Ties

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The weapon wavered before him. Cedric watched it was cold eyes, his brow furrowing as he sought to steady the lightsaber of his progenitor. The weapon's cyan blade flickered and died in his hands.

A heavy sigh escaped the former Archlord's lips as he regarded the weapon. It was an antique of sorts, passed down from one Grayson to the next. The weapon had served as the Grayson family's primary heirloom for three centuries, and now there were no Graysons able to wield it.

My father's fall crippled its. This weapon is little more than a decoration now.

Cedric's brow furrowed as he placed the rebellious blade with the rest of his things by the speeder. He'd come to settle just outside of the temple on Denaba, having only spoken with handful of individuals since his arrival. He'd been able land relatively unnoticed, but word of his arrival had eventually spread throughout the temple. Many of the students spoke of the strange man that attended their lectures, yet never said a word. Others had token note of his private meetings with several of the temple's masters.

The rest did not care. The masters let Cedric by, and so they paid him little mind.

He shuffled the case he'd stuffed the lightsaber in over toward the speeder. He'd erected a small camp on the red earth just a few meters outside one of the temple's side entrances. He'd been offered a room to stay in, but he had little intention of establishing himself a home here.

The Chimaera and its 501st Legion were off doing they're job in the outer rim. He needed to do his until they could link back up again, and that meant his stay was likely to be a short one.

A bit perturbed by the ruined lightsaber, Cedric found himself settling down in the center of the camp. He'd eschewed his cloak and furs in favor of simple sleeveless shirt and black sweats. The world had proven itself far too hot to keep up with appearances.

With a deep breath, Cedric forced his eyes closed and allowed his consciousness to flow along the ethereal rivers many knew as the Force. It did not take long for another presence to distract him from his meditations...

[member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Romi Jade]

Veiere didn't tell her about Cedric initially; they stumbled upon it in conversation and she prodded. So she decided to look into the matter herself because...that chapter was began and ended much to soon. Her last few steps saw bits of that gravel which popped out of formation crumble under her heel. It would have made a sound but she had already found her destination.

Her figure soon cut through the fire, emerging from the shadows; her skin illuminated orange. She knew he would sense her before then, but would he recognize her.

"What was he like now..."

She thought to herself a moment, standing their looking over his figure. Her arms rest across her chest, soon falling except one hand; her right hand gripped her waist and remained their for the time being.

"Do you remember me?" she questioned.

That's what she wanted to know...

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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The presence was both familiar and foreign. It was the same as it had once been at its core, but the layers that had been raised around it were seemingly entirely of a different breed. The presence brought back a moment's recollection from a time many years ago; to a fair headed girl on an Ession that was still peaceful.

A brow was raised as Cedric opened his eyes to regard this familiar presence. Recognition flitted across his features like a cold shock. "I do," he answered as he rose to his feet. All thoughts of meditation or solace were gone, replaced by this curious relic of the past that was Romi.

"I remember the you from a decade ago, anyway. Romi Jade - I assume you remember me," he made of show of giving her a bow that was anything if respectful. "Did Veiere send you to test the waters, or are you here of your own volition?" He wore a thin, albeit pleasant smile as he spoke.

Romi had been a very old memory indeed. He hadn't thought of the girl in quite some time, save for the brief moments of nostalgia the Jedi temple had brought him. Now she carried a lightsaber and called herself a knight, or so Cedric assumed. It was quite likely that she'd passed her trials by now after all. She'd gone on to be what she was destined to be.

Funny how things seemed to line up for people.

[member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Romi Jade]

A slow blink. Her head beckoned back slightly. He remembered...

She took another step forward, mesmerized by his present that she completely overlooked his bow. "Of course I do..." she spoke at almost a whisper. To see him now was to see her past...it was deja vu.

"No...I came on my own." She followed, "Wha..where" because she wanted to know but her thoughts were moving quicker than she could manifest them.

She took a breath and expelled it all the same.

"Cedric...where were you?" she asked finally.

As kids they were close...but then it goes blurry. She'd have to admit that she hadn't thought about him in a long time and it wasn't until now that she wondered so...

