Private Once Before, Again

[Mother Askani]

- N A B O O -
Shiraya's Sanctuary

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The air shimmered with a golden haze as the morning sun broke over the horizon, casting its light on Shiraya's Sanctuary. It hit her back, highlighting the story of her cloak -- it has definitely been put to use; she didn't present as a woman who sat idle for too long. She took her last step down from the ramp and proceeded to float the rest of the way down the sandstone like platform.

She peeked from under her hood - taking stray glances just at the overall architecture; she always found Naboo to some have some of the best. Perched high on a verdant plateau, the temple seemed to emerge organically from the land, its smooth domes and flowing lines blending seamlessly with the lush greenery that surrounded it; she admired its construction.

She came to the platform where all roads met - "I'm here to meet with Lady Briana Sal-Soren, please." She approached the protocol droid. A pair of maintenance droids floated past, carried by their hum. She pivoted before following behind her guide - "Could you just top her off for me, thank you." She spun back around and jumped in rhythm with her human-cyborg relations droid.

Once inside, the sanctuary instantly exuded an unearthly calm. Intricate mosaics adorned the floors and walls -- of which she expected nothing less -- depicting eccentric patterns and what she assumed spoke to the storied history of Naboo's relationship with the Jedi Order. Light spilled through the windows, pooling on the polished stone floors and creating patches of warmth that she could feel hitting her body in burst with each passing.

She was for sure proud, but unfortunately she had to keep it to herself; for now.

The Foundation has been molding itself further on Naboo. The Queen had given her permission to build operations here, she had been hard at work building relationships that could further the overall mission. She was looking for partnerships with Naboo artisans and shipbuilders to secure covert manufacturing hubs for Foundation ships and supplies, but she also saw the growing Order here as a potential, and meaningful ally that might want to help find a way to avert this refugee crisis.

Upon the surface, that's what she presented as her reasons for coming, but in truth --

"You may wait here, I will seek Master Sal-Soren, so that you may begin your visit." She nodded in response, and slowly sauntered off towards one of the expansive windows, admiring the distant emerald forests and shimmering sapphire lakes of Naboo in quite a breathtaking panorama.

Briana Sal-Soren


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[Briana Sal-Soren]

Outfit: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber, Echo Stone | Tag: Mother Askani
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Briana thought she was looking at a ghost as she came upon the silhouette of a woman she'd thought lost, but now seemingly stood looming ahead of her. The hair was a shock of white instead of the brilliant gold it used to be, but lingering beneath the hood were those same, unmistakably striking features that could only belong to one person.

Romi Jade.

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She paused mid-step, breath hitching while her mind raced to try and reason how this could be.

Romi is dead.

...But her body was never found.

Neither were many others.

The thought came automatically, a defense against hope that had proven too painful to accept. And yet... did they truly know? No body had ever been recovered from the ruins after the battle on Coruscant, there'd been no certainty beyond the terrible silence that followed that day. For a long time, Briana had clung to that absence of proof, but time had worn her down. Only recently had she begun to let go, to mourn her former mentor as being truly gone. This... this was just a trick of her mind, making her see what she wanted as a way to further delay the grief.

...But you never felt her die in the Force.

On pure instinct, Briana reached out through the Force, searching for that familiar presence, that warm light that had guided her and so many others for years. What she found in its place was silence. Nothingness. Just that same, continuous, hollow echo.

Logic pressed its case. While the resemblance was cruel in its precision, the Force did not lie. This wasn't Romi Jade.

Swallowing the tightness in her throat, Briana squared her shoulders, and planted resolve into each step as she closed the distance to where her visitor waited. She had responsibilities—a duty to see through as the leader of this burgeoning young Order. She couldn't let old ghosts trip her up now.

"You must be Mother Askani," Briana's voice was steady, but barely, extending her hand. "I heard about you from my cousin, you seemed to have left quite the impression on her. I've been looking forward to meeting you."

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[Mother Askani]

- N A B O O -
Shiraya's Sanctuary

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She curled her fingers around the lining of her hood and slowly pulled it back - her silver streaks bursting through. She bit down on her lip, which was in itself a smile, followed by a nod, "Master Sal-Soren, a pleasure." She closed the distance between them, meeting her hostess somewhere in the middle with the most curious expression.

"Your cousin? I-I've met your cousin?" You could see her visibly trying to place a face.

