Private Life on canvas

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre smiled with quiet confidence.

"You undoubtedly will." she said. "The galaxy has a funny way of bringing people together when they're meant to meet."

She folded her hands in her lap.

"And when you do, I imagine they'll be just as surprised to find a Mandalorian from the Clone Wars as you'll be to find them." A soft laugh escaped her.

"Just promise me one thing." she added with a playful smile. "If they offer to teach you Mando'a, don't argue that you're too old to learn."

She chuckled.

"After surviving nine hundred years, I think you've earned the right to be a student again."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“Oh I wouldn’t argue that”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre smiled approvingly.

"Good." she said. "The day we stop learning is the day we stop growing."

After a thoughtful pause, another question came to mind.

"Have you tried returning to Mandalore?" she asked gently. "Not to reclaim anything or fight anyone...just to see it."

She tilted her head.

"I'm curious what it felt like to stand on your homeworld after all those centuries."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“No I don’t think my people would be accustomed to seeing a dead man”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre tilted her head, a small smile finding its way to her face.

"Nolan..." she said gently. "You're not a dead man."

She let the thought hang for a moment.

"You're a man everyone believed had died." she continued. "There's a difference."

Her expression softened.

"I know that feeling." She gave a small nod. "When I arrived in this era, history said I was long gone too. But the people I met didn't see a ghost."

A warm smile returned.

"They saw someone standing in front of them." She shrugged lightly. "I have a feeling your people would see the same thing. Surprise, certainly. Disbelief, perhaps. But not a dead man."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“maybe I should go to see my people I know they would be happy to see me”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre smiled warmly.

"I think you should." she said. "Home has a way of reminding us who we are."

She gave him an encouraging nod.

"And I have a feeling they'd be very happy to see you."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

He smiled widely “I think you’re right”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre smiled, though it carried a hint of sadness.

"I hope they do." she said quietly. "I don't think I'd receive the same welcome where I used to belong."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“Why is that” Nolan asked concerningly

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre gave a small shrug.

"The government I served in this era made its share of enemies." she said quietly. "Some people still remember the Diarchy for that."

A faint smile crossed her face.

"I don't blame them." She looked back at Nolan. "History is rarely as simple as heroes and villains."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“Yeah that’s true”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre nodded.

"It is." she said with a small smile. "That's why I try not to judge people too quickly anymore."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“Me too I used to be really quick to judge people who made mistakes but overtime I realized everyone makes mistakes even myself and we shouldn’t be judged”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre smiled knowingly.

"We grew up in the same age, Nolan." she said. "I imagine we made many of the same mistakes."

She gave a small shrug.

"The important part is that we learned from them."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“Very true learning from your mistakes is part of growing as an individual”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre nodded with a small smile.

"I couldn't agree more." she said. "As long as we're willing to learn, we're still moving forward."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“What was the worst mistake you ever made where you thought you could never fix it”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre was quiet for a long moment before answering.

"My Master sacrificed herself to keep me alive." she said softly. "For a long time, I believed it should have been me instead."

Her eyes drifted toward the playground.

"Her name was Aisha." A faint, bittersweet smile appeared. "She was a much better person than I was."

She let out a slow breath.

"It took me years to realize that honoring her sacrifice meant living the life she gave me...not wishing I'd died in her place. You?"

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“I think the worst mistake I ever made was not stopping maul from taking mandalore”