Private Tea & Training

[Katherine Emberlain]

Location: Naboo, Gallo Mountains - Shiraya's Sanctuary
Tags: Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

Shiraya’s Sanctuary.

Katherine had a number of fond memories of the place. It was after all where she had found herself spending a lot of her time recovering. Not surrounded by the noisiness of a city planet like Coruscant. But rather the peaceful serenity that was the Gallo Mountains. Albeit, back then she couldn’t properly appreciate it being confined to a hover chair. But upon her return, body renewed, wings ‘n’ all?

She had soared through the mountainside without hesitation.

It was hardly a surprise then, that the sanctuary was one of the first places she had visited upon returning from her self-exile. There was no better place in her mind, to meditate and undertake a bit of person training.

Or helping to instruct a Padawan.

Katherine knew she needed to take one on eventually, but she was hesitant to commit. A self-admitted concern that she’d wind up in a situation of not being a good fit for the Padawan. But it didn’t completely deter the winged Jedi. She was determined to help, even if it was just a simple lesson or two. If a Padawan left with having learned something, Katherine would be content.

For today she had taken up one of the training terraces within the Sanctuary. One where there was a clear and even divide between the room itself and the balcony that overlooked the mountainous terrain.

Katherine stood there, though rather than taking in the scenery, her eyes were on the datapad in her hand. On it were dossiers of different Padawans, her focus today was on one in particular.

Aileni Ifor Xeraic.

Something about his last name rang a bell in the redhead’s memories, but she couldn’t quite place where from. Nonetheless, she had sent a message, very briefly introducing herself and politely asking for the Padawan to meet her at the designated training room.

Eventually, she heard the door slide open. “Out on the balcony, Padawan.” What Aileni would find upon entering, is not just the winged Jedi awaiting him, but also the soft whistle of a tea kettle.

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo - Gallo Mountains
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, practice saber
Tag: Katherine Emberlain

Aileni was not yet assigned a Master, previous attempts were difficult, he was one that demanded a lot of focus and Aileni was dedicated in ways that could be considered both good and bad. Aileni liked to push boundaries, bend the rules in order to do good. Saw things blurrier than he had heard other Jedi view matters. A needed level of violence to enact the change that he perceived the galaxy as needing. It was also tough to maintain a Master when at times he felt like he knew more than they did. Or at least that he knew how to overcome the challenges they set him better than they did.

Hard to keep following a Master that never seemed as advanced in their abilities as you were yourself. Potential consequence of being considered a prodigy.

Entering the room, it was not the usual look for a training room but Aileni was used to as a Padawan. But he stuck with the standard rooms for training, it was something that he just found comfort in. Aileni stretched his muscles and heard the call to enter the balcony, stepping across the room and enter the balcony. Seeing the mountains, it was always interesting to see how different, how beautiful and serene Naboo was to his home. Aileni knew that his home was harsher, dangerous by nature but he had considered it beautiful in his own mind. Naboo was just very different.

"Quite to the view." Looking around, he noticed that the teacher for today was a winged woman, it was not a race that Aileni recognised but it was one that intrigued him, he was curious on how it worked. Were her bones lighter? More fragile? Did she need to consume thousands of calories a day to maintain the energy. Similar to himself. "I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from you today."

 

[Katherine Emberlain]

Location: Naboo, Gallo Mountains - Shiraya's Sanctuary
Tags: Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

Katherine offered a warm smile as the Padawan joined her on the balcony. She took a moment to look at him, immediately taking note of his height. It was one thing to see it written out on a datapad, but it was another to see it in person. Tall for his age indeed.

Must be something in those vegetables on Dathomir.

The thought mused in the redhead’s thoughts as she looked out at the scenery before them. It was, much like other places she called home, reminders of why she kept fighting against those that would see such beauty and peace smothered beneath darkness.

