Private Late Night Homework

[Kaelos Vryn]

Location: Kiffu
Tags: Vera Noble
Equipment: N/A​

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She had no concept of risk.

Kaelos grinned towards her when she questioned the likelihood of getting struck by lighting and he even laughed when she claimed she was still in. "It's not a zero chance" he confirmed. There had always been legends of people being struck by lightning but he'd never known it. "I reckon it's extremely unlikely though" he stated just after just in case.

He continued walking, almost bouncing with excitement at the thought of getting to share a view that was so special to him. The further up the path they went, the clearer the view became as they began to climb the hills on the outskirts of civilisation.

"You ever seen anything like this before?" he asked his friend, the smile remaining plastered across his face. The walk was quite a long one, but the company made it feel like nothing. He was throughly enjoying the adventure that they'd taken on.

As the path became even steeper, the young Jedi Initiate offered his friend his hand with a smile. He didn't want either of them to fall and he figured they could support and provide balance to each other. Together, they'd conquer the hill.

 

[Vera Noble]

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Tag: Kaelos Vryn

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Vera's eyes widened as Kaelos confirmed that technically, yeah, getting struck by lightning wasn't impossible. Her grin didn't waver — if anything, it only grew. "Oh, that's awesome." The static in the air made the whole world feel charged, alive in a way she had never experienced before. Every step they took up the hill made the view clearer, the storm above crackling with a kind of untamed energy that sent shivers racing down her spine.

"I've never seen anything like this," she admitted, her voice tinged with genuine wonder. "Not even close."

She had seen stars stretched across a sky with nothing but deep space beneath her feet. She had seen planets from orbit, nebulae painted across the void. But this? This was something else. The sheer rawness of it. The way the planet breathed, the way the air hummed.

It was incredible.

When the incline grew steeper, she barely had time to think before Kaelos reached out his hand. Instinctively, she took it, fingers wrapping around his as she grinned.

But then—

He pulled her forward. The motion was effortless, natural. His grip was warm, steady, and closer than she had expected. And suddenly, her pulse wasn't racing because of the storm anymore. Her grin faltered — just slightly. Her heart skipped. Her gaze flicked to him for a second longer than it should have, just enough for her cheeks to turn the faintest shade of pink before she suddenly snapped her attention back up to the sky.

Lightning arced across the clouds, illuminating the hilltop in a brilliant flash of gold and violet.

"Whoa—"

Yeah. The storm. Focus on the storm, Vera.

​

 

[Kaelos Vryn]

Location: Kiffu
Tags: Vera Noble
Equipment: N/A​

​

The storm was fierce.

It tore across the horizon, lightning striking every few seconds in a streak of near blinding light. The clap of thunder that followed each powerful strike could be heard across the planet. When the planets of Kiffu and Kiffex came close, it was as if the sky went to war.

Yet the people of Kiffu had learned how to harness the power made. Below them, multiple plants were converting the lightning strikes into usable power which would be stored and would power the different cities and towns on the planet of Kiffu until the next time the two planets came close once again.

Kaelos spent just a few moments stood there, watching it in awe. He'd only ever seen the powerful storms from below and never from a hilltop quite so high. He forgot just for a moment that he still had the hand of Vera Noble clutched in his.

He'd pulled her up the hill effortlessly yet gently, helping her keep her footing so she wouldn't fall. At times, they'd been close to each other using each other for support to climb the steep paths that they had opted to use. He'd felt her warmth and at times even felt her breath they'd been that close.

The young Jedi Initiate was almost certain he'd seen the colour red flush into her cheeks whilst they were just stood there, yet before he'd been able to make some form of joke lightning had struck mere metres from them and had caused him to jump.

Once he'd finished laughing and his friend had taken her time to admire the power of nature, he looked down the hill and let out a content little sigh. "We've been gone hours" he finally acknowledged. The flight, plus their walk and the time they'd spent scaling the hill meant that it was very unlikely their absence hadn't been noticed on Courscant. "I'm surprised your parents aren't sending out a search party" he laughed, finally letting go of her hand.

"I feel like we should start getting back"

 

[Vera Noble]

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Tag: Kaelos Vryn

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The storm roared around them, wild and untamed, but Vera just grinned. Even as lightning struck close enough to make Kaelos jump — which she would definitely be teasing him about later — she didn't move. Didn't flinch. Instead, her gaze followed the arcs of electricity as they tore across the sky, illuminating the entire hilltop in bursts of white and violet.

