Private Home Wasn't Ever Farr

[Efret Farr]

Part of Efret didn't want to meet Val's eyes, but she had to if she wanted to understand what the brunette was saying.

"Says you, and you do it all the time." It seemed to be a safe assumption, given that Valery was grandmaster. "I'm an archeologist. I'm normally the only Jedi around wherever I go—sometimes in a rural or tribal community, sometimes in the star system, depending. In those contexts, people listen to me, usually, and not just Galactic Alliance citizens."

She sighed. "I'm not used to being, rather feeling, disregarded. You acknowledged my standpoint. I appreciate that."

Her fingers waved meaninglessly again as she collected her thoughts. When she had, she added, "I used to be: used to it, I mean. My first master used to ask my my opinion often just to then ignore it. Between training and class, days where I was not humiliated were few and far between. My second master very patiently restored my confidence to speak my mind but soon after I was knighted, I decided to specialize in archeology."

Her smile grew shy and small. "I have always been interested in our history, but I must confess that the reason I decided upon this pursuit was influenced greatly by the asocial tendencies that my first master's treatment instilled.

"I'm sure you can imagine that the meeting stirred that part of me up again. I'm not convinced that anyone besides you in the rotunda really listened to me. Maybe..." The lapel's voice stopped as an abbreviated sob choked itself from Efret's throat. She likewise stopped walking and covered her mouth with one hand. After a noticeable swallow meant to regain her composure, she tried to to finish her thought: "...if I had an actual voice..."

One hand jumped to her mouth again. Her brown eyes grew glossy. "I'm..."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery knew that this was one of those moments in her life when she needed to just listen. The feelings Efret had regarding the meeting came from deep within. From having felt that she went unheard throughout significant parts of her life. Valery herself was quite different in that regard — she had been a loud Padawan and she looked back at her Master and how he handled that ball of energy rather fondly.

Now, many years later, she never needed to raise her voice to be heard. So, she could only imagine what it must be like to feel unnoticed or disregarded.

It pained her.

The moment Efret finally felt overwhelmed by her emotions, Valery was quick to close the gap and wrapped her arms around the woman. She gently laid Efret's head to rest on her shoulder and just kept her close, "I'm sorry the meeting made you feel this way," she said, her voice calm and soothing. "I don't think it was anybody's intention for it to feel like that, but I understand why it did." Valery pulled back and placed her hands on Efret's shoulders for a gentle squeeze.

"But you don't need a voice to be heard. You're an amazing Jedi — smart, kind, and gentle to those around you. Your actions will speak louder than a thousand words or more ever could. It may take time for some to notice, but I promise you that they will and that they will listen and understand."

Efret Farr ​

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret sniffed while wrapped in the embrace. Once Val pulled back, the Lorrdian wiped at her own eyes with the side of her palm, mopping up the forming tears. As she did it, she smiled at Val.

"Thank you for having such grace," she replied. "I'm sure you're right. I had not expected a ghost to visit me today, but I'm glad it did. I remember now that I have a part of me to heal I have long neglected." She almost added a promise that she would meditate on it; she would, of course, but she did not know when. To a degree, planning in a time like this was pointless. She'd find time when and where she could, even if it wasn't for a month.

"How about you? What are your thoughts on the proceedings?" If Val was to continue walking, Efret would follow.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"It's a feeling I understand all too well," Valery said with a gentle smile. For a long time, she had been plagued by various problems of her past. Things she had buried away to try and forget, rather than confront to overcome. Through friends and family, she had made steps forward, but certain things remained difficult, even for a Jedi with plenty of experience. She imagined that other Jedi Masters — Efret included — had their own memories to heal from.

The life of a Jedi was not an easy one, after all.

"If you need help with your healing process, you may always reach out to me or any other Jedi you feel comfortable with." It was something that had helped Valery in the past, and she wanted Efret to know that she'd have that support as well if she needed it and wanted it.

"As for the meeting..." Valery began as she walked through the old Temple hall and stopped in front of a statue placed at the very center. It was of an unrecognizable Jedi, sitting on their knees with a lightsaber held in front of them. A classic symbol of the Jedi Knights.

"I think it was good in the sense that people had a chance to speak freely, and I think many did. But with so many Jedi there, it's not easy to draw meaningful conclusions from the meeting either. I'm going to need some time to think and weigh options because it's just not obvious what the right decision will be." Valery sighed and turned to her new friend.

"I'm glad we held the meeting, though."

