Faction Jedi Coded

[Cerys Dyn]

"Ah yes, the inevitable fall from grace. Being associated with you.""

The words grabbed Cerys' glare. "I'm the one playing tour guide to a Sith," she said before thinking for even a moment. Again, a wince. She bit her lip in frustration at herself, and looked instead to the hallway ahead.

"Hello! Who are you? You have spikes on your head! What natural predators are those for? Are they really big? Or maybe they help you hear? I don't think they'd really help you swim but I could be wrong. Do you like swimming? I love swimming."

"There is something seriously wrong with that young woman," Cerys said as she marched away from the dining hall. Zahari was simply expected to follow. Her path did swing a little wider upon seeing Lossa Aureus but mostly due to shame more than any Lossa-directed angst. She knew a little of what the Zeltron had been through with her child. Cerys felt bad for how she had behaved upon their first meeting. This was not time to bring up old wounds.

"Oh~? Duelist you say? what form?"

Cerys glanced back through the window that ran along the hallway, and into the dining room. She could see that Lorn had found interactions with others of the Order. "He is the leader of the Vanguard. The best of the best. A warrior of some renown...and I almost beat him in a duel." Her expression flicked from neutral, to smug, back to neutral in a flash. It was enough though, if Zahari was attentive.

"Now hold on, isn't it prudent that I meet him today then? I'll have you know I'm not so bad myself! My training shouldn't go to waste you know!"

"Your training? I look forward to seeing it in action," said Cerys, without turning back. She offered a subtle wave of her hand, beckoning her fellow Togruta to a nearby doorway. Finally, Cerys turned back and pushed finger to lips. Shush.

Inside the room, she saw a group of younglings sitting, and learning from an elderly Jedi. It was a very Naboo scene. One that Cerys had come to appreciate, even envy. She had missed the youngling phase, having been apprenticed at the latter end of that stage of life and to an itinerant master. There was no story time with Jedi Masters while sitting on the floor with your friends.

A youngling opened their eyes and offered a chubby-handed wave. Cerys felt her cheeks flush, and hurriedly returned the gesture. She glanced to her side, and her posture stiffened upon seeing Zahari. "The Order has provided a safe place for younglings to train. We have even begun trying to rescue those trapped behind the border of Sith and Black Sun controlled territory...."

A flicker of compassion passed across her face.

"...everyone deserves a chance to use their gifts for good."

| TAG: Direct: Zahari Kaan Elenna Sylari Indirect: Mellomere Lossa Aureus Echo Athoth Lorn Reingard |

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[Elenna Sylari]

E L E N N A⠀S Y L A R I

Youngling Training Hall​

"Breathe..."

Elenna's senses tingled at the approach of the young duo- part of her had wondered whether her some of her youngling students felt it too, yet her own questions could wait. She spun around slowly, hands still gently clasped in front of her.

"Younglings..." she smiled gently, as one of her students waved to the Padawan, "we have visitors!" Elenna paused for a moment to allow her students to turn and see; "Padawan Cerys. Zahari." She now spent most of her time in the Sanctuary, teaching & researching, she was not oblivious to the Sith Rehabilitation Program and its implications if successful; Yet caution also felt warranted in the moment, particularly with younglings present. "Welcome..."

In unison, the younglings chimed in with their own greetings and welcomes mirroring their mentor, "Hi!" "Hello!" "Welcome!"

"We've been practicing meditation," Elenna gestured to her students on the floor, "perhaps you'd both like to share some wisdom with the class?" Her eyes flickering between the duo stood at the door, still cautious of Zahari's presence in her classroom- yet spotting the potential learning opportunity for both the duo, her students and even herself. She'd open the floor for the pair if they decided to take her up on her offer.

Regardless, one of her young students raised his hand, "Yes, Toh?" quizzed Elenna, "Why does she have a bracelet on her ankle?" Elenna grinned slightly, gesturing for Cerys Dyn to explain: "Padawan Cerys, perhaps you could explain the rehabilitation program for us?" she asked, deeming it appropriate for the younglings to learn about.

Eventually, Elenna's eyes hovered over Zahari Kaan , feeling a curious feeling towards the young ex-Sith. The Rehabilitation Program wasn't her responsibility, yet she felt an obligation to play her part. Gently, she approached the duo before speaking in a hushed tone, "...You're not your past, young Zahari; You are who choose to be, in this very moment," she suggested, offering a warm, gentle smile. "You are welcome here."

Tags: Cerys Dyn & Zahari Kaan (Open!)

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[Zahari Kaan]

Wearing: Robes + ankle monitor
Tag: Cerys Dyn Elenna Sylari

Zahari waited until they were out of ear shot.

But once everyone had said their piece, she quickly made pace with Cerys and leaned in close.