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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"Ession, leading my people." He answered immediately. He'd thought Romi might have been keeping tabs on him, but perhaps not. Ession was a galaxy away from Denaba and the new home of the Jedi. There'd be little reason to pay it much mind, save for the recent resurgence of Sith influence in that area.

There was a certain sensation of nostalgia that came with hearing her voice. It brought a thin smile to his lips, though he was unsure if he truly enjoyed the feeling. The two of them had been quite young indeed when they'd parted ways. Both had been walking the path of the Jedi Knight, but each path was distinctly different from the other. Romi had been cut from a more traditional cloth. She had the freedom to choose where she was best needed, and when to make her moves.

Cedric had not. The position of ruler-ship he'd found himself in prevented the autonomy common in many Jedi of this age. He'd almost come to envy her.

"Well, failing in that really," he admitted as he sat down in the dirt. The fire crackled loudly, but Cedric was having trouble hearing anything other than the blood thundering in his ears.

"I'm here to find my way again I suppose. My people were enslaved, and I'm not the Jedi that I need to be to help them." He added with a shrug, "You look like you fit the part though. Who've you grown to be?"

[member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Romi Jade]

Her eyes grew wide, "Failing?" well that certainly wasn't a good thing, but she wouldn't push that subject entirely. Perhaps it would come in time.

She did remember him being highly favored. As kids, there were things they could and couldn't do. Now she understood his position...then it was more abstract. However, his return..sparked curiosity. She moved to take a sit just across from him; the fire would be the only barrier.

Her thoughts echoed in her mind, Find his way...?

Before she could inquire, he mentioned that she was fitting of the role. It brought a subtle smirl to her face just then as her gaze would lower and peer into the fire before her.

"I suppose..." then her eyes whipped back up and fell on him. "I'm a Jedi...simple. I suppose a capable one..." well she struggled with authority she was given still...

l"You said you came here to find your way again...what exactly are you looking for?"

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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"The Sith brought war to my worlds while I was fighting the greater conflict," he explained with a wave of his hand. "The armies that had remained on the planet were small. They couldn't hold off the united Sith war machine. When I returned, Ession had already fallen." Eyes the color of an icy tundra flickered up from the flames to meet Romi's.

"We had no allies to bolster our defense. Perhaps if our colonies had remained, things would have been different," the words were pointed, though not at Romi. There had been a time when Commenor called itself a Dominion world, when its king had served as the Dominion's protector. Then that king had chosen to leave in favor of a woman, leaving a boy in his place.

Unwelcome bitterness toward [member="Veiere Arenais"] flickered through his mind, though Cedric set it aside. Now was not the time to brood over something that could not be changed.

"I came here to figure out what to do; to see what other Jedi are like. The Jedi of my worlds are mostly dead now," a quiet sigh fell from his lips as he gazed into the colorful violence of the flames. "There are still things I need to learn. There's something that I must do before I return to my home, but I'm not sure what it is yet."

His brow furrowed. "I know that doesn't make sense."

[member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Romi Jade]

"And yet...it does." She said gently; realizing she knew where he was coming from. "There's still so much I've yet figure out, about being a Jedi..."

Sigh.

Her eyes fell slowly, and she counted the seconds in her head while her chest rose and fell; she took a long deep breath. She looked over at him, matching his gaze. She knew the kid in him, or at least she did. What she failed to see was the trials he went through and how that has shaped him now. However she was willing to learn in time.

"I'm sorry for what happened Cedric..." Empty words she knew. "I think you came to the right place...you may not find all your answers but whatever you come across, will be a start." she said as she mustered a warm smile.

"I'll be here for you...whatever you need to find, I'll help you." She nodded.

"And perhaps I will find what I need as well...all assuming you'd stick around for a bit."

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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The temple had been a relatively dreary place thus far. It had nothing to do with the atmosphere of the hallowed halls, or any cold behavior on part of the monks that resided within. It had been the reality of the situation that gave it all such a dismal view, and that was all in Cedric's head. He'd known that; did everything in his power to shake the hold such terror had upon his mind.

