Private The Hidden Star

[Ala Quin]

Lorn had said she should have some down time. Ala had agreed. She had even agreed enthusiastically, which in hindsight was probably her first mistake.

But Lorn was away on a mission. And Ala Quin could no more sit still than a star could stop burning.

A single meeting with the Interim Queen could hardly be considered work, she told herself. It was, at most, a conversation about a small curiosity she had unearthed in the archives. A curiosity that hummed faintly through the Force whenever she held it, something that connected her with the Queen.

She stood now in the vestibule outside the Queen’s meeting chamber, the great marble columns glimmering with the afternoon light of Theed. The Palace itself breathed history. Its stones remembered the thunder of the Trade Federation’s siege, the echo of Naboo’s liberation, the first trembling steps that would one day lead the galaxy into war.

Ala could feel it all in the stillness. The weight of memory, the pulse of destiny repeating itself in quiet patterns. Naboo was not merely beautiful. It seemed aware of its own significance.

In her small hands, the chunky databank from the archives looked almost comically large. Within it was something — an artifact of ancient lore, barely a breadcrumb — that she could not yet name. She only knew what Shiraya had told her before the silence fell.

Find the one who bears my light. In her shadow lies the path to Caer Valyn.

Ala had not expected that “one” to be a Queen.

So she waited, serene and patient, though a flicker of curiosity danced behind her eyes. Queens, she knew, were very busy and important people. And Ala…was just Ala.

But the Force was rarely wrong about where it sent her.

| Tag: @Sibylla Abrantes |​

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Interacting with: Ala Quin
Items: x x x x x

The name had given her pause.

Sibylla sat with the datapad still in hand, the faint light from its screen painting a soft glow across her features. The royal seal of the Jedi Order shimmered faintly in the corner, stamped beneath a name she hadn't expected to see -- Ala Quin .

For a long moment, she only stared.

Several weeks had passed since the World Between Worlds, since she had crossed paths with gods and ghosts alike. The echoes of Vere's grief still whispered to her in quiet hours long after the noise of court had faded and the night air pressed cool against the windows of Veruna Tower. On those nights, she often found herself wandering back to the piano, fingers tracing the keys without sound, eyes drawn toward the entwined petrified figures of Set and Vere.

Even in petrified wood their sorrow still lingered for Sibylla.

And now, a Jedi Grandmaster sought her counsel.

It was almost too poetic, as if the Force itself had decided to tug another thread loose. Was this to be a matter of diplomacy between Naboo and the Order… or a reminder that the echoes of the divine still reached for her through mortal hands?

Sibylla drew in a breath, steadying the weight of her regalia as the throne room doors opened. The jeweled headdress chimed faintly as she rose, the maroon Scar of Remembrance dark against her lower lip. Behind her, the sunlight through the great windows made her silhouette gleam like something carved from light and memory both.

When Corde ushered Grandmaster Ala Quin into the chamber, Sibylla inclined her head in cordial greeting of restrained curiousity. Looking upon the petite dusky skinned woman, Sibylla could see that Ala seemed to be of better health and the time recouperating had been good to her.

"Welcome, Grandmaster Quin," the Interim Queen of Naboo began with the formal warmth of a ruler accustomed to balancing courtesy and command. "It is an honor to receive you in Theed. How may I be of assistance?"

And while her words seemed of no consequence, although Sibylla was not sensitive the Force stirred.

And somewhere beneath that, the faintest ache of wonder that perhaps this meeting was no coincidence at all.

 

[Ala Quin]

Everything about Naboo fashion was just so fantastic. Ala was wide-eyed, staring at what some would consider gaudy or ostentatious. To the little Jedi Master, though, it was simply wonderful.

"How do you not...tip...over?" She said, lost in her own thoughts for a moment. She immediately snapped out of it.

Grandmaster.

"Oh, please, just call me Ala. The title still doesn't quite sit right," she said, awkward dismissive wave, cringe-face and all. And then, she stood up straight. She didn't get much taller. But she was at least keeping her skittishness under control.

"The honour is mine, your Highness," Ala said with a bow, finally, "your leadership is seeing Naboo begin to thrive once again. Thank you."

But down to business.

"How are you faring after the expedition to Katabasis?" Ala said, but then dipped into a little less formal tone, "thank you by the way...it is nice to have control of my limbs again..."

