Private Horseplay

[Corazona von Ascania]

"A friend?" Cora rotated her head just enough that one eye would be visible to Shan, clearing her throat as his hands settled at her waist. She flinched at the unfamiliar touch, but stilled quickly. This may have been her home, but Cora didn't have many friends at court. If she was being honest, life as a Princess was lonely and isolating. Having a friend would be nice. "Very well, but I doubt we'll be seeing much of each other. After today, I'm moving on to another village."

Maybe that's what made him a little easier to talk to—Shan was not a Ukatian, and they had not crossed paths during her time with the Jedi.

Nudging Petunia into a canter, they glided through dusky fields fast enough that Cora could feel the wind rushing through her hair. The blonde suppressed an urge to close her eyes and lean into the feeling.

"I wasn't always a Princess, you know. I was both into a wealthy family right here on Ukatis. When my home started to seek membership into the Galactic Alliance, my force sensitivity was discovered and I was sent to the NJO."

The explanation came with a hint of longing fondness. Cora was determined to do her duty and serve her people, but she missed the freedom that came with being a Jedi.

"I left Coruscant when I was arraigned to marry Prince Horace, but I still carry the lessons I've had there with me. Master Kahlil Noble used to take me to a place called a rage room when I was, er, upset. We don't have anything like that here, so we'll have to improvise."

"Oh, and don't tell anyone we were out here. My husband would have you killed."

The addition was very nonchalant, but not an exaggeration. Horace was less concerned about the wellbeing of his wife, and more worried about his reputation.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

"I'd say so. Yes. I don't have many friends myself. Just...allies." Shan sighed to himself afterwards. He raised an eyebrow as Cora said that she was going to be moving to a new village. It made sense for Shan, most of the people he was friendly with didn't stay around for long. "It's fine. As long as you're okay in that village, it's all I care about. Life is fleeting. The good things rarely last, yet the bad things seem to persist. Strange when you think about it that way...It's like with the Sith...A lot of their destruction and crimes are well known, but how well known are the missions the Jedi go on?" Once again, like most of Shan's conversations, the topic turned philosophical before he shook his head, trying not to overtake the topic of conversation.

He just listened to Cora talk about joining the Jedi Order, which made Shan tilt his head slightly at that, frowning in thought. "That is...surprising. You don't give off any sign to me that you were a Force Sensitive. Intriguing...Then again, I've always been terrible with sensing things. As much as my eyes are open to the world, my force senses are not as open." Shan just kept the frown on his face. Perhaps it was the fact he couldn't sense much from Cora was the reason he felt more...content to talk openly. With any of the Jedi he talked to, he was always worried about disappointing them, or seeming like a failure. But to him, even if he disappointed Cora...How would that effect him? It wouldn't in the grand scheme of things at the end of the day.

"Ah. You and I seem to have opposite problems, but Master Noble has been helping me with mine. I'm...far too much of a pacifist. Even after being able to make my own lightsaber, I refused to use it. The idea of holding something that has such lethal potential...It felt wrong to me. I want to heal. I want to help. I want to protect. I don't want to kill. I feel like...our actions cause ripples, you know? Positive actions lead to positive ripples. Negative actions lead to negative ripples." He glanced over towards Cora, giving her a small smile as Shan spoke. "Like a part of me hopes that the healing I did for you, and offering to be here for you to chat to, is causing positive effects for you. Making you feel like you aren't alone. So that in the future, if someone else feels bad, you'll be able to help them. Whereas if I was rude to you, or made your pain worse, it would have made you more likely to lash out at someone. Or at least that's how most people would probably react."

Shan blinked at the comment about Horace potentially killing him, and he bit his lip as the Padawan thought for a moment. "Knowing me...my stupidity and naivety will get me killed sooner or later. I know that, but...I still want to stand by my beliefs and ideals. Anyone can be good, if you take away whatever has corrupted them. If you take away power, they can't use it to hurt people anymore...On a brighter note, it's amusing that you said your husband would kill me. The pair of you couldn't sound more different. I know people say opposites attract...but I doubt that fits to this situation.."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

The good things rarely last, yet the bad things seem to persist.

