This Ain't Juno(Avalore)

[Avalore Eden]

"Hey, you be careful with those jazz hands," Avalore pointed her fork at the woman, "I've seen Padawans take out Master Ruan with spirit fingers alone."

That wasn't quite true, but she had witnessed a little orphan padawan named Ysan accidentally pull a chandalier down over the man. Luckily he'd caught it in time.

She chuckled, spinning her fork in her food, "You should try the apple tarte. It's ballin'."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana scoffed again, unable to contain a snort of laughter at the girls description of the Apple pie. The Jedi laughed for a few more seconds, and then calmed down slightly looking at the food with what could be seen as slight remorse.

“I can't.” Diana said as she reached up with her right hand and touched her throat. The Fight on Ossus had taken more out of her than she would have liked to admit, the damage to her throat was one of those things. It was a tiny detail that most would not have even cared to hear, but it was rather important seeming as how she couldn't eat. “The Sith on Ossus crushed my esophagus, its too scarred to handle food of any sort right now.”

She made a face of disappointment to the apple pie but then returned her gaze to Avalore, shrugging slightly. “Until that heals up i'm stuck with bags of liquid filled with nutrients.”

 

[Avalore Eden]

"Nuh uhh!" Avalore looked at her in disbelief, "that sucks!"

She knew exactly what Diana was talking about, they'd tried to feed it to her on Corellia after Mark rescued her from the slave traders on Tattooine.

"Oh that slop tastes like snot," she grimaced, "we have to get you a slurpee to mix it with. At least you could get some flavor."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

She snorted again in laughter after Avalore brought up a slurpee. She was immediately reminded of the incident on Nar Shaddaa with Daella's scrawny boy of an apprentice. The whole thing had been ludicrous and she remembered the incident fondly, though after wards she had taken a break from the near frozen drinks.

“No its alright, I can hardly taste the stuff anyway.” Flying around in cosmic radiation after fighting Velok had done quite a number on her, including making her mostly lose her sense of taste. The more she thought about it the more she realized she had really gotten the short end of the stick for a while now, and that brought a solid frown to her face. “Besides, it's divine next to some of the meals you get on the front lines.”

A Smirk returned to Diana's face, remembering the awful food she had eaten.

 

[Avalore Eden]

"Well, alright," Avalore conceded, taking another drink of water, "I can make a mean slurpee though. Mix the citrus and the boysenberry packets together - it's a like a fruit palooza on your tongue, jamboree-ing all the way down to your food-basket."

Sighing, she leaned back in her chair, pleasantly sated, and patted at her own food-basket.

"McPuff here dances when I drink slurpees. I don't know if it's the cold or the flavor, but it goes left when I drink citrus, every time."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana just smiled this time, the black hole that was Avalore's stomach seemed to be momentarily satiated and the Knight was glad that the entire Cafeteria wouldn't be entirely emptied today. She wondered how the girl had dealt with the stress of things within the Order. It could not have been an easy thing, a pregnancy within the Jedi Order. She imagined the woman had faced many confrontations with other padawans and perhaps even some elder members of the Order.

“Do you know its gender yet?” Diana had no idea if one could tell that at Six Months, but she felt that the question was worth asking.

In her mind Diana reminded herself to try and figure out who the father was, it was something that she was still very much interested in.

 

[Avalore Eden]

"No," Avalore replied rather shortly, "no no no. I don't want to know. Cause if I decide to give it up for adoption... " she looked off, seeming distant, "the less I know the better. I already know it likes citrus...or, uh, doesn't, and that's more than enough for me."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

“I see.” Diana said quietly as if she was somewhat saddened by the news of this. She understood Avalore's position of course, she had many decisions ahead of her and she supposed that continuing her training was probably the last thing on her mind. She wondered if Avalore would be interested in hearing a successful tale of adoption. Slowly, she began to speak up.

“Obviously the circumstances weren't quite the same...but my parents didn't raise me.” She broached the subject carefully, trying to reinforce the idea that no matter what Avalore did everything had a chance to work out alright. “I was given to the Jedi six months after I was born, and I turned out alright.”

She didn't mention that as a kid she had absolutely no friends as a kid, but that was more due to her own abrasiveness than anything else. “I'm sure whatever you decide will be right.”

Diana patted Avalore's hand again.

 

[Avalore Eden]

Avalore wasn't sure what to make of that - Diana never having a choice of whether or not she wanted to be a Jedi. But, she supposed, that was how it went with any family, no matter how it was set up. It wasn't as if Avalore ever had a choice on who her parents were or what skills and gifts she was given from birth.

"Yeah," she said, looking far more sober now, "Mark said the same things. I dunno if that makes it true or not. I'm not known for making good decisions as you already know."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

“Yes. Well perhaps once your maternal instincts kick in you'll be better at making the big ones at least.” She smiled at the girl, and once again withdrew her hand. Her wounds began to ache again and she sensed that in the very near future it would be time for her to once again take a dip in the old bacta tank. She hated floating in that tank, it was boring, lonely, and most of the time cold.

Diana looked at Avalore for a few moments more, blinking a few times and then finally speaking. “How have the others been? I mean other students around you.”

