Private Fancy Seeing You Here

[Korvan Toldreyn]

The Coruscant Jedi Temple | Solenne Abraxas​

A quiet sigh left Korvan. Solenne had an incredible knack for turning things around on him, on taking his own words and twisting them in such a way that he felt the full brunt of them. Yes, he had once been a more aggressive and passionate young man, but Korvan's youth was long behind him. He had grown beyond such frivolities, such rebellions - and he had certainly never passed them onto his student. Korvan had been a strict disciplinarian with Rakaan, just as his own master had been.

Mercifully, Solenne pushed past her own words, focused instead on advice rather than a scolding. Perhaps she was right, perhaps Rakaan could have managed such a tasking, but the timing could not have been worse. He was too young, too abrasive and too impatient to prove himself. Korvan knew that Rakaan had built an image of his master that did not exist, an idealistic Korvan Toldreyn which was simply fabrication. He yearned always to prove himself to that Korvan, to that most incomparable of Jedi.

And here Korvan was, walking alongside one of the very mistakes that proved just how flawed he truly was.

Yet, there remained a strange kind of comfort that existed as he walked alongside Solenne. It was the kind of comfort that came only with such an intense familiarity as they had. How many times had they walked alongside eachother like this? Of course, there were more barriers now that he needed to maintain, more of a distance was necessary. Solenne had at least showed him that need not be a physical distance, they did not need to remain across the galaxy from one another - though having her in his sights again was something he would need to ease into - but for now, keeping her distant from his heart was at least sufficient.

Gentle footfalls carried the bearded Jedi alongside her as Solenne led them through the gardens and up towards the great tree they had once made their spot. He realised too late the intent of their destination - and he had known all too well what they would find.

The sadness in her voice was not unfamiliar to him. For all his efforts to maintain a distance between the two of them, sentiment was not a thing easily ignored. Korvan himself had returned to the tree more than a few times in his tenure at the temple, he had run his fingers over rough wood and sat by the stump to meditate. He had known, but of course he had not thought to tell her, that feeling of sentiment would never dare to carry him that far.

"I might have told you - I didn't know that you would want to come and see it..."

It felt a pointless excuse, of course she would wish to see it. Perhaps he had simply hoped that she might have done so before seeing him. A sigh escaped him, and he almost seemed ready to turn and step away for another destination before Solenne made her own move. She set a seed against the stump, and began to channel the force into it, prompting its growth.

Korvan was at first taken aback, he would never have thought to do such a thing but - he supposed that was the point. Her hand raised, and the quiet sound of her voice echoed like a thunderstorm. Could he help her? Should he?

Standing still for a few long moments, he sighed, closing the distance as he lay a hand over her own, delicate. He closed his eyes and began to focus on her own energy, on what she was feeding into the seed. He could feel its growth, feel the sprouting as it began to slip through the cracks of the stump. Gradually, he felt the force begin to revitalise the old and dead tree, renewed by their connection, by their bond.

By their bond.

He shouldn't.

It was only a short while before his efforts seemed to hit a wall. Korvan closed his eyes tight, trying to put more into it, but there was nothing that could be done. Even he could not break past the walls he had set, not yet - perhaps not ever. Slowly, his hand pulled away from her own, a sigh escaping him.

He had done all he could.

 

[Solenne Abraxas]

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Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple
Tag: Korvan Toldreyn

Her eyes turned toward the Master Jedi, full of blue fire, and a stern edge. He would recognize the singular expression as one that didn't buy the stunted stammering for a moment. She had spent a good portion of her life educating Padawan learners whom, even after years beneath her purview, still hadn't discovered she couldn't be lied to. Not in any capacity. The passing breeze stirred auburn locks and she finally looked away from the man she had missed more than oxygen itself. Her tone was even, tranquil, but touched with the barest hint of despondency. "Please, Kor. Not with me."

Korvan knew very well that she would return, here.

