"Yeah, I think that's a good analogy," Braze offered lightly, considering it
. "When we've lost the key, we've got to find another way in."
He listened attentively to Loomi before continuing
. "Yeah, that makes sense. You've got to make sure you're doing okay before you can help someone else. If you spend all your time helping others and neglect yourself, you'll fall apart at the seams. You need to take care of yourself first—treat your body like a temple, you know? Make sure both your mind and body are healthy before trying to help someone else."
Braze took a breath, trying to explain his thoughts more clearly.
"People are complicated. Everyone's got different goals and values. Relationships are hard because, half the time, people don't even understand their own feelings and thoughts. It's easy to overlook the warning signs of a bad relationship when you've got a positive outlook on someone. Toxic relationships can be really damaging, and people will manipulate others emotionally. It's not always obvious—it can build up slowly over time. We're both still growing, and we need to figure out who we are if we want to help others. But first, we've got to learn how to protect ourselves. You need to respect yourself enough to define how people should treat you, and not let them push you into bad situations."
He paused briefly thinking before continuing,
"I know it's a tough pill to swallow, but you're not personally responsible for anyone's happiness," Braze explained, his voice gentle.
"Try imagining you're your own little ecosystem, and your job is to maintain it every day. If there's someone in your life who starts to feel like pollution—maybe things started off fine, but now it's damaging—step back and ask yourself, should you kick them off 'Planet Loomi'? You can't just abandon your own ecosystem to help someone else fix theirs, because who's going to watch over yours? That's your responsibility. No one should ever need you—they should want you. You get what I mean?" Braze smiled softly.
"It's not selfish to want happiness for yourself, you know? I think now... would be a good chance for you to make some really good close friends... maybe have three people you can talk to about anything... that would be a good starting place for a support system. "
Braze explained, his thoughts turning inward as he reflected on his friends. He wasn't so sure he had that kind of support himself—the kind of connection he was trying to describe to Loomi. Maybe he could talk to
Ko Vuto
about almost anything, or that he was starting to feel like he could talk to Loomi about everything. But still, he felt... short. Like there was a part of him that couldn't fully express itself.
With
Zaiya Ceti
, he always felt a quiet judgment lingering in the air, as if his every action was being weighed.
Aris Noble
was complicated, a mystery he wasn't sure how to untangle. And
Jin'lian
... well, Braze was convinced he still held a grudge from their younger days.
Shan Pavond
had grown up and moved on, leaving a quiet void behind. Both
Vera Noble
and
Casaana
were new to him, and he didn't know them well enough yet to feel that closeness.
He barely knew
Anneliese Kaohal
,
Mahsa
, or
Ayhan
either.
Roman Vossari
,
Makko Vyres
,
Corazona von Ascania
, and
Colette
were more older and more distant, always felt like the type of padawans Braze had spent his life trying to catch up to—and somehow, that just didn't sit right. And
Eloise Dinn
? She felt like more of an acquaintance he'd gotten off on the wrong foot with than someone he could truly connect to.
As for
Jasper Kai'el
,
Phy
,
Jalen Kai'el
, and
Marissa Shoda
... they didn't really count, since they were family. Family was different, wasn't it?
Maybe he really did need to work on his relationships, but the truth gnawed at him—if he wanted to help others, to build those bridges, he'd have to take his own advice first. He wasn't even sure he knew
Aliris Tremiru
all that well, but he missed her. He missed trying to help her. He missed the way it felt to be needed, to be useful.
But Braze knew, deep down, that like Loomi, he'd have to fix himself first. The question was, could he?
