Private Past Mistakes

[Jack Wright]

(Tag: Valery Noble )
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CORUSCANT JEDI TEMPLE
MEDICAL WING

"All done, your leg will be healed in a few days, Master Jedi."

Jack didn't even have the heart to make a joke, waving the droid off with a small smile, settling back on the bed in relaxation, physically, that was. Not with a chest burdening by recent events, inflicting a more personal nature.

Testing the feel of his right ankle, courtesy of a scorned woman's swing. He was careless in that regard, how he was to know anyone could throw a halberd that fast? Well, certainly when a man egged her on. Gripping his kneecap, swinging his leg back and forth in gentle consideration, the ache not that bad after it'd been tended for.

But right now, that was the least of his worries.

"Ah, Master Noble! A pleasure," Jack perked up, witnessing the Grandmaster enter upon his contacted request, an hour earlier. The droid spoke up, hovering over the ground with its cheerful, programmed demeanour to put any Jedi or house guests at ease. "Do you require any assistance?"

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery stepped into the room, her presence calm yet warm as her fiery gaze swept over the medical bay. It didn't take long for her to find Jack, settled on the bed, testing the movement of his recently treated leg. Even before he greeted her, she could sense it — the weight in his presence, the kind of burden that went beyond physical injury.

Her gaze softened slightly, though she didn't comment just yet. Instead, she turned to the hovering medical droid as it chimed in with its usual cheerful tone.

"No, thank you," Valery replied with a small shake of her head. "I was called here by the patient himself."

She turned back to Jack then, her smirk teasing but gentle as she stepped closer. "I assume this wasn't just an invitation to show off your battle wounds?" she quipped, her arms crossing lightly over her chest. "Though, I have to admit — I'm curious what kind of fight you got yourself into this time."

Her tone was light, but there was an underlying attentiveness to the way she looked at him. Whatever had led him to request her presence, she was here to listen.

Jack Wright ​

 

[Jack Wright]

(Tag Valery Noble )

With the medical droid floated off to perform its other duties, that left them with some modicrm of privacy. Jack just managed a strained smirk, swinging his lower lip a little back and forth, the pain numbing steadily.

"More than you might think," Tossing up his head, the Knight began with a severe tone, "I wanted to give you the news first of my discovery of the investigation on Chandrila, before I gave my report to the Council. Trust me, Grandmaster, there's good reason."

Letting the weight of his words sink in.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery's smirk faded slightly as Jack's tone shifted, his words carrying a gravity that immediately captured her full attention. Whatever he had discovered, whatever had led him to call for her before even reporting to the Council, she could sense the weight of it pressing down on him.

Without hesitation, she stepped closer and eased herself onto the seat beside his bed, her movements calm but purposeful. As she settled, she reached out and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, her fiery gaze steady as she met his.

"First of all, I'm glad to see you're recovering," she said softly, giving his shoulder a small squeeze. "And I can tell this is important."

Her expression grew more serious as she nodded, her voice quieter but firm. "I have no doubt that whatever you found is something I need to hear. Tell me everything."

Jack Wright ​

 

[Jack Wright]

(Tag: Valery Noble )

Well, there's a familiarity designed to put anyone at ease. Jack felt his shoulders slouch, but maintained a rigid disposition, given the weight of such news.

Sighing deeply, "There's no easy way to say this," Time to be frank, hazel eyes gazed at the Grandmaster, intent, "During the investigation into the murder of the Calis Household, I tracked down a lead to an old bunker. It was a trap... Serina was waiting for me."

Giving the fellow Jedi a few minutes to process that. The air thickened far more in tension.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery's breath hitched, her fiery gaze locking onto Jack with sharp intensity. The name struck her like a physical blow — Serina. That couldn't be right. Her grip on his shoulder tightened slightly, not out of fear, but sheer disbelief. "Serina?" she echoed with disbelief. "That's not possible."

But even as she said it, she knew better than to doubt Jack. He wasn't the type to jump at shadows, and the look in his eyes told her everything — he had seen her.

Valery exhaled sharply, memories flashing through her mind like lightning. She remembered the battle. The way Serina had turned against them, her fall to the Dark Side swift and absolute. She remembered striking her down inside the Temple, the weight of her blade as it cut through the last remnants of who Serina had been. And then... the fall. The way her body had plummeted into the depths of Coruscant, swallowed by the city's endless abyss.

No one could have survived that.

And yet, Jack was sitting here, telling her that he had seen her.

