Private Night in The Jedi Temple

[Caden Evesa]

Location: Courscant - Jedi Temple
With: Briana Sal-Soren
Equipment: Jedi Robes | Lightsaber​

Caden hadn't intended to still be on Courscant.

It had been a busy few weeks. First the incident on Mortis had occured, where he'd ended up fighting with Darth Centax . Then he'd been asked to go to Thyferra and ended up getting sliced and diced by some pirates. Plus he'd lost his ship. Then he returned from Thyferra and carried out some training with a fellow Jedi Knight in Silas Westgard . Then he'd gone back to Thyferra with a different Jedi Padawan to do some further investigation.

A fair few tasks in a short space of time.

Exhausted wasn't even the word. Caden hadn't been as tired as he was currently since he was in his late teens. He remembered vaguely a week where he took part in three battles in one week, with barely any rest between each one. That had been a tiring week, and while the last few weeks hadn't quite been on that level they were pretty close. The young Jedi Knight was barely managing to keep his eyes open. He was just stumbling through life.

The young man had promised his droid they would go back to whatever they were doing at some point and he had meant that. However, he knew he needed to take some downtime first before he left Courscant. He needed to switch off, meditate on the Force and do some basic self-care. He wanted to just watch some trashy holo-television and find a shady cantina somewhere. Not typical Jedi things but every Jedi needed some form of outlet.

Slowly, he walked through the halls of the Courscant Jedi Temple.

He hadn't ever been a smoker, but he'd been tempted a few times. Especially after weeks of stress. He wouldn't, he was worried his lungs would explode on the first drag, but he was definitely tempted. He shook his head, offering himself a small smile. At least no-one would ever be able to take his sense of humour. It was probably the only thing he had to offer the galaxy and if he ever lost that, he didn't even know who he would be.

Then he paused.

Why could he feel something, a presence he hadn't felt in so long? Why was it so close? It was something he hadn't felt in years. He tried to remember specifics, but they weren't coming to him in that moment. It was definitely a presence he remembered though. It had peaked the young Jedi's interest whatever it was, and he wanted to find out.

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Tag: Caden Evesa

Briana Sal-Soren was weary, exhaustion sweeping through every fiber of her being. Her normally bright blue eyes had dulled to an extent that it betrayed the depth of that expenditure, matching her state of mind.

Throughout her time as a Jedi, she had weathered countless battles and trials, yet, it was the most recent events that brought her to the edge. There’d been little success when it came to trying to track down either one of her parents, and her brother's determination to find them himself only heightened her anxiety.

Having lost him once to The New Way, the dreaded possibility of losing him again wasn’t far from her thoughts.

On top of that, there was dealing with the aftermath of Exegol and all the unknowns that came with the end of war. The sudden obligation of mentoring a Padawan only compounded her stress.

With a heavy sigh she sat down on one of the many lone benches in the empty corridor. Pouring over her new off-world assignments, Briana couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. She was a warrior, a defender of the galaxy, but she was also human. How Valery managed to juggle every aspect of this life so flawlessly, she didn’t know.

Her free hand massaged her temple vigorously in an attempt to dispel the headache brewing as she flipped through the datapad. The words stared back at her, but were not truly absorbing.

In that moment she could almost hear the voices of her mother and her Aunt, @Alora Ee’everwest, reminding her to focus as they had so many times during her childhood - preparing her for one event or another. With departure scheduled for the next day, time was running short for making any special requests related to her assignment.

With a defeated sigh she tucked the datapad away, rubbing a hand over her face before hauling to her tired feet, heading in the direction of the mess hall.

A cup of caff would do her some good.

 

[Caden Evesa]

Location: Courscant - Jedi Temple
With: Briana Sal-Soren
Equipment: Jedi Robes | Lightsaber​

Following the Force, he walked.

The mess hall wasn't too busy. It wasn't exactly evening, but it wasn't midday either. There were the odd few Jedi floating around, eating or drinking. Some were doing neither, instead using the mess hall as a place to catch up with friends and colleagues. Caden wondered for a second if he'd see Loomi or Tala in the mess hall, but it was unlikely. He didn't even know if they were on planet.

