Meeting his nephew? [Kobe Seren]

[Gareth Yalthik]

How long has it been? He couldn't even remember. Their shuttle crashing on Nar Shaddaa played around in his mind as if it happened yesterday. He sometimes felt like he like had been asleep for half of his life till now. Word had finally gotten to his ears of Asha's death and he wasn't even sure how to react. If he remembered anything about his former master it was that she would probably tell him the same thing that he had told her prior to his 'death'. And she was right, "There is no death, only the Force." But he still struggled with that, especially when he never got to meet her after his return. He was dead to her, and there wasn't anything he could do. He just hoped her death was at least peaceful and she lived a solid life.


So when he got news that she had offspring he was both excited and a bit fearful. Did the kid know that they were related? What could he expect? Would it be a wookiee child? ....That would be interesting. Wait, how would that even work? He scratched his chin. All of these thoughts and more plagued his mind. In truth, he just wanted to help the child and hoped that he could form a solid bond with him. He knew the child had the potential, he just needed to be shown it.

He waited in the meditative gardens.

[member="Kobe Seren"]

 

[Lief]

"Kobe? You've been summoned to the meditation gardens."

The voice broke his concentration, forcing him to tear his eyes away from the crayon drawing in order to stare at the elderly woman who had disturbed him.

Why would he be sent to the meditation gardens? He meditated three times each day already. With a very subtle pout, Kobe turned his gaze back down to the picture and continued to draw as if nothing had been said, reaching out to take up a new colour. Scribble, scribble. It vaguely resembled a person, and they had a glowing aura of yellow and blue around them.

"Kobe Seren, you're not usually so rude! Come along, now" the woman stepped closer to him, carefully prying the crayon from his fingers and setting it aside. With a very soft sigh, the woman then proceeded to ruffle his hair almost fondly. "Try, at least for me?"

Without looking at her, Kobe pocketed a fist full for crayons, not checking their colours, and a sheet of paper, before standing up from his seat. He didn't say anything, instead he walked off through the Temple, clutching the things close.

When he reached the entrance to the meditation gardens, Kobe opened the door with a wooosh and ventured inside. There were a few students who had either been late to their morning session or had so much to meditate on that they were still here hours later. Otherwise it was empty, which made it easy for Kobe to realise who had summoned him.

The sandy haired child walked over to Gareth and sat down in front of him. He didn't say anything, instead he placed the paper down and began to draw again, the image of angel-Asha partially visible beneath the clean sheet.

Kobe looked just like his namesake, Tracyn, in terms of eyes and hair colour... But his actual facial structure was far more akin to Ashas. He was the perfect merging of his parents.

[member="Gareth Yalthik"]

 

[Gareth Yalthik]

Gareth opened his eyes. Kobe had finally arrived! He was passing time through meditation, but when the boy arrived he snapped out of it. The Jedi Knight lowered himself to the ground via the Force. The blue aura that surrounded his body dissipated and he was returned to his feet. He took note of the child's crayons and paper, specifically the drawing. It looked a lot like Asha from what he could see. It put a smile on his face.

"Is this him?" he asked, the Jedi instructor. She gave a small nod, "Yes."

"Alright. Thank you, Master. I'll take it from here," he nodded respectfully. The Jedi instructor inclined her head in return before taking her leave. The two of them were then left alone in the expansive meditative grounds. Gareth paid no attention to the others around him. His sole focus was the boy.

He knelt down to his level. "Hello, Kobe. What's that you're drawing?" He asked, as if he already didn't know. Little did he know that the boy was a mute. This would be interesting. He had dealt with all kinds of people in the past, but never a mute.

[member="Kobe Seren"]

 

[Lief]

Kobe covered the picture of Asha up the moment he knew that [member="Gareth Yalthik"] was paying attention to it. The plain piece of paper blotted out Asha's sparkling aura, and a few moments later he was back to scribbling. For a short while Kobe didn't give the man any sort of greeting or even any notice, but with a small sigh he finally peered upwards.

The man had strange things on his face, which had Kobe scrunch up his face in confusion... Then the curious hand reached out towards Gareth's Qukuuf - of course, he didn't touch the man. He didn't even come close. Finally his eyes rose to meet Gareths and he stared at him for a time, as though gazing into his very soul.

It didn't last long before Kobe refocused his attention down at the picture. Plants, trees, skirted by a building... Without even looking up, Kobe was taking in the landscape around the pair, swiftly scribbling it down. The colours were a little off, but that was what came with being rushed from the room with only a fist full of crayons.

 

[Gareth Yalthik]

He was certainly an artist. Gareth would give him that. The way he detailed the scenery and the crispness of Asha's face. He wouldn't be surprised if the child grew up to become an artisan. He certainly had an eye for detail. So when the child finally paid him attention and seemingly reached for his Qukuuf, he smiled. He pointed to it as he tried to touch it, but due to his tiny arms he never got close. "Are you wondering about this? It's a Qukuuf," he begins explaining, "It's a tattoo placed on various members of the Kiffar species. It symbolized what clan they came from," he said. Of course, he wasn't expecting the child to grasp any of this. After all he was just a child, and an initiate of the Jedi Order.


