Private The Road Ahead

[Jane]

Outfit: Jedi Robes and Armor
Inventory: Jedi Training Lightsaber, pouches with seeds, standard Jedi equipment.
Tag: Aris Noble

Location: New Cov's Jedi sanctuary

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She hadn't been on New Cov long, and she didn't have much time to relax or explore the area when she arrived. In an attempt to join, Jane turned to face Valery right away and spoke with her, offering to help. So, when she finally had the opportunity, the short girl made her way to the main courtyard. It was stunning, and even now she couldn't believe her eyes. It was everything she imagined a Jedi's home to be when she first heard about them. Not the towering, pristinely clean Coruscant temple.

As she lowered herself onto one of the benches in the courtyard, she let out a flat but pleasant melody and hummed gently. Her feet dangled from the floor, while she neatly adjusted her robes over her legs. The dancing trees overhead filtered the sunlight, casting small golden rays onto her metallic plates. Despite not feeling the sun's warmth on her scarred skin or metal plates, it provided a sense of comfort none the less. And with it, the question: what would happen next?

Her Jedi journey had only just begun, and she was already on the move, traveling in metal boxes of doom following the fall of Coruscant and hopping from planet to planet, meeting grand Jedi such as Valery and Everest. All the while, Jane had no idea what it meant to be a Jedi, other than that it meant protecting civilians and serving the Force above all, and that attachments should be avoided whenever possible. It was a strange and contradictory concept for her. Especially when they lived in fancy places like Coruscant and seemed sad about losing it. But beyond that? She knew nothing. Even her combat and Force were still lacking.

It was not the life she imagined for herself, but it was the only one she knew. Literally, at that. And she'd make the most of it.

Deep in thought, Jane missed the sound of footsteps entering the courtyard. Her black empty cybernetic eyes lingered on the air in front of her, while she continued humming that quiet melody in wonder of what was to come.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Is that a song from your homeworld, by chance?"

Everything had changed. The Core, lost to the Imperials and their Sith masters. It was something Aris hadn't properly wrapped his head around, but what he did know was there were many who'd feel lost because of it. The younglings he, Xuko Pagoi , and Tigris Aphra had saved were among those feeling lost, even here on New Cov.

They'd just chosen a new world for the Jedi on Tython, only for it to be snatched away from all of them.

He took a seat, mostly so he wasn't just towering over another of the likely lost feeling Jedi. The last thing he wanted to do was intimidate. "It sounds nice."

Jane

 

[Jane]

Tag: Aris Noble

---

Jane was completely taken aback by the voice and remained silent for a few seconds. She processed what she had heard, before realizing the words were meant for her. Her black cybernetic eyes shifted from the air she had been staring at to the very tall Jedi who stood close her.

Jane's humming finally came to a stop, while her gaze followed his movements as he lowered himself onto the seat near her. "Oh. Thank you. I'm not sure where it comes from, I just remember it." She finally replied in a flat and monotone voice, before leaning forward on her seat and extending a small scarred hand for a handshake. "Hello. I'm Jane. Who are you? I can't talk with strangers."

"You are very tall." She concluded a few seconds later. "Are you also a Jedi? You look like you would be a good Jedi." In fact, the girl had no idea what a good Jedi looked like. Or whether there was such a thing as a 'good look' for a Jedi. But Everest and Valery were good Jedi in her eyes, and he seemed similar enough to them. Similar enough at least to make a logical conclusion.

"Maybe I'll be taller like you when I get older. And look like a good Jedi too." In reality, Jane had stopped growing years ago, but a girl could dream.

 

[Aris Noble]

Stranger danger?

Aris blinked in surprise before his expression softened. He took the hand, giving a gentle shake. His height did often bring it's own problems for others. And, well, he doubted her height would reach his own even if she could still grow. He could hear it, the machinery that kept her moving, alive. Too much of her was metal for her to grow again.

Not that he'd crush those kinds of innocent dreams.

"Aris Noble. I am a Jedi, yes. Though being tall has nothing to do with being a good Jedi. I know many who are pretty good while still being much shorter than I. Did- When were you brought here?" He avoided asking if she was there on Coruscant. Hopefully she wasn't.

Jane

 

[Jane]

Tag: Aris Noble

---

Another Noble? Perhaps that wasn't that strange, given that Valery Noble wanted to speak with her in this place. Perhaps it was a special place for the family. Or perhaps they weren't related at all, and there were simply two Jedi with Noble as a last name at the same location. In any case, she did not care enough to pass judgment. At the end of the day, he was more than a last name.

What piqued Jane's interest was that he had met shorter Jedi who were nonetheless good Jedi. "I see. It makes me wonder why every Jedi I've met so far is tall." The girl paused before continuing. "But that means I'll have to work hard to get good. Like the Jedi you met."

After all, turns out she couldn't rely on her hope of being tall to be a good Jedi, if length didn't matter.

For a moment, Jane did not respond; instead, she was pondering and attempting to figure out the time. Flying constantly messed up her dates. She finally gave up, shrugging her shoulders lightly. "I do not know the exact time. But I left Coruscant during the invasion. Then I traveled to Alderaan. Two moon cycles later, I left for Naboo, where I met Everest. And Everest brought me here to speak with Valery."