Had she been a commoner, Cora would have whooped in agreement. Instead, her lips twisted into a frown at the mention of her lack of presence in the Force. It was an aspect about herself that she found deeply troubling. Shan was observational, and he had a point about the Jedi's more peaceable work flying under the radar compared to the Sith's crusade of destruction.

"When you do things right, sometimes people won't be sure you've done anything at all."

A proverb attributed to a Ukatian King of the past. Or a philosopher. Or none of those; she didn't really care to know. But it seemed apt enough.

Cora was quiet for the rest of the ride, but she was listening. She found Shan and his thoughts to be curious, largely benign in nature. As pitiful as her presence was in the Force, he'd feel a surge of anger from the Princess when he compared her and her husband.

It's not his fault. He doesn't know.

Finally, she slowed the horse to a halt when they were deep within the forest, though not entirely off of the trail. There'd be few, if any travelers at this time of day but there was still enough light to see the earthy foliage.

Cora helped Shan dismount and reached for the bag he'd been carrying. After tying the horses' reins to a tree, she opened the cooler and retrieved a cube of ice.

Holding it out in her palm, she met Shan's gaze and cocked a brow. Then, she hurled the ice towards a tree. It exploded against the bark with a satisfying crack, and some of the tension eased from Cora's shoulders.

"The rage room on Coruscant was a safe place to let out your anger and break things in a controlled environment. This is the best I could come up with." She shrugged. "But it kind of works. Same principle."

Leaning down, Cora retrieved another shard and pitched it forward. She motioned for Shan to do the same.

"You may be a pacifist, but I could see you getting upset when you talked about your family. You might be used to pushing those feelings down, Shan, but if you don't work them out of your system at least a little bit, they'll bottle up. Too much pressure and you'll explode."

Her tone was firm, but it didn't lack empathy. Cora saw flickers of herself in Shan. It made her realize that maybe, she was being a little hypocritical. She'd clocked his false smile the moment it crossed his face for a reason.

"But I get it." She continued, curling her hand around a chunk of ice and feeling the chill deep into her skin. "I think I do, at least. I left the Jedi to get married because I thought that it would be the best way to protect my people. You've seen the ills of the galaxy, and you want to help heal it, even if you get hurt in the process.”

Unfurling her fingers, Cora observed the crystalline shard. It had begun to melt from the heat of her palm, which now ached.

"I hate my husband. He is a horribly cruel man, and I wish he were dead."

Her fingers curled back around the ice, reveling in the raw throb of her hand from the cold.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan nodded at the proverb that Cora had said, his face seemingly turning into more of a frown. It wasn't so much he was angry but more in thought. Dozens of things going through his head as he was trying to figure out his own thoughts on the situation...

Though the moment he felt the rush of anger from Cora, Shan seemed to have tensed up for a moment, going quiet himself as he tried to figure out what he might have done wrong... "...Have I hurt you in some way Cora? I apologise if my words have hurt you. I promise you it's not my intent...I have a habit of doing this it seems. I offended an Echani Padawan a while back. We tried to discuss our viewpoints on fighting and well...she thought I was calling her and her people a savage when I did not mean that in any way. So if I have insulted you...I apologise."

They came to a stop shortly after Shan said that, and the Padawan raised an eyebrow as Cora pulled out a cooler. Ice. Interesting. Shan folded his arms along his front, watching as the Princess of Ukatis threw shards of ice off towards the trees. A scowl slowly breaking across his face as Cora pointed out how Shan was angry when he spoke about his family and he tried to just shove it down. Think positive. Don't...focus on the negative emotions.

