Faction Uncover the Faces of Old [NJO; open to 3 characters]

[Efret Farr]

Then marble, soften'd into life, grew warm.
- Alexander Pope
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The Jedi were slowly stitching their Temple back together, at least structurally. The decorations had yet to be restored, but that was understandable. Something ought to be functional before it was made fancy.

Efret had gathered, either with her own hands or those of others she had recruited to help her, a selection of relatively intact slabs of marble from the cleared rubble into the workroom attached to the Temple museum. They were all of different sizes, thicknesses and widths, when she began preparing them for what she had in mind, and still were after she cut and polished most of them.

Like many of the original cultural artifacts that had been on display in the museum next door, a majority of the sculptures that had adorned the Temple’s countless podiums in its halls were shattered to such a degree that applying Force healing to the abiotic substrates would simply not reproduce a fully intact work. Still, some full sets of a few library busts had been recovered. But, really, what better for morale than to breathe beautiful new life into what the Dark Empire counted as destroyed?

Efret didn’t expect this experiment to yield sculptures that were necessarily done in the traditional style, but, even if it didn’t, perhaps the time had come for a bit of personality to be added to the Temple’s artistic aesthetics.

So, she had put out a sign-up sheet in the Great Hall, advertising three slots for an impromptu art lesson. If it was popular, perhaps she'd offer it again. After all, she could hardly replace all the sculptures that had been lost herself.

When the date specified came and the hour drew near, she buzzed around the museum workshop, getting the last few things ready for her students. The door was propped open for any that had come early.

OPEN TO 3 NJO JEDI​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Equipment: Jedi Robes
Tag: Efret Farr

Art and culture were... very much not Gatz's area of expertise. Or even his area of interest.

Yeah, a man from Theed, Naboo, cultural and artistic wonder that it was, couldn't appreciate such things. He was like a walking, talking oxymoron, he knew. But the truth was: those who grew up as destitute as he had, had little time to be invested in the arts or even in his own culture. They were too busy trying to make enough money to get by, to be spending it on museum and art gallery admissions.

Still... injured as he was after the siege, and without a working lightsaber, there wasn't a whole lot Gatz could do to help the Order as a whole. He'd spent a lot of time in the medical camps, and field hospitals, but most of the wounded had either been tended to, or moved to actual facilities now. Gatz had almost decided that he'd done all he could, currently, in his condition.

Until he saw the sign-up sheet Master Farr had posted. And he'd thought to himself: a Jedi was always learning, right? So... why not learn something new, and maybe help a respected Master scavenge a little bit of their history and culture?

That was what had brought Gatz to the museum workshop, a little earlier than the notice had posted.

"Master Farr," Gatz gave a respectful bow, wincing slightly as he disturbed a suture, "I'm glad to see you again."

 

[Silas Westgard]

Objective: Learn something new
Tag: Efret Farr / Gatz Derrevar

Marble sculpting was way out of his field. Curiosity on the other hand had different ideas.

As a kid from Azbrian, he knew a basic level of arts and crafts through his father's teaching on the homestead. However, that was only ever through wood, nowhere near the level of stone or marble that he considered levels above his skill. Today was a chance to give it a go, not that he'd be any good at it but the whole thing was all for good fun.

Arriving at the meeting early, he soon noticed the familiar face of Gatz Derrevar who seemed to be still looking worse for wear. It didn't surprise him considering the coruscant attack was still raw, Silas himself still had some visible cuts and bruises on his face from the fight with a cyborg woman who wouldn't go down.

"Long time no see Gatz, it's good to see you again." he said before standing beside him "Or should I say Knight Derrevar?"

Silas smiled at the fully fledged knight with a respectful nod. Then, looking at their teaching of the day he soon showed the same courtesy.

"Master Farr, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. It is a shame we haven't crossed paths until now."
​

 

[Ran Serys]

Destruction was a friend to Ran. Standing on debris and detritus was more familiar than it wasn’t. In dusty old ruins and on the battlefield Ran navigated it all without a second thought, but in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant destruction was unacceptable.

