Private Rooted in the Living Current

[Seo Linn]

Seo had spent most of the morning helping unload supplies. Crates of tools, seed stock, irrigation components, portable moisture processors, and enough agricultural equipment to make the small settlement look more like a construction site than the beginning of a farming cooperative. It was honest work, and she found she didn't mind it. There was something refreshing about helping people build rather than constantly trying to save them from destruction. The gathering itself had been organized by Jedi with agricultural experience, an effort to help local families establish more sustainable farms and strengthen the region's food production. Lorrd was hardly a barren world, but there were always communities that could benefit from extra hands and practical knowledge.

Seo certainly wasn't the agricultural expert among them. She knew enough to appreciate the effort involved and enough to stay out of the way when people started discussing soil quality, irrigation systems, and crop rotation schedules. Her strengths lay elsewhere. Still, she had volunteered without hesitation when the opportunity arose. Helping people build a future felt just as important as defending one, and if that meant hauling crates and assembling equipment while others handled the finer details, she was content with that role.

With a crate balanced against her hip, she crossed the courtyard toward one of the temporary administration buildings established for the project. Someone had mentioned another Jedi arriving earlier that morning, one of the volunteers helping oversee the agricultural side of the effort. The structure itself was simple and practical, little more than a prefabricated office filled with datapads, surveys, and logistical planning. Reaching the door, she shifted her grip on the crate and nudged it open with her shoulder before stepping inside.

"Someone told me I could find the farming expert in here."

The crate gave a dull thump as she lowered it onto a nearby table. Only then did she take a proper look around the room, her gaze moving across maps, reports, and agricultural projections spread across nearly every available surface. A small smile touched her lips as she brushed a loose strand of blond hair behind one ear.

"I'm Seo Linn," she introduced herself. "I should probably warn you that my qualifications for this project mostly consist of carrying heavy things and following directions. I grew up on Lorrd, but my family wasn't exactly running farms, so most of what I know comes from helping where needed and listening to people who actually know what they're doing." Her eyes drifted briefly toward the window overlooking the distant fields before returning to the room. "Still, it's nice seeing Jedi gather to build something instead of responding to another disaster for a change."

Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla

 

[Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla]

Things on the ground were rough to say the least. What was this amateur hour at the Chuckle Hutt? The fields weren't tilled straight, the nitrate levels in the soil were damn near depleted, and one wouldn't EVEN want to get Jedi Padawan Loutaro started on the state of the drip irrigation system that was set for the wrong type of crops. The good people of Lorrd in this particular place really needed a hand. Food insecurity was a real problem across the Galaxy and hunger could find anyone even on established planets such as Lorrd. Having grown up a farmer with his family, it felt nice for Lou to be back in the field like this. Taking the lessons he had learned from father and Tios.

He had arrived with a lot of the farming corps workers as an escort which was mandated for staff outside of Republic Worlds. It made sense, anything could happen out here and a bunch of unarmed farmers with expensive equipment made for a good target. Easy marks with machines that bad high resale value. It was only logical the occasional bandit would try something. While that thought did linger with Loutaro he was just happy he didn't have to spend a day training with his blade. To be the warrior that the order expected him to be. Here he could really help people. Battle the unifying threat everyone suffered from. Hunger.

Then it came to a crash.

Lost in deep thought he was immediately pulled out of it by the words of an older woman standing on his side.

"OH SHIT!" Lou had practically jumped out of his skin as the woman had caught him lost in thought and startled him.

After catching his breath the young man looked at the woman and let out a soft sigh of relief. She introduced himself and Loutaro would follow her lead.

" Jedi Padawan Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla. It's a pleasure to meet you ma'am." Lou said with an immediate bow his body turning into an almost perfect 90 degree angle.

Looking straight down at the floor, Loutaro let the embarrassment wash over him before picking himself up and looking at the woman with the youthful inexperienced expression of a man desperately trying not to curl his body into the shape of an apology. He knew he hadn't done anything wrong but everything at him screamed to apologize to the woman, but he stuffed that feeling down and spoke.

"Its a thing of beauty, isn't it? Are you with the order?" He asked in a genuinely curious tone.

Seo Linn

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo blinked once as the young man practically launched himself into the air at her greeting. For a brief moment, she wondered if she had somehow startled him into believing pirates had landed among the crops. The bow that followed only made it more difficult to keep a straight face. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Seo is fine," she said gently. "Ma'am makes me feel older than I am." Her gaze drifted across the maps, and reports spread throughout the room before briefly settling on the fields visible through the nearby window.

"It is beautiful," she agreed, answering his earlier observation. "Not the paperwork. The chance to help people build something that lasts." That, more than anything, was why she had volunteered. She spent enough of her life responding to crises, evacuations, and disasters. Helping a community grow felt different. Better, perhaps. There was something satisfying about solving problems before they became tragedies.

His question drew her attention back to him, and she considered her answer for a moment. "I am a Jedi, though not with the High Republic. I belong to the Silver Jedi and work with the United Protectorate." The words were delivered simply, without any politics attached to them. "Lorrd is my homeworld, though I haven't spent nearly as much time here as I should have. My family still lives here. My mother, father, three younger sisters, and my son."