He then looked down again at the picture Kobe was drawing. "You have quite the skill. I'm sure your mother would be proud. I knew of her when I was younger. In fact, I was her Padawan," he revealed, as he watched the child stop. He wouldn't reveal he was related to her just yet. But he did know he could get his attention if he mentioned his mother. After all very few people knew her personally, and I'm sure he would've loved to know of his mother.

[member="Kobe Seren"]

 

[Lief]

Kobe knew of the Kiffar; contrary to popular belief, the child of Tracyn Ordo was not interested in the more martial aspects of his training like his Father but instead in his studies - however young he might have been. Being raised in the Jedi Order had children maturing and learning at a much faster rate than the would if put through generic schooling. This understanding flashed through his gaze for just a moment, but colouring was deemed more important for him at this present moment in time than another lesson was.

The mention of his mother, however, had Kobe pause. His little jaw clenched and without warning the crayon in his hand snapped in two. A distressed sound escaped the little Epicanthix and before anything could be done he scribbled out the entire picture of the gardens. After all, it had been ruined now that his crayon was broken. Scribble, scribble, pretty soon the paper was messy and chaotic. But Kobe didn't care, because it was also bright and colourful. He didn't look up towards Gareth, but his frustration had melted away almost as quickly as it appeared.

 

[Gareth Yalthik]

Right. Gareth noted the stare as Kobe looked up into the Knight's eyes. He could tell he understood. He almost forgot that children his age were a lot smarter than kids who attended normal schooling. It was the Jedi Order after all. How could he forget? He made a mental note not to assume things, especially after the child released a disgruntled groan at the mention of his mother. That was also something he should have thought about. It may have caused hurtful memories to reoccur in his mind just as much as it could have stirred curiosity. It was still worth a shot though.

"I'm sorry for mentioning your mother. I'm sure it must have pained you," he said, apologizing. He scratched his head a little. He might as well reveal it, huh? "The reason why I called you out here to the meditation gardens was because I wanted to tell you that I'm your uncle. It pains me to bring it up again, but me and your mother are related through blood. She wasn't just my former Master, but also my sister," he said. He hoped this time around that he got the kid's attention.

 

[Lief]

The man continued to speak of Asha, which Kobe attempted to block out in his mind. He closed his eyes and just scribbled on the piece of paper before him, jaw clenched shut.

Then came the revelation.

Oh how Kobe wanted to yell at the man, but instead he stood up from the floor and glared at him. No words were spoken, not even now, but [member="Gareth Yalthik"] had Kobe's attention as he had wanted. In the movement from the floor Kobe had knocked the paper away from the image of Asha, which sat between them glowing like an Angel. The only thing that was holding the pair together.

It hung between them, for the world to see.

Then, without warning, Kobe stepped forwards. His arms wrapped around the man as his face buried down into the crook between his neck and his shoulder. Likewise, tiny hands clutched at the robes at Gareth's back. He hadn't been around a member of his family for quite some time.

 

[Gareth Yalthik]

Gareth watched as Kobe stood to his feet and glared at him. He frowned. He didn't mean to bring pain to him, but he felt it needed to be said. After all, Gareth wanted the child to know that he had family out there. He wasn't sure if he had met his father or where Tracyn was, but that didn't matter. Only this moment mattered. So when Kobe pushed the paper away to reveal the drawing of his mother he watched it curiously, wondering what he meant by this. Was he trying to tell him how good of an artist he was? Because Gareth could clearly tell he had skills. Maybe he might be the next Michelangelo?

No, but joking aside, the Jedi Knight eyed the picture in wonder. He took a special appreciation for it too because he hadn't seen her since his return. So he felt a special piece of him was ripped away. His attention was whisked away though when he saw Kobe move forward, and before he knew it the boy's arms were wrapped around him in an embrace. He smiled, rubbing the boy's back. "I know how you feel. Your mother meant a lot to me too. I owe her as part of the reason why I'm here today. She was a great woman and you look a lot like her," he said, pulling him away and rubbing his head.

"I take it the reason why you don't talk is because of that, huh?" he asked, looking into Kobe's eyes. His voice was soft, warm, and genuine.

 

[Lief]

He clung for just a few moments, before pulling back and staring at him properly for the first time since he arrived. He didn't look like Asha, his eyes were too dark and his hair too light... But then again, Kobe didn't look like her either where eyes and hair were concerned. So he looked deeper, more intensely, and found within his features traces of his Mother.