"How about you? When did you arrive here? Were you in the invasion as well?"

 

[Aris Noble]

"Everest and mom? You've already met the all stars, then." Valery Noble and Everest Vale both weren't actually short, but to the tall Epicanthix they might as well be. His calm expression fell just a bit. Unnoticeable to most, as basically all his emotions were. "I was, yes. New Cov has been my second home for far longer than any other though, so I'm at least comfortable here. Are you?"

That was a lot of moving around, that much was for certain. Hopefully New Cov wasn't too much an uncomfortable place to be in. The danger of it certainly didn't help.

Jane

 

[Jane]

Tag: Aris Noble

---

Mom? That confirms that. "Yes, they've both been very kind to me. Everest brought me here." Jane remarked, before tilting her head to the right to listen to him continue. His tiny shift in emotions was lost on her; even if she listened to the melody of his soul, she was unlikely to notice it. "Oh. I see. Yes, it looks like a very comfortable second home."

The girl stopped, then nodded her doll-like head once. "This place makes me feel at ease. More comfortable than on the Coruscant. Or Alderaan. The Force's song is peaceful here. Not too loud, and not too sad. Just soothing." Jane concluded.

"What is it like, being a Jedi?" She asked not long after, pulling her black eyes away from him to focus on the sun beams ahead. "I haven't been a Jedi very long. And I'm not sure what to expect. Everything has been very different from what I was taught when I arrived in Coruscant."

 

[Aris Noble]

The Force's song? Aris knew that at least Zaiya Ceti 's master could see the Force as colors, and perhaps even Zaiya herself could as well. And Vera Noble had her visions, but a song? That was an interesting take. Grant it, he couldn't hear the Force in any way shape or form so it was still something he couldn't wrap his head around.

"It's- a way of life about helping others. Finding how you yourself can help others. No two Jedi are the same after all. I can't use the Force to do much, but I'm much stronger than the others. I can use that strength to help in different ways." A pause. "What they teach is about giving you a foundation so you can fine that. What lets you help."

Jane

 

[Jane]

Tag: Aris Noble

---

Aris' voice drew her gaze back to him as he began to explain his views of the Jedi. And for the first time, her expression changed slightly and subtly: her eyes became more focused, her brows lowered, and her lips were pressed together. She seemed drawn to every word he said, and in some ways she was. To learn what it was like to be a Jedi, not from an elderly teacher in a classroom on Coruscant, but from a Jedi who sat in the sanctuary after Coruscant and Tython had fallen and everything had changed, it felt important to her.

When he was finished, Jane leaned back to sit upright again, processing everything while her small hands foldly together neatly on her lap.

"I think I understand." She finally spoke, her expression slipping back into that empty look. "I knew it was about helping people. But not how. Prior to all of this, I was only taught the fundamentals of the Force, the Jedi Code, and some warnings. To be careful with attachments and emotions, for example. But then everyone on Alderaan seemed sad."

There was a slight pause, as Jane kept pondering it over. "I am not strong, not like you. But I am fast. I can help with that. And maybe if I practice healing, I'll be able to help in that way. Or find plants that have healing properties. Heal others while I'm on the field with them. Would that work?"

 

[Aris Noble]

"There aren't enough healers in the galaxy. It's incredibly noble to choose that sort of path. Though, there's also no rush to find which path is yours. The point of being a Padawan is to take that time to figure it out, yeah?" It brought a bit of a smile, a big one considering how mute Aris's expressions were. But that was the most important thing, the one thing that Aris really wanted to stress. There was no rush, there was no need to just up and choose a path right here, right now.

"So lets think about the now. Is there something you enjoy doing now?"

Jane

 

[Jane]

Tag: Aris Noble

---

Not enough healers in the galaxy? Jane's painted brows lowered slightly, and the almost literal gears in her head began to turn. If healers were rare, wouldn't combat healers be even rarer? Those who were there on site, who could defend others while healing those who had fallen around them. That sounded like something she could do. But before she could continue her train of thought, Aris' words drew her back to reality.

She was just a new Jedi after all. Her path wasn't laid out for her yet.

"Things I enjoy doing." Jane repeated, before somehow her expression became even more empty than usual. The girl had been so focused on just doing that she had no idea what she truly enjoyed. In silence, she dug through her memory, which thankfully in this case, wasn't a lot. A few memories came to mind: she wasn't sure if it was enjoyable, but logically it had to have been if she could remember it.

"I cut and dyed the bottom of my robes with weed-based green water dye. That was enjoyable." There was another short pause. "I made my own hairband and ribbon. And I've been collecting seeds from Alderaan, which I keep in my bag. And I've studied them. I enjoyed doing that. I think."

"Does that count?"

 

[Aris Noble]

She thought? Aris tilted his head. There was some confusion in him as he listened, not at what she said, but the familiarity. It took a second for it to click in the back of his mind. She was like him, when he first came home from the lab. Where it was fact, not emotion, that ruled. Where emotion was a concept that could be defined, but not understood.