Though his scowl softened slightly when Cora spoke about how she got it, and he sighed to himself, taking a step over towards the cooler and staring at the ice for a moment. "I have been hurt in the process. Plenty of times back on Nar Shaddaa. Mostly fists and feet...but there's been plenty of times where I've been a dumbass when I should have ran and instead I stayed to help..." He raised his hand, to his arm slightly, rubbing it awkwardly as he was in thought about the pain he's went through. Why exactly did he try to help the universe, when he had seen the ills of the galaxy? Why did he want to go through the pain so much to help people? It wasn't like he had to be a Jedi. The Sith would never appeal to him. He could just go off to a distant planet and forget about the worries of the Galaxy...except he couldn't. Even if he tried to forget about it, people would still be hurt. People would still die. That would still happen, even if he stayed...but there was still other ways for him to change things. The fact he had helped Cora was evidence to him in that thought process.

He dug his hand into the container of ice, grabbing a chunk to just finally let out some of his frustrations, chucking it at the tree to let it explode. And then Cora said she wanted her husband dead. Shan froze at that, turning his head over towards Cora. She might have expected him to reprimand her for that, or say something about how it's wrong to wish someone dead...but instead he just sighed, shaking his head. "I...feel broken. I've never hated someone. I've never wanted someone dead." The Mirialan sighed, letting the words rest for a moment before he carried on speaking. "Even after all of the beatings I've had on Nar Shaddaa. Even after reading up on all of the Sith...I've never hated any of them. I just feel...sorry for them. Sorry that they have to resort to such cruelty and darkness. So many of the most powerful Sith could have made a positive contribution to the Galaxy, but instead they were focused on building themselves up...The same goes for the criminals on Nar Shaddaa. They want to raise up their own criminal Empire instead of the community around them...and I just feel sorry for them. I don't want to hurt them. Even when they're holding a weapon out to me, I don't want to fight them. I just...want them to change their ways. I must be broken, in some way. It's natural to hate people. So why can't I?"

The Mirialan sighed once again to himself. He could feel frustrated at other people. He could even feel annoyed at others. But he could never feel angry at anyone but himself. And it was just something he couldn't understand, as he grabbed another handful of ice, throwing it towards the tree. Ignoring the chill going through his wrist, Shan threw more ice. Again and again as his head thought about what he wanted to say, but no words came.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"You haven't hurt me, Shan." Cora explained. "Other people have, and something you said reminded me of that. But you didn't hurt me."

The moment she'd relayed her true feelings about Horace, Cora wished that she could unspeak them. She flushed in embarrassment, mentally chiding herself for being so open with such unpleasant, private feelings.

Watching Shan hurl cube after cube of ice into a tree was distracting enough. She was glad that he was talking, even if it was negative, in any event.

"I don't think you're broken. I've never really hated anyone until I married him."

Cora shrugged, flicking the icy residue from her hand.

"Everybody experiences the galaxy in different ways, I think. Even people who have been through the exact same situation may process it differently. So no, I don't think that you're broken."

Reaching into the bag, she opened her hand wide and grasped several shards of ice before flinging them haphazardly into the wilderness.

"I think that you're just hurting, Shan. And that's one of the most normal things in the galaxy."

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

"I'm...glad I haven't hurt you. If I do say anything else that reminds you however...please tell me. Okay? As much as I seem to like talking, I care more about your own well-being." He sighed afterwards at that, brushing his wet hand through his hair, ruffling it up ever so slightly before looking back over towards Cora as she spoke.

A small frown spread across his face as she spoke about hating her husband...and yet in another way that might have seemed surprising for him, he didn't say she was wrong for that either. He didn't know how love felt, or how it was to get married. So what could he say about this situation that wouldn't be hypocritical? HE couldn't. So he just listened to her, occasionally throwing more and more ice towards the tree to try and get his own frustrations out. Breathing in and out after every throw. Just let the frustrations out in a constructive manner.

