L O S T
Coruscant.
He hadn't visited this place in a great many years, and when last he had it had all been opulence and grownup talks. Young Eliphas hadn't much enjoyed that aspect of it, much less since he had to be on his best behaviour. He'd wanted to explore, to pound the pavement in search of adventure. Really get to know the place. Instead he'd been dragged from meeting to meeting, or else he'd been sat in their room twiddling his thumbs. It had been exciting at first, in the end he just wanted to go home. His Father seemed to have a good time though. He supposed that counted for something.
Coming back to Coruscant was strange now that he was older. He couldn't really understand why he'd been so incessant on heading out by himself. Sure the top layer was nice, gilded, polished. The top layer was reminiscent of Empress Teta in many ways. But below that? Heck, Eliphas hadn't even gone a layer down yet and he knew what awaited him below. Without the rose tinted glasses of a child it all felt a little more sinister. The rich walked above the poor - literally.
And joining the rich above were the Jedi. The Temple of Coruscant was a wonder to behold, and even coming from so grand an estate as that which belonged to House Dune that was saying something. Excessively so, he might argue. He hadn't, but the thought had crossed his mind. Maybe leaving home for good had left him a little sensitive. As much as
Valery Noble
had assured them they had a choice in this, Eliphas had known that his Father would never look at him the same if he turned down the opportunity. Either he left a model son, or he left in disgrace.
Valery Noble
had assured them they had a choice in this, Eliphas had known that his Father would never look at him the same if he turned down the opportunity. Either he left a model son, or he left in disgrace.
Either way he'd have had to leave.
So he did.
It was something of a culture shock, to be honest. He'd been shown to his dormitory upon arrival, a small room which consisted of a bed, a desk, and limited storage. Refreshers were shared. Mess hall? Shared. Lounge spaces? You guessed it. Shared. He felt like a caged bird that first night. In some ways it reminded him of being back aboard The Atale, but that reminder just left him feeling rather hollow. He'd pulled out the crystal necklace from his still packed luggage, and stared at it. Kicking himself for never having given it to Yara.
So many regrets.
But this? This was a fresh start, wasn't it? A chance for him to make his own way in life, a way that wasn't inherently dictated by his Father and the expectations he had. It might have been Oskar Dune's idea, but where he took that... Well that was on Eliphas to decide, wasn't it?
And so it was that he found himself lost within the Temple that morning. Maybe someone had meant to turn up to show him the ropes, to help him figure out where to begin. He couldn't quite recall every piece of information he'd been given upon arrival, after all. It had flown by so quickly that even in his memory the whole thing was a blur. Not even sure what he was supposed to wear, if indeed there was a uniform at all, he'd put on his usual attire. Head to toe in black, save for the shirt below his jacket. That was a crisp white. Beyond that an accent of gold which trimmed the whole set out, mostly peaking on his cuffs and the buckle of his belt.
Hey, he didn't know any better. He just fell into the usual routine he'd known his entire life. Rise, dress, make the bed... Breakfast. Yeah, no, he'd probably missed that. So long dawdling in the halls that hours had probably passed by. The Temple was so vast he thought he might last a month before anyone found him flailing around like a headless chicken.
If nothing else, perhaps his unchecked emotions might give him away. He was unabashedly overwhelmed, confused, afraid... Not that he'd ever admit the latter. Good Dune boys didn't show their fears so wantonly. But then, was Eliphas even really a Dune anymore beyond keeping that name?
Case in point: Confusing.
