Private Shiraya's Odyssey: Fissures

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber | Location: Theed Funeral Temple | Tag: Brandyn Sal-Soren , Cybelle Elyance , Aiden Rennek​

Briana pulled her hair out from the intricate web of pins, bobbles, and mourning beads that’d held it in place during the hours of the public address she’d been obliged to deliver, slowly making her way down the steps of the funeral temple where her parent’s bodies waited, Aiden near her side.

Her feet paused at the threshold once she made it to the bottom, hand reaching for Aiden’s for the strength that she couldn't find in herself to move forward, staring inside at the quiet strangers laid out on stone slabs. Their still forms bore little resemblance to the images she kept burned in her mind of them. The grim vestiges of grime and battle had been scrubbed away, grievous wounds cleansed and discreetly hidden beneath dark linen wraps. The features were theirs — both height and form, but both her father’s bright blues and the warmth of her mothers chestnut eyes had been closed, hair neatly arranged by those who’d never really known either one of them.

A soft step into the temple announced her presence to the workers that were still busy tidying up the last few details of her parent’s remains, trying to get them ready for their final journey.

"Thank you for everything you've done here, but I'd like to be alone now." Silently acknowledging the unspoken command beneath her request, the priestesses bowed their heads in reverence and filed out one by one, leaving Briana alone in dim candlelight and solemn stillness.

His hair is all wrong. She thought, impulsively reaching for the comb on the nearby table and adjusting his parting to the opposite side with a light sweep. That was the way it’d always looked. The way it should be when they finally decided how to lay them both to rest. A concept her mind was still struggling to wrap itself around.

Naboo custom dictated that the bodies of the departed be burned within the first two days, their ashes scattered over the Soleu River so their souls would find rest and return to Naboo's core, contributing to the greater balance that kept the Galaxy spinning — followed by a week-long period of prayer and mourning. Corellian tradition demanded that the cremated ashes be pressed into synthetic diamonds — symbolizing their ability to defy the odds, even after death.

The two customs seemed almost as incongruous as Briana now realized her parents had been.

With a deep inhale, Briana pinched two fingers between her brows, staving off the unwelcome sensation that came with sensing her brother and Cybelle's presence in the Force. Turning towards the opened doorway where they both stood, eyes dry and her heart cold, Briana looked them up and down. She was silent for what felt like several minutes before turning back to their parents, white knuckling the edge of the table. “Come to see what your secrets have cost us?”

​

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Wearing: Charcoal Black Naboo Funeral Attire
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Theed Funeral Temple
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren Cybelle Elyance Aiden Rennek

So, this is death.

The speeches had been one of the few times in Brandyn’s life that he was glad Briana was the eldest. He just had to endure watching her suffer. Guilt had gnawed at his core, as had grief, anger and resentment toward all involved. The greatest ire was reserved for his father. Baros lay still now. Unfairly at peace given all that his lies had wrought upon the family. He didn’t deserve to lie next to her. He didn’t deserve the respect that was shown by being anymore in her presence.

It was a stroke of misfortune that had seen he and Cybelle arrive at the same time as Briana and Aiden. In fact, upon seeing them, Brandyn had contemplated a retreat, but his presence had been noted. There was no going back.

Notably, he stood with a distance between he and Cybelle. Unlike Briana and Aiden, there was no comfort given through the holding of hands. It was not punishment towards Cybelle, but towards the second person he resented most…himself. He had not been wise enough, clever enough. He had not been powerful enough to save his beloved mother. His distance due to self-loathing was surely no comfort to Cybelle who looked more distraught than he had even known, even on that fateful day of their youth.

She probably thought she had failed. She hadn’t. The only person deserving of more blame than Brandyn lay lifeless next to the pale form of his mother.

Briana adjusted their father’s hair. Brandyn’s lips parted in protestation, but all that came forth was a pitiful grunt. Fists clenched. Briana still loved her father. After all he had done. She was a fool, just like their mother…

Brandyn shook his head, ruing the thought. His head dipped in shame. If Teyla E’Eeverwest were to be blamed for anything, it was being blinded by love. A lesson Brandyn felt settling in his soul.

How he wished to conjure some memory of his childhood and her effervescence. But the sight of her corpse drained away all notions of frivolity and daydreaming.

His hands rose to smooth out the wrinkles baked into his forehead before rubbing his temples and running finger tips down his taut cheeks. He almost spoke first, but Briana beat him to it.

Her words cut like a cold knife. Despite his agreement, he felt his spine erupt into angry flame, hairs standing on the back of his neck. Steps were taken towards his sister, as his finger pointed at their father with each word.

”Don’t go there, Briana,” Brandyn said in a hiss.

His fists clenched again.

“You always gave him a pass. Always.”

 

[Cybelle Elyance]

Tag: Brandyn Sal-Soren | Briana Sal-Soren | Aiden Rennek

The icy stare of a woman that she considered a close friend tore through her like an ice pick to the temple.

How could it not?

Cybelle couldn't lift her eyes from the still forms of a Mother and Father who had been taken away from their family too soon. The air was thick, heavy, with grief. Accusations. What should have been a shared sorrow between siblings felt like a boulder that was set to crush the air from her lungs. She didn't know how they could stand it. How…They put one foot in front of the other. How they got up. Breathed. She could not fathom how it was that they managed to keep moving.

The auburn-haired Hapani had lost her parents as a youngling. She had…More memories of the Sal-Soren family than she had of her own. She could recall a deep sense of confusion when her uncle took her away to Coruscant. Life and death was such a…fragile…concept for a girl who had barely seen anything but the safety of her own backyard. Cybelle hadn't known what to do. How it happened. How to go through it. She couldn't remember her parents' funeral. Now…She just looked at the remains.

Empty shells of who and what the Sal-Soren's had been.