“As am I, Padawan.” This was after all something of a learning opportunity for her too. “Please, have a seat.” Katherine continued, gesturing for Aileni towards the tea. It was set atop a table, either side of which was a cushioned seat. “As I mentioned in the message, my name is Katherine Holt. I was hoping we could talk first, so I can get to know one another.”

If this had been before her self-exile, Katherine would’ve likely thrown Aileni straight into a spar, to test his martial capabilities. After all, that was how she was trained by her Master, in an Order that at the time was primarily focused on fighting Mandalorians. But those were two different times, and the redhead had plenty of time to reflect on matters.

Taking a seat, Katherine didn’t miss a beat as she both talked and addressed the still stewing pot of tea. Lifting the lid for a few moments, examining the leaves within. A quick smell; and a sprinkling of knowledge would make it apparent it was locally sourced.

“Beyond Naboo, I believe you were also raised on Dathomir correct? What was that like?.”

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo - Gallo Mountains
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, practice saber
Tag: Katherine Emberlain

Aileni eyed the seat, cautiously hesitant initially as he wasn't sure what to expect. Aileni had been thinking they were going to be training and prepared mentally for that, sitting and socialising... It was different. It was not something that Aileni was necessarily skilled at. He was noticeably awkward and Aileni wasn't truly sure how to do small talk conversation, every time it felt like the conversation was forced or that he didn't understand the importance of what was being discussed. It was a struggle but he knew that sifting through conversations was very important for his time as a Jedi Shadow.

His nose twitched as he sniffed out the various ingredients for the tea that was stewing. It smelled of Naboo, the scents that carried on the wind whenever Aileni wandered through the woods. It was pleasant but also not deeply intriguing in a way. Aileni found the scents from Dathomir and Kashyyyk far more intriguing. Grabbing a chair, he sat in the chair in a manner that had the young teenager prepared to move quickly if needed. Prepared to rush around.

"Yes. I was born there and lived most of my life there." Aileni stated, thinking for a moment on how to best describe the experience of constant survival that Dathomir demanded from all who called it home. "It taught me a harshness in life that I think few understand." Aileni stated, while he never sought to diminish the experiences of others, Aileni did understand that plenty of others endured harshness and tough realities of life. But few had learn such lessons from a very young age.

"Dathomir also taught me the importance of community and trust in others. What about yourself? Where did you come from?"

 

[Katherine Emberlain]

Location: Naboo, Gallo Mountains - Shiraya's Sanctuary
Tags: Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

Aileni’s answer was one she had been expecting. It was the awkward posture on display, and not just because the seats weren’t exactly suitable for towering individuals such as themselves. To Katherine, it gave the impression of someone who hadn’t indulged in a lot of small talk, especially the type that occurred within cities such as Theed. Aileni struck her as the type of person whose conversations growing up revolved around more serious topics, like survival.

Especially when banding together with a relatively small, tightknit community of people.

“Indeed, I’ve heard the fauna and flora of Dathomir can be quite dangerous when exploring. Let alone trying to survive and live there.”

Katherine checked the tea once more, satisfied enough with it to pick up the pot and carefully pour some of the liquid into their respective cups. The question about her own home planet elicited a thoughtful ‘hmm’ from the redhead. She said nothing initially, instead focused on the tea until she picked up her own cup and settled back into the chair.

“It’s a place I haven’t considered my home in a very long time. But…it was a fairly small planet, situated right on the border between two warring factions. Which as you can imagine, made the day-to-day quite tension filled. Though fortunately I was a child at the time, so most of that washed right over my attention.” Katherine paused, taking a sip of her tea. This was a question that had recurring popped up whenever she met new people, and before now she’d always waved it off.

“For the majority of my childhood, and the entirety of my teenage years, I effectively grew up on Mygeeto.”

