Faction Path of Shadows

[Braze]

TAGS: Ko Vuto

"Well, I was tracking down the famed bounty hunter, Cyran Vaas , on Bespin," Braze stated with a hint of pride in his voice. "So, while you were on some frivolous field trip, I was acquiring the skills of a Teräs Käsi warrior." Braze concluded. " I intend on doing a sabbatical and going to various different places to study. "

 

[Ko Vuto]

“A famed bounty hunter huh? Well I ain’t ever heard of no Kyran before. And it wasn’t some field trip, we were reestablishing channels with our long time allies in The Force. The Baran Do and Jedi have a close bond and I was there to help the two orders reconnect.” Ko was basically the perfect middleman for that role. Belonging to both traditions and a Kel Dor himself.

“Well maybe you can visit the Jedi Enclave on Dorin during your “sabbatical”. Maybe see how fun it is wearing a sweaty breath mask all day too. Hmm…” Ko then thought for a moment about training in different ways. “To be honest though, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea, and perhaps bounty hunters might make for good allies in the future.”

Braze ​

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[Braze]

TAGS: Ko Vuto

"I think I'd rather visit a place like that with someone who knows the local customs 'n waterin holes," Braze teased, mimicking Ko's country accent.

"I can't remember exactly, but didn't you mention something about rainstorms or somethin' like that being allll important?" He grinned at Ko with playful mischief.

"Maybe you could take me one day and show me your old stomping grounds, partner. It'd be mighty interestin' to see where you came from and learn firsthand about the Baran Do . Plus, havin' you as a guide would make the experience a lot more meanin'ful." Braze chuckled, enjoying the banter.​

 

[Ko Vuto]

Although Braze could not see his face, the young boy could easily make out the dejected expression he had given Ko’s body language. “Why are you makin’ fun of my accent? I ain’t even talk like that no more.” Ko replied to Braze. Back in the agricultural corps he made quite an effort to gain the more rural accent of his peers there. But Afterwards he tried to undo his accent as a way to not stand out so much from his fellow Jedi and Padawans. Afterall Ko never really liked the things that made him different from his peers.

“And yes, the planet is riddled with many mighty storms, the kind of which that’d make stormforged wrath look like a light breeze.” Ko was being a bit hyperbolic. But it was true that the Storms and winds of Dorin were still very dangerous even after many millennia and technological advancement.

Ko would then cross his arms and reply. “Well it sounds like you shoulda gone when everybody else did. Since I don’t know when I’ll be back there now. After all, it's kind of a hassle getting to and from Dorin.” Ko explained, despite its relative closeness to The Core, Dorin was rather remote. Having a system sandwiched between two black holes always made the journey difficult.

Braze ​

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[Braze]

TAGS: Ko Vuto

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Braze perked up at the claim that the storms of Dorin would make the Storm Forged Wrath look like a breeze.

"Yeah, well, I can't be everywhere at once," he retorted with a smirk. "I found a book on the Storm Forged Wrath, some Thyrisan— ( Drane T'keen ), I think—wanted it. Pretty sure he was a Sith, but I wasn't exactly keen to ask. So... I burned it," Braze declared with a mischievous glint in his eye. "I really did want to read it, but I didn't get the chance. You'll have to make the time so I can show you that the storms of Dorin will be nothing but a breeze compared to the mighty bellowing winds of Braze."

 

[Ko Vuto]

Even with his mask on, Braze could see that Ko formed a perplexed expression on his face. Finding it odd that the echani boy was so casual about possibly meeting a Sith. Which alone was rather concerning. Part of Ko worried that Braze was becoming a little too comfortable with such encounters.

“You burned it? That’s… surprising.” It really was for Ko. He knew how much interest the padawan had regarding Stormforged Wrath. So much so that they dragged Ko out into some desolate planet to try and seemingly reverse engineer the ability on his own. “Well I suppose that so long as that holocron we looked at earlier will still be intact, you could always check on it once you become knighted.” Ko said, thinking back to how the gatekeeper expressed that they didn’t want padawan’s having access to the knowledge within.

But once more Ko frowned over how seemingly arrogant Braze was about his own abilities compared to the natural phenomena from his home world. “I guess we’ll have to see about that someday. Maybe I'll even take you to a slag summit.”
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Braze

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[Braze]

TAGS: Ko Vuto

"I dunno about being knighted.... I've started to think about things differently... I dunno if being a knight is really all it's supposed to be... I don't think it's really based on merit anymore," Braze offered, his voice tinged with uncertainty and disillusionment. "I somehow feel maybe it's lost its meaning." He trailed off, frowning, his expression clearly showing how disenchanted he had become with the idea.

