Private White Lies

[Makko Vyres]

Valery Noble Corazona von Ascania

The temple, it turned out, had plenty of quiet corridors that were barely walked. When other padawans were in class and there was free time for them, they found that many corridors were not well trodden.

Makko had been paying more attention to his studies. Most of the time. The experience with the Drengir and conversations with Starlin have given Makko a renewed focus.

Cora, however, was exceptionally capable of stealing that focus away.

Makko leaned back and took in a deep breath. He looked back down the corridor, certain he had seen something move out of the corner of his eyes. There was nobody there.

"So... you've got sparring practise for two hours next...but then I have some personal tutoring on telekenisis and then you've got time with Master Noble," he listed. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow morning then," Makko said. Makko grabbed Cora's hand, peeled her from the wall and offered a hasty goodbye.

Some days were like this. Stolen moments. It was still better than no time at all.

They would go their separate ways and go back to padawan duties. His struggles with affecting the real world around him continued. He was starting to learn the blade and could sense people and their feelings, but just lifting a small rock was still evading him.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora listened to Makko list out their respective remaining tasks for the day.

Only she wasn't really listening as much as she was gazing at him with a stupid, dreamy smile. Maybe she just liked the sound of his voice.

"Yeah," She agreed on a breathy exhale, quickly clearing her throat so that her tone would be more even. "Tomorrow morning."

There was an edge of letdown in her voice. Tomorrow morning seemed so far away.

Leaning forward, she pressed her lips to his own, momentarily chasing away the disappointment with a kiss. Cora would have lingered, but she didn't want to risk them being seen.

"Let me know how the telekinesis practice goes?” She murmured, squeezing his hand.

They reluctantly parted, each going their separate way down the hall. Before heading to the training grounds, Cora stopped at the refresher to splash some cool water onto her face. Maybe that would help dissolve the flush of red on pale skin.

Valery Noble Makko Vyres

 

[Valery Noble]

NJO Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link
Appearance: Link
Tag: Makko Vyres Corazona von Ascania

Class time was over.

With her datapad hugged against her chest, Vera walked through Temple hallways to head to the cantina. It was time for lunch, and her mother had prepared her favorite meal for her! But somewhere along the way, something somehow was able to distract her from the idea of snacking.

She felt Cora.

Immediately, she picked up her pace and began to hop over in the Padawan's direction... only to spot her with someone else in a smaller corridor. Seeing Makko Vyres ' head turn a second before it actually did, Vera jumped back behind the wall and waited for a moment. Slooowly, she soon peaked around the corner like a cat checking whether or not the vacuum cleaner had disappeared, and that's when it happened.

They kissed.

"Ewwwww!"

Without wasting a second, she turned around and ran off, not wanting them to see her. She took several strange turns to avoid being chased and decided it was best to just head back for the cantina. Her mother's lunch sounded a lot better all of a sudden.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Sparring practice had passed quickly, and after a quick shower Cora headed to Valery's for lunch. Her Master had invited her earlier in the day, and Cora never refused one of her meals—they were far tastier than what was served in the cafeteria.

When they were afforded the extra time, the Padawan would help to prepare the food as well. It was really, in essence, another lesson. Growing up on a vast estate, Cora had never cooked for herself before. Her first time boiling a pot of water had somehow ended in flames.

Fortunately, Valery was patient and had been able to teach her how to properly construct a few basic side dishes.

"Sorry I'm late!"

Entering the small apartment, Cora paced into the kitchen with a sheepish smile. She rolled her shoulder back, bracing it with the opposite hand.

"I took a pretty hard blow during practice and had to get checked out at the medbay." Fortunately, she ended up with nothing more serious than an ugly bruise.

It didn't seem to dampen Cora's perky spirits, either.

"Is there anything that I can help with?" Raising to her tiptoes, she tried to peer over Valery's shoulder.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

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Outfit: CASUAL
Appearance: Link
Tag: Makko Vyres Corazona von Ascania

As Cora entered the apartment, she'd be able to hear Valery humming a melody. It's the same one she always hummed whenever she was cooking, cleaning, or doing something that required little thought. For some reason, it also seemed to have a calming effect on Vera, who was sitting at the dinner table and just looked over at her mom.

