Pot/Kettle

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori didn't often find herself at home. Even [member="Caedyn Arenais"] spent more time on Commenor than she did. No, the young Princess spent most of her time travelling from place to place. She was under the training of the Mandalorians for a time, but with inner turmoil taking place among their leaders and members, she was encouraged to go elsewhere for her own safety.

And travel she did! Using her little fighter and hitching a ride on bigger transports, she moved from one end of the Galaxy to the other, never guving out her full name or titles to anyone. She had to be cautious afrerall, for the chance of being a tool to be used against her parents was quite high.

She cast her gaze on the Estate after hopping out from the Grey Sparrow. The place looked smaller somehow. And empty. That was how Lori felt at times. Small. Empty. And detached. It had been that way since she was separated from her brother. And then seeing her parents being forced to split up....

Right now she sought comfort in familiarity and good memories. And some junk food. Surely there was some in the kitchen.

Lori unlocked the door after strolling onto the porch and headed inside, throwing her knapsack on the couch and going right for the pantry. As far as she was concerned, the Estate was empty. So she was going to stuff her face! And binge watch holomovies.

Maybe even for a whole week!

[member="Veiere Arenais"]

 

[WolfMortum]

[member="Loreena Arenais"] would in-fact find the cupboards fully stocked and baring fresh foods, snacks and junk-food among all the other types that Veiere had sought to try to appease his state of mind. Food was often a tool for which people used in their self-medication and he figured he ought to try it given he had little else to do. There was always the possibility of the Children coming to visit him though as of yet they weren't informed that he was staying there, to his knowledge in any case. Certainly their Mother would have told him just in case they came with pitch-forks and all their resentments for his actions. They'd be justified in that.

The Man himself however was up on the third floor, the master bed-room sitting upon the side of the bed and looking out through the open entrance to the veranda where the air blew on inside of the house and offered him a chilled caress of his skin, as if to remind him that there was still some life outside. His thoughts however had dulled his senses and he'd completely missed the sound of Lori's fighter having landed; it wasn't until one of the doors downstairs closed that he blinked and found himself standing to his feet at the sudden realization that he wasn't alone anymore.

[member="Lady Kay"] came to mind first, the Children an after-thought as it wasn't likely, though the Force worked in such ways that he would be proven wrong of course. Moving slowly down the stairs, he placed his feet so, that the floor boards made so little a sound with each shift of his weight, his head low as he hoped to see beyond the cover of the roof that her were descending below, to identify who it was that had entered his home, he now being the only one that seemed to think of it as such a thing anymore. Perhaps his exile to the place wasn't such a good idea in the end after-all.

"Whoever has entered my house had better speak up for themselves, least they know not who lives here and will be excused of their ignorance, thus keeping their lives..." Veiere spoke out firmly, intimidation his only weapon as he carried nothing else and would rather send them running for the hills than have to actually take up the fight once more.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori was sooooo happy that the pantry was stocked with her favourite things! How could she SURVIVE without bantha-steak flavoured chips? It had already been a few weeks since she had them last, yet for her it felled like years! She quickly tore open a bag, grabbed a handful and stuffed it into her mouth.

-Crunch- -Crunch- -Crunch-

That was all that she heard until she caught the last few words that [member="Veiere Arenais"] made from the stairwell. Immediately she dropped the bag if chips on the counter and swallowed her mouthful. "Dad?...." At least it sounded like him. But he was in exile last that she knew.

Lori exited the kitchen, wiping her hands on her thighs as she made her way to the stairs. Her whole face lit up as she looked upon Veiere. "DAD!!" She thundered up the stairs to reach him and wrapped her arms tight around his waist with her head leaning against his chest while she hugged him. "I thought that...oh Dad I've missed you!"

 

[WolfMortum]

[member="Loreena Arenais"] wasn't the small girl she was back when things were running smoothly for their family; instead she had grown so much that when she reached him, the impact of her hug sent him falling back to land against the stairs with his Daughter in his arms. How long had it been since he had hugged Lori, spent some actual genuine time with his Children. The last she had seen him had been during his trial.

