Private Little Star

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Corazona von Ascania

"Thank you, Cora," Valery managed before she fell into her husband's embrace a moment longer. She was being gentle, but she could feel that it wasn't the most comfortable to him because of his wound. Still, he didn't push her away, and gave her that moment of comfort she so desperately needed.

The feeling of his hand in her hair, the warmth of his arms around her, and the gentleness of his heart beating against her own chest. Few things could lift her back up better than that, and it showed as a shaky breath pushed out whatever tension still remained within her.

His hand then gently tucked up her chin, and teary eyes met his gaze, "I'll go talk to her, but you take it easy, okay?" She sniffed, grabbed both his cheeks, and quickly pecked him on the lips before she helped him sit down. Valery then turned around, wiped away some tears, and composed herself before climbing over to her Padawan.

"I'm sorry if I left you there, Cora. I just... panicked." She swallowed and tried to look her Padawan in the eyes. "Are you feeling okay? I know it wasn't an easy fight on you either."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

To Cora's surprise, Valery climbed into the back of the speeder with her. Kahlil must have been alright – or at least, well enough for Valery to feel comfortable leaving his side for a short while. Certainly, a Force user of Kahlil's caliber had seen much worse and knew his limits well.

Oh. Cora's cheeks flushed and she glanced to the side, watching the rocky landscape race by in silence. Her Master had come to check on her, likely given her little outburst when Valery had inhaled gas earlier. The Padawan could still recall the way her blood roared in her ears as her fist closed an invisible noose around the enemy's neck.

"I'll be alright." She said softly after taking a few moments to weigh how she felt. Cora looked back to Valery with a tired smile. "I'd like to say that I don't know what came over me back there but…I did. I saw you in trouble and I just snapped."

The Ukatian had never thought about it too deeply until now, but the concept of found family had woven its way into her life, and she'd protect them with the same ferocity as she did her biological family.

Cora shook her head. "Maybe I spent too much time on Thule. It's easy to keep myself in check when the stakes aren't high."

She looked over towards the speeder where Kahlil was, directing the same question at Valery.

"Are you okay, Master Noble?"

Valery Noble Kahlil Noble

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Oh I plan to take it easy. I don't like getting shot, all things considered."

Was it the first time? No. And it certainly wasn't the worst shot he'd been hit with. But he did want to avoid it as much as possible. He reached up to touch Valery's cheek one last time before she went to Cora, then plopped back to relax in the speeder with his eyes closed. He really needed to make sure he didn't get shot again.

Corazona von Ascania | Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Jedi Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Kahlil Noble Corazona von Ascania

That last little touch of comfort gave Valery all the strength she needed to focus again. Still, once he was recovered, she may or may not be chewing him out for getting shot. In the most loving way, of course — she just hated the feeling of her husband getting hurt in any kind of way. But such was the life of a Jedi, and as difficult as it was, she'd have to find a way to live with it.

For now, her attention shifted to Cora.

"I know the feeling," Valery said, as Cora admitted to snapping. An arm gently shifted to wrap around her Padawan's shoulder, and if she allowed it, Valery would pull her just a little closer. To offer her some comfort, but perhaps to find some herself as well. Cora wasn't the helpless Padawan who needed her protection against a Terentatek anymore.

She had turned into a woman, a Jedi to be knighted, and Valery could find a lot of strength in that.

"Friends, family, attachments — they can give us a lot of strength and make our lives feel worth it. But they also expose our greatest weaknesses when something goes wrong. I... don't blame you for what happened, and you've seen now what can happen to me in these situations, too. It's just important that we do our best not to lose control, and that we allow ourselves to lean on others to support us when we might slip."

"No matter how experienced we are, we're not infallible." She let out a soft sigh, then looked over at her husband for a moment, as Cora returned the question.

"I struggle a lot when he gets hurt. Hell, I feel weird inside if someone just looks at him the wrong way sometimes. I don't think that's ever going to go away — I just love him way too much, and I can't picture my life without him anymore." She chuckled, realizing just how sappy she was starting to sound. "I'll be okay, but I suppose I really need him to be okay, too. And, well, I want you to be okay, too."

"We care a lot about you, Cora."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora stiffened when Valery's arm fell across her shoulder. Bluebloods from Ukatis weren't used to casual physical affection, but Cora had learned that it was a normal thing in much of the galaxy.

She relaxed, even leaned in a little. Valery was the closest thing she had to an actual mother that looked after her. The woman who'd given birth to Cora had been younger than Cora herself was now when she started having children. It made her wonder what her biological mother had been like before she'd become an exhausted shell of a woman. Did she have dreams and hopes for her life that were dashed by marriage?

The strict upbringing on Ukatis was all that she had known for a long time. Exposure to healthier family dynamics - much like the ones displayed by Valery and Kahlil - had helped her to gradually learn that it was okay, even expected, to lean on those around you in times of stress.

Her lips quirked upward into a faint little smirk at the mention of Valery feeling weird if someone looked wrong at Kahlil. Cora had discovered jealousy while learning that Makko had girlfriends before her. It wasn't entirely rational, but she recalled the way her chest had burned.

"Attachments are a funny thing. I never thought that they could make us strong, but I guess that it does make sense when you care about someone so much that you want to protect them at any cost."

Cora sighed, and tilted her head to rest against Valery's shoulder.

"I know that you're more than capable of looking after yourselves, but I can't help but want to protect you and Kahlil. Vera, Aris, and the triplets, too. And Makko, Colette, Bee, Shan, Jasper…everyone that I've connected with, really."

She picked her head up from Valery's shoulder, but didn't move away from her embrace.

"I need time to sort through what happened, but I'll be alright. I'll talk to Makko about it, too." Her awkward smile relaxed a little, a more natural expression.

"Thank you for snapping me out of it when I needed it the most, Master."

Valery Noble Kahlil Noble