"But there are people who are hurting worse than me. You, some of the Sith, the people on Nar Shaddaa. I don't get to be mad, or upset over things when I'm in a better position than other people." At that, the Mirialan actually yelled at the next chunk of ice he threw. the frustration was just building. But not at Cora. It was aimed towards himself instead. He was always trying to help people, but never really took a moment out of his day to try and help himself...so this was actually helpful and he owed Cora for it.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

A moment of hesitation washed over Cora before she gave Shan a nod. She couldn't reasonably expect him to know what triggered her darker thoughts. Noblewomen on Ukatis were expected to bury their discomfort beneath layers of demure poise, so expressing something negative was still relatively new territory for Cora.

"Alright. I understand." She acquiesced after a long silence. "And you must tell me if I say or do something to upset you, Shan. Alright?"

Cora watched as the Mirialian continued to heave ice into the trees, and his frustrations began to bubble to the surface. She quieted, giving Shan space to speak his piece even as his voice rose.

"You're playing the feelings of a Sith above your own?" Her brows furrowed when she finally spoke. The sounds of ice exploding against wood was an almost satisfying backdrop to their conversation. "There is always going to be someone in the galaxy who has it worse off, you know. That doesn't mean that you still can't be upset about whatever is bothering you, Shan. You deserve to be able to let it out, like you are right now."

Sticking her hand into the bag, Cora rummaged for a piece of ice, closing her fingers around a chilly shard. It would almost have been sharp enough to slice, if the heat of her hand hadn't begun to dull the point. She hurled it haphazardly at the tree all the same.

"That is why I do this. If I don’t get at least a little bit of my anger out now, it will just continue to build. And then what? I might hurt someone I care about.”

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan nodded as he kept throwing the ice towards the tree. Listening to the ice shattering against the tree before flexing his hand out, trying to get the feeling back in it, after the chill had spread up into his wrist. Brushing his hand down to get rid of any excess ice, as he nodded towards Cora's comment about if she upsets him, but the Padawan just broke out into a small smirk at that.

"It's harder to upset me than you might think. I can understand your view point most of the time." Her anger towards her husband was something Shan couldn't understand yet, but that didn't mean he thought she was wrong for her feelings. Far from it really, Shan barely had any issue with people's feelings, as long as they didn't hurt others.

Which probably made it even more surprising to Cora when he mentioned the Sith, which is why Shan let out a small chuckle at Cora's comment about him putting a Sith's feeling over his own as he tried to figure out how to word it.

"...How many Sith do you think turned to the dark side out of necessity? Because they felt weak, or scared, or didn't have anyone there to help them, except for the allure of the dark side?" Shan felt...a bit off talking about the dark side this way, when he hadn't fully faced it, and mostly went off what he read...but that didn't mean his thoughts on the matter were going to change. There were more crashes of ice before the Padawan spoke up again. "Whilst I understand there are plenty of Sith who fell to the Dark Side purely for power...I don't think that's all of them. Which is why I care more about their feelings than my own. I know how I feel, I know what I've went through. But I can't dare imagine what they might have been through...Sorry. This is turning into some kind of philosophy discussion. That always happens with me." The Padawan let out a soft chuckle at that once more, seemingly in a much better mood now that he got his feelings out.

"I understand what you mean about other people being worse off...but that doesn't mean I should ignore my own feelings. It's just...I've always felt better helping others, than helping myself. Though I know I won't last long if I keep that going..." From now on, Shan was going to be...more open with his feelings with the Jedi. Cora had already proven to him that the Jedi knew how to deal with these kind of things, since she got the idea of this "Rage Room" from Kahlil.

Though that gave him an idea as Shan started to walk over towards the tree they had been throwing at whilst taking his lightsaber off his belt before turning to face Cora, a grin spreading across his face. "Lemme give you a moving target to try and hit. It'll be a good training exercise for me as well, I suppose. I'm used to sparring against the remote Master Noble gave me...but going against an actual person might feel a bit different."

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Shan's empathy for Sith was surprising—but then again, maybe not. As much as he couldn't understand her anger over her husband, Cora couldn't quite wrap her mind around his feelings towards Sith. She chalked it up to what had separated them the most—vastly different life experiences.

