Faction Once Boy, Now Man | Jasper Kai'el NJO Departure

[Astri Elyse]

Tag: Efret Farr

Unexpectedly, Master Farr enveloped her in a hug. It took Astri a moment, but she soon wrapped her arms around her guardian and buried her face into the Jedi Master's shoulder. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, fighting off tears, but could do nothing to stop her form from trembling. Her fear would not be denied, no matter how much Astri wished she couldn't feel it. She felt safe here, with Master Farr, but for how long?

When she pulled away, Astri had to grit her teeth, lest her jaw still tremble.

<He my demon, not yours. Came for me. He find you on #Prosperity never. On #Eshan, don't-know.>

<I'm afraid.> Astri admitted, <I don't want to be alone.>

Going to the Prosperity would be no different than when she'd first come to the Temple here on Coruscant. She wouldn't know anybody, wouldn't have anybody, and Master Farr would be a million light years away. At least if she went home to Eshan, she'd have her father around. That wasn't some great comfort, but having someone was better than no one.

At least her own home wouldn't be a high-value target like the Prosperity was.

<Jedi Order not feel safe.>

 

[Iris Arani]

​

She hadn't had to put him back together in a long time. It didn't change how this felt, though. Iris kept to the back, to the shadows, watching over the crowd. Some familiar, some not, blending through the haze of colors that made her realm here in the Force. Genuine joy and melancholy in equal measure. Jasper had long stopped being the boy who broke himself trying to prove his worth to the Jedi.

That was enough for her. Her scarred complexion pulled into the faintest smile before she turned to leave. It was fiting he'd be the first of their generation to become a Master. He deserved it.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret looked back at Astri as she replied in Sign. She smiled sadly. <Not,> she agreed, perhaps even more unexpectedly. The Order wasn't safe, but not just for Astri and other younglings, padawan learners, or service corps members. It wasn't safe for knights or masters. A working command of the Force and at least one of the lightsaber forms provided one, and by extension those around them, a degree of security, which could be increased with training and dedication. However, even then, mastery did not mean imperviability.

Efret herself was a grand example of that.

Perhaps that was the root of Astri's concern.

The master withdrew her arm encasing her in order to sign with both hands. <Precious few place truly safe. If you don't-want here, that #OK. I take you home, but want you know that.> Efret motioned around them to the crowd. <We live in galaxy with people use Dark-side the-Force. Most them not stop until first-eliminate Jedi, second-assimilate or also eliminate Force sensitive.> She frowned; she wasn't telling this to Astri to scare her further but was aware that was likely what she was doing regardless.

<If stay, you find solidarity here with us future. Maybe not seem after today, but safer in group. Order survive eon together. Many awful event. Will continue.>

Astri Elyse​

 

[Ichika Masudo]

PERSISTING UNEASE

JEDI TEMPLE STEPS ❀ TEMPLE DISTRICT ❀ CORUSCANT
Jasper Kai'el • Efret Farr • Astri Elyse

No matter Jasper's response, after imploring her younger friend to not simply drop off the face of the known galactic map, Ichika's attention was co-opted by a bevy of feelings that bloomed nearby, feelings that were unfortunately commonplace in recent times... a considerable growth of doubt, fear, anxieties, even amongst the Jedi. The war had not been solely responsible for the uptick, but it was by far the greatest cause of it, with the Temple, bastion of the New Jedi Order and its central location, brought to some ruin for at least the third time in a century during this the recent battle.

Her head turned, attempting to track the source of the disturbance that crashed up against her masterfully managed empathic sense (which made the contact akin to an insect buzzing, rather than anything remotely debilitating), and finding it somewhere amongst the knit of Jedi congregated on the steps. Excusing herself, Ichika turned and began to pick her way through the gathered, adjusting her messenger bag to lay across the small of her back and out of the way as she moved along, sliding it against the tsuka of the songsteel wakizashi and katana at her side. A sign of the times, and her transitioning roles.