Efret Farr ​

 

[Efret Farr]

When Val was done speaking, Efret shifted her gaze to the statue to study it. "I am too. It was a good opportunity for us all." She signed with presence for the conversation, but it was clear that her attention had began to split as she stepped one more stride towards the statue and squinted at the form it its hands. Recognizing in the next moment that this was not the time for distraction, she turned back to Val. "I don't think you misunderstand me, but I want to be clear. I am not upset because I felt alone in my stance. No, I never mind if my opinion is not shared. I mind feeling insignificant.

"That said, some among us may be... more outcome- rather than process-oriented." That was, they might want to win, rather that simply have, a discussion. It was just intuition. "Those individuals might periodically forget that we follow a High Council, rather than a truly democratic convention, or wish differently."

She smiled. "In the unlikely event that you and the other Councilmasters make the wrong decision, we will correct it as a united Order."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery chuckled and dipped her head in agreement, "Some will certainly be unhappy if the Council doesn't go with what they believe to be the best decision. But in the end, we work towards a common goal. As you say, when the Council makes a mistake, we work together to solve whatever problems it causes."

"But when we make the right call, I believe true Jedi should also be willing to adjust their opinions. Which I think even those with strong opinions among us will." She smiled and briefly turned to the statue that seemed to have distracted Efret for a moment. Ultimately, Valery felt confident they'd make a good call.

They were all in agreement that the young should be moved elsewhere, and that was a good start. Get them off Coruscant, and go from there.

"I saw you looking at the statue," Valery smirked playfully. "What do you think of it?"

Efret Farr ​

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret looked shy when she turned back to the statue, like a child sheepish after being caught doing something naughty but not very sorry about it. "I find the sculptor's depiction of the lightsaber very telling. Ever since lightsabers were adopted into the Jedi Order, refinements to their structure have been made by engineers in the Service Corps. Other changes have and will continue to be common as well: namely aesthetic choices by individuals that may gain enough traction to become a trend. For instance—" she stepped closer still to run her fingers of one hand over the stony weapon, signing with the other— "the hilt is longer than is in fashion for a single blade today. Power regulation chambers had to be longer from the time of adoption until, as far as we know, 3,000 BBY or so; until the involved technology constricted the length required to regulate a focused plasma beam.

The pommel cap is also wider at the base than is usually seen among newly-created sabers." She tapped the end of the hilt to illustrate her point. "While this doesn't appear to be a protosaber, I would guess that it comes from a period where the amount of power required to emit plasma out of kyber was still relatively high. Thus, the power cell inside the cap was larger."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Now this was interesting.

Valery crossed her arms underneath her chest and listened intently to Efret's observations. With every detail she shared, the corners of Valery's lips tugged up a little further into a smirk. She had learned about lightsaber construction a long time ago, but never much about the differences between various eras of the Jedi. Not beyond major design improvements, such as the shift from protosabers and their power packs, to the duratium power cells that came later.

Speaking of which...

"It's certainly not a protosaber," Valery said with a chuckle. "I'm not that old, Master Farr," Valery said with an even wider grin and a little sparkle in her eyes to project the more teasing nature of her voice.

"I never thought much about the differences like that, though. But I suppose it explains why my lightsaber hilts are longer, too. I've kept to the old designs I used back in the day with most of the lightsabers I built."

Efret Farr ​

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret almost backtracked when she thought she had offended Val.

Almost.

As she saw the body language of a joke on the grandmaster's face, the other master decided to double down and tease back. "Right. And I can actually hear like an ebon hawk." She smirked. "My apologies, I figured us both wrong."

Then she pointed at the lightsaber once more, generally this time. "Can I take a scan of this?" she asked reflexively. There was no reason she couldn't, but Efret had started asking that question to people in the field—out where she had no right to engage with artifacts without permission from the proper authorities. "I need to study it more closely and compare it to the documented history. Not now, of course." Master Jade had also suggested a pause on individual Jedi research during the war. Efret thought that wise. "I'd like it in my backlog, though."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery snorted.

"Wowww, I see how it is," she practically giggled and looked at Efret with the warmest of smiles. Despite the meeting and the circumstances that made it necessary — a war — it felt good to be able to laugh and smile about these little things. No matter what the Galaxy threw at them, she'd never allow that to be taken away.

Hope and joy.

"Of course, as long as you share your findings with me. I'm quite curious now." This Temple had been her home for a very long time, so if Efret was able to learn more about even something as small as a statue here, she'd be quite thrilled to hear all about it. But there were other parts of this Temple that she wanted to show her new friend as well.

