Private Mt. Grace

[Colette]

Aiden Porte

This place reminded her of the Eshan enclave in all the wrong ways. Big, luxurious, and remote. It had its beauty, but it also reeked of separation. It told Colette that this place wasn't for the common man but rather the few who knew the force made them special. If that was what they wanted then they had more than succeeded.

Colette pressed a hand against her shoulder and gave it a roll. A crisp dawn breeze swept over the area and goosebumps formed along her exposed arms and she shivered for a moment. To these people the day was just beginning. In her eyes it was slowly coming to an end. The nip in the air was just a little too keen compared to what she was expecting. As if it was a child waiting impatiently to kick a ball.

Even after all this time, she swore her internal clock was still tuned to her home no matter where she went. Colette let the bitter nostalgia out with a breath as droids swarmed the shuttle, neat and tireless.

Valiant and dutiful as ever, she thought. She wasn't an unexpected visitor here, but she also hadn't been expected for at least another hour or two.

She didn't question what the pilot had said when he explained that he had shaved off about half the trip. In the end she was standing on Naboo soil and that was good enough for her.

An unknown Jedi she had seen during the flight passed her by and gave her a wave. She waved back and then their time together was over, just like that. She crossed her arms and shifted her weight back and forth between her heels and her footpads for a moment before pulling out her datapad. She wouldn't expect Aiden to be here this early and calling him felt rude.

There were other things she could do while she was waiting, like noting her thoughts down in a journal. Perhaps she would start with the one about the oggdo, or maybe how cold this place was. She wasn't lacking for options lately.

 

[Aiden Porte]

Colette
​

The morning air was still carrying the night's chill when Aiden stepped out onto the terrace. The mist clung low over the lake, turning the marble balustrades into pale silhouettes. Naboo's dawns had a way of softening everything edges, thoughts, even the weight of duty but not enough to quiet the subtle awareness stirring in the back of his mind.

He felt her before he saw her.

A familiar thread in the current of the Force steady, cool, touched by that restless hum she never quite shed, even after long flights or long nights. Colette. It had been months since he'd last seen her in person, though her reports, like her tone, were always punctual and restrained. He smiled faintly at that. Punctuality had its own kind of devotion.

His boots clicked softly across the stone as he made his way down the steps that led from the Sanctuary's east hall toward the landing pad. A small flock of droids drifted by with mechanical grace, carrying provisions and datapads for the day's training cycles. They parted around him without a word, like ripples around a stone. Beyond them, the silhouette of her shuttle gleamed under the rising sunk, sleek, silver, foreign against the muted palette of Naboo's dawn.

He slowed as he approached, not wanting to startle her. The wind carried the faint scent of the gardens the dew, the blossoms just beginning to open. "You're early." he said finally, voice carrying warmth and a teased ton. "Either your pilot's a miracle worker, or the hyperlanes took pity on you."

"The air has a bite to it this time of year. Though I suppose that's what keeps us from getting too comfortable."

He let a pause settle, his gaze softening slightly as the Force between them steadied into something familiar. "It's good to see you again, Colette."

 

[Colette]

Aiden Porte

The voice tore her from her pad. Colette looked up to see who it was and found Aiden himself. She crammed the pad into her pack and straightened. He spoke and she followed along fine until the 'again' caught her off-guard. Rather than five the confusion away she nodded politely as her mind raced to place where they'd met before.

"Thank you," she said and steadied herself. "Good to see you too, Porte."

"Yeah, the pilot was good at their job." Colette said and slung her pack over her shoulder. "Still feel like I'm on Rodia, almost."

They began to walk back towards the temple. "How have you been?"

 

[Aiden Porte]

Shiraya's Sanctuary
Colette
​

Aiden's pace matched hers without effort, measured and unhurried as the two fell into step along the stone path. The Sanctuary rose ahead of them, gallantry softened by mist, morning light catching the edges like a slow awakening. He glanced sidelong at her, just to catch her expression. She seemed tired in his eyes.

"I've been doing well. Life is as busy as it ever could be."

Aiden clasped his hands loosely behind his back, his gaze flicking toward the gardens that bordered the path. The soft chirr of early birds carried between the trees, mingling with the hum of Sanctuary machinery coming to life. "And you?" he asked after a moment. "What brings you out here to Naboo?"