Her arms waved about a little. She cleared her throat. And her arms were quickly by her side again, as her eyes widened in disbelief at her lack of decorum.

"...sorry...formality...is going to take some time to adjust too." She offered an apologetic, sheepish smile.

| Tag: Sibylla Abrantes |​

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Ala Quin

Sibylla blinked once, twice, and then had to remember not to laugh. Despite that, there was the subtliest twitch at the corner of her lip, just the subtlest tell.

"Strict governess training on proper posture," Sibylla replied with such a serious expression on her face that it would be hard to determine if the cordial response was accurate or not. Well, at least until the slight shimmer of humor reflected within the gold and green flecks of the Queen's irises.

A hand would gesture for Ala to sit down and get comfortable.

"Would you like something to drink?" She asked, but Ala's question regarding Katabasis made the young woman pause slightly.

Ah, so this visit was due to Vere and Set... not the Jedi Order.

There was the slightest jingle as the delicate filigree and gems in her headdress shifted as she sat down.

"It is alright... Ala." Sibylla acquiesced to the Grandmaster's request for informality, but she kept her voice low for a particular reason. "However, my ties to Katabasis are kept on a need-to-know basis..." She hadn't even revealed the interaction to Aurelian yet, and the conversation about what occurred hadn't been discussed with Cassian either, due to their shared vision resonance.

"I fare well, as expected," she offered a cordial smile belied by the ache in her heart, all the more so that seemed to only enhance the longer she remained in Ala's presence.

"I am more curious regarding your recuperation. The Goddess had chosen you for her vessel, and you had to suffer the brunt of it."

 

[Ala Quin]

In that moment, Ala decided that she liked this Queen. She wasn't uppity and full of herself at all.

"Tea please. Something...citrusy? If you have it," Ala said, feeling a little more relaxed already.

Ala did not miss the pause, and in response she narrowed her eyes and observed the Queen. Through the Force, she reached out, unintrusively testing the Queen's connection to the world around her. A brief expression of knowing, and connection washed over the Master's face. The imprint of the goddess...she could feel it. Even if Abrantes could not.

"As expected?" Ala said as she took her seat, leg crossing as she leaned back into the opulent cushion, "I hold no expectations beyond a few months of counselling at minimum...and that is just for those that had to experience visions of their past."

She waved off Sibylla's concerns. "Being possessed by a benevolent goddess is by no means the worst experience of my lives," she said, leaving the statement to sit as it were, no further explanation unless requested, "I feel more for those that missed me than myself."

She let the moment sit for a while and just examined the Queen. Ala's lips parted, once, twice and then a third time. She even leaned forward with her finger raised as if to speak.

"You can't quite put your finger on it...can you?" She finally said, voice soft and compassionate, "something about you has changed since that mission. There is something...else...foreign but not unwelcome." Ala was explaining how she felt, but had a feeling that Abrantes could sympathise.

"We were both...affected...by the goddess in our own ways...weren't we? That is why she told me to seek you out? She gave you something."

| Tag: Sibylla Abrantes |​

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

For a long while Sibylla only listened. The air between them seemed to hum, carrying that quiet weight that always followed when the divine was mentioned. Vere's name alone stirred something deep beneath the calm veneer of her composure in a feeling both haunting and familiar.

"I suspected that might be why you sought me," she said at last, her tone polite but edged with thoughtful musing curiosity. "Vere's touch remains, though faintly... more of an echo that refuses to fade."

There was the briefest melodic jingle of her headdress as Sibylla's hazel eyes drifted to the tall windows, staring out beyond to where sunlight shimmered over Theed's lake in rippling gold. In the reflection, she caught the faintest flicker of memory of the shards of dreams that visited her night after night.

They were never the same.

Sometimes, she saw Vere's light breaking apart in a storm of violet mist, Set's shadow reaching helplessly after her. Sometimes it was darker: temples collapsing, the sound of chains, her own face staring back at her from the ruin with eyes that were not her own. And sometimes, cruelest of all, she awoke without fear or pain, only confusion with dry tears on her cheeks for reasons she could not name.

Sibylla smoothed a hand over the armrest as she returned her attention to Ala Quin , the slight tell more to center herself than propriety.

"She is sorrow," Sibylla said softly. "Beautiful, endless sorrow. And yet, not without love. What I felt, what I saw, it stays with me. I cannot explain it, only that part of me aches to return....not to her, but to the place where she waits. Because I failed her...and Set."