As a child she had asked, why, her parents couldn't just get back in their bodies and not be dead anymore. It seemed like such a simple solution. The adults informed her that it didn't work that way. The youngling had thrown a fit. Upset—Because it wasn't fair. Her mother and father would never go to the fair, never have breakfast, or yawn, or smile, or do anything EVER again. It wasn't fair!

It just wasn't fair.

And no one would tell her why.

Cybelle knew why now…But she still didn't know what to do. Brandyn stood near to her…But never touching. It felt like he had barely looked at her since everything had gone to horribly, terribly wrong. The physical manifestation of an emotional chasm that divided them left her ever in his shadow. Waiting. Listening. Catching every breath, every, single frustrated sigh. Hoping that he might say her name. Ask for something…Anything.

Forgive her.

She hoped that anyone, anyone, might find it in their hearts to one day find forgiveness for the duty she had failed to perform. She had done everything that would have been expected. She had made every move by the book in an emergent situation. But…Protocol didn't matter when this was the result. She had been first on the scene, the only Knight, on the scene. It was her burden to bear, the sorrow of people she so desperately loved, her cross to hold. Her hair slipped over her eyes while they burned and the room felt a little too blurry—Before she blinked.

They didn't cry. She couldn't either.

Secrets?

Brandyn had reported his father to the Council. Cybelle, had been following Mr. Sal-Soren when she'd been taken by the New Way so many months ago. It was all in her after-action report.

Was that…What Briana meant?

The eruption from Brandyn almost caused her to flinch. It wasn't that he yelled. He had barely raised his voice in the sanctity of this place, but the rest of him, his posture, his tone, was nothing she had ever known. Not from him. She followed him without thinking at first. Her hand was…So close to finding him. But—All she grasped was air. "Brandyn…", her voice was pleading, soft, but brittle. As if she hadn't used it in quite some time. "…Please. Not here. Not now."

Once upon a time, she might have been able to calm him. Provide him…Some measure of comfort.

In his grief, as was his right, she had learned the truth all too swiftly.

Brandyn did not want her. Not her words, not her comfort. Not her—At all.

Her eyes shifted to Briana who still held her own secret, at least, to the best of her knowledge. Cybelle wished that she could do something for either one of them but…All she could do was remember. The screaming, the heartrending shatter, of their mother...realizing that the love of her life was gone. She could remember the trail of blood that led to the elevator—trying to heal Mrs. Sal-Soren. She should have been able to. She should have been strong enough—But the thistlebark…

The thistlebark.

"…Please accept my condolences..."

It was all that she could manage while her hands came to clasp in front of her. Her guilt and sleeplessness would be evident in dark circles and a withdrawn, almost invisible, presence in the Force. As if she were hiding…Everything she was. Barely there, just a ghost, expressing sympathy in the only way she knew how. Her head inclined in reverence. She couldn't imagine how they felt. Perhaps, it was for the best that her parents had died when she was only a girl.

She had so few memories to miss them. Briana and Brandyn?

They had a lifetime to grieve, while the Force…The Force told them that they were not to be mourned. They were not to be missed. It was an impossible task that their vows asked of them. To rejoice in those who returned to their true home—Not weep. She…Tried to keep her training and lessons in mind. Tried.

But…They would be missed. Oh, how they would be missed.

"I can wait outside if you both would prefer."

​

 

[Aiden Rennek]

​

While Aiden would never claim that his pain was remotely similar to Briana's, coming here today wasn't easy for him either. He had fond memories of the Sal-Soren's, dating back to when he was just a little boy wanting to play with his friends. Those were simpler times about fun and competition that he'd never forget about. But now ,they were gone, and some of those important memories were tainted by the things they learned about too late.

Knowing how difficult all of this was to her, Aiden decided to stay close and offered his hand to help her down the stairs, or his arm as support whenever she needed it. This wasn't about his pain, and he wasn't going to allow it to be about how he felt either. All he wanted was for Briana to find some closure through her people's traditions.

But she wasn't the only one looking for it.

The pinching of her brows had Aiden worried for a moment, though he understood as soon as he heard footsteps behind him. He turned and looked at Brandyn and Cybelle with a mostly neutral expression. One that shifted as soon as Briana fired the first shot, and was met with one of Brandyn's. Aiden was quick to step between them a little, his body facing Briana. He took her hands, looked into her eyes with a comforting smile, and squeezed her fingers gently.

"I know this is hard, but let's focus on what matters most, hm?" He glanced at the bodies of her parents, and stepped closer to pull her into a quick hug to draw strength from.

Aiden then stepped back and looked over at Cybelle, as she offered to leave them alone for a moment. He nodded along, and turned his green eyes between the two Sal-Sorens, "I'll join her. I think you both need a moment alone." Aiden turned back to Briana, kissed her forehead, and stepped away unless he was stopped.

Briana Sal-Soren Brandyn Sal-Soren Cybelle Elyance ​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber | Location: Theed Funeral Temple | Tag: Brandyn Sal-Soren , Cybelle Elyance , Aiden Rennek , Bastila Sal-Soren ​

Briana was acutely aware of the grief emanating from Cybelle through the Force and noted the circles under her guilt-ridden eyes, though she couldn’t bring herself to accept her oldest friends sorrow, even as her heart screamed at her to go and wrap her in an embrace. Not because she didn’t believe Cybelle hadn't done everything she could, but because it was too little too late.

Briana didn’t want condolences. She wanted answers.

She wanted to know why no one thought to include her in what was going on, why she’d been left in the dark.

Instead, Brandyn tried shifting the blame back to her, causing Briana’s lips to form into a thin, hard line.

“Gave him a pass?” Briana repeated, her tone incredulous. “Brandyn, he was our father, I thought he was protecting us!” She whirled towards Brandyn and Cybelle, fists clenching tighter and tighter until crimson droplets seeped from her palms and dripped onto the ancient stone flooring without even flinching. It was at that point Aiden and Cybelle intervened - Cybelle softly trying to reason with Brandyn, while Aiden caught Briana's bleeding hands in a gentle grasp before she could start swinging at her brother.