Or maybe it was the smell of lunch coming together.

"It's quite alright and-" She looked over her shoulder to raise an eyebrow, "I'm glad you got it checked out but please be careful with training," she said with a soft smile before she gestured at the table. "I'm just finishing up the eggs and bacon, but I'm not planning on anything else that needs to be cooked."

"So take a seat and make yourself comfortable."

If she did, the second she turned around she would notice Vera staring at her. The little Noble's eyes were just a tad bit wider, and she followed Cora like a hawk until she sat down.

"Hey Cora," Vera finally said, now with a smile returning again.

"Is he coming too?"

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora rubbed the back of her head, still a little bashful.

"Of course, Master. I overextended a strike, which left me open."

It was a mistake she tended to make when distracted, but something she was working on. Typically Cora felt more frustration with her errors, but today she didn't seem as bothered.

Settling at the table, she offered Vera a smile. A smile which suddenly turned tight. The Padawan's eyes dilated in surprise.

A few beats passed, during which Cora's mind went from relaxed to overdrive.

Did she- how- she couldn't have seen-

"Oh, you mean my sparring partner? I'm afraid I didn't invite them today." Cora laughed quickly, moving on from the fact that she'd been training with Yuri, another female Padawan.

"Say, Vera, how were your lessons today? What was your favorite part?"

Hopefully that would distract the five year old from whatever she thought she saw.

Valery Noble (in the distance Makko Vyres )

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

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Tag: Corazona von Ascania Makko Vyres

Vera blinked and kept her eyes fixed on Cora.

"Nuh uh, the boy," she clarified, and Valery overheard her say it. She looked over her shoulder, grinned a little, and walked over with some plates already. "Her friend is coming over to join us later, Vera. I didn't know you saw visions related to Cora too." Valery said in an attempt to save Cora from Vera's wrath a little.

Her motherly instincts told her Vera was trying to say something. Something she was already suspecting a little.

Vera just remained quiet, mostly because the food was immensely distracting. Sadly, she knew that she couldn't snack on it until everybody was seated and ready to eat.

"Speaking of which, he should be here soon too. I kept the door open so he should be able to walk in and join us. But we can already start eating."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora felt like she'd been struck by lighting. Every nerve in her body seized at the same time that every neuron in her brain fired, but she couldn't put together a single, coherent thought.

Instead she sat there, rigid, that ever-so-polite smile frozen onto her face.

Visions? What?? Did she see— no, that's—what??

"Th-the food sure smells wonderful, Master."

She managed to croak something out. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face. Cora didn't move an inch. The Padawan tried to play it cool, but she was clearly unnerved.

"I…didn't know that you were having another guest today."

She abruptly stood, lacking her usual grace.

"You know, I'm actually not feeling quite well today—it might be for the best if I returned to my dorm to lay down."

Valery Noble Makko Vyres

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

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Outfit: CASUAL
Appearance: Link
Tag: Corazona von Ascania Makko Vyres

"Oh, I'm glad you like it!" Valery said with a warm smile to conceal the otherwise growing grin. She wasn't actually going to call her Padawan out on anything — she wanted Cora to be comfortable about talking to her. But she was definitely going to tease her the way she had also teased Silas Westgard about his girlfriend.

She loved these little games.

Then Cora mentioned her surprise, and Valery blinked. "I didn't? Oh, I'm sorry but he's a friend of yours, right? So I hope it's not a problem?" she asked with a complete poker face. Perhaps playing oblivious only made things worse, but there was just no way that Valery would pass up on this opportunity to tease.

"You know, I'm actually not feeling quite well today—it might be for the best if I returned to my dorm to lay down."

"Nuh uh, she's lyi-"

"I'm sorry to hear that," Valery said to interrupt Vera, who looked at her mother with confusion in her multi-colored eyes. Oh well, it was time for lunch anyway, so Vera quickly reached for her eggs and bacon, and began to enjoy her food.

"But if you're not feeling well, I must insist that you stay here. You can lie down on the couch or the bed in our guest room. I'd rather not have you travel if you're sick. I can bring you to the Temple later."

