Private Illegally Blonde

[Corazona von Ascania]

When she'd learned that her next assignment would be to bring aid to Empress Teta, Cora was eager to make her way to the core and assist the poor, downtrodden citizens of the city-planet. Would they be negotiating a trade deal, or perhaps overseeing some type of construction? War with the Maw had torn parts of the world asunder, leaving many denizens without proper shelter and necessities.

Her hopes of a heroic mission had been dashed upon disembarking from the shuttle into one of Teta's poorer sub-districts. Only there did she learn the details of her posting: Soup Kitchen Duty.

She hid her disappointment behind a strained grin while tying a grease-stained apron over her clothes. The Padawan would not outwardly complain, but honestly, isn't this something that anyone else could do? Why was it necessary for a Jedi to perform this task? The true lesson of this chore hadn't yet reached her, and perhaps it never would.

"You'll have to put that up." One of the volunteers, a tired looking Gotal gestured to Cora.

Tying a second knot in the dirty apron, Cora blinked. "Huh?"

"The hair. Don't want to get it in the food."

Cora's smile tightened. "Of course." She caught the hair net that had been tossed to her, staring at the thin web of material in her hands while mentally bemoaning her situation. Why meeeee?

After securing her long blonde locks in the matronly hair net, she turned to the person next to her—a young man—to see about the rest of her protective equipment.

"Excuse me, do you know where the gloves are?"

Jalen Kai'el

​

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Empress Teta
Tags: Corazona von Ascania

​

Jasper had told Jalen all about what had happened on Empress Teta. He had been there to see the battle to reclaim it. Apparently he fought a Sith on a landing platform and broke both his legs leaping off. Jalen thought it sounded ridiculous, but Jasper was a terrible liar. Needless to say, the young padawan was excited to go, a rarity for him. Teta was an important step in his brother's journey. Maybe it would be for him as well. When they got there, Jalen didn't need eyes to feel what had transpired. Lingering fear was pungent in the air. He was no stranger to the aftermath of violence. It had, after all, been what ultimately took his home. When Jalen was instructed to join volunteers in local efforts for food distribution, he didn't hesitate to follow orders. This was why he had become a Jedi after all.

Jalen awkwardly put on his kitchen garments. The apron he was given was a bit large on him and he had to slick his hair back to get it fully under the net. As he began to slip on a pair of gloves made from a disposable latex material, he felt the aura of another person approach from somewhere behind him.

"Excuse me, do you know where the gloves are?"

The padawan turned, taking a moment to assess her Young teen, humanoid of some kind... and strangely clean. Jalen had gotten really good at identifying dirt. Tons of microorganisms usually dwelled in the particles, something in the force to latch his sight onto. There wasn't a spec on her aside from the apron.

"Y-yeah," he nodded, turning in the general direction of the table where the gloves were located. It took him a moment, but he finally made out it's general image and pointed towards it. "Over there. I think, anyways."

His force sight still needed some work.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"You think?"

The young man she'd approached seemed unsure about where the gloves were located—which was odd, considering he'd been wearing gloves himself. While he was figuring that out, Cora took the time to examine him in turn. She likely had a few years on him given his youthful features, but what stuck out to her the most was the scar that stretched across his eye socket and the surrounding skin, marring the area with thick, discolored tissue.

"Thank you." She answered brightly with a polite nod. As she pulled on a pair of disposable gloves, her worries were made known.

"Are you having trouble navigating this area? Perhaps I can escort you to a location that is more…appropriate?"

What Cora lacked in tact, she made up for with genuine concern.

Jalen Kai'el

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Empress Teta
Tags: Corazona von Ascania

​

Jalen was overcome with a wave of embarrassment. He was just the blind kid again. He always was. If he was supposed to be a Jedi padawan, why didn't people treat him like it? All anyone ever saw was a lost, sightless child. Air escaped his chest in a long, somewhat drawn out sigh. It wasn't her fault, really. Everyone seemed to think he looked pathetic.

"I'm fine," he insisted, though incapable of raising his tone to sound certain of it.

There was nothing else to be said. Jalen simply had to do his best to adapt and overcome new environments. He wanted to be able to keep up with his peers, and this was the only way that would happen. The last thing he was going to do was go somewhere to a location that was more 'appropriate.' Still, he paused for a moment. A pang of guilt coursed through his body. He really shouldn't take his frustration out on someone who doesn't understand his situation.

"Th-thanks for asking." Jalen quickly added.

Why could nothing ever be simple?

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora's face fell. Despite his assurance, it was clear to her that she'd done something wrong. Strangely enough, it was his guilt that thrummed in the Force, something she hadn't expected.

Oh. Oh no!

