The Show Goes On

[Jamie Pyne]

"I suppose."

She felt confused. Aela made sense in her views, but Jamie couldn't help but wonder if Castor was perhaps, in some manner of speaking a good person. Maybe he had been deceived by Sieger. Maybe they all had been. He was certainly quite an influential figurehead, that much she couldn't deny. His presence was intimidating to say the least. But was it all just smoke and mirrors?

The Knight hadn't killed her yet had plenty of opportunity. He hadn't known who she was in the beginning, hadn't known if there was any value in keeping her alive. But he had. And even through the embarrassment that he'd inflicted upon her, he hadn't further harmed her, in fact having treated her injuries as best he could.

It didn't make sense to her. Nothing about this war, or the First Order, or the Ren made any sense to her.

Perhaps it was because war was such an alien idea to her. Naboo opposed it entirely, she opposed it. Taking life seemed so barbaric to her.

"I guess maybe I'll never know why they do the things they do."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela shrugged. In the end everyone had their own motivations. It was difficult to say why anyone did anything, especially when the galaxy itself had become such a chaotic mess. The Jedi Master wasn't going to attempt to guess at the Ren's true intentions, though in her own mind she thought of them as little more than relabeled Sith.

"Maybe." She said quietly. "Maybe not."

She shrugged again."Peace might come, and perhaps that will bring some answers."

The Jedi Master had no real idea if the Alliance would seek accords, but part of her hoped they would. She had fought Sith for so long, had fought criminals, despots, everyone for so long that it would be nice to enjoy a bit of quiet, at least for a little while. The Alliance hadn't saved everyone, but...they had done enough.

"For now I think it's time for us yo look inward." She told her padawan. "At ourselves and our own little worlds."

Naboo, Wroosti. "Live life a little."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The ship touched down at a familiar landing pad, one Jamie had used when she and Kurt had docked another ship they had acquired during their travels. It had been several weeks since she had been 'home', home being Naboo, not specifically her home on Naboo. That was a place she tended to avoid as of late for a number of reasons. Her family dynamic had changed in recent months, adding a half sister to the mix, a scorned wife and mother, a dicey relationship moving forward, and a way to fit all of the puzzle pieces together without breaking entirely.

Jamie's mother hadn't quite forgiven her father, so much as settled on the matter. Perhaps if he hadn't had a child with the woman she may have very well butchered him in his sleep, but fortunately for Torlen his wife was not a cold hearted as some would believe. Perhaps even for Jamie's sake she bid no ill will towards the young Mariya.

"My family..." Jamie started as she caught up to Aela towards the cargo area, "They're a handful."

Not to mention Jamie herself became a completely different person around them, which Kurt abruptly discovered on his first trip with her home.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Aela glanced towards her padawan. "They're nobility."

That statement cropped up without a second of hesitation, the look in her eye saying that she was more than ready for whatever Jamie's parents might present. Though Aela was well known among the Jedi for being a bit of a battering ram, the one that lead the charge in battle, she had also been trained in Diplomacy. Her father had once dubbed himself a god, her mother was a former Jedi Shadow, and her grandparents had both been Royalty.

She was ready for this.

"Don't worry." She told her padawan. "Just remember to use all of my proper titles when introducing me."

She teased Jamie for a moment, hoping that Jamie would see the humor in all of this. Though the situation was a serious one, Aela didn't particularly think that they should hold to that. Jamie was safe, Naboo wasn't under attack, and as far as she was concerned everything was now okay.

The Jedi Master only hoped Jamie's parents agreed.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Right! Your titles! I can be so careless sometimes. How insensitive of me!"

The blonde coughed, clearing her throat. "Let me practice."

Her nose wiggled, and she stood up straight, a serious look painting her expression.

"Presenting Aela Talith, Jedi Master, Royal Pain In The Ass, Lady Of Smut Novels, And Eternal Virgin."

A terrible smirk flooded the girl's face, which broke into a fit of laughter only a breath later. "How's that?! Good right?" She reached forward, pressing the button to lower the ramp, awaiting the slap that was sure to follow as the sunlight broke into the cargo hold in tandem with a gentle, cool breeze of the day.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She frowned.

"Aela Talith." Her hand came up, looping into her Pawans hair and then jerking it so that Jamie couldn't make her way down the ramp. "Jedi Marshall."

She began to rattle off her official titles. "Master of the New Jedi Order, Princess of Byss, Granddaughter to the Bestia of Onderon, Keeper of the Halls, and Teacher of the Greatest Most Obnoxious Schutta in the galaxy."