It was so cool.

The wind whipped through her hair, carrying the scent of rain and charged air, and she inhaled deeply, as if trying to soak in every bit of this moment. She was never going to forget this. Then Kaelos spoke, and with a small laugh, she finally turned her gaze away from the storm.

Vera blinked, then let out an amused little hum. "Oh yeah, we're definitely on borrowed time right now," she admitted, flashing him a smirk. But when he brought up her parents sending out a search party, she just laughed. "They're fine. They know I'm fine." Hopefully. "But yeah, we should probably get back before we actually get in trouble."

Still, she didn't move right away. Instead, she took one last look at the sky, at the sheer power and beauty of it all, and let herself feel it. Then, finally, she turned back to him with a grin. "But that was awesome." She gave him a playful nudge with her elbow. "Good call, co-pilot. Definitely worth it."

And with that, she started making her way back down the hill — reluctantly, but still buzzing with energy from the storm, the adventure, and... well, everything else.

​

 

[Kaelos Vryn]

Location: Kiffu
Tags: Vera Noble
Equipment: N/A​

​

Smiling, the young Jedi Initiate made his way back down the hill.

Getting down was admittedly much easier than getting up, with Kaelos able to basically slide down the steepest parts. He was on cloud nine, having throughly enjoyed his time watching the storm roll through and the power of the lightning as it struck.

It made the walk back to the ship feel like nothing. The views had been good and the company was even better. As they walked, he pointed out different plants and insects either that he'd read about in the Jedi Temple or that he knew from experience from his time on Kiffu.

Couldn't forget the reason they'd left in the first place.

He could have spoken for hours with Vera, adventured across the galaxy and he was certain she'd have found ways to keep it fresh. "How much of the galaxy do you think you've seen?" he asked about half way through their walk back to the ship. She was the daughter of two extremely powerful and important Jedi, it was very likely she'd seen loads of different planets.

"I mean, I've only ever really seen Kiffu and Courscant" he admitted. "But you, you've gotta have seen plenty! Which one's been your favourite?" he asked her with a smile. Someday he'd go out and explore as many planets as he could, learning as much as he could from all of them.

But it wasn't today.

Instead, he just kept walking back the way they'd come. The ship was right where they left it, ready to whisk them away from Kiffu and back towards Courscant where hopefully no-one had noticed they'd been gone. He didn't even know how long they'd been gone, had it been an entire rotation on Courscant?

 

[Vera Noble]

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Tag: Kaelos Vryn

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Vera grinned as Kaelos slid down the hill, taking the easier route while she hopped from rock to rock with practiced ease. The whole trek down was buzzing with that leftover energy, the high of their adventure still tingling in her limbs. And as they made their way back to the ship, she found herself actually enjoying the little detours — Kaelos pointing out plants and insects, sharing what he knew.

She liked that.

Then he asked about how much of the galaxy she'd seen, and Vera let out a thoughtful hum. "A lot," she admitted, flashing him a smirk. "Probably more than most Jedi my age. Mom and Dad traveled constantly when I was little, and they still do, so I've been tagging along when I can."

She shifted her gaze skyward, thinking back on all the planets she had set foot on— Core Worlds, Outer Rim, places so far from the Temple that she still wasn't sure how they got there sometimes. "Favorite, though?" Her smirk softened into something more genuine. "Niv Hani. Hands down."

She glanced at Kaelos. "It's the Epicanthix colony my dad built—literally from the ground up. I've been going there since the day construction started, and now it's home." A small shrug. "I dunno. There's something about seeing a world grow from nothing, knowing you had a part in it. That my mom and dad made it happen."

There was no hiding the warmth in her voice. Daddy's girl? Yeah. Definitely. She had missed Kahlil Noble for years when he was believed dead, and even though that was also many years ago now, she wanted to cherish every minute with him since.

The conversation carried them all the way back to the ship, and before long, they were airborne, breaking through Kiffu's atmosphere and setting course for Coruscant. Vera had done plenty of piloting before, so the controls came naturally, her hands flying over the dashboard with practiced ease as they re-entered Republic space.

