Is some time off too much to ask for?

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Coruscant

Some days, people just needed some time off. This was one of those days for Gherron. Recently, he had spent nearly every waking hour of his time with his Jedi duties, helping in every way possible. While he enjoyed helping, he also enjoyed rest. With this in mind, he left his robes in his room, favoring a simple black t-shirt and jeans, and a pair of sunglasses. He did carry a book bag just in case, however, which housed his lightsaber, among other useful tools should he somehow find himself in yet another situation. Walking down the sidewalk, he looked around, enjoying the sights, some which he had never even seen before. Smiling to himself, he wondered why he didn't give himself more days like this one. So calm, in contrast to his usual day crammed with juggling crime and missions. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

[member="Feena Mason"]

 

[Feena]

Coruscant. The place of her birth, and yet it was not home. No. That was Naboo. That would always be Naboo for her. Coruscant was just the place she happened to live for the most part of her childhood. It was where she trained with the Jedi, but it never felt safe to her, she never had that sense of community. Even Imerria, even that windswept wasteland felt more at home than here.

But she was here for a reason. Her old home, the Greyson family estate, sat alone, high on the upper levels. Now that her brother was dead, her childhood 'house' was hers to claim.
But not even Zaiden had set foot inside, as far as she knew. It would have been many years. The servants had long ago left, and the once beautiful, sprawling mansion, was now grey and crumbling with age and leglect. In a way, it was a sad sight. Coruscant, even the upper levels of the planet, did not leave much room for growth and life, but from her place below the giant estate, Feena could see that the gardens above, even after being left alone for so many years, had grown wild and now snaked their way down over the balcony, hanging like claws ready to snatch up the nearest passerby.
Feena shook her head. No. She was glad to see it all fall apart. She had to be glad. There were nothing but bad memories inside that building. She stood outside in the shadows staring up. Her eyes came to rest on one window in particular. She knew that window. She knew the view from it so well. He old bed room. She would stare out that window for hours. Mother had never let her outside, so that view was all she had. But oh, such a view it was.

"Lookin for something, Missy?"

Calm, despite her surprise, the Countess turned to see a male leaning on the gate- her families gate. It took her a moment to realize, but after so many years, this was no longer a safe area. The abandoned manor had drawn all sorts up from the underworld. And Feena was here alone, without her guards, dressed just a little too nicely.
She almost cursed herself for this foolishness. She should have known.
"Nothing," she answered stiffly, moving to turn away.

"Nothin? Hear that? She's not lookin' for nothin!"

Feena had the urge to correct his atrocious grammar, but the sound of a second male coming from the other side of the gate made her think better of it. Two. There were two. She had hardly weak, but her days of fighting were well over. There was a reason she had been assigned body guards.

"Now, I think it's best you both leave me be, please," she insisted, taking one step back, "I don't have anything you want."

"Oh you don't?" the second thug asked, sounding skeptical as his dark eyes flashed up and down, "I don't know about that...."

"Oh... You are so very much snarling up the wrong tree. I'm old enough to be your mother," Feena paused, her own pride and vanity forcing her to add, "-a very young mother."

Her hand went inside a pocket of the lovely silk robe her brother had bought for her so long ago, hands closing around a tiny stungun. She could probably take them down with only breaking a few bones if need be, but she would so rather avoid such an unpleasant confrontation. If she hurt them, then she would feel obligated to heal them too!

"Now, I am giving you one more warning," she said, voice raising just a little higher than she intended, "Stay. Away."

Another step. She was waiting for one more step.

[member="Gherron Vael"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

"Stay. Away."

The words fell upon Gherron's ears, and he sighed softly to himself. 'Figured as much', he thought to himself. As of he could get a single moment to himself. Making his way I've to the sound of the voice, he found himself among the grounds of an old estate. In front of the main gates was a woman, who he assumed the voice had come from, being harassed by two men. "Now it may be just me, but I'm pretty sure this young lady just told you two to scram", he said as he walked onto the scene. Waving his hand to the side, he tried to initiate a Jedi mind trick. "You want to leave her alone and go back to wherever you came from." Too bad he was horrible at mind tricks.