She looked around and she could see progress. Halls were cleaner, scaffolding and material were being staged, and familiar and unfamiliar faces came to the temple's aid. It would have been enough to warm her heart, if it hadn’t already been the least bit hurt.

She hurt herself with what ifs. They ran across her mind incessantly unless she kept herself busy. The biggest what if being a matter of presence. What if I were at the temple, when the Dark Empire made their move? She wondered. Would it have changed anything? The questioning would continue. She’d heard it said a single Jedi could turn the tides of battle, but it seemed that the attempted invasion on Coruscant was anything but an ordinary battle.

The fact was Ran regretted her role in the invasion’s events. She had played the role of humanitarian, and evacuated those left behind in the lower levels under the thumb of the syndicates. The common rabble had called her a savior, a rescuer, and a hero. But war was what she was good at and in her heart of hearts she was more a warrior than a hero. So with her insecurities at an all time high, an amount of debt to be paid to the criminal syndicates, and unearned feelings of regret, she stood outside the entry of the workshop looking for a way to escape her feelings or something much, much better.

Ran walked in. “Forgive my lateness.” She volunteered to the other three Jedi in the room.

There was Efret Farr. A Jedi she was well aware of but hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting. They shared a similar interest in archaeology and Ran had looked forward to the moment they would make contact. It was one of the main motivators in her signing up for the lesson. A few steps away were two other knights. They were unknowns to Ran, but not for long.

“Ran Serys,” She curtsied to all. “A pleasure.” She said before taking her place beside the others. “Shall we?” She gestured to the tools and materials Master Farr had laid out for them. Ran was eager to begin. She almost never flexed her creative mind save for the moments she’d spent alone in her ship’s workshop drawing up blueprints for different lightsaber models she thought up.

Efret Farr Gatz Derrevar Silas Westgard​

 

[Efret Farr]

Nirrah ruffled her feathers against the side of Efret's neck to alert her to someone entrance into the workshop. The master set down the last tool she had to lay out and turned her head to behold the Order's newest Jedi knight. A very warm smile formed on her face. The Force had fulfilled her hopes. "Oh, my dear," she greeted in turn, the computerized voice coded into her GBSL interpretation unit speaking the meaning her signs conveyed. Perhaps she should have been more formal given Gatz' new station, but her hands formed the pet name before she could stop them. "Congratulations on your knighthood. I'm very sorry that I was not at your ceremony. I hope you found great company and merriment, and I know you will find great success on this path."

Another knight entered shortly after. She smiled at him as well. "Likewise. Thank you for coming. What's your name?"

Then, she motioned to the three stations she had set up. Each had an array of sculpting tools and a few personal protective items like goggles and gloves. "Pick any spot you please. We'll get started soon."

They waited a few minutes past the time the lesson was supposed to start. "Of course, and it's not a problem," she told Ran after she introduced herself.

"I applaud all of your willingness to try something new," she began once they all were settled. "Making art is not for all, though I do believe that we all are perfectly capable of it, and sculpture is not for all artists. Stone in particular is a challenging medium overall, but don't worry; we'll be working with relatively soft marble recycled from fallen rubble taken from the grounds." She gestured to the many, many cut blocks of marble crowded to side of the workshop. "Stone carving is also a slow process. If you do not finish your sculptures, I will not be disappointed. We as an Order are at war. When the many battles ahead begin, few of us will have the time or energy to dedicate to art projects." She smiled sadly. Neither of those realities she wanted to acknowledge but she knew she must anyway. "Those of us who still do can finish your sculpture for you, or, alternatively, you may as you can make the time to do so. In that case, I will make this workshop available to you at your leisure.

"You have noticed that I set everything you need at your workstation but a piece of marble. That's because I want you to pick. Call me a bit..." Her fingers drummed on the air as she pondered word choice. "...of an oxymoronic consular but if I can do my archeological fieldwork with my own two hands as opposed to with the Force, I tend to. The few times I've recreated a sculpture, I've carved it mostly by hand but used the Force to guide my block selection. If you have found a kyber crystal on Ilum, the idea is similar. The marble should feel as if it wants to be chosen. It should all but ask to be carved."

