This Ain't Juno(Avalore)

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana walked with the girl, though for her it was really more of a hobble. Once they got to the stairs she had to use the guard railings to keep herself from falling over. After an entire ten minute ordeal Diana finally made it all the way down the stairs, coming to Avalore who had been waiting for her at the bottom...apparently she was slower than a pregnant woman.

“I'm sure he will return.” Diana said confidently as she righted herself on solid ground and once again began to walk alongside the pregnant woman. “I lived on Corellia for a few months.”

Diana began to speak, trying to relate to the girl a little bit more than before. Corellia had been an odd time for her. After she had left the Order she had traveled to the world almost on accident, it was there that she had become a Ballerina and had become somewhat famous in that circuit.

She smiled slightly at the nostalgia of the memories.

 

[Alan]

Tracyn, for once, wasn't wearing his armor. The armor did more than protect him in battle, it shielded him from most things emotionally as well. It was his skin, in some cases. Henceforth, the name 'Iron skin'. The temple, was far better suited for recovery than the others. The others, while tranquil, were crowded and had a lot of...eyes upon him. Ossus had been an ordeal for him, just as Metalorn, and any of the other battles that he had been involved in with the Jedi. He glanced around for a moment, sliding off the bench like a waking giant.

He ran a hand through his cropped hair, and felt a bit of sadness, realizing the toll of battle and being a Jedi had done to him. He used to have longer, more blonde hair, but a lot of situations grew it into a dark, short style. The beard and the mostly-permanent scowl had changed his appearance from a friendly, ne'er-do-well attitude and appearance to a more...well, Mandalorian. He was now the thing that he tried not to be, which, brought an amused grin to his face, for just half a moment.

His eyes drifted over to Diana, whom he had heard through the doctors that treated him may have gotten the worst of the fight. And then a pregnant woman, who he did not know. She was young, that was certain. Tracyn stood up straight after a moment, and folded his hands behind his back, and began to walk. Not in any particular direction or even towards the two, but he began to walk.

 

[Avalore Eden]

"Oh yeah?" Avalore replied with a bright glance, "I was born there. Lived just outside of Coronet City in the countryside. Señor Eden was a big-time Politician..."

She paused with a blink, realizing it had been quite some time since she'd made any mention of her father. Mark had never pushed her to talk about any of it. She supposed he thought it was too difficult, too soon maybe. Curiously enough she didn't feel sad at the mention of her family or her home. As a matter of fact she felt very little at all about it.

~~~
Sometimes I dream about my family and my home, though I can't really be sure if I'm dreaming because I miss them or my mind's just playing back my memories for me. It's like watching a really in-depth movie - you get involved with the characters just enough to feel for them, but after the ending credits it all fades to black and you don't feel for them anymore.

I can't help but wonder sometimes if this means I'm becoming a better Jedi or just a really crappy human being.
~~~

"Why did you live on Corellia?" Avalore asked, noting the movement of a large man in her peripherals but paying it little mind, "Couldn't have been the wine. It's really not that great. Who even likes that stuff?"

This coming from the one who could down a quart of frozen blueberry slurpee in less than fifteen minutes. Sometimes without puking.

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana smiled slightly, though she has no idea who Senor Eden was. The girl was amusing, that much was surely true. Diana kept on walking them towards the Cafeteria, their awkward wobbling and hobbling moving them much more slowly than anyone who was hungry had a right to move, yet the pace seemed to suit both of them so their progress was doing quite well really.

“I went there after I left the Order.” Diana said quite brazenly. It wasn't really much of a scandal anymore. Everyone and anyone who hung around the Jedi long enough heard about Diana and what she had done, killing Velok and then leaving the Order after telling off the council. That had been an interesting time.

Corellia of course had never been her intention, it had simply been the destination she had arrived at after boarding the first transport she saw. Once there Diana had found living on the streets quite easy, and things had become even easier when Jaxton Ravos had found her. “I was a Ballerina in Kor Vella for quite some time. I was scheduled to perform in Coronet when Grandmaster Selena recalled me to the Order.”

Nostalgia once again came over at those fond memories on Corellia.

 

[Avalore Eden]

"A ballerina?"

Avalore gave the Knight a quick lookover, brows shooting up in marked curiosity. Well, she certainly was a sad-looking ballerina now.

"Did you wear on of those bathing suit things?" she inquired avidly, "I bet they ride up like a donkey on a switchback trail. I can't even wear tight pants."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

“Yes. I did.” Diana gave Avalore an amused glance for a few seconds, before completely moving on and breaching the entryway of the cafeteria.

She had very much enjoyed being a ballerina, there was a sort of coordinated stiffness to it that Diana had absolutely adored. In turned out in the end of course that being a Ballerina had greatly aided in combat as well, she was flexible, fast, and perhaps the most agile Jedi currently in the Order because of it. It hadn't been regular combat training, but it had definitely helped in the long run.

