Private Crazy Rich Jedi

[Xian Xiao]

Xian slowed when Noriko stopped, boots easing to a halt midway across the bridge. She followed her master's gaze down into the valley, and for a long moment, she didn't say anything at all.

It was… a lot.

The kind of view that made her chest feel tight, not from fear, but from scale. From realizing how small a single person was against something that old and untouched. The mist curling through the trees far below, the river cutting its patient path, the peaks hemming the valley in like a secret the galaxy had forgotten how to reach. It didn't feel like a place meant to be conquered or ruled. It felt like a place meant to endure.

When Noriko spoke about family, about tens of thousands housed within the palace, Xian finally shifted her weight and folded her arms loosely, grounding herself against the cold air and the vertigo that still whispered at the edge of her senses.

"…That's hard to imagine," she admitted quietly. "Not the size. The continuity."

She glanced up at Noriko then, really looked at her, at the ease in her posture and the way she belonged in this height and this space as if the mountains themselves had shaped her stride.

"Most places I've been," Xian continued, choosing her words carefully, "families scatter. Wars, borders, politics, Orders. People leave, or get reassigned, or disappear. You're always told it's necessary. That it's part of serving something bigger."

Her gaze drifted back to the valley, softer now.

"This feels… different. Like the land actually remembers who lives here."

She huffed a small breath, something almost like a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"And for the record," she added, casting Noriko a sideways look, "I am fully believing the half about you being awesome. The other half, I'm reserving judgment on until I survive the rest of today."

She shifted her stance, steady again, and nodded once toward the path ahead.

"But I'm glad you brought me here," Xian said, quietly sincere. "Even if you're absolutely going to make a terrible joke about getting high at some point."

A beat.

"I can feel it coming."

Noriko Ike

 

[Noriko Ike]

Xian Xiao

Noriko looked at her as she moved. "There are nine palaces to the family on Atrisia alone and dozens across the galaxy. Each clan of the family is related by blood but they have adopted and before Matsu made Sasori we always maintained a trade empire that functioned... now we just have a multi-trillion credit corporation we are able to feed into and get a powerful return on. The continued improvements of the palaces here on the planet show that and we are able to have many more." She said it while walking though with a smile and the bridge itself dipped into stairs leading down the spiral of a mountain. Overhangs showing vines and inverted towers carved into the stalagmites.

"Plus think of it like this a family that can date itself back near one billion years is going to have a lot of room to grow and expand and that is before you count schisms in the past like what drove some off to emberlene or tython, made some families go and find other worlds they could be on and not part of the family until much much later." She was looking over all of it and moving aas the inverted towerrs showed birds and monkey like creatures. Noriko descending the stairs a the airr shifted from cold to cool to humid and heavier. "Hmmm this is the good stuff all of that oxygen, heat to make you sweat and things to chase you so you have to run."

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian followed a step behind, boots careful on the spiraling stone as the air thickened and warmed around them, each breath heavier than the last. She listened as Noriko spoke, really listened, but the scale of it kept slipping past anything she had a frame of reference for. Nine palaces. Dozens more beyond the planet. A family that measured its history in geological time rather than generations.

For a long moment, she didn't say anything at all.

Then she let out a quiet breath that might have been a laugh, more disbelief than humor.

"I keep thinking I understand what you're saying," Xian admitted, eyes drifting over the inverted towers and living stone carved into the mountain's interior. "And then you add another zero. Or another millennium. And my brain kind of… gives up and starts over."

She glanced at Noriko briefly before looking back out again, as if admitting the thought made her feel oddly exposed.

"I didn't grow up with any of this," she continued, more softly. "No family history. No lineage. No one told stories about where we came from." Her shoulders lifted in a slight, helpless shrug. "I was just…there. Coruscant doesn't really let you belong to anything unless you carve it out yourself."

As the air grew warmer and more humid, Xian flexed her fingers unconsciously, adjusting to the sensation, to the way the environment pressed back instead of thinning away.

"So standing here," she said, choosing her words carefully, "listening to you talk about a family that's older than most civilizations I've ever read about…It's strange." Not bitter. Just honest. "It's like realizing some people are born into gravity wells, and others spend their whole lives drifting until they find something to orbit."

Her gaze followed the movement of birds and climbing creatures among the vines below.

"I'm still getting used to the idea that I'm even allowed this close to something like that," Xian added. "Not as a guest. Not as a footnote. Just…here."

She shook her head once, a faint smile appearing despite herself.

"I don't feel like nobility," she said plainly. "I feel like someone who's spent most of her life surviving, and is now trying to learn what it means to stand somewhere without waiting to be chased off."

Her eyes sharpened again, curiosity winning out over uncertainty.

"But I'm not running," Xian said. "Even if I don't know where all the pieces fit yet."

The smile lingered, small but real.

"So I guess I'm learning," she finished. "One impossible mountain at a time."