Full lips pressed together in brief thought before she met Ala's gaze once more.

"She said she gave me a piece of her light," Sibylla continued, her tone faintly wry now, like someone too aware of the irony of her own fate. She had no knowledge or ties to the Force, but all felt Shiraya's will.

"Whether it proves a gift or a burden remains to be seen. Though I confess I am beginning to suspect it is both."

 

[Ala Quin]

Ala listened in stillness that did not quite match the way she looked. Small, bright, a little out of place amid the silks and marble — but the Force pooled quietly around her like a second set of robes.

"Beautiful, endless sorrow," she echoed softly, head tilting. "That sounds very much like her."

For a moment, her gaze also flicked to the tall windows and the light beyond, as if measuring something invisible against the horizon. When she spoke again, her voice had dropped into something gentler, older.

"You did not fail her, you know."

She let that hang there, unornamented.

"We walked into a wound that has been bleeding for longer than Naboo has been telling stories about itself. No one mends that in a single venture." A faint, wry smile touched her lips. "If anything, we…reminded her that she is still seen. Sometimes that is all the living can offer the divine."

Ala shifted forward in her seat, small boots barely brushing the floor. The chunky databank in her lap gave a soft clunk against the edge of the chair as she leaned, almost slipping. She caught it with both hands, cheeks flushing.

"This," she said, looking down at it as if it were a mildly disobedient pet, "has been humming at me since Katabasis."

She set it on the low table between them with exaggerated care, fingers lingering on the metal as the Force thrummed through the room — soft as a heartbeat below the skin of things.

"Before she…went quiet," Ala continued, eyes lifting to Sibylla again, "Shiraya spoke one last time. Not in words so much as impressions, but one phrase was very clear."

Her gaze softened, the usual sparkle subdued by the seriousness of what she was repeating.

"Find the one who bears my light." She paused, eyes searching for recognition in the next moment. "In her shadow lies the path to Caer Valyn."

She did not rush past it. The name itself seemed to draw the air taut.

"She did not choose a Jedi. She chose you."

Ala’s attention sharpened, not in a predatory way, but like someone turning a crystal to catch the light.

"Pieces of gods don’t sit still, Sibylla," she said quietly. "They try to become doors. Or keys. Sometimes both."

She tapped the databank with a fingertip.

"What does Caer Valyn mean to you, Queen Abrantes? Have your dreams changed since Katabasis? The way the temples look, the sky, the feel of the air when you wake? Do you see stars, coastlines, anything that doesn’t feel entirely like…memory?"

She lifted a hand, then thought better of gesturing too wildly and settled for a small circling motion instead.

| Tag: Sibylla Abrantes |​

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

The dark, inky fringe of Sibylla's lashes fell, the smallest crease forming between her brows as Ala Quin spoke. It had been the quiet, thoughtful rhythm of the Grandmaster's words that brushed against something deep within her, something that hummed in answer.

"No," she said softly, almost to herself. "No, I suppose no one could mend such a wound in one lifetime...."

The ornate regalia she wore rose and fell as she took a deep breath, her attention falling to the humming databank on the table. The sound of it seemed to echo faintly inside her chest, vibrating somewhere between heartbeat and memory. The name Caer Valyn rolled through her mind like a stone tossed into water, and for an instant, the image of white cliffs under a violet sky flickered behind her eyes.

"My dreams…" She hesitated, fingers brushing her lower lip where the maroon scar caught the light. "They've changed. Grown louder, if that makes sense."

She explained, and for a brief moment, the careful composure Sibylla typically held gave way to the strain of sleepless nights in her words.

"I see coasts now, yes. Shorelines that glow like starlight. I walk there barefoot and the sea hums with voices I can't understand. Sometimes, I wake to the smell of salt and rain and I swear I can still hear someone whispering a name." She paused, expression distant.

"It isn't always hers. Sometimes it's… mine. As if something calls for me, from the other side."

Tawny orbs returned to Ala, and while her headdress gave a slight jingle from the motion, tickling her cheeks, it was the gleam in her eyes that betrayed both wonder and unease.

"I don't know what Caer Valyn is. But I think I've been there, or somewhere near it. The air feels alive there, full of color and grief.... but it isn't just that which I feel. Sometimes... they turn into nightmares. I do not know if that is due to the visions I saw of Set when he came to me or if it has something to do with this... Caer Valyn." She drew a slow breath.