"I'd also like to show you something else," Valery said as she began to walk towards the back end of the Temple hall. There were two long, winding staircases there. One of them went down, and the other went up. Valery took the latter and after climbing up the steps, they stood before a long bridge that spanned between two sections of the cliffs. The main Temple structure on one side, and the Temple grounds on the other.

"At the very back, we have a training area. I spent a lot of time there when I was young and even when I was the Grandmaster of this Enclave. I'd really like to show it to you."

Efret Farr ​

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret smiled until her cheeks were full and turned her face down towards the floor before looking back to Val with the same joy that the first woman had found in this moment.

"Surely," she said after the enjoyment dies down. Then: "Lead the way." She'd come back to scan the statue before she left.

When they came to the bridge, Efret stepped around Val and up to the nearest portion of guardrail. She leaned ever so slightly over it, trying to see better what was below. Soon after, she turned around, intuiting that Val was about to speak. "What an inspiring spot!"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"Please be care... ful." Valery blinked, seeing her leaning over the guard rail and chuckled nervously. It reminded her of the days when she caught young Padawans getting a little too comfortable near the edge. The words she'd have with them typically made sure they never did it again. Efret was no reckless Padawan, of course, but Valery couldn't help but feel a little protective. Efret was a new friend, after all.

"It is quite beautiful, isn't it?" Valery walked over and looked into the valley. After living here for most of her life, it almost stopped being special to see a view like this.

But it truly was remarkable.

"Just wait until you see the Dragon's Den and the valley from there." It was the name of the training arena, and it wouldn't take too long for the two Jedi Masters to reach it. After crossing the bridge, there were two old structures on each side of the path, but Valery ignored those unless asked about them, and walked forward until they reached the Gardens. With an abundance of flowers, plants and little tables and seats for Jedi to surround themselves with its beauty, the Gardens were one of the most relaxing places to be.

But beyond that, down the path and near the edge of the cliffs, is where Valery wanted to go.

"We could drink some tea here later, if you'd like. First... the Dragon's Den."

Efret Farr ​

 

[Efret Farr]

Nirrah ruffled her feathers on Efret's shoulder as they passed into the gardens. Portions of the pathway was shaded and, as a consequence, cooler than the skybridge had been exposed to full sunshine. Efret rose a hand to pet the owl, smoothing down her feathers and attempting to impart some of her own body warmth on the smaller creature.

"Tea would be lovely," Efret replied with a nod, "but perhaps another time. It will give me a reason to visit again." That and she already felt more than a little guilty for being here, talking about the history of lightsaber builds, when war once again threatened the free galaxy—even though there was not much she could do at the moment to ease her anxiety. It was, and would be, a waiting game now. All the could be done was prepare for that time by making herself available and also enjoying what fleeting moments of happiness and personal peace stretched between now and then, for they could in fact be the last.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"Good, as long as you allow yourself that time to relax." Valery looked over her shoulder and smiled at the woman who gave her little companion some attention. "We don't win wars or protect people by sending overworked or stressed Jedi to the frontlines. We're people too, and we're at our best when the body and mind are given time to recover as well." The battles in the Core had already been quite intense, and they were only the first few of what she believed would be countless in this upcoming conflict.

So, while she understood an apprehension to make time for some tea, she wanted to make sure that Efret wasn't pushing it back because she felt pressured to always be working hard.

Valery knew she did, both as an archeologist and as a protector.

"There it is," Valery said a moment later as the training area finally came into view. "We called it the Dragon's Den. This is where we taught lightsaber form classes and practiced with each other. Later, when I became an Instructor and the Battlemaster afterward, I spent countless hours teaching young Jedi here."

Valery smiled as those memories resurfaced.

Efret Farr ​

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret bowed her head. Valery's meaning was received and understood. Of course recovery was very well and good—she did not mean to forget that—but at the moment what she needed more was a refresher of a different kind. It had been too long since she had actually drawn her lightsaber.

"Do you still teach?" asked the Lorrdian master before smiling. "I'm not a padawan, but perhaps you can make an exception."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"I teach all the time," Valery said with a warm smile. "I usually have three Padawans following me around, and I teach classes or offer Jedi private lessons." Ever since she went down the path of a Lightsaber Instructor, it had been something she couldn't quite let go of. She enjoyed teaching far too much, and the bonds she formed with her students helped her feel connected to the Jedi whom she'd be leading in both times of peace and war.

