Ghostly Echoes

[Jairdain]

There had been a point in Jairdain's life where she had been trying to run and hide from her despair and loneliness. That attempt had failed entirely and slowly she had spiraled down into the deep depths of depression. At the beginning of the whole ordeal, she had gone to Iridonia and spent some time there. Little did she know, but that was the starting of that spiral. It was there she had been with Krest and one of his students. Another blind person and they had done some things together while she was on the planet.

Only one person really knew everything she had done in those dark days and she no longer had any real contact with him. Eventually, she had come out of her depression and returned to the Silver Jedi. Here she had always been accepted and welcomed. She had reunited with her first love and soon they would be getting married. He had never asked what had happened to bring her low and there were times she was thankful for this. However, she also wished to give voice to them and tell him everything that had happened.

Reuniting with Valk was the farthest thing from her mind as she left the Temple.

[member="Vaulkhar"]

 

[Vaulkhar]

Ven grumbled to himself as he trudged along the temple grounds. The recent string of attacks on Silver's Rest had unfortunately revealed to the Jedi and Sith alike of his presence on the planet. Where once he was able to enjoy ample freedoms with his growing group of friends, now he was unable to leave the Jedi Temple. While the order determined whether or not he'd be facing time in prison for his past as a Sith Lord, Cotan kept him busy along the temple grounds. Studying, meditating, training, whatever the Jedi Master felt would help the amnesiac find himself once more was put in front of him to do. He spent the majority of the day in the archives, studying various elements to being a Jedi. It left him drained for the most part given he wasn't even sure if he'd consider himself a true Jedi. Sure, during the battle he declared himself one, but what did that really mean? The archives were not able to answer that question, at least not yet.

A trip to find some food led him away from the archives. Searching the various halls for a mess of some type, he eventually stepped into an open courtyard within the temple. A small garden had been erected, likely for viewing purposes. He examined them as he wandered through the courtyard, not quite paying attention to his surroundings. About midway through his shoulder found another's. He pivoted on his back foot and regained his balance quickly enough as he turned to face whoever he ran into. There wasn't much force behind the exchange considering his lazy gait.

"Sorry about that, I wasn't really paying attention," Ven offered a smile in apology as his gaze settled on Jairdain. "You uh, wouldn't happen to know where I can find some grub, would you?"

[member="Jairdain"]​

 

[Jairdain]

The collision could also be blamed on Jairdain for not entirely paying attention to what was going on around her. Her mind was both dwelling on the past and looking to the future. She was confident in where she was going in life and was happy with that.

Being in touch with nature was of great importance to the woman. On Kashyyyk there was plenty of that, but the Temple had included an interior garden. So while she was leaving the Temple exactly, she was heading there. It was a place she came quite often and could be found here easily.

As she stopped to breathe in the musky air, somebody ran into her. This wasn't a hard collision and it barely caused her to step forward. Finishing her breath, she turned around and her face clearly showed some shock and surprise. The voice was familiar, but the presence had changed.

Being in a familiar place brought some bravery to her and a hand came up to try and touch the side of his face.

"Vaulkhar...What are you doing here?"

Hoping she hadn't gotten the wrong person, she waited to learn if she just made a fool of herself in front of a stranger.

[member="Vaulkhar"]

 

[Vaulkhar]

Both of Ven's hands rose to about midhip as if to protest her actions, though he fell silent as her hand pressed into his cheek. It was not quite as smooth as it once was, with hints of stubble peaking through. Even with the subtle difference, Jairdain would feel the same high cheekbones, angled jaw, and clenched teeth of Vaulkhar Zambrano. However, the familiar tension would dissipate as his jaw relaxed and his shoulders slumped slightly. His right hand gently took her own and returned it to her. There was no malice or aggression behind the action, just a hint of frustration that appeared aimed entirely at himself. He remained silent for several heartbeats, the moment seemed to stretch on far longer as he looked at the smaller woman.

"It was Jairdain, right? You were, um-" Ven paused and that tinge of frustration grew even more as he focused. "You were the king's friend, on Iridonia," he slid back a step and turned his gaze back to the flowers. "You'll have to forgive me, something took my memory from me recently. It's all been coming back slowly, but there are a lot of blank spots still," as if to accent his point, the larger jedi knocked twice on the side of his head before weakly laughing at himself. "I go by Ven now, Ven Novar. I am kind of a jedi, its sorta what I do around here, train and such. . ."

Ven took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His breathing slowed considerably as he managed to push the frustration elsewhere, even if it were for a moment.

"What are you doing here? New home?"

[member="Jairdain"]​

 

[Jairdain]

Almost as soon as her fingers touched his face, Jairdain knew it was no mistake she had made. A ghost from her past had just run into her. He might go by a different name now, but there was no mistaking who he really was. Everybody changed though and his path had brought him here to the Rest. Both of them now former Sith, though his leaving would have brought about a much greater incident than what hers had.

"Yes, I am Jairdain. Novar. A fitting name."

It made her think of Krest's daughter. She wondered what happened to her. Having once again left Iridonia behind, Jairdain did not know if she would ever return there. Far to much of her past was there and one piece of it now stood once again with her.

"Ven huh? What brought about a change of heart?"

If she was honest though, when they had met, he hadn't truly been evil or even dark. He had only been Sith by virtue of who his father was.

Shaking her head at him, she was silent a moment as she thought of how to put what she wanted to say into words.

"This isn't a new home exactly. When we met, I had just run away. It was a dark time for me, Ven. Well, far more than normal at least. My world and life had been destroyed time again. I just couldn't handle it and I broke from it all. Back then, my breaking had just begun. It went way worse before it got better. Eventually, something dragged me away from the abyss I was staring into and well here I am."

Most of her life was within the parameters people considered normal. There were still bits and pieces out of whack, but those she would deal with as she could.

[member="Vaulkhar"]