"Hey Kiddo...-I've missed you too" he replied softly, embracing her in a much needed greeting; he'd been both surprised and relieved by Lori's lack of resentment towards him over everything that had happened. Perhaps she didn't know quite as much as Veiere expected she would by now though he wasn't exactly wanting to spoil it for them both. "How've you been, Princess?" He shuffled a little so that she could sit upon the stairs beside him, his gaze finding hers and giving the warmest of affectionate smiles for the pride that shone through for her.

"Your Mother tells me you've been training with the Mandalorians...-You sure have grown. Is your Brother with you too?" he asked soon after about [member="Caedyn Arenais"], wondering whether the lad was about, though he couldn't sense his Son. Between the pair of them however, Veiere had been a little anxious and way about seeing them again, fearing their hatred towards him. Now that Lori had proved him otherwise, the two boys, one very older [member="Bradshaw Ku"] and Caedyn himself would be the ones to tell whether there was still hope for their family or not.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori laughed as she caused [member="Veiere Arenais"] to fall back on the stairs. Guess she doesn't know her own strength! But she did run at him pretty quick.

She held onto his hug for as long as she could, before he shifted her over to have her sit beside him. Her eyes met his and although there was a hint of sadness in her own given what had happened, she didn't want it to let her down. Lori didn't get to see her family often, so she wanted to be sure that those memories were good ones.

"I've been good! I have my own little ship that I explore in.
Oh! And I made my own jetpack! You should see it, Dad! Maybe even give it a try!" So far no one had taken her up on her offer, and she hardly expecred her Dad too either. "I also fought in a couple of tournaments. I didn't do so well, but I made it to the second rounds in each!" The last one had her hurt pretty bad. But she did gain a lot of respect from others for her steadfast courage.

She shrugged her shoulders a bit as he asked about Cae. "I dunno where he is. Probably with the Jed'aii somewhere, or with Mom.
I know that he comes here more than I do." But Lori knew of her brother's resentment towards their Dad. It was felt whenever he was mentioned.

"How've you been, Dad?....Are you okay?" She was concerned for him. Lori was even going to search the Galaxy for him. But now she didn't have to.

 

[WolfMortum]

It was all quite a lot to take in; the last time that he and [member="Loreena Arenais"] had spent time together, she were still just a girl whom rarely left her parents sight. Nowadays she was out there piloting her own starship, brawling with Mandalorians in Tournaments and flying about in a jetpack that Veiere could only imagine her Mother stressing about and ordering her to keep her feet on the ground. It was as if Veiere had missed half of his Daughter's life.

From the sound of things, Caedyn seemed to be hanging around if Lori's tone was anything to go by. She mentioned the Je'daii Order and in that, Veiere was glad that his Son had been training under the tutelage of Asha Hex. The young woman had impressed Veiere, her skills in the Force even at such a young age were incredible and if she'd passed on some of that to Caedyn then the Lad would have turned out okay in the end.

"I've been...Alright" Veiere answered with a bob of his head to either side in a moment of indifference, very little reassurance in his voice for even he wasn't entirely certain where he stood on things. Only recently he'd run into two people from his former life, though one was by...Connection to the former Padawan, [member="Romi Jade"]. [member="Aten Ramses"] was a young Padawan full of enthusiasm and the belief that everyone could be redeemed. Veiere had to admit that the thought was pleasant though his guilt held him back still; something that in his mind he had done well to earn this purgatory of sorts.

"Your Mother knows I'm here, just between the two of us" Veiere glanced back to his daughter with a faint smile; "She's been very forgiving...-Though it could get her in trouble so let's just keep this one between us, alright?".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori wasn't so sure that she could believe [member="Veiere Arenais"] that he was alright. The hesitation in the way that he said it proved to her that he had much going on and plenty on his mind. But she had expected as much.

Her brows furrowed as he asked her to keep this all a secret. "Why would it get her into trouble? Would it get me in trouble too?" Lori wasn't that familiar with politics, so the whole situation between her parents and the rest of the population was confusing. Her own experiences with politics had just been at weddings and parties. That was about it.

"I miss us all being together. We should do that some time. Maybe even go on a vaction.
Mom's allowed vacations isn't she? And I'll kidnap Cae if I have to. I know that he's upset, but we're family! And that's important!" If it was one thing that she'd learn from her Mandalorian guardians, it was that families were important and always came first. But she hadn't been around them for some time. She hadn't been around anyone. She'd just been...travelling.

