Private Nature Healing

[Katherine Holt]

Location: New Cov, Jedi Temple
Tags: Everest Vale​

Since returning from Woostri, Katherine had kept herself to the Jedi Temple. In one part to get her shoulder looked at, after having the pauldron of her armour blown off by one of Alana Calloway ’s verpine rounds. Fortunately there had been no broken bones, thank the Force for her new body being made of sturdy stuff.

Didn’t stop it from aching like hell though. No more heavy lifting for the time being, at least until it mostly healed.

Other than that, Katherine had made her report to the Jedi Council, and had been pretty much wandering the Temple helping where she could. All the while her mind was thinking of well…everyone who had been on Woostri, particularly those who had been under her command.

Everest and Tigris were at the forefront, both Padawans who had experienced the horrors of a battlefield.

So when Katherine came across the young Echani, she did not hesitate to walk right over and pull her into a big hug. Katherine didn’t know what she had been through since then, whether she had spoken to Tigris or Valery.

The Valkyrie was just glad to see she was all right, relatively speaking anyway.

After a brief chat, Katherine suggested they pay New Cov a visit. She knew Everest loved being amongst nature, and there was no better place they could immediately go to.

All Katherine suggested was to pack a bag for camping, as they’d be heading straight into the surrounding forests upon landing.

Time seemed to breeze past during the journey, and eventually the shuttle landed at the Jedi Temple on New Cov. Katherine walked over to Everest, who had fallen asleep at some point. The Valkyrie smiled, gently shaking the young Padawan’s shoulders.

“Everest? We’ve arrived on New Cov.”

 

[Everest Vale]

Eve's heart ached, there really was no other way to explain it. She couldn't get rid of that dull pain that throbbed at her centre during every waking hour. At night, sweet dreams of home had been replaced by awful night terrors; dizzying flashes of Woostri. Blood, fire, the lifeless eyes of thousands. The horror of sweet Michael Tanners as he became undone at the whim of a crimson blade. That one soldier, and that scream that came with it, as her own blade cut through flesh and bone...

She was at a loss for what to do with herself, unsure where to go or what to do. She couldn't go home, not in this state. Her mother would be heartbroken, and she couldn't do that to her. But neither did she know what to do in the Temple, and so she roamed aimlessly. Meeting some of her friends helped, but it was difficult to really commit to their attentions, and she was fearful she was becoming a burden now.

But when Katherine finally came to her, offering to bring her to New Cov, she hesitantly accepted, thinking maybe — just maybe — it could help to lighten the load that was weighing down hard on her. It had been a while since she saw Kat. The last time they properly spent time together, Eve was well on her way to becoming what some folks around the temple might call 'sloshed' for the first time. It was embarrassing. But in hindsight, that was one of the happiest nights of her life. In comparison, everything seemed far greyer now to her, and that night seemed like some naive attempts for herself to feel happy for once...

“Everest? We’ve arrived on New Cov.”

She stirred from her slumber; the first time she had managed to sleep in... however many days. Katherine was very gentle with her, something she needed. Stretching a little, she gathered up her backpack, a tiny yawn escaping her, and followed Kat out into the landing area.

From just the hanger itself, Eve could feel the different to Coruscant. Even with all the ships and engineering going on, she could smell nature. The air was thick, but not in a way that was heavy on the lungs like Coruscant was. She glanced around, spying flashes of green through the open walls, and a sense of excitement started to bubble as the realisation set in that she was back on New Cov. She'd only been here once before. It was high time she came back. A tiny, timid smile tugged at her mouth, as she pulled her backpack against herself.

Katherine Holt​

 

[Katherine Holt]

Location: New Cov, Jedi Temple
Tags: Everest Vale​

Katherine had opted to shoulder the heavier backpack, the one with the tents contained within. Although the redhead winced as she had immediately gone to use her right arm to pick it up, drawing a dull aching pain from her shoulder.

Yeah, that’s gonna take time getting used to.

Hauling the pack over her other shoulder, Katherine led the way off the shuttle and into the landing area. As they walked, the Valkyrie glanced back to see Everest already taking in the feeling New Cov provided. It was a good sign their little trip out into the forests would do Everest a world of good.

That was Katherine’s hope at least.

“So Everest, if I recall this isn’t your first time here, right?”

 

[Everest Vale]

Eve noticed the wince. She could see how Kat was uncomfortable, but endeavoured to nevertheless keep herself stable in the wake of a constant tinge that seemed to cling to her. It made Eve immediately feel a sense of guilt that she didn't carry the bigger bag, but the moment had already passed and she couldn't muster her voice to say anything meaningful.

Eve kept close to the Knight who had so generously decided to take her here. As they made their way out of the landing bay, she took a deep, intentional breath of the thick, green air. When she exhaled, it was as if she had just taken the first breath of her entire life. The smog of Coruscant had made her lungs so heavy, and she had forgotten what it was like to be in such dense nature. New Cov was nothing like Eshan, but it was green, and it was wild. That was all that she needed.

