Private Settling In

[Colette]

Body: limbered up. Gym: ghost town. Partner: Reina Daival .

It was the perfect setting for a quick workout to catch back up to her pre-injury state, and to make a new acquaintance. Really, Colette had never really talked to Reina but she had seen them around enough that it was perhaps warranted to get to know each other. If anything because the times that she had seen Reina it was near or around the gym. Physical therapy was as good of a reason as any other to get to know others.

Besides, workouts could be as quiet or loud as one desired as long as the weights weren't dropped. Way Colette figured given what little she already knew, Reina had a few interesting perspectives if nothing else. It'd always be good to listen and learn from those.

"You ready?" She asked and shook herself awake, turning to look over at Reina. "I can't promise I'll be able to keep up, but I'll try."

 

[Reina Daival]

Location: Temple Dojo
Objective: Let's Get Down To Business, to Train
Tags: Colette


"Well. Trying is all some people can expect."

Reina shrugged her shoulders at that, as she rubbed her hands together. She had done plenty of focus on training her leg after she lost her other one. Now it was finally time to work on her arms. It was nice to have actual equipment to use for once, considering she was used to just making do with what she had back on the ship.

"But I expect more. Out of myself at least. You can't just try when it comes to protecting people. I have to do it."

Her best wasn't always good enough. Reina had to keep pushing her limit. Keep smashing her head against the wall to get herself stronger. She sighed to herself, before glancing over towards Colette, giving the Knight a small smirk through it all.

"If you need to take a break though, I won't hold it against you."​

 

[Colette]

Reina Daival

Oh-hooo, okay, was that the play? A few minutes in and Colette was already liking Reina. An indignant, mock wounded laugh parted Colette's lips as she recoiled backwards and began to size her opponent up.

"Alright, alright, if that's how you want to play it Padawan Daival…" She smiled and crossed her arms. "Challenging the wounded, I see how it is…"

The knight got herself situated next to the lowly padawan and did one last stretch before she picked up a nearby weight.

"So how do you want to do this?" She asked and turned to look at Reina. "I'd dare you to a footrace, but we're inside, so…"

"... Endurance on the mill?"

 

[Reina Daival]

Location: Temple Dojo
Objective: Let's Get Down To Business, to Train
Tags: Colette


"I'd argue I'm more wounded than you. You're still a whole Jedi. I'm like...three quarters of one."

At that, Reina gave a small tap at her leg letting the metallic sound of what she affectionately called her "Anchor" echo through the training room. It had already proven useful to her on Jedha...even if the memory wasn't something she wanted to focus on run now.

"I can do some Endurance stuff. Just no...fancy Force Tricks. I'll make sure not do anything fancy of my own."

And by fancy, she meant using the pneumatics of her leg. Knowing her luck, she'd go to use it to cheat and end up throwing herself up against the wall. She clapped her hands together either way and made sure everything was ready to go. Even after losing her leg, Reina still had energy. She had never wanted to stay stood for long. It's why she went out of her way to make a prosthesis that fit her perfectly.​

 

[Colette]

Reina Daival

"Nonsense!" Colette exclaimed as she booted up her treadmill and began with a walk at pace. "That leg is better than your regular one if anything."

Tap-tap-tap-tap. The feet went at pace.

"Hey, no arguments here. Physical fitness is mental physics. Healthy body, healthy mind."

"How'd it happen?" Colette asked and turned towards Reina and slowly upped the speed of her own band to make her jog. "The leg."

 

[Reina Daival]

Location: Temple Dojo
Objective: Let's Get Down To Business, to Train
Tags: Colette


"I was an idiot. Too eager to fight. Killed a bunch of slavers on Onderon...and then some costumed weirdo got mad at me for it."

The comment about her new leg being better was true though in her eyes. It came with a little handy dandy weapon for if she didn't have lightsaber. Now she was basically always armed which is how she liked it.

"Boss of the slaves showed up. I jumped in to attack him...and the costume guy turned off my lightsaber. Used an EMP because...I dunno. He didn't want me to kill the Gamorrean?"

It still made no sense to Reina. But that was life. She just had to take it on the chin and keep moving forward.

"It's just stupid. They were kidnapping kids and apparently I was in the wrong for killing them to rescue the kids."​

 

[Colette]

Reina Daival

Oh great, if Colette said what she wanted to say she would most likely end up with some kind of philosophical debate again and frankly that was the last thing she wanted to associate Gym Time with. Sure, Reina was in the wrong — but now was just not the time to point such an obvious fact out.

"I get it," Colette shrugged mid-jog. "Different ways of thinking. I prefer to avoid violence, but that's not always possible."

