Pot/Kettle

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori listened carefully to what [member="Veiere Arenais"] described. It was totally true that thinking about the Force only brought more questions, for she had plenty. But that was how she figured things out; by having oodles of questions to help her to understand. Even stupid questions were asked, for she hardly ever held back on them.

Her jaw dropped slightly as he mentioned someone burning everything in it's path. Did the person create a small star? That could be quite dangerous indeed. And it made her think of her own strong emotions. Given that she was still a teenager, she didn't quite have a handle on them yet. That could be dangerous in it's own right. So that was surely something that she had to work on, and probably one that her brother excelled in.

She followed him outside as he beckoned her. The two had never spent as long together as this, nor did they go into such deep conversations. It was a sign of her carefree childhood ending. Inwardly that made her a little sad, but she knew that it was something that couldn't be avoided or stopped. No more so than she could stop the sun from setting.

Lori nodded in response to his final question. "I think so...You don't want me to make the same mistakes. And I'll try not too,
Dad. But I'm just learning. I'm sure that I'll get things wrong sometimes, yet I'll do my best not to." And she meant it too. Yet with all of his warnings, it made her wonder if learning the Force at all was a good thing. Well it had to be. She needed to learn to control it so that she couldn't hurt herself or anyone by accident.

 

[WolfMortum]

Her Father would offer a prompt nod in return, her first answer being the right one though just to be certain, he'd elaborate on her words; "I don't want you to make the same mistakes that I did". [member="Loreena Arenais"] was so very right in that she would make her own mistakes, yet Veiere had made a great many that had seen both himself and his family suffer for it. Beyond his immediate circle were the people of Commenor, members of the Jedi Order including his former student and protege, [member="Romi Jade"]. Their last meeting together, had been difficult to reflect upon, though Veiere had found the words to speak at the time, that didn't mean that it pained him any less now, weeks later.

"Taking someone's life is a terrible thing to do, no matter what justification you can find in your mind at the time to do so", war was inevitable in society of today's Galaxy, but that did not make it right. Killing another living conscious being and removing them of their free will and choice to live on, was an insult to the Force and would take from the one responsible, a piece of themselves in the process; "One day, I can only hope to have made amends for the things that I have done. For you, I'd have you never know this place I find myself in". Killing in self defense or the defense of another was difficult, yet your conscience had a way of justifying it by doing some moral good, even if the end outcome meant someone being injured or dying. Veiere however had gone out of his way to do so, with only his goals in mind and they had no moral integrity to them. Many a night would he be reminded of this.

"...-Tell me what you know about the Jedi" Veiere sought to change the subject, looking to resume their discussion with a more inquisitive tone; "Did your Mother ever tell you that I used to be one?".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

"Oh..." His mistakes. No doubt [member="Veiere Arenais"] was referring to the attack on Deneba. Unless there was something else, but she didn't think so. That whole event was a sore spot for their family, one that helped to seperate all of them from one another. None of that was good.

She furrowed her brows while he spoke about killing. Lori hadn't killed anyone yet. Hurt, yes, but killing no. Even then most of the time the hurt that she had caused was during a spar or tournament. Killing was something that she had spoken to [member="Ultimatum"] and [member="Zye Woden"] about, each of their own mind as to when it was right and when it wasn't.

Just as Lori was going to remark on some of what she had learned about killing, Veiere had changed the subject. She smirked at his question, which shortly thereafter turned into a smile with his second one. "Of course we knew you were a Jedi, Dad. How many times have we heard the stories of you and Mom meeting and building up Commenor after the Sith left? Everyone here knows that you're a Force User.
They just don't all know that about Mom. Was she a Jedi too?"

For the moment she had forgotten his first question as the second one threw her mind off track. Her Dad was being silly and she tried her best not to laugh.

 

[WolfMortum]

Veiere laughed softly, pleased to see that [member="Loreena Arenais"] had safely and easily been moved forward to the next subject with little dwelling on the harder lessons in life for the time being. He should have known they'd have heard of his past in the Jedi Order, though Veiere himself had never openly spoken about it; obviously their Mother had been more forthcoming with such things. Much like moments of Warfare, his history with the Jedi Order had been treated with discretion and he'd not wished to involve his Children in the moral and political affairs of the Jedi Order, least not till they were of an age to choose for themselves.