"If what you say is true... if I carry a part of her light, then perhaps it's why I keep feeling that sensation of resonance tugging me to it."

Her hand rested lightly on the table beside the databank.

"If that is where the path leads, Grandmaster Quin… then I think it's time I stop only dreaming of it."

 

[Ala Quin]

Ala's eyes softened with the revelations of Sibylla's ongoing battles. A burden, for sure, and one that Ala was keenly eager to amend, or alleviate for the Queen.

But the information was also critical.

"Fragments of her memories, mixing with yours," Ala said, eyes turning upward as she thought, "the mind of us mere mortals surely struggles to fully grasp the dreams of a goddess...I would not surprised if it interprets the over load of information as a nightmare."

Her training back with the Students of the Light came to mind. A method that her first master, N'yssa, would try to help Ala recover the fragments of her overwritten memories. Would the Queen trust her enough to undergo such a merging of the minds?

"There is...a way...I could see as well...I might be able to anchor your in the moments...be present with you...in your thoughts..."

Ala said each word hesitantly. Concerned that the idea might seem invasive, or at the least...impolite.

"...but not without your consent, of course."

| Tag: Sibylla Abrantes |​

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Ala Quin

Sibylla stilled, the faint jingle of her headdress the only sound she made as Ala spoke of anchoring their minds together and sharing thoughts. It would be a lie to say she wasn't curious what that meant, but there was still a thread of caution that followed close behind it.

Fragments of a goddess, as well as others without any control, as they mingled with her own memories, was one thing. Inviting another on purpose into that tangle was quite another.

"I see…" she said softly, fingers brushing once along the carved edge of her seat as if trying to use the cool polish of the marble to steady herself. "If what I dream are pieces of her memories mixing with mine then perhaps it is no wonder they feel so disordered."

Sibylla took a deep breath, letting her thoughts settle as she considered what Ala was proposing. Tawny eyes drifted briefly to the windows, remembering violet shores, the collapsing stone, and the echo of a name calling her back, how Aurelian had commented that perhaps Shiraya herself had somehow been a part of how they'd been tossed together. Maybe everyone would like to believe that. But the Goddess of Love and Mercy 's own love affair had turned into a tragic affair that tormented them for over a millennium, set to live and relive their separation over and over again.

Finally, after a few more seconds, the young Interim Queen returned her attention fully to Ala. She leaned forward slightly, curiosity sharpening her hazel eyes.

"What exactly do you mean by anchoring? Would this involve entering a shared state, something akin to when we stood between the veils of the World Between Worlds? Or do you intend to return to Katabasis and initiate another vision there?"

"I am willing to consider it," she added, and while her tone was gentle, it still held an edge of resolve. "But I must understand the method before I allow anyone to step into what I see."

 

[Ala Quin]

Ala watched, curiously but more compassionately. Part of her wondered if Shiraya had connected them in a fashion for a higher purpose that Caer Valyn alone. With her new position as Grandmaster, politics would likely become more of a day to day reality in the eleven Jedi's life. Despite Abrantes' youth, she would likely make a wise counsellor in matters that were political in nature.

"It is a Force technique. I am quite confident with it. Visions...dreams...they have been something I have studied a great deal," Ala said, resisting the urge to blabber about her personal experiences with shared consciousness beyond just her experience with the goddess.

"Dream-walking, it has been called. Other techniques are similar, like Mind Touch," she said calmly, oddly calm for her, "no matter what you call it...we would need to induce sleep, and I would kneel at the head of the bed where you lay...I would need to touch your temples...focus...and..."

She went a little red.

"I am explaining it in a way that sounds far more intimate that it should...best to think of it as a procedure...but we would want medical staff on stand by. Basically, you would start to dream, but I would be present and able to help you remain in certain moments, anchoring you to the dreams that are no your own...and then you can sort through those fragments of your memories that are encroaching on what Shiraya wished you to see."

| Tag: Sibylla Abrantes |​

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Ala Quin

Truth be told, all the descriptions and explanations that Ala was providing her had the sound of some surreal magic that surely couldn't be real.
Yet she had stood before Vere. She had felt Set's grief coil through her ribs like living shadow. She had walked the threads of past, present, and possible futures as if they were woven through her own pulse.

However, she was tied to this; it all worked. While she may not be able to use the Force like the Grandmaster or others like her, Sibylla still felt something.