 

[WolfMortum]

He wanted to smile at his daughters innocence yet Veiere felt guilty and saddened by it all the same. Lori just wanted her family back to normal, yet they couldn't be and it was because of the things that he had done. How could he rightly stand before her and try to feel like a father, a role-model that he ought to be when he had done things that no child should have to know about. That no man like he, should have fallen so far, that he should have ever let himself do.

"Your Father is responsible for some pretty bad things, Loreena" Veiere spoke gently, a sigh escaping him as he felt horrible having to explain himself. They were truths that she might never forgive him for, yet honesty was all that he had left to give her from the position that he now found himself in. "People died because of me. Good innocent people, Jedi of a Systems Alliance World. That is why your Mother cannot be seen with me".

"The last time you saw me, I was being held on trial. You understand what that means don't you?" He asked her, knowing full well just how intelligent his daughter was. She had street smarts and the education of a Mandalorian Warrior; perhaps that was why she wasn't angry with him so much as Caedyn clearly was. "The Systems Alliance have labeled me as a traitor to our people, and no matter how much Mom might still love me, she cannot go against her own people or she will be looked at as if she's helping a criminal. Treason is a serious crime...-She would not be a good Queen of the people if she were to excuse me just because of our marriage and family. It's not personal...-It's politics. Business".

"No matter how sorry I am, the Galaxy would never forgive me or your Mother so long as she's a Queen and protector of so many".

[member="Loreena Arenais"]​

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori's smile slowly faded while [member="Veiere Arenais"] spoke of what he had done. Her eyes gave him a blank expression as she recalled the trial in her head and the attack that prevented it from concluding properly. [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] had taken her away then, bringing her to safety lest those Dark Jedi attacking the city would attack her too. Given that she had so little experience in violence outside of her training and the couple of tournaments that she had fought in, the event itself was all too surreal.

She regained her focus once her Dad began giving her reasons as to why her Mom couldn't be around him. It made her sad to think about. Her parents were closer than she was with Caedyn, and in such ways that her innocence had found it difficult to grasp. All that she could surmise was that it just wasn't fair.

And then there it was. A glimmer of hope uttered by her Dad. "What if she wasn't Queen anymore? Could we make her quit? Can she quit?
If Mom isn't Queen anymore, then you can be together again and we can bring Cae home and...and..." Lori wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his chest. The truth was that she was rather lonely. Her time with her Mandalorian guardians was over, as she had a big argument with Jaster and left. Cae was off learning the Force, while her Mom just locked herself away with meetings and work. Lori just spent most of her time travelling, exploring, but keeping safeas she was sure not to tell anyone who she was.

"Can you teach me the Force, Dad?
I promise that I'll be a good student. And I'll listen. I'll even not talk so much if it helps." She lifted her head up to look at him then, her eyes full of hope accompanied by a hint of desperation. "Please?..."

 

[WolfMortum]

His Daughters request was completely unexpected, though in the past he and their Mother had done their best to abstain from influencing them where politics of the Force were concerned; that however was based primarily on Veiere's history and [member="Lady Kay"] had more or less allowed him to make the decision for the twins. Days back then were much brighter and Veiere had not sullied their families name and reputation. Trusting him back then, he presumed came far easier than their mother's trust for him nowadays.

As far as Veiere was aware, Caedyn was still off being trained by [member="Asha Hex"] and the rest of the Je'daii Order. No doubt he was off having a blast, getting to explore all the old worlds, ruined temples and places of immense history that eventually led to all of the later Orders of Force Practitioners in today's society. Fatherhood had not gone the way he had meant it to, there was still so much damage that he would never be able to make up for. Damage to his family, damage to the Commenor Systems Alliance and to the Jedi Order, whatever state they were in these days. Surprisingly, no Jedi had come looking for his head; in fact they'd left him alone completely, with the exception of [member="Aten Ramses"] and [member="Romi Jade"].