The last words were a playful hiss as she let go of Jamie's hair and pushed her gently down the ramp.

"Now get going." Her foot came up and kicked Jamie in the rear. "Before I tell your parents about your activities."

That would be an odd conversation.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Her laugh was interrupted by the momentary yelp produced from the pulling of her shortened hair as she was yanked back from her path out of the ship.

"Hey! He--Ow!"

Immediately turning to face Aela once she was free a sharp, piercing set of blue eyes glared towards the perpetrator.

"You're not a Jedi Marshall anymore. You can't have that title. You also left the New Jedi Order. And you're a princess alright, Princess Schutta, the teacher of Lady Pyne, the sweetest, most caring, wonderful woman this side of the galaxy!" She stepped closer and leaned in towards Aela's face, "And you wouldn't dare talk about my activities, missy. Not if you want to keep your cheeks as pale as the rest of your face."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I didn't leave the New Jedi Order." She countered. "I'm taking a sabbatical."

That was an accurate enough description. She was still a part of the Order Officially, though only taught students. That was why they had been able to call her to Mustafar in the first place, why she had been able to take part in Hoth, and why she was still here now. The Alliance didn't just let random civilians run around for absolutely no reason after all, that would just be silly.

"Caring. Pfff." Aela said as she stepped passed her padawan and down the ramp.

"You've been insulting me for the last ten minutes, that's hardly caring." She said, her footfalls a bit heavier than usual. "Maybe if you're good on the way over I won't."

She turned for half a second. "But don't push it."

Her finger waggled.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Sabbatical! Hah!" She scoffed, imitating Aela by stamping her own feet right behind her, ringing out a loud clank with each step until she finally stepped down onto the duracrete landing platform just beyond the ship. "Is that the word they use for retired old relics?" Her hand brushed away the finger Aela so blatantly waived towards her.

"I insult you because I care. Besides, you should be thankful at least somebody cares about you. Otherwise you'd be alone forever."

Her tongue protruded proudly from her mouth.

"Maybe I should go grab some light reading for the ride first? I'm sure you've got something tucked away for long trips."

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Thankfully, this particular ship wasn't her own and actually only meant for this trip so even if Jamie did go back and ransack her room all that she would find were some clothes and her lightsabers. That being said, the practice still wouldn't be encouraged by her.

Certainly not right now. "Didn't I just tell you not to push it?"

Aela said with a small smirk towards her padawan. The two of them were now heading towards the exit of the hangar bay, a small crowd coming into sight now as they moved into Theed's spaceport. Aela watched them for a moment and then continued to speaking Aela.

"I think maybe your parents should hear about what you told me in the Galley." She stared. "How you've mastered sex."

The tables had turned. "I'm sure they will be very pleased."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

She would not be bested here. Not at home. Cold blue eyes shifted in a glance over to her right as they walked through the hangar.
"I'll just tell them I learned everything I know from you."

Jamie shuffled down the steps of the hangar to the streets of the city below. Theed was as busy as ever, just as she had remembered it, but not nearly as comparable as say, Coruscant. The sprawling urban world far exceeded anything that Naboo would ever dream of becoming. Where that planet was a central hub for all of the galaxy, Naboo was a distant, sparsely traveled place where few wound up without specific business need.

"You're right. I'm sure they will be pleased to hear that the person responsible for teaching me is such a harlot."

Her tongue clicked against the roof of her mouth several times, head shaking along as well as she raised her hand to hail a passing speeder.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Well then we'll just call in the audio recordings from the ship." Her face remained neutral as she spoke.

There were no such recordings of course.

While the ship they had traveled in did indeed belong to the SIS, they hardly recorded room at every given moment, that would be impossible. There were a few rooms with recording devices, but they were all interrogation rooms specifically built with that purpose in mind. Not that Jamie would know.

"That will show them the truth." She glanced at Jamie. "And that their daughter is a liar."

She tsk'ed. "Maybe they'll ground you."

Aela said as she pulled open the door to the speeder and slipped inside.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"You're lying!" She exclaimed as she sat down beside Aela. "You don't have audio of anything!"

The blonde leaned forward whilst glaring the other woman down with fierce eyes. Jamie gave the man the address to her estate, and he quickly pulled away towards their destination. A twenty minute ride outside of the city was roughly the travel time, unless the driver decided to take his route a bit faster.

"I can tell! You look at me that way when you aren't telling the truth! Besides!"

Her voice hushed a bit so not to annoy the pilot more so than she likely already had.