"I know this is hard, but let's focus on what matters most, hm?"

Reluctantly, Briana acquiesced to Aiden's remark with a solemn nod, sucking in a breath between her teeth as he pulled her into an embrace, eyes glancing over his shoulder to once more settle on her parents. On her father, unable to peel her eyes away from him.

Maybe it was because her tormented mind was desperately trying to connect the two wildly different sides of him that she now knew existed, trying to understand how they could possibly be one and the same. Even after seeing him in that room, covered in his own blood, guilt and crimes, Baros Sal-Soren’s reposed face was only recognizable to her as the man who’d once cradled her and her siblings in his arms.

This new reality that’d been revealed so brutally, was too contradictory to the one she’d always known… and perhaps it would remain that way forever. The chance for understanding was snatched away by those she should've been able to trust the most.

Swallowing the growing lump in her throat, Briana steeled her spine and finally pulled out from the comforting support of Aiden's embrace, grateful he was there to help keep her grounded. With the ceremony approaching, she needed to remain strong in the public eye, for her family, but most of all for Bastila.

If she cried now, if she gave in to the pain, there'd simply be no end to it.

"I can wait outside if you both would prefer."

Briana nodded, gently clearing her throat. “We just need a minute.” she wasn't cruel enough to bar others from grieving and paying their respects, and Cybelle was as close to family as one could get without being blood related. She glanced up at Aiden, squeezing his forearm. “Keep an eye out for my sisters, will you? They’ll… probably be here soon.”

There was a long moment of silence that followed.

“You knew,” she finally whispered, once Aiden and Cybelle were well out of earshot, wrapping her arms around herself. "You knew and chose to keep it to yourself. Why, Brandyn? That’s what I want to know. So you could settle some petty childhood grievances? Stick it to him one last time? We could have been a united front in this, but instead you let your hatred for our father blind you and now…”

​

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Wearing: Charcoal Black Naboo Funeral Attire
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Theed Funeral Temple
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren Cybelle Elyance Aiden Rennek Bastila Sal-Soren

Cybelle’s words were effective, partially. They grabbed at Brandyn’s attention and lightened his intensity for a moment. Not here. Not now. His father had dishonoured their mother. He should be careful not to do the same. Despite the will to remain calm, Brandyn knew it was only a show.

With Aiden and Cybelle both offering to depart, Brandyn found himself glancing back towards the surprisingly far off Cybelle. Don’t leave me. Not here. His brow furrowed deeply. Aidan and Cybelle thought that their departure would give the siblings room to talk. It wouldn’t go well. Brandyn felt the rage in his core. Even if he was wrong in every word he said, he was still going to say it. There would be no going back.

But he didn’t want Cybelle to see it. To see him. Like that. Despite his distance, she was still his tether to the light. A tether now strained by suspicions but the only tether he felt as real.

He nodded quietly in agreement. Though his eyes spoke otherwise.

His back remained turned towards Briana as he watched Cybelle depart. She looked weak and worn. He was failing her. Not being there for her as she grieved too. And yet…

Briana’s words ripped at his heart. He knew. He made the decision not to tell her directly. But he had done his duty and reported it to the council through Master Wen. He also knew that Cybelle was privy to the decision he made, but she would not be indicted for it.

”I reported it to the council. I did my duty,” he said, back still turned. Hello words that were true from a certain point of view.

How could he tell her it was all to protect them? To protect their mother? That didn’t go to well. He shook his head at the continued feeling of disbelief that shrouded the last two days.

”I didn’t hate him. Not really,” Brandyn said quietly, forcing the anger to behave, “but he most certainly didn’t…”

…love me. He couldn’t finish the sentence.

His hand rose to rub his forehead with thumb and forefinger. Slowly her turned to face his sister. She was angry. They both were. This could very easily tip into something irreconcilable if they didn’t watch their words. But there was a word that she had said that he could not just let slip by.

Petty.

Petty.

PETTY.

It echoed.

”Petty?” He said in a whisper.

Brandyn‘s voice rose as he shouted not at his sister but directly at the floor. Blood rose in his face, and his hand rest on the hilt of his lightsaber. “You got everything from him. Even my dreams. Things I wanted were a no. You wanted the same thing, and it was fine. I had to run…leave…to find my dreams…yet he let you go. And here you are…better at the one thing I always dreamed of doing with my life. Your perfection rubbed into my face at every moment. You love him…because he loved you…”

His voice dropped again to a whisper as he reined in the anger once more.

”…I didn’t want you to see him as I did.”

Petty.

 

[Cybelle Elyance]

Tag: Brandyn Sal-Soren Briana Sal-Soren Aiden Rennek

"I understand."

She did. Anything they wanted…The slender Hapani understood. She wished that she could have assisted Brandyn in the same way that Aiden Rennek obviously provided a haven for Briana but…It wasn't possible at the moment. Her eyes refused to lift from the swirling hem of Briana's onyx mourning attire. It was easier to keep her spine straight, and eyes clear, when not looking at the deceased parents of her best friends. Yes. Briana, was right. Secrets had done this… Cybelle had known.

It had been her duty as a Knight to follow through with the investigation that began in earnest on Naboo. That was her jurisdiction. Beyond that… It had never been her secret to tell. She recalled the night when the details had finally been at least partially confirmed. She remembered Mr. Sal-Soren. Recalling, that it was the night in which any resentment she'd once held had melted in the wake of a criminal that...Loved his son.

Because love, above all things, was the great equalizer.

// Don't leave me. Not here. //​

Cybelle didn't actually hear the words but the smallest metaphysical impression from Brandyn caused her head to lift. Just enough to see him. For the moment…Seeing her. She took in his furrowed brow. Deep-seated anger, the things, he didn't want her to know…But she knew anyway. The want to be around him burned intensely. Yet, he wasn't the only one suffering. He wasn't the only one in the room she loved—Even if he would hold her heart until…Well. Forever.

Briana mattered too.

