Private Midas Touch

[Corazona von Ascania]

This was the first time she'd ever had need of the Halls of Healing.

Seated neatly on the provided cot, Cora regarded the medical equipment surrounding her with fascination. None of it was active or attached to her—just there in case it was necessary. A training droid mishap had lead to her visit; the bot had exploded when she'd deflected a blaster bolt back at it, pelting the side of her arm with shrapnel. The cuts weren't particularly deep, but they'd hurt.

Still hurt, in fact.

Ever the dutiful noble, Cora tended not to make much of a fuss when she was uncomfortable. The orderly who'd admitted her had given her a strange look when she'd approached the medical bay with a tight smile, polite words, and limp shoulder full of debris.

Her shirt had since been removed, replaced with a short-sleeved tunic of a gown in preparation for treatment. While waiting for the healer assigned to her case, she busied herself by trying to imagine what each machine did. One of them had to be an ultrasound probe or portable x-ray, she'd figured. Maybe something to help you breathe, if you were that injured.

A medical assistant droid wheeled past and she stiffened slightly, wondering if the programming it ran on was as buggy as the droid she'd been sparring with earlier.

Iris Arani

 

[Iris Arani]

She wasn't in the Healing Halls nearly as often as she should be. At least, that's what she figured. They were as busy as ever, and she figured if not for Amani Serys things might be a bit more hectic. Chief Healer, well deserved. But at least Iris was here now! All prepped up even to actually help knit people back together from whatever injuries they might've sustained. She stepped in the room, glancing through a datapad to get the list of injuries.

"So.. A training droid blew u- Oh. Hey, it's you."

Hard to forget someone who introduced themselves the way Cora did. She smiled none the less, setting the datapad down as she stepped over. No droid needed.

"Asides from this, I assume the training went well at least?"

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora started, back straightening as the Healer pulled back the curtain. There was a face she hadn't expected to see, and for some reason a tinge of pink flushed her cheeks. Embarrassment, maybe?

"Oh! Master Arani." Cora's head dipped reflexively in what she imagined was a respectful greeting. "I'm sorry that you have to see me this way." Something about it felt undignified, but Iris seemed unaffected all the same.

She smiled awkwardly. "Although I was unable to complete my training, it had gone quite well up until…that point. Thank you for asking."

Cora hesitated before continuing, anxious but exuberant all the same. "I did not know that you possessed healing talents, Master Arani. How wonderful!"

Iris Arani

 

[Iris Arani]

"You have nothing to be embarrassed about, you know." That was hard to miss, simply by expression and the colors around her. She offered a faint smile before going right into the healing process of it all. No reason to leave her bleeding while they talked. She set a hand on the wound, closed her eyes. Pulled at the colors to gently ease the pain while also removing the bits of shrapnel and such.

"I know a bit of a lot of things. Honestly, just makes figuring out who I am and what I want to do harder, y'know? But, people always need help. So here I am."

Iris raised a brow, just a little.

"Hard being pulled between multiple lives, mm?"

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"I-I am most certainly not embarrassed!" Cora insisted, indignant and flushed. She absolutely was.

The Padawan watched with fascination as Iris simply place a hand against her torn, angry skin—and seemed to draw the pain and inflammation out. The Force pulsed against her arm, not surging in a martial way, but something more gentle and controlled.

"Helping people is always a noble pursuit." Cora agreed with a smile, this one less tight as she no longer had to conceal stinging pain. While discomfort was still present, the edge had abated, making her situation feel far more manageable.

"You mean you don't know what you want to do?" The blonde's face pulled in surprise. Since birth she'd been told who she was and what her role would be in life—she was Corazona con Ascania of Ukatis, future Viscountess of Ascania. Never had she given a thought to not having a strictly defined path.

"How many…lives do you lead, then?"

Iris Arani

 

[Iris Arani]

"There's no reason to lie. Doctor patient confidentiality means I won't go around telling people." Was she teasing? Yes, yes she was teasing. It was a new thing for Iris, but it helped to ease her patients, usually. Maybe. That, and it helped Briana with the whole noble thing back in the day. Maybe? Focus on the healing, Iris. She nodded a little. "Helping people is what Jedi do, you know. Each other, others. I don't know if it's really.. Noble, when it's just what we do."

She paused after a moment, lowering her hands to settle down the shrapnel in the nearby tray. And sighed.

"How many lives? Just one. How many directions am I pulled in? Well.. There's the healing halls here, there's fighting against the Empire and helping the rebels there. There's helping on Denon and investigating the Corpo. There's training my Padawan. Piloting. Painting. Don't get me started on my beliefs for the Jedi Order and what I want to do to help change it for the better. So many ideas and paths, and yet, only one of me to even try."

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"O-oh." Cora stammered sheepishly before clearing her throat in order to smooth her tone. "Of course."

