First Reply The Power in Words

[Reina Daival]

Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple - Archives
Objective: Work on reading.
Tags: Open to Jedi!
Outfit​

Reina stared the datapad in her hand, a scowl on the woman's face as she tried to figure out the words she was reading. She had always struggled to figure out the point in reading. In taking things down through text instead of reciting information verbally. That was more practical in her eyes but she supposed it was more practical for her to work on enhancing her reading skills. There was still plenty of knowledge she didn't know that would be useful for being a Jedi. The Light Side and the Dark Side. The Sith. The state of the Galaxy. All of it was so important for her...but also sooooo boring.

The woman ran a hand down her face in frustration. How could anyone enjoy staring at a screen for what had felt like hours but had probably only been around ten minutes. There had to be something for her to read that would be more enjoyable. The history of the Galaxy would make for good material for her to take a nap with,, sure. But it wasn't what she wanted to learn. Not right now at least. No. Instead she returned the datapad she had been reading from to grab a few more. If she wanted to make her own lightsaber eventually, she'd need to study more about them. Her trip to get materials for her lightsaber hadn't ended well for her but that didn't mean she couldn't start to figure out what kind of lightsaber she wanted.

There were a few styles that had already been struck off the list. Lightclubs seemed far too clumsy for her right now. A shoto was also pointless when she could just stick to a typical lightsaber. The idea of a saberstaff did seem appealing however. With her experience in using her harpoon, she assumed it would translate well to using the saberstaff. But at the same time, that wasn't the only tool she wanted. A saberstaff wouldn't translate well if she wanted to use a shield...Wait. Actually...A shield with a spear-like weapon could be a good set up...but at the same time, she was also curious in the idea of a crossguard lightsaber. It would play in with her dream. She wanted to be a knight after all.

A sigh escaped her lips as Reina rubbed her temple, pressing her index finger and middle finger into the side of her head. All of this planning and thinking of stuff for the future wasn't anything she was used to. But she had to prepare for the future if she wanted to protect it. Slipping her spare hand into her jacket, Reina rubbed her thumb over the ultima-pearl she had found on Mon Cala. Whatever choice Reina made, the pearl could only be used for one of them. She also still needed to find her main crystal to go alongside it. That was another thing that had to go into her list of things to do. Read up on where to find lightsaber crystals. Read up on what they do.

"Urgh. More and more reading. Why can't anything just be simple?!"

Finally, the woman let out an audibly groan of frustration. There was only so much she could keep it at once before it bubbled up to the surface. There was too much she had to do at once. Of course Reina could try to take it one step at a time but her mind didn't work that way. She wanted to do everything at once. The most efficient and practical use of her time was to do as much as she could, not to take her time and focus on one thing. She had her own list. Figure out lightsaber design, find lightsaber parts, find a crystal. But she felt like she was wasting too much time trying to read. Especially when reading was something the woman already struggled with.​

 

[Eshan Vharros]

The Trianii let out a long, luxurious stretch, his muscles rippling beneath his fur as his head lifted from his folded paws. He had been curled up in his chambers, basking in the warmth of a deep, satisfying snooze. His claws extended, then retracted, a lazy flex as he felt the warmth of blood flow back through his limbs. A deep purr rumbled in his chest as he blinked open sleep-heavy amber eyes, still half-lidded with comfort. What a gorgeous nap.

For just a moment, he stayed there, still stretched out, tail curled loosely around himself. He soaked in the final remnants of sleep, listening to the soft hum of Coruscant's endless skyline beyond the window, letting the last traces of dreams fade into the quiet reality of morning.

Then it hit him.

He was late.

Eshan's ears perked up instantly, then flattened back down as panic set in.

Very late.

His tail flicked sharply, and his golden gaze darted around his room, searching for something—anything—that would tell him the exact level of disaster he was dealing with. No chrono in sight. The Trianii's muscles tensed as he sprang from his curled position, landing effortlessly on his feet in a smooth, practiced motion. A second stretch followed, more instinct than thought—his spine arched, shoulders rolling, another purr slipping out as his body woke fully. Then he forced himself into rush mode.

