Private The Weight of Return

[Lorn Reingard]

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Lorn let out a low, surprised hmph at the teen's comment about the vines. For the first time since they touched down on this world, a hint of amusement flickered in his voice.

"Yeah," he said. "Sounds about right. Everything's got teeth, and the things that don't? You just haven't seen them bite yet."

The corner of his mouth twitched when Aileni shot the question back at him. "Fair enough," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're right. I came in cold. Gave you a job, no manual. That's on me." He didn't try to justify it, didn't fall back on rank or mission stress or the usual Jedi platitudes. It was just out there. Simple. Honest. A rare thing in this galaxy.

When Aileni offered "Puberty?" as a half-joking explanation, Lorn snorted, a dry, real laugh escaping him. "I mean, that's one hell of a puberty you're having," he said. "Blasters, bows, existential rage, Force-induced identity crises. Pretty standard Jedi adolescence, now that I think about it."

As Aileni described Dathomir; its brutality, how close everyone was, how they survived by sticking together, Lorn's laughter faded, replaced by a thoughtful hum. His gaze shifted to the horizon, through the trees and the rain-drenched ruins of Mirater.

"That doesn't sound too far from here," he said quietly. "I didn't grow up on Naboo like the Council likes to list in my records. I was raised right here on Mirater. In the highlands. My Master, he was a Jedi Knight, left the Order to live among his people again. His sister, their family...they took me in."

He walked a few steps, then stopped, watching a cluster of wild birds scatter from a tree. His voice, usually quiet steel, turned low and raw. "We built something together. A resistance against the warlords. We thought we could fix it all with just enough will, enough good intentions. But we lost. One by one. I buried them all."

He glanced sideways at Aileni, not with pity or sadness, but with understanding. A flicker of something shared. "I'm not just here trying to save Mirater, or these kids. I'm trying to make sense of the fact that I lived and they didn't."

A long breath filled the silence.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot," Lorn said, his voice softer. "You've got a fire in you. Not just anger. Loyalty. You protect what's yours. I can respect that." Then, almost sheepishly, Lorn added, "If you're willing, I'd like to try this again. Start over. Not just as teacher and student. I think… I might have as much to learn from you as you do from me."

He started walking again, slower this time. "You miss Dathomir?" It wasn't rhetorical. The question hung there, sincere.

"Your bow, never seen one like it up close. Looks like it takes more discipline than most people realize. You think you could show me how to use it? Might be good for me to pick up something that doesn't hum when it cuts."

For once, Lorn didn't sound like a man waiting for the next betrayal. He sounded… curious. Hopeful, even. And tired of walking this path alone.

Aileni Ifor Xeraic​

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Naboo
Attire: Large brown hoodie, grey shirt
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, Practice Lightsaber
Tag: Lorn Reingard

Aileni appreciated the cracking of the ice in Lorn, his comment on everything having teeth made Aileni snort. "Sounds about right." What he heard next was surprising. Aileni didn't expect for Lorn to agree with him, he thought the old man was going to be too stubborn, too set in his ways for such a feat. But it was a positive step and it made Aileni feel bad for the coldness and the attitude he had held up until now. It was unfair to maintain this anger and frustration. It wasn't easy to drop it but Aileni saw it was necessary for their mentorship to work.

"It's more than that... I don't know what or why, but there feels to be something more. I don't know, might just be a Zorren thing since we are meant to do a coming of age ritual thing..." Aileni knew there were others who understood some of what he felt but the itching skin, the beast roaring in him, the hunger. It was something more, something feral, primal. But it didn't make sense and it wasn't what he knew of the Zorren people or the coming of age ritual.

Nodding his head, "survivor's guilt is rough." Aileni stated, plenty of Jedi had that issue, he was sure it was something his mother had to deal with from time to time since she had seen a lot and dealt with a lot. Especially in wars where many others died.

"Yeah, okay. Start over. Sounds good to me." Aileni affirmed and gave a short nod of his head. Pleased to try this again, it was important to have a good first interaction, especially since this Master/Padawan relationship was something that was going to last years. He needed to prove that he was willing to grow and listen to Lorn. "Sure, maybe, I dunno what I could teach you..." Aileni confessed with a nervous chuckle.

