Private A Promise Fulfilled

[Azurine Varek]

Flowers For the Lost

Outfit: Clothing/Armor | Glove | Right Arm | Talisman
Weapons: Lightsaber 1 | Lightsaber 2 | Hook Swords

There was something Azurine needed to do before she would allow herself to leave Iridonia. She didn't care how injured she had been before spending a couple of days under supervised healing, or still was. The desert air tasted of sulfur, likely lingering from a previous acid storm, and dust as she moved slowly across Malidris city's edge. The scorching sun beat down on her, but it felt distant, a lingering ache rather than a source of heat. The Sith poison that had nearly taken her still left its mark in her bloodstream, a lingering yet fading fog in her mind, and a deep ache in her bones. But she was alive. She couldn’t forget that.

She didn’t expect anyone to come with her. This was her burden to bear, her journey to make. They had already done so much for her in their aid alone. But her friends had refused to let her go alone, especially after the amount of damage she had sustained days before and the possibility of dispersed Sith or Imperials still hanging around. Azzie had argued, of course. She always did. But she knew their resolve when she saw it, and perhaps, in some quiet corner of her heart, she was grateful they had insisted.

So, the four of them—Aadihr, Jonyna, Braze, and herself—had come to the outskirts of the city where the wind howled through rocky and jagged canyons beyond, where the echoes of her past lingered. There was no grand ceremony. No speeches. Just the quiet act of remembering.

Azzie wasn’t sure what she hoped for when she got there. Maybe peace. Maybe absolution. Hell, she had no idea if the markers she had left all those centuries ago for her family would still be where she'd left them. She'd never forget the landmarks, though, as they were etched into her memory. Curling her hand tightly around the flowers she'd brought with her—one of the few wildflowers that could actually survive in Iridonia's harsh climate—she turned back to her group and gave the best smile she could. "It shouldn't be much further from here. There and back to the ships before the sun even sets." She assured.

Aadihr Lidos | Jonyna Si | Braze​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Azurine Varek Aadihr Lidos Jonyna Si

Loyalty was a big thing for Braze, a value deeply tied to his personal ethos. Warrior's honor was a central theme for the Echani, and it was one of the few ways Braze still felt connected to his identity as an Echani descendant. He was a little exhausted from what had transpired not long ago on this planet, but he seemed to be holding up fine. No matter how tired he might have been, though, Braze wouldn't abandon another Jedi who had something they needed to do—especially not for reasons as trivial as his own fatigue.

As they hiked, his attention drifted to her flowers. He studied them curiously, the silence stretching until he finally decided to give voice to his thoughts. "What are those flowers called?"

Braze had been studying the coded language of flowers, though he wasn't familiar with every bloom that existed. His curiosity was genuine as he glanced between the flowers and her, waiting for an answer that might deepen his understanding.

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Azurine Varek Braze Aadihr Lidos

The desert was very much Jonyna's least favorite biome she had trained in. Even back during her rebel days, she hated it. The heat wasn't the problem, it was the complete lack of humidity. In the jungle, she could stave off the heat with plenty of water, and the rain that cooled her. In the savannah, she knew how to find shade in tall grasses and massive trees.

But the desert was bare. The desert was unforgiving, the only shade you'd find in underground dwellings that were liable to collapse due to the weight of loose sand. Still, Jonyna persevered. Not because she wanted to, but because she had to.

Outlyer needed her. That was all that mattered. All she cared about. The young rebel had finally gotten her home back, and now she wished to pay respects. Jonyna hadn't needed it explained to her, hadn't needed any sort of signifier, she just knew. Knew because of the body language of the girl once the battle was won. Knew because of the path she took outside of the city. No one would go here without purpose, and after a battle like this, there was only one purpose left.

She had followed behind as she did during the battle. Keeping an eye out for remnants of the opposing sides, Imperials wanting to take pot shots at jedi, sith assassins looking to ambush. The Sentinel of Harmony knew there was still plenty of work to be done, and before she had followed Azurine, she had made sure it had begun. The Dawnbreaker sat high above the planet, and Beetle Construction and Service Corp crews buzzed like bees from the ship, down to the city below. It was moments like this that she knew the Service Corp would need to expand.

Still, her focus in the moment was on the girl with only a bit of flowers to keep her grip.

 

[Aadihr Lidos]

Outfit: Damaged field attire
Weapons: Walking stick / Lightsaber Pike

Aadihr leaned on his walking staff as he limped alongside the others his injuries were healed, but he was still recuperating his own life force that he given for other's recovery. He only owned the one set of robes, and washing out inset brown bloodstains that he couldn't really see were low on his list of priorities. Right now, caring for his friend, Azurine, was what mattered. The others, Braze and Jonyna Si , he hadn't properly met before this moment, but all that mattered was that they were here for Azzie.

The hues of Azurine's aura were painful to see. Swirls of emotions, with small bittersweet threads intermingled.

He did not pretend to know what she was going through. To return to one's home planet and free it - centuries after intended. Right now, all he could do was offer silent support. Being present for her sake even if no words were spoken. He stood off to the side as Braze asked about the flowers and reached to tighten his blindfold, stopping the motion halfway when he remembered.

The pain of everything that he'd seen, just as a stranger - he couldn't imagine what it was like for an Iridonian. For one who incorporated their homeworks into herself as much as Azzie had.

Jonyna seemed to remain vigilant of their surroundings and Braze offered curiosity in an attempt to connect and help Azzie share the burden of her emotions. Both aiding her in their own way, but perhaps doing so to comfort themselves from the vicarious emotion - doing what they could to feel helpful.

There was nothing wrong with that, of course, Aadihr was no telepath, he would never truly know what drives the other's actions, so he simply let go of the thought and remained silent, only listening, he focused purely on her aura, receptive to anything she wished to share or keep to herself. This was not about him, and he would not distract himself or her from the emotions she needed to process even if they were uncomfortable.