A faint smile returned as she folded her arms loosely. "Though if what I overheard outside is true, you might be more concerned about saving these crops than listening to me talk about family. I heard something about irrigation systems being set up for the wrong crops. The way people were talking, I thought someone had announced the end of the galaxy." Her gold eyes sparkled faintly with amusement. "Just how bad is it?"

Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla

 

[Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla]

Loutaro simply took in what the woman was saying. Absorbing and learning what he could about her silently while letting his facial expression shift which each subtle shift of the conversation. The Jedi, but mainly his parents had drilled into him at a young age 'Mijo, when grown people are talking. Silencio.' It was a concept that Loutaro was very familiar with by the time he landed at the Order. Jedi Knights and Masters should be listened to and one should hold their tongue and questions for the end as anyone should. Was it a bad habit to have potentially in a dangerous situation? Probably, but Lou knew that was not his problem today. As long as something crazy and unexpected happened suddenly.

"I have a big family too." Loutaro said with a soft reminiscent smile of their memory. "I have four hermanas y four hermanos, four Tios, two Tias, and what can only be described as a gaggle of cousins. With many of them having their own families. It was nice to talk about his family. It had been the longest time he had ever spent away from them and the thought of them warmed his heart. Especially now.

Loutaro didn't know anything about a Silver Order, he didn't know anything about a United Protectorate, he was from a backwater Agri-World on the fringes of the Republic. News barely made its way out there and when it did it was always about some war or far away battle, occasionally a speech from their senator concerning taxes and food production. The idea of galactic politics was just a giant ball of tangled yarn for him. This confusing mess of people and factions both friendly and hostile all competing for supremacy and dominance on the galactic stage. It wasn't something that he enjoyed thinking about. Asking himself questions that ultimately he didn't have answers to.

But this, this he understood. This he could get behind. Loutaro smiled brightly at Seo and spoke confidently.

"This isn't so bad. Realistically all we have to do is bring out the grav-tractor and adjust it to layer the fertilizer to get the soil levels where we want to be. Readjust it to the plow setting and re-till the field. The irrigation can be handled over the course of a couple of days if we're just setting up the watering droids once we plant." All of this could be solved with a few days of work, nothing that couldn't be undone with a little elbow grease and a stick to it attitude.

"Walk with me please master." Lou gave a shallow bow and began to make his way away from the charts and maps. There was only so much reports and maps could tell you. He preferred to get a look on the ground.

Stepping out into great outdoors, Lou felt the smell of bantha crap fertilizer and compost hit his nose and it smelt like home. All that was missing was the smell of sweat and sound of loud music. He would make the rounds in but a moment.

"So, tell me about this Silver Order? Is it like a Sister Order?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

Seo Linn

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo listened as Loutaro described his family, and by the time he finished listing siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins, she found herself smiling. It was the sort of smile that came easily when someone spoke about people they genuinely loved. Her own family was smaller, though not by much these days, and she understood the comfort that came from knowing there would always be someone waiting for you when you returned home.

"That is a large family," she said with quiet amusement as she followed him from the building. "I thought having three younger sisters was enough excitement for one lifetime. My son and sisters together can turn a peaceful house into chaos in minutes." The thought drew a softer expression from her as they stepped outside, and the scent of fertilizer and freshly worked soil drifted through the air. Unlike many people, Seo didn't seem bothered by it. It smelled like work being done, and there was something honest about that.

She listened as he explained the solutions to the fields' problems, nodding along despite understanding only part of the technical details. What stood out more than the specifics was how confident he sounded. The uncertainty that had accompanied his introduction seemed to disappear the moment the conversation turned toward farming. Here, among crops and soil instead of battlefields and politics, he was entirely in his element.

"The Order of the Silver Jedi," she explained after a moment, her gaze sweeping over the fields stretching toward the horizon. "We were one of the larger Jedi organizations for a time. We had temples, enclaves, and worlds where Jedi gathered to train and serve. Then wars came, worlds were lost, people scattered." There was no bitterness in her voice, only acceptance. "Many Silver Jedi joined other groups afterward. Some went to the New Jedi Order, some to the High Republic, and some remained independent. The Order still exists, but not as it once did."

Her attention shifted back toward Loutaro as they walked. "So yes, in a way, you could call it a sister order. We follow the same light, even if we belong to different organizations." A small smile returned. "Most Jedi spend far more time arguing over politics and jurisdiction than the Force ever intended. Out here, helping people grow food, those distinctions seem a lot less important."

Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla

 

[Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla]

A piece of Loutaro's heart broke for the woman. A pang of sadness rippled through his core despite the woman's quiet acceptance of her fallen order. It was not something that was unfamiliar to Loutaro. He paused in his steps as they came upon the field with various laborers and droids. He didn't take stock of what he saw just yet, he wanted to be there for Seo in this moment. Maybe it was selfish of him to offer a balm where there was no wound anymore, but he needed to say it. He looked out at the field without making eye contact with the older Jedi and spoke in a reminiscent tone.