"In the end, you got the kids out. That's what mattered most." She was encroaching danger close to the philosophy debate. Colette had to pivot.

"Where are you from?"

 

[Reina Daival]

Location: Temple Dojo
Objective: Let's Get Down To Business, to Train
Tags: Colette

Reina knew she was more violent than most Jedi probably liked. But she didn't care. It was one part of her that she wasn't going to change. She'd learn to control it, but it was who she was. If it wasn't for her violence, those kids would have been kidnapped. She didn't hold it against pacifists though. Everest was her best friend. They made up for their differences.

"Hm? I'm from the Sea."

For a moment, Reina let that settle as she jogged, her eyes directly focused ahead of her. It wasn't necessarily something she liked to talk about...but it was part of growing as a person right? You had to open up. talk about yourself.

"I'm...not entirely joking. I was raised by a bunch of fishermen. They said they found me floating out at sea. I don't know my...birth parents. What kind of blood runs through me. Where I was born."

Her steps were growing more and more heavy as she ran. Breathe. She had to stay calm. She couldn't let her emotions push her to getting exhausted.

"Even my name might not be my name. The crew gave it to me. They're the closest thing I had to a family. They ended up kicking me out though. Wanted to me to "live a real life"​

 

[Colette]

Reina Daival

"Sounds familiar." Colette nodded. "The being found part. No parents."

"My parents left me in a town when I was a baby. Got picked up by one of the clans back home. Spent a lot of time wandering the desert before a Jedi mistook me for someone else, funny enough. Sent me here."

She upped the speed just a little.

"And hey, your name is your name, y'know?" She exhaled and nodded, eyes focused on the invisible road up ahead. "Ain't anybody able to take that away from you. Or force you to have a new one."

"I like the name Colette, so I keep it. If you like Reina, keep it, y'know?"

 

[Reina Daival]

Location: Temple Dojo
Objective: Let's Get Down To Business, to Train
Tags: Colette

Huh. Maybe the Jedi made a habit of recruiting people with no parents. Reina frowned at that thought before shrugging her shoulders in response as she ran.

"It's not like I have any other choice for my name. It's what I've gotten used to."

There was no other choice. Not in her mind. What would she take as a new name? Nothing really fit her. Honestly, names never made much sense to her in the first place. The meaning behind them at least, she understood why people needed names at least. You can't just call people by how they look.

"I ended up joining after helping out the Jedi...in two fights? One in Keshi...I killed a Mandalorian there."

It had been the first time she had killed someone. She didn't regret it whatsoever though. It was just the way of life. Him or Her.

"Then on Jedha. It became some...massive snow planet. I don't know the facts. I just know I met Master Valery and Everest there...I ended up nearly slapping Everest for asking for her dad to help."

Now that, she did regret. Funny how that worked. She didn't regret taking someone's life, but nearly slapping her friend across the face? That was something she felt horrible for.​

 

[Colette]

Reina Daival

A lot of murder in this one. Colette was getting perhaps a little upset over it, but once again she did NOT want philosophy to take up the one pastime that was safe from it. Colette had been there on Jedha. She had—

"You did what?" Colette asked and jumped onto the railing on the side of the rolling band and coldly, intensely and utterly infuriated turned her towards Reina. "You hit Everest?"

 

[Reina Daival]

Location: Temple Dojo
Objective: Let's Get Down To Business, to Train
Tags: Colette

Reina blinked at the reaction. She was pretty sure she said she had nearly slapped her. Not that she actually did. Though with that reaction, Reina was slowly starting to feel less welcomed.

"...No. I said I nearly did."

That was all she said. Opening up was the wrong thing to do it seemed. It was better for Reina to just keep her mouth shut. Maybe Eve and Valery were wrong when they said that Reina fit into the Order. All of the expression just faded from her face as Reina focused on running. That's all she could do. Run from things. Run from her problems.​

 

[Colette]

Reina Daival

Colette lingered in her frustration for a while until Reina corrected her. The look of anger quickly faded into something softer: regret. She hopped back onto the track again and lowered the speed and let out a slow sigh.

"I'm sorry." She said and rubbed at the back of her neck. "I'm usually in better control of my emotions than that. Everest is just… Special."

"Like a sister, almost. The idea of her getting hurt or almost hurt is… Alarming, apparently. I didn't realize."

"What, uh… How—... Are you on better terms with her now?"

 

[Reina Daival]

Location: Temple Dojo
Objective: Let's Get Down To Business, to Train
Tags: Colette

She just kept running, with her eyes focused straight ahead of her. The more time she spent with the Order, the more she was realising people had things she didn't have. Things she might never have. It was something she'd have to accept.

"I don't know what it's like to have a sister."