"I…" She trailed, unsure of where exactly to go. "Yes, of course. You are fine—you are right where you should be." An encouraging smile followed, though she wondered if he could even seen it.

The last thing she wanted was to make anyone feel poorly about themselves, but it seemed that she had done just that. For a moment, she saw herself—albeit a younger version—in the young man before her. Though, getting teased for hailing from a farming sector was vastly different than facial scarring and lack of sight.

"I'm sorry. It was not my place to ask such a question. May we...may we start anew?" Her tone was genuine, yet tentative. He had every right to not want to interact with her. "I am Corazona von Ascania of Ukatis, but I go by Cora. Are you one of my fellow Padawans assigned to this task?"

Jalen Kai'el

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Empress Teta
Tags: Corazona von Ascania

​

"You don't need to have a panic attack," Jalen assured her, rather calmly at that. He was rather used to scenarios like this these days. "You didn't do anything wrong. I don't really care either way."

He was younger, but Jasper always talked about being the mature person in any given situation. Something about the dumb things he had done as a kid. Jalen never understood what it was that Jasper had done, but he held his brother's words in high regard. Besides, being mature in situations like this just seemed to make things easier.

"I'm sorry. It was not my place to ask such a question. May we...may we start anew?" Her tone was genuine, yet tentative. He had every right to not want to interact with her. "I am Corazona von Ascania of Ukatis, but I go by Cora. Are you one of my fellow Padawans assigned to this task?"

"Sure," he shrugged. Of course, he still spoke casually with people. Jalen was, after all, still a kid. "I'm Jalen... of Lothal, I guess. I'm a padawan too, yeah. Guess the emblem on my shirt is faded..."

Jalen, of course, couldn't see his long sleeved shirt, which sported the emblem of the New Jedi Order. It was, however, very faded, as he had theorized. Not only that but the sleeves were visibly torn in places. Jalen knew this, but didn't much care to have them repaired. It was just his sleeves anyways.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora's cheeks flushed. Had she really seemed that panicked? Sometimes she couldn't control her natural…zeal.

In any event, Jalen didn't seem particularly bothered. She was grateful for that.

"We should get you a new shirt, then." Cora asserted with confidence. "Im sure that the NJO has plenty."

Now that they were both wearing the proper PPE, they set to work putting together meals. "How long have you been with the New Jedi for?" Plunging her ladle into a slurry that was supposed to be some type of bean mixture, she hefted a portion onto the tray with a cringe before passing it along to Jalen. They'd continue to work this way, sending meal trays down the line. "You do look a little familiar, but this is the first time we've met."

Jalen Kai'el

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Empress Teta
Tags: Corazona von Ascania

​

"We should get you a new shirt, then." Cora asserted with confidence. "Im sure that the NJO has plenty."

"That's okay," he shrugged. "It still has a few years in it I think."

As they began to prepare meals, Cora asked her some more questions, like how long he had been with the order and why he looked familiar, questions that were fortunately easy enough to answer.

"I've been with the order a while now," he shrugged, scooping up and placing a root mash of sorts onto the plates that came by him with a delicate hand. "My brother brought me here when I was younger. Jasper Kai'el. You probably know him. He's the coolest. He actually fought the Sith here back when that crazy battle happened!"

Jalen took a moment to dial back his excitement, becoming slightly embarrassed. How could he help himself from talking about how cool his brother was?

"R-right," he frowned, recomposing himself. "So... how about you? Been with the order long?"

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora couldn't help but grin as Jalen's apparently more reserved nature unfurled into something more excited when his brother was mentioned. It was clear to see that Jasper was loved and appreciated by Jalen, which was heartening to see. She was reminded of some of her younger siblings, exuberant and eager as they were, though Cora did not know if they'd extoll the virtues of their older sister in the same way.

"I do know of Jasper, yes." She responded with a nod when passing him the next tray. They weren't particularly close, but that only seemed so because their paths had not crossed that often. "I've heard plenty about his exploits from the other Padawans at the temple. He certainly seems like an older brother to be proud of!" Engaging the Sith directly was still something she had yet to do, so she could only imagine what the battle had been like. So many of her fellow Padawans bore scars, physical and mental, from combating the ills of the galaxy.

"A few months." Cora responded evenly, noting that Jalen had reined in his fervor. It was a shame to see his genuine joy dulled, but she wouldn't call attention to it. "I suppose I'm still figuring out what it means to be a Jedi. I've already learned so much in such a short time, and yet there are so many things I've yet to know."

Scooping meals was repetitive, but thankfully not difficult work.

"I've a brother as well, back on Ukatis—several, in fact. And sisters." She chuckled. "I'm the eldest of eight children, so I understand the love you have for your sibling."

