Private Paint The World Brighter

[Iris Arani]

"Alright. So you're five now, and you have a whole new room. I think it's time you get to pick how you want your room painted, yeah?"

Iris was all grins. She set down yet another couple of capsules. Every one was a different shade of color, now numbering in the dozens. Hard compressed to save on space. Who carried around paint buckets in this day and age? Ignoring her pack of spray paint, the Jedi plopped down, spread her arms wide. "Choose wisely, young Padawan. The Force will guide you to the correct color only if you let it." A joke for sure. Iris wasn't sure how much Valery was letting Vera learn of the Jedi yet, or how much training she was allowed to have, but she could still teach her a thing or two, right? Maybe.

"Remember, feel, don't think. Which do you feel will look the best?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

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Tag: Iris Arani

Mom had told her that Iris painted her first baby room back on Empress Teta, and she remembered just loving it. So when the news reached her that Iris would be visiting to paint again, but this time with her help, she was very excited. There wasn't a second where she wasn't bouncing a little on her feet, and with widened eyes, she stared at the paint supplies.

She was so excited and focused on it, that the question almost went right over her head. "Hmm? Oh!" she hopped over to the buckets of paint and looked at all of her options. "Uhmmm..." she hummed again, clearly struggling to pick one. All the colors looked pretty to her, so at this point, she was considering just making it a huge rainbow or mess of all colors combined.

It would not make mom happy though...

But then Iris made a comment that finally did draw Vera's attention back to her, and she gave it some thought. "Mkay!" she finally exclaimed happily before she closed her eyes and followed the mental exercises that she was taught by instructors at the Temple. Her little hand came up and slowly settled over one color — a dark blue, as her main color.

"Oh pretty! Will you help me paint, Master... Uhm, Master... Ara..." she knew this. "Arani!" she grinned and pointed at the walls, "They are too high."

 

[Iris Arani]

"Ohho! The bluest of blues. Perhaps you're destined to become a Guardian, young Padawan." Keeping with the theme Iris crossed her arms and nodded sagely. Then took out the mechanical brush to slot in the chosen color and hand it over to Vera. It was, funnily enough, akin to a lightsaber. For some silly reasons at that. Children brushes came in all manner of weapons and tools.

Seeing one as a lightsaber, Iris just couldn't help herself. She held it out, simply dipping her head.

"You're companion, my young student. Remember, never let it out of your sight. And never use it for evil." Your mother would kill me. She bit back a snicker at the thought of Vera using this to paint Valery's room. Thankfully, the only thing they were going to paint was Vera's still empty room.

"Now, trust yourself. Let the brush guide you, rather than you guide the brush."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Tag: Iris Arani

"Mommy is a Guardian, right?" Valery hadn't told her daughter much about the Shadows, but being a Guardian defined her more. Especially these days, with her role as the Sword on the front. Vera knew about all of that, in part because of her mother directly, but also because of what others had told her during the classes she was attending. Everybody seemed to know her mom.

"Are you a Guardian too?" She then asked as she accepted the paintbrush, and it looking like a lightsaber only made it a lot more fun for the little Noble. She had her mother's excitement when it came to lightsabers, so she was quick to rush over to the wall to start painting. "Evil? Mom won't let me watch the holo if I'm bad..." she pouted for a second or two, then grinned again when it was painting time.

She only stopped when Iris talked about letting the brush guide her. "Hmmm... mkay!" she grinned and, of course, began making lightsaber noises while she began to wildly paint the first wall. She wasn't really giving it much thought or letting anything guide her yet, but she was definitely having fun!

The lessons of the Jedi and Iris' words, however, soon did begin to resurface. Her teachers had been thorough with her lessons, and her mother had taught her a few things as well. Now Iris was trying to get her to focus in a similar way, and so she finally listened. Her multi-colored eyes closed, and she began to paint with purpose. Calm, collected, and guided not by her excitement, but by the Force.

What followed was an abstract painting on the wall, but one Iris would understand, as it captured her emotions. Her happiness and innocent excitement in life.

"Like this?!" she asked excitedly.

 

[Iris Arani]

"Mhmm. You're mom's one of the strongest Guardians ever."

And a former Shadow, but that didn't seem like something to speak about. She wasn't too keen on what the Shadow's were, anyway. She snickered, though. Being bad meant no holo? Interesting. Valery's time as a mother certainly lessened her punishments. Or maybe it was because Vera was still so young. Couldn't exactly make her run laps like Silas or the others. "No, I'm more.. .. I don't really have a path. I do a little of everything, I guess."

A jack of all trades, but master of none. Maybe she should pick something to focus on. Healer, warrior, pilot, battle meditator. So many different paths that she'd dabbled in. She watched in some silence as Vera started to actually let the Force guide her. The painting that showed, it brought an even bigger smile to her face.

