Private Through Fire and Frost

[Valery Noble]

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Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

The air on Ilum was crisp, sharp with the chill of endless snow, but within the ancient Jedi Temple, there was warmth. Not just from the glow of old braziers or the hum of hidden geothermal vents, but from something deeper — something sacred. The Force thrummed through these walls, quiet yet ever-present, whispering through the stone like a gentle current.

Valery sat near the edge of a raised platform, cross-legged, her fiery gaze watching the snowfall beyond the great windows. She had been here many times before, both in the past and since her awakening, guiding young Jedi through their trials, watching them step into the caves and return forever changed. Today was Everest's turn.

But first, they needed to talk.

She could feel it —lingering in the Force, pressing at the edges of Everest's aura like a storm not yet spent. Woostri had taken its toll. The loss, the weight of choices, the scars that weren't just physical. Everest had come through it, but Valery knew the battle hadn't truly ended for her.

Turning slightly, Valery offered her Padawan a small, knowing smile, but her expression was gentle. "Before we go any further, I want to hear from you," she said, her voice even, steady. "You've been carrying something since Woostri. I can feel it." She let the words settle between them, her presence open, unwavering. Whatever Everest needed to say — whatever she was struggling to hold back — this was the time. Before she entered the caves, before she faced the challenges within, she needed clarity.

And Valery would be there to help her find it.

Everest Vale ​

 

[Everest Vale]

The galaxy seemed... darker. Shades of grey had accentuated in corners that once were vibrant with colour. The sparkle of youth that tinged Everest's silver eyes had been suddenly lost, torn savagely from her on Woostri, and replaced with something darker, harder, and more tragic. She couldn't deny this, even to herself, but the very fact made her heart ache all the time.

She had taken life; that one thing she cherished above all else. The knowledge that she had gone against her own principles made her hurt so badly at all times. Yet, she knew that if she didn't strike when she did, as that soldier came for Tigris... She didn't want to think about the alternative outcome. But she couldn't help but feel for all those needless lives lost, all the pain and suffering brought on so many people. Yet behind all of that was a newfound fear of herself.

Something happened on Woostri, when everything became too much for her. She couldn't really understand exactly what happened, but something cracked at the centre of her being, and something ugly spilled out. It scared her, more than anything else, and this was perhaps the crux of all the feeling that had plagued her since.

Of course, Master Noble could see it. She could always see it, and knew how to draw it out of her in a way that was never aggressive or intrusive. All she had to do was mention it with that devoted warmth and space she held so effortlessly for her, and that built up shell she had so diligently tried to maintain melted in an instant. Sitting beside her Master in meditation, Eve's nails dug into her legs as Valery finally brought it up. The silent tension that had built inside of her over the days they had spent travelling together finally came to its surface. She didn't meet her eyes.

"Master, I—" She exhaled hard through her mouth and grit her teeth, willing herself not to cry. She was always crying. She just couldn't do it anymore.

What was she to say? So many feelings whirled around her, framed by the very real and overwhelming sense of shame that clawed at her heart. She wanted — needed — to say so much, but she didn't know where to begin. Taking a life had killed something in her that could never be recovered, and had stunned a part of her into profound, painful silence. Then there was whatever happened outside the data centre... She conjured something. A portion of that terrible storm had been consumed and controlled... by her. She let all of these thoughts and feelings flow silently through the Force to her Master, knowing that her words alone couldn't suffice.

"I... I'm... scared... of what's inside me."

Tears came after all.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Jedi Jumpsuit | Wedding Ring
Weapons: Lightsabers

Valery felt it all before Everest even spoke. The pain, the fear, the weight of Woostri pressing down on her Padawan like an unbearable storm. It churned inside her, clawing for control, drowning her in shame she had no right to carry alone. And yet, Everest held it. Tried to contain it. Until now.

The moment she spoke— I'm scared of what's inside me— Valery's heart ached.

Tears fell.

Valery moved without hesitation.

She reached out, her hands steady, grounding, and rested one gently over Everest's, stilling the way her nails dug into her legs. The other lifted, brushing a few strands of silver-streaked hair from the younger woman's face.

"I'm here," she murmured, her voice soft but unwavering. "And I want you to tell me everything."

She let the words settle, let them wrap around Everest like a shield, a promise that no matter what she said, no matter what she had felt or done, Valery would not turn away. "Whatever you're holding inside, whatever is weighing you down... you don't have to carry it alone." Her fiery gaze met Everest's, open, steady. "Tell me, Eve. Let me help you."

Everest Vale ​

 

[Everest Vale]

.

An air of calm reached her as Valery placed a hand on her own. It was enough to allow her mind to finally make sense of her feelings again, as if she could suddenly step away from the cloud that rested so ruthlessly over her. It was just enough to give her the clarity she needed to speak.

She exhaled slowly, her days-tense muscles finally starting to soften. Delicate eyelids rested over her silver eyes as she strove to control her breathing. It came easier than expected. Her Master's immediate presence and attention gave her a much needed calm.

"I... don't know where to begin..." she said finally under her breath, before clearing her throat.

And then it all started to flow.

"I... Life... It's... so precious to me, Master..." Thoughts flashed of her home, the animals she spent her childhood loving and learning from. "Th-the fact that I..." A fresh batch of tears escaped her, but she couldn't voice the deed, couldn't quite admit it out loud. "But... I know that if I didn't..." The thought of losing Tigris then stopped her in her tracks. She couldn't finish. Instead, she tried to move on.

"Something... happened to me there... I... felt things I'd never felt before, didn't think I could feel..." She suddenly shivered and shook, as if she felt the flash of something horrid placing a talon on her shoulder which her body immediately tried to reject. "I could see myself... I was screaming... but it was like I was... trapped... inside of myself. I couldn't do anything." She had to stop again, her breathing suddenly erratic. The memory was too painful, and she bit her lip to try stop herself from tearing up more than she already was.

Why... Why must I always do this.

Her self-chastisement rung against the inside of her skull. She forced herself to keep speaking.

"That storm... I—" Her thoughts were flooded with the images of that terrible nightmare. Crimson lightning tearing through an endless black sky. "I... took control of it... or some of it... I could feel it inside me. I could feel myself inside of it... It was like, I became something... different..." She started to shake involuntarily as the horror of truth dawned on her. "And the worst thing is..." She finally looked up to Valery again, showing a world of fear within those silver eyes. Her mouth was parted from the shock of the realisation. "I... enjoyed it..."

Any pretence that she was keeping it together completely fell apart at that moment, as her lip began to quiver.

Valery Noble​