"When I was just a little niño, my father took me out with mi primos to hunt Zucca Boar. A long time ago some wealthy land man had thought it a good idea to transplant them from Tatooine and place them on his preserve on my home world. In order to hunt them. The man overestimated the boars and one day they gored him to death. The man's kids took over his estate, sold it off to some land developer who sat on it for years and the whole time the Zucca boars escaped and just ran roughshod across the planet." Lou spoke in a very even tone as he told his story of men and boars.

"So much so that the local fauna particularly a species we locally called Osals were out competed and their numbers plummeted. So naturally we hunted the Zucca to stop them from ravaging crops and the Osals. It was futile mostly. Eventually it got to the point where I hadn't seen an Osal for years. This once great and proud beast that ruled the forests and plains was reduced to a myth. A memory really." Loutaro said as he squat down and picked up a bit of the loca dirt to run it through his fingers before standing back up.

"Until one day on our hunting trip, I got separated from mi primos and father in the forest. I trekked up a hill and in a clearing a saw one clear as daylight. An Osal and its family. Just walking through the forest as if none of the horrors of bad men and their ilk didn't matter. That it was still here and it was still fighting and surviving as this symbol of defiance in the face of the crimes the Galaxy and men had brought down on it. Still helping the local ecosystem. Still protecting its young. Lou sat with that feeling for a few seconds as he looked over to Seo and gave a faint smile before looking at the workers and the equipment being unloaded.

"I think about that moment a lot these days. That there is great beauty and strength in the persistence of life and its precious and capricious nature. A sense of quiet power in it that something is just changed, but not truly gone." Loutaro gave another smile towards Seo before hearing a large clang.

An irrigation pipe bounced off the speeder's truck bed and knocked over a very boxy watering droid. Workers shouted at each other as they all passed around blame for who was at fault for what could be ruining a very expensive piece of machinery. Lou simply walked over to the droid, brushed off the manure and chipped paint and gave it a look of fondness and compassion despite knowing it had no personality matrix.

"Lets get you up, friend." Gingerly lifting the droid back onto its side it reoriented itself and began to walk off to its designated holding area.

"Cuicando everyone." He said in a soft voice.
Seo Linn

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo slowed as Loutaro began his story, letting the work around them fade into the background. The distant sounds of machinery, workers shouting instructions, and droids moving equipment became little more than noise as she listened. There was something comforting about the way he spoke of home. Not because it was simple, but because it was honest. Every family had their stories, their lessons passed from one generation to the next, and it reminded her of evenings spent listening to her mother talk after long days when survival had mattered more than comfort.

"Such is often the case when people introduce something new to an environment," she said thoughtfully once he reached the part about the Zucca boars. Her gaze drifted across the fields, though she was clearly seeing something else entirely. "Someone sees an opportunity, a profit, a convenience, and rarely thinks about what comes after. The damage is usually left for other people to solve." A faint smile touched her lips. "I imagine the man's family did not care very much either, so long as they were no longer dealing with the problem themselves."

Then she fell quiet again, allowing him to finish.

By the time he described finding the Osal in the clearing, Seo found herself smiling. Not because the story was particularly happy, but because she understood the lesson hidden inside it. The galaxy had tried very hard to convince her over the years that some things were gone forever. Hope. Family. Home. Even life itself. Yet somehow they had all found ways to return when she least expected them.

"I like that story," she admitted softly. "There are things I thought lost, too. People. Places. Entire chapters of my life. Then one day you find them again, or find something new growing where you thought nothing could survive." Her gold eyes followed him as he crossed toward the fallen droid, watching the care with which he righted it despite it being little more than a machine.

The sight made her smile again.

"Do you have a place you're staying while you're here?" she asked as she walked over to join him. "Because if not, I think my family would love to meet you." The invitation came naturally, without hesitation. "My son, especially. He's about your age, and my sisters would probably adopt you within an hour." A small laugh escaped her. "I am not even joking about that. They have a habit of collecting people." Her expression softened as she glanced toward the distant hills beyond the fields. "And after hearing that story, I think they'd enjoy meeting the man who talks about wildlife, farming, and hope with equal enthusiasm."

Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla

 

[Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla]

Loutaro almost wanted to cry at Seo's offer once the droid had been righted and the work proceeded in a cautious manner. In truth he missed his home, he missed his family, and most importantly he missed homemade food. As much as the chefs and cooks at the Jedi temple produced excellent tasting and nutritious food. It was a commercial kitchen. An impersonal experience that was designed to pump out food for thousands of Jedi, support staff, and visitors of varying dietary restrictions and species. It was good, it tasted good, it did its job of nourishing the body. Just not the soul. There was nothing personal or beautiful about it. Not like the food that someone made for their family. Not like cuisine
prepared with love for people you wanted to feed and care for. Loutaro immediately thought of winter and his abuela's husk wraps.

