Private Your Heart Is a Muscle The Size of a Fist [THP]

[Klar]

✦ Odessen, 13:19 ✦

Klar hadn't been sure what to make of the Hidden Path rebellion after Valery's meeting, and that remained the case. The Alliance had been damaged, the NJO had been suckerpunched, but she couldn't help but feel that the resulting schism and skullduggery was almost as harmful to the cause of saving lives and democracy as the attack had been. Maybe not now, but in the long run? How could the people of Coruscant put their faith in the Jedi again? How could the people who'd attended that meeting reconcile the lofty ideals of democracy and unity with going around the defensive structures of that democracy the moment it was tested and failed?

Every person had to come up with their own answers. Klar was still working hers out. But what she DID know was that any war or rebellion tended to hurt the weakest members of any given society much, much worse than anyone in power liked to admit. The elderly, children, the disadvantaged and disabled - people already struggling to get by tended to fall through the cracks the moment things turned bad. So she'd made it her mission to check in and provide what care and aid she could. Not as a Padawan, not as a Jedi, but simply as someone who didn't mind getting her hands dirty and had a good rapport with kids.

Some of the younglings from the temple had been evacuated to Odessen. How could they be expected to understand what was going on?

Klar had spent the better part of a day going around the camp taking count, checking in. The bulk of her energy went into making sure that every kid had enough to eat, that they'd been looked at by a doctor, that they had a blanket and a roof. Knowing who was where was important. It meant reconnecting families, rebuilding support networks. It meant doggedly refusing to let any young soul fall off of the side of the galaxy as long as they were within Klar's reach.

Of course, Klar wasn't the only person, or Jedi, doing such things. And with her broken arm and wounded leg, there was only so much she could do. But she'd gladly do it until she collapsed.

Her circuit took her today to a small tent, with the midday sun hanging bright overhead. The canopy broke up the heat a little, though it remained unpleasantly muggy. Klar checked her datapad before tucking it under her arm, tapping a finger against one of the flaps. "Knock knock. Jedi Padawan Klar, looking for Jane?" She called out hopefully. "Do you have a minute? ...I've got snacks." The Codru-Ji promised.

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[Jane]

Outfit: Jedi Robes and Armor
Inventory: Jedi Training Lightsaber, pouches with seeds, standard Jedi equipment.
Tag: Klar

Location: Odessen, Rebellion Camp

---

After Valery's meeting, Jane was quickly assigned her own small tent, which she shared with another Jedi Learner. Her 'roommate', however, was not very talkative and only entered the tent to sleep at night, which suited her perfectly. It meant she could get somewhat comfortable and try to learn how to utilize her datapad. It was far too large for her small fingers, and electronics seemed like witchcraft to her, but they weren't in a position where she could simply get one for smaller beings like herself. So she made do by tapping the screen with one finger at a time. It wasn't much, but it was enough to allow her to try to understand the device.

And so while she waited for intel to begin moving for the civilian rescue effort, she studied her datapad or spoke with other Jedi and rebels.

By the time Jane heard the tapping on the flap and the friendly 'knock knock', she was seated on the floor with her back against the bed, the datapad in her hands and a large blanket across her shoulders. Her body's severely damaged receptors prevented her from feeling either cold or warm, yet the blanket felt reassuring, sheltering her in a sense. As if it could protect her from the images of Coruscant burning whenever she went to sleep.

Jane's pitch black cybernetic eyes moved away from her datapad and toward the opening of her tent. She didn't need the snacks to let the Padawan in, but the mention reminded her she hadn't eaten yet. And when she stopped to pay close attention to how her body felt, she noticed her stomach growling. Plus, the Padawan had introduced herself, so she was no longer a stranger.

"Hello, I am here. You can enter."

By the time Klar entered the tent, Jane had shut off her datapad and rested it on her thighs, her scarred fingers neatly folded on top, her expressionless gaze fixed on the Padawan. She had never seen anyone with four arms before, but she immediately decided it was cool.

"Are you here to be friends?"

 

[Klar]

"I'm absolutely here to be friends." Klar promised warmly, letting herself into the tent. She took a quick look around, making a mental note of the state of things. Two kids to a tent. Cots, blankets, things to do. The situation already looked promising. "Almost looks cozy in here!"

She'd had a glance at Jane's file before coming in, of course. The amnesia, the horrific injuries, a noted preference for clear social expectations and respected boundaries. Klar perhaps wasn't qualified to handle most of those issues. She was barely twenty, still learning things herself. But the war was forcing all of them to cross some lines and try on new hats. She could do no less than her best. The kids deserved nothing less than her most earnest effort.

Klar set her bag on the floor, followed by herself. She set her bag aside, clasp open. "I've got... mountain mix, a bit of jerky, two halves of a cutlet sandwich and a couple of peanut butter cookies, if any of those spark your fancy." The blonde explained cheerfully, tugging out a thermos. She gave the sealed cylinder a jaunty spin in her palm before tossing it to the opposite hand with a wink, grinning. "And tea. It wouldn't be a friendly meeting without a hot drink, I feel. If you prefer caf or juice, I'll bring some next time. Jedi's honor." Klar sealed the oath by saluting, putting a hand over her heart, and making a one-handed prayer gesture simultaneously - a visual gag to break the ice.

The Codru-ji was a flurrty of activity, her three good arms working in elaborate harmony - putting on a show, in a way. A towel down to contain mess, a couple small dishes with snacks in them, two steaming cups of black tea and a bit of honey to sweeten it with if desired. Compared to the comforts of the Jedi temple, it was almost pathetic. Klar had only been able to obtain the mountain mix for these check-ins, she'd had to go out of her way to barter for or make the rest. But it was important to have options. Kids opened up when you involved food, and she was unwilling to risk the chance that she failed to establish a rapport because some bureaucrat had only seen fit to issue her project a jar of trail mix and some well-intentioned rhetoric.

She'd spent a solid portion of last night picking a third of the nuts out of the mix to make the cookies with, and had scavenged the honey from a nest the groundsmen had cleared away for both cookies and tea. Chit was dire out here.

Beaming with pride, Klar motioned to their impromptu tea party while cradling her cup. "Help yourself." She invited. "How've you been settling in, Jane ? Weathering the humidity better than me, I hope!"