"I have not taught someone in the ways of the Force in quite some time, Loreena" Veiere replied to his daughter cautiously. Training her wasn't just a big commitment that she would have to make but so too was it something that Veiere would have to tread carefully with. Having left for such a time, having taken lives and shamed himself was already such a catastrophic way to let go of himself and give in to the lure of selfishness; but to see [member="Loreena Arenais"] be led into that same darkness...-That would be something Veiere could not live with. On the other hand, he too knew just how headstrong she could be when she'd set her mind to something. Was it better that he guide her, having witnessed and experience the disgrace and corruption that ill restraint could lead to?...

"The Mandalorians taught you how to fight..." Veiere spoke in open thought. "To add the power of the Force to someone so willing and ready to fight would lead to disaster. The Force is not a toy, Lori..." He turned to look at her, a stern glance though there was warmth in his voice that she might know he was giving her a warning and not criticizing or being too harsh; "You do not want to become what I have become, nor see the people you love look at you in fear".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her jaw opened somewhat as [member="Veiere Arenais"] gave her what sounded like totally unfair excuses. She quickly got to her feet and stared down at him with tears brimming her eyes. "Cae knows how to fight too! So how come he gets to learn and I don't?! Because he's the favourite?! Is that why he got sent away and I didn't?! Because I wasn't good enough?!"

She took a breath in a bid to try to control herself, but there had been plenty that she had kept bottled up inside for months, with no one to talk to about it, because those around her just wouldn't understand. And the rest of the time she was alone. "Well I'm good at stuff too Dad! I'm a good pilot and I built my own jet pack! And it works!
I can tinker in your workshop as good as you can, you know?!" She stamped her foot on the steps hard as she expressed her point. "This is so not fair!
Cae gets everything while I get left alone! I try do do great things and build great things to make you guys proud of me, but none of you care! You just tell me what I can't do and am not allowed to do! Well that's just stupid! You're all just stupid!"

Lori turned and ran down the steps, heading right for the door so that she can burst through it and go outside. Deep down she knew that her Dad wasn't trying to get her upset, but she just couldn't help herself. She just didn't feel any self worth. And the last thing that she wanted was to be some stupid Princess doll to be paraded around and gawked at during parties. She wanted her life to mean something and not just live in Caedyn's shadow. Or the shadow of her parents.

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere sat there looking a little dumbfounded in response to his daughter's reaction. Her explosion of emotions and overall disappointment took him a little by surprise as he hadn't been giving her an answer but rather trying to caution her on the subject. The truth was that he felt as though he owed her this much, at the very least and he was willing to teach her providing that she understood the risks and would take to it with a mature mind. Instead she voiced her belief that Caedyn had been privileged where she had not and that there were favorites between the two children between he and their Mother, [member="Lady Kay"]. Where she got this notion from, Force only knows.

Sighing under his breath Veiere slowly pulled himself to his feet and began to move down the last few steps on his way towards the door she'd more or less flown out of in tears. [member="Loreena Arenais"] had always been quick on her feet, usually more confident than her brother and a much quicker learner but in this instance it was certainly her speed that had got the jump on her Father; thus the easiest way to call her back was to rely on the very thing she wished to learn.

"Loreena, how do you expect to learn from me when you do not give me time to explain myself. ​

I was not saying that I would not teach you...".​

​

His words would reach his daughter instantly, not spoken but delivered through the Force itself to reach to her not just in sound but so too Veiere's presence within the Force, his emotions with which were warm and calm, yet also concerned now for the Girl's exposed inadequacy. However she had come to believe so little of herself, these things were not the hope nor intention that Veiere had ever wanted for his girl.

Though perhaps they weren't to be entirely unexpected given the things that he had done and the lack of a father that he had become in his children's lives today...

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori skidded to a halt on the grass and crouched down the moment that her father's voice rang inside her head. He wasn't shouting at her, yet still she heard his voice as clear as day. She remained perfectly still where she was, her head lowered as she stared at the blades of grass. She didn't make it up for she felt him, along with his voice. It was as though [member="Veiere Arenais"] was right next to her. But he wasn't. At least not yet.

Was she acting too harshly and hastily? Maybe. Probably. She took her time as she wiped her tears with her hands, drying off her face as best as she could. All the while her mind was a flurry of activity. At least he wasn't challenging her to fight him over what she had said, like Jaster had done in the past. Instead her Dad had left her an opening.