[member="Feena Mason"]

 

[Feena]

Another step forward. Just what Feena wanted them to do. She pulled the stungun out half way-
"Now it may be just me, but I'm pretty sure this young lady just told you two to scram"

She slowly shoved the device back in place, happy that she would have no need for it. This was a Jedi. She could tell at once from the unique force signature that radiated from him. Good. Feena knew Jedi. She was comfortable with Jedi.

She felt a slight warmth at the back of her neck when he tried to use a mind trick though, completely embarrassed for him. It failed. Hard. She wanted to step in and say 'No, no, no! That is not how you do it! This is the proper way', but he had been kind enough to come to her aid and putting on her teachers hat here would be highly inappropriate. No need to embarrass him further.

She turned to look at her 'rescuer', taking him in with one sweeping eye motion. She said nothing to him though and turned to her harassers instead.

"I'd do what he says. I think he's a Jedi."

That was enough right there. The two men glanced at each other and one raised his hands.

"Hey, we were just joking anyways. We didn't want no trouble. Come on."

Feena smiled as one after another, they turned and scurried away.

"Well. That was easy enough."

[member="Gherron Vael"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the men scramble away. Walking over to the woman, he looked her over a little to make sure she wasn't hurt, then nodded with a smile. "You okay ma'am? Those goons didn't do anything to you?" As he asked those questions, he couldn't help but feel an odd sense about the woman. How did she know he was a Jedi? Sure he had tried the mind trick, but something still told him she knew even beforehand. How? Was she a force user as well? It was the only explanation he could think up at the moment.

[member="Feena Mason"]

 

[Feena]

The woman dusted off her pretty silk robes, tossed her black curls and turned to once again face her 'rescuer'.

"Oh, of course I am quite alright," she answered as if anything else were ridiculous, "They didn't get within 3 feet of me. Thank you."

She nodded curtly and turned her attention back to the decaying manor in the hill, one hand clutching a keycard.

[member="Gherron Vael"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron watched the woman pull out a key card, and wondered on it. Did she actually live here? He would find time to ask about that later. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Um, how exactly did you know I was a Jedi? I mean, besides my failed attempt at the mind trick thing." He shook his head in embarrassment. "Jedi aren't even the only ones who can do that, either. Are you a Jedi too?" He felt like a little kid, asking all of these questions, but he was honestly curious. Everything about the woman interested him, and he wanted to know more.

[member="Feena Mason"]

 

[Feena]

Feena examined the card, then brought her eyes back to the manor. She was debating, seriously debating. Go inside? Face her demons? Or stand out here and let it rot?
"Um, how exactly did you know I was a Jedi? I mean, besides my failed attempt at the mind trick thing."

Feena smirked and shrugged as if that alone might answer his question.

"Jedi aren't even the only ones who can do that, either. Are you a Jedi too?"

"Used to be," she answered casually, "But that was a long time ago. Are you aware of the Templars in the Confederacy of Independent Systems?"

[member="Gherron Vael"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

'Ha, so I was right! Score one for me!' Gherron chuckled at his own thoughts, then returned to the real world, where he was being asked about something called the templars, and that they were a part of the CIS. He'd constantly heard of the Confederacy, but didn't know too much about them, so in response shook his head. "That would be a no... Are they another organization built into the CIS? Or another thing on their own?"

[member="Feena Mason"]

 

[Feena]

No. No? Really? Feena sighed, rubbing her temples.

"How strange. And here I thought the great Jedi Order kept up on current events. Ah well..."

Feena waved her hand and put the keycard back in her pocket, forgetting the old mansion for now.

"The Templar Order is to the Confederacy, what the Jedi Order is to the Senate. The main difference being, we also have political sway, accept Forceusers of all backgrounds, and are not under orders of anyone but the Confederacys Archon."

At the word Archon, Feena's smile tugged a little wider. She, of course, had no intention of mentioning that the Confederacy's current Archon was standing right in front of him.

"Have you at least heard of Project Sanctuary?"

[member="Gherron Vael"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron listened intently. This was prime information that, had he spent any time in his studies, he would probably already have. At the mention of a 'Project Sanctuary', he shook his head again, a small smirk on his face. "I'm not too much of a bookworm. I spend too much time on the training floor, practicing my skill in the force and combat. So in that case, no, I have no idea what that is."