"Your Mother's been telling you too many stories I see" he remarked though not without warmth in his voice. He couldn't blame them for their curiosity and certainly not [member="Lady Kay"] Arenais for her wanting to share the notion of their Father striving for something good in the Galaxy, a life long since passed, or so it felt as much. "No, your Mother was never part of the Jedi Order. Like us, she's Force Sensitive but received no official training outside of what I've helped her with", for obvious reasons he didn't need to divulge her training under the Sith Lord, Prazutis. Nor did he like to recall it, for that matter. "In fact, much of what your Mom knows was self learned, like your little trick with the Light" He smiled, pointing out her likeness to her Mother. There was still love there between the Children's parents, though it had been so long since they'd last been allowed to express it that Veiere failed to know what success in their relationship would look like nowadays, let alone how to get them both back to such a good place without sacrificing Kay's position over Commenor and the Systems Alliance.

"I started out as a Jedi Padawan, actually...-Years ago when I was still a Child", he'd never really spoken of his childhood to anyone outside of the girl's mother; Veiere never knew his true Parents nor whether he had any siblings until [member="Bastin Arenais"] had come into the picture and disclosed to Veiere a rabid jealousy over somehow being their parents favorite for his force sensitivity even despite his memory failing to recall their faces. Life had a strange sense of humor, most often cruel. "Back then I lived in a Jedi Enclave on a World called Svivren. Today it's a place of learning for the Je'daii who are a different sort of organization. A group of Force Users with a bit more of an older way to their teachings. It's where I met the one teaching your Brother and how Caedyn came to study with them".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori bit her lower lip a little. Was she not supposed to tell [member="Veiere Arenais"] that she knew of him being a Jedi? Was it maybe something too painful for him? Her Mom and Dad kept a lot of secrets and it didn't always make sense to her as to why. Must be a grown-up thing. Or a ruler thing. Though as far as she knew, her Dad had given up on ruling.

"She's self taught like me? Is she any good? I mean...I bet she knows more stuff, but it's hard to guess as she doesn't seem to practice or show anybody. Not even us."

Her Dad continued with his story and she found herself leaning against the porch railing as she listened to him."You lived away from your family? Just like Cae does? Is that...normal? Why do the Jedi take their students away from their family? Isn't that kinda sad and mean?" She hated the day that [member="Caedyn Arenais"] went away. Lori had tried to sneak away with him in his suitcase, but she was discovered far too quickly. Now she was sort of used to not being around him. Though it didn't mean that she missed him any less than that first day apart.

 

[WolfMortum]

"I was, like most people that entered the Order, taken in at such an age that I no longer recall who my parents were or what they looked like" Veiere replied casually, there was no sorrow nor regret behind his words despite his daughters understanding behind the concept; "The Jedi did not take these Children, they were offered a position and their Parents chose to send them to the Order for training and in many cases, a better life than could be offered at home" many of the galaxies more influential communities and even governments had often questioned the act, though only when it suited them best and ever in discrimination of the Jedi Order.

"Caedyn simply had to leave because his Mentor was of a different community, the Training that she could provide, could not be found here at Home" Veiere sought to reassure her. [member="Loreena Arenais"] had taken the loss very personally. The connection the Twin's held to one another was in many ways similar to the Force-Bond that Veiere maintained with [member="Lady Kay"], a cherished connection and at times something that made their distance truly awful to have to feel day in and day out. "As for your Mother...-She has only ever practiced in secret because of her time serving the Galactic Republic when it was in power. She used to be a politician during which the Government resided over the same territories that Commenor has since brought into the Systems Alliance. Yutan was their Capital World and it was in her service to the Republic that we first met. Unfortunately, the people do not trust Force User's to play a factor in politics however and she was discovered to be Force Sensitive...-Soon made to Resign and together, we made leave for Commenor".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori couldn't imagine being taken away and not remembering [member="Veiere Arenais"] or her Mom. It'd be even worse if she couldn't remember Cae. And as much as she had felt alone these last few months or so, at least she knew that her family were out there and cared for her deeply.

"So some parents said no to them? What would happen to those kids? Would they get into a lot of trouble because they had no training?" She could imagine some going all dark and evil, as those that couldn't afford a good life were often living in slums or were captured for slavery.

She chewed the inside of her cheek now, wondering why her Dad didn't train Cae himself, as he was now promising to train her. Did he not think that he was good enough? Or did her Dad want to hide his own Force abilities like her Mom? There were just so many questions. She wasn't sure if she'd even like the answers. But that didn't mean that she didn't want them.

"Why are the people so afraid? Is it jealousy? I haven't been asked by anyone if I know how to use the Force. So I haven't been looked at in any strange way. Of course I don't let people know who I am either. Just in case they want to hurt me to get after you and Mom. And besides...I don't need any stinky boys to chase after me just because I'm a Princess either."
Not that anyone had been remotely close to her age to even try to show an interest in her. She'd probably just punch them in the nose anyways if they tried to kiss her or something.

