Private Welcome To Kestri

[Eliz Krayt]

He'd be heading back soon. Eliz slowly flexed his new mechanical fingers as he watched the snow fall around him. The Half Chiss was planning to leave the next day to head back to Gwyneira Vizsla and where she was hiding. Rehabilitation was almost over with, and he'd been avoiding talking with her for far too long. He frowned as he looked down to his holo device, playing her latest message. Her image flickered in his palm, the worry obvious in her face. Eliz, love, Jac'Eli'Zirem... Please, call me. Please. I'm really getting worried. Whatever is happening, please... I need you.

The young lad sighed as he clicked off the device to lean back in his seat. He was in a small park just outside the medical facility he'd been treated in. Dressed in little more than some jeans and a Tshirt, despite the falling snow. He was just used to the cold. And Kestri certainly didn't match how cold Csilla used to get. His faintly glowing red eyes closed as he leaned his head back, letting the fresh snow fall on his face. The picnic table he was at was already covered in a light dusting.

"Relationships are hard.."

Jenn Kryze

 

[Jenn Kryze]

Kestri was... a lot to take in for Jenn of Clan Kryze. So many people in the same place- real people, the kind that walked the path as she did. After so many years, she almost felt as if she could cry in relief at the realization that the ways of Mandalore would persist well after her passing, no matter the hardships her people faced. Jhira Mereel was right: therein lied the way to salvation, the promise of steadfast comradeship! If she managed to open up to them, that is.

The fact that some of them seemed more than glad to walk around without their beskar'gam covering them was... puzzling, to say the least. Still, she remained secretive and quiet as ever, preferring to keep her doubts to herself for now: spitting on the chance to reunite with the closest thing she had to kin was hardly a consideration for her. So it was that she paced about, drinking it all in silently... and stopped when she saw the boy, brows furrowed in confusion.

''Are you trying to catch a cold?'' asked the visitor sarcastically, arms crossed as she took in the vivid red of his eyes.

​

Eliz Krayt

 

[Eliz Krayt]

"Nah, too warm to catch a cold." Eliz lowered his gaze to the voice that spoke out. No, not a Beskar'gam he recognized. None the less, he dipped his head in greeting to Jenn Kryze . "Su cuy'gar, Vod. If you're a medic out here to tell me to get inside I just wanted to take a break from the hospital smell. If you're not, well. Come sit. Could use a distraction from.." The half Chiss raised his metallic arm in explanation for the sentence he didn't bother finishing.

"Eliz."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

''Can't tell if that's an accurate depiction of your physiology, or your mouth talking louder than your brain.'' As ever, Jenn was direct and to the point- perhaps a bit too direct, all things considered. Still, it was in her nature- something that drove her on in spite of how harsh it made her come across. ''I'm not a medic, no. Merely a... wanderer of sorts.'' She waved it off, all too aware of the long, long story that led to this moment- of her travels and tales of discovery. As he raised his metallic arm, she simply gave him a nod, sitting down next to him- although her body remained tense, on edge.

''Jenn.''

Eliz Krayt

 

[Eliz Krayt]

"Physiology, thankfully." Eliz couldn't help but snicker at Jenn Kryze 's bluntness. It was refreshing. Well, more just a sigh that she was certainly a Mandalorian. Folks never sugar coated things here on Kestri. The hybrid turned his gaze up to the falling snow again. "Chiss. I know, not blue. Half Chiss I suppose. Good to meet you though, Jenn." It was obvious the lad didn't mind sitting in silence, though even he could see just how tense the woman was.

"You're safe, you know. Here. Kestri is hidden from everyone but Vod."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

Raising an eyebrow at such a comment, Jenn basked in the glorious feeling of being clad in beskar'gam: without any way to see her face, she could keep her reactions hidden from others. A small grace from the ancestors, when it came to dealing with the complex matter of emotions. ''Couldn't tell. I've met humans with red eyes.'' She gave a shrug at that, visibly unconcerned by his alien nature. For a moment, she simply took in his words, inhaling sharply... and shook her head, knocking her fingers against her helmet.

''Who deserves to be called Vod is subjective, Eliz. Where I come from, vod don't remove this so long as they live. Makes trusting people a lot harder when I see the ancient ways ignored.''