"All of the Sith I've met have been violent and aggressive. Even if they're suffering, it's difficult for me to feel bad for someone when they're razing civilizations and murdering innocents."

Cora's martial abilities had been forged in the great war with the Maw and their ilk; there had been no room for empathy against world eaters and psychotic cultists. Even if the dark sided powerhouse had fallen, they left worlds destroyed.

Even if they disagreed on their thoughts regarding Sith, both Shan and Cora seemed more open to the idea of expressing their frustrations.

"You wish for me to pelt you with ice? Very well."

Before Shan could even ignite his saber, Cora fisted a handful of cubes and flung them at the Mirialian, a wicked little smirk creeping onto her face.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan raised an eyebrow at Cora's statement about the Sith, giving a small shrug of his shoulders as he tried to pick his words carefully. He knew if he said what he planned on saying straight away, Cora might take offense to it, since he was literally about to compare the nobility to Sith, so he just found a different way of wording it.

"Some people see the poor as violent and aggressive. I've met plenty of people like that. I've also met plenty of rich people who are equally as violent and aggressive. I am not saying you should feel sympathy for the Sith. I understand it's...a strange viewpoint. I am just saying, sometimes they are far similar to us than we'd want to accept, no? They're a potential path we could have went down, whilst we're a potential path they could have went down."

He hadn't fought a Sith yet, so Shan's opinion was still incredibly naïve in this manner. In fact he hadn't even seen the devastation the Sith could cause yet, so there was always the chance that when he did see something like that, his views would change. Either way, the Padawan felt comfortable discussing this with Cora now. It was clear that their thoughts and opinions were going to differ, but being able to address those opinions felt important to him.

"I wish for you to attempt to pelt me with ice."

Though before he could fully ignite his saber, Cora had thrown some ice, causing Shan to launch his hand out in an effort to stop the cubes using the Force. It wasn't something he had practiced often though, and the cubes were smaller targets than he was used, so whilst the Padawan managed to stop a few of the projectiles from hitting him, he was still peppered with ice cubes, letting out a few small yelps of surprise at how cold they felt.

"No fair! You didn't let me get ready!"

The Mirialan pouted before fully igniting his saber, moving his stance into that of his starting soresu form before closing his eyes. He was going to try and let the Force guide his movements. His eyes could trick him or he could hesitate mid swing if he just focused on using his eyes. The Force was going to help guide him to where he needed to move and slash the ice...Though he was pretty sure he was still going to get cold and wet either way

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora smiled as Shan was pelted with a hail of ice cubes, at least the ones he hadn't managed to stop. It was genuine. She was starting to have fun.

"I mean…I suppose?" She shrugged. "I've only ever fought Sith, I've never sat down and talked to one." The opportunity had never presented itself.

To the point about her not playing fair, Cora simply clicked her tongue and raised her chin.

"Life's not fair! The enemies you'll face in battle won't wait for you to get ready, young Padawan. They'll simply…strike!"

With a flick of her wrist, she whipped another cube in his direction with a laugh.

"…when they find an opening!"

Cora launched another shard, aiming for a tree beside Shan, where it would bounce off of the bark and ricochet towards him.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan focused on trying to slash through the ice now, still managing to get pelted by a few cubes he wouldn't be able to slash properly. It was still fun at the end of the day though, it wasn't like the cubes hurt as much as getting hit by a blast from the training remotes.

"Ah. In a way you have talked to a Sith then." He pointed out, whilst focusing on his breathing. No point getting out of breath straight away. "I have a...friend, I think I can call her a friend. Anyway, she said how her people can communicate through fighting. That they can say more with their actions than words." At least that was what Shan remembered about the Echani, from what Lily had told him.

Though he once again turned his attention to the ice cubes, trying to stay aware of his surroundings...which is why Cora seemingly missing with an ice cube made him suspicious. He stepped forward to the cube that had been thrown directly at him, before swivelling on the heel of his foot to try and slash the one that was ricocheting towards him...and whilst he had been able to predict it was going to come back...He hadn't been able to predict its location as the cube smacked him right in the face.

