Private The Pillars Of Wisdom

[Jamie Pyne]

The look of mild disappointment rested on the woman's face as she listened to Juniper squeak out her responses. If it weren't for how much of a carbon copy she was to Jamie it might have truly upset her, but when you were looking at your past self dead in the eyes, it was hard to feel any sort of way besides understanding.

"You're right." She said, nodding. "It is expensive, if one were to sell it. Its value though is much greater than any credits you could receive." She tapped the device again. "And it is important. Incredibly important. Not just to me, but to all Jedi." The first two reasons were unsurprising answers, but it was the third that gave Jamie pause.

The other comments Jamie swept away as nonsense, that of a desperate teenager wanting to deflect the blame away from herself. Jamie had practically invented that skill. And she knew it never worked on parents. They were simply too smart for it. "It's okay, ma'am." She smiled once more. "You said it called to you? Tell me, what do you mean by that?" The tone of her voice suggested Jamie was genuinely interested in what she had to say.

Juniper

 

[Juniper]

Juniper was on the defense now, her tongue loosened by the need to not be such a bad guy here. The way they were looking at her was hurtful! Well and truly making her feel all kinds of icky.

"Like I looked down and there it was telling me to get it!" It was a poor explanation, but she lacked both the experience and the vocabulary express herself. "Can't you pick up a different artifact? There was a whole table's worth! And it took me so much to get it-- finder's keepers! Jedi have a ton of money. Just go get another!"

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie laughed under her breath at the sharpness of Juniper's words.

"I could ask you the same question. You could have taken anything on the table, yet you chose this one. And you're saying it called to you. I need to know if you mean you're intending to mean you were driven to take this particular item, or if it was just what you saw first and reached for." Her eyes locked onto the girl, tone changing dramatically to a serious nature.

"Answer honestly, please. It's very important."

Jamie pushed the holocron in front of Juniper and nodded towards it. "Do you feel anything right now?"

There was indeed a purpose to the questions, but she needed to be certain before anything went further.

Juniper

 

[Juniper]

Juniper stilled, the woman's sudden seriousness driven her eyes wide. She looked around for the trap, feeling at once that she was about to learn she had done something else wrong.

"Answer honestly, please. It's very important."

She wrapped her arms around herself in a self-conscious gesture, her eyes flickering to her dad. He watched, features sad soft as he gave a gentle nod.

She sighed, looking to the holocron and answering unsurely, "Well... yeah. It's... warm?" She, brows furrowed as she reached out and tentatively pulled it back to her. "...Is there a hole to charge it with or something? Isn't it going to run out of battery soon?" She asked, flipping it end on end.

Alive was the term she was looking for. Alive and thrumming with energy.

She shook it and held it to her ear.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie sat back, folding her arms as she looked on, quietly observing, waiting to see if her suspicions were validated or nothing more than coincidence. The answers that followed pulled a small smile across her face. Though not entirely accurate, her words were enough to convince Jamie of what she needed to know.

"It requires no charge, it has no battery." She said, still watching Juniper fumble around with the holocron. "Think of it like a library. That little artifact is called a holocron. It is a means for documenting the thoughts, teachings, and guidance of an individual for all those to come after you. This particular holocron belonged to a Jedi Master who lived hundreds of years ago." The woman nodded to Juniper, "Only someone following the path of the light side of the Force can access the information within this holocron. To anyone else, it is just a decoration."

The Jedi finished the remaining few bites of food, then broke the silence again. "You feel it reaching for you Juniper, because you, whether you know it or not, are capable of much more than floating things through the air while hiding in a ventilation duct. I can say this with confidence because holocrons are never wrong in their judgement. If it is calling to you, it's for a reason."

Juniper

 

[Juniper]

There was an uncomfortable shift from her parents, the room growing painfully quite as the two exchanged a look. A large grin slowly split across Juniper's lips, her eyes lighting up in building excitement.

Jamie couldn't know the hornets nest she had just poked. Juniper took a deep breath, then bellowed victoriously, "I TOLD YOU!"

For once, nether parents commented, a sort of pained acceptance finding its way across each of their faces in one for another. For her father, it was that building sorry. For her mother? Pinch anger.