There was an audible growl that Loutaro's stomach made that he quickly covered by placing his hand to mouth and coughing hard.

"Oh! If it's no problem I would love to if it wouldn't put you and your family out." The idea of being around a real family even if it wasn't his filled Lou with a sense of excitement and joy that he did his best to hide.

Despite being this proud Jedi Padawan. Loutaro at the end of the day was just a nineteen year old kid who was new to the Galaxy. Who was homesick and did his best to soldier on despite not being a soldier or even a warrior yet. He had never even been in a real fight yet. Even in the hunting trip he spoke of he would always let his cousins and fathers take the shots as he preferred scouting ahead and tracking. Lou was still a kid.

"Thank you Master Seo." Loutaro gave a medium bow to her and when he rose he tried to keep his smile contained to the best of his ability.

"We got started a bit late today and it's about noon now so let me update the holo pips and instructions for the critical tasks and then set the droids to saturate the fields for easier aeration and churning for the new layer of top soil. Then we can press on. Again if it's not a problem." Lou smiled and picked up a small data pad to begin.

The tasks were simple for the remainder of the day. Set up the grav tractors. Fill the watering droids full of water of course. Let them saturate the fields with water so that way the dirt would be easier to churn up the next day. Churn the fields the following morning, lay down a new layer of top soil mixed with the compost and fertilizer with beneficial nutrients, retool the grav tractors to till the fields, then just let nature enrich the soil, plant, and monitor once soil levels were adequate. Loutaro loved this, it was something he enjoyed doing and was good at. It helped people, but he needed to do more than this. He needed to do what his father asked of him.

The smile faded briefly from his face as he spoke once more.

"Can I tell you something?" Loutaro said in a more even and serious tone as he thought of his father.

Seo Linn

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo noticed the growl immediately.

Not because it was particularly loud, but because the expression that followed reminded her so strongly of younger Jedi trying to pretend they weren't exhausted, hungry, or homesick. The hurried cough did absolutely nothing to disguise it, and she had to look away for a moment to hide her amusement.

"You do not have to convince me," she said, a smile lingering in her voice. "I was already planning to feed you."

The statement came with such certainty that it sounded less like an invitation and more like a decision already made.

"It will take about thirty minutes to get to my family's home from here. We will make sure you have a wonderful meal and a good rest before we bring you back tomorrow." Her expression softened as she watched him try, and fail, to contain his excitement. "Trust me, my mother would be offended if I brought a hungry Padawan home and didn't let her feed him properly."

As Loutaro began outlining the work ahead, Seo listened attentively, following along well enough even if some of the agricultural terminology still escaped her. What stood out most was how comfortable he looked when discussing the fields. The uncertainty she had seen earlier vanished beneath practical knowledge and experience. Here was someone who knew exactly how to help, exactly what needed to be done, and exactly how to accomplish it. It reminded her that people often shone brightest when working within the things they loved.

By the time his smile faded and his tone grew more serious, Seo's attention was entirely on him. Whatever he had been thinking about clearly carried weight. She folded her arms loosely and leaned against the nearby transport, giving him her full attention rather than rushing him toward the next task.

"Of course," she said gently. "Speak with me freely." Her gold eyes met his, steady and patient. "You do not need permission to tell me what is on your mind, Loutaro." A small smile followed. "Though I am glad you asked anyway."

Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla

 

[Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla]

Loutaro took a deep breath and let out a calming sigh. He focused himself as he was given consent to talk about something that had been eating at him for the last few weeks. Hell, for the last year since he joined the order. This clawing nagging feeling of guilt or imposter syndrome? He couldn't quite put his finger on it no matter how hard he tried to.

"When I came to the order, I met with a group of Padawans for a social hosted by a very lovely woman Feng Huang and I began to tell my story as to why I joined the order. And I lied to them. I don't know why I did, I just lied." Loutaro paused for a brief moment to reflect before continuing.

"A week after my 18th birthday. A Thresher's grav-lift gave out and crushed my father's leg. I won't go over the gorey details but suffice to say when all options to find any help had passed I lifted the thresher with my mind. I didn't know what was happening. I just in that moment knew after everything had failed that I could do it. My little sister Lupita was there and saw it and the piece of machinery was the only thing that kept my father from bleeding out." Loutaro's mouth had formed a straight line as he broke eye contact and looked back out at the work being done.

"Mi papa, my dad. In those last moments we had together. I held him and he made me promise that I would use these powers for good. To help people. He told me how proud he was of me and how- everything screamed in Loutaro to not cry. Everything that Seo had told him gave him this intense feeling of home sickness and kindness that he felt he did not deserve.

He didn't know this woman. He had known her for all of twenty minutes and here he was just spilling his guts to her. This guilt and sadness that he had been carrying coming out the moment someone had shown him a glimpse of familial kindness and generosity. A superior at that too. A knight who gave him what he had been craving and missing for over a year free of any charge or strings. Loutaro teared up.

