A Long Way From Home

[Damien Sinan]

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The old arena on the planet of Yavin IV was particularly rainy today.​

Damien always enjoyed meditating in the most unusual of places. It always soothed him, especially if it was raining. The peaceful rain made it easier to focus on his meditation. He looked down, the durasteel mask looking upon his lightsaber. The rain formed droplets on it, said droplets gliding from the weapon to the ground.​

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[- [member="Joza Perl"] -]

​

 

[Joza Perl]

The jungle-like atmosphere of Yavin IV reminded Joza vaguely of the forests on Dathomir that she and Nikias spent hours trudging through. The two planets were more different than similar, she’d come to find—the low hum of the darkside was not to be found on Yavin’s moon, and for that she was grateful.

The Zeltron would meander around the remains of the old temples, idly noting the damage from battle’s past. Oddly enough, she wore the typical brown Jedi robes she felt unfit to don—something she’d not worn since her Padawan days. Her hair was pulled back as well, her face devoid of its usual makeup that she typically used to cover the facial scare that bothered her. Vanity was in her nature, after all.

The atmosphere was calm and steady as the rain fell, something that helped the young Jedi to clear her mind. She typically did not travel alone, but found herself doing so more these days as it helped her gain perspective. She was broken from her thoughts when she spotted a figure clan in dark clothes, the mask on his face sending an instinctive prickling of warning through her skin, and another at spotting the saber hilt.

Still, she did not sense any malice around the figure and approached, dipping her head in greeting as she did so and stopping only a few meters away. “Do you mind if I join you in your meditations?”

[member="Damien Sinan"]

 

[Damien Sinan]

The first thing that interrupted his meditation was footfalls that he heard from the afar steps. The second: a voice. It wasn't a simple voice that came from out of the blue, but a soft, soothing one, almost as soothing as the rain. He immediately registered it as female.

Damien took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling. What should he do? And why did she ask to medi-

Then it hit him. He sensed that she was force sensitive, and a strong one at that. Much stronger than him. He enjoyed solitary most of the time, but he wouldn't mind if another person meditated with him. She didn't have a dark feeling to her, so she was alright with him.

He looked up to the woman, noticing her light pink flesh. So she's a Zeltron... He nodded to her, motioning her to the empty spot on his left.

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Green eyes flickered as she watched the masked figure carefully, her posture reflecting that of a peaceful Jedi, though she felt anything but. Pushing her mistakes to the side for now, she closed the distance between them and swiftly took up the offered space.

Sitting cross-legged, Joza inhaled slowly and wrinkled her nose—an indication of her distaste for the humid air. But she made no snarky comment, having chosen Yavin as a place to explore and hopefully find peace from the desires that burned her flesh. Exhaling audibly, she glanced over at the man for an appreciative moment. He didn’t know who she was or what she was like, what she was slowly becoming known for. It didn’t matter if others didn’t see what went on behind the curtains, she still felt…impure.

The gentle sound of rainfall filled the void between them before she spoke up again. Her voice was soft and unobtrusive, almost apologetic as if she disturbed him from a meditative trance. “I am Joza Perl…Knight of the Silver Sanctum Coalition.” She hesitated for a moment, choosing to leave Jedi out of her introduction, though her alignment could be gleaned from the standard robes she wore. “Can I ask what you're doing here...?” Her voice dropped to imply that she did not know his name. The Zeltron tilted her head to look at him fully, eyes flickering from the mask to his saber hilt, then back again.

[member="Damien Sinan"]

 

[Damien Sinan]

Damien noted the softness in her voice. It seemed almost apologetic, but what should she be apologizing for? The woman had done nothing wrong... so far.

Silence was kept for what seemed like an eternity, until he decided to break the silence. "Damien Sinan. Grey Jedi. Always a pleasure to see a new face." He took heed of her second set of words, answering the question. "Is it not obvious?"

He hoped his mask hadn't made his voice too menacing. He had been meaning to remove the voice modulator for a long while, but never got around to it. After he spoke, he finally noticed that she was eyeballing both his saber and his mask. "Do I seem threatening? If so, I do apologize."


