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.

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Lorn just stared at the table, a silence settling between them that felt heavier than air. Echo's words had landed, not because they were sharp, but brutally honest. She always cut straight through the noise, a scalpel, not a blade. And she was right. That was the part that stung.

He gave a slow, barely perceptible nod, a quiet surrender before he even spoke.

"You're right," he murmured, voice barely there. "You're not wrong."

The tension in his jaw never eased. His fingers flexed, restless, against the tabletop.

"I just… I don't know what it is. This wall I keep hitting." His voice dropped, almost inaudible. "Every time I get close to the idea of teaching someone… I see him."

Lorn's gaze drifted, lost in a memory, a place he didn't want to go but couldn't escape. His breath hitched, and for a moment, he wasn't a Jedi. He was a broken man on his knees, lightsaber scorched and trembling in his hand, blood on the floor, smoke still curling from the final strike.

"I struck down my own Master, Echo."

He said it flatly, a simple, brutal truth, not a plea for sympathy.

"Tears down my face. Couldn't breathe. I begged him not to make me choose. But he, he was gone already. All that training, all that knowledge, twisted into something I couldn't save." He shook his head, as if the memory itself physically hurt. "I killed the man who taught me everything I know. All for nothing."

His voice went quiet again. Too quiet.

"I don't want to break someone else the way that broke me."

For a long moment, he just sat there, haunted and still.

But then a subtle shift in his breath. Deeper. Anchoring. He was pushing it down, burying it, the way he always did. Lorn Reingard, the dependable one. The quiet one. The one who always got back up.

He met Echo's gaze again, his eyes clear now, though a persistent shadow still lingered deep within them.

"I'll make you a deal."

His voice was steady now, weighted but resolute.

"You take on someone. I'll find someone too. Doesn't have to be perfect. Doesn't have to be today. But I'll stop hesitating."

He leaned forward slightly, planting his words.

"Because you're right. It's not just about what we know. It's about what we pass on. And Echo, what you have? That quiet, measured wisdom? That patient, precise kindness? It needs to be passed on."

He added, "Even if we're scared."

He let the silence return after that, but this time it felt different. Not heavy. Not hollow.

Echo Athoth​

 

[Vodet]

Vodet may be aged, but for this offshoot of his species, he was still, yes, old. He was still able to do his job as a Jedi Master, and support the Enclave of Kattada as its current operations Master. The Yinchorr was the type to help the Service Corps, and left the Sentinel training to Coren Starchaser and his family and those representatives. Vodet had a pilot droid, the last thing he was going to do was work with technology.

“The only constant in the galaxy I’ve noticed is that peace comes in ebbs and flows, like the sea. But a prayer, or strategy, its the goal. And hermit?"

Draethos was a was out of where Vodet typically traveled. “The Plague hurt a lot. I worked for a short time with the Silver Sanctum, in my youth, to help find worlds. Now I support the Kattada Enclave in exploring and scanning worlds.” Well, to his best.

“I’ve fought in the Scar Worlds, and made my way to Kattada, and take the solace in working with the Service Corps. I do enjoy the calm waters of Naboo, but I’m here to discuss the roles of the Enclave in the greater Order.”

Henbane Bosk

 

[Cerys Dyn]

Former Sith.

It was probably wiser for Cerys to think of Zahari in that way. If Zahari was to have any chance of becoming a Jedi, and living up to the code, she would need to be treated not as the enemy. Even if Cerys did think that the Jedi Order code was more lax than it ought to be.

"Fomer Sith. For which I am grateful," Cerys said, trying out some of that compassion her master had suggested.

"Greetings, master," Cerys said with a deep bow towards her elder. The woman had a soft and homely disposition that warmed Cerys' heart. She reminded her of her adopted mother. Her body tensed, bracing against the stirring of any possible attachment to the older woman.

Cerys frowned at Zahari's unfinished question. She was not quite sure where the question was going, but she would pry later and get more information.

"Wisdom?" Cerys said, eyes widening. Did she have any wisdom that would be welcomed? Train hard with your lightsaber so that you can help your master not die? Resist close ties to others as they will corrupt you eventually? It was highly unlikely that anyone would care for this advice.

