Private Cities Burn, We don't give a Damn

[Colette]

A deep sigh burst past Colette's lips as she stared out over the rotten cityscape of Coruscant and down at the countless people that she pitied. These folks lived like trapped animals, stuck in a cage of someone else's making and forced to live a life of servitude until they died because that's what the slave masters wanted, and it certainly didn't seem as if the children of these slaves were any better off either.

The rich fed on each other and the rest had to eat whatever excretions they left behind in their wake. Of course some of the blindest slaves were quite happy to do so even if all that seemed to trickle-down was the responsibility of choosing whoever had to ask their masters for more.

Coruscant had been loathsome from the start and Colette wasn't about to give it a free pass just because it was the supposed beating heart of a galaxy and one of the seats of her Order. If anything she gave the Order a big middle finger over it at every opportunity that she could, because if the beating heart of the galaxy was this devoid of nature she truly feared for what the rest of the planets would strive to become and what became of the people that lived on them.

No, to say that Colette despised this planet would be an understatement. She hated it and she would happily see it burnt to the ground if she had the means to do it herself, but given her newfound spot on the roster as a Jedi Knight it had become increasingly more unbecoming of her to voice these opinions. So instead she merely stood here, in the library, thinking them really loudly inside the confines of her mind as she tried not to let the hopeless desperation tug at her too much.

Perhaps that was why she sought out others who she felt might share this view with her. Everest Vale was her mother's newest apprentice and from the sound of it someone who shared in Colette's view on life in general. Although she didn't expect much from a quick meeting like this, it was as good of a reason to reach out as any other.

Colette had sent a brief seven-letter message: Hey, wanna meet in the archives?

It had been the first message she ever sent Everest but hopefully not the last. The response had been positive, and now she waited.

Everest Vale

 

[Everest Vale]

Eve was ecstatic. Not only had she been making decent progress with fashioning her brand new flute out of uneti wood, but she had been spontaneously invited by one of Master Noble's recently knighted apprentices, Colette. Eve had been eager to meet her for a while, as she had heard all sorts of things from her Master about her, and seeing her from afar at her knighting ceremony had only made her more intrigued. Alas, she had gotten far too carried away with how beautiful New Cov was compared to Coruscant, that she ended up climbing as many trees as she could before the shuttle called her back, and she had missed her chance to socialise with anyone really, let alone Colette herself.

Then again, she wasn't good in crowds. She would've gotten overwhelmed quick amidst so many new faces, and probably just end up saying nothing whatsoever. No, a low-key one-on-one would suit her much better, and a tiny squeal escaped her when she saw the message pop up on her datapad. So she made her way down to the Archives, a spring in her step, considering all the fascinating topics they could talk about; nature, knighthood, nature, life in the Order, nature...

But as she arrived, a sudden onset of nerves struck her, as she realised this was someone who had succeeded in Padawanship under Master Noble, and Eve in comparison was just starting such a journey. She had so much to prove still. It was an intimidating thought that she dwelled on a moment as she made her way in.

"Hi," she said shyly, her excitement suddenly reeled in by the heavy quiet of the Archives. She had a lot more she wanted to say, but wasn't sure it would come so easily after all.

Colette​

 

[Colette]

Everest Vale

"Oh, hey." Colette turned around to give Eve a quick nod before she started to look out the window again. "Sorry, I was just in the middle of some thoughts."

She stared for a moment longer, her eyes darting between the cars that flowed like rivers between metal mountains. The corner of her lips contorted into yet another frown and she took that as her cue that it was time to look away again.

Besides, she had a conversation to hold.

"I'd have loved to meet somewhere else, but this world is what it is."

…

"I hear you're also not too fond of it."

 

[Everest Vale]

The Knight emanated a certain casual confidence and stoicism that Eve couldn't help but notice. She held herself like a student of Grandmaster Noble should, and it made her feel both a sense of gentle awe, and a sudden sense of pressure of what she would have to live up to. She shook it off and set herself down on chair beside Colette and gave her a soft smile. She looked out the window with her, reflecting on that vast city sprawl where one could get lost and never come back.

"Yeah." Her voice was calm, but solemn, matching the mood. A silence fell between them a while, as the muffled sound of distant speeders outside melded with the whispered chatter, datapad hum and thumbed paper sounds of the Archives behind them. Eve had made herself comfortable at the Temple, settled in well enough, and was enjoying her life a lot there. Nevertheless, Coruscant wasn't home. It was as far from home as she could imagine.

"This planet— It's..." She hung on her thoughts a while, searching desperately for the right word. But it wouldn't come.

Colette​