Chewing on his little lips, the way Asha used to, Kobe settled back down to the floor and pulled out a few pictures. He pushed them towards Gareth so that he could see, most of them didn't really make sense but some did. Like the image of Asha, or that of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant where he had been raised.

He narrowed his eyes some, and wondered why this man hadn't come sooner. Kobe was five! Where had he been? Or was he like the rest of his family who turned up whenever it was convenient for them to do so? With a soft frown the boy sighed and glanced away. He didn't want that to be the answer.

[member="Gareth Yalthik"]

 

[Gareth Yalthik]

In truth he looked like a mixture of both his parents. He had the eyes and hair of his father, but the facial features of his mother. It was soft and almost unnoticeable the way the contours of his face bent to resemble his mother. He couldn't help but smile with a warmness he was typically known for.

He also had the little mannerisms like his mother (i.e. chewing on her bottom lip.) Gareth picked up the pictures that were pushed towards him. He examined all of them. Some of them weren't recognizable, but others were. The temple on Coruscant and the image of Asha brought back memories. He remembered doing missions with Asha at the Coruscant Temple. "I use to do missions with your mother at this temple," he said, having placed the pictures down, so he could illustrate what he was talking about while he pointed at the Coruscant Jedi Temple. He had heard Kobe had been raised there, so the boy could only imagine what it must have been like his mother in it.

"It was great," he said, his eyes settling on Kobe. He figured the kid would probably be wondering what took him so long to show up and why he didn't turn up sooner. So he felt like he owed him an apology. "I'm sorry I took so long," he frowned, "but there's a reason why I've been absent. A long time ago me and your mother were sent on a mission to Nar Shadda. We were sent to investigate an uprising criminal syndicate, but our mission went haywire and I ended up dying, or supposedly. I then spent the next few months in the Sith rehabilitating as well as being indoctrinated into their ways. But I was thankfully saved and brought back to the Jedi; however..," he sighed.

"I was stationed on the Dantooine Temple and picked up by a new Master. I always figured there was a miscommunication between my new Master and the High Council because Asha never came to pick me up, nor was she informed. So I lived the rest of my life not meeting her. It wasn't until recently that I decided to return after being away on a mission and informed of your birth, so again I'm sorry," he extended his hand out and placed it on his head.

"But I'm here now. Alright?" he smiled.

[member="Kobe Seren"]

 

[Lief]

Gareth hadn't abandoned him.

That was a relief to know, in some regard; Kobe had never heard of this man, so he could not fault him for being in the same boat. But what he was saying still cut into the boy who was doing his very best to block out some of the subjects that were being brought up: Coruscant, the home he had lost, Asha, the mother who had abandoned him and then died, the Jedi, who had failed to protect everyone he loved.

A squeak-like sound of distress escaped his lips. He nodded his head once to the question which was posed his way, before stepping back from Gareth. He felt exhausted, emotionally drained, and knew that he ought to meditate again before going to nap. But he didn't have enough of a grasp to be able to muster up the words to tell him. Instead he flicked his gaze towards the door, then back to Gareth, before sighing and slipping one hand up against his neck and rubbing away the tension like he had always seen Asha do.

[member="Gareth Yalthik"]

 

[Gareth Yalthik]

Even though Gareth hadn't necessarily abandoned him he still wished he was there. At least then he could have sheltered or took on the pain for Kobe. No young child should have to shoulder such pain, but such was the way of the Jedi. They got exposed to things a lot faster than normal sentients. Hopefully he found some measure of peace.

Gareth follows his gaze towards the door. "You want to go back to your room? Come, let's get you back to there," he said, standing up to his feet and extending his hand out. Although whether he took it or not didn't matter since he would bring him back there anyway. When they did arrive he parted Kobe an adieu. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Kobe. It's a shame we couldn't meet under better conditions, but I'm here if you need anything."

The meeting hadn't gone how he had envisioned, but that wasn't a bad thing. There was an upside as well. He got to meet his nephew at least, right?

[member="Kobe Seren"]

 

[Lief]

Grateful that Gareth didn't try to press matters any further, or hold him back from leaving so soon, the boy gathered the tools of his trade to his chest and turned to wander off, clutching the pictures and crayons like a lifeline. He walked in silence, without looking to the man who accompanied him, his hands too full to grasp that of his Uncle... Although Kobe was not certain he would have even if he could.

When they reached the door of his dormitory, Kobe did something moderately unexpected. He lifted his hand and waved in response to Gareth's farewell. A stronger method of communication than the boy had shown in weeks, it was a very short lived act and the moment he was finished Kobe opened his door and hurried on inside, placing down his things and hiding the picture of Asha beneath his pillow.

He was tired, but he knew he still had a lot to see to in terms of his studies. A holocron rested on his desk, staring at him, yet Kobe had no knowledge on how to use it. Instead he let the knowledge that it had belonged to his mother linger over him as he crawled onto the bed and curled up. He could permit himself five minutes of rest, surely...