"How much he loved me. He wasn't scared. So I promised him and im trying man. I'm trying so damn hard but it all feels so alien to me. It feels like I'm drowning and I can't find the surface. I have a laser sword on my hip! I practice on how to strike down a person! Ive never even been in a fight!" Lou's voice cracked and once again showed that he was just a scared boy trying his hardest to be what the order expected him to be.

Loutaro wasn't a killer. He wasn't a someone who wanted to be a warrior, he was a boy who wanted to honor his father and would do it no matter what it cost him. He was dedicated but struggled in this moment of change. He wanted more than anything to just be told that it was okay to be weak. That it was okay to be afraid. The Jedi while better at emotions and expressing them still struggled with a sense of stoicism that Loutaro had tried to emulate. The facade had crumbled though. Lou choked back more tears and just kept it inside.

Seo Linn

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo listened without interruption.

She did not rush to fill the silence. She did not offer wisdom after every sentence or try to solve the pain as it emerged. Instead, she simply stood beside him while he spoke, allowing him the space to finally say things that had clearly been trapped inside him for far too long. The sounds of workers, droids, and machinery continued around them, but they seemed distant now, fading into the background as she focused entirely on the young Padawan beside her.

When the tears came, and his voice cracked beneath the weight of grief and expectation, she found herself looking not at a Jedi struggling with training, but at a son carrying the memory of his father's final moments. A son who had made a promise beside a dying man and was now trying to build an entire life around keeping it. The realization settled heavily in her chest, and for a moment, she was reminded of her own family, of the people she loved and the promises she had carried through the years.

Without saying anything at first, Seo reached out and gently rested a hand against his shoulder. "Come here," she said quietly. The words were not a command, only an invitation. "If you would like a hug, I can give you one." There was no embarrassment in the offer and no attempt to hide it behind humor. It was simple kindness, offered freely and without condition. The sort of thing a mother offered when she saw someone hurting and knew that words alone were not always enough.

"It is okay to cry, Loutaro." Her voice remained soft but steady. "There is no shame in it. Not for this." Her gaze drifted briefly toward the fields where workers and droids continued their tasks, unaware of the much smaller battle taking place nearby. "You watched your father die. You made him a promise. Then you left everything you knew behind to honor that promise. Most people would struggle beneath that weight."

For a moment, she was reminded of her son. Of the times he had tried to be strong when what he truly needed was permission not to be. A faint sadness touched her expression before fading again. "You are not weak because this hurts," she told him. "You are not weak because you are afraid." A small smile appeared. "Honestly, if someone had handed me a lightsaber at eighteen and told me I was responsible for helping save the galaxy, I would have been terrified too."

The smile lingered just long enough to soften the heaviness before her expression grew more thoughtful. "And Loutaro, I do not think you lied because you are dishonest." She waited a moment before continuing. "I think you lied because the truth hurts. Sometimes we tell a version of the story that is easier to carry. Easier to explain. Easier to say out loud than the memory of watching someone we love die in front of us."

Her hand squeezed his shoulder gently. "You are trying to become something entirely new while grieving someone you loved. That is not an easy thing to do." The certainty in her voice left little room for argument. Then, after a brief pause, she added the words she suspected he needed most. "You do not have to carry it alone." Her gold eyes met his. There was no lesson hidden behind the statement, no grand Jedi wisdom. Only sincerity. "I can help you."

Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla

 

[Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla]

Loutaro did his best not to break down, but it was second nature for him to accept the hug. Wrapping his arms around Seo. Loutaro simply cried. He cried for what felt like ages. A year's worth of guilt, anger, and sadness flowing out of him in this moment. What felt like hours was really only a few minutes as he was told exactly what he needed to hear. That it was okay for him to cry, that it was alright for him to be afraid in what was this intense transitional moment. All he ever wanted to do was to take over his father's ranch with his older brother and now here he was in a monastic warrior order training to defend the people of the Galaxy.

A simple farm boy now out in the wilds of the Galaxy trying his hardest to honor a good man and use what powers to help those around him. Lou didn't know what the future would bring and what his role would be in the order. But what he did know is that he was glad he had met Master Seo. He was glad he was sent here to this planet to assist in this farming endeavor and put a little good back out into the Galaxy where so much needless suffering and cruelty seemed to thrive in. After another minute or so, Lou wiped his eyes on his sleeve and sniffled his nose.

With a deep breath to calm himself he looked up at Master Seo and spoke in shakey yet decided tone of voice.

"I'm sorry about that. Like I said things have been rough. I want to keep doing this. I want to keep my promise to my father despite how scared I am." Loutaro said as he straightened his robe desperately trying to ignore the fact that he cried in front of all the droids and workers. He was supposed to be their protector if something went wrong and there he was crying in front of them.

"So. What now?" Lou genuinely asked.

The work here was pretty much set to go automated once the workers filled up the watering droids and retrofitted the grav-trac. Lou hoped Seo would say they could go to her place. He really did not want to be here much longer than he had to be. Once again he did full ugly cry in front of these people and while he knew there was no shame in expressing his emotions. It did make for a bit of an awkward conversation with the person you were directing to count how much fertilizer they had on hand after they heard you talking about your dead dad.
Seo Linn

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo didn't rush him.