"Just like that! Very good. What do you think it means?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Tag: Iris Arani

"Mhmm!" Vera hummed happily. As a young kid, she always felt that both of her own parents were the coolest and best at everything, but it was nice to hear these things or stories from others too. Her mother and father were always her personal heroes, but they weren't the only ones she held in high regard. "Mommy talks a lot about you! I want to fly like you when I get older!" she said with a very big nod of her head.

It wasn't the only thing Valery had told Vera about, but it was just what caught her attention the most. As a little Noble, it was just far too exciting!

Vera then completed part of her painting and looked at Iris for approval. She seemed to really like it and even thought she was doing it correctly, so that made her really happy. She began to bounce on her feet a little from excitement and looked at her painting again. "Hmmm, happy," she said. "Mommy is happy again and I made new friends! Like Amani, like you and Yuri." She understood to some extent that the friendship with Iris and Amani was different, but Yuri was her own age, and right now, her only friend like that.

Even if people tried to harm her or her mother, and even though life had been difficult for a while, she felt genuinely happy now.

 

[Iris Arani]

"Oh. Piloting, huh? I can show you how to fly, when you're older. If you want. then again your mom's the one who taught me so.." Iris shrugged. Either or would be a good teacher, that much Iris did believe. Still, knowing Valery talked her up brought a pretty happy smile to Iris's face. Good to be that.. Good? Liked? .. Her being proud, yeah. That's what it meant. And to hear she was happy, that Valery was happy, it all brought an even bigger smile to her face.

"Yuri? Who's that?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Tag: Iris Arani

"Mommy told me I should learn from other Jedi, so you teach me!" she said with a big nod. It was something Valery had extensively discussed with Kahlil when they were talking about Vera's future, and she was honoring that. Valery taught her certain specific skills and helped with her training, but the bulk of it was handled by others. She was already attending youngling classes, learning meditation skills, and even some lightsaber training!

On the topic of Yuri, she began to grin, "Plushie! Mommy has an uh... sister?" She seemed a little confused about Valery and Shai's relationship, but the plushie woman kept calling her mother 'sis'. That's all that mattered to Vera.

"Yuri is her son, and my friend now!" She paused and looked at Iris. "Do you have many friends?" She asked, and there was a slight dip in her brightness. The paintbrush lowered in her hand and... some paint spilled onto the floor. Vera squealed when she saw it and really hoped her mom would not find out.

 

[Iris Arani]

Valery's sister? Plushie? Iris just raised a brow, but nodded a little none the less. It was someone she could ask Valery about, later. Right now, better to focus on Vera and what she could explain. Iris raised a hand, rather calmly using the Force to keep the brush from dripping on the floor as Vera lowered it. "I think I do. Some closer than others. Some not as close as I initially thought. What's got you down though? Feeling lonely?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Tag: Iris Arani

It wasn't jealousy in Vera's eyes when Iris talked about having a lot of friends, but she was definitely a little down about not having many friends herself. She knew they had moved to Coruscant so she could be closer to her mother, and she loved that, but she was always playing alone. During classes, she wasn't connecting with the other students either because they had all known each other for a long time.

Or perhaps they looked at her differently for other reasons? Her eyes perhaps, or maybe even her mother? She could be pretty scary...

"I don't have many friends," she finally said softly, now plopping down to sit on the floor. "It's my birthday soon and nobody will come."

 

[Iris Arani]

"It's actually really hard to make friends, isn't it? Especially when you're different or.. Weird. A lot of people think I'm weird. But.. I don't let it get to me. I am weird, and that's what makes me great. Or just my painting. Lots of painting. Really I just kept painting where I shouldn't and random people took enough interest to tell me their names and somehow we ended up friends."

Okay maybe it was a bit easier for her than she was going for initially, but seeing a sad Vera wasn't something she liked at all. She frowned a little, watching the younger girl for just a moment. Then looked back to the wall.

"I'll come. And I'm sure Yuri will be there too. And there's still time to make more friends."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Tag: Iris Arani

"You're not weird," Vera said, her tone making it very clear that she was sincere and that her Noble stubbornness wasn't going to accept any argument. Iris was simply amazing to the little girl — she was a good pilot, could heal people and she was an amazing artist as well. But there was a question that now lingered.

"Am I weird?"

Maybe that was the reason that she couldn't make any new friends? She had been able to at school on Cularin, but that was different. They weren't Jedi and they weren't already a group of friends. But then Iris made an offer that really got her to smile again, and she even hopped up to her feet. "Really?! You'll come?" she rushed over and wrapped her little arms around Iris for a big hug.