As Iris worked the metal shards from her arms, Cora found distraction in her words. Healing, fighting, investigating, training, flying, painting…she had no idea that Jedi were faced with such a multitude of tasks. "I can see how that would make choosing a focus difficult." The weight of expectation was something they both seemed to share.

"It seems that the galaxy demands much of the Jedi." That observation has been made clear since day one—any perceived slip up or slight, and they'd be lambasted in news outlets and social media hubs across the galaxy. "When you say that you'd like to change the Jedi Order for the better, what do you mean?"

Iris Arani

 

[Iris Arani]

"Too many of us are in war. Fighting. And too many of us fall through the cracks as that breaks us. I've seen too many end up lost to the Order because they didn't get the help they needed." Corin Trenor . Kai Bamarri . Ara Sheridan . That alone was already too much, but Iris already knew there were more outside the people she considered friends. Iris set a bactapatch against the wounds. She healed them enough to keep them from bleeding, but to go any farther would exhaust her.

Better to let the simple things take care of what they could.

"But all of that is just me trying to help you feel comfortable enough to open up yourself. I can see you're troubled, and it's nothing to do with the droid that blew up. What's on your mind, Cora?"

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora's eyes softened at the mention of Jedi needing help and falling through the cracks. It was something she couldn't imagine happening—largely because she didn't know what it meant to be a Jedi, nor was she yet expected to bear that particular burden.

"Is being a Jedi really that hard?" Her query was softer, more thoughtful and not particularly accusatory. Was it similar to being a Noble in the sense that you were on a pedestal with eyes watching your every move?

Blonde brows knit with confusion when Iris prompted her. "Troubled?" Genuinely, Cora did not think that she was. Well, maybe she had some apprehension with her performance that was not hidden well. Even if she had, Jedi seemed to simply have a sixth sense when it came to the general flow of emotions in the room.

"I...well, I've never been away from home for this long. N-not that I'm homesick or anything!" Admitting that caused her to fluster, though it was only part true. Cora was excited to join the NJO and spend time in the greater galaxy, but she did terribly miss the familiarity of the Ascania estate. And her siblings. "I just...wonder if I'm doing well here."

Iris Arani

 

[Iris Arani]

"There are no half measures in being a Jedi. You give everything to protect those who can't." Friends, family. Parts of yourself. She hummed as she glanced to the more disfigured hand. Time had healed the wounds, but the cracked skin and very noticeable lack of pinky weren't something that could just be healed. "I haven't known you long enough to tell you if you've been doing well, but.. Well. You're learning. You don't need to do anything perfectly, you don't need to be perfect. Remember that, mm?"

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora followed Iris' gaze to the wounded hand, eyes widening in sudden realization. She hadn't noticed it before, and the collection of scars and missing digit seemed almost out of place on someone like Iris.

"I can understand the sentiment." Whether she really did or did not, Cora believed her own words. "I was raised to be the next heir of House Ascania. Our sole duty is to protect our people, even at the cost of our own lives." She had nothing but pride for her role, but now Cora wondered if she'd ever be forced to choose between her family and the Jedi. The blonde only been a Padawan for several months, but that was at the behest of her family.

Cora offered Iris a small, awkward smile as she patted the batca patch at her arm. "Thank you, Master Arani. My arm feels much better."

Iris Arani

 

[Iris Arani]

Ahh. She really was another heir to a noble house. A lot of the similarities between her and Briana were suddenly very clear. Though Bri never let herself get overwhelmed by that sense of duty. .. No, she absolutely did. Iris chuckled at her own introspection before nodding.

"Mm. I think I understand that. But.. Remember this is your choice. Being a Jedi. Don't let your family or anyone ever push you to be something you don't want to be."

She pulled out another patch, handing it over to the Padawan.

"Tomorrow, change the patch. Clean the area before applying the new one, and the following day be sure to take off the patch and thoroughly clean the area. There should be minimal scarring. If you feel any pain or such, come back in. But otherwise, you're all set. .. And if you ever need to talk to someone, don't hesitate to reach out, okay?"

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora smiled wearily at Iris. While she hadn't felt pushed into becoming a Jedi, the pressure to succeed—and to protect her people's wellbeing—was enormous. This was her duty, and that could simply not be ignored no matter the personal cost.

She took the patch, listening intently to the healer's instructions. "Thank you, Master Arani. You are both skilled and kind." Cora tucked the patch into the pocket of her trousers. "And easy to talk to. I'll…be sure to seek you out if I need any additional guidance."

A pause, and her smile turned a little awkward.

"Please let me know if you need anyone to talk to as well. I am happy to lend an ear."

With her treatment complete, Cora bowed and meandered her way to the cafeteria. She hadn’t rated since early in the morning.

Iris Arani