There wasn't much emotion in her voice anymore. At least, there wasn't much evident now that she was sticking to saying less words. The less she spoke, the less of a chance of her messing up again and getting mad at her.

"She's my best friend. My opposite."

It was true. Her and Everest couldn't be more opposites, but she was the closest thing Reina had to a best friend. She would never admit it to Everest. It wasn't something she was ready to face herself. But Reina knew she'd always be there for her friend. At first it had been to pay penance to what she had almost done...but now? It was because she truly enjoyed Everest's personality.​

 

[Colette]

Reina Daival

"A sister can be an opposite." Colette said and kept on jogging. "A sister is more like a friend, but they feel like a little more than a friend."

Did Colette realize what she might have insinuated? No.

"Being opposites isn't bad. If anything it's probably good. I'm the opposite of Corazona, and we get along just fine."

"... Eventually. We didn't at first. We're from very different worlds. But we got past that."

 

[Reina Daival]

Location: Temple Dojo
Objective: Let's Get Down To Business, to Train
Tags: Colette

They feel like more than a friend?...Reina frowned to herself as she seemed to dwell on that thought. Running in silence for a few moments as the fisherwoman debated to herself. She did care for Everest, a lot. The Echani had helped Reina to see other parts of herself. Everest beieved in Reina when Reina didn't believe in herself...Huh. She guessed Everest was like a sister to her in that way then.

"...I guess Everest does feel like more than a friend...I think. I don't know how friends feel."

Everest was her first real friend after all. She didn't count any of the crew she had worked with when she was growing up. They were more like...family in a way. But not with brothers or sisters. They were all more like aunts or uncles that helped to teach her. Either way, Reina shook her head, turning her attention back towards running...Though she did try to make a very poor attempt at humour.

"I mean. Most people come from different worlds. Master Valery comes from Keshi after all."​

 

[Colette]

Reina Daival

"Oh, no doubt." Colette agreed with Reina's statement about being from different worlds. "Hard not to be when we rely on random chance for who is and who is not force sensitive enough to be trained."

"Culture is different between us and all that, but it's the only way to grow as a group, yeah?" Colette shrugged and increased the pace of her treadmill just a little. "Our differences as individuals are more difficult to accept than our differences as groups."

Wait, this was dangerously close to philosophy too, and now COLETTE was the one engaging in it.

"I just… Thought about that a lot lately, y'know? Differences and all that. Uh…"

"Y-ou- uh… How long did you say you've been here with the Jedi? What makes you wanna go on and all that?"

 

[Reina Daival]

Location: Temple Dojo
Objective: Let's Get Down To Business, to Train
Tags: Colette

Colette had indirectly opened up the philosophy gateway, even if Reina wasn't a fan of it herself. So the woman just kinda...mumbled. Mostly to herself but loud enough for Colette to hear as Reina jogged slowly but surely. She needed to keep herself going.

"...Everest has made me think a lot about differences. Don't worry about it. Everyone is different in their own way. Physically and culture wise. Even I'm different to most Jedi. I believe the Force is the Spirit of the Sea itself. But...that doesn't make me any less of a Jedi."

It was a strangely...mature belief for a headstrong and stubborn woman like Reina to have but it was what she believed. Her social skills were lacking but that didn't mean her respect in people was. She might be rude, and aggressive but Reina would never judge someone who was different to her, for their differences. More for their actions.

"Haven't been with the Order for too long. The main thing that keeps me going...I would say it's the stupid dream I have. Of being a Knight. Not a Jedi Knight but the whole...sword and shield nonsense. The truth though? It's Master Valery and Everest. They believe I can be someone good. That I can help the Galaxy. And so...I want to believe in them. I can't believe in myself, but maybe I can believe in the Reina they have faith in. Does that make sense?"​

 

[Colette]

Reina Daival

True enough, it didn't matter how one chose to perceive the force to make its presence more easily understood. Heck, Colette herself still couldn't quite believe it was there when she put her current life next to her old and yet she used it nonetheless.

"It does." Colette said and nodded. "You'll believe in yourself at some point, but until then it's good to believe in who you think others want you to be. Just, you know, don't be too hard on yourself about it."

"If things become too much there's no shame in that, y'know? Take a breather."

 

[Reina Daival]

Location: Temple Dojo
Objective: Let's Get Down To Business, to Train
Tags: Colette

"I know how to take a breather. Don't worry. I've been diving since I was young."

Whilst she meant it in a literal sense, there was also the metaphorical sense. Reina had been struggling with who she was since she was young. Who was she? Who was she meant to be? It was all something she had been struggling with. It's why she idolised the idea of being a Knight. A hero to protect the weak. It was something everyone could look up to.

"Just...struggling with a lot of my own demons that I didn't expect to have."​