Private Ties That Bind

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

The conversation had been pleasant enough, but Brandyn could see where it was heading. Something stirred within him, unsettling and elusive.

Annoyance? No, that wasn’t it. He had no pride tangled up in this. Surely not. Or perhaps he did. Irritation? Still no. Then what?

Failure.

The word hit him like a wall of durasteel. His expression shifted, a quiet shadow of loss settling over his features. But she wasn’t wrong to think this way. He hadn’t made the progress he’d hoped for, barely any, if he was being honest. And the truth he still held, sharp as a blade, threatened to unravel everything once spoken. The only question that remained was whether he would share it with Master Sylari.

It’s probably for the best.

"You want to take Cerys as your Padawan…don’t you?" he said at last. She hadn’t voiced it outright, but it was clear in every softened glance, every gentle word. She cared for the Togruta girl. As did he. Perhaps her warmth could reach where his steadiness could not. And the truth was, they needed Cerys on the front lines as a Knight. Sooner, not later.

"I can see the wisdom in it. And I’m not opposed, if she’s willing. But there’s something you need to know about Cerys Dyn," he continued, his look of failure slipping away, replaced by a flicker of apprehension.

| TAG: Elenna Sylari |

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[Elenna Sylari]

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ELENNA SYLARI
Shiraya's Sanctuary. Naboo
Late Evening

...

She watched as Brandyn shuffled uncomfortably, disturbed and uneasy. Their conversation had been rather pleasant up until that point, and Elenna had enjoyed his company.

Moonlight illuminated the room in a warm, silvery glow. Small lights counteracting the silvery glow in key places with its warm, radiant glow. Exposed stone lined the walls, each block capable of telling stories of a thousand tales. Perhaps most importantly, they had their privacy for such talks- particularly for an increasingly emotional Brandyn.

"You want to take Cerys as your Padawan…don’t you?" he said at last.

Elenna froze, wholly unprepared for that question.

She took a few moments to think, the warmth disappearing from her face before reappearing again.

"My dear, I don't want to take young Cerys' from you, though I will admit a growing closeness between us as of late..." As she spoke, she realized that she perhaps misunderstood Brandyn- perhaps taking his words too literally.

"... Ahem." she cleared her throat before correcting herself. "She... still has much to learn, yet I don't think she sees it-" her eyes squinted gently, warmth still in her voice as she chose her words carefully. "-She talks about you often; Appreciation, frustration, history."

"From what she's told me, she's put herself in a prison of her own making- one she can't yet bring herself to escape from; Obligation to her previous master and to follow in her footsteps. Obligation to you and the Order- she believes she is ready to become a Jedi Knight while we believe otherwise..."

"The thing she lacks is an obligation to herself. She's chasing life for the wrong reasons: for memory, for honor, for perhaps a sense of shame..."

She sighed deeply. Cerys' needed a lot of work, yet she understood Brandyn's point. She also respected the young Jedi a little more- the courage, the bravery, the intelligence to understand the complex needs of someone so close to you. To recognize when it is time to say goodbye. To understand what Cerys' needed. Elenna believed it too, although she wouldn't openly voice it.

She thought Brandyn stronger than most.

"I can see the wisdom in it. And I’m not opposed, if she’s willing. But there’s something you need to know about Cerys Dyn," he continued, his look of failure slipping away, replaced by a flicker of apprehension.

An eyebrow raised on her face, her curiosity was piqued.

"Oh?"

Brandyn Sal-Soren

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[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

"Your assessment of Cerys is astute," Brandyn said after a long moment holding a datapad that he had intended to give to the Master.

"You have wisdom and patience that perhaps...I would lack...making me consider this a wise decision even more."

He looked down, still struggling with the feelings of failure. But the greater failure, he decided, would be to hold onto something that was going to fail in a greater way. It was better for him to lose an ounce of pride, but the Order gain a Knight of Cerys' clear technical prowess.

He looked up, perhaps - perhaps - a hint of a tear in the corner of his eye. And he handed Elenna the datapad. On the screen was a full read out of the autopsy and known history of Master Fae En-Vala. She was the Oathwarden master that had perished at the hands of a Sith, security footage of the event was attached to the file.

the footage played on a loop in the corner of the screen, showing the massive hulking form of Xeykard and the battle between he and the master padawan duo. It showed the moment Cerys was thrown from the ship, held aloft by her master to save her life at the sacrifice of her own. It showed a long paused still image of Cerys holding her master in her arms, sobbing at her loss

At the bottom of the screen, a small number flashed. 97%. The likelihood of the dead master being related to the other test subject.

"En-Vala was Cerys' mother. Cerys does not know."

| TAG: Elenna Sylari |

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