Private Tea for two

[Sargon Vynea]

The boiling water poured through the tea leaves slowly staining as they mixed in a glorious aroma. With a few gentle stirs he finally set the glassed out as he awaited his guest. In a great stone hall he waited for Asha, one that had been built out of hope and purpose yet the chaos of the galaxy hadn't permitted at the time. It was a grand endeavor this temple of learning, and yet it stood empty but for the droids and the bit of refugees who now lived in it. These things did not disturb him though because he knew that was only the present, and hope had a way of returning to places it was born in.

So he sat himself in the high spot of the temple of Bakura and waited with patience as he heard the light echo of her feet as she walked through the halls. He was dressed in ceremonious robes, and awaited her as the master of this temple until her feet brought her to him. The cups sat nearby, the steam slowly rising warming the air around them as he stared at her. "My child, you have walked the path, traveled the stars. Tell me what have you seen?"

Lief

 

[Lief]

Asha Hex was not one to leave a call unanswered.​

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Not from the Force, and certainly not from the one who had sent for her this time. She had proven as much when she delved into the Netherworld, woefully unprepared yet willing to do what she could to assist him. And she had done so again now.​

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Bakura.​

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How long had it been since they'd set those stones?​

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It was a beautiful place, one she missed whenever she was not there. And as of late Asha had not really been anywhere. Not that the Je'daii had come to know, at least. There was Tribunal Station, of course, the new hub of the Order, but places such as Aurum had felt so distant to her. Without Jyn and the others to occupy them, they were simply lost relics.​

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But life had come to Bakura once more. Sargon Vynea had returned, for however short a time it might have been.​

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She walked through those halls without any true purpose in mind, save to finally meet with the man who had stood by her side in the Force for countless years now, who had helped her shoulder her burdens and grow into the woman she was today. Raised her up from her lowest point, and allowed her to reconnect with the Force once more.​

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She would move mountains if only he asked her to.​

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Climbing that hill toward him and the Temple they'd built together was nothing in comparison.​

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And so it was that she came upon him. He had brought the tea this time, and as she neared him the scent bred familiarity within her mind. She smiled, and slowly moved to sit across from him. What he wore was not his typical garb, but something all together different. She wasn't sure if she'd ever seen him in it, actually.​

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"Hello, dear friend," she spoke, inclining her head into a soft bow of utmost respect. His question left her thoughtful, unsure of how to answer in truth. There were a great many answers that could have been given, literal and figurative. It was a strange question to be sure, in fact the way in which he had gotten right down to business left her curious.​

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"I have seen all that the Force wills me to see," came her response, voice calm and quiet as ever, "Glimpsed through the strands of time, lived through the present. Why, my friend? What has you asking such things?"​

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There was no accusatory tone there, just curiosity. If there was something he needed from her, well... he need only ask.​

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Sargon Vynea ​

 

[Sargon Vynea]

Nodding he stood and looked out over the empty halls imagining all the faces that should have been here, the could have been here. Still there were days to come, and all things must have a beginning. Or in fact two beginnings. So he stood and pulled out of his robes two items, a datapad, and a small box. Placing them both on the table he smiled down at her.

"Your father was a friend, is a friend in truth should I ever see him again when he has regained his mind. Violence and darkness clouds us so when we let it, no? Still I have tried to stand for him with you where he could not go. Yet I did it not just for him, but for you, my friend. Your light was a beauty to behold, and I was blessed by it's presence."

Pausing a moment he opened the box to reveal black ink, and tools he paused yet again to pour warm water into a nearby wooden bowl before continuing. "And yet I did it as much for me, the galaxy can be a lonely place if you let it, and I had indeed isolated myself from all of it. You saved me, Asha, and in truth you have been as a daughter to me. I attempt now not to replace your father, but to join by him."

With gentle care he dipped the cloth in to the water and washed her face free of dirt, and dried it leaving the skin fresh and clear. With slow steps and older Iridonian walked out of the background watching, and waiting. "When an Iridonian reaches adulthood they are marked with a tattoo to make you known to all our clan. You Asha Hex are as much Asha Vynea, and so I offer you my blessing as my daughter. You will share in my mark mixed with your own unique mark that she will find for us. It is a sacred right, do you accept, my child?"