"Perhaps it will be intact... but I'm not going to hold my breath for that gatekeeper to be actually useful," Braze continued, shaking his head slightly as if to dispel his own doubts.

"A... slug summit? What's that?" Braze asked, mishearing and picturing little shell-less creatures that resembled snails.

 

[Ko Vuto]

Ko found what Braze said to be rather surprising. Considering how obsessive they were with training and completing some of their Jedi trials he found this sudden shift in attitude rather odd. Ko couldn’t help but laugh a bit from it even. “To be honest Braze you never struck me as the kind of person who ever really cared about merrit.” Kel Dor said to him.

“After all, you’ve ditched much of your homework and academics. You even had me work on some of it for you. Most of your hardwork and dedication went towards difficult physical training and rather niche interests. I suppose if merrit to you is just martial competency, that it might seem like the NJO doesn’t seem to mean much does it?” Ko explained, offering a bit of soft criticism towards Braze’s views on the matter. After all, they were an echani, a people not known for well roundedness.

“Um, it’s called a Slag Summit, with an A, not a slug summit.” Ko replied. “It’s a type of mountain on Dorin that has been continually struck by lots of lightning for eons. The tops of such mountains can turn to slag and lava during particularly violent storms, and over the course of its history have been capped with blackened obsidian. They’re quite fascinating, partly because of the danger associated with them.”

Braze ​

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[Braze]

TAGS: Ko Vuto

Braze wrinkled his nose and frowned at what Ko said, rolling his eyes with a small huff. "My grades are fine... a lot of the work seemed pointless to me," Braze trailed off. "Tedious, pointless stuff designed to keep little ones busy," he added softly.

"The NJO's priorities are skewed," he stated simply. "There's no love for the old ways anymore... there's no real integrity." Braze's tone grew more resolute. "There's nothing difficult about what's presented. There's no real ladder to climb, just what the powers that be prefer."

Braze looked Ko in the eye, his voice steady. "Martial competency is just one part of it, but it's a part that demands real effort, real discipline. The other stuff? It feels like they've stripped away the essence of what it means to truly learn and grow." He paused, considering his next words. "The old ways had structure, a path that required you to prove yourself at every step. Now it feels... hollow."

 

[Ko Vuto]

The Kel Dor felt a little annoyed with what Braze was suggesting. That they didn’t care to appreciate all the hard work his peers put into their training. But he didn’t want to think that Braze thought that little of him or their friends and that it was fitting for him to do “busy work” as Braze was destined for bigger and better things. To Ko it reeked of arrogance.

Letting out a sigh Ko would reply. “I don’t entirely disagree, I do think that the New Jedi Order is a little too detached from its roots and too attached to each other sometimes.” Ko was actually speaking from experience. Since he himself felt like he was too attached to the NJO. Not really any individual members, but the order as a whole. However, he did worry that others within it were too close to each other. Where it could feel like the NJO was one tragic death away from tearing itself apart.

“It also sounds like you don’t appreciate the times we live in. You sound like you think you’ve been born in the wrong generation. I don’t think you’d have accomplished or experienced half of what you have if you’d been a Jedi during a more conservative era. Neither would your master. And I’m certain you skipping your “busy work” would not have been tolerated.” Ko explained, although he too wished that the NJO could turn the clock back more and value their traditions. But he also knew if it was like that he wouldn’t have the friends he had today. After all Braze and himself were both very young when they began their journeys as Jedi. Most others came far later in their teens or early adulthood. Ko wanted to appreciate what the NJO had, rather than disparage it over what it lacked. Ko wanted to view the cup as half full.

Braze ​

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[Braze]

TAGS: Ko Vuto

Ko's words hung in the air, laden with the weight of truth and introspection. Braze thought about that and considered this perspective. He had always felt a certain detachment, a nagging sense that he didn't quite fit into the mold that the New Jedi Order had for him. Previously, he had thought that was just what would happen—that he would always be overlooked, never truly chosen for his merits. He had spent so much time honing his combative skills, hoping to impress someone enough to choose him, and yet, when he was finally selected, it wasn't for his fighting prowess.

Those old fears and thoughts resurfaced, casting a glassy look in his eyes as his face grew heated suddenly. Nobody wanted him... Not his mom, not his dad, not the Jedi, not his peers. No one. The more he thought about it, the more certain he became that if he disappeared, he wouldn't be missed. Well... not no one. Maybe one person might miss him. That person was a lot like him but had become someone great, someone many others looked up to and sought out for wisdom.