Oddly, the Force seemed adament that the mess hall was the place for him to be if he wanted to find answers to his question. So he waited. He got himself a cup of caff and found a chair. He pretended to look busy on a datapad that had been left on the table, but he wasn't really focusing on it. His eyes were mostly fixed on the door, as was the Force.

Something was on it's way that he recognised, and he wanted to know what it was.

He hadn't for a second expected that it would be a person, but the Force all but confirmed to him that it was when Briana Sal-Soren walked in. He didn't recognise her as a person, but her Force signature was definitely one he recongised. He couldn't place where from though, that's what was annoying him. Everything would make much more sense if he could figure out where he knew her from.

He wanted to approach her and get some answers, but he figured it best to sit down first. He turned back to the datapad he'd collected from the table, and began messing with it. He figured it was probably in his best interests not to look like he was staring. He wasn't the best socially and he still figured that wouldn't go down very well.

Once he'd seen the female sit down, he stood. Caden walked over to her slowly, and took a second to compose himself before approaching her. Once he was sure he was certain that she was whom he was sensing in the Force, he approached and began talking to her.

"Excuse me. I hope I'm not interupting but, do I know you from somewhere?"

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location:
Tag: Caden Evesa

As she lifted the steaming cup of caff to her lips, savoring the rich aroma of roasted beans, an unfamiliar voice chimed in from behind, making her pause. With deliberate grace, she placed the cup back on the table, shifting in her seat until her focus turned to the enigmatic figure who’d made his presence known.

Her brows furrowed as she studied him, trying to gauge if his intentions were genuine or if this was another banal attempt by some star-struck Jedi to draw her into a conversation about her previous Master, Valery Noble, or worse - someone who recognized her from her aristocratic background and public persona who was playing it sly.

Choosing to give him the benefit of the doubt, Briana's face lit up with a warm, inviting smile. "I don't think so," she responded, motioning for him to join her. "But, I’m Briana Sal-Soren," she introduced, attempting to be cordial. “It’s nice to meet you.”

 

[Caden Evesa]

Location: Courscant - Jedi Temple
With: Briana Sal-Soren
Equipment: Jedi Robes | Lightsaber​

"I appreciate your hospitality, and again apologise for my interruption"

Caden took a seat opposite the Jedi, appreciative of the fact she hadn't found him weird and shunned him away and appreciative of the fact she had given him the benefit of the doubt. He adjusted himself in the chair slightly, making himself comfortable whilst the Jedi introduced herself as Brianna Sal-Soren. It definitely wasn't a name that he recognised.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Sal-Soren. I'm Caden, Caden Evesa"

The Jedi offered his hand to his new acquaintance, smiling softly as he did so. He was definite now that he recognised her Force presence, however he still couldn't place where from. Her face wasn't one her recognised, nor was her name. He was aware however that he had come across hundreds of name's and faces so it was highly likely he had just forgotten her.

"You remind me of someone, hence I asked if I recognised you. You have a similar presence in the Force to someone, however I can't quite place who"

Honesty was the best tool to get answers out of people, he'd learnt that throughout his years. There was no point hiding his intentions. That was likely to get him judged and definitely not get him any answers to his questions. He really wanted to know where he recognised the Force presence from, mostly out of curiousty now if nothing else.

Maybe he'd get some answers the more they spoke.

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location:
Tag: Caden Evesa

"No need to apologize," Briana said warmly, a genuine smile playing on her lips as she grasped his offered hand. "It's always nice to meet someone new, especially now." She gestured toward the illuminated datapad lying at the side of her on the long table. "To be honest, Caden, an opportunity to break from my work would be most welcomed. I've been staring at this damned screen for far too long."

Reaching over to the datapad, Briana powered it down with a soft chirp, flexing her arms to alleviate the ever-growing stiffness in them before settling into the padded chair and allowing herself to relax for a moment, finding herself increasingly grateful for the unexpected break.