Okay. Priorities.

He had stayed up far too late last night, doing just about anything but what he should have been. It wasn't often that he had a day without major Jedi commitments, but today—of all days—he had volunteered to help in the archives, and now, judging by the gnawing pit in his stomach, he was at least an hour late. Eshan gritted his teeth, grabbing his training leathers in a hurry, skipping his Jedi robe entirely. He didn't have time—he had already pushed his luck enough.

Within seconds, the Trianii was out the door, padding through the temple halls at a rapid but controlled pace. He could run faster, of course, but that would just invite more questions—and, frankly, he'd rather not get scolded mid-route. Even after spending nearly his whole life here, the Jedi Temple's massive structure still had its share of labyrinthian corridors. The library, however? That was one place the Trianii knew well. With a few expertly timed turns and a near-collision with a group of younger Padawans, Eshan finally arrived at the massive, sprawling archives.

The moment he stepped inside, the familiar scent of old paper, polished durasteel, and softly humming datapads filled his nose. His claws clicked lightly against the stone floor as he came to an abrupt stop at the front desk, his paw gripping the counter for balance. A hiss of disapproval greeted him before he could even catch his breath.

Eshan's ears flicked back slightly, already knowing exactly what was coming. The ancient Thisspiasian Jedi scholar slowly uncoiled his long, winding body, his golden, slit-pupiled eyes locking onto the Trianii with an unimpressed stare. Eshan barely had time to open his mouth before the librarian spoke.

"You're late...again." Eshan exhaled sharply through his nose, flicking his tail behind him in mild frustration.

"I know, I—"

A scaled hand flicked toward the back room before he could finish, the motion as dismissive as it was final. "You are staying late today." Of course he was. The Trianii's tail curled slightly in irritation, but he nodded, resigned.

"Master Renari would never allow you to be late like this." The words hit harder than expected, making Eshan's claws press slightly against the wooden counter before retracting. He gritted his teeth, exhaling slowly. Master Renari isn't here.

Instead of replying, he turned on his heel, heading toward the storeroom where thousands of datapads waited to be organized.

"Master Renari isn't here, and you won't give me a new master." He muttered the words under his breath, just low enough that the librarian knew he was saying something, but not loud enough to be understood. The weight of those words sat heavy in his chest for a moment.

Then something caught his eye. A girl—a Padawan, most likely—sat nearby, reading. Eshan's tail flicked with interest. It wasn't the fact that she was reading—there were plenty of bookish types in the temple—but rather, it was the color of her hair. Red.

The sight of it stirred something deep in his memory, pulling at the edges of a feeling he hadn't quite thought about in weeks. His mother's mane had been that same shade, a warm cascade of deep auburn that he remembered burying his face into as a cub. The memory was fleeting, but it lingered just long enough to soften his expression. Well. If he was going to be stuck in the archives all day, he might as well make it interesting.

The Trianii slowed his stride, tilting his head slightly before speaking, his voice low and smooth, careful not to startle her if she was too caught up in her book. "What arrre you rrreading?" His ears perked slightly, and his tail flicked playfully behind him, a subtle punctuation to his words.

Then, his lips curled into a toothy smirk. "You know... some unluckyyy Padawan has to put all those back when you'rrre done."

Reina Daival

 

[Reina Daival]

Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple - Archives
Objective: Work on reading.
Tags: Eshan Vharros
Outfit​

"Words."
It was a typical blunt response from her. Straight forward and to the point. And it was right. She was reading words. Of course, she could try to explain what they all meant, but when she was struggling to wrap them around in her head...Well, it wasn't exactly something she'd find easy. Talking wasn't exactly something that was her forte. Action was, so she just shoved the various datapads to do with history, lightsabers and materials in the direction of the Trianii. Of course, she didn't know that was the name of the species. Reina would have just called them...big cat people. Or well, big cat people that look different to the big cat people that Master Si was. She really needed to learn more species.

