Private Balance

[Aiden Porte]

Coruscant
Jedi Temple
Jun Chiyo

Balance.....

Balance.....

Steps, and more steps.

Aiden step by step moving them up as quickly as he could. Given everything that was going on in the last few weeks he knew it was time to get his body into better shape. He bounded up the Jedi Temple steps reaching the top and took a little breather and then he moved back down at an easier pace. Balance became more easier than he wanted to admit. It just relied more on the strength of focus and his will power and his outlook on things.

While he normally tended to have a good outlook and complete positive outlook on life. In order to keep that same train of thought. He had been at it for over an hour already, he figured it would be good enough for today. Perhaps get another small session in the gardens, get more attuned with the force. The gardens was his favorite place to get that done.

The Jedi returned to his room and showered and tidied up his room a bit. Dressed in the occasion Jedi jumpsuit he left the confines of his room and made his way towards the great hall. A little bit of a pep in his step as he made his way towards the foyer of the Temple. Glancing around as he could he didn't even see Jun and he bumped into her.

Aiden showed a quick apologetic look before he started to speak. "I'm so, so sorry. Are you okay?!" The Padawan inquired.

 

[Jun Chiyo]

Location: Coruscant
Tags: Aiden Porte
Soundtrack: The Heart of Nirn

“O-oh!” Jun exclaimed.

The surprise pulled her attention away from the lovely artwork she’d been appreciating. She turned to face the perpetrator, a trace of frustration in her dark-blue eyes, but his quickness to apologize eased her tension.

“I- yes, I’m fine,” she said, brushing her robes with her hands.

He hadn’t gotten anything on them, or even creased them really. It was a nervous force of habit. She played it off with a kind smile and a gentle dip of her head.

“I’m Jun.”

Her pale features and sharp eyes seemed to soften as she found her center again.

“Jun Chiyo.”

 

[Aiden Porte]

“I- yes, I’m fine,”

"Good, I"m glad. I apologize again, I've got a bad habit of just staring off that things and don't look where I'm going." Even though he had been here for quite some time already. It was still wonderful to behold the architectural work that was the Jedi Temple.

Perhaps he was just a big Jedi nerd though.....that might've been more on the money than anything.

He couldn't help but laugh internally about that thought.

"Jun! It's nice to meet you!" He said with a smile and he returned her nod with a small bow himself exchanging the courtesy. "My name is Aiden Porte, how long have you been here?" Aiden inquired as he couldn't quite recall seeing her before.

Jun Chiyo

 

[Jun Chiyo]

Location: Coruscant
Tags: Aiden Porte
Soundtrack: The Heart of Nirn

"Not very long," she admitted, cutting her eyes to the artwork adorning the walls.

It was a lovely watercolor piece displaying a myriad of shades and hues blending together, creating a harmonious balance amidst the chaos. It was perfectly reminiscent of what the Jedi sought to be in a turbulent galaxy. And, perhaps, she felt it resembled her own heart, too. She gestured to it, remarking on Aiden's comment.

"I get lost, too," Jun said, warmly. "The Temple is even more beautiful than I dreamt it would be."

She reached out to touch the intricate carvings on a nearby pillar, running her fingers against the stone.

"I'm fond of the masonry. It's simple, yet so very powerful."

 

[Aiden Porte]

"The Temple is even more beautiful than I dreamt it would be."

"I know right?!" Aiden said as he looked around again before looking back to her. He was quite happy, he hoped he found a friend that enjoyed the Temple as much as he did. Well, the architectural work and the life that was brought to this place. It wasn't just the Jedi that made this place whole, but it was the foundation of those that came before them.

And perhaps he found himself being a nerd once more. But meh, life was too short to not be a dork.

"I'm fond of the masonry. It's simple, yet so very powerful."

"Exactly, right?!" Aiden said with a big smile as he he placed his hand on pillar too, it was almost as if you could feel the long history that was etched within the stone. "That's just like the statues of the four Jedi Masters just outside the temple." Aiden said as his hand left the stone pillar. "Do you want to get look at those, have you seen them?!" Aiden inquired and then he showed a sheepish look as he realized that she had to have seen them coming into the temple when she first arrived.

He chuckled lightly and cleared his throat. "Sorry, I get a little overzealous talking about stuff like this."

Jun Chiyo

 

[Jun Chiyo]

Location: Coruscant
Tags: Aiden Porte
Soundtrack: The Heart of Nirn

Jun felt her cheeks flush as he put his hand near hers, sharing the same senses that she did. The extensive chronicles of the Jedi could be glimpsed in a library, but the true wealth of knowledge lived in the stone.