She couldn't bring herself to take a step toward Mr. and Mrs. Sal-Soren but also worried about leaving Brandyn and Briana alone in an enclosed space. Instead, she lifted words she had given to Brandyn from a memory of a time long ago. It felt as if it had been years since that night the New Way attacked the charity gala on Hapes. Even still, she recalled the events that took place afterward with startling clarity. She took the words that had been spoken in the past and silently floated them through the Force to let them settle on his mind. He would feel them…Lighter than air,

|| "I'm yours, Bran. I always have been. Neither one of us have to be alone anymore, especially, for something like this." || x​

Whether or not he could express how he felt didn't matter. Brandyn could keep her at arm's length for eternity and Cybelle would be, right there, waiting. For whenever he was ready. There was nothing he could do that would change how she felt. If she couldn't at least try and support him on the worst of days she didn't feel that she deserved him on the best.

|| "You can love someone, and yet, hate the things they've done. It's all right to love him, Bran." || x​

It might have been too little too late but his hostility toward a man that was gone, let alone his father, was a perfect expression of what she'd tried to impart that night. The notion that anger was just a fleeting punishment that they often gave themselves for someone else's mistake. It was an emotion that let them hide behind their hurt when they had not yet the fortitude to see through it… It was with that emotion that he addressed Briana now. She had a good idea of what might happen when she walked back through the exit with Aiden. Not exactly, perse, but…

It was enough.

When Brandyn nodded in agreement that they ought to give the pair a moment Cybelle returned the gesture and quietly turned away. She didn't want to. One of her folded hands rose to rest over her heart when the doors parted and she paused to let Aiden follow when he was ready. Even the sound of the doors opening and closing seemed to be a little too harsh. Anything that broke the seemingly endless quiet of this place…It was as if it broke the sound barrier. "We'll be...I'll be right outside.", she murmured, lightly, even though there was likely no reason to. As if she would be...Anywhere else.

Flat-footed shoes brought her to lean against the adjacent wall. Her arms slowly crossed against her midsection as she prepared to wait. She didn't want to be seen. The muted robes that she wore led toward the feeling of at least somewhat being in control. Topaz eyes found a place to watch along the opposite wall but…That was all. Just a small sentinel. Barely moving, save, to see her breathe.

All Cybelle could hope for was that the siblings could come to terms.

Without knocking the other out.

 

[Aiden Rennek]

​

"I'll keep an eye out, I promise," Aiden told Briana to reassure her, before he turned around to leave. He was expecting her to need some more comfort after her conversation with Brandyn and the funeral itself, but there were others who seemed to be struggling as well. He had noticed the little things about Cybelle Elyance — Briana was much the same in some ways. Always very drawn inwards whenever something was on her mind, and quicker to isolate herself to try and handle it on her own, than look for help in those close to her.

Though, that had been changing ever since they moved in together.

Spotting Cybelle outside, Aiden hesitated for only a moment, and only because it seemed like she wanted to be alone. But with the two siblings likely clashing inside, he knew that her ability to sense the Force would open her up to whatever happened inside. It was only going to get worse from here, so perhaps she needed a little comfort as well.

"Hey," he began, his deep voice softened to draw attention but not startle her. "We haven't properly met yet, but I'm Aiden. Are you... alright?" He asked carefully, while he positioned himself so she didn't feel trapped between him and the wall, but still felt like she had privacy talking to him.

Briana Sal-Soren Brandyn Sal-Soren Cybelle Elyance ​

 

[Bastila Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo
Equipment: N/A
Location: Theed Funeral Temple
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren | Brandyn Sal-Soren | Cybelle Elyance | Aiden Rennek

Exhausted.

Grief stricken.

Just outright emotionally drained.

She embodied grace, something that the Ee'everwest women tended to have a natural affinity for. She wore a sleeved dress, black as the night and reflective of the emotion she felt within her soul. It flowed softly, but evidently, like a billowing storm cloud trailing around her feet as she followed closely behind Sera. Her features concealed behind a blackened veil, held in place by mourning beads that cascaded down the sides of her head. Her hair was held tightly together in a perfected bun. But it wasn't really about her, or her appearance - it was about the moment.

Her parents were gone, both of them. Wiped out by an attack brought on by an organization her father had founded. An organization that she didn't quite understand it's purpose or even intent when Baros' children were Force sensitive and actively pursuing lives as Jedi. Why would he have been involved? Someone or something else had to be behind it. The whole premise defied the logic - didn't he know this would happen? That his children would be Force wielding? She recalled the moment where Bri had gotten in touch with her on Coruscant, the moment of impact through the Force. The gut wrenching feeling that impaled her as the Holonet covered the story.

She kept her thoughts to herself, and her gaze downwards. She held back tears of anger and grief. Cementing her refusal to acknowledge the actual presence of either feeling, including the immense conflict brewing through her mind.

She walked towards the Temple entrance, the place where her parents were to be interned. Her presence in the Force was laden with the confusion, the grief, and would be evident to those around her as the Sera departed, bowing respectfully as she left. She looked up briefly, catching a glimpse of Cybelle Elyance and Aiden Rennek - both important to her family in their own right, both having a profound impact on the foundations of her siblings lives. She was fortunate to have them in addition to her siblings. She has a fodness for Cybelle, similiar to that of her older sister, Briana and Aiden was, well, Aiden.

Their relationship wasn't as established and grounded like that of hers and Cybelle.

She approached the pair slowly, not lifting her gaze from the darkened marble beneath her. What could she say? What could she do? The anguish was wearing upon her, grinding away at the wall she placed between her emotions and reality - enough so to make tears brim on the edges of her eyes. She sniffled slightly, attempting to thwart the potential outburst of crying. Gazing up to look at Cybelle. "Is Bri aro..und?" She said through a broken voice, crackling with sadness and grief.

​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber | Location: Theed Funeral Temple | Tag: Aiden Rennek , Brandyn Sal-Soren , Cybelle Elyance , Bastila Sal-Soren​

A symphony of emotions ranging from incredulity, to anger, to heartbreak, washed over her as his words sank in.