She simply remained there while he cried, one hand resting comfortably between his shoulders as the emotions he'd been carrying for so long finally found somewhere safe to go. She paid no attention to the workers or the droids moving about the fields. If anyone noticed, they were welcome to. In her mind, there was nothing embarrassing about a young man grieving his father. If anything, it spoke well of the love they had shared.

When Loutaro finally stepped back, wiping at his eyes and apologizing, Seo smiled gently and shook her head.

"There is nothing to apologize for."

The certainty in her voice left little room for argument.

"You honored your father by speaking about him. You honored yourself by allowing yourself to grieve. Neither of those things is a weakness."

She noticed him glance toward the workers, almost as if expecting judgment.

"They have their own burdens to carry," she said quietly. "And I suspect more than one of them understands exactly what they just witnessed."

When he asked what came next, the smile returned.

"Now," she said, glancing across the fields where the watering droids had begun their slow work and the laborers were settling into the afternoon's routine, "as long as everything is settled here for the day, we can make our way to my parents' home." The thought alone seemed to brighten her expression. "It's only about thirty minutes from here."

She folded her hands behind her back as they began walking again, deliberately setting an easy pace.

"And while we're on the way..." she glanced at him with an amused smile, "...what kind of food do you like, mijo?" The word came naturally, carrying the same warmth her own mother had often used. "I should warn you that if you tell my mother you'll eat anything, she'll interpret that as permission to feed you until you can't stand up."

A quiet laugh escaped her.

"I also have a feeling my son is going to be over the moon about meeting you. He's close to your age, and I think the two of you will get along well." She looked ahead toward the road leading away from the fields, already imagining the inevitable chaos waiting at home. "Though between him and my three younger sisters, I should probably apologize in advance. My family has a habit of making people feel like they've always belonged there."

Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla

 

[Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla]

There was a deep choke of sadness when Seo had called him Mijo. A wave of longing and regret that surfaced before it was smothered by a crash of gratitude and hope. Loutaro paused for a moment as he silently let a few tears trickle down from his face. Seo saying that had reminded her of his youngest Tia taking him to a Blitzball game. They had spent the day having fun and cheering until he had lost his voice from screaming, and at the end of it all she had asked what he wanted. Loutaro choked up in that moment and then took a few deep breaths to recover.

Loutaro simply listened to the woman as he regained his composure. He straightened his robe and he dusted his shoulders from the various dirt particles flying through the air. In truth he wanted to make sure that his voice wasn't going to crack again. He had an awful habit of having a hoarse voice after crying and he didn't want to embarrass himself further in the eyes of the workers or Seo despite her reassurances. He did have to still comport himself as a Jedi despite his emotional toil.

"Anything you all serve will be wonderful, also. Do you know how to drive? The Order loaned us a speeder." He had made sure to say those first words slowly and deliberately before pushing through the rest of the question.

Loutaro had made sure that the order had gifted this project a speeder for himself. He had seen how middle management had been treated on the Ranch. Having to physically rin up and down the fields to get the count an inspect the fields, and if Loutaro had anything to say about this operation. It was he never wanted to be that person. So he had asked for a Speeder despite not knowing how to drive anything but a tractor. In his mind he had figured it was "Tractor but small and fast" though he wouldn't want to risk it with Master Seo.

"Ive spent a lot of my life walking and, I mean if we have the vehicle…" Loutaro reached into his pockets and pressed a button.

From the loading bay of a shuttle an inexpensive but newish model of a land speeder moved to auto park itself towards Seo and himself. Tossing the keys towards Seo, Loutaro smiled the first real genuine smile of a kid for the first time in a very long time.

"Scattergun!" he said from instinct. As if his brothers and sisters were about to say it themselves.

Lou was curious about Seo's son and her family. He wanted to meet them desperately and to feel at home. Loutaro looked himself in this moment. A Farmer Boy who was just here trying his best.


Seo Linn

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo couldn't help but laugh when Loutaro assured her that anything they served would be wonderful. It wasn't a mocking laugh, but the warm, familiar sort that escaped around family dinner tables.

"Okay," she said with an amused smile. "You asked for it."

She folded her arms briefly as though considering the possibilities.

"My mother is going to hear that and decide you've been starving for months. You'll leave the table wondering how one woman managed to prepare enough food for an entire village."

The image alone was enough to make her smile wider.

The speeder glided toward them a moment later, and Seo caught the tossed keys cleanly without taking her eyes off him. The instinctive shout of "Scattergun!" caught her by surprise, earning another quiet laugh as she walked around to the driver's side.

"Yes," she answered as she climbed into the seat. "I can drive."

She settled comfortably behind the controls, performing a quick glance over the instrument panel before bringing the repulsors fully online.

"This will make the journey much faster," she said, looking over at him with a small grin. "Though I should probably warn you that my sisters will almost certainly have questions before you've even finished walking through the front door. They're curious by nature."

