On The Precipice

[Eugen Aker]

Outfit

The moon was bright and high, basking the grounds in pale silver light that gave them an almost ethereal quality. Beside her on the beach, the lake glittered, the calm waters providing a perfect mirror of the moon and the stars on a clear night. Every so often, leaves gently swayed from the occasional breeze.

Normally enthralled by such a tranquil scene, the moon child found no peace tonight, however.

In fact, she hadn't found peace any night she had stepped back on Kashyyyk. On the surface, the Rest was still as beautiful as she had remembered, but the warmth she had once known all those years ago seemed to be gone. She felt no love here.

What had changed? Had she simply fallen out of sync with her comrades, or was it something else?

She needed answers.

[member="Josh Dragonsflame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Much had changed in the last few years. Josh had finally been able to move on from his ordeals, and Josh and Ra had moved in together. Jason's Force Sensitivity had emerged and he had been training at the Rest in order to be better able to control his capabilities -- and keep him from being tracked by enemies. Aside from weekends that the Jedi Master, Riamah and Jason disappeared, Josh spent much of his time at the Rest. He felt like things were starting to get on track proper, he was starting to pursue business ventures outside of just the Jedi, and for the first time, he began to feel more like an individual than just a part of a Jedi Order.

But life was still as hectic as ever. So on nights like this, Josh liked to take Jason and just sit at the beach and listen to the waves, feel the wind in their hair and just... Be. This was where they were now, sitting in the sand. Jason's eyes had begun to droop, and Josh figured it would likely be his bedtime soon. There was no threat of attack here with how well the Rest was, and Josh was able to let his guard down and relax back, letting Jason's head fall on his shoulder.

But a presence caused him to slowly sit up. One he hadn't felt in a few years. Jason sensed the urgency in his father and sat up as well, looking to his father. Josh would look toward where he could sense something -- someone.

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

As she felt someone focusing attention on her, she snapped out of her brooding to mind her immediate surroundings. It only took her a few moments to recognize the source, intimately familiar to her.

Josh.

Right after that, she came face to face with him, a little further down the beach. She could see a boy with him that looked very much like Jason, though he was much bigger than the last time she had seen him. It still all felt like a lifetime ago since then.

"What are the odds?" she called out as she approached the pair. "Didn't expect to bump into anyone on my midnight stroll."

She had been in and out of the Rest for the past few weeks now out of her hiatus, though she had managed to miss him each time. She had begun to wonder if he was gone altogether.

"So what are you two up to this late? Doesn't a certain someone have a bedtime?"

[member="Josh Dragonsflame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

It had been some time indeed. As Jyoti Nooran walked toward them, the Jedi Master turned his head to look her over. She looked like she hadn't changed in the slightest... Well, not really.

"Srina Talon, surprised to see you."

His expression slowly slid into a grin. Turnabout was fair play. Sure it had been a few years but it wouldn't be Josh if he didn't open with a joke. Rising to his full height, he stretched out a moment before holding out a hand to help up Jason.

"I've been busy, and this one's been working hard. Thought it would be good to kill two in one, and take him out for a bit of time on the beach before bed. And how about you? Been a few years, you and her tie the knot yet?" He inquired. Sure, Jyoti hadn't exactly told him about Allyson. But Allyson had made it very, very... Very obvious in their last mission.

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

"Her? Who's her?" Jyoti answered with a quizzical expression. "I only have eyes for my dear Aryn."

She closed her eyes and raised her hand to her heart, letting out a dreamy sigh.

"Once the great violet flag of the Confederacy flies in every corner of the galaxy, I can finally settle down and raise a family with my true love. Maybe I'll finally have the time to learn cooking then. People like to say that the honeymoon period is fleeting, but my passion for him is so great, that I'll make it last forever. Whatever it takes."

Another content sigh, then she opened her silver eyes.

"You know...in a certain light...and with a haircut, you two could almost pass for twins. I wonder if we could ever have a boy so lovely as Jason?"

She began to circle around around them slowly, flashing a cheeky grin at father and son

[member="Josh Dragonsflame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The Jedi Master smiled a bit at the joke and dramatization. He was curious though, had she always looked like that? He knew that full-blooded Echani tended to look alike, but he could almost swear Jyoti looked fairly different before. Oh well. It wasn't like changing one's appearance was difficult in this age of technology. Maybe she'd just gotten some work done in the few years since he had seen her last. Or maybe age just changed a person, who knows?

"What have you been up to in the last few years since I've seen you last?" He inquired in turn. "You've missed quite a bit."