"Is that all you have to say to me? You did your duty? And what about your duty to me? Does that mean nothing?"

He’d always been her shield growing up; always there if she needed him — practically extensions of one another. So much so, that she’d followed him into the Jedi ranks, not only because she'd wanted to support his dreams, but because a life without him seemed inconceivable. Every ounce she'd given, was given for a brother that she realized did not reciprocate her loyalty.

Now? Now all she wanted was to put a galaxy's worth of distance between them. For him to experience the same hurt and pain she felt. To feel the piercing sting inflicted by the dagger he’d plunged deep into her chest, nestled right beside the one that their father left.

And if she wanted to, she could make it happen.

The secret knowledge of Cybelle's death and resurrection above Exegol, tempted her bitterly. But even beneath all the pain and resentment, Briana couldn't bring herself to use that particular weapon against him.

"Are you so deluded that you actually believe I had everything? That you think our father didn't love you?" she snapped venomously, "Did you forget how our mother always regarded me as if I were her greatest burden, of always being labeled as 'too much' by everyone except our father? Did you forget, that I ran away too? Brandyn, I gave up everything for you! My dreams, my own ambitions, our father's favor — all so that I could witness your happiness and watch you flourish. I supported your dream of becoming a Jedi against our father's wishes because my love for you surpassed the love I felt for him. I admired you." She paused, staring straight into her brother's eyes with unflagging conviction, as if daring him to draw that blade his hand so dangerously hovered over. "I didn't need you to protect me, I needed you by my side."

With great effort, she backed away by several steps and bit her tongue, her eyes drifting towards the door where she felt Bastila's dimmed presence through the Force. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive him for what he's done to our family Brandyn, and honestly? I don't know if I can forgive you either. After today, I think it's best if we go our separate ways for a while. Though I doubt that will bother you too much."

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Wearing: Charcoal Black Naboo Funeral Attire
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Theed Funeral Temple
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren Cybelle Elyance Aiden Rennek Bastila Sal-Soren

Each word she spoke stung like the thorn of the thistlebark. Brandyn ached inside, fumed outwardly. What stung most was not even the truth of Briana’ words, but that she seemed to whole heartedly believe them.

“If I had told you. They wouldn’t be dead.”

The words fell out of his mouth. But they were what she was saying. What she really meant. If Brandyn hadn’t have kept her in the dark, then the great and wondrous Briana Sarnae E’Eeverwest Sal-Soren. She could fix anything.

His lips pressed together into a harsh thin line, nostrils flaring.

”Just say it.”

He listened as she declared her intention to never forgive him. Something about that, about those words specifically, broke through his anger. They had fought so often. Argued constantly all their years. Every time it would end the same way, a few days later they would be sipping their beverages of choice and taking time to reconnect. They loved each other. No amount of squabbling would change that.

Until now.

“I…”

His eyes fell on the face of his mother. Moisture began to form in the corner of his eye, as grief threatened to wash grief away. He blinked to brush the slowly forming tear aside, and he opened his eyes on the face of his father.

”No,” he muttered.

This was not Brandyn’s fault. He did...what he thought was right at the time. He was going to tell Briana. He just hadn’t. He told Cybelle. That is who he told these things to now. He had done the best he could. He was going to tell Briana. This was not his fault.

”Blame him, Bri,” Brandyn said, quietly resigning himself to the path ahead, “he was the terrorist. The liar. The hater of who we are. He was the one that killed people. Innocents.“

“I will go to my death questioning every decision I made,” he said, voice shaking just slightly, “but I did…what I thought…was right. He was the evil one.”

He turned to leave, heart rending in two. “You don’t have to sacrifice for me anymore, Briana,” he said, “I don’t need you anymore. Or your forgiveness.”

 

[Cybelle Elyance]

Tag: Brandyn Sal-Soren | Briana Sal-Soren | Aiden Rennek | Bastila Sal-Soren

The wall was a pretty shade of pale.

White. Not quite eggshell, not quite taupe, but somewhere in between. It reminded her of the sanctuary the temple offered without overtly shoving its sanctity in the face of visitors and those who came to remember. Those who came to mourn. She toyed with the sleeves of plain black robes and tried to quiet her thoughts as much as possible. So that she might, in some way, emulate the stillness of this place…To become part of the scenery. Her hands folded.

Briana and Brandyn…

Her eyes stung again, followed, by a slender jaw tightening.

Their relationship wasn't something she could mend…As much as she wanted to. Their collective pain resonated in ways she had not the words for and the only thing that might lessen that hurt was time. Something…They didn't have enough of. Tawny eyes remained low and fixated on the wall across from her until Aiden Rennek approached. Initially, she didn't realize anyone was speaking to her. Why would they? The role of the quiet wallflower had become second nature throughout her life and subsequent travels. She didn't mind it, watching, while others sparkled like silver stars.

Cybelle counted herself lucky just to witness their glow…But who else could Mr. Rennek have been addressing? She straightened a little bit. "I'm Cybelle.", she murmured, though, it felt strange to offer a hand as she might have done in any other social situation. His question was… more than valid. The diminutive Jedi had done her best to try and bury her own feelings in consideration for those around her…But apparently wasn't doing it as well as she thought. "Yes, I—"

She paused when a well of emotion brewed from the room that they'd just left. For a moment her heart crashed, broken, for people who were undeserving of such tragedy, and the notion of lying to this kind stranger stilled. Her eyes squeezed closed while her face smoothed of emotion in such a way that made her seem much older than she really was. It was a glimpse of something pained and raw to the point of torment before—Before it slipped away. Hiding behind locked doors where her response would fall on his ears, gently, with the softness of air. As if it were a secret. "No…No I'm not."

"I don't think anyone is."