Noriko Ike

 

[Noriko Ike]

Xian Xiao

SHe gave a nod of her head to that. "I can understand that Xian, you have taken your firs steps into a larger world and family and also possibly realized that now you can encounter any number of family members throughout the galaxy who will tell the family what you do good or bad deed wise... so if you think me your master won't know what you are doing... you will be really wrong." She said it. "You are also realizing that now when you encounter atrisians in the galaxy and if they are laughing and briefly look your way they might just be realizing who you are as family and all of their whispers and conversations are about you."

Noriko said it as she came to the bottom of the stairs leading into the jungle and the beautiful pathways that went through the trees. The kazue stone made to last as it was interlocked to appear solid. "But don't worry, we aren't giving you over to the family matchmakers yet. We haven't done large scale political marriages for decades maybe centuries but hey you never know." She nodded to that while going. "You might also see men and women in the jungle working or meditating or even just walking so don't be scared they are family. Just enjoy it all." Noriko said it as she was skipping for the moment down the pathways where they could go over with a few other parts of it leading to the palaces.

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian slowed slightly as they stepped off the last of the stairs and onto the kazue-lined jungle path, the shift in air and sound grounding her even as Noriko's words settled in. The idea of being seen like that, tracked not by sensors or records but by people who might recognize her by blood alone, was still strange enough that she had not quite found a place to set it in her mind.

She listened. She always did.

But at the mention of matchmakers, her reaction was immediate and unmistakable.

Her steps faltered just a fraction, and she turned her head sharply toward Noriko, dark eyes wide with something between disbelief and horror, as if the very concept had physically recoiled her.

"No," Xian said at once, the word firm, clear, and entirely unamused.

She shook her head emphatically as if that might banish the idea from the air itself. "No. Absolutely not. That is not happening." Her brows knit together, not in anger, but in the fierce certainty of a thirteen-year-old who had decided something was final. "I am not getting married. Ever. Not now, not later, not as some political thing, not as anything."

She took a breath, then added, more measured but no less serious, "I'm still figuring out who I am. I barely figured out where I belong. I'm not…signing my life away to anyone. Especially not people I don't even know."

The jungle seemed to gently swallow the moment, birds calling overhead, leaves rustling as the path curved forward. Xian resumed walking, shoulders squaring as she settled herself again, though the determination stayed written plainly across her posture.

"I get the family thing," she said after a beat, quieter now, thoughtful rather than defensive. "I really do. And I don't mind being…known. Or watched. That part I can learn to live with."

She glanced at Noriko again, just briefly.

"But I need you to understand this," Xian continued. "I'm thirteen. I'm your padawan. I'm here to train, to learn, to survive, and to figure out how to be a good person in a galaxy that doesn't make that easy." Her lips pressed together, then softened. "That's all I'm thinking about. Anything beyond that is…way too far away to matter."

She looked ahead at the winding paths, the glimpses of Atrisians moving among the trees, and let out a small, almost embarrassed huff of breath.

"So," she finished, a hint of dry humor creeping in despite herself, "if anyone is whispering about me, I really hope it's not about weddings. Because that would be deeply, deeply uncomfortable."

Then, quieter, more grounded, she added, "I just want to learn how to stand on my own first."

Noriko Ike

 

[Noriko Ike]

Xian Xiao

Noriko looked at her. "Yes... I know that is why I said we weren't going to." She said it looking at her and brought a hand out to flick the side of herr head at the red hair. "Listen to the whole thing not just the parts you are looking to react to." Noriko said it looking aat her as the path emerged from the dense thicketed pathway of the ancient valley. Gnarled trees some with twisted, bare branches like silent sentinels, others adorned with fresh spring leaves in vivid emerald the terrain transitions to smooth, weather polished kazue stone, cool and slick beneath the feet from perpetual mist. The air thickening with the steady, resonant roar of falling water, accompanied by a crisp, mineral freshness that mingles with the subtle earthy scent of moss and distant blossoms.

The grand structure rises as a masterful fusion of architecture and nature: a towering, multi-tiered edifice carved into the sheer cliff face, crowned by a majestic domed temple of dark, etched stone. Intricate geometric carvings adorn its surface, partially reclaimed by trailing vines and thick moss, while a small spire-like lantern pierces the dome's apex. From this height, luminous azure waters spill over sculpted ledges, forming a series of cascading waterfalls that descend in deliberate tiers slender veils at the top widening into powerful sheets below, each guided by broad stone platforms and outcrops that evoke the remnants of an ancient sanctuary. Noriko was moving as she looked at Xian though with a grin on her face. "See I am awesome, I take you to the best places."

Midway down the terraces, the falls illuminate hidden alcoves and crevices with their ethereal glow, casting shimmering reflections on the rock. At the base, the waters gather into a serene, mirror-smooth pool ringed by massive boulders and clusters of delicate pink wildflowers. Ornate stone fountains rise here, their pedestals crowned with radiant blue orbs that propel gentle upward jets, scattering light like floating jewels. The air of the falls and detached palace dominates in cool blues and teals, accented by the vibrant greens of renewal, with soft sunlight beams piercing the mist to form halos around the cascades. Noriko was able to see some more parts of it going forward.. where she could lead them though and along the pathway itself.

