Twinkle, Twinkle

[Felicity Mason]

Coruscant

No matter what drama had gone down previously, the little Princess found herself feeling rather attached to the filthy city planet. She liked the dirty streets, the danger. It was more real than anything she had ever encountered in all her pretty pampered life. And she had her friends here. She had Owain. She had Glyph. So she had insisted they stay for a time, lay low before moving on.

The undercity was where they'd settled. It was difficult to find anybody here. And Felicity was starting to learn how to play the part of a citizen. How to act to fit in. At least, fit in well enough to not get herself killed or captured. If anybody learned who she was...

Right now, she was very busy gathering supplies. Mom had not yet turned off her credit card, so she was able to survive well enough. But she never spent much, only enough to get by. If she started displaying the fact that she had wealth it would draw much unnecessary attention.

With her bright blond hair hidden under a dusty grey scarf, she walked through the crowds with a single bag in her hand. She could be anybody now. Just another young lady running chores. One of many. But tomorrow, she would be Felicity again.She had decided, tomorrow she felt confident that they could slip off the surface with ease. And where would they go next? Well, they would know when they got there.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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To say Graxin was furious would be an understatement. As a Jedi, he prided himself on his ability to keep his emotions in check. It was something he had begun to excel at, just as the Jedi of old had done. He was becoming their legacy. Felicity's little run, however, managed to break that wall of control into a thousand little pieces as if it had been made of glass. She had run off without waiting for him to return, at such a young age as well.

Graxin knew what happened to young girls in shady places. He had seen the Graug take part in it more times than he could truly place, and he had been forced to drown out the screams that always came with it. Such a fate would not happen to his little sister.

Diverging from his mission to Gratos was risky. The more senior of the Jedi in the order would disapprove, but he didn't much care. The Graug could wait, Felicity could, and would not. The Knight ha left his Padawan at the palace in Theed under the pretense of learning more about the planet's culture. He had not said why he was leaving, only that it was a personal matter.

Finding Felicity had been a challenge, but for one of Graxin's particular skill set, not impossible. She had left him her knife, and the only ability Graxin had of true note happened to be psychometry. It was something Jedi were born with, not something that could be taught. If one honed his or her abilities, they could sense whatever might be tied to a particular object. Graxin had put that to good use on the knife.

And so, he had arrived on Coruscant in the guise of a Sith Acolyte returning home. It hadn't been too difficult getting down on the planet surface--he had done so before. The Knight now traversed the Undercity, his fingers wrapped around the smile knife in his pocket.

Left. Right. Straight. Straight. Left. Left.

​He was closing in on her, he could feel it. It was only a matter of time...

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Something was coming. By the time the girl sensed it, it was too late.

"Grax."

She stopped where she was, in the middle of the crowded street. People surged past her like the rushing rivers of Naboo. She turned, scanned the crowd, but she was still a little too short to see much of anything. She knew he would come after her eventually. Mom would send him for sure. She already sent Uncle Zaiden. If her brother failed to bring her home too, then she was certain to send her Father after her next. Then she would have no choice. She could never disobey Daddy. Not to his face, at least.

After a moment of searching, she turned back around. She must have been mistaken. But then, when she looked up again, there he was.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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The hot fury that drove Graxin forward simmered for a moment. he couldn't remain angry at the girl; it just wasn't in his nature to maintain a grudge with family. Sure, he might have blown at her when he had heard the news of her escape, but that was days ago, and he'd had time to temper his feelings on the matter. It wasn't his place to chastise Felicity for her decisions. That would be hypocritical, and if there was one thing Graxin prided himself on not being, it was a hypocrite.

"Hey short stack." He stated with a bit of confidence a pace or so away. The Knight spread his consciousness all around to touch the minds of those passing by. It was a subtle trick, one often used by Jedi on covert operations. It worked fine here as well. The technique was related to the Art of The Small, a discipline Graxin only knew the barest details of. Still, it worked here. No one who saw them remembered the Jedi Knight and his little sister as they strode past.