“So you mentioned someone named Eden...Your father I assume?” Diana delved more into the girls history, hopefully she would reveal a slight hint of herself and Diana could get more to the bottom of the...child within her. Mostly she had now become curious about who the father was, and quite honestly if she had to guess she would have guessed Avalore's former Master.

As Scandalous as that would have been.

 

[Avalore Eden]

"Señor Eden," Avalore said in her best deep-manly voice, trudging along after Diana through the doors with her arms pumping at her side. The smell of food had put her into high gear now, "Pops, Daddy-o, The Big E, Captain o' the Eden-hold. His name was Isaac and they shot him full of holes."

The two managed their way through the crowd to the line where Avalore grabbed herself not one, but two trays, set them on the metal counter and began making her way down the first line of steaming food bins, loading them up with heaping spoonfulls.

 

[Cedric Dorn]

For a few seconds the Jedi Knight was shocked by the candidness of her response. Avalore had essentially just told Diana that her father had been shot to death, not something one said so nonchalantly...unless they harbored some serious family resentment. She frowned slightly, and decided not to dwell too long on the thought, if the girl didn't want to talk about it, or rather was so candid about it then it was probably best to gloss over the subject.

At least for the most part.

“So I assume thats why you joined the Order then, your father dying.” It was a good guess, people joined for all sorts of reasons. Diana had been in the Order Since Birth, though she knew several people who had joined as full blown adults.

 

[Avalore Eden]

"Uh, well sort of." On to the next food station: salad. Despite her usual inclination to the greens she loaded up. At this point everything looked delicious and she assumed as she drew nearer to her eight month mark that even the trays themselves would be appetizing.

"I mean, he was part of it. My whole family's gone. Edenhold's burnt to the ground. It's kind of a long story," she wasn't really dodging the story so much as she was suggesting, with a glance to her trays, that it would require them to sit down most likely.

"If, uh, if you wanna find a spot to rest I'll be there once I've cleared out the entire food court. Just don't sit at the cool kid table, we're way too posh for them."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana simply nodded along with the girl, listening quietly as she watched her pile a mountain of food onto the trays before her. Quietly she wondered if stomach capacity increase while one was pregnant or if the girl's baby simply functioned as some sort of tapeworm that ate a portion of Avalore's food as she digested it. She frowned, and then simply snapped back into reality when Avalore suggested that she go find a seat for them.

“Were Jedi. There are no cool kids.” The Redhead spoke as she turned away from the food line and began to search through the cafeteria.

She found a seat she quite liked, a small table with two chairs right next to one of the windows that looked out at the massive Cato Neimoidian skyline. With a slow deliberate plop Diana sat herself down in the chair, nestling herself nicely and stretching out her damaged leg. She waited for the monstrous Avalore to come and consume her food.

 

[Avalore Eden]

Avalore joined her with her two trays stacked with food. She sat and immediately began to shovel. There was nothing slow or deliberate about it. With one hand clutching a bottle of water and the other stabbing a fork at the piles of eats, she shifted between chewing and chugging.

If nothing else, she did manage to accomplish this neatly. Apparently six months of practice and growing ferocity of appetite was helpful for table etiquette. Downing a gulp of water she paused for a beat and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"You know you're not the first one to watch me eat," she said after a beat and shoved a forkfull of some sort of pastry into her mouth, chewed, swallowed and sighed, "I'm like the bloated freak-show at the Temple on Corellia. I should charge admission."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana's face grew into an expression of horror as she watched the maw of Avalore garble up food like a garbage disposal. Her mouth reminded Diana of a Sarlaac pit trying to consume anything and everything around it. It was almost fascinating to watch her eat food so quickly, yet it was also utterly disturbing. For a brief few seconds Diana thought about checking under the table to see if she could literally see Avalore's stomach growing, eventually however she decided that would be rude.

“Oh no, its not strange at all.” Diana lied.

For a few more seconds she remained silent. “Why Corellia?”

Diana asked as if it was the strangest thing in the world.

“I mean, I would think you would want to get away from the world.” It seemed simple enough for her. Corellia wouldn't exactly be her favorite place if her entire family had been slaughtered there.

 

[Avalore Eden]

"That's where my Master's from," Avalore replied, becoming smitten with a pile of mashed potatoes, she took to it with great fervor.

"Where he trained," she said after a gulp and before another swig of water, "where he lives," there was a pause in her consumption as she recalled the history he taught her of the planet, "he thought it was the best place for me to train. Said that the Corellian Jedi weren't like the normal Jedi. Not even part of the Council. Said they formed from a rogue group that didn't like the way the Council ran things. You know, that they love and have families and stuff. He was afraid if we went to, like, Naboo or Coruscant, that they wouldn't let me train. Not that the Masters on Corellia were really thrilled with taking me in."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

The Jedi Knight raised an eyebrow slightly as she mentioned Naboo. Apparently the girl was rather uninformed. Naboo had no Jedi connections what so ever anymore. Diana had been vaguely aware of a Jedi Sect on Corellia, but no such thing existed on Naboo. She frowned slightly, and began to rattle her finger's on the side of the table, ignoring Avalore's ravenous consumption of the entire planet of Cato Neimodia.