"I need to get better at Soresu...Make sure to keep my openings well...closed." He let out a small chuckle at that, wiping the water off his face before turning his attention back towards Cora. "But for now, my focus must be on the "Wicked Ice Queen!" Whilst Shan had a small grin on his face, since he was joking with the nickname, he did keep an eye out on Corazona von Ascania instead the nickname was more hurtful than he expected.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora couldn't help a small, unrefined snicker as Shan took a sneaky ice cube to the forehead.

"Communicate through fighting? I suppose." Tilting her head to the side, she tried to imagine what the Sith she'd fought had tried to communicate to her, and what she might've communicated to them. Fear? Uncertainty? Hatred?

"There was this one Sith, or at least I think she was—some sort of dark sided witch who called herself Tegan Starfall on Exegol—I fought with another Jedi, Jand Talo. She was…strange, to say the least. Larger than life."

Tossing ice at Shan was proving to be more fun, and more distracting than she'd initially thought. It was an exercise where she worked to discover his weak points, and Shan worked to cover them in turn.

"Wicked Ice Queen?" Cora tisked, raising a brow in mock-offense as her falsified stern expression threated to break into a laugh. "I daresay I've been called worse. Starfall called me Darth Priss. Darth Priss! Can you believe it?!"

Another cube was launched directly at Shan, while her other hand was quick to whip a piece of ice at his side.

"I'm not that prissy!"

She absolutely was.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan grinned at the snicker. Originally this had been a plan for him to practice, but if it helped Cora to relax? It was a double positive at the end of the day.

"Yes. I suppose in a way, you can learn if they're angry. If they have any regrets. In some cases I suppose you could also learn how they feel about you. Do they pull their punch before they're about to hit you? It could mean they're worried about you, or think you're too weak. Do they put more power into their strike? It could be that they want to defeat you, or think you can handle it. It's almost like dancing as well, I suppose."

I suppose should have been Shan's new catchphrase. It was his way of saying something without fully comitting to it. His mind was always fluttering from opinion to opinion every time he learned something new to add to them. In his eyes, cementing yourself into one certain belief was never a good idea. It limited your viewpoints.

Though Shan tried to keep his view on the ice. Which is when he came up with a strange idea. He used his lightsaber to slash the cube that was directly launched at him, but when it came to the one coming from his side? Shan focused on the Force, forming a Barrier around his fist and just...punched out at the ice to try and break it, letting the Barrier also protect his hand from getting cold. He should use all the powers that were at his disposal.

"Darth Priss? Eh. Sounds a bit too lame in my opinion. Darth Frosty sounds better." He kept a grin on his face as Shan tried to figure out what to incorporate in his next defense...though if he thought about it, he had already used the extent of what he had learned. Shan didn't see a way at how protecting his mind would help him against the ice, so it was just back to focusing on his Soresu form.

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"Why would I care what the Sith think?" Cora scrunched her nose. This was one of those situations where she couldn't quite wrap her mind around Shan's way of looking at things.

Know your enemy, of course. But it was dangerous to go probing around the mind of a darksider, trying to glean understanding. They were a deranged lot, all either certifiably insane or so far corrupted that it wouldn't be worth the risk to try to pull them back into the light. That was what Cora had drawn from her experiences on the battlefield. Several prominent Jedi were redeemed Sith, but she'd never seen the process play out firsthand.

Shan was getting better at deflecting ice, tapping into the raw power of the Force alongside his blade. Cora kept hurling chunks at him, feeling her unease dissipate with each heave. Finally, her fingers scraped along the bottom of the bag, touching only the chilly residue left behind.

"It looks as though the reign of Darth Frosty has come to an end." She lamented with mock sorrow. "Well done, Padawan. You move well."

Cora glanced to the dim orange light of the setting sun as it trickled through the treeline, then back in the direction of town.