"I told you I'd come back one way or another." He reached into his belt, producing the small knife she had gifted to him. He held it out in an open palm. "Had to bring it back."

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

The girl grabbed the knife the moment she saw it, quickly storing it in her bag. She'd missed having that weapon. She'd bought another one, just in case, but it wasn't the same. Didn't feel right.

"So I guess you survived," she awkwardly stated, "You killed him, right? Happy?"

Anything she could ask to keep the conversation topic off of herself for a while. She didn't want to talk about why she ran away. And she really didn't want to talk about Owain.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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"No, I died. Luckily, I'm immortal. Every time I die I just get back up again. Lovely little skill, that." He quipped. He eyed the knife for a long moment, going trough the mental gymnastics to lock his abilities of psychometry on the little weapon. He would not be able to use them on any other items, but if he could keep his focus on the weapon, he would always be able to find the oldest daughter of the Masons.


"Yes, I killed him. No, I'm not happy, but it had to be done. He was slaughtering people." Graxin continued. He folded his arms over his chest, and settled his amber gaze down on the girl. He wanted to yell; find out why she had been so stupid to run away to the planet that the One Sith controlled....


[SIZE=24.4444446563721px]Graxin took in a deep breath. Not the time. "Why Triple Zero?" He motioned around, and realized she probably didn't get his meaning. "Coruscant."[/SIZE]

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Felicity was a smart girl. At the Academy on Naboo, she was considered 'gifted'. Consistently passing all her classes with honors.
but when it came to having common sense? Well, that was when things got a good bit... stupid. She wasn't thinking of who owned what planet. She was a spoiled, sheltered little Princess. Why would she care about the Sith? Why would she bother thinking about it?

"Coruscant? Haven't you been here, Grax? Look around. It's wonderful!"

The answer she gave was naive in the extreme, but she knew even he would have to admit she had a point. Coruscant was dangerous, dirty, disgusting, but it had more personality and more culture in a single street corner than any of the other planets she had ever been to combined.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Wonderful?

Graxin almost laughed. He despised Coruscant. It was disgusting, disorderly, grimy, and the planet on which he had come the closest to death. The Jedi Council had tasked him with retrieving the holocron of Darth Krayt, a suicidal mission. The Knight was brutally maimed, burned, and thrown from the upper levels of Coruscant like a rag doll. He had nothing but bitter memories of this place.

His worry, however, carried precedence. Graxin reached over to set a firm hand on the girl's shoulder; not one to steer her away, simply to try and relate just how serious this matter was. "Felicity, I understand getting away from a dull background can be liberating, but this is the wrong place to do it. You're force sensitive. When a Sith senses you, he will hunt you down, he will execute your friends, and force you to go to their academy. I've seen it happen too many times."

Graxin lowered his gaze to lock with hers. "You're like mom, and myself. It doesn't matter what your talents are now, they can be cultivated, and the Sith will be more than happy to grab someone so young."

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

The girl smacked his hand away. He didn't get it. He didn't understand at all. How could he try to make her leave now? She was having such a good time. He was just being over protective. Just like mom. She never let her go anywhere or do anything. Everywhere was dangerous in her eyes. Everyone was always out to get her.

"I'm fine, Graxin," she snapped, "I've been here for two weeks. Nothing's happened! You're just jealous because I don't need your help."

She was being a stupid stubborn brat and she knew it. Nothing could ever convince her that Coruscant was anything other than spectacular. Sith or no, this was where she belonged. She was so sure of it. It felt like she was supposed to be here somehow. Like this was more home than anywhere she'd ever been.

"Besides, we were planning on leaving tomorrow. It'll be fine!"

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Graxin lofted a brow.

"Oh, I can assure you Felicity, I'm not jealous. If you want to go and get yourself killed because of some boy, then be my guest. It's not my place to stop you." He lifted his shoulders in a slight shrug. He wanted to take the girl home, but forcing her to leave for Naboo was against everything Graxin had begun to stand for. "I just came to return the knife. You should know though, mom is destroyed over this."