The conversation might have evolved further but the arrival of Bastila Sal-Soren placed any truth Cybelle had been ready to divulge on the backburner. The mourning beads the youngling wore, the tight bun, and the veil, all spoke to a ritual of grief, a formal acceptance of loss. The entirety of her being shifted and a deep-seated sense of serenity replaced an aching emptiness. Sadness concealed itself with loving, supportive warmth, and Cy reached out to the young woman without hesitation. "…She's a little tied up at the moment.", the honest answer was coupled with twin arms wrapping around the auburn-haired youth in a way that was neither too tight nor too slack. She would hold the embrace for as long as Bastila wanted, offering comfort and security, without straying into the territory of becoming overwhelming.

The Jedi in her wanted, needed, to be present for others when they were in pain…But she also understood that some people wouldn't always be receptive to that. Her embrace would tell Bastila that she was safe, that, the emotions that she tried to keep walled away were perfectly all right for her to have. Or not have. Anything she was feeling in the moment was completely valid. Whether Bastila wanted to cry or swing at anything in sight…Cybelle would be there for it.

If she wanted her to be.

There was a shared ache, a bond of sorrow, that Jedi often experienced…But seldom showed. It was different when it came to the loss that hit so close to the heart. Cybelle refused to let it in any more than she already had. Rather…She would try to remain a beacon of comfort in a sea of anguish. Her light was admittedly small, but she could do that, at the very least, for the people she loved. The Hapani woman reached out with the Force and wrapped it around Bastila like a blanket that offered solace without words. It deliberately shielded her from the turbulence brewing in the room where the remains of Mr. and Mrs. Sal-Soren lay. Prepared, for the longest, sweetest sleep.

"You can wait here with us if you'd like."

She glanced over the shoulder of the young woman she held, looking, at Aiden. Did he also agree that it would be for the best? Cybelle assumed that it was possible that Bastila could have calmed them down…But she also might have found herself at odds. Trapped between the emotional fallout of two siblings and feeling helpless. Entombed by guilt, anger, and grief.

It would have left her little room for Bastila to have her own emotions, unintentionally swallowed up, by those she adored. Cybelle…couldn't do much. But she could give Bast a place to grieve where no judgment would be made. A safe place.

Even if it only lasted a moment.

 

[Bastila Sal-Soren]

Wearing:XoXo
Equipment: None
Location: Theed Funeral Temple
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren | Brandyn Sal-Soren | Cybelle Elyance | Aiden Rennek

Before she could process the response, she felt the arms of Cybelle wrap about her form, encompassing her completely. Bastila returned the embrace, sliding her arms up under that of the woman who was like another big sister. She could feel the comfort, the serenity in both the physical world and the ethereal flow of the Force. The delicate tendrils of warmth soothing the cold chill that had ensnared her. And in that moment, Bastila lost her composure. She began to weep, and hard. Her eyes closed tight as she tried to fight the flood of emotions, of sadness and grief. It poured from her soul, reaping a whirlwind through the Force, intertwining with the comfort that Cybelle exuded. She would sniffle, grunt and cry out softly, just letting everything go. She felt the coldness of the room beyond, as it wrapped about the corpses of her parents. Even in death, she could feel them, and touch them - but she would get nothing in return. No love, no embrace through the Force, only cold...bitter...death.

She didn't have a moment to respond, continuing to cry into the form of Cybelle, resting her head against her chest. She simply nodded, holding the embrace tighter. She yearned for the embrace of her siblings, the comfort, the security...but little did she know that the very fabrics of the family dynamics were unwinding, being picked away by feelings of betrayal and deceit. No, all she knew was this moment of sadness and she was no doubt expressing her emotions in the real and raw, for all to see. She didn't care, she just needed to feel whole, but she knew that was a wish that was far off.

She cried out to them both through the Force, hoping that they'd hear not only her crying outside the room where her family was tearing apart but the very grief stricken call through the ethereal webs of the Force.

​

 

[Aiden Rennek]

​

Surrounded by Force Users who were all affected by the emotion here, even if they weren't their own feelings, Aiden was perhaps most calm of all. He did truly feel pain in his heart over Teyla's death especially, and of course over how much it had impacted Briana. But now that he stood outside in Naboo's pleasant weather for a breath of fresh air, he could find a place for all that heartbreak. Maybe it was easier for him, after having lost so much in the military, or maybe he just forced himself to be a strong, supporting pillar for those who needed it.

"No…No I'm not."

That's when he realized that she was the one needing some support right now. He tried his best to offer a reassuring smile, and just listened for a moment. Up here, the emotions were bound to be vivid, so Aiden was about to offer a short walk somewhere else to clear the mind, when another figure appeared. He hadn't properly met Bastila Sal-Soren before, but he knew who she was, of course.

Even without the Force, her pain was palpable.

Aiden decided to avert his gaze for a moment, allowing the two women a moment to find comfort in their embrace without his prying eyes. But as soon as Cybelle looked up at him, he met her gaze and dipped his head. "We can stay here. I'm sure Briana and Brandyn will be back with us soon," Aiden said, his voice calm and unwavering. "If you two need a moment to clear your heads, we can head down for a short walk as well." He didn't know how the entire Force thing worked, but it seemed that being so close to the fighting siblings wasn't really helping them.

Briana Sal-Soren Brandyn Sal-Soren Bastila Sal-Soren Cybelle Elyance ​

 

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Wearing: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber | Location: Naboo | Tag: Cybelle Elyance , Aiden Rennek , Bastila Sal-Soren, Brandyn Sal-Soren​

Her lips pressed tightly together until they formed a thin line, shoulders raising in a dismissive shrug. "Guess we'll never know, will we?"

Tears lined her blue eyes, but never fell, her voice remaining steady as she smothered down the fire burning in her chest; smothered it until it was cold and empty again; but each consequent word that fell from Brandyn's lips threatened to undo that restraint, listening as he attempted to shift the blame, to justify the choices he made — perhaps in an attempt to sway her sympathies.

Instead, his words became kindling.