She paused to allow for the information to percolate. "Unless there are questions, you may wander." She motioned again at the miniature stone forest with its staggered heights and various shades of white and brown. Some were small enough to be set on a tabletop while others would need to remain on the floor.

Gatz Derrevar Silas Westgard Ran Serys​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Equipment: Jedi Robes | Lightsaber | Khair Stone
Tag: Efret Farr Silas Westgard Ran Serys

"Or should I say Knight Derrevar?"

Gatz was surprised to see another familiar face here. He hadn't seen Silas since... shoot, before he'd come back to the Order! If he was being completely honest, he was also a little surprised to hear Valery's former student offer congratulations. After the way they'd first met, and the embarrassing, grieving, drunken mess Gatz had been, he hadn't expected Silas to think he was worthy of the distinction of being knighted.

"It's crazy, right?" Gatz grinned, "even I'm not sure how I tricked Valery in knighting me."

But he supposed the answer was that he hadn't tricked her at all. Couldn't have, Valery was smarter than he was. He'd actually earned the right. Gatz was still putting together how.

“Ran Serys,”

The next Jedi who stepped into the room was someone Gatz wasn't familiar with at all. That was good, he thought. It never hurt one to meet new colleagues, especially ones who were was tall as Knight Serys—taller than him, and he was six foot. On second thought... Gatz missed when he was the tallest person in the room. He liked being tall. It was amusing to poke fun at his shorter friends.

Now he was the shorter friend. Damn.

"Gatz Derrevar," he smiled at Ran, "a pleasure to meet you."

But then the lesson began proper.

Sculpting was not something Gatz had prior experience with. He was good with his hands, and always had been, but he had pursued mechanical talents, not artistic. They, too, required dexterity and deftness of touch, but he was uncertain of how well that would translate. Gatz supposed there was only one real way to find out.

Master Farr bid them to select their marble, and to rely on the Force as they would when finding a kyber crystal. Gatz was largely unsurprised by that—in many ways, the polymath Master seemed more attuned to the Force than most Jedi he'd met. So, he did was he was bid... and simply wandered for a moment, waiting for the right feeling.

"Tell me, Master—" Gatz then stopped, and turned to Efret, remembering that she read lips, "Master, how long have you been sculpting?"

 

[Silas Westgard]

Objective: Learn something new
Tag: Efret Farr / Gatz Derrevar / Ran Serys

"As crazy as that may seem Valery did it for a reason. Be proud of your achievement, you've earned it"

Gatz had put in the work to become a knight, no doubt about it. The title wasn't handed out to just anyone, it required dedication and patience to finally reach that level in the order. From the little he had interacted with Gatz he seemed to have that in abundance, so there was no reason why he should have been putting himself down like that. Silas was unsure if Gatz had seen how far he had from being that drunk, lost man he once was. He had really turned his life around for the better.

"The name is Silas Westgard, my apologies for not introducing myself"

Standing back a few steps he listened intently to what their teacher was explaining. As initially thought, the skill of stone carving required great skill. He was unsure if he'd carry it on after this, but if the lesson interested him enough he wouldn't hesitate to attend more lessons out of principle. Time was the main player and considering he had passions to consume what little time he had left outside of Jedi life it was a small chance he'd get to a high level.

Silas quickly glanced to the right and nodded to Ran "Greetings Ran, I believe we haven't crossed paths before either" He said with a smile before allowing Gatz to ask his question. He was quite interested himself to hear of the experience she had...
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[Ran Serys]

Watching Efret sign and listening to the interpretation unit was an experience Ran wouldn't forget for some time. Her ignorance humbled her and she realized how grateful she was for the mechanical resources they were allowed. As the thought crossed her mind, the Jedi Knight smiled for the first time in several days. Then she continued to watch Efret and consider the mechanized speech.