Valery forced herself to breathe, her mind already working through the possibilities. "You're sure?" she asked, though she already knew the answer. Jack wouldn't have called her here if he wasn't. "She fell, Jack. I saw her fall. I saw her body disappear into the depths—there was no coming back from that."

And yet, somehow, there was.

Her jaw clenched as a chill settled deep in her bones. "But if she's alive… then how?"

Jack Wright ​

 

[Jack Wright]

(Tag: Valery Noble )

Jack sighed, the sound as weary as he felt. "You know it's a common theme for Darksiders to thrive after near-death," His smile attempted to be joking, but it fell flat. Fingers curved around the bed's edge, finding some comfort in the smooth metal, "Regardless, she lured me in, went on a deranged spiel about the downfall of the Jedi and the faults of our leader, and had her loyal family guards make certain no evidence could be traced back to her. As far as the GA's concerned, she's legally dead."

The unpleasantness in his hazel eyes didn't have to exude how he felt about that.

"She allowed me to leave, to tell the tale, so to speak. Honestly I think she just wanted to rub it in your face you weren't successful in... 'Putting her down.'"

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery hummed in thought, her fingers drumming lightly against her knee as she processed Jack's words. Of course, it hadn't been the end. It never was. She had seen it before — Sith, Dark Jedi, warlords — those who fell into the abyss only to claw their way back out, more vengeful than before. Serina had always been formidable, but if she had survived that fall, if she had spent all this time in the shadows rebuilding herself, then she was going to be a problem.

But not today.

Valery sighed, rolling her shoulders back as she pushed the thought aside. "She wants me to know she's still out there," she murmured, her gaze flicking back to Jack. "Well, she managed that, but there's not much more I can do right now. I'll face her again one day, I'm sure."

Her expression softened slightly as she met his weary eyes. "You did good, Jack. You got out alive, and you brought this to my attention. That's all that matters for now." She gave his shoulder a firm squeeze, her warmth steady and grounding. "But you need to focus on recovering. Let me worry about Serina."

There would come a time to deal with her. When it did, Valery would be ready. But for now, there were more pressing battles to fight.

Jack Wright ​

 

[Jack Wright]

(Tag: Valery Noble )

"Ah it's not big deal." Waving the right lower limb, just a tad. "Just got hit by a halberd."

"A vibro-powered halberd added with multiple bruised ribs-"

"Yes, fine, thank you." Jack's following glare scared the droid off, huffing a loose strand of dark brown. His smirk to Valery understanding, if filled of grim resolve. "If she has the protection of House Calis, and is in league with the Sith, she'll be free to commence operations in the Core Worlds, Grandmaster. I have the feeling this is as personal for her as it is Grandmaster."

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery arched a brow at Jack's casual dismissal of his injuries, her lips curving into something between amusement and mild disapproval. "Just a halberd, huh?" she echoed, shaking her head. "I swear, Jack, you are going to give me gray hair."

Still, her expression sobered as he continued. If Serina was moving in the Core, using House Calis and the Sith as her shields, then she would be a problem. But not an untouchable one. "The few Core Worlds in Sith hands won't be as accessible to them for much longer," Valery said, confidence laced through her words. "The war is shifting, and we're not letting them keep their grip. Whatever Serina is planning, she won't have free rein for long."

She exhaled, her fiery gaze settling on Jack with quiet insistence. "But that's a problem for another day. Right now, you need to rest — actual rest, not 'getting patched up and immediately running into trouble' rest." A smirk tugged at her lips.

She gave his shoulder one last squeeze before straightening. "I'll check in again soon. Unless there's something else on your mind?" Her tone was open, leaving him the space to bring up anything else before she left him to recover.

Jack Wright ​

 

[Jack Wright]

(Tag: Valery Noble )

"Uh, yeah," Only one more thing, that Jack remarked with a poignant, if playful smile, "Let's keep the part she managed to score a few blows between the both of us, right?"

With a boyish smile that still somehow worked for a man nearing his thirties. At the very least, it brought a charm that could help lighten the mood, already dour from the grave revelations.

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery smirked, tilting her head slightly as she crossed her arms. "Oh, absolutely," she teased, her fiery eyes dancing with amusement. "Wouldn't want to tarnish your reputation, after all."

She leaned in just a little, lowering her voice like it was some great secret. "My lips are sealed, Jack."

Then, with a playful wink and a quick, knowing smirk, she pivoted smoothly on her heel and strode toward the door. Just as she reached it, she tossed a glance over her shoulder. "Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone, yeah?"

And with that, she was out the door, leaving behind nothing but the soft sound of her departing footsteps — and maybe just a little bit of laughter hanging in the air.

Jack Wright ​