Private Level With Me (Kyra Perl)

[Caedyn Arenais]

"Where have you been?" Kyra Perl asked him as they stepped into the wide open cafeteria and dining hall.

It was a bit of a story and not exactly something that Caedyn wished for the other students to hear so openly. Gesturing to the serving station, he encouraged her to order her meal first so that they could talk properly once sat down and comfortable. He didn't imagine that his Padawan would be overly thrilled with his recent trip to Dromund Kaas, yet Caedyn had no intention or need of hiding it.

In a way, it was almost ironic that they were both being called upon these personal pursuits, although a little more concerning for the sake of his Padawan. It was always much easier to watch out for Kyra than it was for Caedyn to monitor and take care of himself.

"I've come and gone a couple times, had a couple urgent matters to attend to beyond Silver Space" He answered with minimal details as they followed in-line, tray in hand and atop, their plates ready for the day's helping. "I've tried to check in when I could but we seem to have both been busy lately, I always seemed to be a bit too late; It's the thought that counts though right?" he smiled faintly, sparing Kyra a glance before turning back to the woman behind the counter and requesting a bowl of fettuccine.

"I'll explain once we're sat, and can talk privately".

 

[Kyra Perl]

It was the thought that counted?

Kyra stared down at her tray, the pain of the last month rolling through her like a dull ache. The thought that he had tried to reach her did nothing sooth it.

"I wasn't doing well on Silver Rest. My father took me in here." She delivered tightly. Caedyn couldn't know the strange shift that occurred through the padawan ranks while he was away. Of course life was meant to have them grow and find new ground as they progressed, but one couldn't have braced for the mass exoduses that rippled throughout her friend group. Kyra had felt rightly alone.

Strangely, she found comfort among Celeste Rigel and Coren Starchaser . Not that she'd admit that.

Despite all the reasons she had to be mad at him for his absence, she wasn't. Something in her chest drew her towards him. Maybe it was the need for affection or something positive around her, maybe it was the empowering words he had given her in the training room. Truth was she had just missed him. its funny the things that stop mattering when you just want to be around someone again.

She loaded up her tray quietly and walked with him to a table. The new arm was still foreign to her, and for the most part it was given the most basic tasks-- stay still, hold the tray, try to hold the milk cartoon steady as I fuss with it with my other hand. Despite her struggle, she stuck with it, her brows furrowed with determination as she set up her own lunch tray by herself.

Caedyn Arenais

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"Your father took you in here? Or brought you back?" Caedyn asked curiously. As far as he'd known, she hadn't really been to many other places. Her recovery since Yurb had been there within the Academy on Commenor; "Did you return to Kashyyyk after Yavin, did you?" he asked, further intrigue filling his words.

Having seated themselves at their own table and with enough room between them and the next to keep some semblance of privacy in their conversing, Caedyn relaxed a little and turned his attention to recalling upon the events surrounding the Grandmaster's return...-Or at least, what was meant to be her retrieval. Truth be told, he hadn't heard much of what had come from the operation.

"Darth Prazutis was on Yavin at the time, he's the one who killed my Father in battle" Caedyn informed his Padawan, looking to Kyra Perl with something of a flat expression; "There were plenty of our people within the strike team, so I took it upon myself to return to my fighter and position myself within orbit so that I could track him back to wherever he had come from" and he'd left her behind because Caedyn himself had expected to be outmatch during the duel.

"What became of Master Elise?" He asked shortly there-after, "I've not seen her on duty recently. Was she injured or was the operation not a success?".

 

[Kyra Perl]

Without her.

He had left her behind.

He was suppose to be her master but where was her place at his side? Not offered. Not given. Kyra felt such a range of emotions centering around the fact that she was so often not involved in his tasks, but she couldn't yet put words to them. She only knew it hurt. And now it served him right to be left behind in her task too.

He was suppose to be guiding her in field experience. So why was she being left behind on the field?

Confidence in her abilities crumbled a little, the girl not looking as he asked a series of hard questions. Where had she gone after Yavin? She couldn't recall. That night had been a dark one. Silver Rest, maybe?

Yes. Silver Rest. Because she had flown to Kattada in the dead of the night begging for Celeste Rigel to fix her so she could go after her sister. These events were too complex to explain, and part of her didn't want to. He shoulda been involved. She merely shrugged, focusing on the next string of words.

"Grand Master Elise..." Her throat tightened, the topic also a bitter one. She did not know the woman like Amani Serys had, she had not born the same turmoil of the woman's lost. But it was still a bitter truth to admit. She boiled it down into a few words, the bite of emotion hinting at a story left untold.

"We failed. They still have her." She picked at her bread, the old habit seeping out into the metal limb. She tried to role the clump into a ball, but it was like using two sticks to pick up food-- fruitless.

"Did you at least get him? Your father's killer?"

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"No, I failed to bring him to justice" Caedyn replied dryly, turning to take up a mouthful of his pasta dish and lifting his head subconsciously in response to the taste of the food. Fettucine was among one of his more favored meals, easy to make and even better tasting. Thank the Force for small mercies.

"Truth be told, I didn't expect that I could...-Not when he was able to best my Father. I'm still no where near within the same league as Veiere was, let alone Prazutis" Caedyn admitted, glancing back to his Padawan whom felt as though she'd withdrawn within herself some.