“It could not have been easy in your...situation.” Diana said with genuine curiosity. It was true that Jedi were more...polite than many other society's, but children were still children and she doubted Avalore got off scott free in the judgement department.

 

[Avalore Eden]

"Eh, they're ok I guess."

Avalore shrugged.

"I don't really...have any friends back home. Most of my classes were with the younglings and they stare and ask questions and want to poke and prod but they're just kids. The older Padawans my age are busy with their Masters, going on missions and learning to be super heroes. They don't talk to me much, which is just fine cause I got nothing to say to them."

Her lips drew thin as she gave a dejected sigh, "They all think Mark's the father, but he ain't. I got knocked up before I ever met him. Before...everything happened."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Well, that was her next question answered. Of course Avalore had been much more candid than she first expected, but then again perhaps she should begin to expect that from the young woman. Diana smiled slightly but kept on pushing the issue, she wanted to know more about Avalore, especially if she was going to be training the woman.

“So you know who the father is?” Diana asked being forward about things for a change.

She figured if she offended Avalore...well they could talk it out. A thought hit her, did Avalore's original Master know? Did Mark? She frowned inwardly at the thought, perhaps he had and had simply kept it to himself, after all this meant that Avalore had been pregnant even before the Jedi Order had taken her in, which was probably why she was still here in retrospect.

The Jedi Knight leaned forward slightly, the sling around her arm adjusting itself slightly.

 

[Avalore Eden]

"Course I do," Avalore snorted, "my boyfriend."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

The simplicity of the response made Diana snort. It was as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. Of course it actually was, which was the ironic thing of course. She smiled slightly and then leaned forward, though not to intimidate Avalore of anything.

“I see. And who is he?” Diana attempted what they called 'girl-talk' it was a mystical thing that Diana had never actually been able to achieve, Daella and her had try once but in the end they had ended up talking about killing Sith and how to best use a lightsaber against a bounty-hunter, things that were incredibly ungirly.

Perhaps she would have more success here.

 

[Avalore Eden]

"He was a entrepreneur from Coruscant named Domos Virago and he had perfect teeth, a nice tan, and looked great in a suit."

She smiled wistfully at the memory. How on earth had she landed someone like him? Coincidence, really, though she supposed in the end it had really been her father's doing. She'd met Domos at one of their hosted dinner parties. One peach-vodka and a charming smile later and she'd been smitten.

"He's, uh, he's dead, too. Killed by a Sith. Apparently he had something in his private collection of antiques they wanted."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

Diana's face immediately shifted into a form of sadness and she felt extreme pity for Avalore, the girl really had had everything taken from her. How unfair life was. “Oh...”

She managed to fumble out of her mouth before suddenly snapping herself straight and realizing that she was talking to her perhaps future apprentice. She had to look wise and commanding, or perhaps she could just be a friend to this girl. Not every Master had to be stern and strict, some could just be helpful and friendly.

“Would you like to tell me more about him? Perhaps how you met?” She couldn't imagine anyone had ever asked her that...or at least not lately. Perhaps reliving old memories would help the girl move on.

 

[Avalore Eden]

Avalore's brow knit upwards at the questions and she looked to Diana with a short sigh, "He was just some guy, you know? I barely knew him a month. By the time I found out I was pregnant he was already dead and I was already paddlin' up Padawan Creek."

An attending droid approached the table, inquiring if Avalore was finished. She pushed her trays to it and watched it wheel away, happy to fullfill its duty and clean off another table.

"For all it matters I'm a holy vessel and there was no father."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

“I see.” Diana said with a slight frown. At least she had a month or so of Joy. Diana had not had a normal childhood, she had never known the love of parents, of a boyfriend, of anyone really until she had left the Order a few months ago. Many things had changed then, but many things had also stayed the same. She frowned slightly and then watched the Droid take away the trays of food that had been previously filled with mountains of food.

“Immaculate conception does tend to happen on occasion.” The Jedi Knight said the words with a smile, it was difficult to tell whether she was kidding or not. The Force worked in mysterious ways after all. “Did he know? Before he died i mean.”

 

[Avalore Eden]

"No," her reply was quite simple, "how could he? I didn't even know until after he swallowed a lightsaber."

Expression growing dour, Avalore fidgeted, growing uncomfortable, "I need to find a ladies room. Being pregnant makes you piss like a racing bantha."

 

[Cedric Dorn]

“I can only imagine.” Diana mused for a seconds before standing up in what could be considered a flurry of activity for her. She stood from the table and then supported herself on the chair she had been sitting on. With a smile she looked at Avalore and touched the girls arm, motioning to her. While Avalore had to the go the bathroom Diana had to go back to the Bacta, her wounds were not even close to fully healed and she needed to get better sooner rather than later. “I am sorry for asking you all these awkward questions, but I feel as I know you far better now.”

Diana smiled at the girl, but didn't give her chance to answer. “While you...relieve yourself i'm afraid I have to take a more permanent leave of you, I have to return to the bacta tank.”

The Jedi Knight motioned to her injuries, showing that some of them were still quite prevalent and needed more time. Of course within a Week she would be better thanks to the magic of Bacta.

“I'll find you before I leave for Coruscant. I hope you will come with me when I do.” Her voice sounded so genuine that it was hard to take it seriously, but Diana told the truth. She wanted only the best for Avalore.