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

She stopped circling as he followed up with another question, matching his smile.

"Ally is doing fine, we still keep in close contact. In fact, she's been helping me with a new project."

That's all she had to say on that topic. She was sure some people had suspected something between the Echani and Corellian, but officially they were never an item. Still, she loved her friend like few others.

"However, I did, in fact, tie the knot." She held up her left hand to him, platinum wedding band glinting brightly as it caught the moonlight. "Going on three years now."

As she replied, she felt a rush of goosebumps. For a few moments, she broke eye contact with Josh to glance around their surroundings. She had just been overcome with the sensation of being watched by something outside of her immediate view, but what exactly, she didn't know. It was probably nothing. After all, the Silver Rest was situated in the middle of a globe spanning jungle, where all manner of critters went bump in the night.

Many of whom would love a Jedi as a midnight snack.

"How about we hit up the dining hall, and then we can catch up over some hot chocolate? I'd hate to have Jason standing outside all night while I flap my gums."

[member="Josh Dragonsflame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Mazzletoff" He congratulated her in turn when she announced her knot tying. She then suggested that they head to the dining hall and he nodded his head. Jyoti seemed to be of the mind that at this hour, it was very possible that this wasn't entirely safe. Nothing they couldn't handle, but with Jason around, Josh supposed it wasn't worth risking. Taking Jason by the hand, Josh led the way from there. Once they'd reached the dining hall, he would get the three of them some hot cocoa as they sat down.

“So, tell me what you’ve been up to. What is this new project you were talking about?” He inquired curiously in turn.

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Eugen Aker]

"Aside from raising my children?" she chuckled while adding a dollop of cream to her hot chocolate. "Allyson's been helping me restore an old Mon Cala battle carrier. We're converting it into a mobile praxeum, a sanctuary for the Jedi dispora. It's actually quite distressing how many have been displaced by the destruction of their temples. I've directed some to Kashyyyk, but most seem too paranoid to settle in any fixed location again."

She mixed in the cream with a few stirs, making her drink extra smooth.

"It's been slow going, but everything has started to come together we get more hands to help. The experience has been pretty laid back in comparison to what I was doing here, but it's been pretty rewarding none the less."

She went quiet as she took a long sip of her drink, reclining back in her seat. Sitting with Josh and Jason again, she felt a spark of that old warmth she now coveted.

For fleeting moment, it felt like home again.

[member="Josh Dragonsflame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

“Your children?” He responded, with a curious glint in his eye at the mention that Jyoti had children. He knew that she had a close relationship, almost mother and daughter, with Charlie. But she hadn’t mentioned even settling down, much less having even more kids. The word “children” kept him curious, but he decided not to push beyond the initial questioning for clarification unless prompted.

He listened with a curious eye as she detailed some of her endeavors. Her and Allyson were working on a sanctuary for Jedi displaced from destroyed temples and his thoughts went for a moment to the temple that the self-proclaimed Mandalore and her cronies had destroyed for no reason, despite its lack of ties to any enemies of the Mandalorians. It was good, he thought, that someone was trying to help the refugees with full focus and he smiled after a moment of thought. It also sounded like Jyoti was enjoying being able to have a more laid-back environment, compared to the workaholic, rush rush rush, go go go business model she had shown while she was the Grandmaster here. Though after his stint in the role after she had left, he supposed he could see why she had been that way, as he too was like that even if he preferred the laid back way. Yet it was hard to see Jyoti as anything else. That would take some getting used to.

He took a sip of his drink, and looked to Jason who had dozed off during her explanation. He pulled Jason into his lap let him rest his head on his chest while he gingerly ran his fingers through his hair, though his eyes never left Jyoti’s throughout this. The reaction had just come naturally, and he seemed used to it to the point that it didn’t seem to interrupt his intended movements whatsoever by the time he responded to her.

“I’m glad to hear you’re doing well, possibly even better by the sounds of it” He spoke softly. “Things have been… Busy, here I suppose. Nothing new, really. Ra’s moved in with me, and there have been some... Interesting developments, as well” He added, shrugging his shoulders, deciding not to drop the bomb right away seeing as they had just reunited. “We started a business not long ago, video games and toys and the like. Stuff that’d appeal to children. I was apprehensive of doing something outside the Order at first, but… I guess I sort of realized that the Orders not all I am Ra encouraged me to experiment a little, and try to be just… Me. If that makes sense at all.”

[member="Jyoti Nooran"]