 

[WolfMortum]

"People in a position of power are always looked at different than those without it" Veiere informed his daughter, glancing to [member="Loreena Arenais"] wanting to gauge her listening skills, so to speak. The attention she was paying to what he was trying to teach her was written all over her face, thankfully. Curiosity, intrigue and was there a hint of doubt and uncertainty? Most certainly. "They fear that those in Power might use their position against those without. Even if this isn't the intention in the first place, it still leads to judgement and a good deal of the time that even leads to resentment. It's why the Jedi have always lived alone, isolated from the rest of Society unless they were needed" Svivren had been such a world, long before it was attacked and the Enclave devastated by the One Sith Empire in much the same way the Galactic Alliance had been recently wiped out by the First Order and their Sith Empire alliance.

"Who's to say what happened to the Children who stayed at home with their Families. Typically, those sensitive to the Force don't always come into the knowledge that they have the ability to use it" Veiere smiled, amused by the prospect that all force sensitives were aware of their rare talents. If only that were true, acquiring new students for the Jedi Order would never have been so tedious. "Some are lucky enough that others might stumble upon them and pick up on their unique qualities through rare happenings, being unusually talented or having what you might call 'really good luck'. The best way however, and the way the Jedi most often relied on, was what you'd call a midichlorian count; something that's in your blood and is extraordinarily high for those sensitive to the Force...".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Power struggles. Lori wasn't fond of that. Except for when it came to herself and Cae. But that was just friendly competition in different aspects of their lives. That was normal for twins and siblings. Or so she thought, anyways.

She looked to [member="Veiere Arenais"] , studying his face while he in turn studied hers. Lori was looking for anything hidden, as though his words had double meanings and she was trying to figure them both out. Her Dad was a puzzle, as was her future. She just needed to figure out how all of the pieces work together.

Lori raised a browslightly at the prospect of being isolated from everyone else. "Are we going to move away? Or train here?
I know tgat you aren't supposed to be here, so..I just thought I'd ask. Mom doesn't know that I'm here right now either."

And then came his comment about blood. Lori scrunched up her nose at the thought of something in her blood. "How does the...umm...midichlorian count get there? Is it injected? Or something you and Mom had?" An inherited disease maybe? The Mandalorians talked about some cure for those Force Sensitive. She kind of shied away from such talk though.

 

[WolfMortum]

[member="Loreena Arenais"] asked a fair question, and in all honesty Veiere didn't have a concrete answer for her as of yet; "Well, before we know whether we should leave here or not, I suppose I should inform your Mother of what's going on. She's going to want to know that you're no longer training with the Mandalorian's but with me instead and that's no doubt going to worry her for a number of reasons...", things between [member="Lady Kay"] and Veiere weren't exactly looking so fond these days. Veiere still loved her dearly, and their Marriage remained in tact if not by formal documentation alone...-As far as personal time was concerned, or communication for that matter, things were dismal at best.

"On the other hand, she knows how much I love you..." Veiere smiled warmly as he glanced back to Lori. She was his pride after all, his princess beyond royal decree. The twins had been an astonishing surprise in their lives where he and Kay both expected she couldn't conceive; up until the birth of Caedyn and Lori, Veiere hadn't truly known what family meant beyond the Jedi Order's place in his former life. Though it could be argued that with his time away, he still misunderstood how much it truly meant; that did not however dismiss or diminish the love that he held for his Daughter, she of whom was thought to be more sensitive and thus most needed of a Father in her life. As most males naturally assumed of their daughters.

"We will take some time to visit other places, though there's still a great deal I can teach you just by spending time here at home", they would need to start off with the basics so that Loreena would learn both restraint but so too proper control of the power that she had thus far only played with. "The Force is everywhere, where there is life. Your Mother already knows that I have been staying here...-I doubt she will mind if we take our time, s'long as we avoid drawing too much attention from the Capital. These hills are isolated enough and yes, as far as midichlorian's are concerned, many great Jedi have been known to come through hereditary bloodlines...-Though it too can also be a random occurrence started at birth".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori smirked as [member="Veiere Arenais"] mentioned her mom being worried when he tells her about the Jedi training. "She always worries.
Isn't that like, her job or something?" Well, it very well could be. It seemed as though everything worried her.

Then she snorted. "Of course you love me. You're my Dad. And I love you too.." Though he probably already knew that. Either way, she was glad at least to hear that they'd be staying home for a bit, as well as travelling elsewhere. Both were to her liking, but being at home seemed a little more important to her right now since she's been away.