"My sister might be around, so you won't say anything of the sort! Got it!?" Her index and middle finger drove into Aela's side several times, "Got it!?"

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She squirmed, then eventually smacked Jamie's hand away.

"Well then be good." She wouldn't bring anything they had talked about up of course, that would be...well entirely embarrassing for the both of them. The things that Jamie and she had discussed were not something that should really be talked about with any parental figure, ever. While teasing the padawan was quite fun, Aela really didn't want to stand there while her parents interrogated her about her night time activities with Kurt.

She stuck her tongue out.

"Your sister is with your parents?" She asked. "Does she live there?"

That seemed silly, but in truth her own family was spread all over the place to such a degree that she didn't know how others did it. "Or will she just be there to meet you?"

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"No. She does not live there." Jamie shook her head. "My mother is kind to her, tolerates her, but is not interested in making her a part of our family."

Her father was also now a man on a very tight leash, with a noose on one end, should he have need to fulfill any further discretion he may have had.

"She is there from time to time to bond with our father, from what I'm told several hours every few days is the norm. If she is there now it will likely be to see me, though it's not as if she really understands what happened."

The girl was still rather young and, much like Jamie was, rather isolated and ignorant of the galaxy at large. To her, Jamie had just gone away for a while and was coming home to see everybody. Everything that Jamie knew Mariya to be she understood that not so long ago she was the same person. Innocent, blissfully ignorant, and carefree.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"I see." She gently tapped her chin. It made sense from what Jamie had told her before all of this, though most of the situation was still so abnormal that she doubted any of it would ever become less confusing for her padawan.

Family was so often both a source of conflict and peace, something that most would look at and be joyful for, though had it's downturns as well. She let out a quiet sigh as they passed through the streets of Theed, her gaze settling on the larger towers around them

"I expected more..." He trailed off. "Election stuff."

Perhaps Naboo just took it easier. "When my father was elected to the Senate there were weeks beforehand where thousands of people were running around the streets. There were dozens of signs and the like."

It had been horrid.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"How odd."

There was no real need of that on Naboo. Typically the noble houses put forward those they felt capable of handling the role of King or Queen, and the population based their votes off of the accomplishments, character, and positions of those nominated. There was rarely need for debates, commercializing, signs plastered about the city, or other wild propaganda to spur the voters into action.

"Our politics are rather straight forward when it comes to the public eye. The noble houses would never admit to it, but the real politics of favors for favors, and screwing one another out of a position of power or wealth are typically held out of the public eye. It is more often scandalous to bring squabbles to light. More so than even the act itself."

It was interesting to Jamie how different royalty, nobility, and customs were among similarly structured planets in the galaxy. Aela and Jamie were rather close in their customs, at least more so than she and Kurt, and yet they were still so different from one another.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She shrugged. "Borleias doesn't have Nobility."

At least not openly. There were certain families that had more money, influence, and power, but in theory even the lowest fisherman could eventually gain their way to planetary Governor. Of course her homeworld was currently independent, but that hardly seemed to matter in the grand scheme of things.

"On Onderon." She explained. "With my grandmother, things are different. The people are split between those who live in Iziz and those who live within the wilds."
They had traveled to Dxun together, though even then Aela had only told Jamie bits and pieces. "My Grandmother rules the Beast Rider tribes, I think that's far more...direct though."

She shrugged.

"No one has ever challenged her rule." Even though it had been decades now.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Slowly as the speeder rounded the large circular lot in front of the Pyne estate, complete with the familiar water fountain in the center Jamie broke from her conversation with Aela to her childhood home. Nothing had changed since her last visit, as expected, but there was a measure of nerves that ruffled her this time, given that it had been Aela and the alliance that informed them of her disappearance.

Hopefully her sister was there, Jamie didn't want to have to go into any great detail. There would be no hiding the hairstyle change, not from her mother anyway.

"On second thought, your family is far stranger than mine. I don't have any Sith Lord grandparents."

She smiled coyly towards Aela before stepping out of the speeder.

[member="Aela Talith"]

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

She shrugged. "Probably."

There was no denying really that her family was strange.

"My parents are in the Rishi Maze." She stated. "One sister is at home, the other is on...Dxun I think, and my brother? Well I haven't heard from him lately but I think he's actually been working with the Alliance."

Which was good, Micah had always been formidable in both combat and strategy. He took after their father. "Either way. Don't forget to introduce me properly."

She nudged her padawan with a sly grin.

They were approaching the estate now, walking along the small stone path.