"We should probably be heading back now. Next time, I'll have to bring something more…challenging to throw at you."

Tilting her head back over her shoulder, Cora grinned widely at Shan. For a few hours, she managed to forget the struggles that came with her role in life.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

"Why should you care what anyone thinks?" Shan raised an eyebrow at Cora's reaction. He wasn't purposefully trying to aggravate Cora, but he was sure she'd probably feel annoyed either way. He was just trying to make her think more.

"The Sith are still alive. The Force flies through all living things, and potentially non-living. It is vital to think about how the Force interacts with everything and everyone. How their thoughts influence the Force, or the Force influences them." He shrugged his shoulders afterwards, keeping a bright smile on his face. At the end of the day, he was just enjoying this discussion with Cora. She was an interesting conversational partner, though he'd never admit that to Darth Prissy.

He lowered his head once Cora had finished throwing the ice and had practically ran out of it. "Thank you for your assistance in training. It allows me to see how people..."fight" in different ways." Shan brushed off some of the excess water off his robes before noting something that Cora had said that caught Shan's attention as he tilted his head towards the Princess of Ukatis.

"Next time? I thought there wasn't going to be a next time? Because you were moving somewhere else?" That was curious. Though Shan wasn't going to give the idea too much thought now that he had voiced his question. Maybe it had just been a slip of the tongue from Cora, maybe it hadn't been. He would just have to wait for his answer as Shan made sure they weren't leaving anything behind.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

It is vital to think about how the Force interacts with everything and everyone.

Cora's head tilted to the side in thought. Maybe Shan had a point- it was easy to ignore the thoughts and feelings of your enemy, simply because they were your enemy. If anything, it might help to uncover their motivations. A thread you could pull until they became unraveled.

The same principles held true for survival at court. It was vital for her to know as much as she could about her political and social rivals in order to keep them in check and avoid blundering; even her status as a Princess didn't make her immune to the vicious designs of some of the more aggressive noblewomen.

"Of course, Shan." Cora dipped her head in response. "We had a good conversation. It seems as though we've both managed to shake out some of the thoughts that have been weighing us down."

Next time. Cora blinked. She had said that, hadn't she? In truth, she liked Shan and did want to see him again. It made her feel like she wasn't so disconnected from the Jedi.

"You'll just have to come to the palace for tea sometime." She determined with a wave of her hand. "Your next lesson will be to see how well you can dodge scalding liquid."

She threw him a wide grin.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

"Likewise. I think we both have found a...confidant in each other? Is that the fancy term for friend?" Shan chuckled at that, keeping a smile on his face. He could safely say that next time he worked at the clinic, he was going to be a lot more livelier and friendly than he already was. He felt a lot more free now that he had gotten his frustrations out. It was clear that having a good stress reliver was going to work miracles for the mind.

He was already getting ready to hop back onto the horse, giving it a few determined pats on the horse's mane to try and build a small bond with the creature, even if he wasn't the biggest fan of horses in the first place. Though his attention was brought back to Cora as she said that he'd have to come to the Palace to dodge scalding liquid, which caused him to chuckle.

"Ah yes. Go from dodging frozen liquid to boiling liquid. A perfect advancement. IN all seriousness, I doubt the Palace would be the kind of place I fit in. Unless a member of the Royal family needs healing, and even in that case, I'm sure you have healers who are far more skilled than a simple padawan as myself." Shan kept a smirk on his face however, lowering his head to try and give Cora a small short nod before sitting up straight on the horse.

"Though perhaps I'll be able to help the Palace in another way. If the Force wills it to happen, than I shall follow its Will." Though Shan would be lying if he said he didn't hope that the Force's will would have him and Cora meet up again. She was a nice person, someone he felt more willing to...argue with, for lack of a better term. Ah. Debate. That was a better term for him to use, because "Jedi don't argue." He rolled his eyes at his own thoughts, before holding his hand out to try and help Cora onto the horse.