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo - Gallo Mountains
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, practice saber
Tag: Katherine Emberlain

Aileni shrugged his shoulders, "many would see Dathomir that way. But danger is lessen with the tribes, clans and personally, having a very powerful witch for a mother, Dathomir did not feel any more dangerous than anywhere else in the galaxy." While he did learn survival and he knew how dangerous the world was, never undermining it, Aileni recognised that his mother was someone who could prevent Dathomir from claiming him. She was not one that would claim to tame Dathomir, no witch would be so outrageous to do so. But Aileni would say that Dathomir respected his mother as much as she respected it.

Something that many powerful witches he felt experienced with the planet.

Tilting his head, "I have not been to Mygeeto, I don't really know much of it. What is it like there? Is it a rural environment or more cityscape?" Aileni asked, curious about the galaxy beyond the borders of Dathomir, beyond the borders of the High Republic. It was something that he was going to be exploring, never lingering anywhere too long, yet know places deeper than many who live there. Reaching forward, he pulled the cup of tea closer to himself as he continued to sniff the odours of the tea.

He had never really drunk teas in the past but he was curious on how this would taste.

 

[Katherine Emberlain]

Location: Naboo, Gallo Mountains - Shiraya's Sanctuary
Tags: Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

Katherine let out a hum of agreement to Aileni’s answer. It made sense given the teenager had grown up on the planet, that what outsiders would consider dangerous, to him was just a normal part of the day-to-day life. Many wouldn’t consider it ordinary to be conscious of where a pack of Rancors were calling home. But for certain parts of Dathomir, it was simple normality.

The question about Mygeeto elicited a chuckle from the redhead.

“Cold, very very cold.” She replied, taking a sip of her tea. “Mygeeto leans more towards the former, but it is a mix of both. A quite distinctively looking planet, if I do say so.” Katherine paused, her eyes drifting away from Aileni, instead staring out at the scenery before them.

“From space you see pink and blue stretching across the entire surface. A majority of landmass is frozen over, with mountains of pink crystal rising from the ground. The remainder of which is snow, entrapped in a near endless storm from dawn to dusk.”

Despite her personal history with the planet, Katherine still remembered its unique beauty fondly.

“Has a history of groups settling there to mine the minerals underground, forming mining colonies that eventually expanded out into full on cities. All of which stand hundreds of miles above the planet’s surface. Be their suspended, or atop pillars of durasteel.”

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo - Gallo Mountains
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, practice saber
Tag: Katherine Emberlain

Cold. Interesting. Aileni didn't really know much about cold worlds, Dathomir was temperate. Not scorching hot but also not a planet that one would consider freezing either. "Sounds like Ilum." Aileni had heard about the freezing conditions of the crystal world. A rural world with some cityscape areas, that was not uncommon. Naboo could be described in that way, and there were many other worlds like it. Aileni was intrigued by the world. "Sounds a good balance, big cities help with trading and developing economy. Rural aspects are good for farming but also allowing those who are not city folk to get away without having to leave the planet."

Aileni could never see himself personally living on worlds like Coruscant and Taris.

The young Padawan studied how Katherine drank the tea, in sips. He tentatively sipped the tea as well. Aileni's face scrunched up as it couldn't decide if he enjoyed the beverage or not. "Hmmmm..." Aileni took a second sip and settled the cup on the saucer once again. "That is interesting... Dangerous to have them suspended like that. One issue and the colonies dropping hundreds of miles down onto the surface would be cataclysmic." Aileni thought aloud as he wondered what were the safety protocols for something like that.

"What is your favourite memory of home then?" Aileni asked, curious.

 

[Katherine Emberlain]

Location: Naboo, Gallo Mountains - Shiraya's Sanctuary
Tags: Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

Katherine smiled at the mention of Ilum, nodding in response. “An apt comparison, they both share mountainous terrain and expansive underground caverns.” Though having been to both planets, the winged Jedi found she preferred Ilum more. And not just because of the history she had with Mygeeto, but with how the Force flowed through Ilum’s crystal caves.