With some thought, Ran quickly settled on the subject of her sculpture. It was to be a bust. A bust of her long dead ancestor, the Jedi Knight, Ular Unill. Without him she wouldn't be here. It was his ghost that watched over her path, his ghost that guided her to his holocron, and it was his ghost that instructed Ran in the creation of her very first lightsaber. The very lightsaber that hung from her hip. She wanted to honor him and all he'd done for her.

As she walked through the small stone forest, Ran thought of the last time she'd seen her ancestor's ghost. She remembered it well. He was funny, and oddly charming. Equal parts eccentric and whimsical. Like Ran, he was a creature of instinct and instructed her to rely on it heavily. So many times Ran would find herself completing tasks and acting without thinking, not out of impulsivity or reckless abandon but just based solely on feeling, and surrendering herself over to the serenity she could find in a moment. She often wondered if it was a good thing to surrender herself over to the force like that. It hadn't led her astray yet and it wouldn't today as she found herself standing beneath a large chunk of soft marble. It was taller than her. It was perfect for what she envisioned.

Ran glanced over at Silas. "Have you decided on a stone yet, Silas?" She asked from across a few rows of stones. "Do you know what your sculpture will be?" She continued with a genuine and casual curiosity.

When Efret looked her way, Ran grabbed her attention. Enunciating clearly the knight spoke so the Master could read her lips. "Master Farr, I have a good feeling about this stone," Ran gestured toward the massive marble piece that was wider than her, and stood a few heads higher. It was one of the largest one in the room. It would take her a lot longer than the class to sculpt, but Ran was a dedicated craftswoman and would surely return to continue work on it between assignments and other duties. "With your permission, I will use it." Ran declared, but did want some sort of confirmation or council on its choice from the Master.

Efret Farr Silas Westgard​

 

[Efret Farr]

"I did my first sculpture about ten years ago," the master mused, beginning to answer Gatz' question. "I was asked to replace the headdress of an Elder statue. It had fallen off the figure's body during transportation from a sacred gungan swamp to an outdoor museum in Spinnaker, Naboo. I spent weeks travelling through the swamplands to as many ancient temples as I could, sketching and memorizing the Elder's sculpting style, specifically of what they wore on their heads." Efret paused, sighing. She took another moment to touch a nearby slab of stone. "I learned a lot, but I shouldn't have done it." She looked from Gatz to Silas. "I try not to regret much in my life. Everything that happens to us, especially bad things, teach us lessons. In my experience, regret impedes us from learning them. That said, I can't help by regret carving the headdress. It wasn't my place, just as it wasn't the place of the museum to remove the statute in the first place. I should have been negotiating its return to the sacred swamp, not facilitating the appropriation of religious idolatry."

She smiled somewhat sadly. "Truthfully, I haven't carved much since. I prefer to express myself through written word, but I thought redecorating the Temple with the Jedi's own culture was an opportunity: both to serve the Order and to forgive my younger self."

She began pacing the room then, observing her students before Ran caught her attention. As she approached, Efret glancing up at the rectangular marble column that stood over the mirialan. The master could see the faint hint of Ran's ancestor within looking down upon them. "You have it," agreed Efret, bestowing her permission. "I see great promise in this one. A very good choice. Would you like help moving it to your work area?"

Gatz Derrevar Silas Westgard Ran Serys​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Equipment: Jedi Robes | Lightsaber | Khair Stone
Tag: Efret Farr Silas Westgard Ran Serys

Maybe he had earned the promotion. Valery didn't practice cronyism. But some part of Gatz—which he hoped would soon fade—felt like it wasn't earned. Like he wasn't a good enough Jedi. He'd lost his battle with Adeline, even with help: Raphael was down an arm, he himself had been filled with shrapnel, and it was a genuine miracle that neither one of them had bled out in the makeshift medical camp.

Hell, if not for Corazona von Ascania , he would have died that day.

But Gatz did his best to shake those thoughts from his head. He was here to sculpt, not brood. Though, he supposed the greatest artists did both. Still, he chose to explore his mediums for his project, rather than dwell on what might have been. Master Farr had asked for help in restoring some of the Order's culture—his culture, perhaps the very first culture he'd ever really been acquainted with. The least he could do was focus his mind on that.