In one of the lower terraced pools a shallow, circular basin carved into the stone platform just above the main pool two striking female figures immerse themselves in the glowing waters. Both possess lithe yet curved forms, their skin glistening with droplets that catch the azure luminescence. Elaborate traditional tattoos cover their bodies in intricate patterns of dragons, koi, and floral motifs, extending from shoulders down arms and across torsos in bold black ink with subtle shading. Long dark hair, styled in elegant updos adorned with ornamental hairpins and subtle accents, frames their sharp, alluring features. They sit close together on the pool's edge, partially submerged to the waist, one leaning intimately against the other in a pose of relaxed companionship, their expressions serene yet confident amid the tranquil flow.

The encompassing cliffs rise steeply on all sides, their jagged, weathered faces layered with clinging vines, patches of resilient moss, and scattered clusters of vibrant spring foliage that soften the stark rock. Deep crevices and overhanging ledges create shadowed recesses where mist lingers, while distant misty valleys unfold beyond the rims, shrouded in layers of pale blue haze that hint at endless, unexplored depths. This natural amphitheater amplifies the site's ancient feel of paradise, enclosing the glowing waterfalls in a vast, bowl-like embrace that evokes timeless seclusion. Noriko could take in more and she did miss this cause there were hundreds of detached palaces in the valley, throughout the jungle. Places of enjoyment for ssmallerr groupings of the clans that lived and had served in the past for not being all concentrated in one place.

Upon a nearby ruined archway a weathered remnant of carved stone pillars partially collapsed and overgrown with trailing ivy stands a lone observer, her graceful form providing poignant scale against the monumental architecture. She is a strikingly beautiful woman of South Atrisian descent, with rich, warm brown skin that gleams subtly in the diffused ethereal light. Almond shaped eyes witha jeweled bindi frramed by her long, dark hair cascading in loose waves over one shoulder, framing a poised three-quarter profile as she turns slightly, gazing upward with quiet contemplation. Traditional gold jewelry adorns her: intricate jhumka earrings that catch faint glimmers, a delicate nose ring, and stacked bangles on her wrists. Her attire consists of a low-draped saree in deep, patterned fabric that clings elegantly to her figure, leaving her back and midriff exposed in a pose of serene confidence.

In her hand, she holds an ignited lightsaber, its humming blade casting a vivid emerald glow that contrasts sharply with the surrounding azure luminescence. She moves it with deliberate grace sweeping slow, controlled arcs through the mist-laden air as if practicing ancient forms or warding the sacred space sending fleeting reflections dancing across the wet stone and rippling waters below, adding a dynamic pulse of energy to her watchful stance amid the tranquil grandeur. The observers in the pool watching and clapping as their discarded robes showed the silver hilt of lightsabers and they turned to look at Noriko as they waved their hands... voices coming in unison. "Cousin." THey spoke but didn't get out as the woman practicing her movements slowed for a moment and bowed her head continuing.

 

[Xian Xiao]

Xian flinched instinctively at the flick to her head, more surprised than hurt, and shot Noriko a look that was half indignant and half sheepish before she caught herself. She opened her mouth to protest, then closed it again, jaw tightening as she replayed the words in her head.

"…Okay," she said after a beat, the edge fading from her voice as she exhaled. "That one's on me."
Her shoulders lifted and fell in a small, conceding shrug. "I heard the scary part and skipped ahead. I'll try to… listen all the way through next time."

As the path opened and the valley revealed itself, whatever argument might have followed simply dissolved.

Xian slowed without meaning to.

The sound of the waterfalls hit her first, low and constant, vibrating in her chest like something alive. Then the mist, cool against her skin, carried that clean, mineral scent that made her feel as if she'd just stepped into another world entirely. Her dark eyes tracked upward, taking in the carved terraces, the glowing water, the way stone, jungle, and architecture all blurred together until it was hard to tell where one ended, and the other began.

"Oh," she breathed, the word barely louder than the falls themselves.

She turned in a slow circle, taking it in piece by piece, the pools, the vines, the light scattering through the mist like it had weight. The people didn't unsettle her so much as they grounded the place, made it real instead of some implausible story. Her gaze lingered briefly on the woman practicing with the lightsaber, the controlled arcs, the calm confidence in every movement.

Xian straightened a little at that, something quiet and thoughtful settling behind her eyes.

"This…" she said finally, voice low with awe rather than defiance now, "yeah. Okay. I get why you brought me here."

She glanced back at Noriko, a reluctant smile tugging at her mouth despite herself.

"And fine," she added, conceding just enough to be fair. "You are kind of awesome."

Then, more seriously, her eyes drifting back to the falls and the temple carved into the cliff, she said, "It feels old. Not in a scary way. Just…like it remembers things." Her fingers curled lightly at her side, the Force brushing her awareness without effort. "I don't feel watched here. I feel…allowed."

She hesitated, then admitted quietly, "I've never been anywhere like this. I didn't know places like this were real."

After a moment, she tipped her head toward the figures who had called out to Noriko, curiosity edging back in now that the initial overwhelm had settled.

"So," Xian added, softer, more herself again, "are all your cousins this intimidating, or is today just special?"

Noriko Ike