 

[Makko Vyres]

Makko was sat in his room. On the small table in front of him was an ordinary lump of rock. Or as he knew it:

His nemesis

"Why won't you move?" he muttered under his breath, realising he was talking to a rock.

He had started the evening feeling slightly frustrated, but that sense had been redirected into his studies.

Other people could lift boulders with their mind. He had once made a pebble jitter.

His datapad beeped and Makko took any excuse to turn away from his nemesis.

"One day," he muttered.

It was with some surprise that he found a message from Master Noble.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora couldn't help the sharp look of indignation she sent to the five-year old who'd almost given her away.

Then again, it seemed like she'd already given herself away before even setting foot inside the Noble's apartment.

"I…suppose I shall stay here, then." The Padawan murmured with forced politeness, settling back down into her seat.

"Of course, you are allowed to invite anyone you wish into your own home, Master Noble."

Cora reached out stiffly towards the plate and retrieved a strip of bacon. She nibbled from it in an attempt to seem relatively normal. Which was hard when you felt like a mouse caught between two cats.

"Which…friend of mine is this that you've invited?"

She hoped to Ashla that this was just an innocuous invitation extended to one of her Padawan friends that happened to be male. Cora was very social, but she'd been more social with one person in particular as of late.

Valery Noble Makko Vyres

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

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Outfit: CASUAL
Appearance: Link
Tag: Corazona von Ascania Makko Vyres

"I know, but I should have at least told you as well," Valery said before she reached for her glass of water to take a sip. Right as Cora asked her who she had invited over. She lowered her glass again to respond, but before she could, Vera looked up and she had caught the way Cora glared at her. It was time for revenge.

"The boy you were kissing in the hallway," she said bluntly, but with a smile that bordered between innocence and Noble mischief.

Valery immediately spat out her water over the table in response, and couldn't stop herself from just briefly laughing while she still choked on her drink. "Oh my..." she looked between Vera and Cora for a moment, hoping that this wasn't going to make the whole situation worse.

It probably would.

"But uh, yeah... I invited Makko because I thought you two were good friends." Valery smiled a little sheepishly, realizing that it was a lot more than just friendship.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"The boy you were kissing in the hallway,"

Valery spit out her water at the exact same time Cora had. Instead of hitting the table, her head had been angled down so she'd ended up dribbling over herself.

Cora's sleeve came up to quickly press against her lips while she stared at Vera with impossibly wide eyes. She adored the child, but in this moment she wanted to stuff her into a closet.

The urge to crawl beneath the table and pray for the immediate heat death of the universe was strong.

"That was…just a…friendship? kiss…" She murmured into her sleeve, trying to somehow make this right. A wave of anxious heat had overtaken her, and Cora was suddenly red from her forehead to her chest. The Padawan knew that they weren't going to buy it.

"How did you even…we were careful to…"

Cora was not very good at resisting interrogation. Especially when it involved her kissing someone.

Grabbing a napkin, she dabbed at her shirt nervously, finding it impossible to even look in Valery's direction.

"Am I…are we in trouble? Is that why you invited him here?"

She paused. Oh Ashla, Valery had invited him here.

Which meant that this torturous conversation would continue with Makko here, soon.

The heat death of the universe could not come soon enough.

Valery Noble Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

"Erm, knock knock?"

Makko stood just beyond the open door.

He'd heard Cora's voice as he approached. He couldn't think why Master Noble would want to see him now.

She was, he supposed, the person who had asked him to join the order. Some hopeful part of him thought that she could just be checking in on him.

Valery Noble Corazona von Ascania

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

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Outfit: CASUAL
Appearance: Link
Tag: Corazona von Ascania Makko Vyres

Vera looked and smiled innocently in Cora's direction after she had spit water into her own lap. It made it hard to tell whether she was actually oblivious to what she was doing, or whether she was enjoying Cora's suffering right now. If anything, all of this confirmed she was very much like her mother.

"That was…just a…friendship? kiss…"

"Nuh uh," Vera said again. "I saw them."

"Vera," Valery warned her little star. "Don't make Cora uncomfortable." She looked at Cora, who now believed to be in trouble. But Valery would never punish any of her Padawans by embarrassing them. She'd tease and try to laugh with them about these things, but she never wanted them to feel uncomfortable or stressed over personal matters.