Whether it was a Padawan, a Knight, or a Jedi Master — valery would always be willing.

"I do teach Jedi Knights or even Masters on occasion, too. I'd be more than happy to train with you." Valery bowed her head and walked into the center of the Dragon's Den.

"Do you just want to spar and practice a little, or is there something specific you're hoping to learn?"

Efret Farr ​

 

[Efret Farr]

"I'm afraid that I'm in dire need of a general reminder," she replied to Val's question. "I didn't use my lightsaber on my last tour once." It was fortunate that her travels had been peaceful throughout but, now that war threatened the Galactic Allegiance's territory and she was here to help protect it, it was more than impractical that she was out of martial practice. Over the years she had been gone from the Coruscant Temple, she had practiced her forms less and less, which became a vicious cycle in short order. Less practice allowed nerves to accumulate, which then discouraged her further. She remembered that many masters had cautioned against shirking on lightsaber training even one day, since when padawans were learning the skill being paralyzed by training anxiety was a rather common pitfall.

Back in that time of her life, training was even harder on her. It still was. It took so much concentration to allow the Force to fill in for two senses rather than sharpen one. In such, her connection with the Force was her lifeline, something she would never forsake, but it also wouldn't keep her or those in her care safe alone when the Sith and their servants came.

Efret smiled despite herself and forced herself to add, "A friendly spar would do me good, if you're really happy to oblige." She was already walking backwards until she was several paces from Valery.

Nirrah flew up into a nearby tree.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

"It would be my pleasure to spar together, at the right pace." As a teacher, Valery would always push for the boundaries. There was nothing to be learned if she did her best to overpower or outclass a student, but they weren't going to learn anything if she made it too easy either. She needed to match their comfort zone, and gradually push just a little harder. Force them to make mistakes, and help them learn from them.

One step at a time, she was confident that she could train any Jedi to be a good duelist. Helping Efret get back into the swing of it wouldn't be an issue, and she loved the idea of helping a friend.

"We'll start slow, so we can warm up a little." Valery drew the hilt of her lightsaber into her hand and ignited the blade. The violet plasma burst into existence, and she held the blade in front of her, angled forward just a little. "Alright, you can start us off when you feel ready." In whatever Form or style she liked to use.

Valery would observe, and she was ready to push Efret a little.

Efret Farr ​

 

[Efret Farr]

The hilt of Efret's lightsaber flew into her hand. She gripped it with her other, then rose the weapon to be inline with one of her shoulders, aligned on one side of her body. She stepped forward once, positioning her body to face that way, though her head remained pointed at Val. Straightening out one elbow, she ignited her blade angling up towards the sky slightly.

Form III seemed most appropriate to her.

Efret remained frozen in her opening stance for probably longer than Val had expected. The first woman's breathing had grown deep to the point of being almost unperceivable. She kept her eyes open and fixed on the blurry figure ahead she knew to be the grandmaster.

Finally, the Force responded, augmenting Efret's view of her surroundings. It did not impart visual clarity but did place glowing blue markers in the black spot of her view where obstacles existed. The light coming from Val's saber was muted so that it didn't wash out what she could naturally and supernaturally see. Val's arms themselves, to Efret, were highlighted in a more saturated silver color.

After one last deep breath, Efret flourished her blade around her head while closing the distance between them and struck out towards Val in a downwards motion.

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

No matter how much time Efret needed to ready herself, Valery remained patient and waited. She focused on her breathing — on the steadiness of her mind as it connected with the Force — and kept her body relaxed. Up in the hills of New Cov, close to the edge of the rocks, there was often a calm, gentle breeze that flowed around visitors. The fresh air carried the smell of the jungle, and even after all these years, it helped her focus.

This place felt like home, more than almost anything else ever could.

"Your stance looks good," Valery said calmly once it seemed the other woman was ready. The Force swirled around her, in more ways than one, and alerted Valery that the sparring session was about to begin.

With a burst of speed, The Jedi Master moved towards her and swept her blade down. Valery responded and first angled the tip of her blade to the right, before she raised her lightsaber up and caught the strike at an almost right angle. During the warm-up, she merely wanted to get a feel for Efret's strength, speed and technique — that way she could slowly start pushing the woman more and more.

After the blade was caught, Valery pushed Efret's blade up and away, before bringing her own back around for a horizontal sweep aimed to connect with Efret's left side.

Simple, telegraphed strikes for the Zones, but it had its purpose.

Efret Farr ​