Slowly Lori got to her feet and turned around, pivoting on her heel as she walked back up the porch steps and through the open door. She chewed the inside of her cheek as she approached her Dad, her eyes not yet meeting his. "Sorry, Dad...I just thought that...I'm so used to being denied. What...what is it that you were going to say?" Her brows furrowed in a similar fashion to her Mom's, yet she still kept her eyes away from his. She was afraid to see disappointment in them.

 

[WolfMortum]

His concern for his daughter was evident in how he watched her as [member="Loreena Arenais"] reluctantly came sauntering back into the house with a look of defeat and embarrassment rolling off of her shoulders; Veiere pursed his lips in a flattened smile, relieved that she'd returned to him though unable to forget the words that had been thrown at him for how she felt only moments prior. How he spoke to her, obviously required a little more tact than he'd been accustomed to speaking with in recent times, or perhaps Veiere was simply being reminded of what it was to be an actual Father as opposed to the shameful example he had been of late.

"First of all, Loreena; Your Mother and I don't have favorites, we love you both just as much as we do your older brother Brad", though he had not seen [member="Bradshaw Ku"] in quite some time, their older sibling was off pursuing his own life and learning how to leave his mark on the Galaxy today. "As for why I had Caedyn sent to the Je'daii...-Your Mother and I wished to avoid the pair of you learning about the Force for as long as possible. When it became apparent that you were both showing signs of awareness to these abilities, we wanted to make sure you were given the right guidance...-As similar as you both are, [member="Asha Hex"] was, I thought, the right mentor for your brother".

"You on the other hand..." Veiere smiled faintly, placing a hand to her shoulder in the hope of encouraging her to look up to him; "You've always been smarter than Caedyn has. Always been faster to learn things and we've never been able to hide anything in this house for long before you eventually stumbled upon them. Your Mother thought the Mandalorians might capitalize on these skills and teach you the life lessons that have long seen their culture grow and remain strong. It's also important that you realize, this side of your Mothers life was something she didn't like talking about before you were sent to them..." the decision had been something of a surprise as [member="Lady Kay"] had always avoided conversations around the Clan Raxis and her Mandalorian "relations". These days however it seemed as though those ties had grown immensely, almost to the point of making it difficult to know whether this was a personal relationship of the Queens or a diplomatic and political relationship between the Systems Alliance and the Mandalorian Empire.

"I will teach you how to use the Force...-And rather than teach you how to fight like the Mandalorian's have, I'll teach you why you should discourage violence wherever you can".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori looked at first to her Dad's hand before slowly letting her gaze trail along the length of his arm, to his shoulder and then finally up to his face. What she saw within his eyes when hers met up with his was not what she had expected. Did she believe [member="Veiere Arenais"] when he told her that him and her mom didn't play favourites? Not really. Well...okay, maybe....But still, it didn't seem fair that he got to learn more of what was nearly forbidden to them before she did.

It was strange though, that her mom didn't seem to like the idea of being related to the Mandalorians and being one of them. As far as she could tell, they were pretty cool people. But Lori had to admit that she hadn't come across all of them yet.

A smile grew from nowhere as her Dad told her that he'd teach her. She quickly wrapped her arms tightly around him. "Oh thank you!
Thank you Dad! I won't let you down! I promise!" Whether or not she cpuld hold onto that promise, she wasn't sure. But his agreement made her feel better.

She pulled back a bit then, and cleared her throat a little. "I think that Cae discovered his talents first. I just sorta tried to keep up. But I taught myself a trick before he left. Did you want to see? It's not much...but I think it's kinda neat."

 

[WolfMortum]

Curiousity piqued, Veiere smiled and lifted his head in a half nod of agreement. "You learned something before your Brother did, did you?" he was pleased to hear it. It seemed to have been earlier on in their years before they'd been shipped off on their own paths in life. As fate would have it however, or rather perhaps the will of the Force, his daughter would find her way back home; her future training being placed into his hands.

