Private Waiting Behind a Stranger's Face

[Elijah Black]

It had been a long time since Zylah Dvale had set foot inside a Silver Jedi temple. The first time she had felt the familiar warmth of Jedi halls, yet she never got past feeling like a stranger. That feeling did not change with time, and Zylah once more withdrew. It seemed the path the Force had laid out for her was one she had to walk alone. So it had been ever since the fall of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Republic, and so it would continue. A rogue some might call her, though she still very much held to the ideals she had been brought up on. A Jedi without a surviving order, perhaps, but a Jedi nonetheless. There was nothing grey about her, nor any room for compromise the Code.

Ithor had become her home now, and so it had remained in secret. It had started as a safe refuge, but become much more. Decades had past since then, and much had changed. She had a daughter, Aisling Dvale , who was growing into a fine young Jedi. To be raised alone on Ithor was not right, even if she trusted Herron, Aisling's father. No, Aisling would be given an upbringing similar to Zylah's own. With the Jedi Order in ruins, it was the Silver Jedi who inherited the responsibility. Naturally, this drew Zylah to Silver space more so in the past. She wanted to check in on her daughter, for emotional support as well as practical advice, but also, she'd like to inspect the Silver Jedi up close, and get a better idea of the people Aisling were surrounded by.

Walking inside the Silver Temple on Commenor, Zylah stopped. Leaning against a nearby wall, she decided to watch as a lesson was coming to an end. It was hosted by a Jedi she did not recognise (Caedyn Arenais), and the Padawans he trained looked advanced. Probably they were getting close to their trials. He seemed to her a capable Jedi and a supportive spirit, balancing a kind spirit with stern demands well. That was not an easy thing to do.

The pale, silver-haired Arkanian-offshoot made her approach as the Padawans started to clear out. She wore the traditional Jedi robes, dark brown with tunics and under tunics of a lighter beige. Clipped to her belt was the elongated hilt of a lightsaber. The look she gave him was one of intrigued curiosity. "Hello there" she said, giving him a formal if slight bow, as she continued to introduce herself. "I am Zylah Dvale, Jedi Knight." He had already spotted her, she knew, so to walk away or remain lurking didn't seem prudent. "It looked like you taught them some nice moves." she complimented with a slow nod. "Good to see you Silvers look like you know what you're doing, most of the time" Was it a cheeky dig, or perhaps she simply wanted to test him and gauge his reaction for her own amusement. Perhaps it was neither. Her smile and the look in her eye was friendly enough.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"Good to see you Silvers look like you know what you're doing, most of the time".
​

Caedyn Arenais found himself being greeted by one Elijah Black , a fellow Jedi Knight of whom appeared to be a relatively new visitor to the Silver Temple, judging by her introduction. Her remark did not go unnoticed, however, neither did it strike Caedyn in any way other than being complimentary.

"I appreciate that Master Dvale" Caedyn replied to the Jedi Knight, referring to her by title for the sake of those students still slowly filing out of the classroom; "I do try to give them the best of my time" he added, sparing the last of the Padawan a glancing smile before returning his attention to the Jedi Knight before him.

"It's a pleasure, however," Caedyn soon bowed in proper acknowledgement, before introducing himself appropriately; "I'm Caedyn Arenais, a Jedi Knight here within the Order, myself" he smiled in friendly welcome.

While it wasn't as if Caedyn knew every Silver Jedi within the Order, or even a majority of them, Zylah's remark made towards the Order gave him the distinct impression that she might be well less familiar with the Silvers than what he was.

"Are you looking for anything in particular?" he asked, wondering if she had arrived at the end of the session in search of someone or something in particular.

(OOC: Apologies for the small post, as I am currently on limited connectivity away from home). ​

 

[Elijah Black]

"A pleasure, Master Arenais" she returned the gesture with a smile. "I am not a member of your order myself, though my daughter am." It wasn't much of a secret, though neither was it particularly valuable knowledge. "Padawan Aisling Dvale. Though you might not be familiar with her" Aisling kept much to herself. She was focused on bettering herself in training, and when not, well she seemed to gravitate more towards the military type than the Jedi. Zylah tried not to weigh in or influence her too much, but allow her daughter to find her own path.