Everything was smooth. Until she spotted the Temple. And felt the familiar presence of the the figure waiting at the landing pad. Her heart stopped.

"Ah chit."

She blinked. Her grip on the controls tightened slightly, but there was no avoiding it. No sneaking past, no clever escape. The ship was already committed to the landing approach.

"Mom is waiting."

​

 

[Kaelos Vryn]

Location: Kiffu
Tags: Vera Noble
Equipment: N/A​

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Niv Hani...

He'd shown her a place special to him in the place he was raised, it was only right they visit a place special to her. He made a mental note of Niv Hani and filed it away for locations for their next adventure out of the Jedi Temple.

It sounded impressive, built by Kahlil Noble from the ground up. It took a lot to build a civilisation, probably more than Kaelos could imagine. He probably wasn't giving the Shield of the Jedi enough credit in hindsight for the work he put in.

Vera spoke about her dad in such a way it was clear to Kaelos just how close they were. It was a bond he'd never had, having been split up from his parents at such a young age and so long ago. He'd never really had a parental figure to turn to. He'd sort of just gotten on by.

Their conversation carried them most of the way through the journey back to Courscant, although at some point Kaelos fell asleep in the co-pilots chair. Not because of the quality of the conversation, that was golden. It was the walk and the fact he'd been awake for going on twenty four hours, if not more. He was absolutely exhausted.

He woke up to a casual "Oh Chit" from Vera and took a second to adjust his eyes. They were re-entering the Courscant atmosphere, the Jedi Temple directly in front of them. Kaelos didn't actually know what had gone wrong until Vera confirmed who was waiting for them. The Grandmaster herself, Valery Noble had clearly noticed her daughter was missing.

He shook his head and looked up as the ship touched down in the hanger. "Well, I suppose we deserve whatever we're about to get" he said quite honestly. His time in the Temple was done, he just had to accept it. He was certain he would be kicked out of the order. "For what it's worth, it was fun though. Thank you" he said softly with one final smile, before exiting the chair and making his way out of the ship to accept his fate.

 

[Vera Noble]

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Tag: Kaelos Vryn

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Vera swallowed as the ship touched down, feeling the weight of Kaelos’ words settle in her chest. Yeah. They were in for it. But she wasn’t going down without a fight.

"Alright," she whispered, casting him a sideways glance as she unbuckled from the pilot’s seat. "Just follow my lead."

With that, she straightened her clothes, ran a hand through her mess of auburn hair, and strode down the ramp like nothing was wrong. Her steps were casual. Her expression? Totally innocent. Absolutely nothing suspicious about this at all.

"Hey, Mom."

Valery stood at the base of the ramp, arms crossed, brow arched in that way only mothers could manage. Her fiery gaze flicked between Vera and Kaelos with razor-sharp precision, taking in the disheveled clothes, the windblown hair, the undeniable guilt radiating from both of them.

"...Vera."

The name was spoken with a weight that immediately deflated Vera’s casual demeanor. The kind of weight that made her stomach flip.

Still, she held her ground.

"You look angry."

"What makes you think that?" Valery asked flatly, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

Vera hesitated. "Uh… the arms crossed, the brow thing you do, the way you’re looking at me right no—"

Valery exhaled sharply through her nose. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in?"

Vera winced. "Hypothetically, yes."

"Not hypothetically. Literally."

Vera glanced at Kaelos like help, but he was wisely staying silent. She sighed, rocking back on her heels. "Okay, technically, we didn’t do anything bad. We just— took a little detour. A… long detour. But we’re back in one piece — that’s what really matters, right?"

Valery pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering something under her breath that Vera was pretty sure was just her counting to ten to avoid losing it.

Then, the Grandmaster’s gaze flicked past her to Kaelos.

​

 

[Kaelos Vryn]

Location: Kiffu
Tags: Vera Noble
Equipment: N/A​

​

"Grandmaster"

He acknowledged Valery Noble with respect once they'd left the ship, but then he let Vera Noble take over. It was her mum, after all. She had the most experience dealing with the wrath of the Jedi Grandmaster and maybe she'd be able to placate a mothers rage before it got to Kaelos.

The tone behind Valery's words told Kaelos everything. They were done for, they were both going to get it. He'd be kicked from the order and she'd been punished in some other way. So much of him told him to throw Vera under the bus and try and get away with as little a punishment as possible.