It was the truth. Feena Mason had kept herself calm and collected when they spoke of the issue, but Graxin knew better. He was skilled at noticing the subtle nuances about people, and his mother was, for him, an easy read. Perhaps it was simply because they were blood, or maybe it was just the force, either way, Graxin knew she was worried out of her mind.

"It just seems a bit odd to me that you're throwing your childhood away for a karking pathetic life. This here--" He motioned all around. ""-the poverty, the desperation, people dream of leaving this. I dreamed of leaving this, and I didn't get the chance until I'd killed over a dozen people for it. Do not take what your mother and father have given you for granted."

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Well... Now she felt bad. Guilty. She knew that when she left mom would be mad, but she never imagined that anything could destroy the woman. She bit her lip, hands fishing in her coat pocket. She kept her eyes on the dirty ground as her brother lectured her. Effectively.

"I.... I never really thought of it like that..."

She wasn;t doing this for Owain. Owain was doing it for her. Glyph too. She thought of all the times they got hurt to protect her. She thought she was just that much stronger than them. That she didn;t get hurt only because she was somehow better. That she'd been safe so far because of her own brilliant mind. It never once occured to her that she was being protected. That her companions were sacrificing for her.
All her life, people had been making sacrifices. For her.

"But... If I go back, what then? I'll go back to being locked in the Palace," she looked up again, "It'll be a life of pretty dresses, dances, politics. This is the most fun I've had in my entire life, Grax. I've never been so happy..."

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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He was breaking through to her, good. Still, Graxin understood the girls plight. The life of nobility was certainly not for everyone. It was stress, and looking over your shoulder to prevent any small slip up; anything that might jeopardize a social position. It was almost like prison.

"Alright, look." He began. "I'm leaving for Gratos, but I have to return to Naboo to pick up my Padawan. Once I'm done with Gratos, I'll talk to mom. I'll convince her to let me take you with me under the guise of teaching you. That alright?"

The Knight lofted a brow. Dragging a fourteen year old around would be dangerous, but it was better than leaving her here, alone. It was better than leaving her at the palace where she would only leave off on her own again.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Did he just say what she thought he said? She started for a while. Did this mean he was going to train her? Was she going to learn? At long last? Without warning, she jumped at graxin, throwing her arms around him.

"You are the best brother I could ever have! " She squealed, " seriously! I won't be any trouble either! I promise!"

When she told Owain - oh... Owain. What would he do? She didn't wanna say goodbye to him yet.

"I'm going to need to talk to Owain though..."

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Screaming and little girls and people staring and uncomfortable. Graxin laced his arms around the teenager, returning the embrace despite the stares. She might think he was reluctant to have her around if he didn't--teenagers were sensitive. Subtly, he hid them further in the force. The people that had been staring seemed lose all interest in the siblings, and went back on their way. If they made a scene, the Sith might take interest, and Graxin wasn't sure he could fight off a Sith Knight while protecting Felicity.


"I'll hold you to that shortstack." He whispered. The Knight let his arms fall away from the girl, and fixated her with a serious stare. "I mean it. The Order is in a rocky state right now, I don't want you getting swept up in any political osik."

Owain? That was the boy's name, wasn't it? Graxin breathed an internal sigh of relief. Felicity was too immature to handle anything with a boy. She would do something stupid as soon as the boy said he loved her. All the kids were like that as of late--but not his little sister. The little di'kut was keeping his pants on.

"Of course. Can't just cut and run. Where is he?"

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Graxin would know how boys could be, but Felicity was still new at this. She didn't know how to say no. The only reason she hadn't done anything stupid was because Owain wouldn't allow it. No matter what he claimed to the contrary, he was too civilized to take advantage of her. He would never touch her like that, even with her permission. Even if she really did want him to.

"He's... They're at the base," she sighed, remembering that Glyph was with them now as well, "Grax... Owain's a good guy. Be nice, okay?"