[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

A small smile tickled her lips, and she shook her head softly. It wasn’t often that she appeared as…nonabrasive as she did now, but she supposed that she was just in the right state of mind. She held back a snippy comment at him asking if his intentions on Yavin were not obvious, though a flicker of amusement passed through her eyes.

“Sometimes intentions are not always obvious, Damien.” She spoke airily with a wave of her hand, though there was no accusatory tone in her voice. Joza held back a cringe after she realized what she’d said, finding her words to be pseudo-sage like. In her mind, she was nothing more than a hussy with a lightsaber.

“Ah…” She shook her head again at his final words. “No, you do not. But…” she pointed towards him with her index finger. “I have met threats that weren’t so threatening before. If that makes sense.” And then, in typical Zeltron fashion, she winked. Maybe it was to put a tone of ease between them, maybe she was just being a Zeltron. “If I may ask…” She placed both hands behind her, leaning her weight back onto them. “…why did you pick that mask, specifically?” It actually sort of scared her, but she was tactful enough not to go prodding into why he wore it in the first place. People had their reasons, and generally those who covered theirs with a mask had a pretty good reason.

[member="Damien Sinan"]

 

[Damien Sinan]

(Sorry this is short)

Damien got lost in thought before answering her question. "I chose it, because it was given to me by an opponent during a saber duel... he is also part of the reason I wear it."

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

“I see.” The Zeltron nodded in understanding. He reminded her of Knight Mullarus, a former Sith turned Silver Jedi. He too had worn a mask when they’d first met during her earlier days as an apprentice, and the man had made an impact on her. Krux had used it to hide the dark side corruption on his face, and she vaguely wondered what Damien was hiding, but would not press him. “It’s a little scary.” She commented offhand.

“Do you belong to an order, Gray Jedi Damien?”

[member="Damien Sinan"]

 

[Damien Sinan]

Damien looked up to her once more, listening in on her comment on his mask. Is it really that threatening? "It did belong to a Sith Knight, after all." He hoped that would make things a little better.

He got lost in thought once more before a question struck his ears. He'd never join an order... not after the incident. "No. No I do not."

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

“A Sith Knight?” Joza whistled lowly, fighting back the slow smile that was trying to form on her face. “I see. Don’t worry, I’m not suspicious of you or anything. Just curious.” She flashed him a toothy smile, relaxing her weight back onto her hands even further. It made her appear…a little lazy.

“You must be pretty good to take down a Sith Knight. What’s your favorite way to fight? I practice Makashi and Soresu myself. Graceful and swift, just like a dancer.”

[member="Damien Sinan"]

 

[Damien Sinan]

Makashi. It was Damien's favorite saber form, along with Ataru. "I practice Makashi and Ataru. Fluid motion is key to survival. Both your body and your saber should be moving often. The saber is an extension of yourself, after all."

He would partially zone himself out, making sure to listen on to the Zeltron's questions and attempt to answer them.

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

A slow smile curved Joza’s lips at listening to him speak. “That’s a very similar philosophy I ascribe to, Damien. Perhaps it is because fluidity of movement comes natural to me as a dancer, but it is how I fight.” She closed her eyes for a brief moment to let the rain patter gently on her face. She’d been so anxious as of late, and now she was feeling strangely at peace.

“Where did you learn Makashi and Ataru anyhow if you don’t belong to an order, Grey Jedi? Do you have a rogue Master?”

[member="Damien Sinan"]

 

[Damien Sinan]

Damien let out an almost exhausted sigh, clearing his throat before telling his tale:

"I was once a Jedi... I had the best master you could ever ask for. Every day, she would train me hard, and if I failed, she encouraged me to dust myself off and move on. She taught me very well. I would have become a Jedi Knight... if her life hadn't ended."

He let out another sigh before continuing. "On Sullust... we were faced by a Sith Knight... he took the closest thing I had to a mother... and he took half of my face... so I slaughtered him like he slaughtered my Master..."