So yes -- surreal or not, it was real.

Whether or not that was the Force or simply the tug and pull of Vere herself, Sibylla wasn't sure. But it was there, a quiet pull at the base of her thoughts, a lingering melody of sorrow and longing that never fully faded.

"Dreamwalking... so in essence, a sort of meditative trance that will recreate the situation on Katabasis, but in a more controlled environment?" Sibylla had briefly covered similar instances with Voss Mystics when she had been researching the Mortis Gods. She had a general comprehension now that Ala had explained it, but walking through that again...

"If we are to attempt this, I should like to know how long it may take...and what dangers might be involved," She knew at least a few who would be more than a little wary of the process, but she wanted to, at the very least, get the full grasp of the situation. Not to mention her role as Interim Queen. "Would it be possible to do it here in the palace or would it need to be conducted elsewhere?"

The soft jingle of filigree gems from the intricate headdress resonated as her head tilted, a brow lifting in gentle inquiry.

"And tell me, Ala… would it be possible to have another present? A companion of sorts. I assume such things are not usually encouraged, but you would forgive me for wishing to know all of my options." it never hurt to ask.

 

[Ala Quin]

The softness in Ala's expression did not waver. She understood the questions. She could not imagine being without the Force, and had no idea what it would be like for someone without it to wrap their mind around its possibilities.

"You are wise to ask."

The more they spoke, the more Ala respected the Queen. It was way past like already. She probably had very nice temples.

"You will be induced to sleep. No meditation necessary for you. I will do that part. You are welcome to have anyone there, provided they understand that the only real risk is in trying to wake you while our minds are linked," Ala said, plainly, "if I do not willing exit...there is always the possibility of some form of fragment of my consciousness imprinting on your own. But I will not stay in your mind if I sense anything off. I, too, am concerned about what we may find."

Her headful of curls bounced about as she scanned their surroundings. "Your palace has its own medical facilities, yes? We can do it here."

| Tag: Sibylla Abrantes |​

 

[Sibylla Abrantes]

​

Ala Quin

Sibylla listened carefully to Ala's response, feeling the unease that had pricked at her thoughts shifting into something a bit calmer. Ala's explanation helped in working through her reservations. As did her honesty. Sibylla may not be sensitive to the Force, but a lifetime in politics had allowed the young woman to be able to read others in ways that helped her glean intent to a certain degree.

And it didn't appear at all as if the new Grandmaster was hiding anything from her.

"I appreciate the clarity," Sibylla finally replied in a soft tone, her fingers brushing once along the armrest as she considered the details. "And the courtesy. It helps far more than you may realize."

Induced sleep. Shared dreams. A mind not her own walking beside her in the quiet spaces where Vere's echoes lingered. It should have frightened her. Perhaps once it would have.

But now…

Well, with what she'd bore witness to, perhaps this wouldn't be the wildest request. The only concern would be discussing with Aurelian Veruna first. She had made him a promise that she wouldn't keep anything important from him and this certainly qualified as such.

"I understand the risks," Sibylla continued, nodding once even as her hazel eyes flicked briefly toward the tall doorways leading deeper into the palace.

"Yes, we have medical suites within the palace proper. They are private, secure and quite capable of handling whatever we may require." A faint smile curved her lips, touched with a trace of dry humor.

"Though I admit, I had not quite imagined inviting a Grandmaster into my dreams."

The headdress gave another musical jingle, before those kohl-lined eyes settled upon the petite Grandmaster.

"I do request that I have a day or two to discuss this matter with another. I can send word to you once that is done, and where we can go from there?"

 

[Ala Quin]

The Grandmaster's gentle smile did not waver. She sat watching, listening and considering the young woman before her. Near the end of the moment, Ala pursed her lips and sighed.

"You may have the time that you require. I would not ask this of you if I was not confident in my ability. Nor would I expect you to agree without consultation and consideration," she said calmly, "you are wise to seek advice. I can see that Naboo is in good hands."

Ala stood slowly. "I promise. I will not poke around anywhere that you do not give me permission to go. And please. Don't think of me as Gradnmaster. My hope....is that you will come to think of me as friend."

She bowed lightly.

"We both have a vested interest in the Republic's wellbeing after all. And I am happy to serve alongside you in this continued endeavour."

| Tag: Sibylla Abrantes |​