"Former sith." she spoke just shy of a growl.

The young convert wore a dour expression for the rest of the march, one that unfortunately looked stereotypical of her former peers without her realizing. She nodded along and only paid half attention to Cerys' boasting which without seeing for herself reflected more poorly on her opinion of Reingard than it did painting Cerys as some swordswoman.

Neither did it answer her question, and so she supposed she'd have to ask him herself what lightsaber form he favored.

Actually she was so lost in her own head that she nearly walked right past.

When she no longer heard the padawan's boots she turned to join her, peeking carefully around the doorframe as if she wasn't supposed to be there, which certainly felt true right now.

What she saw inside shocked her.

They were children. Not just teens who could be taught to hold a lightsaber, not like she had been, but little kids.

The more she thought the more her head began to tilt. They were too small to be any use in battle, in fact she didn't think the academy back home would have taken them on as students for at least a few more years, and yet here they were, waving at her.

"...everyone deserves a chance to use their gifts for good."

Though still dazed by the very idea that children would train in a temple, Zahari waved back.

And a sinking feeling hit her stomach.

"Do Jedi send them to...?"

It wasn't long before the old woman approached, who Zahari was not so quick to dismiss as a potential combatant if chit hit the fan. She'd seen the wrinkliest Sith do things which terrified her, and had no reason to believe old Jedi were much less capable.

Even if she looked friendlier.

Hearing one of the children comment on her monitor though, Zahari nervously hid it behind the doorway.

"...You're not your past, young Zahari; You're what you choose now, in this breath," she suggested, offering a warm, gentle smile. "You are welcome here."

But Zahari didn't feel welcome here.

Well, maybe there was were some who'd made her feel that way even if briefly, but in general? Wearing this? Standing next to Cerys?

"Thank you, miss...?"

She spoke more quietly than before, more reserved than even her cell guard had heard before.

"...I didn't catch your name."

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Lorn listened attentively, watching Echo's expressions as she spoke, his eyes reflecting the calm patience of a man who had weathered many storms. Her honesty didn't shock him, but her phrasing caught his attention. "Beneficial to me" seemed to strike a chord within him, like a pebble in a boot.

He leaned back slightly, resting his hands in front of his empty bowl, fingers steepled. His voice, when he spoke, was low and steady, like a voice of reason in a chaotic world. "It's not supposed to be beneficial to you. Not at first. Maybe not ever. But that's not the point."

He let the words hang in the air for a moment before nodding towards where Phillip had disappeared into the swirl of padawans. "That kid, Slate, he'd grow under you. You'd give him a structure he could breathe in. Not just rules. A framework. He doesn't need another friend. He needs a lighthouse. You could be that. Whether or not it helps you."

Echo's question made him release a soft, unamused sound, not quite a laugh, but more like a cough dressed as one. He gave her a sidelong look, a flicker of tired humor in his eyes. "That's the part where you catch me being a hypocrite, isn't it?"

He scratched the back of his neck, somewhere between a shrug and a deflection. "I've... tried. A few times. One might be sticking. Hard to tell. Still waiting for him to punch me in the ribs and walk off."

His eyes dropped for a moment, scanning the table, but there was nothing there for him. He wasn't hiding, just gathering his thoughts. "I don't think I bring much to the table, Echo. Not in the way a teacher should. I've got scars and cautionary tales. Plenty of those. But the whole Jedi knowledge and wisdom bit?" He shook his head slowly. "Maybe it's better left to people who haven't broken the code in half a dozen ways. Great Jedi, like you."

A long pause followed.

"But. I still try. When I think it might matter."

He didn't say it, but it was implied: you should too.

Echo Athoth​

 

[Echo Athoth]

Naboo
Tags: Lorn Reingard

Echo Athoth's Locket, Epo-1 Interceptor, BB-055TN "Boston"
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"It's not supposed to be beneficial to you. Not at first. Maybe not ever. But that's not the point."

"That isn't what I mean," Echo stated, doing her best not to come off as blunt. "To teach is to grow. Students teach those who teach them. I am stagnant, this I recognize. One must become better for their padawan, and I... want to become better. Improve myself. I may need a student just as much as Phillip may need a Master."

Her words were earnest, even in a flat tone. Her benefit was the future benefit of whoever she may teach. It was a symbiosis. One could not grow without the other.

"Perhaps you don't know what you bring to the table because you haven't learned what it is yet." the Ogemite suggested. "You may simply need a student to teach you what that is."

She paused for a moment.

"My... teacher believed that. I am regularly unsure of the application of his words, but I don't want to keep getting lost in the technical aspects. I think trying is a start... but doing is prefered."

Her implication was clear as well. To try was to anticipate failure. To do was to accept that and keep moving anyways.