She turned, all transgressions forgiven as her energy exploded on Jamie in turn. "So this means you're taking me back with you, right? You'll train me-- I'll become a jedi-- oooh! I'll get my own glowy stick too, can I pick my own color? Never mind that. Do I have to wear those bathrobes? Oh when can we leave? Can we start now? I-"

"Juniper," came the sharp bite of her mother, her jaw tight with withheld emotions. They didn't seem to bother extending chastising further than simple words.

Juniper always knew exactly what she had done to earn it. She looked back to Jamie, lips parting in protest. "Well you'll have to say yes. You'll say yes, right? I'm one of you."

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The way this entire situation was playing out was eerily similar to how her own father and mother had reacted when this very revelation came to light under their roof. Jamie knew the excitement Juniper had. Jamie had felt it. She knew the dread her parents felt. She knew there was no way that this conversation would be well received by the family.

Jamie retrieved the holocron from Juniper, then looked from the girl to the now stoic parents. Jamie had been the child in this situation, never the adult. Never the Jedi. It was more difficult than being the eager kid wanting to learn how to use a lightsaber and travel the galaxy. Looking into the eyes of her parents was painful.

"No." She said in an almost whisper. "Not without your mother and father's say-so."

The smile this time was one of posterity rather than happiness.

"The Force is indeed inside of you, yes. And with proper guidance you could both understand and unlock that potential. But I'm not in the habit of taking children from their unwilling family, nor would it be appropriate for me to try to convince them to allow me. I will answer any questions asked of me that I can, but I can't conscript you."

Juniper

 

[Juniper]

Silence.

Juniper looked between her two parents, utter desperation in the gaze that beseeched their response. This was everything-- everything! Surely--

"Juniper, go to your room," came her father's voice, full with such a sense of uncharacteristic authority, all the belligerent girl did was gape.

"But Daddy--"

"Your room, please."

Her fingers felt hallow without the holocron between them, her heart in her throat as she swallowed hard and slid off the bar stool. "Please," was all she could croak, water hitting her lashline. "Please." And at that, Juniper scrambled for the door, making it halfway up the stairs with loud steps before pausing and quietly creeping back down.

Both parents stared at Jamie, one with silent hostility and the other ... pained sorrow. It was her father that spoke again, reaching out to cup his glaring wifes hand in an attempt to warm her and break some of the tension from her body.

"She's not going to stop, Mia." His voice was low and meant for his stiff wife, his fingers tightening on hers. "This is bigger than you or I or even her, and she knows it. ... We have a chance here. Think of what happens if we don't take it."

The woman's legs wobbled, her lips pursing into a thin line as she really did think about what the future of her daughter would be like if they told her no. Anger. Defiance. Dangerous situations-- every time getting worse. Until one day Juniper won't get so lucky. She wont have a jedi to swoop in and save her home.

She'll die.

She'll-

Mia yanked her hand away, not wanting to sit in on this moment any longer. "Excuse me," she gritted, turning off the stove and giving her husban a sharp look. With no further words, she stormed away-- deeper into the first floor and away from Juniper's hiding place. He sat there, grimacing awkwardly at the jedi who had saved his daughter's life.

"You'll have to forgive my wife. We've been struggling with Juniper for years now. ... We knew this was coming. She'll just need time." He gave a heavy sigh, rubbing the weary lines across his face. All his questions faded away, the man struggling to find a single train of thought to move forward with.

When it came to considering signing your daughter away, where do you even start?

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie sat quietly throughout the entire conversation. She watched Juniper scamper away, she could sense her hiding on the stairs, listening to the conversation. She felt the tension in both mother and father. She felt the pain they felt, the fear, the unknown, the struggle between wanting to protect their daughter and not knowing if that meant keeping her there or letting her go.

After the woman excused herself, leaving only Jamie and Juniper's father in the kitchen the woman leaned forward slowly, sliding the holocron off to the side of the table and setting her hands together.

"I understand more than you realize." She looked passed the man and out the window that cast light against his back for a moment, considering her words carefully. "I was Juniper, in every way you see her now. The only difference now is I'm the one talking to the family, instead of the one begging to go."

