Private Life on canvas

[Iandre Athlea]

A faint smile tugged at the corner of Iandre's lips.

"It does indeed." She nodded thoughtfully. "I've stopped trying to predict where the Force will lead me. I've found life is much more peaceful when I simply trust there's a reason."

She glanced toward his helmet before returning her attention to the half-finished canvas beside her.

"Speaking of second chances..." Her hand gestured lightly toward the painting. "This is one of mine. I started painting in this new chance at life."

Looking back to Nolan, she tilted her head with quiet curiosity.

"Do you have any hobbies?"

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“I do enjoy training with my lightsaber and blasters”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre smiled, though there was a thoughtful quality to it.

"I think those are part of being both a Jedi and a Mandalorian." She gestured lightly between his armor and the lightsaber at his side. "They're important skills, certainly, but they're also part of your duty."

Her brush traced another careful stroke across the canvas.

"I suppose I was wondering what Nolan enjoys when there isn't a mission to complete or a lesson to learn." She glanced back at him with a warm smile. "Something you do simply because it brings you happiness. For me, it's become this." She motioned toward the painting. "Several years ago, I never would have imagined myself sitting in a park with a paintbrush."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“I didn’t know what happened but when I came to terms with it I had major survivors guilt and I questioned why I was still alive and everyone I loved was dead”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

The warmth in Iandre's expression softened into quiet understanding. There was no surprise in her eyes, only recognition. She knew that question far better than she wished she did.

"I understand that feeling more than most people realize." Her voice was gentle, almost reflective. "After everything I'd lost...my Master, friends, my husband...I found myself asking that same question."

Her gaze drifted to the painting for a moment before returning to Nolan.

"Why them? Why not me?" She gave a faint shake of her head. "There wasn't an answer that ever truly satisfied me."

A small, hopeful smile slowly returned.

"Eventually I realized I was asking the wrong question." She rested her brush across the palette. "Instead of asking why I survived...I began asking what I was going to do with the life I'd been given."

"The guilt never completely disappears," she admitted. "But it grows quieter. And one day you realize the people you lost wouldn't want you to stop living on their account."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“You were married?”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

A gentle sadness settled over Iandre's features, though it was softened by a fond smile at the memory.

"In this time...yes." She nodded. "I was married."

Her eyes drifted briefly toward the painting before returning to Nolan.

"His name was Diarch Rellik." She spoke it with quiet affection. "He was a good man. Strong, compassionate, and he cared deeply for the people he led."

A small silence followed.

"He's gone now." There was sorrow in her voice, but it no longer carried the crushing weight it once had. "I miss him every day."

She offered Nolan a gentle smile.

"But he'd be disappointed if I stopped living because he could no longer live beside me." Her gaze returned to the canvas. "So...I've been learning how to begin again."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

Nolan put his hand on her shoulder “ I’m so sorry I can’t imagine losing someone who you want to spend the rest of your life with and it definitely makes you feel like you don’t have a purpose”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre didn't pull away. Instead, her eyes dropped briefly to the hand resting on her shoulder before lifting to meet Nolan's once more. The gesture wasn't unwelcome. It was simply kind, offered by someone who understood loss in his own way.

"For a long time..." she admitted quietly, "I thought I'd lost my purpose along with him." A faint smile touched her lips. "It turns out purpose isn't something another person can give us. They can help us discover it... but eventually we have to find it again ourselves."

She studied him for a thoughtful moment, remembering the mention of Order 66 and the clones who had turned on him.

"What happened to your Master?" she asked gently. "When Order Sixty-Six came..." Her voice softened. "Even if you were no longer a Padawan, losing them might still have felt like losing family."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“On the contrary my master died before order 66 happened his name was pong krell and he betrayed the Jedi during their campaign on umbara his death was anything but sad”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

A surprised laugh escaped Iandre before she could stop it, and she shook her head with an amused smile.

"Well..." she said, "he really was an nerf herder, wasn't he?"

The humor faded into something warmer as she looked at Nolan.

"Maybe there's a lesson in that." She nodded thoughtfully. "Who teaches us matters, but it doesn't have to define who we become. We still choose what kind of person we want to be."

Her smile grew a little.

"From everything you've told me today, I'd say you turned out very well."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“I think i turned out ok”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre laughed softly, unable to hide her amusement.

"I believe I just said that." She smiled warmly. "Though perhaps 'very well' embarrassed you a little."

She reset her brush back against the palette and leaned back on the stool, taking in the park around them for a moment before returning her attention to Nolan.

"So...what are your plans for the rest of the day?" she asked. "More training, or are you allowing yourself a little time away from lightsabers and blasters?"

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“Yeah probably seeing what this planet has to offer” he gave a little smile “ I wasn’t embarrassed”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre's smile lingered as she studied him for a moment before letting out a quiet, knowing laugh.

"I'll take your word for it." she said. "Though I still think everyone enjoys hearing they've turned out alright."

She glanced back toward the playground, where children continued to laugh without a care in the world.

"Seeing what the planet has to offer sounds like a wonderful way to spend the day." She nodded approvingly. "Sometimes the best way to get to know a place is simply to wander through it without a destination."

Her eyes returned to Nolan.

"I hope you find something that surprises you." A warm smile spread across her face. "And preferably something that doesn't involve anyone trying to shoot at you this time."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“Yeah I’ve had enough of being shot at”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

A soft laugh escaped Iandre, the sound light and genuine.

"Then I think you've chosen the wrong calling." she teased with an amused smile. "Being both a Jedi and a Mandalorian doesn't exactly lend itself to a quiet, uneventful life."

She picked up her brush once more, adding another careful stroke of color to the canvas.

"Though I sincerely hope your future involves a great deal less blaster fire than your past." She glanced up at him again, her smile returning. "Everyone deserves a little peace now and then."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“You’re right about that I’m definitely easy target practice”

 

[Iandre Athlea]

Iandre laughed, the sound warm and easy.

"Well, are you as good of a shot as you are a target?" she asked with an amused smile. "Because if those two skills are evenly matched, I suspect your training sessions are very exciting."

She gave him a playful look over the top of her canvas.

"Though I suppose surviving being shot in the face gives you a certain advantage in telling war stories." She chuckled. "Just try not to make a habit of proving how durable you are."

Nolan ork

 

[Nolan ork]

“I’m actually a really good shot I’ve even shot with snipers a few times”