Eliz Krayt

 

[Eliz Krayt]

"They might have red eyes, but do they glow?" Eliz waggled his eyebrows for a moment, turning his quite literally glowing eyes towards Jenn Kryze with a rather cheeky grin. Still, his grin faded after a moment. The ancient ways, huh? It wasn't a term he was familiar with, though there was little to the imagination as she mentioned the fact they'd never take off their helmet.

"My buir's armor was too large for me. It's why I lost my arm. I'm getting it reforged, though a lot of people don't usually stick to.. That ideal I guess. Times change quite a bit."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

A huff left her lips at that- a sign of amusement, revealing the comforting truth that she was more than a fearsome figure clad in that recognizable, infamous type of armor the Galaxy had come to respect.

''You survived'', declared the warrior simply. ''Survival grants wisdom- wisdom grants strength.'' The words were not her own, but she spoke with the same conviction her mother once showed. Staring into those glowing red eyes of his, she took the time to properly digest the meaning of his words, resting a hand over her heart after a moment of silence. ''Times change, but the old ways are a comforting truth in the dark. Were I to bare my face to another living being, I would bring ruin to everything my clan stood for.''

Eliz Krayt

 

[Eliz Krayt]

"That's.. A pretty good way to look at it." Survival grants wisdom. Like making sure his Beskar'gam actually fit him before he lost an arm. Again. Yeah, that wasn't something he was ever likely going to get used to thinking about. Still, there was something.. More to how Jenn Kryze was handling herself. Thus far, she'd seemed incredibly tense. And while she explained it.. There seemed to be something more.

"What clan are you from? I thought I'd of heard about it by now, a clan that has these old ways at least."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

That question had quite the effect on the warrior- she grew stiff, suddenly standing straight and at attention. It took her a little while to process the question and swallow down the fight-or-flight instinct that threatened to take over. Still, she felt somewhat... insulted by such a comment. Was her clan not known a cross the stars? Was their bravery not enough in the eyes of their distant cousins? Or were they simply too far gone to care, having strayed off the path as she had feared?

''Clan Kryze. Ours is an ancient and noble history, traced all the way back to the early days of Mandalore.'' She paused, turning away from his eyes to look towards the sky, focused on her breathing. ''I am all that remains of our people, now.''

Eliz Krayt

 

[Eliz Krayt]

"Kryze. Alright." No, he couldn't say he heard of the clan. But at the same time the Half Chiss was still learning quite a bit about the various clans. His training, his learning of the Resol'nare, it wasn't among Vod. Only his buir. But the fall of a clan. Being the only survivor.. "My mother was Caldera. My father was on his way to join the Mandalorians when the Sith betrayed them. My sister and I were born, and my mother died fighting the Sith shortly after. Most of the Caldera died, then. My father joined Clan Krayt to give us a place to learn. Then the Maw came to Chiss space. Him and I went there to fight. He died. Leaving me and my sister as the only Caldera. She's not a Mandalorian, not like me. Being the last of the Clan.. I get that, is all I mean."

Huh. When was the last time he'd actually rambled on like that? He chuckled a bit, glancing to Jenn Kryze . "They might not follow the same beliefs as you do, but they are all Vod. All who pass their Verd'goten are. You can trust them."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

The proud heir of Clan Kryze's legacy listened quietly as Eliz spoke of the fate of his own clan- and, by extension, that of his family. Wherever she went, the same tales were heard: insurmountable loss, and ignoble tragedy. Betrayal doomed her people to this sorry existence- hiding like rats, sifting through the ruins of what they once were. Hearing of the downfall of another clan made her blood boil.

''Were it so easy'', came the warrior's reply, laconic as ever. The very act of speaking was... hard. As if the notion was unnatural for her- difficult to properly grasp at the worst of times.

Eliz Krayt

 

[Eliz Krayt]

"It can be just that easy. You just need to open up." Like he was one to talk. His gaze drifted to his holocom again as he spun it slowly between his fingers. Yeah. He really should get back to Gwyn before he delayed any longer. "So, Vod, tell me more about you. I could use a distraction, you know. Help a poor cripple out." He lifted his arm, the metal one, flashing a brief grin. It was better for him to just..

Ignore what was actually wrong.