A long moment of quiet hugging followed, but eventually, Vera began to talk again. "Iris?" she asked. "Can we do some more painting, please?"

 

[Iris Arani]

"I'm definitely weird. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with it." Iris puffed up her chest rather proudly at that, then laughed. "Well, duh. You're my friend Vera. Of course I'll show up." Then she nodded. Looked towards the wall again before lifting her own brush with a helping of blue on it. Looked back to the wall with a grin. Painting. That always something she'd love to do.

"Mhmm! Let's finish up this wall."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Tag: Iris Arani

Vera stubbornly pouted when Iris called herself weird anyway, which likely looked very familiar to Iris, but it faded when she said that there wasn't anything wrong with it. She laughed along and brightened up, knowing that even if she was different, it was going to be alright. Her mother, of course, always reassured her as well, but it felt good hearing it from someone else too.

"You're my friend, too!" she said happily again. Vera then grabbed her paintbrush and waited for Iris to join her, so she could help finish painting the walls. She didn't want to do it alone because the real fun was sharing this moment with one of her best friends in the Galaxy.

But hard work also meant the little Noble would get hungry, as her stomach showed with a growl. "Mmmmm..." she whined after the wall had been pretty much finished. "I'm hungryyyy." She looked at Iris expectantly. There was the option to raid Valery's fridge for food, but Valery trusted Iris more than most, and she'd be okay with them going out for something as well.

 

[Iris Arani]

Blue speckled Iris's hands and sleeves. Not her face, for once. With age came some control. And, well, she figured if she ended up covered in paint Vera might learn that's actually okay. Iris had the luxury of having a home where it didn't actually matter. Best not to teach things Valery might not appreciate. She wiped her brow as she stepped back, unknowingly ruining that whole paintless face with a smear of blue across her forehead.

"Hungry, hmm? .. Oohh. I know a place close by that's really good. Well, depends really." She grinned, glancing down to the girl.

"Can you handle spicy food, Padawan Noble?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Tag: Iris Arani

"Mhmm! Mhmm!" she hummed and bounced on her feet. The idea of spicy food really got her excited, and being called Padawan Noble was something she clearly liked too. The whole Jedi training was fun and awesome, and in her little mind, she was already moving around and doing all the cool stuff she had seen her mother do.

Both for real and on the holo, which had a whole series about mom and dad.

"Mommy told me you make good spicy food too!" Still, the idea of going out together to grab something was really fun, but someday she'd have to try Iris' cooking as well and perhaps even learn a thing or two. Speaking of which, cooking wasn't the only thing she could learn about. "Master Iris? Do you teach at the Temple too?"

Iris learned from her mom, so learning from her would have to be really fun!

 

[Iris Arani]

"Did mommy tell you she's the one who taught me how to make those spicy meals?"

Iris snickered a bit. A lot of her cooking skills actually came from Valery. A lot of her skills in general. She lead the way, bringing them to the cafe in question. Glancing up and down the street with a faint smile.

"Sometimes. I should teach more, but I've been busy as of late. Too many things going on."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Tag: Iris Arani

"Mhmm! She says you are really good at it!" Vera nodded again. At this point, it wouldn't surprise Valery if Iris was better at the spicy meals than her — she loved those a little too much. With Vera being naturally very curious, she had thus learned a lot about Iris and her preferences as well. She just had to know more about her friends and mom seemed to know everybody.

Vera then listened to Iris and took her hand out of nowhere. They were walking down the street, so it was something she was used to doing. Coruscant's crowds could be intense, so Valery always kept her little girl close. Perhaps a little overprotective, but they were no ordinary family. People actively wanted to kill them, the little 5-year-old included.

"I want to learn from you, Master Iris! You are nice and strong, and mommy said I should learn from other Jedi. She talks about you a lot so will you please teach me?"

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris squeezed her hand gently as Vera took hers. Walking hand in hand with someone wasn't something she'd done, but it seemed like something Vera herself was used to doing. Better to not get separated, anyway. She laughed after a second, nodding her head.

"Alright alright. I'll teach you."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

​

Tag: Iris Arani

"Yay!!" Vera bounced up and down but never let go of Iris' hand. It wasn't weird to the little Noble at all to walk around like this. Her overprotective mother had made sure she did everything she needed to be safe. For most families, it was likely extreme, but it was very recently that a group of people had targeted the five-year-old.

Valery knew Iris would always keep her daughter safe, though.

"Master Iris?" Vera began as they approached the food place. "Can we go to the park after eating?" She heard it was a place where she could make friends, and playing a little with Iris sounded like fun too. If there was one thing the young Noble needed, it would be more time spent making friends.