Lief

 

[Lief]

It was a lot to take in, to be sure, and to begin with Asha still had no clue where exactly he was going with it all. Mention was made of her Father, a man who had all but disappeared from the Galaxy much to her dismay, who had often been tempted too close to the darkness by virtue of his own inability to stand down from a fight.​

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Perhaps it was his attitude toward such which had led Asha down a more pacifist path. Someone had to find a way to counterbalance such, to mend and heal instead of break. There had been a time when she too had almost succumbed to the darkness, though it was not by her own hand in truth. It was the man before her who had pulled her from that pit.​

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Her gaze drifted only momentarily to the contents of the box, before she met his gaze again solidly this time. Pieces were slowly beginning to click together in her mind, though she was not one to speculate until she had the true answers. Such led to a tumultuous mind, after all.​

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And Asha craved peace in her life.​

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Sargon, she realized, was trying to be respectful in the way he presented it all. He knew that she had a Father, a good man in truth if a little lost, he wasn't trying to replace that... Simply build upon it. For a girl with no mother to speak of, it seemed as though she had truly lucked out when it came to paternal figures.​

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She did not move or flinch as he cleaned her face, she simply listened to all he had to say in the same respectful silence she'd held since he'd began. But as he finished the last of his words she could not keep the soft tears from cascading down her cheeks, marring the freshly cleaned skin. ​

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Certainly, it was a lot to take in.​

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But Asha Hex wasn't going to let that stand in her way.​

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She had never known a non-Iridonian to bear their facial markings. There had to have been others, of course, brought into the herd in such a fashion, but she was not familiar with a single one of them. Her mind, for only a mere second, pondered on how the rest of the Galaxy would view it. Would they understand the symbology behind it?​

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Did that matter, when she did?​

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No. It didn't. Asha was a worldly woman, far more than most in the Galaxy, she had traveled to countless systems, existed alongside many cultures, and each had their lasting impact upon her in some way or another. From the tea she brewed to the way she wore her hair. This was no different from that.​

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In fact, this transcended that.​

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It was an honour, a true honour, to sit before him, and the Iridonian woman, to mark this rite of passage. A rite she did not even know she could ever have partaken in. For a moment she bowed her head, lifting her hand to lightly wipe away the tears. She would have to wash her face all over again, she realized.​

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But she didn't care.​

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"Of course," she breathed, lifting her head to look upon him. "How could I ever say no?"​

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Sargon Vynea ​

 

[Sargon Vynea]

He smiled broadly as she answered then took a step back to sit down and wait. It was not abnormal for someone who wasn't Iridonian to receive and Iridonian marking, it was rare to the point of nonexistent. It simply wasn't done. It had taken quite some convincing to the clan in truth, and even then they were against it. In the end though it was difficult to tell a man who's family was all gone he couldn't have a daughter.

Her position was noted with an asterisks, but the relented for a price that Sargon could afford to pay. He'd been a wander in the stars for too long they said. It was time to come home. He couldn't have been more willing to pay such a price. They'd agreed the act should be done off planet though, no reason to cause a stir during such a special occasion.

For hours he watched from his seat as the clan markings were slowly drawn unto her face, and as her own markings slowly revealed themselves. She worked tirelessly, and with the steadiest of hands as she found the lines. Then she began the needle work of tattooing them permanently, because clan was forever.

Lief

 

[Lief]

It was a strange sensation, to have ones face drawn upon.​

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She did not try to figure out what it would look like, did not ask to see when the penwork was done, she simply trusted in the process. It wasn't as though she could provide any input, after all, this was all so new to her. What could she add that the woman did not already know? She was the expert, after all.​

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When the needlework came, Asha sank into a deep meditation. Through that, she could experience the moment without succumbing to the pain of the process. Unless he told her to do otherwise, of course. Unless feeling the bite of each needle mark was part of the experience...​

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Sargon Vynea ​

 

[Sargon Vynea]

As she finished Sargon smiled broadly as the lines were revealed in her face. Looking it over slowly it all make so much sense, wisdom was indeed in the hand of the artisan. Lifting a mirror he revealed Lief to herself and gave her a moment in silence before speaking again. "You should know this is not the only reason I've asked you here today."

There was one more box the woman brought out to him and as he took it he bowed in thanks before laying it on the table. With deliberate slowness he opened the box and pulled out a long emerald robe much akin to his own. "I have heard tales that once more you share your wisdom and the Je'daii grow again. This is good, the galaxy is always in need of more wisdom, but they need more then that."

Stepping around her he wrapped the robe around her, giving a bit of a laugh as he yanked up the hood over her head to cover her eyes. The mirth still on his face he shook his head as he stepped back to see if he'd sized it well. "What the Je'daii need is a true leader, and for some reason she's been dodging it too long. It is indeed wise to question oneself, but to deny one's growth is foolish. You are no fool, child of mine. Therefore I cannot allow this to continue any longer. As the only remaining Temple Master I declare you Lief a master, and Master of the order of Je'daii."