"You're right, he was a monster," the word monster felt strained coming out of her throat, her lips not wanting to form the words, even as the stab of acceptance forced its way into her chest. "but don't sit there and try to absolve yourself. I don't blame you for doing what was necessary. I blame you for not trusting me, for leaving me in the dark when I needed you Brandyn, when your family needed you! But you know what? Fine." If Brandyn was so determined to run from this, she wouldn't stop him.

Not this time. "Go on then." Briana turned back to the lifeless forms of their parents, lifting her palm to wipe away the tears that finally began rolling down her face, smearing the carefully applied coal eyeliner across her cheeks in the process. She didn't care. For a long moment her throat worked, trying to sort out all that tried to rise from her chest as a last, defiant whisper broke over her lips before the door closed between them. "Maybe I don't need you anymore, either."

 

[Brandyn Sal-Soren]

Wearing: Charcoal Black Naboo Funeral Attire
Equipment: Lightsaber
Location: Theed Funeral Temple
Tag: Briana Sal-Soren Cybelle Elyance Aiden Rennek Bastila Sal-Soren

Brandyn was already out of ear shot before Briana’s last tear stained words on the matter fell from her lips. Despite the hollowness that threatened to consume him, Brandyn still felt her presence near. He remembered the moments, the times when it had seemed like his sister was in the room with him despite the light years that separated them. That same growing echo of her presence was still there. Only now, he closed his mind to it. Distracted himself with the planting of bitterness deep within his soul.

He didn’t even remember the steps that had brought him outside, and to the arms of his youngest sibling. He was hugging Bastila before his wits caught up. He had to be strong. He could not break.

”It’ll be OK,” he spoke a hollow promise if ever there was one. “Eventually.”

The youngest Sal-Soren, known in their family as The Surprise, had not known the true harshness with which their father had opposed his children’s training as Jedi. She had moved into her life as a Jedi with far less resistance. Brandyn did not begrudge her this. Though he longed to have at least that one burden removed from his life. He wondered how it felt for her, having known that the happier home was a facade. That Baros Sal-Soren was allowing them all their flights of Jedi fancy, while working overtime to undermine all Jedi. One day he would ask her.

He only made brief eye contact with Aiden. Guilt saw him move his gaze to Cybelle. Brandyn smiled weakly, and reached a hand out for her. He would, if she would allow, pull her into the hug as well.

”The service will begin soon,” he said, trying to break the tension in the air without breaking down.

“We should…probably find our places,” he said before glancing back at Aiden. “Bri…Bri probably needs you.” Still, eye contact was noticeably avoided.

 

[Cybelle Elyance]

Tag: Brandyn Sal-Soren | Briana Sal-Soren | Aiden Rennek | Bastila Sal-Soren

Her heart ached…All over again.

She couldn't think of her failures. She couldn't spare a moment to process what had happened on that fateful day any more than to methodically analyze the facts. To see a series of events, a timeline, and accept the chain of proceedings as one might view an official debriefing packet. She had followed protocol to the absolute. Cybelle couldn't think of the too-cold too-pale figures as they had once been…Because they were no longer there. Mr. and Mrs. Sal-Soren were no longer housed within slowly decaying tombs of flesh and bone. They were…

Found. Embraced—By the Force. Held within an embrace eternal that most couldn't fathom.

They were Found.

Not lost.

Found.

The auburn-haired woman remembered that place more than she wanted to admit. She wished that she could tell the youngling in her arms the truth. That there was something more. She could recall the moment it stopped. The end of… The end of…Everything. Purpose served. She could recall the softness, the tenderness, of the mists beyond. She had known in her final moments on Exegol that her mission had reached fruition. That her work was done—

—Until he, a Sith, dragged her soul back…Through the dark. Back into the searing heat of his lightsaber and finally, left, with nothing but a beautifully frozen memory.

A peacefulness that this world didn't have the faith or emotional capacity to realize.

Cybelle held Bastila carefully. No more than she might want, but, enough that the youngest of them might find succor if she wished it. She could only express empathy for the young woman's profound grief in silence. She had no words. Just…Arms. Arms—And a heart that might hold her. Cybelle would simply remain. Not only a source of momentary comfort but a conduit, a spark, for future healing. She filtered the negativity in the air through her being and used the Force to channel a soft sense of warming serenity to buffer the shock and a rawness of such…Unbearable loss.

"…Let it out Bast…", Cybelle murmured with an echo of unspoken grace that made her seem taller, somehow. Stronger. The young Hapani couldn't use the Force or truly access her training for any benefit toward herself…But for those she loved? She could rebuild. Cy could be what they needed regardless the eventual toll. Her demure voice would be a gentle balm to the chilling, settling cold. Chasing it away. Leaving only warmth. "It's okay. It's okay to feel…to let it wash over you. You're not alone in this. I'm here with you. Your family is here. We're all here with you…Every step of the way."

The mental cry that flowed from Bastila was far from silent.

Cybelle's eyes fixated for a moment on Aiden Rennek while keeping the young Sal-Soren close. Her tears would soak through her top but there was nothing Cybelle could care less about. Bastila deserved to cry regardless of their doctrine. Mr. Rennek…had been kind enough to let her moment of weakness pass without poking holes in the protection she brought to bear with all she had. Cybelle could only care for one of them. Not both. And she would always, always, choose those suffering around her before herself.

"A walk might be a good—", she started to respond to Mr. Rennek, but her words shuttered into silence when the slender Hapani felt a subtle shift in the air. It was as if she had a sixth sense that told her exactly when the door would open and who would cross the threshold first. The calming waves that rolled slowly from Cybelle seemed to convalesce around Bastila. Shielding her from the fallout between her elder siblings. Even…As she stepped back to allow Brandyn to take over.

Her eyes found the ground again.

The same shy wallflower that had only ever thought to admire from afar. To be the aspiring Jedi that had accepted with so much pain that she would never be worthy nor welcome in the eyes of Baros Sal-Soren. The father lying dead in the other room had deliberately caused her so much pain. Through some backward form of love, he truly had caused his family even greater pain. There was no end to the damage that this man had done…Yet…She lamented him still.