"The Force is everywhere? What about those Vong people? I met one once, a little while ago. He was mean. And many Mandos are Force dead. So...does the Force interact with them too? Or does it just pass them by?" As always, there was plenty of questions.

 

[WolfMortum]

"The Force influences and creates life...-Whether or not it remains within all people after their creation, I do not know. I've not had the opportunity to study 'Force Dead' peoples, I'll admit" Veiere frowned momentarily at the question, not having asked such things himself from what he could recall of his time within the Jedi Order. "I have always believed that the Force has a will of its own and has a path laid out for each of us, though I'm not sure I like the term 'Force Dead' all that much, nor do I have the answer to that question...-What I do know is that there's a great many things about the Force that we do not know and there are those that dedicate their lives to seeking new learnings and discoveries there".

The Yuuzhan Vong were known Galaxy wide for the great war that rippled across the Galaxy when they were first discovered by the Jedi under Grand Master Luke Skywalker and the Galactic Republic. Since those times, peace had been made between many whom once stood on opposing sides; Veiere himself had even had a set of Robes made for him by one such member of the Vong. "We do however know that there are those like the Yuuzhan Vong that are unaffected by the practice of the Force. Some have even found a way to manipulate this through certain creatures such as the Ysalamir, that they have an impenetrable defense in combat against Force Users".

[member="Loreena Arenais"]​

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori folded her arms on the pirch railing and rested her chin on them, her eyes on the setting sun while [member="Veiere Arenais"] spoke. She fully agreed with the idea of more questions popping up as soon as some were answered, for her mind was full of questions yet again. "Can we see what path is laid out for us? I mean...I'm just sort of doing whatever. I travelled around for a bit and made some friends. Asking to be taught by you was a spur of the moment thing.
Do you think the Force put that idea in my head? Maybe it'll help to make you better again and then you can be home without hiding." Yeah, that was probably it right there! Sometimes she amazed herself with her genius!

Her Dad spoke more, giving her a bit more insight into what he knew about the Vong and others like them. And as always, it brought about more ideas and questions. "We learned in school about matter and anti-matter. Could it be that there's an...anti-Force too? Just like there's a lightside and darkside, a positive and a negative on a magnet...What if everything has an opposite? We just can't always see it or feel it."

Oh she'll be puzzling over plenty of these ideas whenever she goes to bed for the night.

 

[WolfMortum]

"I believe we're all given signs or clues, times where our choices, our free-will can either steer us toward the fate that the Force wills for us, or we otherwise veer off on our own design which can lead to hardship and inner-conflict" Veiere spoke softly, however soon added "This is open to interpretation however. What I believe in doesn't necessarily mean that you must believe in the same thing. To many people, service and dedication to the Force looks very differently" Veiere smiled to his daughter, hoping that [member="Loreena Arenais"] would form her own opinions in time, as did most students come to do so in their years of learning. He didn't wish for Lori to become like he was; instead, this new found apprenticeship would be about helping to guide her towards self-discovery in the Light of the Force. To hone her skills and teach her entirely new ones, but also to find out what kind of person she was to become with the teachings of the Jedi Path within her life.

"Take the Je'daii Order for example" Veiere spoke up, elaborating a little more on what were differences between Force Users, what made them unique; "The Je'daii see the Light and the Dark as two halves of one whole entity. They do not restrict their students from learning only one side but emphasize restraint and respect in the practice and pursuit of knowledge over the whole One Force. The Jedi on the other hand, forbid the teachings of the Dark-Side of the Force, for fear of the corruption it can bring".

 

[Loreena Arenais-Valhoun]

Lori listened to her Dad--no, was she to call [member="Veiere Arenais"] Master from here on out?--while he spoke of fate and the Force. She kept her eyes on the horizon and wondered what clues or hints could she be missing. Was she where she was intended to be? Or had she veered off course with this spur of the moment decision? Of course being here and listening to him explain what he knew felt sort of... right. Maybe she wouldn't become some great Jedi, but she felt as though she was needed to be with him and to help him across the hurdle in his own path. After that? Who knew what was in store for either of them.

She lifted her head and lookedup to her Dad as he spoke of the teachings of the Je'daii. "So...Cae could be learning the Darkside too? The Je'daii Order sounds a lot like what we have at the Praxeum. It's open to both. Will I be going there for training too? Or will I get all my instruction from you?" She didn't really mind being with him and learning only from him. Unless of course he made the same mistake that [member="Jaster of Clan Awaud"] did and belittled her in public. That little event on it's own had caused her to run away from Mandalorian space and just travel alone.