"There's a garden here in the temple. Do you want to try to plant them?"

Jane

 

[Jane]

Tag: Aris Noble

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A garden in the temple? That seemed to stir something the slightest within Jane, and her metallic fluted ears danced up and down for a second. She didn't have many fancy seeds yet, but she liked the flowers that produced them; they were all pretty colors. If she could improve her planting skills now, it would only help in the long run when she had access to better seeds. Plus, maybe she could add more color to the gardens.

"I would like that. Thank you."

Jane shuffled forward on the bench until she dropped to her feet to follow Aris, her black empty eyes lifting up at him. "How about you? What do you like to do?"

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris nodded once as he turned to lead them towards where the garden was. It was no Thousand Fountain's, but what little he'd saved from them, of Panatha's room within, he'd already planted to try and help grow. It wasn't much, but it did help him keep that connection with a homeworld he never knew.

"I like to fight. Not harming people, but the sport of it all. Lightsaber forms are my favorite thing to learn, even with my limitations."

Jane

 

[Jane]

Tag: Aris Noble

---

Jane waddled behind Aris through the Jedi Sanctuary, with her eerie gaze scanning left and right to take in the surroundings. No matter where she looked, there was something serene or lovely, whether it was some gorgeous refined stones, some greenery hanging around, or the sunlight shining within. It was a comforting place, a place she could call a temporary home.

"The sport of it." Jane repeated, her gaze shifting to him. Prior to the attack on Coruscant, she had only learned two forms: Shii-cho and Ataru. But she'd heard there were many more. "I only know two forms. What is your most favorite form? And why?"

While listening to his response, Jane moved deeper into the garden, before eventually coming to a halt in front of a bed of soil. It wasn't grand like the garden on Coruscant, but it didn't have to be. It was perfect the way it was. She knelt down and dug her purple fingers into the seed pouch. After digging around, she pulled a few random ones out and neatly laid them in front of her to decide which ones to plant.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Makashi. I control the flow of battle with it, and with my strength I can pretty quickly overwhelm other duelists since it's not normally very strong in blows." He didn't have to look around to know where he was. He knew this temple like his home on Niv Hani, as it was his second home. When they arrived to the garden proper, he crouched beside the plants he had save, idly tending to them the little he knew how. Watering, mostly.

"Which two do you know?"

Jane

 

[Jane]

Tag: Aris Noble

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Makashi. Jane had heard of it before. As far as she could remember, it was one of the more graceful moves, relying on precise hits, according to the theory she had been taught. If what she knows is true, Aris' strength would be an advantage. Few people would expect strength from a graceful jab. At the very least, Jane wouldn't. "Oh. Makashi is the stabbing one, correct? If yes, that is smart of you. Did you figure that out yourself?"

All the while, Jane had chosen three seeds to begin with. If she remembered correctly, all three came from flowers. One a pearly white, and the other two are pink. However, only the Force and time knew whether she was correct. Content, however, Jane dug her nails into the soil infront of her to dig three small holes. Once all three were deep enough, she carefully placed the seeds into them.

"Shii-cho, because that is the fundamental one. And Ataru. I was told that Ataru is a good fit for my height and speed. The instructor also covered the basics of some others, such as Makashi and Soresu. However, I have not been taught how to use them." While she spoke, Jane began to close the small holes she had dug, burrowing the seeds beneath the soil.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Stabby? Hmm.. I suppose there are a lot of thrusts with the form, but it's much more than just stabbing. If anything, I consider it more the dancer form. It's about your footwork." Much like dancing. Aris tended to his own plants, letting Jane enjoy her own planting, letting it be hers and hers alone. There was importance to that, he felt.

"Ataru would be good for you. It'd help you against people my size, letting you take them down without too much worry that you could reach them. I hear an old master was quite skilled with it."

Jane

 

[Jane]

Tag: Aris Noble

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Jane's fluted ears danced up and down, indicating she was listening to the Jedi, but her gaze remained fixed on the soil and the seeds. "A dancer form." The girl thought about it again. "I see. That fits with the graceful movements I was told about. Did you follow Makashi from the beginning? Or did you learn it later?"

After neatly pressing the soil on top of the seeds, Jane leaned closer to the ground and closed her eyes. Under her breath, she whispered a blessing of sorts. "May you become strong and powerful. May you bring happiness and color. May the Force guide you." She had no idea where it came from; it had been in her mind since she awoke that fateful day.

Not long after, the doll-like girl returned her attention to Aris. "Yes. Which is very useful. I also like to jump around." She paused for a second. "An old Master? Who?"

 

[Aris Noble]

"I learned it later. I started with the basics, like everyone else." Aris sat back after a moment, relaxing on the ground as he looked over some of the other plants he'd put into the earth. It brought a smile to his face that he could keep some parts of Panatha alive. Jane's prayer didn't go unnoticed either, earning a curious perk of his brow but he didn't say anything on it.

"I think- Master Yoda? A very wise and very strong master. Also very, very short."

Jane