It took her a moment to realize that it was a combination of things that left her feeling so bereft in the face of what was left. This was a sign of war. The emptiness beat in her heart like a drum. It was a portrait of the obvious calamities that the Temple had endured over the years. It was also, subconsciously, an important piece of their history. How often had they spent their evenings cradled among thick roots and shaded beneath blossoming boughs?

Together—But not. Alone, but not. The stories the trunk could tell, were it whole and able, would have turned any of their professors inside out. Korvan…Seemed to want anything that reminded him of who they had once been erased. All of it. Forgetting that for the majority of their years they had been a wondrous team. Focused. Victorious. It was what he wanted, but in this, Solenne was entirely unapologetic. Such a simple thing had sheltered them both at pivotal moments during their upbringing. There was sanctuary and clarity that could be found nowhere else. Certainly, not in a meditation chamber. This tree was a sign of life.

Faith. Hope. Trust. Love—And it deserved to live just as much as any of the others in the grove.

When she asked for help…Solenne wasn't certain that Korvan would step forward. It required taking her hand and she was more than a little certain he'd rather chew on broken glass. The auburn-haired Hapani had thought that she might have been able to bear his rejection better than she had before. There had been sufficient time to accept it. To know, that was all there would ever be. She had thought, wrongly. Her hand had been seconds from falling from the air when a familiar touch caused her to look up.

Surprised.

For the first time in what felt like forever—She could feel him.

Her hands remained where they were and her chin inclined just slightly so that she could focus on the work. It was, perhaps, a waste of energy. A waste of their collective talents. That was what an unenlightened heathen might have said. The Force existed in all forms of life and nature was something that Solenne deeply respected. There was a steady thrum of power that emanated from their shared connection. It was…Deep. Even now, after all this time, she could feel Korvan lingering in places he shouldn't be. While he raised walls?

Solenne never had. She had never thought, never knew, that…They hadn't been this close since…

Her eyes burned against her will. Not out of happiness, sadness, or anything else. When Korvan withdrew and the line of energy moving between them temporarily severed the young woman could feel her shoulders tighten. Perhaps, he didn't feel it as she did. It left her breathless. Aching for something, a closeness, that she hadn't even known to miss. The soft light around her hands flickered. Weakening. The seedling was growing, hungry, and intent on devouring all she had to give while roots threaded deep into the ground to find a new home. To bind with the once-dead stump and slowly start building enough cellulose to support itself.

From a kneeling position, she re-centered herself and focused.

Solenne knew well enough to control the flow of energy, lest, it control her. The Jedi Master in her took a runaway light rail and placed it back on track. Controlled. Silent—Breathing calmly, even, when it began to take a toll. The tree began to take shape and she was forced to shift backward while it grew. From one concentric ring to the next until smooth bark wrapped around it in a protective shell. She could smell the scent of the sweet, red flowers, and if Sol listened hard enough…

She could hear it.

Not that it spoke actual words or anything of that sort. It was merely an old soul. Perhaps—Part of the oldest root network in the gardens. The newly risen plant life had fused with the stump in such a way that it was almost seamless. If Solenne looked closely, she could see the line of where the new and old began—But she assumed it would eventually grow around it.

It wasn't quite as large as it had once been. But, it was whole.

"There…", she exhaled, though, Sol didn't move. Her hand lay against the tree trunk not only to preserve the connection while new leaves unfurled but because she needed the support. The Force flowing so smoothly to correct an error was not without cost. There was a price for not only that but for letting her concentration break. For choosing to become a single battery, rather, than give up entirely. "…That's better isn't it…I bet you're feeling much better…"

The tree seemed to hear her as she let go and slid fully to the ground in a ripple of azure robes and tawny chocolate tresses. She supported herself with one arm while her legs tucked beside her and looked up at a slowly spreading canopy. Solenne felt so small, now. Dwarfed by something that should have always stood tall. It was…Worth it.

"You can come sit down. I won't bite."

Not that she could if she wanted to. At least, not for a little while.