"That's just like the statues of the four Jedi Masters just outside the temple." Aiden said as his hand left the stone pillar. "Do you want to go look at those, have you seen them?!"

She giggled, her curiosity bolstered by his enthusiasm. Thus far, much of her training involved practice with the blade. Academic endeavors seemed to trail in on the heels of combat readiness. To find a fellow Padawan who appreciated the fascinating history of the Temple was a rare treat.

When he apologized, she shook her head.

“I’d love to see them again,” she said with a smile.

“I didn’t want to get too close before, for risk of drawing uncomfortable attention. But if you’d come with me…?”

Her azure eyes twinkled at the thought.

 

[Aiden Porte]

Aiden rarely got to show such excitement as usually every padawan he came across was more into the force techniques and lightsaber arts. Granted he had grown incredibly strong in his affinity with the force more than anything. He had come to know some balance, and even then. Long before he arrived at Coruscant, he was always into the histories and lore's of those that came before them.

If you didn't know the history, you may be doomed to repeat it. And for all intents and purpose, the would not want another Jedi purge to happen. To that end he couldn't help but laugh somewhat mentally. While he knew it would never happen, it was best to perhaps not think about that particular event.

“I’d love to see them again,”

“I didn’t want to get too close before, for risk of drawing uncomfortable attention. But if you’d come with me…?”

"That's great!" Aiden inquired as he led them way rather enthusiastically, however he had to remind himself to settle down and not get to over zealous with his words and actions. His gaze seemed to lock with the twinkle in her eyes and he could help but show a slightly silly grin, but he soon broke that to talk again.

"Oh nonsense!" The Padawan said with a small laugh as they moved towards the double doors and soon to be outside the Jedi Temple where the massive statues were. "I actually climbed up on the base of them and took a picture with my twin sister." Aiden chuckled nervously before continuing. "I kinda berated her to join me up there actually."

"Do you have any family, Jun?" The Jedi asked curiously but also carefully. As he wouldn't want to broach on a subject, if it was for her.


Jun Chiyo

 

[Jun Chiyo]

Location: Coruscant
Tags: Aiden Porte
Soundtrack: The Heart of Nirn

She frowned at the mention of her family, but quickly caught herself. She doubted that anything she could say to Aiden would find its way back to Atrisia, but she kept her comments brief, nevertheless.

"I have a little brother, Aiko," she said, glossing over her parents entirely. Best not to bring them up if possible.

"He's a few years younger than me, but he's very mature for his age."

She would know. It fell upon Jun to mentor the boy, training him with both pen and sword, helping to refine him into the heir she could never be. The bitter thoughts would darken her mood if she dwelled on them for too long, so she changed the subject. Her eyes fell upon the four Jedi monoliths, full of wonder and curiosity.

"They're so beautiful," Jun said.

"Do you know much about them?" she asked, looking to Aiden.

 

[Aiden Porte]

Aiden had enough personal sense to know when to back off of a subject when there was to much dwelling on it. He smiled at the fact that she had a younger brother.

"Well, if I may say so, he's got an excellent role model." The Padawan said as he showed Jun Chiyo an encouraging smile.

They were finally up on the four statues, the four guardians and masters of the temple if you wanted to call them that. It was truly a remarkable site, over four thousands years the temple had stood, outliving the test of time that would seek to diminish it into nothing.

"They're so beautiful,"

"They are, aren't they." Aiden said with a big smile as he crossed his arms and stared back and forth between the four.

"Do you know much about them?"

"Well, what I do know, is that they founded this Jedi Temple here on Coruscant, two of them were Jedi Guardians, and the other two were perhaps Sage Masters I believe." Aiden said as his hand rose to his chin and rubbed it slightly. He couldn't help but feel that they had a Sentinel type quality but that was of his own personal opinion.

"Just knowing that that they are still standing here, it honors them in more ways than one."

AIden smiled and turned do Jun. "What do you think?"

 

[Jun Chiyo]

Location: Coruscant
Tags: Aiden Porte
Soundtrack: The Heart of Nirn

'Honor' was a word that held an unfortunately negative connotation in her mind, but she found that few others carried as much truth when she stood before the mighty statues.

"It's a testament," she began, "to the strength and perseverance of the Jedi."

"They're remarkable."