Kat struck up conversation.

"Mhm," she said quietly. "I only came once before, but yeah." She went silent for a moment, thinking about that brief time she was here before. Who was that little girl who was so excited about climbing trees? She seemed like such a stranger to her now. Everything had changed. But seemingly, New Cov had not. It was still as beautiful and vibrant as she had remembered, and a part of her ached that the sense of childlike wonder she had felt on that first trip wasn't quite there anymore, but had been replaced with a solemn yet matured engagement. Nevertheless, she couldn't deny that being here was already starting to warm her senses again.

Seemingly without her own say in the matter, her eyes started to dart around excitedly, eager to find any interesting new plants and creatures. There was so much to see, and her sense through the Force could feel that soft chorus from the plants that started surrounding them. She looked to Kat.

"Thank you... for bringing me here."

She wanted to say more, but she couldn't quite find the right words.

Katherine Holt​

 

[Katherine Holt]

Location: New Cov, Forest
Tags: Everest Vale​

As they walked, Katherine briefly greeted and waved at those they passed by. Whether they be fellow Jedi, or Temple attendants. The redhead led the way around the building, and then across the outer perimeter as they properly stepped onto the trail that led into the surrounding forest.

She offered a warm smile in response to the Echani’s gratitude. “I’ll always be here if you need help, Everest. Even if it’s not in person, I’m a call away.”

It hadn’t even been that long since becoming a Knight, and yet Katherine already felt a sense of a responsibility towards the newer Padawans within the Order. She wondered if this was how Valery felt, not just as being the Grandmaster, but as a senior Jedi in general. They had a duty to the younger Jedi, to protect and prepare them for what they’d inevitably end up facing.

The look in Everest’s eyes was not missed by the Valkyrie. She knew the young Echani had more to say, but right now she was failing to voice them. But that was one of the purposes of this little trip, to help the Padawan feel comfortable enough to voice what was plaguing her.

Katherine had a fairly good idea what those were.

“So Everest, I hear you have a particular love for nature?” Katherine spoke up, as they continued their trek through the lush green forest around them. “When did that start?”

 

[Everest Vale]

Eve gave a small but warm smile, nodding gently. Kat was always so lovely to her whenever they saw one another. She always seemed to extend such warmth and kindness to her. Eve felt she should have stuck closer to her on Woostri. If she did, maybe things wouldn't have...

Exhale.

She glanced ahead and then above as the trees started to stretch over them. Sunlight dappled against Eve's face and she took in a long, intentional breath in. The smell of the trees and greenery was exquisite and everything she missed. Already she could feel the warmth of the plants' consciousness tinging the edges of her awareness through the Force. They seemed to greet her like old friends, perhaps from recognising the kinship she had already cultivated in her heart.

It was perfectly timed for when Kat brought up such a connection.

"Mhm..." she said a little bashfully, thoughts turning to home. Eshan was quite different to New Cov, but nature was nature, and once you understood the language of one wild, it seemingly became an inherent understanding to others.

"Since I was born I guess." She grinned a little, momentarily distracted by the calling of birds overhead that bounced against the trees.

"I'm from a very rural area on Eshan... We don't even have power there," she chuckled, a little embarrassed at the fact. "I grew up on a small farmstead. Nature is... really all I've known." It did make Coruscant quite a challenge to adjust to after first arriving, and she knew she'd never really get used to it; something she and Colette seemed to bond over regularly.

"I think I'd like to do something with nature in the future..." she said absentmindedly. She didn't really know her purpose in the Jedi yet, but nature at least resembled some kind of indication of direction.

Katherine Holt​

 

[Katherine Holt]

Location: New Cov, Forest
Tags: Everest Vale​

It didn’t take long for the hustle and bustle of the Temple to fade away, leaving the pair surrounded by the nature around them, for as far as the eye could see. But it wasn’t just the sounds that changed, it was the energy around them too.

The Lightside of the Force was strong on New Cov, especially so around the Jedi Temple. It could still be felt the further they travelled, only instead the Force seemed to weave itself amongst and throughout the nature around them.

Katherine smiled as she listened to Eve’s story, describing how she grew up. It was a stark contrast to her own upbringing. “Sounds lovely to me. To be disconnected from the galaxy, living a simple and peaceful life where your only real concern was tending to a farm.”

The redhead glanced over to Everest, a sparkle of amusement in her eyes. “I imagine your first time on Coruscant was quite the shock then?”

As they continued walking, Katherine found herself lost listening to the sounds around them. She had missed taking this trek during her downtime. Whether it was by foot or flight, it had been something Katherine had sorely needed when she was recovering.

“So, if you don’t mind me asking. What brought a nature loving, farmstead living person like yourself, to the NJO?”

