Private The Holy City

[Persephone Dashiell]

MIDVINTER

Holy City of Beornstead | Ran Serys
​

Persephone shoved her hands into her fashionable yet practical coat, breath coming out in little puffs as she walked on the cobblestone towards the city center. Beside her was Jedi Ran Serys, who had remained quiet for much of the cold trudge from vessel to the city center. Persephone didn't expect her to talk conversationally, none of her tutors did. Her parents paid a lavish amount of credits for her education and that didn't include a social hour but instead their vision for molding her into a young woman of society.

In addition to the standard subjects, Persephone had tutors for various subjects the average teenager may not have an in depth, deep dive, focused unit of study on. This was one of them. Having expressed an interest to her parents in antiquities, art, and history they had commissioned several tutors in this area. Miss Serys was the first to give her a more hands on lesson, a field trip of sorts. Persephone didn't know much about her newest tutor beyond the fact she was a Jedi and this was one of her realms of expertise.

"This city is very old." She paused, used to the warmer climate of Joiol. "Very cold as well."

Persephone paused, curious as to where they would be allowed to go in the city. Neither looked like a local and she wondered if that would hamper the lesson.

"Do you think we will be allowed in the holy areas? Or allowed to poke around their history? This place does not strike me as overly friendly."

 

[Ran Serys]

Ran nodded at the teenager’s observations. “Older than most known civilizations,” Ran added as they walked, but if she was cold, she gave no indication of it. Her strong green arms stood bare against the cold air without even a single goose pimple. Her belly exposed to the elements without a shudder. Her bare feet on the cobblestone steps carried her forward without issue. Some Jedi had techniques of dealing with inclement weather, Ran wasn’t one of them. Her resistance to the cold was the product of experimentation and nothing else.

Ran directed her glowing mutant gaze on Persephone. “Overly friendly? Maybe not, Miss Dashiell, but I sense peace here. Kindness, generosity, and community seem to permeate the force here.” Ran expanded. “That may not mean much to you, but to me it means everything.”

“Take a look around.” The Jedi Knight suggested trying to meet the girl on a human level. “Really look. Do these folk seem any less friendly than anywhere else in the galaxy?” She questioned as she did the same. Ran saw massive bear folk crossing the ancient city streets with looks of contentment. She watched the near-human Valkyri sitting in tea shops among them breaking bread and engaging in ceremony. “I think they look happy. Which can often mean friendly and welcoming under the right circumstances.” Ran explained evenly.

“I believe we will have access to all the places we’d like to go, and to all the history we’d like to see, if we ask nicely and respect the local custom.”

“Now. You did do the reading I assigned on the sites of the city, correct? What site interests you the most? We’ll start there.”

Persephone Dashiell​

 

[Persephone Dashiell]

Not all of us have access to the Force.

Yet she remained silent. As she had learned with her other tutors, things often weren't worth arguing. Especially since word would get back to her parents and naturally, they would side with whatever tutor she got into an argument with. So instead she merely nodded, as if in agreement that yes, the people were perfectly friendly. Maybe towards one another but outsiders....Persephone was still skeptical.

She would keep that skepticism to herself.

"Yes, I read the assigned reading Master Serys." Twice, before even reaching the planet. If anything, she was a through person and liked the be prepared in case she needed to ask more questions than originally planned. "I am interested in the Tháinbroek Memorial to see first. I feel this will best serve me educationally."

Tea shops didn't seem appealing with a stranger. Nor would it build upon her history lessons. The other, the Temple of Everlasting Peace, seemed more of a religious place for the people of the planet.

"We should purchase fruit or flowers for an offering for the memorial. Then we can explore with relative ease, I would think."

The marked road to the memorial site was ahead, lined by vendors selling their wares to those looking to make a pilgrimage to the site. Persephone has read that an offering was merely a suggestion but it seemed improper not to travel to such a place without something.

Ran Serys ​