But that wouldn't have been fair. Vera would have backed him in a situation. He'd only recently met her and he was certain of that. She was a kind soul and would go on to make a brilliant Jedi in the future. He could find something else to do, he didn't quite know what but he'd work for some form of relief charity or something. He was nearly sixteen, he'd be fine.

"It was my idea, Grandmaster" he said finally, just before her eyes settled on him. "Your daughter is innocent, if nothing else I pushed her into it. She's trying to protect me right now but she shouldn't. She's done nothing wrong" he said, hoping she'd take the hint. The nerves in his voice were obvious, not just because he was somewhat lying but also because he knew he was absolutely done for. He had to do this though. Vera had so much more potential than he did.

"I've been trapped in the Jedi Temple so long I thought it would benefit me to go out and actually see the galaxy. I pursuaded Vera to come to Kaffu with me under the pretense it was a signed off trip that had been authorised. She didn't know it hadn't been until we were on the way back to Courscant when I told her"

The young Jedi cast his eyes to Vera. "I'm sorry, Vera. I shouldn't have lied to you" he said, trying his best to hide just how clearly he was lying. His eyes turned back to the Jedi Grandmaster and he looked down sadly, ready to accept his fate.

"What I did didn't display the actions of a Jedi" he acknowledged sadly. "And I'm sorry for that. I accept the full weight of my actions and the full weight of whatever pushiment you deem suitable, but don't punish Vera because of my actions"

He desperately hoped his lies had protected her.

 

[Vera Noble]

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Tag: Kaelos Vryn

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For once in her life, Vera stayed quiet.

It wasn't easy. Every instinct screamed at her to jump in, cut Kaelos off, correct him — but the look in his eyes stopped her. He was trying to protect her, trying to take the weight of this whole mess onto himself. She could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his voice wavered ever so slightly, the way his words almost sounded rehearsed but not quite.

He was a terrible liar. Her fingers twitched at her sides, but she said nothing. Instead, she stole a glance at her mother.

Valery was silent as Kaelos spoke, her fiery gaze settled on him — not with anger, but with something else. Something that made Vera's stomach flip even harder. It wasn't often that her mother just paused like that. Weighing. Measuring. Seeing right through the nonsense.

And then — she smiled.

Not an amused smirk. Not the sharp, knowing look Vera usually got when she was about to get absolutely wrecked for something. But something lighter. Warmer. "That's kind of you, Kaelos," Valery said at last, tilting her head slightly. "Wanting to protect your friend. Owning up to your actions." She exhaled softly. "But I've known Vera a little longer than you have."

Vera winced.

Here it comes.

"And if I had to guess," Valery continued, shifting her weight as she finally uncrossed her arms, "She dragged you into it just as much as you convinced her. If not more."

Vera coughed. "Uh—"

Valery lifted a brow. "That sound about right?"

Vera scratched her cheek, suddenly very interested in the floor. "...I mean..."

"That's what I thought." Valery sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose for just a second, then dropped her hand and looked between them again. "You're not getting punished."

Vera blinked. "Wait, what?"

Valery gave them both a look, like they'd better not push their luck. "But this?" She gestured vaguely toward the ship. "The sneaking off, the lying, the detour to Kiffu? This doesn't happen again."

​

 

[Kaelos Vryn]

Location: Kiffu
Tags: Vera Noble
Equipment: N/A​

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He was still a Jedi.

There was a moment of pause before Kaleos let out an audible sigh of relief. He'd built himself up so much in acceptance that he was going to be expelled from the Jedi Order and instead he was getting away without even the smallest of punishments.

It almost didn't seem right. They'd snuck out, stolen a starship and a lightsaber and somehow had gotten away with it. They'd gotten a stern telling off at most, but otherwise Valery didn't seen too angry at them. Annoyed, sure, but not angry.

"Oh yeah, this definitely doesn't happen again" he said, looking at Valery. He was lying, of course, although he was hiding it. It would most definitely happen again, however next time they'd have to be more careful to not get caught.

Kaelos still had the lightsaber at his hip, but it clearly hadn't been noticed and he figured it wasn't the right time to bring it up considering they'd just avoided punishment. It was something he could return to Vera at a later date, there was no major rush.

"What happens now?" he asked quietly.