Urgh. More stuff she'd need to add to her list of things to learn. Being a fisherwoman was so much simpler than trying to be a Jedi. All she had to know was numbers and how to sell. Now with trying to be a Jedi, she had to learn about other species. Other planets. It wasn't as simple as just "Does this planet have somewhere I can fish?" No, no. Now it was stuff like how does the culture work, what is respectful, and all that bantha poodoo. The frustration was just building for her but she did her best to try and deal with it. She couldn't do the things she enjoyed all the time. Being a one trick sea-horse wouldn't help her in the Galaxy and if she learned anything from her past encounters, Reina had a lot more she had to learn before she could consider herself a Jedi.

There was the usual stuff. Patience, peace, calmness. All of that. But that wasn't something she could learn in the archives. That was a skill set she'd need to acquire over time. With age came wisdom...Though if she thought about it, she didn't exactly know her actual age. She knew a rough age-range but she couldn't exactly decide if she was meant to be old or not. Huh. Maybe that was why she didn't know smart she was meant to be. Though her thoughts were interrupted at the comment about a poor padawan having to put all of the datapads back when she was done with them. Blinking a few times, before she turned her head over towards the Trianii, where she'd just look at him before blinking again. And again.

"...I don't see the part where that's my problem."

Once again. A blunt and cold response. In Reina's eyes, she didn't see how it was her problem. It was frustrating enough trying to read from them. They'd probably want it to all be sorted alphabetically, or by genre and Reina did not have the patience to do any of that. It was a good way to end up getting broken datapads. It was taking all of the self control she had right now not to break one of the datapads over her knee. It wasn't like she wasn't good with electronics. She always had to end up lending a hand back on the ship whenever something went wrong with one of the sensors, or had to patch up some of the ship. No, it wasn't technology and electronics she had an issue with. It was learning. Learning like this. She did the best when she was doing things practically. With her hands. Just sitting here, staring at a datapad was some of the most mind numbing moments of her life that she could recall.

"If they're unlucky enough to have to deal with it, then it was the Will of the Spirit. Once again, I don't see how that is my concern."

...Another skill of the Jedi she'd have to learn. Compassion. It was easy for her to care for people in a battlefield or in a hostile environment, but in the Jedi Temple, where life was pretty much cushy and easy for a lot of the Padawans...Well, she struggled to see why she should be worried about them. There were more unlucky jobs they could be straddled with at the end of the day. If anything, her leaving the datapads out gave them something to do, so they wouldn't have to be stood around doing nothing. That was one of the most boring jobs to do. Standing on watch with nothing to do was some of the most mindnumbing work she had done...In fact, it was similar to how mind-numbing reading was.​

 

[Eshan Vharros]

Eshan's chest rose and fell in slow, steady breaths, the faintest hum of a purr reverberating through his chest as he listened to her response. It wasn't anger that flickered beneath his fur—not even close—but rather, a low, rolling current of curiosity. There was something familiar in the way she spoke. It was a certain distance kept. That guarded edge, the weight behind her tone that suggested she was doing her best not to care too much—or at least, not let it show. He knew that trick.

The Trianii's ears tilted forward slightly, tuning in to the little details—the pause in her breathing, the subtle tension in her shoulders. He could tell she was feeling it—the weight of the Jedi ways, the sheer scope of it all pressing in. It was a lot. Eshan understood that. Learning the Jedi path wasn't just hard—it was suffocating sometimes. The endless rules, the pressure to be perfect, the constant push to bury emotions that clawed at the edges. Eshan had been there too.

Hell, sometimes he was still there.

His tail flicked lazily behind him, a long, slow sweep as he considered his words, before settling on something simple. "Well," he began, drawing out the word with a soft, rumbling tone, "I'm the suckerrr who's supposed to be picking these up after you'rrre done." He let the words hang in the air, the tip of his tail twitching as he waited for her reaction. Would she bristle? Laugh? Roll her eyes? There was a part of him that loved this—the poke, the prod, seeing what cracked through the surface.