She studied them for several moments, imagining how full of wisdom and grace they must have been in life. The 'Guardians' sounded so stalwart, but it was Aiden's mentioning of the Sage Masters that piqued her interest. She wondered if either of them were healers in their time. Her eyes drifted to her hands, which she opened palms-up to the sky. She imagined what it would be like if only a sprinkle of their knowledge could fall onto her skin like rain, giving her a glimpse into their lives.

When she snapped back to reality, she turned to Aiden with a smile on her face.

"Thank you," she said.

And then, her eyes narrowed.

"Wanna climb them?"

 

[Aiden Porte]

"True testament." Aiden said as his hands moved behind his back and he looked them from down to the tip of them. Many times before he had seen them, but each time seemed more marvelous than the previous time. And his his companion inquired something, which Aiden didn't take to heart immediately but as the seconds went on he looked back to her.

The Jedi Padawan's blue eyes looked back into the narrowed eyes of Jun Chiyo

"Your on." Aiden said with a small chuckle, his clapped his hands together lightly, rubbing them together. "Should we make this a contest?"

"Loser has to...." The Padawan thought for a moment. "What do the Jedi make the losers do?" Aiden inquired with a small laugh.

Jun Chiyo

 

[Jun Chiyo]

Location: Coruscant
Tags: Aiden Porte
Soundtrack: The Heart of Nirn

“I’ll ask them when I beat you to the top!” Jun said with a grin, dashing forward to the base of the statue closest to them.

One of the Sages, no less. Her hands found the smooth stone, and immediately the sensation of their venerated past flowed through her skin. She smile to herself as she hoisted onto the base and began her ascent.

She’d turn to face Aiden, wherever he’d gotten so far, and shout out, “The Sage says you have to sweep the square!”

Her head titled back as she giggled uncontrollably. In her head, she could hear her father’s chastising voice berating her. But Jun couldn’t care less.

 

[Aiden Porte]

"Good luck!" Aiden said with a laugh as he then started with the other Jedi Sage, just right next to her. This was quite the interesting turn, this was probably the most carefree thing he had done without thinking about further repercussions. To be honest it was quite fun and awesome. However he knew his Master wouldn't be to happy with him, but he hoped she would at least understand.

Fun, was fun... At this he couldn't help but laugh.

The higher he got, he glanced down and chuckled nervously. But this is what separated the men from the boys.

Or perhaps the living from the dead....stupidity?

The Padawan laughed again as he looked over to Jun.

"Your gonna lose!!"

Jun Chiyo

 

[Jun Chiyo]

Location: Coruscant
Tags: Aiden Porte
Soundtrack: The Heart of Nirn

“We’ll see!” Jun retorted, reaching for the next ledge with an outstretched hand.

As she tried to pull herself up, her fingers slipped on the smooth stone, sending a chilling jolt down her spine. She caught herself after a short drop, hanging on tightly for a moment before gaining the courage to resume the climb.

Jun wasn’t particularly afraid of heights, but the sudden slip made her overly aware of just how far from the ground she was. She swallowed hard, trying once again to grip the ledge. This time, her hands found purchase, and she pulled herself up with ease.

‘You’re okay,’ she thought to herself reassuringly.

‘You’re okay.’

Jun spared a glance over at her friend. Aiden was just above her now, scaling his own Sage seemingly with ease. She grinned with determination, eager to reach the top before he did. With newfound confidence, she hastened her climb.

 

[Aiden Porte]

He was incredibly impressed, granted he tended not to boast about his own abilities and such. He wasn't that sort of person, however when he glanced over and saw that she slipped slightly. His heart skipped a beat or several but he saw she regained and he let out a small sigh of relief. Granted he was still padawan, he would've never forgiven himself if something happened.

He had almost reached the top when he heard a thunderous voice and he stopped right mid climb and he was slightly afraid to look down.

"WHAT ARE YOU BOTH DOING?!" A Jedi Master passing by had saw the duo and he shook his head. He was an older Jedi, probably in his fifties. He was very intelligent and kind, however when it came to safety and such he took it incredibly serious.

"GET DOWN NOW!"

Aiden glanced over to Jun Chiyo and chuckled nervously while he began to climb back down. "Rain check?" Aiden said while he noted a look from the Jedi master and he cleared his throat and shut his mouth.

They were definitely going to be in some trouble.

 

[Jun Chiyo]

Location: Coruscant
Tags: Aiden Porte
Soundtrack: The Heart of Nirn

"WHAT ARE YOU BOTH DOING?! GET DOWN NOW!"