“I see.” Diana said finally “What will you do if he doesn't come back?”

The Jedi Knight spoke carefully, her voice soft and clearly not intending any harm to Avalore. She didn't want the girl to begin crying and she knew that it was like a sore subject. Over the past twenty minutes or so however Diana had come to like the girl, and even though she was only a year or two older Diana's somewhat maternal instincts had kicked in.

She was concerned.

 

[Avalore Eden]

Her expression fell noticeably, "I...don't really know. I guess I go back to my classes until the big show and then," she was looking at her food as if she might find a fortune cookie paper in there somewhere with an answer.

Something vaguely unhelpful but upbeat.

All answers point to yes.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Yu-sun-chin.

She poked her fork at the food, suddenly feeling her appetite dwindle.

"...maybe Master Ruan or SiVuRa would train me. Or...I could leave. Mark always said that was an option when the baby's born. I have my inheritance to live off of for a while."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana paused for a few seconds, unsure of how to go on. Leaving the Jedi Order was always an option, though to Diana it seemed a horrid one even if she had money. Of course it might have been different for Avalore, and very likely was, but Diana had in recent months found the Jedi to be her true home. She had made friends here, and many of them had become like Family, Daella in particular.

She let the paused go on for a few minutes as Avalore impaled more of her food.

“If he does not return...and you do not wish to stay on Corellia.” The Jedi Knight stopped for a second, becoming weary of offending the girl. “I would be more than happy to continue training you...in the interim.”

She added the last bit to make sure she understood that it was a temporary thing, just until her former Master returned, or she was ready to become a Knight of course.

 

[Avalore Eden]

"Really?"

Avalore thought training with Ruan or SiVuRa wouldn't be so bad. Ruan was old and humorless, SiVu was very forthcoming, pretty, and meticulous - very Banana Republic. Yet neither of them had the warmth of her Master. Mark had been caring, kind, and fun. He'd protected her on Coruscant during a Sith strike; he'd taken her out on a normal-person daytrip when her pregnant psyche couldn't stand the halls of the Temple. He'd guided her through her doubts while helping refugees from Coruscant, and all the while he really seemed to be genuinely concerned. He'd even offered to help raise the baby.

"I don't - uhm," she looked to the ceiling, forcing a long breath out through pursed lips. The idea of Mark not returning was... difficult to think about. He was all she really knew after everything had happened. Her Knight in dirty, tattered Jedi robes. Her grisly bearded anchor.

"that's great. Cool. Sure, you know, if it's not too much trouble. I like learning."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana reached over and touched Avalore's hand, the one she was not using to shovel food into her face, though she seemed to have stopped that. She tried her very best to comfort the girl, trying to push the memory of the last time she had comforted someone out of her head. She hoped that Avalore would not stand up and begin to attack her, that would have been quite awkward. Then Again Avalore was no Evelynn Dorn, and Diana had no hand in her mothers death.

“I won't be much help on the healing.” She said with a smile “But perhaps I can teach you not to drop your lightsaber as soon as you turn it on.”

She had a few other skills of course, by the end of her training with Diana Avalore would be far more well rounded(get it?) than before, that is if her old master never showed again. Nothing was confirmed as of yet.

Diana withdrew her hand and then looked at Avalore. “I'll be here for a few more weeks yet. Once i'm healed up I return to Coruscant, if you want you can come with me then.”

 

[Avalore Eden]

"Thanks a heap," Avalore replied, smiling despite feeling a measure of sadness.

Accepting her help was a bit too close to admitting the loss of her Master, but it wasn't quite. This was only temporary, afterall, only until Mark returned.

"I think you need more help with the Healing than I do, Dangerous-Di," she smirked and stuck another forkfull of food into her mouth.

 

[Cedric Dorn]

She let out a loud scoff at the quip Avalore made. Diana had about as much luck with healing as a womp rat did with flight. She had tried and failed on multiple occasion to heal both herself, and other people. Usually it only made things worse, ironically.

Diana was never made to be anything more than a warrior. She was a front line fighter. She could not heal, she could not speak telepathically, she could barely even pick things up with the force. She was the best at one thing, and so far that had actually worked out quite fell for her...except for on Ossus, thats where things had gotten a little bit more complex. Still she had injured the Sith quite extensively, and given that he had been an echelon above her that made her proud.

Even if she had failed in his redemption.

“You best hope you never have to suffer under my healing” Diana said as she raised both her hands and waggled her fingers. Scar's lined all ten of them.