The speeder lifted smoothly from the ground, pivoting toward the road that led away from the fields and back toward her family's home. As they eased into a comfortable cruising speed, Seo glanced sideways at him again.

"I also hope you're prepared," she said, amusement returning to her voice. "Once my mother realizes you're a nineteen-year-old Padawan living away from home, you'll stop being a guest and start becoming another one of her children. I've watched it happen before."

Her smile softened as she looked back to the road stretching toward the distant hills.

"So, mijo... enjoy being an only child while you still can."

Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla

 

[Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla]

Lou let the wind blow through his hair as he listened and felt a genuine sense of excitement come over him. Their families had sounded so alike, and while he was under no illusion that he could just slip in and assimilate to what was this very kind Lorrdian family. Just being there and having this time to be among a real family and enjoy a meal. Enjoy some time with his senior in the Jedi practice. Well it was a balm to the wound of loneliness that he often felt most days. Loutaro had grateful that he took this posting. Lorrd was a rather safe planet and this new settlement seemed that it was good hands. If something were to happen there were clear lines of communication and a speeder for them to rush back.

Loutaro wanted to just have this night where he could feel like himself again. To feel like a normal person who lived a normal life and had a normal family where they could sit down and have a normal dinner.

"Also! My friends! The just call me Lou! he said as the wind blew in his hair.

He thought about what kind of home did Seo have? What kind of life did she lead? Lou had seen wealthy people with large houses in passing. He had seen people who lived in Hab-Blocks. Rows and rows of small rooms meant to house workers short term during harvest season. An almost inhumane condition. Were her family also Jedi? They seemed to know about her work. A lot of it was a mystery to him. He knew he had extended a lot of trust towards Seo and what she had told him. Going as far as to getting in this speeder and going to her home to meet her family. There was just a lot he didn't know but he was excited to find out.

"I feel like I should have a house warming gift or something! From what I've told you your family sounds great but I feel terrible just hovering on up to everyone with you and saying 'Hey here's another mouth to feed and also hes a Jedi!'" Lou said with a small bit of nervousness to him.

He didn't want to be a bother to what was potentially a normal night for a large family. He was intent on seeing this out but he would be a liar if he said he wasn't nervous for what was about to happen.

Seo Linn

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo smiled as the wind carried his words away, glancing over from the driver's seat when he insisted his friends simply called him Lou. There was a lightness in his voice she hadn't heard before, one that reminded her of the young man beneath the grief and uncertainty. She made a quiet mental note to use it. It suited him.

"Then Lou it is."

They rode in comfortable silence for another minute before his nervousness finally found its way into words. Seo had sensed it before he ever spoke. It was there in the way he shifted in his seat, the questions that kept circling in his mind, and the concern that he might somehow be imposing on people he had never met. It was an emotion she recognized immediately.

Taking one hand from the controls while the speeder continued steadily down the road, she reached over and gave his forearm a gentle, reassuring pat before returning it to the steering yoke.

"Lou," she said softly, "take a breath."

A small smile accompanied the words.

"We're better off now than we have been in a very long time." There was quiet gratitude in her voice. She had told him earlier that she and her mother had once been slaves. Those years had shaped her family, but they no longer defined it. "For many years we worried about having enough. Now we're fortunate enough to share what we have." Her smile grew warmer. "There will be enough food for you. I promise."

His concern about bringing a gift drew a quiet laugh from her.

"There is no need for one. Truly." She shook her head. "Your friendship and your patience will go much further than anything you could carry through the front door." She glanced over at him again, amusement dancing in her gold eyes. "Besides, if you showed up with a gift, my mother would probably try to send you home with three."

The road curved gently through the countryside as familiar landmarks began appearing in the distance.

"And one more thing," she added. "You are not 'another mouth to feed.' You're my guest." The words were simple but carried unmistakable sincerity. "There's an important difference."

A smile lingered on her lips as she looked back to the road.

"Now relax. Let my family do what they've always done best."

She chuckled quietly.

"They'll take care of the worrying for everyone."

Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla

 

[Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla]

Lou was a mess of emotions, he had always been this way amongst his family. The cautious one who always thought things through, at times overthinking and needlessly complicating what should be simple. Was it anxiety? Lou never truly delved into the why's and why nots of this character flaw he seemed to have. Even now he tried his best to dismiss the thoughts and just breathe like Master Seo had suggested. Taking a deep breath he inhaled and felt his ribs expand as his filled his lungs with the dry lorrdian air. He held it for a moment before exhaling and dispelling the complicated emotions he felt as Master Seo helped calm him.

It was okay, everything was going to be okay. This was simple. This was a simple series of events that would lead to simple nice and enjoyable evening. He was a guest coming over for dinner and the evening. He was going to look presentable, smile, shake some hands, maybe give out a few hugs, and be a kind and easy guest. There was no reason to make this anything other than that, Lou had thought to himself.

With a brief smile he let the time go by is silence. Looking over at the passenger side door mirror to make sure his hair was presentable and nice and there were no smudges on his face. With a few swift moves from his hands he preened his hair and made sure to not look a mess. When he was done he simply looked forward and spoke.