As Caden sat beside her, her cerulean gaze took on a flicker of intrigue at the notion of meeting previously - not completely discounting its impossiblity. She leaned back against the chair and toyed with a stray strand of hair, wrapping it around her finger as she reflected on past encounters. As good as she was with recalling names and faces, she couldn't fully dismiss the idea of their paths having crossed before. "Who can say?" she mused aloud, her voice tinged with a hint of her fatigue. "I've traveled extensively and encountered many individuals throughout the years – perhaps we did meet."

Pausing to lift her mug filled with still steaming caff from its resting place, she cautiously sampled its contents before relishing in the beverage's soothing warmth.

"Or..." Briana pondered aloud as her mind raced ahead to other conceivable connections - this corner of the galaxy was ripe with them after all. "...you may have encountered someone from my family, instead. My younger sibling Brandyn, perhaps? We're actually triplets, so its not unlikely that we both have similar Force's currents."

Her thoughts wandered further as she absentmindedly drummed her fingers on the side of her mug. "There's also my mother, Teyla. She's been absent from Jedi affairs for years, but she never hesitates in offering wisdom to an eager learner. You know what they say, 'once a Jedi, always a Jedi.'"

 

[Caden Evesa]

Location: Courscant - Jedi Temple
With: Briana Sal-Soren
Equipment: Jedi Robes | Lightsaber​

"Teyla? The name rings a bell, but from where I couldn't tell you"

Caden offered a smile. It was the only name that Briana mentioned that he recognised. None of the others meant anything to him, although he admitted over the years there was always a chance that he'd forgotten some of the names of those he had come across on his adventures in the galaxy. Teyla however was a name that was ringing in his head, a distant memory but definitely a memory. From where he couldn't tell however.

"I second the comment. You try leaving the Order and you'll always find yourself taking in Jedi who need protecting, or offering protection to different people in the galaxy. I did it myself, ended up on Mortis just because the Force told me to"

He offered a smile. The statement was correct, especially for Caden. The life of the Jedi was all he had ever known, especially being raised from a young age by the Silver Jedi Order. It was deeply engrained in his own moral code, he would never turn down helping someone. Someone could turn up at his front door and he would offer them help.

The young Jedi took a cup of caff from a passing droid and took a sip. It wasn't his preffered drink of choice, but it was hitting the spot in the moment. It was nice to just sit and relax and talk to people. He cast an eye to his Briana's datapad and offered a second smile.

"It's nice to be in a time of peace where we can actually study and work. For too long, we've been at war"

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location:
Tag: Caden Evesa

Briana's smile faltered at the mention of peace, her thoughts drifting to the endless list of missions that were lined up over the next several weeks. While the war may have officially ended, the remnants left behind were still a daily reminder of the conflict. Being assigned the daunting mission of ridding various worlds of the Sith Spawn that had been left behind by the Maw was an arduous task, one that left her feeling like the battle wasn't truly over. She knew many others felt the same, the aftermath of the war being felt far and wide across the Galaxy.

"Yes, peace is a welcome change," Briana replied, her tone slightly muted. "Though, I must admit, it still feels surreal to me. Even with the war over, there is still so much to do. So many lives that need help being rebuilt, worlds to restore. I'm on clean up duty myself and leaving early tomorrow. It's not quite the break I had hoped for, but it's necessary work."

Briana took another sip of her caff, letting the warmth wash over her as she collected her thoughts. "But, I suppose it's all part of being a Jedi, isn't it? Doing what needs to be done, even when it's not easy."

A brief flicker of emotion passed over her features before forcing herself to push away the intrusive thoughts lingering at the edge of her mind. "But enough about that," a faint smile brushed over her lips, "you're right that it's good to have some semblance of peace. To be able to work and study without the constant threat of battle looming over our heads. I suppose we should enjoy it while it lasts. Do you have any plans yourself? Now that its all said and done?"