Following the trail until she had eyes on not only the ashen-haired Echani teen feeling all these emotions, but also the woman with whom she conversed, Masudo couldn't at all follow their signs at this speed and distance, much less understand most of what was being said; consideration and understanding of her clients and those around her had at times lead her to engage in various pursuits for as long as she had been a Jedi and longer still, language learning among them, but fitting that in amongst her responsibilities in recent years was no small feat. Progress was slow... she was, after all, only a mortal with some enhanced capabilities, but she could grasp the air between them, and the feelings exchanged.

That was enough of a foundation to go off of. She approached the pair at such an angle that she could be noticed by the elder of the two Jedi - given how pink-skinned she was and how long she kept her neatly pinned white mane, she tended to stand out, anyway - and came to a stop, her hands folding in front of her, her gaze following Efret as she concluded her address to the other. Then, with a mild smile on her lips, Ichika turned her attention to the young Echani, expecting that the girl would respond, or that one of them would acknowledge her presence when they were ready.

She could wait.

 

[Astri Elyse]

Tag: Efret Farr Ichika Masudo

Astri had expected that Master Farr would insist that the Jedi Order was safe for her. She'd expected a beautiful lie. Astri thought that's what most Jedi would have offered her, here in this moment: promises of reassurance that they couldn't possibly keep. Instead, Master Farr offered her the one thing most in her life hadn't.

The truth.

The Jedi Order wasn't safe. Not for her, the younglings, or her fellow Padawans. Not for the many knights and masters. Not for anyone who claimed the identity of a Jedi. The Battle for Coruscant was proof of that. The Dark Empire was targeting them, and so the Order was one of the least safe places for a young girl to be. Not when every Sith with a pulse wanted to see them laid to waste.

But Master Farr was right: it was far better than being alone. Solitude was even more dangerous, considering what she was.

<I want,> Astri was slow, uncertain, <learn to protect myself. Can you teach?>

But then there was another among them. A pink-skinned woman turned her attention to Astri, and Astri—meekly—interrupted her signing to wave. New people were hard. Astri hated that she had such a difficult time with meeting strangers. But she couldn't exactly hide behind Master Farr's skit, like some frightened little child. So she cleared her throat, and tilted her chin up to address the new Jedi.

"H-hello."

 

[Efret Farr]

<Yes,> Efret replied with one of her warm smiles, <can.>

Teaching was something that the master knew she could do in a vacuum. What she was herself apprehensive about regarding Astri's question was twofold. There was no way after Jedha, and definitely not after the events of today, that she would be able to protect a padawan. Hells, she could barely protect herself; how could Efret take a learner while maintaining a high degree of responsibility?

After all, her responsibility couldn't be only to Astri. It had to be to the rest of the Order too. They could sequester themselves to some remote enclave like Jakku or Bogano but that would mean Efret turning her back on this war. She didn't want to do that, but she didn't want to leave Astri to wait who knew how long for a teacher either.

Efret's disquieted emotions might have been detectable by other empathetic master who had come to check on Astri, though Efret was able to self-regulate hers much more effectively than the girl was.

Efret reached for her own tunic's neckline to switch on her translation unit. A computerized voice began to interpret for her as it scanned her hands' movements. "Yes, hello," she greeted, smiling.

Ichika Masudo Astri Elyse​

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Jasper Kai'el

As the assembly began to thin, Braze approached Jasper, stepping into the dimming light of day. His eyes, his gaze fixed downwards in a gesture of respect and contemplation as he held a demeanor of reverence. He stood silently by Jasper, signaling his undying support. As he drew close, the ambient noises seemed to fade, enveloping the two in a faint quietude. Braze's voice, when it broke the quiet, was barely above a whisper, low but clear,

"Master, wherever this path leads, you will not walk it alone." This simple declaration was heavy with loyalty and a deep-seated readiness to follow Jasper into the unknown, reflecting the profound bond between the mentor and his disciple.