"Thank you. For this, for everything you've done over the course of this short time." Lou's parents had always told him to be polite and courteous. It was deeply ingrained into him.

But this wasnt the fake autopilot of niceties that people in civilized society gave out everyday to keep the Galaxy from eating itself alive. In his tone it was a genuine warm thank you and expression of gratitude. He would sit with it as he waited to arrive and meet the family of this kind and brave woman that had generously taken him under her wing in a moment when he needed it most.

Seo Linn

 

[Seo Linn]

Seo smiled to herself as Lou thanked her. The gratitude in his voice was genuine, free of obligation or courtesy, and that alone made it meaningful. She had met many people over the years who said thank you because they felt they should. Lou wasn't one of them. He said it because he meant it.

"You are very welcome, Lou," she replied warmly, keeping her eyes on the dusty road ahead. "We do what we can here." There was a quiet simplicity to the words, as though she believed there was nothing extraordinary about offering someone a meal, a listening ear, or a place to belong for an evening. "Others have done the same for me throughout my life. This is simply my turn."

The settlement slowly emerged from the desert, built where the old mines had once dominated the landscape. What had begun as little more than slave quarters and company buildings had, over the years, become a true community. Sandstone homes stood beneath weathered awnings, children chased one another through the streets despite the lingering afternoon heat, and neighbors paused to exchange greetings as the speeder passed. It was not a wealthy place, but it was peaceful. People had chosen to stay after earning their freedom, transforming a place of suffering into one they could finally call home.

Seo guided the speeder through the familiar streets before stopping outside a modest sandstone home near the center of town. Desert flowers climbed trellises beside the porch, and the windows stood open to catch what little breeze crossed the dunes. Before the engines had even finished winding down, the front door burst open.

Three little girls came running out of the house.

"Seo!"

"Eimhear, slow down!" another called, only to immediately race past her older sister.

"I'm going to get there first!" the youngest shouted as little Ahlean darted ahead with all the determination a child could muster.

Seo laughed, the sound brighter than Lou had heard all afternoon, as she climbed from the speeder. "I've only been gone a few weeks," she called, opening her arms just in time for the three girls to reach her. Eimhear, the oldest at twelve, hugged her around the waist with practiced confidence. Clar threw herself into Seo's side a heartbeat later, while little Ahlean wrapped herself around one of Seo's arms, beaming from ear to ear.

"I missed you too."

Only then did the girls notice Lou standing beside the speeder. Three pairs of curious eyes fixed on him all at once, each carrying a different expression. Ahlean's was unabashed excitement, Clar's open curiosity, and Eimhear's the cautious interest of the oldest sibling trying very hard to be grown up.

Seo smiled, unable to hide her amusement.

"Lou," she said warmly, "I'd like you to meet my sisters. This is Eimhear, Clar, and Ahlean."

Ahlean's eyes widened almost immediately.

"Who's he?"

Before Seo could answer, Clar blurted out, "Is he staying for dinner?"

Eimhear glanced between Seo and Lou before asking much more politely, "Is he your friend?"

Seo chuckled softly as the questions tumbled over one another.

"One at a time," she laughed. "Yes, he's my friend. His name is Lou, and he'll be joining us for dinner."

That was apparently all the invitation Ahlean needed. She skipped over to Lou without the slightest hint of hesitation and reached up to take his hand.

"Come on!" she said excitedly. "Mama's inside!"

Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla

 

[Loutaro Juan Raul Conzalla]

The sight tugged at Lou's heart something fierce. A happy family, niños y niñias running around in the yard and neighborhood. All of it left him feeling this longing for his own family, for his own home. As he exited the Speeder he couldn't help but hurt a bit, a slight pain over his heart as it longed for the days of the past. Yet there was still something healing about it despite the small hurt. A family that he could enjoy some time with before he had to finish his work. A woman that he could rely on for help in that work, and a nice meal and a good sleep to help him get back on track. All of it reminded him of home, and he didn't push those feelings to the side for the first time in a long while. He sat with them as he watched the show take place in front of him. The children and love on display from these people.

It felt nice not to compartmentalize all of these feelings, just existing with them in what he could only hope was a place that was safe for them. However he didn't have long before he was taken away from them by what was in all honestly a freakishly strong grip for a girl her age. With a firm grasp and a pull Lou was tugged forward in a burst of speed and enthusiasm.

"Oh Lorrd she strong." What were they feeding these kids? Lou thought as he was all but dragged away.

"Lou, the name is Lou! Loutaro smiled brightly but then looked over to Seo to give her a look that could really only be described as…

HELP!

Lou didn't know where they were going, he didn't want to be a strange new man dragged into threshold by what really is a child. That just didn't look good by anyone's standards even if he was a Jedi. He went along with it though and continued to smile and laugh and it was even genuine as they went off to go meet mama as it were.

"Alright let's go meet Mama! Where is mama?" Lou asked as he was continued to be taken to lands and places unknown.

This was fine. This was alright.

Seo Linn