Azurine Varek | Braze | Jonyna Si​

 

[Azurine Varek]

Flowers For the Lost

Outfit: Clothing/Armor | Glove | Right Arm | Talisman
Weapons: Lightsaber 1 | Lightsaber 2 | Hook Swords

Azurine moved onward, the canyon loomimg ahead. Its jagged edges cut into the sky like the serrated blades her father used to carry. Though it wasn't a particularly far or difficult walk, every step felt heavier, as if the weight of the air itself was pressing down on her, trying to root her to the ground. Moving up a more narrow walkway of rocks, she had to hold onto Jonyna’s arm to steady herself. Her stamina had not yet recovered, and the Cather master was the most physically steady of the group in this moment. As beautiful as she thought the canyons were, this particular spot held so many lingering conflicting emotions. Most of which she had dealt with long ago, having had at least eleven years to process the trauma. A bittersweet pain still lingered, along with the remains of a guilt that was finally being lifted by the success days prior, and the presence of the three who accompanied her.

Azzie turned her attention to Braze, grateful for the question as her purple gaze fell to the flowers in her hand. If they could really be called that. They were a white, yellow, and brown bloom atop what could have been referred to as grassy stems. The other was pure white and green. "They're Bleth and Yucca. Not many flowering plants are resilient enough to survive on Iridonia. The storms are too rough, and the soil is overly acidic." She explained, carefully pulling one of the smaller of the grassy-looking bloomed plants, offering it out to Braze so he could get a better look. "We don't normally pick up on subtler sweet scents, but Bleth has this sweet smell to it, so I can only imagine how strong it must be to others."

As they approached the edge of the cliff face, though, her heart—and shoulders along with it—sank a bit. The landmark features were correct. She'd followed the proper path. She could see the city below them in the exact orientation it had been before. But the crude little rock markings were nowhere to be found. Even the way the dips in the formations around were slightly different, only proving just how much had changed with time. "It's been centuries... I should have considered—" she cut herself off, casting her gaze to the ground with a dry laugh. "I was never able to bury them anyway. So I guess the thought is enough. I'm sorry to drag you all out here, but the view is nice, right?"

Aadihr Lidos | Braze | Jonyna Si​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Azurine Varek Jonyna Si Aadihr Lidos

​

"Oh, I see," Braze replied, his tone light looking over the flowers.

When they arrived at their destination, he paused, taking in the vista before them. His gaze swept over the horizon, soaking in the tranquility of the scene. "It's a nice view," he said, his voice softer now, thoughtful. After a brief pause, he added, "I think it's the thought that counts."

He turned toward her, reaching out to take her hand gently in his. His touch was warm as he met her eyes with his own. "I 'lost' my parents too," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

His grip tightened slightly, a comforting squeeze meant to bridge the space between shared pain. Sure, his situation was different—his parents weren't taken from him in the same way. But from a young age, Braze had grown up without them, his life shaped largely by the New Jedi Order. That loss, though distant, had carved its own sorrow into his heart. He knew the hollow ache it left, a wound time struggled to heal.

Braze let the silence linger for a moment, offering his presence as much as his words.

 

[Jonyna Si]

TAG: Azurine Varek Aadihr Lidos Braze

Jonyna caught up quickly, and paused as she saw Azurine go through a spectrum of emotion. All Jonyna could do was step up, put a hand on her shoulder, and offer a kind smile. "When I first got out of the ice and came home, I asked my village if they knew where my parents were buried. It had been so long, that..." Jonyna just looked to Azurine with a nod. "We're from a different time. We best to honor our family as best we can. Even if it's just by living our lives."

 

[Azurine Varek]

Flowers For the Lost

Outfit: Clothing/Armor | Glove | Right Arm | Talisman
Weapons: Lightsaber 1 | Lightsaber 2 | Hook Swords

Azurine hadn't realized how much time had passed with her standing in the exact same spot, her mind locked to the canyon cliff edge. Her forced smile—which didn't quite meet her eyes—was straining. The words around her seemed lost to the wind, caught in her thoughts.

Until she felt a hand grab her own, and another on her shoulder.

"I 'lost' my parents too,"

"We're from a different time. We best to honor our family as best we can. Even if it's just by living our lives."

Those words finally broke the paralyzation she had been under. She turned to look at them, her eyes meeting Braze's eyes first, then to Jonyna, then to the blindfold of Aadihr. Though she couldn't find the words to say, her eyes spoke for her. Her understanding of their own experiences, her gratitude, her muted pain, her love, everything. Raw and unfiltered.

Her hand tightened around Braze's; the trembling she tried to hide easily felt under the touch. Though she moved forward a bit, she didn't have the heart to let go. Rather, she leaned forward and released her grip on the flowers, watching the wind carry some of the petals over the edge.

"I promised you I would help the people..." She whispered, her voice trembling despite the smile she held. "And I finally did... I'm sorry it took me so long... I'm so sorry... But I—I did it, Mom, Dad." She clutched her cloak so tightly in her hands that her knuckles whitened, and she couldn't keep on her feet anymore. The tears trailed in waves down her cheeks, falling into the rusty-hued dirt of the canyon floor as she collapsed to her knees. "I did it. They're free now. They can rebuild the council, start over—" Anything else she could have said caught in her throat.

She felt their presence behind her—Braze's steady presence, Jonyna’s watchful vigilance, Aadihr’s quiet compassion. Their support was a balm, even if she didn’t acknowledge it outright.

"May you rest in warriors' peace."

Maybe she should set up a new marker. Yeah. That was a good idea. For the sake of their memory.

Aadihr Lidos | Braze | Jonyna Si​