The Jedi reached out, placing her hand on his. "I refused to listen to my family, constantly found myself in all sorts of trouble, until one day I was the cause of the trouble. There was no hiding what I was anymore. What I'd done was so very public. This conversation happened the same way, and ultimately my family rejected the idea. I was a bit older than Juniper at the time, around sixteen. I ran away. I caused a lot of pain in doing so. I don't want to see my actions reflected in your daughter, but I can tell you that her abilities will not disappear. They will get stronger over time, with or without proper training."

Juniper

 

[Juniper]

It was exactly as he feared. Exactly as they both feared, which was exactly why Mia hadn't been able to take it. They had been staring down a hard truth for years, and now the devil had come knocking to take their daughter 'home' ... dressed as an angel and making sense.

For him, it was different. Juniper had always been different, his daughter's declarations that she would join the jedi practically amongst her first words. No, he had had plenty of time to comes to terms with the path his little girl was growing into. To see the finished version stand before him sooth more anxieties than one.

His hand cupped her back on a grateful gesture for her wisdom, giving her fingers a subtle squeeze.

"If my daughter grows to be half the woman standing before me now..." Then it he could stomach the premature loss of Juniper in his life? Running off headlong into the world, facing dangers to make it better?

The look he gave her was heavy and raw, like two souls clashing in a storm, understanding each other in an instant. The moment past, his hand withdrawing to wipe away a bead of stressed sweat. It still wasn't easy. He cleared his throat, working through a rough wave of emotions before looking back to her.

"You would take her on then? See to her training? Her safety? See her through until she's like you?" He didn't understand it, what it meant to have a daughter conscripted. He didn't know about the temples or the academies. The orders, the politics. He only saw the jedi standing before him, whose merit he knew and trusted.

It was clear he expected Jamie to be the one to take Juniper on. Who else was there to him?

 

[Jamie Pyne]

A silent nod, then a half-smile followed in response to his questioning Jamie taking Juniper as her apprentice. "I understand how difficult this is to take in, how confusing it seems. I won't pretend that life as a Jedi is easy, or safe. There are far worse things in this galaxy than cartel thugs shaking down families in the heart of night. But what I can tell you is that with training, time, and guidance, she will be more than prepared for those things. I can promise that I will look after her as if she were my own sister."

Jamie tilted her head to the left, gesturing towards the staircase where she could still sense Juniper listening in. Her voice rose intentionally as she spoke, though her tone was playful.

"And with time she'll get better at listening when asked to do something, such as going upstairs, or staying in the speeder."

She turned her head fully, eyes fixing on Juniper with a smirk.

Juniper

 

[Juniper]

There was a squeak and thump, little steps hurriedly darting back up the stairs.

From the top, she called down, her grin shinning through her voice. "Is that a yes?!"

Her father groaned, clearly not enough cafe in the world for this morning. He rubbed at his face, a tired drawl sagging the lines. "You speak to her. She's young and... likes holoflicks." If it wasn't clear, Juniper had a distorting understanding of what it meant to take on the world. He didn't say it, but he didn't want Juniper running headlong into a rosey-lensed dream. Not that he expected any real talk to resonate through her thick skull. Juniper saw what Juniper wanted.

He plucked up some bacon, shoving it his mouth in one go.

"I'll speak to her mother."

And boy would he need his strength for that.

Little feet jumped up, then scurried away to a room above. Juniper's excitement was unrestrained, a bag pulled from under her bed as her shaky fingers immediately started packing.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie nodded once more, slowly pushing herself up from the table and collecting the holocron as she stood. "I'll give you and your wife some time while I go talk to Juniper." She said nothing more, knowing the conversation the man was about to engage in would be tense and emotional. Her mother felt the same as Jamie's did when she talked about leaving, abandoning her studies on Naboo, and forgetting her duty as a noblewoman to the courts. It was simple enough to find Juniper's room, the sound of feet stamping around the room, a little voice talking to herself, possessions being thrown together.

The blonde leaned against the doorway, arms crossed and looked inside at the girl as she hurriedly packed her belongings.

"Hey. Hold up a moment, yes?" She said quietly, stepping into the room and setting herself down on the unmade bed. "I know you're full of excitement, but we still need to talk, you and I."