Jun grimaced as the scold hit her ears. She flashed Aiden an apologetic frown, her cheeks turning a shade of bright red as she followed his lead and descended the statue. It was her idea, and the thought of Aiden paying the price for her immature decision nagged at her the whole way down. But even more than that was the sudden fear that her antics might somehow delay her endeavor to be paired with a Jedi Master.

Could it even cause her to be sent back home?

The unsubstantiated threat of standing before her father and facing the consequences of something as dishonorable as being expelled from the Jedi sent her scrambling down that much faster.

When her boots thudded on the stone flagging, she turned and offered a lowly bow to the Master.

"Please, forgive us, Master," she said. "It won't happen again."

 

[Aiden Porte]

"It wasn't her fault Master." Aiden said with a small apologetic smile. "I'm the older one I should know better."

The Master beckoned both of them to follow him.

He turned around and Aiden glanced over to Jun Chiyo and smiled and even winked at her. More so a way of saying don't worry about it. However, it became clear that they would both have a long day ahead of them and they were tasked with dusting off every single item in the Jedi Library and archives.

"Do not stop until you are complete." The Master turned and walked back to the front as he kept an eye on them.

Aiden turned to Jun and gave her a small nudge and handed her a cloth. "Do not stop until you are complete." The Padawan said with a lowered toned mocking voice as he imitated the Jedi Master and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Quiet!"

"Sorry Master." Aiden said as he started dusting and cleaning.

"That was well worth it." Aiden whispered to Jun. "Don't worry, we may get a chance someday to finish that race." He said with another small chuckle that turned into a cough so that he wouldn't get yelled at again.

"You okay?"

 

[Jun Chiyo]

Location: Coruscant
Tags: Aiden Porte
Soundtrack: The Heart of Nirn

Jun cracked a half-smile when Aiden imitated the ornery Master, but her sunken shoulders and downcast eyes were easy tells. She felt pretty awful. It wasn't so much that she'd gotten in trouble herself, but that her sudden urge to do something so rash had gotten Aiden in trouble along with her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," she said sheepishly.

The Jedi Master's stern gaze made her pretend to clear her throat, masking her whispers.

"I'm sorry I got us into this," she said, gesturing with her dust cloth.

Jun loved coming to the archives, studying ancient texts and contemplating stories of past Jedi. She had a sinking suspicion that she may not find the library as lustrous after cleaning it by hand.

"I don't know what I was thinking! I just... I don't know, I guess I wanted to have a little fun."

She dabbed the cloth at the shelf halfheartedly.

 

[Aiden Porte]

He shook his head as his hand reached for another cloth and ran it along the surface, making sure everything was as clean as possible.

"Don't worry about it at all. We are Jedi, but we are allowed to have some fun. What's life without breaking the rules here and there." Aiden whispered with a small chuckle. "This isn't so bad, for me anyway. I love this place. I'd live in here if they let me. I grew up more of a bookish individual. When I first arrived here I spent ninety percent of my time here."

Aiden took a deep breath before moving to another part of the shelves and started wiping them down.

"Tell me a little bit about yourself." Aiden said with a smile as he looked over to her.

Jun Chiyo

 

[Jun Chiyo]

Location: Coruscant
Tags: Aiden Porte
Soundtrack: The Heart of Nirn

As Aiden told her about his love for books, Jun felt a smile form on her lips. Reading had always been an escape for her, so it was nice to hear she wasn’t alone in that regard.

“Oh—“ she said, caught a bit off guard. She wasn’t one to chat much about herself, but Aiden’s charming smile and sense of adventure won her over.

”Well, I like to read, though I doubt my interest in books would excite you. Not many people enjoy studying strategy and tactics.“

”And I love to handle plants,” she went on, scrubbing at the shelf.

“Watching something grow from a tiny seed into something beautiful is very rewarding.”

She then pursed her lips as a discouraging thought came to mind: ‘I am so incredibly boring.’

Was that really the best she could come up with? Books and plants? She sounded like her sobo, who very much enjoyed watering her lilies each morning before settling in for breakfast with a good book in hand. She supposed she could talk about her formative years before the Jedi, but that was a time she’d sooner rather forget.

Best to stick to the basics. Her favorite color, fun spots to hide in the Temple, hobbies that interest her—

— like dancing! Perhaps it was all the time spent hiding her passion from her father (who preferred Jun to be at court every moment of her free time) but it completely slipped her mind to revel in her favorite pastime.

”I, umm— I also like ballet,” she said a bit apprehensively at first.

That fear of punishment still lingered in her mind, but Aiden’s presence felt reassuring.