Jalen Kai'el

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Empress Teta
Tags: Corazona von Ascania

​

"U... katis?" Jalen frowned, slightly cocking his head. "I don't think I know where that is."

Granted, he knew very little places in the galaxy, and so many planets had funny or forgettable names, making it hard to keep track of them all. It certainly sounded fancy, which seemed to be her entire deal. It wasn't hard to assume that the long, drawn out title she gave was that of nobility. Jalen, being raised a poor farm boy, frankly didn't care either way. People were just people, and he saw it no differently than himself wanting to be treated no different for being blind.

"I don't know many places," he shrugged. "I've been on Coruscant ever since I got to the temple. This is my first time off-world in... a while."

That and he really didn't have the motivation to do anything before now.

"Have you... traveled a lot?"

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Jalen had not been the first person she'd met who'd never heard of Ukatis. Most within the Jedi order hadn't heard of her home either, or knew of it only in passing. While she'd balked at first, Cora slowly began to understand that their ignorance was not borne out of spite—rather, that Ukatis was simply unremarkable on the galactic scale.

"Ukatis isn't too far from Kiffu. And Thyferra." She supplied with a small smile, passing him another tray. "There are several large cities, many small towns and plenty of rural areas. My family's territory is mostly farmland, so it is our responsibility to help feed the populace." There was an unmistakable measure of pride in her voice. Though unremarkable, she had great love for Ukatis and it's people.

When Jalen's question came about traveling off world, Cora's lips pursed in thought before she shook her head.

"Not frequently, no. I'd been to Coruscant a few times before joining the NJO, and occasionally accompanied my father off world during politic negotiations." Perhaps she regretted not pushing the envelope a little more.

"What is your home, Lothal, like?"

Jalen Kai'el

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Empress Teta
Tags: Corazona von Ascania

​

Diplomatic negotiations? She seemed so young. Who would take a child to those? It sounded like a complete bore. Maybe it was a good thing he didn't grow up with money.

"Lothal doesn't have much," he explained. "A lot of empty fields. Not much else."

He didn't go into further detail. Jalen didn't like thinking back to Lothal, especially after... The Fire. There was no use dwelling on it now. In fact, he much rather that he didn't dwell on it. Unfortunately, that meant furthering the conversation in a natural way. Jalen was awful at making small talk.

"You... uh... play music at all?"

Jalen really didn't know what else to ask. He was a rather simple individual.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora blinked. Empty fields? She wasn't sure what one could do with empty fields. Was the soil there too unworkable to plant crops, or was Jalen being cagey on purpose? Cora made the decision not to press further.

When the conversation turned to music, she smiled and tilted her head in a nod.

"Yes, I can play piano." It wasn't something she had chosen for herself, but lessons her mother had insisted on to make her more appealing as a noblewoman. Cora dutifully kept up with her instruction, even when it became rather dull.

"My sister Fantine has a lovely singing voice. She certainly has a true love for music." Cora's smile deepened at the thought of her younger sister, so jovial and full of promise.

Her attention turned back towards scooping beans.

"What about you, Jalen? Do you enjoy music?"

Jalen Kai'el

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Empress Teta
Tags: Corazona von Ascania

​

"I play the hallikset," Jalen told her. "I'm not the best, but I like it a lot. Most stringed instruments, really."

He had been meeting a lot of musically inclined people lately... Zak Dymo, Maran ... now Cora. Perhaps he should make a music group of some kind. Jasper did tell him he needed to start making friends... Who was he kidding. He couldn't muster up the courage to start something like that. Maybe he could convince Zak to do it for him...

"This town has nice acoustics," Jalen added, his head tilted ever so slightly to the right. "The sound of the wind is interesting. The shape of the streets must be very good at helping sound travel."

Jalen became red with embarrassment after this. Had he been thinking about playing? In public? He could never.

"I-I don't think I could ever play in a place like this," he concluded. "T-too many people."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"The hallikset." She repeated, nodding in approval. "It has a wonderful sound. I once saw a concert on Naboo featuring a quartet of skilled hallikset players—oh, it was simply divine!" Cora sighed happily at the memory.

"I didn't know that a town could have acoustics." That was something curious, and her lower lip rose in consideration. Cora had never paid much attention to the wind unless it was particularly aggressive. She tried to imagine what senses it might touch for Jalen.

"I agree," The elder blonde offered an empathetic smile. "This place is far too crowded to play comfortably. I’ve only ever played for my father’s guests." Not that she'd been a concert-level performer herself. Cora had only played piano at the Ascania estate.

"Do you have a favorite song to play, Jalen?"

Jalen Kai'el