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Strangely, Joza didn’t reel herself in as Damien sighed. She could immediately feel his discomfort, but did not regret probing him for information. Friendly as she may have seemed, the Zeltron made no effort to hide her curiosity.

Still, a frown tilted her lips as she listened to the young man relay his story to her. It was similar to those she’d heard before, but that didn’t make what he went through any less painful. Though, the bit about having half of his face taken was a new one on her. After he finished speaking, she would allow herself to release her pheromones briefly, if only to help him ease away the bad memories.

“Unfortunately, your story is not unique among the Jedi.” She gave him a sympathetic look. In all honesty, she couldn’t blame him for what he’d done. She’d come to realize that her previous Master—[member="Dune Rhur"]—had become something of a father figure to her, never having had a strong male influence in her life until that point. She didn’t want to think about what she would have done had she watch the Bith get slain, and it would likely be something he didn’t approve of.

“What do you do now that you are without a Master? Where do you call home?”

[member="Damien Sinan"]

 

[Damien Sinan]

Damien took a bit to process her answer. He seemed to get lost in a calming sensation that suddenly clouded around him like a fog.
"Anywhere that is solitary is my home..."

He looked to her, before setting his mask onto the stone brick, revealing only the right side of his face, which was unscathed. He looked to her, tilting his head slowly to not show the horrid burn marks. A single silver-green eye looked at her.

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Both curiosity and caution shown in the young Knight’s eyes as Damien reached up to remove his mask. For a few moment she was silent, her features displaying surprise briefly before she reigned herself in and appeared more composed. Thankfully he had actually mentioned his facial wounds before removing his mask instead of surprising her, but she didn’t know what to imagine.

“Well…” Joza cleared her throat, shifting back onto her hands. “You have lovely eyes.” She offered with a faint smile, still reeling from seeing the grotesque burn marks and trying her hardest not to look directly at him.

“There is an excellent healer by the name of [member="Maya Carrick"] on Voss where the Silver Sanctum Coalition is.” Despite dropping the name of the Zeltron healer, Joza didn’t know much about the woman yet, only her reputation. “If you’d like, I can accompany you to Voss, the Sanctum capital. Even if you don’t want to see her, Voss is a lovely planet. Much more temperate than Sullust.”

[member="Damien Sinan"]

 

[Damien Sinan]

Damien sensed that she tensed up. Wait... did she see the burn marks? He tugged on his hood, making sure to cover it better.

"Thank you..."

His ears registered her next set of words carefully. "I'd love to, though Yavin is soothing to me... as if something calls me here."
He would fumble for his mask, strapping it back on.

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza made no comment on the burn marks she caught a glimpse of, mostly because the writer doesn’t know how to read words properly. Still, she offered a small smile in an attempt to comfort. She knew what it was like to feel awkward around people. In her early days as an apprentice, she found it difficult to fit in resulting in her often tense nerves.

“Hm?” She perked up a bit, wondering to herself silently for a few moments. “I think I understand. I too feel strangely at peace here, moreso than most other worlds.” She shrugged, a brief rising and falling of her shoulders as he returned the mask to his face. Her stomach turned a bit, feeling bad that she’d made him feel more anxious than before.

“How long have you been at your training for?” The question was light, and seemingly out of nowhere. For some reason, she enjoyed probing this stranger.

[member="Damien Sinan"]

 

[Damien Sinan]

Damien breathed in for the umpteenth time, not really wanting to share that info, yet he decided to anyway. He felt that he could trust her. "I really... haven't had proper training in years... my master died when I was but a Padawan learner."

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

“I see…” The Zeltron would hesitate before speaking, lowering her head in thought. “I went for quite a while without a Master until I was selected by a Knight for further training.” A fond smile curled her lips as she remembered the Bith Jedi, reflecting on how he was somewhat of a father figure to her. “I’m afraid I’m not the mentoring type, and I probably can’t help properly guide you down the path of the Jedi.” She paused, tilting her green gaze over to him. “But if you’d like, I could give you a few lessons.”

[member="Damien Sinan"]