When asked if he missed Dathomir, Aileni nodded his head, "I mean, I lived on Naboo as well as Dathomir. It wasn't the only world I called home, but Dathomir felt more like home. I interacted with a larger community, the people there, they saw me for who I was. Who I could be. It was comforting being there." Aileni confessed, he was their Night Wolf. He didn't know who he was on Naboo or with the Jedi. Not yet at least.

"It does for most people... I adopted to it really quickly, it was surprising to everyone how quick I took to the bow. But I can definitely show you some things with it. Does mean, you gotta show me some Lightsaber stuff in exchange. Nothing is free." Aileni grinned widely, "you should see an ichor sword, just as durable as a Lightsaber, no humming and they can burn green flames!" He had seen his mother using hers and it was pretty awesome, Aileni sometimes used to sneak out and try to practice with it but he never got far with that since Dreidi would always catch him.

 

[Lorn Reingard]

Lorn just listened. The quiet, focused way of someone who'd spent years in war zones and worse, soaking in every detail. He didn't cut in, didn't correct, didn't offer any of that practiced, half-smiling Jedi reassurance usually trotted out for these kinds of talks. He simply listened, giving Aileni's words the full weight they deserved.

When the boy spoke of something stirring inside him, something feral, Lorn's eyes narrowed, not with suspicion, but with a quiet, knowing recognition.

"That's not nothing," he finally said, his voice low. "That itch. That hunger. You might think it's a phase, something you can just sleep off. But if it's truly part of you… it'll demand a name, eventually. You don't tame things like that by pretending they aren't there."

His tone wasn't sharp or judgmental, just carefully measured. The kind of voice you'd use when talking about a truly dangerous creature, one you weren't entirely sure was still caged.

A short breath escaped Lorn, somewhere between a sigh and a dry chuckle, when Aileni mentioned survivor's guilt was rough. "That might be the understatement of the century," he muttered, almost to himself.

But then, Aileni said it. The words that had been hanging in the air, weighted with possibility: Start over.

Lorn gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. It wasn't dramatic, but something in the rigid set of his shoulders eased, and the tightrope that had strung itself between them finally, perceptibly, slackened.

"You don't think you can teach me anything," Lorn said, the corners of his mouth twitching, "but you already have. I've been walking this path a long time, long enough to forget what it's like to see it with fresh eyes. That perspective? It's invaluable. Keeps me from falling asleep with my eyes wide open."

He glanced over at the boy as they continued walking. "Besides," he added, a dry note in his voice, "if you can land shots with that bow half as fast as you did earlier, you've already outpaced most of my vanguard."

When Aileni spoke of Dathomir, of how it felt more like home, Lorn's expression darkened, just a fraction. Not with judgment, but with the quiet pang of something long-lost and deeply familiar. The ache of belonging that had, for him, simply… vanished.

"That matters," Lorn said, his gaze meeting Aileni's. "That someone saw who you could be. You hang onto that. It doesn't matter what uniform you wear or what council chamber you stand in. You keep that version of yourself close, always."

Then he stopped walking, turning to face the boy fully. His expression turned serious again, but not with a heavy, crushing sort of weight.

"If you want me as your Master, Aileni, I'll be that," he said, his voice firm, unwavering. "I'll teach you everything I know. How to fight. How to survive. How to hold the line when you're the only one left standing. I'll get you ready for whatever battles are coming, inside or out."

He tapped the hilt of his lightsaber, a soft click echoing the finality of his words.

"My knowledge of the Jedi? It's not pristine, I'll tell you that much. I don't quote philosophy, and I certainly don't always agree with the Council. But I've survived every battlefield i've been thrown into. And through it all, I still believe in the light."

Lorn extended a hand, not in a grand, ceremonial gesture, nor with any command. Just a simple, human offer.

"So… what do you say?" A faint smile touched his lips. "Shall we do this properly?"

Aileni Ifor Xeraic​