She decided to step into the room properly, and offer a stiff tip of her head to the younglings. Her lekku twitched ever so slightly, a sign of her nervousness before expectant learners.

One of the younglings asked about Zahari's anklet. "That is her first test, young one. So far. She is doing well. The complaining has already eased..."

Her words brought a laugh from one of the young students. Cerys frowned in response. "...and I expect it will be removed soon."

"I have little wisdom to offer. Save to watch your teacher closely. I suggest you will learn more from observation than words alone."

Cerys glanced at Zahari. "I believe my..."

Friend? No. Never. Not because she Sith...former Sith. But because Cerys did not do friends.

"...fellow Jedi would have unique insight to offer."

| TAG: Elenna Sylari Zahari Kaan |​

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Brandyn's heart swelled to see Lossa and Zeriana. And he did what he had become prone to doing. He hugged his cousin. It wasn't a big hug, just a quick one. Almost more of a slight shoulder bump and a pat on the back. "Hey there Zee..." Brandyn gave a wink to the little girl.

He looked back up to meet Lossa's eye. After a deep breath to push back the tears, he turned back to Katarine and Kas. "My new friends. This is one of Order's finest Jedi," he said, knowing Lossa would hate him for saying as much, "and my cousin. Lossa Aureus."

He shook his head and laughed. "Head honcho of my hindquarters only...and there are probably plenty of people here that could own my ass if they so desired," Brandyn said, hands up defensively, "my sister is the boss around here. Briana." She always was the bossy one. But he didn't say it. Let's call it maturity.

"And Kas...I am not a Master. Just a simple Knight. I am the leader of the Shadows here though, so you are in luck. Your family is welcome here too. There is ample room and opportunity for you all to grow in the Force. What expertise we do not currently have on Naboo, I am sure the Force will supply...we have enclaves allying with us almost every day at the moment."

"Katarine. Kas...welcome to the Jedi Order."

| TAG: Lossa Aureus Kas Larsen Katarine Ryiah |

OOC: Sorry, I missed your post before Lossa. I am a bad cousin.

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[Elenna Sylari]

E L E N N A⠀S Y L A R I

Youngling Training Hall​

She watched as the pair shuffled about. Eyeing the young ex-Sith as she loomed close to the doorframe, catching the young Padawan in the corner of her eye as she moved into the room some more. Observing as Cerys moved to explain the tracker and offer advice to her class, yet still erring on the side of caution over Zahari's presence.

"Master Sylari," Elenna frowned slightly with a nod of her head, wondering whether her words had the intended effect on the young woman. "Tutor, Mentor, Researcher..." she began, listing her activities in the temple, "I do much, and yet so little. Yet I'm grateful to be a part of their journey..." she turned slightly, indicating the group of younglings.

Her eyes snapped back to Zahari, now speaking in a much sharper tone; "And your journey... however brief my time in this important chapter of your life may be."

Moving slightly, she turned to face Cerys- who had just offered a distraction just in time for a quick word with Zahari. "Thank you, Padawan..." she smiled politely, grateful for her input and advice: "Perhaps my class could benefit from your presence more often?" Elenna asked sincerely, suspecting that it could do both her and the younglings some good- having a younger presence in the class, someone for them to look up to, perhaps.

Elenna let out a gentle, yet still polite, sigh, once again turning to Zahari. Still cautious, she spoke softly with her usual warmth: "Young Zahari?" she gestured towards the classroom, an invitation. "Would you have any wisdom or advice to share with our young minds?"

It was risky for all involved, and Elenna knew it. Would she say something problematic? Would she surprise the Jedi Master & Padawan? Would she pose a danger to the younglings? Either way, it was by no stretch of the imagination a small act. It was an offer. An offer that even some Padawans don't have the privilege of receiving. Perhaps it would benefit her rehabilitation? Elenna would watch closely, much like a bird of prey- and she trusted young Cerys to do the same.

If she took the offer, that is.

Tags: Cerys Dyn & Zahari Kaan (Open!)

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