rise into something greater.

He saw a young girl trying to sample some food and walked over to her. That was where the Force was telling to him go, there was something about her. "Hello there," Jax said smiling. "You seem to be in high spirits today."

 

[Novalie Krii]

The door of the ice cream parlor swung closed behind her, the old-fashioned shopkeeper's bell that hung over the door ringing out. Old-fashioned was just the word to describe the shop, from its elderly proprietor behind the counter to the worn, faded posters that hung on the wall. The place hadn't seen a fresh coat on paint in the better part of three decades, but judging by the long line inside, Novalie figured it had to be good.

Barafuraha—that was the name of the dessert she held in her hand. A "sweet and icy treat," as the owner of the shop said, and his personal favorite. Novalie had never heard of it before, but she was willing to try anything once.

"Yes," the Keshiri had answered between mouthfuls before she had ever looked up to see the face of the man that addressed her. When she did, there was something about him that seemed... similar? Familiar, even? She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Was it normal for someone to come up to you on the streets of Coruscant and strike up a conversation out of the blue? It wasn't that uncommon on Kesh really. Stranger Danger wasn't that big of a concept there. Perhaps there was at least one similarity between the ecumenopolis and her homeworld after all.

Before either of them could say anything else, the door of the shop swung open, and a large Zabrak collided with her, knocking the cup out of Novalie's hands. Its contents dumped on the man opposite of her. "Out of my way!" he grumbled, brushing past the pair and power walking to the other side of the street.

Novalie stared at the stranger with wide eyes and gaping mouth. "I'm—I'm so sorry!" she spluttered. Jax Thio
​

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Coruscant
Equipment: Travelling Robes, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Third Lightsaber, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Novalie Krii

This started off on the wrong foot.

One moment the girl he sensed noticed his presence right away as if she had that same feeling in the Force as well. The next moment, the door where she was eating at swung open causing her to spill her food all over Jax's silk poncho. The large Zabrak who caused the commotion didn't bother to say sorry. Jax craned his head at the person and smiled. "Excuse me good sir!" Jax called out. "I'm afraid that you've caused to spill her food. I think an apology might be in order."

He turned to the girl. "If there's thing I've haven't missed on Coruscant," Jax whipsered to her. "It's the rudeness from people, you would think they be more respectful to others or at least know where they're going."

 

[Novalie Krii]

From all the reactions that a spilled dessert could possibly elicit from a complete stranger, this had to be the best. He could have blown up at her, demanded she pay for his clothing to be cleaned, or even shoved her around a little bit. All in all, he seemed pretty unfazed by the inconvenience. At least he was understanding. It almost compensated for the lost dessert. Her mouth watered, but she decided to count her blessings and try to forget the losses.

"I hope it'll come out," was all she could think to say next, gesturing to the stain on his poncho.

Unluckily for both of them, she wouldn't have to come up with more conversation on the spot since the Zabrak had heard the stranger's remarks and spun around on his heel. He stormed back across the empty street, stopping just short of the pair. He towered about the Keshiri and just edged out the stranger in height.

"Care to repeat that?" he growled in challenge, his blood vessels bulging on each temple.

Novalie glanced between the two men and swallowed. What had she just gotten herself into? Jax Thio
​

 

[Jax Thio]

Location: Coruscant
Equipment: Travelling Robes, Jax's Prosthetic Arm, Jax's Third Lightsaber, Promise Ring to Jairdain
Tag: Novalie Krii

"Oh don't worry it will," Jax said cheerfully to the girl. "I had worse things plastered on this bad boy."

Just as he said that "fond" memories of being trapped in the belly of a giant Krayt Dragon resurfaced. The Jedi Master smiled sheepishly his prosthetic fingers running through the poncho. Jax made this poncho back at Monastery when he was with his old apprentice Aveline Cuiléin it was made of Dreamsilk which was imported from Hapes. The material though originally made for bedsheets was surprisingly adaptable to weather. Jax decided to keep it as his regular Jedi wear though a part of him missed wearing the traditional Jedi Robes.

"I'm sorry," Jax chuckled to the man. "I must've spoken Bocce again, it's a terrible habit of mine."

Jax eyed the Zabrack with a merry glint in his eyes, the big guy was tall for a Zabrak and probably communicated his feelings through his fists. With his species' high tolerance for pain combined with his height, he probably felt invincible. But that didn't mean he was the sharpest pencil. "You will apologize to this girl," Jax waved his hand using the Force to influence the Zabrak's mind. "Then you'll buy her a fresh bowl of Barafuraha and then be on your way."

Hopefully that'll do the trick.