Jenn Kryze

 

[Jenn Kryze]

No reply left the beskar-clad warrior at that, ruminating on her shortcomings once more. Ignorance is bliss, and she suddenly found herself filled with misery as she realized that she was perceptive enough to notice that something was wrong with her- and yet, she proved incapable to solve whatever festered in her soul. Quietly watching the young hybrid as he fiddled with his holocom, she picked up on his own unspoken troubles, wisely deciding that such matters were his to face, not hers.

''There is little to say about me'', answered the girl quickly- perhaps a bit too quickly. Still, there was confidence behind her words, if not... a touch of resignation. ''I am a warrior. I pledge my service to the cause of the just, and leave the rest dead in the mud.''

It was a well-rehearsed response to a question often asked by those who managed to get close enough. It was... only half of the truth, too. The longing she felt remained out of her grasp, and each passing day left her feeling lesser and lesser without that which she chased as once chases the moon.

Eliz Krayt

 

[Eliz Krayt]

"All business, huh? I get that." It wasn't much of a distraction, but it wasn't too surprising. Jenn Kryze was no different than he was before Gwyn. .. Ah, yeah. There he goes again, thinking about his troubles. He frowned, not bothering to hide it. If the other Mandalorian cared or not, he didn't mind. The point was to distract him from his problems after all. "You can stay in your armor, vod. But if you don't open up, you'll be alone. We're not built to be alone."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

''Not so, Eliz. I am merely... aware of my purpose in this galaxy.'' She tapped her hand against the impossibly elegant revolver at her side at that, giving him an upnod. ''My purpose is to wage bloody war, as was the purpose of those who wore this hallowed armor before me. There is... a great deal of comfort, in knowing that you walk in the footsteps of heroes.'' Realizing just how talkative she'd suddenly got, the Mandalorian abruptly stood back up, packing about in the snow- even as her eyes remained fixated on the hybrid's every change of expression.

''Apply thine wisdom to thine own self, 'lest you think to lecture me, vod.'' Slightly irritated, she slipped back into the dialect of her clan- something that was, for all intents and purposes, rather ancient and ceremonious.

Eliz Krayt

 

[Eliz Krayt]

Oh. Eliz blinked rapidly in surprise as he watched Jenn Kryze stand up. Had he hit a sore spot? No, just.. Something important to her. He stayed where he was, arms resting atop the table behind him as he leaned against it. "I'm not looking to pick a fight, Jenn. Being alone sucks is all." Then he stood, slowly stretching his arms before glancing to the metal one again. Right.

"Vod lookout for Vod."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

''Yes. Yes, being alone is a terrible thing. It eats away at you every passing day- it makes you lesser than what you are, and drives you to ignoble acts once you are too far gone.'' Well, pouring her heart out to a stranger was hardly how she saw her day going- doing so with someone that failed to adhere to the true ways, even less so. Still, the warrior's laconic replies were put aside, if only for a time... and the hunter's perception was brought to light as she pointed towards Eliz Krayt 's holocom.

''A fate you would do well to avoid, vod.''

 

[Eliz Krayt]

"Ah, yeah." Eliz turned his gaze to the holocom, his smile far more embarrassed. "I thought I was doing better about hiding that. Guess it's different when I don't have my own buy'ce, huh." Right. Beskar'gam made it easy to hide how he was feeling. He turned the device over between his fingers, the smile turning far more.. Sad. "Kestri is a world only for Vod. She's learning, but she's not Vod. Not yet. If she saw.." He raised the metal arm, not bothering to finish the sentence.

"She's too damn smart. I'm sure she'd find a way to trace the call and make her way here if she knew."

 

[Jenn Kryze]

"Your buy'ce could not hide your truth from the eyes of the hunter. You love her." Her words were clearly meant as a statement- there was finality in her voice, a conclusion drawn through careful observation. For a moment, Jenn remained quiet, looking the hybrid over with the absolute impunity granted to her by a lifetime spent in her beskar'gam. "Love is a powerful thing, Eliz- it should be cherished and held dear. You are right to hide the location of this haven from her- just as you are wrong to hide what happened to you as well."

"Life is but a series of trials. I commend you for putting your duty to your fellow vod before matters of the heart."

Eliz Krayt