And he had failed at every turn: until now.

A quiet sigh fell from the youth's lips, but it was a pleasant one. All the tension that had been building up in Cedric ebbed away as he rose from his place by the fire.

"I don't plan on going anywhere for some time," he said through a yawn. "I'm missing the connection with the force that I need before I can return home. I won't be leaving until I find it."

A gesture pulled apart the flaps of his tent. He looked back to Romi with a smile that matched her own. "Come back in the morning. If you're so eager to help, then you can join me on my morning trek up the mountain."

[member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Romi Jade]

Pursed lips.

Slow nod.

"Good..." she responded, forming a smirk as she glanced over at him. Of course it would be too soon, they'd only just reconnected. "Well hopefully during your time here...you'll find your connection again and with it the answers you need before you return to your people." She beckoned forward with her head as a way to emphasize her words.

Soon she'd stand to her feet, smiling as she whipped her head back around.

"You will see me again Cedric...until the morning." She'd mentioned before following her previous path back.

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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Let's hope so.

But he didn't say it. Instead, Cedric simply smiled at Romi. He needed time to process his position and the problems that came along with it. Romi had been a welcomed friend once and she could indeed become one again. Still, he needed to wrap his head around working with the woman.

And so he'd mentioned the morning.

That night went by quickly. Cedric had fallen into a meditative state, and spent the majority of the evening communing with the ethereal realm. Doing so brought new energy to his limbs, and a better understanding of the situation as a whole.

He'd needed it.

The time was approximately 5:00 in the morning. Most of the temple was still asleep; it was the perfect time to make a journey unbothered. Cedric had drawn his fur lined jacket about his shoulders, clipped his lightsaber to his belt, and moved to wait at the beginning of the trail. Hopefully Romi wouldn't burn the day away before making her appearance.

[member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Romi Jade]

"Were you waiting for me?" she mentioned with a smirk visibly making it's way across her lips.

She was walking up, seemingly taking her time. She didn't even think she was late, perhaps he was just early. "I told you you'd see me again." she smiled before stopping just short of him.

She took a deep breath as the air was much lighter at this time, looking out to as far as her vision would take her, she looked up the path. "Are you ready...?" she questioned before turning back to look upon him again.

She genuinely wondered, because there was something he had to have been looking for, and she wanted to know if he was ready to find it.

She gave a warm smile.

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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"Possibly," he had been waiting and for quite some time at that. It seemed her timekeeping hadn't changed much since their adolescence. Cedric offered her a curious smile as she approached. "Though I didn't wait as long as I thought I would have to, so you've gotten better at showing up late," his voice was laced with good humor as he turned toward the trail.

The trail in question was one well trodden. The feet of a thousand pilgrims had carved a path through the red rock and dry vegetation that led deep into the canyons beyond. It was there that Jedi of both old and modern ages had met with the spirits of the ancient past. It was there that the force was at its zenith on this world.

"Whatever's in there is going to give me a clue as to what needs to happen," his brow furrowed, "At least I think it is. I suppose we'll just have to find out." His smile shifted into one of quiet amusement though it was a poor representation of how he felt on the inside.

He took his first step onto the path; the first step of a new life.

"You miss me?"

[member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Romi Jade]

"Took years of practice...still haven't gotten it quite right." she giggled to herself on the notion that she'd gotten better. Her eyes bounced from the trail and onto Cedric as she stood just a foot behind him. This pilgrimage of sorts would give answers that he needed, possibly. She took this trip with him in hopes of finding something as well...even if it was just in observing him.

A beat.

"You'll find it..." her reassuring words would collide with his back and he would find a smile to go with it when he turned around. She followed at his pace, soon to walk beside him down the trail. Her site was stuck on the surrounding environment, she'd never been this far before.

It was a peaceful quiet.

He asked, and she reacted. More surprised than anything. She looked over at him and smiled, "Of course I did. I thought I'd never see you again." she mentioned before looking towards the ground; They were best friends in their youth.