Master Farr went on to explain that she'd helped restore a statue back on his own homeworld of Naboo. Though, apparently she regretted such a choice. Gatz couldn't blame her though: he'd done far worse things in his life than assist in a little cultural appropriation. Refurbishing a monument stolen from the Gungan's sacred swamp paled in comparison to moving spice and shooting people.

"Master, if that's the worst thing you've ever done... then you're probably a pretty good woman." Gatz smiled. "I was born in Theed, not among the Gungans, so it's not really my place to forgive you. But what I can forgive, I do."

Gatz found his piece of marble then: a smaller thing, easily placed on a tabletop. Good for a bust, perhaps. He was no practiced sculptor, not like Efret and Ran seemed to be, so he figured starting with something more diminutive in size would make the task more approachable.

 

[Ran Serys]

Ran accepted Efret's help and, together, they set the stone in place at Ran’s workstation. Once situated, Ran wasted no time. She dived right into the sculpture. A hammer, chisel, and Ran’s own two hands started and almost never stopped. There was a vision of art, a culture, and a personal history that was determined to come out. Crumbled marble fell around the massive slab as Ran worked. She felt as if her ancestors were watching her, even if she hadn’t seen the ghost of Ular in years.

After some time, the Jedi Knight took a step back and examined her progress. She had chiseled and hammered her way to a stone that had taken the rough shape of a giant head and neck. She still had a long way to go, but she was proud of the progress she’d made. She looked at the chronometer and was surprised to realize how much time had passed, how lost she had gotten in the sculpture. She looked up from it and at Efret. Once she was able to grab her attention Ran spoke. “Master Farr, Thank you for running this workshop. It seems it’s provided me with a much needed moment of respite. I needed that.” It was true. Ran did need it. A lot had happened since her return to civilized space. Duty always called and Ran seldom went without an answer. She saw no end to that behavior in sight as the threat of war loomed over the galaxy.

“Is that why you sculpt, and why you write? For the calm it provides?” Ran questioned. She was curious. What fueled a woman like Efret Farr? Was it the calm, the importance of culture, or something else. As she listened to the translator and watched what signs she could, Ran also let her instincts and estimations guide her hands once again. Chipped marble fell, and with more finesse than before.

Efret Farr​

 

[Efret Farr]

When Efret looked from her own project—a bust of the late Temple Museum curator—to Ran, the master set down her chisel and hammer. She read Ran's lips as she approached the knight's workstation. "The calm," Efret agreed with a nod, "and the control."

She gave a somewhat melancholic smile. "I don't need to tell you what kind of galaxy we live in. One of the few things we can control is how we show up in it. Expressing oneself is power—one, in my opinion, as profound as the Force." She gazed up at the figure of Ular slowly emerging from the stone in the way she had seen beneath the surface when Ran had selected this slab. "Expressing another's self, to share or to remember, is a high honor."

She looked back to Ran, her own smile grateful and proud now. "One you've accepted today. I should be the one thanking you, Knight Serys."

Ran Serys​

 

[Ran Serys]

"Then we're both grateful." Ran smiled at the Master's words just as her communicator beeped an alarm. Duty called and her expertise was needed elsewhere on the planet. Ran gingerly rested the sculpting tools back down onto the workbench. She took a step back from the massive slab that would one day be the first and only statue of the Great Old Republic Jedi Ular Unil and studied it. She could feel the power in the sculpture, the honoring of a legacy. She began to understand what Efret meant about the power of expression, profound as much as the force, if not more. It was beautiful and something she struggled to consider with such a complicated past.

"I have enjoyed working on the sculpture today, and meeting you, Master Farr. I will be back over the next coming days and weeks to finish it, but for now I am needed elsewhere." She bowed. "I look forward to the next time we meet. May the force be with you." Ran declared before leaving the workshop, and returning to the ruined and recovered world outside the temple's halls.

Thread Exit

Efret Farr​