"But then again," he continued, his grin widening just enough to flash a sliver of his sharp feline teeth, "that doesn't rrreally concerrrn you eitherrr, does it?" There was no real bite behind the words—just that familiar teasing edge, the playful aloofness that colored most of his interactions. His tail flicked once more, a lazy arc that trailed behind him, before his golden gaze drifted downward—to the datapad in her hands.

Lightsabers.

The glow of the screen caught in his amber irises, momentarily reflecting the array of diagrams and construction schematics. Now that was something he understood. His entire posture shifted—shoulders relaxing, tail curling slightly in interest—as the topic changed from small talk to something he actually cared about.

"Have you built yourrr own yet?" he asked, his paw gesturing lazily toward the datapad. The soft hum of the archives pressed in around them—the faint whir of overhead lights, the rhythmic shuffle of datapads being scanned and reshelved—but in this moment, Eshan's focus was locked in. His ears perked slightly, and his voice deepened with that natural purr that always slipped in when he was interested.

A subtle challenge lingered beneath the question.

Because building a lightsaber?

That wasn't just a task. It was a milestone. A reflection of the Jedi themselves. Eshan was curious to see if she'd gotten that far—or if she was still piecing it all together.

Reina Daival

 

[Reina Daival]

Location: Coruscant Jedi Temple - Archives
Objective: Work on reading.
Tags: Eshan Vharros
Outfit​

"I'm the suckerrr who's supposed to be picking these up after you'rrre done."

Once again, Reina just blinked at the Trianii. And blinked again. That was the only reaction she seemed to give at that information. After all, her point was still there. If he had to tidy up after her, that was the Will of the Spirit. Though for all she knew, she was going to be here for a while trying to wrap her head around the information whilst trying to plot where exactly she wanted to go and how she was going to do things. He seemed to get that it didn't bother her after all, which was also fine by Reina. It proved that there were more Jedi who could see the obvious.

"You're right. It doesn't concern me. Manual labour never hurt anyone."

Well. That was a lie. She bore the scars from manual labours. The marks that came from working at sea. But hey. She had lived. Plus this manual labour was at least a lot safer than having to move stuff during a storm, tying up knots or working on ship repairs. Maybe it was more mind-numbing than those jobs though. Reina knew if she had a choice between tidying up the archives and having to do all of those more risky jobs, she'd take the risk any day. It just felt so much better and was a far more useful series of jobs.

Though her eyes narrowed as she then heard the Trianii ask if she had built her own lightsaber. Yes, of course she had. That was why she was torturing herself with reading so much text. Urgh. She knew she shouldn't be so harsh with her thoughts. After all, the conversation with Valery had made her realise that she did care about people. That she did have feelings. But it was harder to accept those feelings when she was by herself. The woman just rubbed her index and middle fingers against her temple, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Clearly not. I'm working on finding resources to use for one. According to what I've read, I've already got a crystal."

Reina rummaged around in her pocket for a moment, before lifting up an ultima-pearl. A small little smirk spreading across her face as she brought the thing closer to her eyes. It had been a great find whilst she had been on Mon Cala. Apparently it was meant to be difficult to install into a lightsaber so Reina wanted to make sure she understood everything that was needed. That was what she was going to struggle with. Plus there was also the specific style she wanted...Hm...No. Wait. She was getting too focused on her thoughts again. It was rude to ignore someone. Well, she had already been plenty rude but.

"Until then, I've just been relying on my old harpoon. A Lightsaber isn't a necessity for me right now."

That was one thing she wasn't a huge fan of about the Temple. Carrying her harpoon around was probably going to be looked down upon, so she just left it in her dorm. Though with that thought in mind...if she had a harpoon that could be more concealable...No. Stop. Bad. She couldn't focus on the future yet. Had to take things one step at a time.

​