So many years, so many lessons, that told them not to mourn…It was all so distant now. So very, very far away while this loss held the sharpness of a blade. "…Thank you, Mr. Rennek."

For caring enough to ask. For…Not blowing her cover. For being there for Briana when she…Couldn't.


There was nothing she could say to Briana that would bring her any measure of relief. Not right now. Perhaps...Not ever.

Brandyn…likely wouldn't understand her words to Mr. Rennek…Perhaps he wouldn't even hear. She didn't need to look up to know that Brandyn was reaching for her and he would find her hand falling into his without question. Cybelle was pulled into the hug and let herself partially wrap around Bast again. Brandyn wouldn't need to be so strong if she could help…And it was all she could do. Try.

Try and help.

Be a pillar. Be stone. Be strong, be a beacon, and slowly use the Force to stitch the holes in their hearts back together. If…They would allow it. There was so much pain among them. A sense of betrayal and loss that was sewn deeply into bonds that should have been unshakable.

Not for the first time she wondered…How everything…

How it had all gone so wrong.

"…Just a moment. Just give her a moment…"

There were two she spoke of, though, she didn’t dare bring up the other sister directly. Not yet. Not when that wound was undoubtedly still so fresh. He was putting on his strongest guise, even, while Cybelle saw through it. She was sure that eventually…Many of them would do the same.

It was the only way they might get through the day.

Lie. Lie…Until eventually that lie became the truth. It would be okay as Brandyn promised... Eventually.

Wouldn’t it?

 

[Jaa Ardan]

Jaa Ardan stood at the end of a corridor in the temple. He wore a tailored suit from the finest vendor on Naboo. A half smoked cigarra hung loosely between his lips.

Ahead him–as they always were–several phantoms of his past gathered. Their faces were all familiar, their names were known, he could recall some memory of each of them, and yet he thought them all to be strangers.

No, they were not strangers.

He thought as he took an overly focused interest in stamping out the butt of his cigarra.

They were not strangers at all. They were family and it was he who was the intruder.

Jaa Ardan, the widower's son, who felt compelled it seemed to pass through the lives of these people, despite there being no room for him in any of them.

He would, as he had always done, make due with his presence being hardly more than tolerated. He did not require their approval and he felt certain they cared little for his sympathy. Jaa had his own reasons for being here. Jaa Ardan if nothing else was a soldier and there was one last mission to see through.

The hard heel of his boots made a soft but audible click-clack with each step that reverberated off the walls of the otherwise silent corridor. Half a dozen clicks and clacks put Jaa at the top of the stairway that he knew would lead to where he was trying to go. It also put him near arm's length away from those spectors of his past. Jaa stood at the top of those stairs for what felt like forever but was hardly more than a moment. Just long enough for him to take in the faces of those gathered.

Aiden and Cybelle were like him in a way, separate from the Sal-Sorens and yet unlike him they had been brought close. Accepted. Bastila was there as well, the youngest. And of course Brandyn was amongst them, looking so much like his father that it almost made Jaa laugh, the look of disapproval and distaste was uncanny.

Jaa opened his mouth to say…

Something.

Anything.

Yet he said nothing. His mouth closing almost as soon as it opened as Jaa did his best impression of a gooberfish.

His boots clicked and clacked all the way down as without waiting for permission or even asking for it Jaa went down. Jaa would've been half way down the stairs before any of them could stop him if indeed they even attempted.

At the bottom of the stairs in a cold dim room Jaa found what he had come for and more. One more phantom was left. Jaa had not even realized that he hadn't seen Briana amongst those grieving at the top of the stairway. She stood alone with the bodies of her parents.

Jaa announced his presence by clearing his throat. Briana's Jedi powers probably let her know he was here already but Jaa wasn't entirely sure how that worked.

"I needn't stay if you don't want me here. I came only to say good-bye." He told her. He was perhaps more brisk than he should have been considering the circumstances and he did not wait for a reply before moving past her toward the two dead bodies.

Jaa knelt in front of where the corpses were displayed and for a moment sat in silence before speaking softly.

"I wore the suit, sir." He told Baros Sal-Soren or more accurately the body of Baros Sal-Soren. Baros had been the one to give Jaa the suit he was wearing. It was supposed to be a gift for graduating from Naboo's royal military academy but Jaa never did graduate and instead was thrown out of the program and discharged dishonorably and so Jaa got his gift from Baros when he had returned and taken employment with the patriarch of the Sal-Soren family.

"Every man needs a good suit to be buried in, int that right, sir?" Jaa asked, his voice cracking ever so slightly while echoing the words Baros had said when giving him the suit.

"I'm sorry this happened to you, Ma'am. We were never close, you and me. I do know that you tried…sometimes." Whether he meant that Teyla had only made the occasional effort or that Jaa only occasionally recognized her efforts was a mystery even to him.

"I wish you hadn't left me behind." He told Baros. "Why'd you do that? I could have done something, you know. It's a right cruel thing."

There was a pain behind Jaa's eyes as tears gathered at the corners. His voice had been soft and his conversations private but no longer.

"You! You should have trusted me! You should've let me keep you safe! You should be the one here trying to figure out where everything else goes from here." He was not yelling so much as pleading.

Lost in the candlelight and the cold, Jaa no longer knew who exactly he was talking to. He was looking at the face of Baros but ached to see his own father's face.

There had been no funeral for Bast Ardan, Jaa's father. He'd had no last chance to see his old man. No final word. Bast had died for Baros and then it was like he never existed. It was just over. No one left to remember him but Jaa. no legacy left in the galaxy for Bast Ardan except his poor excuse for a son and the fact that he had done his duty and Baros lived. now Baros was gone and Bast's sacrifice meant nil.

Briana Sal-Soren Brandyn Sal-Soren Cybelle Elyance Aiden Rennek Bastila Sal-Soren