 

[Korvan Toldreyn]

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The Coruscant Jedi Temple | Solenne Abraxas​

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Korvan might not have expected much from his own paltry efforts. How could he expect much, in truth? He knew that the efforts and the energy he was willing to commit was not near her own. For all the pleasant and safe memories this tree had once represented to him, they also represented a failure, they represented a path trod recklessly. Solenne had assured him - and he had already begun to accept - that there were still aspects of that relationship worth salvaging with caution, but there were things they had lost, things that had faded away with time or under strain. The tree had not been destroyed by either one of them, not cut down or burned by their actions, but by war.​

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Was it not better left as a symbol? A reminder of the trials that had passed them by? He supposed that was a point Solenne would have argued. She would have assured him that restoration was better, that it was the more noble goal. Remembering the horrid past by putting in the work to correct it, to amend it. Even now, he was still letting her argue in his mind without even opening her mouth.​

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It was a talent of hers.​

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And yet, he could feel the growth. He could see it. For what efforts he put in, they were repaid. Undoubtedly more of the credit lay with Solenne, she was ever more willing and capable in such things, but Korvan still found himself somewhat impressed by the dividends that their efforts had paid. Withdrawing his hand carefully, the Jedi Master tucked them delicately behind his back and let his deep blue gaze wander the stump, taking it in. It was as if he was seeing it for the first time. In a sense, he supposed he was.​

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Solenne's voice shook him as it often did, his eyes drifting over to her as she ushered him to sit alongside her. A quiet chuckle, and he nodded slowly as he moved to gently lower himself to the ground beside her. With a slow sigh, he actually seemed to relax somewhat as his back rested against the tree.​

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"I wonder - maybe it will grow even larger than it had been."​

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[Solenne Abraxas]

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Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple
Tag: Korvan Toldreyn

She was breathless.

The tree was still growing as she came to rest once more beneath lofty boughs that began to let flowering buds drop colorful petals in the wind like scattered confetti. There was a steady hum of life pooling in the trunk while it secured itself, rooted, and taking to the earth as it once had. Her right-hand rest in the grass while her legs remained curled daintily beneath her robes at her side. "Next time you want to pull out like that—Give me at least a little warning.", her accented words were teasing, though, there was a fleck of truth beneath them.

Solenne had been depending on their combined strength to raise the tree. The sudden lack of it had been disorienting when the life-draw suddenly doubled down on her own resources. There was a tipping point where she might have lost it. Killed it—By not being able to compensate fast enough. Her head felt heavy and a light migraine had begun from the unexpected overexertion but it was nothing she couldn't handle. Nothing, a little resting in good company wouldn't cure.

It surprised her that Korvan actually accepted her invitation. He'd spent so much time doing all that he could to avoid her that the sensation of even his aura so close to her own was foreign. Solenne slowly let her body lean toward one of the raised roots and crossed her arms over it so that she could rest comfortably into the "x" they made. The tree seemed to understand and the root grew no higher than what might have been pleasant for her. "As long as it doesn't get blown up again…", the Jedi Master responded with a light chuckle. The tree seemed to shake at that, leaves falling.

"But it will grow. I don't see why it couldn't become one of the strongest. One of the tallest."

Solenne felt a sense of ease settling in that she hadn't thought to miss. It wasn't magic…But it was something. She could find the white noise within herself to meditate easily here. It calmed her mind more than meditation rooms ever had. Brought a sense of peace to her heart that smoothed over all ills with little more than a whisper in the Force. "If I take on a Padawan…I'll bring them here.", she offered, decidedly, while hazel eyes disappeared behind lavender lids.

It felt safe with Korvan nearby.

Another thing that she hadn't thought to miss, but somehow, needed. Perhaps it was the memory of the wat he'd always had her back when they were young. There was no one that she could depend on so fully throughout the entirety of the Order. New or old. The slender Hapani let a little tune hum from closed lips for a moment. It was a happy sound. Content.

"I know it's just a tree…But some things are worth fighting for. Even at cost."

No matter, the cost.