Veiere saw this as a pivotal moment, not just in her life but the meaning of what it was to take on an Apprentice. The bond between a Mentor and their Student was in a lot of ways very similar to that between a Parent and their Child. Veiere had only one successful apprenticeship before and nowadays [member="Romi Jade"] was not at all pleased with her former Mentor. "If I'm going to train you, then i'll train you as I was trained within the Jedi Order...-You will be instructed in the ways of the Light-side of the Force, and you will learn the dangers of the Dark-side...." Veiere's words faded a moment as he paused to consider what this meant for he himself. He was doing this for his Daughter, yet he could not instruct her adequately without first remembering the path that he had been taught to walk so long ago when the Jedi still taught upon the world of Svivren.

"You will be able to call yourself a Jedi when we are done and perhaps...One day, so too may I, Force willing", [member="Aten Ramses"] had wished for such a thing, seeking lessons in Force Light that Veiere might be able to help him. Their first encounter had been disappointing for the young man...-Though the future was not yet written. "Now...-Show me this trick of yours, Lori..." He spoke with a warm and encouraging smile, eager to spend and get to know [member="Loreena Arenais"] better for all the time he had wasted.

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori beemed as [member="Veiere Arenais"] asked her if she learned something before her brother did. Of course she was quite good at picking up on mechanics, engineering, building things and taking them apart. Creating her own jetpack was fun! And she had plans for other things as well. She was more than just some little Princess and so she was quite determined to prove that to others.

Her Dad grew a little more serious then, perhaps looking a little taller too. She listened as he described just what she was getting herself into. It was a different path than she had expected, but if it will allow her to remain close to at least one member of her family, then it was worth it. The Mandalorians taught her that nothing was more important than family. And her family was what she had been neglecting due to her...emotionial behaviour.

She took in a deep breath and grinned as he asked for her to show him her trick. "Okay! I haven't done it in a bit, so I'm a little rusty." Lori cleared her throat a little and took a step back. She closed her eyes as she seemed to center herself, blocking everything out around her while she focused on her task. Then her eyes opened as she lifted her hand and focused on the atoms and molecules in the air above it. She nudged them with the Force, urging them to move faster and faster with each rotation until moments later, a small ball of light no bigger than a pebble formed above her hand where she stared. Lori maintained her focus, holding that light in place for a few seconds before she let it go and the brightness faded from view. "I got the idea in school when we learned how light is created in torches and such. I showed Cae once, when we were exploring the caves. Pretty neat, huh?"

 

[WolfMortum]

[member="Loreena Arenais"]' father watched closely as the young girls held out her hand and with a moment of concentration and a swell of the Force, proceeded to create a ball of light just shy of her palm. She had received no training in the force and only what the Mandalorian's perceived of such subjects, which wasn't likely to be a great deal. Veiere's gaze shifted between the glowing orb and his daughter with a look of surprise and great intrigue. The ability to cast light by use of the Force in such a way had been one of Veiere's own talents, though it was also one of his more extreme abilities and had taken the former Jedi Master years to perfect; before him stood his own daughter whom at a mere age of sixteen was able to show such a talent of her own making, her own practice. It led Veiere to consider just how strong of a connection she might have to the Force, and how far those talents of hers could grow.

"The ability to create such a beacon of light from the Force is considered to be a great asset of the Jedi" Veiere smiled as he spoke to Lori, gesturing to the glowing orb that she held within her control. "It was a skill of mine, one that I practiced for a great deal of time to strengthen so much so that it could defend against agents of the Darkside of the Force. People like the Sith who would use the Force against good people of the Galaxy", he was wary about how much detail to go into regarding the Dark-Side of the Force, though Lori wasn't a child anymore and no doubt she'd seen all types of people out within the Mandalorian sector.

"To be able to do something like this at your age in your lack of training is extraordinary, Lori" He sought to encourage her, complimenting her feat though too lifting his left hand in ginger pause least she get excited without hearing his warning too; "...-And the Force is an amazing thing to have as your Ally, but something we must always keep in mind...-Myself too. Just because we can do these things, does not always mean we should. Trust me when I say that the feeling of having so much Power, can often lead you astray. What you're doing is truly impressive, but I also want you to be mindful of why you choose to use the Force in the future"; She of course was in no current danger of misusing the Force no becoming corrupted by her very own strengths, yet Veiere had been blinded in such a way and that had lead to the fall of his families name and not only endangered his loved ones, but so too saw to the capital world of the Systems Alliance being attacked at ransom of his own faults.