She was blushing again. He knew about her crush, heck, Owain probably knew too, although she doubted he'd ever make his move. And Felicity was too shy to say it. Even when she pretended otherwise.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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The Knight lofted a brow. If there was any doubt as to why his sister traveled with the boy, it was gone now. His expression remained a stoic wall, though internally he was frowning. He simply shook his head instead. "Let's get to it then. We need to leave soon if you're serious about this."

Graxin exhaled a quiet sigh. The meager influence he had set over the people around them fell away. Where strangers had acted as if the siblings didn't exist, they stopped for a moment or so to look now. Graxin displayed his twin lightabers bare on his hip to reduce the probability of people asking questions. His own look rather placid, a standard Jedi's blade. The second, almost two feet long and spiked at the tip looked like the weapon of a murderer.

"I will train you as a Jedi, and when I do I won't be your older brother. I will be your Master and mentor, do you understand?"

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

The girl had released her brother from the hug a while ago, but she still felt like she hadn't let go just yet. Uncle Z had attempted to get her to come back with him by bribing her with pretty things. But Graxin offered her something more valuable than anything. He offered her hope. A life, or at least the possibility of one. Choices. She could be someone, not just the little Princess.

"Don't be stupid, Grax. You'll always be my big brother," she answered with a smile, "But I do understand what you mean."

She reached into her bag, fishing out a hastily wrapped bundle.

"I got you something, by the way. Family tradition, like I said. I got something for you, mom, dad, Celeste, Uncle B, Uncle Zaiden..."

It wasn't much. Just a nice set of thick leather gloves. She'd found it in the upper levels, while she was shopping for the others. Only reason she'd had it on her was because they were preparing to leave. It was lucky.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Graxin lofted a brow. He hadn't really expected Felicity to get him something--but she had. He was touched. Graxin had recieved a total of two presents in his entire life. One was a meeting with his younger brother before the boy went insane, the other was a kiss, which had done more bad than good looking back on it. the Knight broe into a huge, goofy smile, and took the bundle in both hands. He set it under his arms, and offered a small box--the same one he had thrust into Feena's hands before.

His present wasn't something you really paid for. He had no idea what to get a teenage girl, and Corvetta had been no help whatsoever. He did, however, no what to give to a force user, and one that was in the family only made it that much important.

Within the box sat the green lightsaber crystal he had used in the construction of his first blade. The weapon itself had long since been destroyed, but he had kept the crystal for good luck. It seemed right to pass it to Felicity.

"You're sweet." His smile did not fade.

[member="Felicity Mason"]

 

[Felicity Mason]

Green was never her color, yet this day Felicity valued this striking shade of emerald above anything in the rainbow. She stared inside the box, carefully touching the green crystal with the tip of her finger.

"It's stunning," she breathed, "Is it what I think it is?"

A lightsaber crystal. Mother wouldn't let her even touch a lightsaber. Father carried his around. He had a small collection. But he would never allow her to use them. Uncle B would teach her to use a blade, but a lightsaber was different. The weight. Dad had explain it to her. Promised to show her how one day.
That was the thing with this family. It was always 'some day', but that day was never today.

[member="Graxin Rade"]

 

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Leather globes. Perfect. Graxin maintained a small, pleased smile. He discarded the gloves he wore, tossing them down onto the ground--exposing the ruined, blackened flesh of his right hand--and slipped on the new gloves. They were a bit warm for Coruscant, but they were new-ish. They had also come from his little sister, and with them, he was positive he could use psycometry to find her at any time.

His smile only widened when she went on about the crystal. To Graxin, the force and the tools associated with it were nothing special. He had grown up around lightsabers, Sith Alchemy, holocrons, the works. It rarely occurred to him that, to normal folk, that was all extraordinary. He bowed his head forward somewhat, and lowered his voice so that none passing by would hear.

"It was my own, some time ago. I used it to craft my first lightsaber--before Vulcanus had his priests destroy it. I kepth the crystal thought--it's attuned to me, but you'll be able to claim it." He paused. "If you're going to learn from me, you'll need it...and thank you for the gloves. They're lovely."


[member="Felicity Mason"]