 

[Everest Vale]

A gentle smile tugged at the Echani's mouth in response to Kat's comments.

"Mhm... Yeah... I still haven't really adjusted to Coruscant," she said as a shy chuckle escaped her.

Thoughts of home drifted through Eve's mind, mingling with the vibrant surroundings of New Cov. The dense foliage and rich scents reminded her of Eshan's open fields, though the two worlds were vastly different. Here, the air was thick with humidity, the forest alive with sounds unfamiliar to her ears. Yet, there was a comfort in the wildness, a reminder that life thrived, in spite of devastation that may lay elsewhere.

Kat's next question took her off guard, pushing her thoughts towards other memories.

"O-oh. M-my dad. He was..." Her voice had lowered slightly, her brow furrowing slightly, and yet she pushed out a breath and continued. "He was a Jedi, a Shadow. He..." She glanced upward to the canopies above, as if using the gravity to stop any potential tears from escaping her eyes. To her relief, they didn't come. "He didn't come back..."

Silence lingered between them for a while then, as Eve pondered on the slightly jumbled, vague memories of her early childhood. She could barely remember his face anymore, only having the image on her mother's locket as a frame of reference, a young man forever frozen in time. She inhaled.

"For a while, my ma— my mother and I, we... We didn't have such a good time..." She could still remember that night, held in her weeping mother's arms as dark trees blurred around them, silhouettes of others running close behind them, the smouldering orange of flames, and thick smell of wood smoke. It was largely a blur, but the feeling forever lingered in her heart, the memory of her mother crying on that night forever etched into her soul. She wiped away the tears that had fallen down her cheeks and sniffed.

"I was... six, maybe. We lost our home... but a Jedi found us in the woods and helped us get our lives back on track. She helped us build a new home, and then she told me I was Force sensitive, said I'd be welcome if I wanted to join the Jedi when I was older... I'll... I'll never forget her kindness..."

She had tried to find her again, that wandering Jedi who had saved their lives, given them both a future. When she first arrived on Coruscant, she tried and tried, had searched as much as she could in the Archives, but to no avail. She cleared her throat and tried to ground herself with another inhale, and turned to Kat, forcing a smile.

"So... I'm here now... I finally joined because I wanted to help people too, like she did us."

Katherine Holt​

 

[Katherine Holt]

Location: New Cov, Forest
Tags: Everest Vale​

Before Everest even began to reply to her question, Katherine could feel the emotional shift through the Force. In that moment they were indiscernible, beyond a vague impression that they weren’t going to be overly positive.

The redhead wanted to smack herself in the face, for not realizing just how loaded that kind of question was. Especially so, given the Valkyrie’s own upbringing wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows.

But Katherine listened, watched Everest intently as the Echani explained what had brought her to the Jedi. She paid particular attention to her expressions, especially during those moments of silence. The redhead could see Everest’s eyes moving, as if searching a memory for a face, but not finding one substantial enough.

Hearing the story about a lone Jedi helping a lost mother and daughter, brought a smile to Katherine’s face. But it didn’t last for long, as the Valkyrie wandered into her own memories for a moment.

I was roughly the same age when the Sith came knocking.

But Katherine shook the thoughts away, wanting to keep her focus on Everest. She could tell the young Echani was struggling, more so apparent with the small forced smile as she looked her way. The redhead didn’t hesitate to shuffle her camping bag to her other arm, injured shoulder ‘n’ all, she didn’t care.

What cared in that moment, was leaning down and wrapping Everest in a warm one-armed hug.

“I believe they’d both be proud of you, Everest. You’ve already come so far.”

A little bit more walking, and the pair were greeted by the sounds of rushing water. The source of which welcomed them as they pushed through a last bit of thicket. Before them was a clearing, one that had clearly been utilized plenty over the years. And right beside it, a sizable lake and waterfall.

 

[Everest Vale]

The sudden pull into a hug made Eve's breath escape her, and the moment it happened she sunk a little into Kat's tender embrace, emotions welling instantly as a certain tension suddenly relieved itself. She could feel more tears then, streaming delicately down her pale cheeks, and yet in that moment she felt safe and cared for. Cherished, even.

"I... I..." She couldn't quite manage words as her lip faltered, but something in Kat's eyes made it clear she didn't need to say anything at all.

The opening was a welcome change to traipsing through dense vegetation. The jungle gave way with a gentle sigh, revealing a small clearing bathed in dappled light. Here, the canopy parted just enough for slender shafts of sun to spill down like golden threads, dancing across mossy stones and ferns swaying in the breeze. The lake was wonderfully serene, the waterfall cooling the air.

They stepped further in, Eve setting down her bag. Her shoulders ached but she didn't complain; given what Kat was dealing with, it didn't seem fair at all. She looked to her and offered a shy smile.

Katherine Holt​