Naturally, Caedyn had expected the news would be ill received, however he had good reason for going it alone and it was his decision to make as her Mentor. Not to mention Coren would have killed him had he brought her along for the trip and something had happened to her.

"He is a true tyrant and master of the Darkness, as well as the Emperors right hand" Caedyn added, speaking the sentence softly and soon to be taken hold by a silence that carried a somber presence. Being an empath, Kyra Perl would be able to feel the discouragement that Caedyn had wrought from the foolhardy venture; "It was a gamble at best, and not the smartest decision I've made. That's for certain" he once more met and held gaze with his Padawan, making the admission openly between them so that she would see he was also capable of making mistakes.

"I'm sorry to hear about Elise..." He soon continued, looking to the subject of the Grandmaster; "She was the one who suggested I meet with you, you know. If it hadn't been for her, you and I might never have had the pleasure of speaking and my life would be a whole lot more boring" he forced a smile, hoping to encourage one within his Padawan as well.

"I hope we are given a second chance, perhaps Concord Intelligence or our Shadows might bring news of such an opportunity..." He spoke optimistically, not wanting to consider what it meant if the Grandmaster of their Order failed to be returned to her rightful place and home within the Silver Rest.

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra didn't eat, her stomach churning as a dark thought pulled to mind. "Whatifhehadkilledyou?" She could feel the hopelessness emanating from him, she understood the severity of why she did not go. But instead of empathy for his decision to leave her behind, she was sickened by the fact he went anyway. Her throat tightened, a her breath suddenly hard to catch.

"I would have lost you-- I wouldn't have even known-- you'd just be-- and he-- How would you feel if I took gambled on my own life? We're too important, Caedyn. We can't just go running off risking everything." Thirdas' words fell from her lips. She had taken to chastising others with them lately. If just cause she didn't want them to go and a small part of her felt better for not being the one on the receiving side for once.

She wasn't being rational or fair with her words, in fact someone might consider her 'childish'. She didn't see this in herself, she was just so distraught over the possible loss of him she lashed out.

"Promise you won't do that again." She grumped.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Curiously enough, despite the tone and upset within his Padawan, Caedyn couldn't help but smile in appreciation of how much she cared. He had always been one of those 'glass half full' kind of guys, and while he didn't like that she was upset with him, there had once been a time where she had wanted nothing to do with him.

"If I come across him again, it won't be because I went looking for a fight, I promise Kyra" he replied with genuine truth and feeling behind the promise he gave.

At the time, Caedyn hadn't been thinking clearly and he understood that today. Hindsight was great like that. His desire to see his father's life avenged followed a line of thought in that he might not have died without meaning, yet his death had not been for nothing; Veiere had died protecting the people of Bimmisaari from the Empire.

Caedyn's need to avenge his fathers loss, had been personal and selfish.

"Perhaps you can take some learning from my slip-up, in seeing that everyone has faults and are capable of making mistakes" Caedyn lifted his head in a half nod, now gesturing back to her with his left hand, "But our mistakes don't necessarily mean we're not capable" he said for her benefit as she often blamed herself the most following times where she felt she had messed up.

"And yes, this was certainly a silly move on my part. I have no mind to shy from accountability".

Kyra Perl

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra snuffed, his open accountability smoothing down her metaphorical feathers. "I just don't want to lose you," she reasoned, mumbling down to her plate. She finally reached for her food again, using her fingers to catch mashed potatoes on a piece of bread and jam it into her mouth.

"...I'm glad you're back." Her tension seemed to melt back out of her, her eyes flashing to the gifted saber laying besides her plate. Its presence was a reminder of his words, driving strength into her shoulders as she unconsciously straightened in her chair. "...Maybe you could... tell me all about it?" If she was meant to learn from his mistakes, this would clearly be a strong place to start.

She looked up at him, gaze alert, clearly listening to him for the first real time.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Caedyn's gaze flickered back up to meet Kyra Perl 's momentarily as she asked for further details, wondering if he would tell her more about what had happened. Apprehension set in as he questioned the possible damage such a telling could do, however eventually resigned to agree, giving a small nod, taking another mouthful of his lunch while contemplating how to begin.

"I waited for the Sith fleet to leave Yavin and tailed them back to Dromund Kaas, the capital of their territory" he explained, leaning forward to place his elbows to the table surface, fingers lacing in front of his place as he glanced off passed his Padawan, picturing the experience in mind.

"Darth Prazutis wasn't alone when I chose a point of ambush, though I doubt they expected a single Jedi to step out into the street of a Sith occupied city" he forced a brief smile as if finding the choice to be laughable in some manner. More stupid than anything but he had lost patience at the time. "I called him out, challenging him in front of his legionaries and he answered".

His expression had fallen flat again, recalling the appearance of the Sith Lord as he towered over Caedyn himself in the street. It was difficult to find the words to describe the might of the darksiders armor, the presence of dark power that emanated off of him and threatened to silence Caedyn's own. He'd continue to describe what it was like to be the one lone symbol of light within a city of alleged evil...-Together the two would continue to share their last meal together as he would talk, as if the day was just like any other and Kyra wasn't truly about to depart for a similar endeavour in hope of rescuing her Sister.

~ End ~​