"It has been a while, and I was hoping to catch up with her. But well, until then" she shrugged, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I have some time on my hands. I have been out of action a while, and I fear there might be rust growing on me." She gave a chuckle, before reaching within her robe to pull out the elongated hilt of her lightsaber. "Might I trouble you for a friendly exercise? If your Padawans have not exhausted you that is, and you have time to indulge one more student."

Caedyn Arenais

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Aisling Dvale...-The name certainly rang a familiar bell, however, Caedyn couldn't put a face to the name. The Academy there on Commenor was rather vast and hundreds came and went by the day, just like the Silver Rest back on Kashyyyk, making it difficult to recall every single student that he had the pleasure of meeting and teaching. An unfortunate fact that he'd have liked to be able to deny at that moment.

"Your daughters' name is certainly familiar" Caedyn replied with a gentle smile, "Though I'm afraid I haven't had a great deal of personal interaction with her, as far as I can recall, sorry" he admitted. Perhaps she had been on the attendants' list for one or two of his classes, yet he couldn't say with much confidence that he'd be able to pick her out within a crowd at all.

Elijah Black soon asked if he would be inclined to share in a sparring session with her, to which Caedyn gestured back to the classroom before them. A vast open floor where students and masters would often meet in the practice of the saber arts; "Might I ask where your experience has taken you before now?" Caedyn questioned as he walked toward the sparring mat alongside the woman, curious to know more about the fellow Jedi Knight whom he shared such company with.

 

[Elijah Black]

Zylah smiled and nodded, taking no offense in that he did not know her daughter. "There are many Jedi here, teachers and students alike. I don't expect you to know them all. Perhaps in time you will."

Zylah followed Caedyn Arenais, calmly taking in the serene scenery surrounding them as they walked. "I am... Was with the Jedi Order. Of the Galactic Republic, when it still stood." the nostalgia of the words hit her, but she transformed the sadness she felt into a smile, choosing instead to focus on the fond memories rather than what was lost. "I came out of the temples on Yavin IV and Ossus. I was the Padawan of Corvus Raaf, before it all collapsed. Since then I have been working on my own, though always upholding the Code and the ways in which I was brought up." She didn't think he'd expect such a detailed account, but it was no secret. Having known and been close to Master Raaf was something she was rather proud of, and grateful for.

They walked onto the floor of the vast class room, landing on the sparring mat he had guided her towards. "What about you? Have you taken on any Padawan?" she asked out of curiosity. Zylah had trained many, but never successfully brought up a Padawan to the rank of Knight. It was one of those things barring herself from calling herself a true Jedi Master, even if there was no longer a Jedi Council to officially promote her.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"My Father, Veiere, was with the Jedi of the Galactic Republic during his life before me. My Mother helped to reconnect him with the Jedi after a time away and he managed to serve under them until the Republic fell" Caedyn replied, the mutual connection being an obvious point of interest to him; "But my Sister and I were born later during their life on Commenor some years after that" he added, expressing his lack of experience with regards to the Republic itself. The name of her Master wasn't one that Caedyn had been familiar with either, though were it his father standing there, things would've been different as Corvus Raaf was a well known and fondly spoken of Jedi Master to many of his Dad's generation.

"Yavin and Ossus..." Caedyn echoed the names with a peculiar smile, "Both beautiful worlds and very famous locations known to the Jedi today. I never served in either world, though I've visited both briefly. You're fortunate to have experienced life within their era's" he spoke with a light tone, airing his thoughts and allowing his mind to follow, imagining what it might have been like back then.

"As for a Padawan..." Caedyn grinned, his mind moving to that of Kyra Perl ; "Yes I do have a Padawan of my own. I've taught a number of students. Classes and the like...-But it doesn't quite compare to the experience of serving alongside an apprentice. It's an experience that has certainly matured me faster than any other endeavour I've taken on in the Galaxy" he chuckled quietly, turning his eyes away for a moment in fond recollection.

"Her name is Kyra" he continued, turning back to Elijah Black , elaborating some further. "I didn't intend on taking an apprentice under my wing at the time but it was the request of the Silver Assembly that I consider her. Special circumstance, I'll put it that way. Honestly, my life would feel very empty without her" he added in complete honesty.