She watched Aileni’s expression as he took in the information about the cities, as if trying to formulate a picture of them in his mind. Resulting in the same inevitable conclusion Katherine remembered having when she first laid eyes on them.

“Indeed, you’d wonder how exactly some of the cities have stood for so long, despite being so precariously constructed. But we are also talking about a history that dates back a few thousand years. Said support structures have been reinforced, multiple times over. Newer attempts have been made, only to fail short of the originals.”

“That said, I still wouldn’t want to live near the edge of one of those cities. I’d be worried that I’d just like…tip over one day.” Katherine said, an amused chuckle slipping from her lips.

She reached down to grab her cup once more, but before she could bring it to her lips, Aileni asked his question. It gave Katherine pause, long enough that she placed the cup back down.

“Hmm…”

What could she say about that time? Was there anything that she could class as a ‘favourite memory’?

Nothing like growing up in what was essentially a boarding school, where you were at risk of quite literally being stabbed in the back.

But as Katherine thought about it more, an answer did rise to the surface.

“Sisterhood.” An array of expressions settled across the redhead’s face, one that told a story of conflicted memory. “I grew up in a well…what’s quite similar to how Jedi Temples work for younglings and padawans. You get assigned a dorm, said dorm is connected to a few others via a central common room, with others of similar age to yourself.” Katherine let out a sigh. “I didn’t know anyone, and wasn’t exactly great at making friends. But there were two girls; around my age, who saw me and just decided to befriend me one day. It didn’t take long for us to bond, to be at one another’s side through thick or thin.”

At that moment it dawned on Katherine that she hadn’t seen either of them in over ten years.

“What about you, what’s your favourite memory of home?”

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo - Gallo Mountains
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, practice saber
Tag: Katherine Emberlain

"Strange that it could not be replicated. That signals to an understanding and skill with technology lost to time, which is a great shame..." Aileni paused as he wondered how such things could happen. Surely things should only get better, surely the technology now was the peak of what technology could be and not something that was worse compared to what could be achieved thousands of years ago. He feared that could mean there could be lost Sith artefacts and technology that could not be destroyed now, and could remain hidden for many years to ensure the Sith always had a chance to rise once again.

Aileni took another sip of the tea. "Sisterhood is good. It is a fundamental way of life on Dathomir, bonds between the witches as well as the bonds between the those who call themselves nightbrothers is crucial to survival and even bonding with nature is such an important thing. I would not know how to live life if that was not the way one should approach things. Community outweighs everything."

"My favourite memory..." There was a big pause as the Dathomiri thought on home, thought on what was good memories. He was loved and cherished, that he knew but he was also challenged and trained to be a certain way. "My mother's cooking. She couldn't cook much, but she has this spicy noodle dish that is something else. I can't even replicate it and I am pretty good at cooking." Aileni sounded a little wistful as he thought about the dish. The times he spent in the kitchen with her while she made the dish and cooked with her.

Those were his favourite memories.

 

[Katherine Emberlain]

Location: Naboo, Gallo Mountains - Shiraya's Sanctuary
Tags: Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

The winged Jedi smiled, nodding in response to Aileni’s answer. “Sometimes, it’s something as simple as cooking that becomes our most favourite and strongest memories.” It very often reminded people of a more quiet and peaceful time, or something far more simpler during times of strife and conflict.

For Katherine, it reminded her of living on Niv Hani, of the time she had spent with the Nobles. The closest thing she had to a family.

Caroline and Eleanor had been that growing up, but it had been many many years since she had parted ways with them. And despite her sisters occasionally surfacing in her thoughts, Katherine hadn’t dared to ever reach out.

Her wistful thinking grounded to a halt as she went to take another sip, only to realize her cup was now empty. Katherine let out a soft chuckle, reaching over and picking up the pot for a refill.

“You spoke of your community; of your mother and clan. What did they teach you in terms of martial ability, and of the Force?”