Matching Briana's pace, her finger shot up, "I have to say this place you have here is beautiful. I've always admired Naboo's architectural work - from a distance - It's nice to see some of those staples included in your temple as well; a nice ode to the culture here."

She was a mixture of feelings, as much as she was proud of Briana, and wanted to support her, she hated the thought that she was lying to her. She thought about Lossa Aureus and Cortana Jade all the time as well - she just wanted the three of them to be okay, and grow stronger in her absence.

She was just trying to find a way back; she wanted to get back to a semblance of herself. After the torture, the nameless, and losing Johannes, it was hard falling back in line with who she was....especially when she couldn't quite call on the Force the same like she use to; She needed a moment...

Then there was the Burning Truth...the Jedi Order as a whole was on the verge of a reckoning.

"I trained to become a Jedi once..."

Briana Sal-Soren


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[Briana Sal-Soren]

Outfit: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber, Echo Stone | Tag: Romi Jade
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"Well, no. Not exactly." Briana quickly corrected, waving off the confusion. " Nakâtu Ee'everwest was in the senate chambers that morning, after the Netherworld incursion. She mentioned that you were among some of those there to petition the Queen and offered to help with the refugee crisis. My mother's family, the Ee'everwests — they do a lot of humanitarian work and Nakâtu herself has spent the last few months working with some of the folks who were displaced after the events on Coruscant. I think she was impressed that you were willing to step up to such a monumental task while asking for nothing in return." Briana briefly eyed her, trying not to let her gaze linger too long and hoping it wouldn't be noticed. "Most wouldn't usually offer that sort of kindness, is all."

Goodwill existed, sure. There were many who would willingly offer the shirt from their backs, no questions asked, but she knew the Galaxy too, and knew from experience that there were many more who would just as quickly hold out their hands with expectancy before ever offering help. It begged the question of what this Mother Askani's motivations were.

Briana hoped that by the end of this meeting, in the least, that she might have a better understanding of them.

"I have to say this place you have here is beautiful. I've always admired Naboo's architectural work - from a distance - It's nice to see some of those staples included in your temple as well; a nice ode to the culture here."

"Thank you," Briana said, her chin lifting just a touch higher as a feeling of genuine pride swelled through her chest. "We've worked hard to try and blend the old with the new while keeping the space functional for the type of training we do."

When Mother Askani's tone shifted, Briana's attention sharpened, her gaze returning to her visitor. "You trained as a Jedi?" She tried to clear her throat, and a light blush stole across her cheeks, realizing a little too late that her tone had more of an edge than she'd intended it to. "Sorry, I just — I didn't pick up a detectable Force signature from you when we met, so you caught me a little off guard." Of course, not picking up a Force signature didn't mean anything definitive. There was a reason why midichlorian testing was performed, and why certain Jedi went into the AgriCorps and other fields. "So, what happened? If you don't mind my asking. Decided on a different path?"

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[Mother Askani]

- N A B O O -
Shiraya's Sanctuary

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Her face opened up as her eyebrows rose in realization; she couldn't quite place a face, but she did remember petitioning the Queen. The chamber was full, and it made complete sense. "Oh yeah, I see now. It was a tense but curious crowd, and rightfully so. Humanitarian work is tough and often unrewarding, it's not for everyone. But when you hear some of these people's stories, you try and do what you can...I'm sure she's heard quite a few by now -- we all have to do our part."

Though, she knew Briana was smart. Deception via a facade was one thing, but she knew she'd have questions beyond that. Dodging her by both means would prove difficult.

"And what is the type of training you do here?" It seemed as if her response implied that their was a difference from training typically associated with the Jedi - not that all Jedi approached it the same.

Her lips curled into a smirk, "Well, if you can count it as such. I didn't last long, washed out before anything meaningful happened. That was a long time ago...so I've grown to appreciate certain elements of the Order, and maybe those ideals spilled over into my interest in humanitarian work -- I was homeless and bounced around after my stint with the Order, I saw a lot..."

"Though, the Askani are telepaths...mostly comprised of various displaced civilians, in most situations they discovered their latent Force-sensitivity as a survival mechanism, catalyzed by pain, loss, and upheaval. Often we shield ourselves from others...that's probably the initial blockage you felt." she explained.

"Now though, I take more interest in Jedi-lore more than anything, stories and such when I can."

Briana Sal-Soren


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