"No, you're not in trouble, Cora. I'm actually quite happy for you. He's a-" she was interrupted by knocking on the door and turned around to look over.

"He's heeeere." Vera giggled and Valery just gave up with a sigh.

She then walked over to the door, opened it up further, and held up her arm to gesture for him to come inside, "Hey Makko, it's good to see you again. Please, join us. We were about to have lunch together."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora's eyes tightened on Vera, lips pursing and leaning forward as if she were about to challenge the five year old. Fortunately, Valery interjected before either of them could make things worse.

Sitting back in her chair, the flustered Padawan searched Valery's face—her Master wasn't upset, but clearly amused at how things were unfolding. She felt herself begin to relax, if only slightly.

The knock at the door had her shoulders stiffening. Panic surged right back through her, and Cora slowly turned her head to Makko as he entered the apartment.

"Hey," She squeaked out, nearly all of her visible skin flushed tomato red. It was an attempt to sound cool and even, but her voice cracked awkwardly. Makko had always been better at holding his nerve than she was.

Run, her eyes said.

Valery Noble Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

"Hey?" Makko replied.

His gaze went from Cora to Master Noble to the young girl and back to Cora. He looked very much like a deer in the headlights.

There was a tension in the air. He tentatively reached out towards Cora, through the bond that they had formed. He drew his senses back, realising that a Jedi Master would probably be able to sense it.

One eyebrow quirked upwards, barely perceptible. Cora was nervous. He did not need the Force to know that.

He smiled as Master Noble and walked in to take the seat next to Cora.

"Lunch, that would be nice."

He had a better sabacc face than Cora.

 

[Valery Noble]

Coruscant

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Outfit: CASUAL
Appearance: Link
Tag: Corazona von Ascania Makko Vyres

Valery looked between Cora and Makko with a smile. She could instantly tell there was something more than friendship between them. Makko was decent at hiding it, but Cora was blushing like a schoolgirl and exposed every emotion she felt through the Force. Or perhaps it was just the bond between Master and Padawan making it so easy to read her.

"Hello, Makko!" Vera chimed in without any nervousness. "The bacon is yum," she then added innocently.

Valery chuckled and joined them at the table, her eyes shifting between the couple and even her daughter. It was only a matter of time until Vera continued what she had started, but she hoped to open with a simpler conversation. "So Cora, I'm not sure if you know this, but I met Makko a while ago when he wasn't actually being trained here as Jedi yet. So I was wanting to check in on him, and figured this would be a good moment since you two seem to be close."

Vera giggled.

"Mm-hmm.." she hummed.

Valery rolled her eyes and looked back at Cora, "How did you two meet? During classes or training?"

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Makko took a seat next to her. His presence was simultaneously comforting, but it also made her anxious to have him in the same room as Valery and Vera and their mischevious glances. Glancing surreptitiously from the corner of her eyes, she gave him a very small smile.

At least now she wouldn't have to take on the Nobles alone.

It took nearly all of Cora's strength to simply nod along with her Master. "Yes, he had mentioned meeting you." She croaked out, quickly clearing her throat. Cora had assumed that their meeting had taken place on Denon, not after Makko had arrive at the temple.

The Padawan stared down at the half-eaten slice of bacon she'd been nibbling on. The urge to reach for Makko's hand was strong, but she kept her hands to herself out of decorum.

"O-oh-"

They were dancing around this. Circling like predators. Cora swallowed thickly, despite not having anything in her mouth. She looked to Makko, this time more openly before turning back to Valery.

"The cafeteria, actually." There was a pause, Cora's mouth lingering opening as she thought best how to phrase their actual meeting. "We were, uh-- we didn't exactly see eye to eye back then."

They'd fought over a pudding.

Valery Noble Makko Vyres

 

[Makko Vyres]

"She tried to tell me off for taking two puddings," Makko replied.

"She tried to make out it was something about my behaviour. Actually, she was just upset that I got the last chocolate one."

Makko only met Cora's eyes briefly and offered everyone a small smirk. This was starting to feel like one of the many times he'd been taking into a police station for questioning and he was on the defensive.

"And hello there!" Makko said to Vera. "I'm sorry I don't know your name!"