[member="Feena Mason"]

 

[Feena]

Feenas previous smile melted away. She was wondering now if this Jedi was just not paying enough attention, or if Project Sanctuary had honestly not reached far enough.

"Project sanctuary. It's a charity organization designed to clean up after natural disasters and wars."

She sighed once again and shook her head.

"My, the standards in the Order certainly have lowered since my day. When I was in the Order, I would never have allowed a Knight to remain so ignorant!"

She realized how snobbish that sounded a second after she said it.

"Err... My apologies. It's been a stressful day."

[member="Gherron Vael"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron was shocked. He simply coul not believe his ears. Did this lady, who he had just defended, dis him? "Ignorant! Ignorant! I'm in the courtyard every waking moment of my day training. When I'm not training, I'm saving lives. I don't have time for stupid records of whatever factions are rising where and why. And this is what I get in return! I-" Turning around, Gherron sighed deeply. 'Calm down, Gherron. Peace. A Jedi knows peace, remember?' Taking another deep breath, he turned back around, his face red from before. "Look, I am sorry. I um, I really didn't mean fr that to come out. I barely get time to myself. And now today that I actually try, it still doesn't work."

[member="Feena Mason"]

 

[Feena]

Feena did not usually bow anymore. She had gotten used to being bowed to, not bowing to anyone else. But now, she did. She bowed to this mystery Jedi.

"You have nothing to apologize for. I often forget sometimes when I am out of Confederacy space, to mind myself. My name is Feenarah Mason, but, you may just call me Feena."

She smiled, straightening up and waiting for him to introduce himself too.

[member="Gherron Vael"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

What he saw next utterly shocked Gherron. The lady was so himble as to bow to him... it was almost unsettling. Nobody ever bowed to a Jedi, or at least never to him. In one single move, all of his anger drained away and turned into sympathy. She really was just trying to make a friend, it seemed. Smiling a little, he mimicked the bow, introducing Himself as she had done. "My name is Gherron Vael, Knight of the Republic. Trying vacation, but it doesn't seem to suit me very well." In fact, now that he thought about it, the name rang a bell. "Hey, you wouldn't by any chance be related to one Felicity Mason, would you? Sweet little girl, blonde hair, has the whole cute thing going down for her."

[member="Feena Mason"]

 

[Feena]

It wasn't that Feena wanted to make a new friend. No. That wasn't it at all. But she was supposed to keep good relations with the Jedi. If she acted as she did with her underlings in the Confederacy, it was doubtful that she would still have an in here. Feena smiled as her introduced himself, but that smile was gone the instant the name Felicity left his lips.

"My daughter," she answered stiffly, "She is starting her education here. ...What did she do?"
She thought she had cut her off for this very reason. She had to be safe. It was hard enough working nearly half a galaxy away, but it turned out that she needed to worry about here, even when she was close by.

[member="Gherron Vael"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron backed up a little, feeling the coolness in the woman's voice. He surely didn't expect such a reaction. "I'm... sorry for mentioning her.. I was just wondering. You see, I heard about something involving her a few days ago, she was apparently saved from falling out of a window. Brought in a lot of attention I think." He hoped Feena wouldn't et too angry, he didn't want it to be taken out on him or anything.

[member="Feena Mason"]

 

[Feena]

Window. Her daughter, gentle, careful Felicity, almost fell from a window. It was absurd. And Feena was close to picking up her comlink and calling her daughters guards to scream and throw a fit.

But she didn't. Instead, she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"You must have been mistaken. My daughter would never put herself in that position."


[member="Gherron Vael"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron shrugged a little, not sure what to think. He had told the woman exactly what he had heard. If it was true or not, he didn't know. "Well, I hope it isn't true. From what I was told, she's just a little girl. It would kill me to see something bad happen to one so small and innocent." He hoped he wasn't saying too much. If anything, he didn't want to see the woman on her bad side, even if she was once a Jedi.

[member="Feena Mason"]

 

[Feena]

"Bad things happen to little girls all the time..."

Feena looked back to the decaying manor. She winced, pushing memories back into the deep, dark caverns from wence they came. Before those men approached her, she was about to make a decision. Now, she was even less sure than before. She wasn't about to go inside today, either way. She simply lacked the courage just now.



[member="Gherron Vael"]