Glancing around at the empty chairs where the other Temple Masters should have sat he nodded to himself. "As there are is no dissention I declare this council complete, and the first council under Master Asha Hex Vynea," pausing a moment he tested the wording in his mouth again before continuing. "Well however you'd like to word it I suppose, I declare the first council under your wise stewardship. May it last long and shine like the stars."

 

[Lief]

Time passed patiently by as she sat beneath the needle, and the watchful eye of them both.​

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And then it was over, and Sargon was holding up a mirror so that she could inspect the intricate design which had been set upon her skin. The lines were faint, they worked well with her pale skin tone, but they were present and strong all the same. She lifted a hand though she did not dare actually touch any of it so soon after, they were open wounds at this stage she knew. To touch before they were healed would not be wise.​

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Thankfully with the Force she could tend to such readily.​

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But she didn't. Not yet. Because Sargon spoke of more, and confusion set upon her expression. More? How could there be more than what he had already done, what he had already gifted her? A place among his clan, as his daughter no less... A girl with two fathers, how lucky could one be?​

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He began to speak, of the Je'daii and her place among them. A robe, emerald as her eyes, was draped around her shoulders, yet even as he spoke that confusion upon her expression did not wane.​

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If anything it grew stronger still.​

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She didn't speak though, did not interrupt him. To do so would be rude, and she knew he would explain himself soon enough. So she merely listened, enjoying the warmth of the cloth around her.​

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Hood covered her eyes, and she could all but see the humour which arose from that in the man. She allowed her expression to join him in that, a small grin settling over her lips as she pulled back the hood ever so slightly so that she could look upon him. It was a tiny bit oversized, but she didn't care.​

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More words, and slowly it began to dawn on her. Just why it was he'd called her here. Just what it was he was setting in motion. Her eyes widened, a blush upon her cheeks as she was forced to face the truth of the matter, a truth she had been running from for quite some time. Had it been anyone else who stood before her she might have laughed, shaken her head and rejected it.​

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But this was Sargon. How could she deny what he said?​

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It took her even longer to realize the other half of his command... nay, appointment.​

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"M-Master?" she finally stuttered out, shaking her head ever so slightly in bewilderment. "Are you sure I'm ready for such? Much less Master of the Order..." For all that she had done and achieved, all she had seen of the world, and all the confidence and self-assured nature she often presented, when it came to this particular subject Asha had never held too much faith in herself.​

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Had never believed herself ready.​

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What if she failed them? What if they were wrong, and she fumbled?​

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Sargon Vynea ​

 

[Sargon Vynea]

He smirked as he tweaked her nose softly, "No, there isn't a soul alive who's ready for the kind of responsibility I just handed you. You walk on hallowed ground from a time nearly forgotten, and the task is immense. That's why you have friends and advisors to support you. You have wisdom to find the truth, and strength to make the hard choices. You're a wanderer at soul, Asha, and with this duty I do you no favors. You will find yourself needed and locked down when you'd rather walk amongst the stars. Your dedication though will see you through to the other side, and one day when you've laid a foundation which cannot be overturned you will turn this burden to another and spend your days playing among the stars once more."

Embracing her in a fierce hug he leaned in and whispered with playful accusation. "Besides my good friend, Jend-Ro Quill tells me you have a secret of your own for me in the form of on Cotan Sar'andor eh?" Pushing her out to arm's length he gave her a look of feigned hurt before laughing. "Well out with it, child."

Lief

 

[Lief]

Asha nodded as he spoke about the responsibility she'd been given, and how she'd have to grow into it. As anyone must. Nobody would ever be ready for it, and that was... oddly comforting. More so than it would have been had he decided to try and claim she was.​

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When he pulled her into a bearish embrace she sank against him and closed her eyes. He had always been good at that, making her feel secure in moments that she felt out of her element or at her lowest. She was in a good place these days though, but that didn't mean it wasn't a welcome embrace all the same.​

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His words brokered a grin from the girl, though her cheeks flushed red in response. As he held her at arms length she shook her head some.​

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"Everyone speaks of this Mister Quill," she remarked, with a thoughtful expression, "I wonder if he deals with the same in reverse. Might be a shame to actually meet him at this rate, ruin the illusion." She shook her head with a light chuckle. "One day, you or Cotan are going to have to introduce us. But yes, it is true. Cotan and I have been together for quite some time now; it was not my intentions to keep you in the dark, of course, but the Netherworld didn't seem like the place to be discussing such, no?"​

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Sargon Vynea Jend-Ro Quill Cotan Sar'andor ​