Private The Pompous And Entitled

[Maran]

"Yeah yeah shut up."

So what if she looked poor. She was supposed to. She was a Jedi. That was their thing. Not to have money. Which she did. And was trying to spend it. Yeah. There was a lot wrong with this whole thing but she felt guilty and just wanted to help.

Or rather, fix her own blunder.

"I got a couple chocolate bars but- No, wait. Hey. Let me just buy you this. Do something with it."

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora grimaced at Maran's insistence.

"I appreciate the gesture, but I cannot allow it."

She looked from the green girl to the datapad, to the chipped tea cup, then back to the other Padawan and sighed.

"If you insist on reparations, I would prefer one of those chocolate bars instead."

They could both probably use some chocolate.

Maran

 

[Maran]

Can't allow it her not fat a- Oh. Chocolate.

Maran let out a heavy, way too dramatic sigh before nodding. Chocolate she could do. And she wasn't going to argue over that any more than she had. "Fine. It's close by. Linstar chocolate shop, or something. Really good. They make these truffles that are like, hard shelled with a smooth center and I just don't get how they do it! It's just chocolate, but different kinds or something? Crazy good."

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora perked up, a genuine smile stretching across her face in short order. The terms were acceptable to Maran, at last.

"That sounds simply divine, Maran."

A finger raised to her lips in a shh gesture.

"Perhaps we won't tell the other Padawans and keep the chocolate all to ourselves, hmm?"

Maran

 

[Maran]

Don't tell the others?

She blinked, glancing off in the distance. Around where the shop was anyway. More secrets. She frowned at that thought actually. Really frowned.

"I don't really like secrets."

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"Oh?"

Cora hadn't expected such a serious reply to her playful gesture. Something shifted in Maren's posture, and the green girl looked...upset.

"I see. Did something happen, Maran?"

She leaned forward, expectantly, and now also a little concerned. Had someone asked her to keep an uncomfortable or unsettling secret?

Maran

 

[Maran]

Did something happen?

And like that, Maran was back. Staring down the blaster that was pointed at her. Frozen. She curled up on herself, curled as much as she could. Smaller target. Less threat. Less.. Just less. Less of a person to be shot.

"No." It was all too obvious how much she was lying, even to herself.

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Eyes wide, Cora slid carefully to the ground and shifted so that she was sitting next to Maran with crossed legs. The younger girl's body language was wracked with unease.

"I don't believe you." Her words were softer now, less accusatory.

Tentatively, she placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, unsure if the touch was welcome or not.

"Something happened Maran, didn't it?"

The eldest of eight, Cora's big sister instincts had kicked in.

Maran

 

[Maran]

Yes.

But no.

The clear desire and hesitation to talk about it was written all over her face. After a moment she sighed and nodded. Huddled up more.

"Yeah. It's.. Yeah. I can't really talk about it, though."

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"Okay."

Cora's voice was gentle and uncomplicated. For a few moments, she simply sat there with Maran and let that sink in. The fact that she wasn't able to talk about whatever had happened concerned Cora.

"Did someone tell you not to talk about it?"

She let that thought sit while the seconds stretched out.

"Can you…" Her words were slow and clear. "...tell me if you're hurt anywhere, Maran? I won't be upset with you."

Maran

 

[Maran]

"No, no. I just- I don't want to- There's someone- I made a promise. I don't want to break it." Though she did want to talk about it. Really wanted to talk about it. Her gaze kept moving from the ground to Cora as she tried to just figure out which was the right thing to do or say or just.. What made her feel better.

"I went to the underworld and sold some training sabers as the real deal and when the buyer figured it out he pulled a gun and I panicked and just.. Froze."

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora squeezed Maran's shoulder encouragingly. Whatever it was—this promise—was clearly weighing heavily on her.

The blonde blinked.

She…what?

"You…what?"

The fact that a Padawan would think to sell training saber, even trying to pass them off as the real deal was unthinkable to Cora. And someone had put a blaster in Maran's face? Cora frowned, looking at the green girl tucked into herself.

Her voice was even, but there were notes of disbelief to be heard.

"Why did you do such a thing? Did…someone force you to?"

Maran

 

[Maran]

"What- No! No one forced me to. I just thought I'd be y'know. Cool. Make a friend. He seemed to know what he was doing anyway and there's not a whole lot of kids my age I can get along with."

Maran rambled into her knees, not daring to look above them. She knew she messed up. And now that she told someone, she was probably going to get in trouble. She didn't want to be in trouble.

"I know it was stupid."

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"You are correct, Maran. That was very stupid-"

Cora had spent veritable hours lecturing her younger siblings on the perils of making poor decisions. Life was strict in the Ascania household, but the temple had its own rules that were to be upheld. Much like the nobility of her world, Jedi were expected to conduct themselves in a certain way.

Stealing happened to overlap in both codes of conduct.

Bracing herself to continue on a tirade, Cora paused to look at Maran. Curled into a ball, the younger Padawan looked truly miserable. Enough to make Cora's heart lurch and throat tighten.

"You did something that you knew was wrong because you wanted someone to like you?"

Her voice softened into something less judgmental and a little more commiserate.

"Well, is he your friend?"

Maran

 

[Maran]

Maran grumbled this time around, lifting her gaze to stare at Cora. Yeah, this was why she didn't tell anyone. The judgement, the disapproval. She let out a sigh before just hiding her face away and preparing for the lecture, the punishment, whatever else she was going to get for telling someone what happened. Fat chance she'd tell someone anything aga- oh. She blinked, again lifting her head.

No lecture.

"I.. Think so."

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora's lips thinned, eyes soft as Maran raised her head.

"Maran, friends don't ask you to steal and then put you in a position where you have a blaster pointed in your face."

Voice low and steady, she squeezed Maran's shoulder where her hand rested.

Maran