Juniper

 

[Juniper]

She didn't slow, arms full of jackets and bathrooms as she heft her whole closet towards her bed. Sometimes if you ignored an adult's seriousness, it just went away.

"Will there be snow where we're going? Oh! Beaches? How many shoes should I bring? There'll be a charger for my holopad on your ship, right? I lost mine and mum won't buy a new one for at least four more months! -- That's how long they're suppose to last," she added, her tone dry and unenthused.

She puttered around Jamie, dropping the massive load besides the woman and on top of her singular duffle bag.

Hmmm, said her expression, the dimensions... not matching.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie sat and watched, every single thing Juniper did was like watching a holo recording of herself the day she left home herself. Was this some sort of twisted idea the Force had planned for her? For several minutes she continued to simply observe, not wanting to yet break the girl's illusion of reality that this was nothing like a vacation.

"Hey." She said finally. "Sit, please." She patted the bed next to her. "There's plenty of time to gather your things. We're not leaving yet."

In her lap was the holocron, the only possession Jamie currently had on her.

"Your family still isn't safe, you know."

She was sure that would grab the girl's attention.

"I may have scared them off last night, but this isn't over yet."

Juniper

 

[Juniper]

Juniper paused, her expression catching as she looked sharply up at the woman.

Oh. Right. There's that.

For a moment she stood frozen in due trepidation, concern and uncertainty creeping out of her. Life returned back to her limbs, mechanical jerks of her arms making her release the clothing and sit down besides her.

"Well you'll just get rid of them then. I'll... show you where they are and we can make em pay! Easy."

If only.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"It's not that simple." She said softly, shaking her head. "I can't just get rid of them." For a number of reasons not solely limited to the fact that Jamie wasn't a serial killer even if these were criminals and thugs on the receiving end, though it didn't help any that Juniper was present for Jamie's feigned threats about killing the four that were in the house last night. Sure, she could have easily deflected that blaster shot to the man's head and ended his life, but that went against just about every moral belief she held.

If only she'd stayed put when Jamie asked, she wouldn't have seen or heard any of that.

This was now a very complicated situation, and Jamie wasn't exactly sure the path forward. "We'll figure something out. In the meantime, have a seat please."

If she was going to be taking Juniper with her, that put a lot of responsibility on Jamie's shoulders, and she needed to make a few things clear right now.

Juniper

 

[Juniper]

Juniper huffed, the silent agitation bustling through her as she shoved clothing out of the way and sat besides the jedi. Her gaze went to her hands, downturned and almost remorseful as she picked at her cuticles.

In truth she just wasn't keen on another chastising. That and she really didn't want to give Jamie a reason to say no. "If this is about last night I already said sorry..." Her voice dragged, dropping low and pitiful.

It was convincing. Top class acting.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"It's not about last night." Jamie spoke softly as set the holocron gently into Juniper's lap. "I want you to hold onto this. It's your responsibility to keep it safe now. You are holding secrets of the Jedi, very important secrets that must never fall into the wrong hands. Consider this your very first lesson as my Padawan."

It would serve well to put some semblance of responsibility into Juniper early on, so that she could start to break the habit of defiance and disregard for things as early as possible. That was something Jamie had struggled with herself for years. And since the holocron had already been a part of this whole fiasco, it only seemed right that Jamie entrust it to her future student.

"Now then." She said, "You needn't empty your room. Leave behind what you don't need. I'm sure your family would still like to hold onto the idea that you're still here. Once we leave we won't be able to return on a whim, so keep that in mind as you prepare. This is a very long and difficult path. It will not be easy on you, mentally or physically. You will get discouraged, you will want to give up, you'll be angry with me. You'll miss your family. But I promise that all of these trials will make you a Jedi, in time."

Juniper

 

[Juniper]

Goosebumps prickled across her flesh, the woman's words hitting a place that words could not encapsulate. She wrapped her fingers around the holocron, tentative at first, then possessive the next. She knew it. She had always known it.

For the first time, a sense of solemnness cross the girls face, the title Jamie had given her bringing her to straighten her back and look up.

"You'll do it then? You'll teach me? I'll, I'll get to go?" Her eyes were wide with restrained hope, the girl barely containing her energy levels as she plied desperately for the yes.

Was this really happening? She hugged the holocron to her, unwilling to let it go.