Those were some big shoes to fill... Braze wasn't sure he could live up to such a legacy.

Braze didn't like anything Ko was saying to him, but he couldn't really argue with it now, could he? Or maybe he could. And he did.

"You don't know that. You can play a million and ten games of 'what ifs', 'could haves', and so on, and never come remotely close to the reality of what could be," Braze said with an almost bitter tone. "I get what you're saying, Ko, but it's not that simple. The traditions, the roots, they're what give us strength, a foundation. But it's not just about holding onto the past. It's about making something of ourselves now, today. And sometimes, I just feel like... like I'm not making anything. Like I'm just here, filling a space that anyone else could fill better."

He paused, "Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm not seeing the bigger picture. But it feels like no matter how hard I try, it's never enough. And yeah, I guess that makes me angry. Angry that I have to fight so hard just to feel like I belong."

 

[Ko Vuto]

Ko tried to listen intently to what the young boy had to say. The Kel Dor felt the temptation to be rather rude and dismissive. To chalk all this up to Braze simply being in another one of their “moods”. But the young Jedi knight knew that wasn’t appropriate or even correct. He couldn’t really recall himself acting this when he was Braze’s age. But he also understood that his situation then was very different from how it is now for Braze. Where he put much of his focus onto his duties as a Jedi Service Corp member in a time of peace and reconstruction, even though it wasn’t really that long ago. But he wasn’t sure if he was 14 or 15 in the same situation as Braze that he himself might not feel similarly.

Part of Ko also wondered if some of how Braze was feeling was related to what he shared with him about his identity and Echani heritage regarding the feeling of belonging. Right now he wasn’t really sure how to respond to the young boy. But despite his uncertainty, the energy coming from echo stone he wore around his neck was gentle and reassuring. Maybe because he wasn’t thinking about himself, and how what Braze said angered him some. Which was evident in one of his clenched fists.

“I don’t think you’re replaceable Braze, and that someone else can just fill you in this world better than you. I don’t think that way about you or any one of our friends. I don’t really wanna think that we’re all special though. We’re just people after all that just happen to share a power not afforded to many others.”

Ko felt like it would be easy to talk down to Braze, and explain clearly why he thought the boy was wrong. But he knew that wouldn’t be right or helpful. The once proud, arrogant, and dispassionate child he knew years ago wasn’t really there anymore. Perhaps that’s why Ko felt the way that he did. Because somehow the person he worried Braze would grow up into was increasingly becoming a distant memory. Just another ‘what if’ and ‘could have’ as the pale boy put it.

Braze ​

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[Braze]

TAGS: Ko Vuto

Braze settled down on a bench and rubbed his eyes, faint sniffling escaping from the sullen teenager. He was quiet for a time, perhaps considering Ko's words.

"I think everyone is different," he murmured softly in a subdued manner. It seemed as though Ko had given the youth quite a bit to think about, as the small boy appeared at a loss for further words.

 

[Ko Vuto]

Ko wasn’t sure what it said that seemed to make the young boy seemingly calm down a bit. But part of him was glad that they were now. The Kel Dor stepped closer to where their holocron was to pick it up before gently handing it down towards Braze. After Which he lanced up at the purplish tree above them.

“Hmm…” An idea came into his mind. “These are like wisteria trees right?” Ko asked Braze before continuing. “I’ve heard of a way to make a special kind of drink out of the pods and flowers that come from the tree. Would you wanna help me out with it? It’s gotta be fermented but it should turn into a nice fizzy beverage.” He asked, wondering if the echani would be a part of that.

Braze ​

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[Braze]

TAGS: Ko Vuto

Braze sniffled a little more and rubbed at his eyes before moving to hop up, brightening up at that. "Yeah... we can do that," he said, sounding happier about it. "Maybe we can make syrups too?" Braze suggested gently, sounding hopeful. "I saw some Butterfly Pea Flowers too if you want to make some nice tea," Braze offered gently. "There's lots of tea plants in this mountainous range as well."

He paused, thinking about the various plants they could use. "I've seen some lavender and hibiscus around here. They make really calming and refreshing teas. And there are jasmine flowers that add a sweet aroma to the tea. We could also use chamomile for a soothing tea or echinacea to help with colds. Oh, and there are also some beautiful cherry blossoms and sweet osmanthus that would make delicate and fragrant teas. What do you think?" Braze asked.