 

[Vera Noble]

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Tag: Kaelos Vryn

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Vera nodded along, all fake sincerity and wide-eyed innocence. "Yeah, totally. Never again. Lesson learned."

Valery smiled. Not because she believed them. Oh no. She knew exactly how her daughter operated, and she was already mentally preparing herself for whatever inevitable chaos these two would stir up next. But for now, she let it slide, shaking her head with a soft sigh.

"Alright," she said, rubbing her temples before glancing at the ship. "It's late. You've both been out all night, running around Force-knows-where. Go get some rest."

Vera grinned. "On it!"

Without hesitation, she grabbed Kaelos by the hand and tugged him along, her steps light and energized despite the exhaustion creeping at the edges of her body. "C'mon, Kae."

Valery blinked, watching the way Vera practically beamed as she pulled Kaelos along. A brow arched. Huh. That was new. She didn't say anything, but there was a flicker of curiosity in her fiery gaze as she watched them disappear.

—

Once they were out of sight, Vera finally slowed, glancing at Kaelos from the corner of her eye. A small, genuine smile curled at the edges of her lips.

"Thanks," she murmured, her voice softer now. "For standing up for me like that. You really didn't have to." But he had. And it meant more to her than she was ready to admit.

​

 

[Kaelos Vryn]

Location: Kiffu
Tags: Vera Noble
Equipment: N/A​

​

The duo left Valery Noble fairly quickly.

He didn't for a second believe that their lies had tricked the Jedi Grandmaster, but she hadn't mentioned it and therefore he wasn't going to complain. He didn't get time to mention it even if he had of wanted to as Vera Noble had taken him by the hand and dragged him away.

They slowed down once they'd cleared the hanger, and the view of mother Noble. Kaelos cast his eyes to Vera and noticed the slight smile at the corner of her lips as she offered her genuine thanks. Her voice was soft, lacking the energy that usually acompanied her.

"Don't mention it, you'd have done the same" he replied with a smile. There were a lot of reasons he'd covered for her, none that he needed to say out loud. She had so much potential to make an incredible Jedi, her kindness and her attitude would set her up for the future.

"We definitely lied though, right? We're definitely doing that again?" he commented with the same smile across his face. "I already know where next" he added with the smile creeping into a grin. "Though I need some sleep first, and I think if we try that again anytime soon, your mum will hunt us across the galaxy"

 

[Vera Noble]

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Tag: Kaelos Vryn

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Vera smirked, her silver eyes glinting with mischief as she nudged Kaelos with her elbow. "Oh, we absolutely lied." There wasn't even a hint of hesitation in her voice. She flashed him a grin, all bright and full of trouble, before adding, "And Mom knows we lied. But hey, that's the game, right? She knows, we know she knows, but as long as we don't get caught…" She spread her hands out in a dramatic shrug. "Then we win."

Her smirk deepened as she tilted her head toward him. "Mom's smart, but she doesn't see everything. That's our advantage." Then, her curiosity piqued. She narrowed her eyes playfully and leaned in just a little. "Oh yeah? Where next?"

Despite her excitement, exhaustion was creeping in. The night had been long, the thrill of their adventure wearing off just enough to remind her that, yeah, she was pretty much running on fumes now.

She stifled a yawn behind her hand, then nudged him again, softer this time. "Okay, okay. Sleep first. But after that?" She grinned, bouncing backward a step. "We're hanging out again tomorrow. I wanna hear all about this next genius plan of yours."

​

 

[Kaelos Vryn]

Location: Kiffu
Tags: Vera Noble
Equipment: N/A​

​

The young Jedi Initiate cracked a smile towards Vera.

He was almost certain that if she didn't need sleep, they'd have been on the next ship off of Courscant onto a different adventure. There was still a little bit of him debating if she'd do it anyway just to prove a point, and he wasn't going to try and stop her.

"Brilliant, gives me something to look forward to whilst I'm sat in a class I don't care about" he replied to her with a smile. It was something that'd stop him being killed with boredom whilst he went through the same class, learning the same thing over and over again.

"I'm sure I can squeeze you in" he joked with a playful smirk. "My initiate assessments are coming up, but I can always make time for a friend" he stated with a genuine smile. They'd definitely become friends throughout their little adventure to Kiffu.

"Who knew such an adventure could come from homework?"