"Think of someone like your Mother or [member="Yasha Mantis"] of the Mandalorians...-People with great influence over others that people in society have taken notice of because of their position and capabilities. Much like them, those that can use the Force are seen as unpredictable by those that cannot. There are good people out there like your Mom that would do good by those under her influence...-And then there are those that do not care, like the Sith, that think only of the power they control..." Veiere's smile dimmed some, his head tilting partially to the side as he eyed her with an edge of caution equal to his tone of voice, hoping that she was understanding what he was trying to tell her; "Everything we do, every choice we make has a consequence in life. The trick is trying to make sure those consequences are positive ones not just for you but the people around you".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori raised a brow as [member="Veiere Arenais"] told her that something so simple as turning on a light switch was some Jedi asset. Though it came at no surprise to learn that he could do it too. Maybe that was where she picked it up from. "But Dad...I just made a little light so that I could see in the dark if I don't have a torch. How can that defend someone from the Sith? By making it move and hypnotizing them with it or something?" There were tines when she could watch the flames of a campfire for hours, the movements almost putting her in a trance. But this was different. It was just a few lit up molecules of air.

Maybe she was thinking too hard on it; too scientifically.

She clasped her hands behind her while he continued to warn her over using the Force. In truth she hardly ever touched it, relying on her instincts to guide her. But even that thought gave her pause. What if it wasn't her instincts at all but the Force guiding her instead? Had she been using it without realizing it? "Is there a way to use the Force without knowing that you're using it? I haven't done much else,
I don't think. Though one time I was sparring with [member="Kaine Australis"] and he used the Force to keep poking my nose. He urged me to use the Forcd to stop him. So I came up with the idea of a wall so thick that even molicules couldn't get through. And it worked! He couldn't get my nose! That wasn't quite what he had in mind for the training exercise, but still...it worked." She chewed the inside of her cheek a little. "I don't think that I've used it since then. During my travels, I did what I could to not draw attention to myself. I didn't want to get caught by bad people that would want to hurt you or Mom. That's good, right?"

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere couldn't help but chuckle under his breath as his daughter naturally had questions, both about the light she had created and why it meant so much to her father, but also in regards to the Force as a whole and their practice of it. "Think of light like you would of 'Good' and Darkness as it were, 'Evil'" he suggested, a tilt of his head and a slight curl to the corner of his mouth as if to suggest this was just metaphorically speaking, a game as it were. "The Light casts away Darkness...-If there was no darkness however, how would we know that what we're seeing is light?" He posed the question directly after the clue, in order to make her think but so too in order for her to learn that without one, you cannot have the other. Too many people in the Galaxy acted as if the Dark-Side could simply be eliminated; It was part of the Force however, one half to an overall whole.

"The use of the Force can both be complex, and yet simple at times. The more we look for, the more questions there are to be found" he mused to himself rather ironically, before waving the thought away with a dismissive hand. "Force Light is an ability that the Jedi have used for a great deal of time to dispel Dark-Side techniques and apparitions of great evil. The light is a cleansing beacon of hope in an otherwise dark Galaxy, however it can also be misused. There have been cases or incidents rather where so much aggression and power has been put into the single practice that the light has become so great that it has burned away all within it's path..." he paused for a moment so that Lori might let the thought sink in, soon adding as before, "This is why we must always take care in how we practice the use of the Force, and why".

"And yes, there are many other ways the Force can aid us..." he nodded lightly, soon rising to his feet and motioning to his daughter to follow him outside, the pair of them moving out to the deck overlooking the valley. At times the sight was most beautiful and that day with the setting sun slowly coming down upon the distant horizon, the gleam of Chasin City's taller structures could be seen from where they both stood leaning against the wooden railing.

"But it can also become blinding, if we lose our sense of self restraint and discipline" he added with a slightly quieter voice, though she would still hear her Father as Veiere's eyes fell upon the Capital of Commenor; "As it blinded me" he concluded, soon turning to meet his daughters gaze. "Even adults make mistakes, people who have trained all their lives in the practice of the Force are susceptible to losing themselves in their possession of power. Do you understand why it's so important that I'm telling you this, now?".

[member="Loreena Arenais"]​