"I could ask you the same..."

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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"I'm not entirely sure you ever will." Cedric flashed her a thin, albeit warm smile as they started up the trail. The majority of his trips were entirely silent affairs, at least in the realm of actual noise anyway. His position within the force during such walks made things very loud indeed on the ethereal side of things. He could feel every beetle running across the cracked earth, every person coiled up in their own little corner of the world, every beast that watched them from beyond the hills.

Things were different now that Romi was here. She provided a presence that he would be hesitant to call calming, perhaps even pleasant. Her signature within the Great Ocean was familiar in the way that a mother's perfume might be; she was a living relic from a time he had long since chosen to forgotten.

Had he missed her? No. Would he miss her now? Yes.

"I did miss you," he lied, though it was a lie that lacked no malice. He regretted not missing her, but shuttering away his early life had been the only way to cope with his position. Knowing about his failings and the wasted stress that went into them would be impossible if he remembered what kind of a life he'd traded for it.

And now he did. It made him hesitate for a moment.

"I'm here to reconnect with my roots Romi. I tried to fight the Sith alone because I couldn't stand my peers - the other Jedi. I couldn't abide by the steps they were taking to ensure we lost the war. We're all going to have to fight eventually, and the others have to learn that," something heavy lingered at the back of his throat. "That's what I'm looking for. I have to find a way to keep my problems from effecting the way I influence the force, and I have to figure out how to show the others the reality of our situation."

Something in his chest hurt. He chose to pay it little mind as they delved deeper into the dusty wilds. "I want to have peace, but nothing is going to change if we keep ignoring the problem."

[member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Romi Jade]

She playfully glared at him, but refused any words; he could probably deduce her thoughts if he wanted to too. She wouldn't deny it anyway...she has been lectured by [member="Veiere Arenais"] many times before about being late, well up until now.

Though soon she did ask him the same, and it took him a minute to respond. Her gaze happened to trail off into whatever they could lock onto in the distance but what he said did strike something within her; it caught her attention. Her head whipped around and she looked over him for a second.

However, Romi was really good at reading people...

She didn't question it, not wanting to know whether it were true or not.

"Mmm..." she murmured from her throat, "My Master always told me...Romi you understand my comprehension of the Jedi Code and the ideologies of the Jedi Order better than most. You have been my student and later a Jedi Knight in a Galaxy that has become so wild and different than the times that I grew up but yet you still carry the teachings of the old ways..creating your own path, a new path. You're the future..." she mocked his words, dramatizing her own speech to play the part.

"I think a lot of us are just stuck in the past...focused on making what has been unsuccessful work rather than adapting...perhaps you can show them."

She looked over at him.

[member="Cedric Grayson"]

 

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"It's easy to do the same thing over and over expecting different results. It's hard going out and actually getting those results," Cedric mused as he peered out into the craggy wastes. Denaba was not a pretty world, but it's rugged orange plains had a rustic appeal them. They were about as far away from Ession as one could get, and he still had trouble finding any semblance of peace. Romi's presence helped him to find some sense of clarity, but he had not known true peace sine long before the Dominion's fall.

That wasn't worth telling her.

"You were always keen on the old lore," he continued as they came to a halt at a hill's crest. One could see for miles down the planes from this position, and even herds of roaming beasts could be seen upon the horizon. A small smile found its way onto Cedric's features.

"I don't know Romi. I don't think I'm going to be the one to rally them. This isn't my story," his gaze shifted so that he was looking at her sidelong. "Still, you have a point. I'm hoping they'll respect me enough to listen before it's too late. We'll have to find out as the time goes by."

Cedric paused as he turned bodily toward the woman. "Did you ever know your parents? Not your teachers, but your actual parents."

[member="Romi Jade"]

 

[Romi Jade]

Maybe it would be worth telling her one day.

She laughed to herself, taking in his words but holding her response for a second. "Never really had a choice...my master was a scholar as you know. Besides...it wasn't that bad. Sort've interested me to know where we came from...serves me well now as I try to steer clear of the same mistakes but..."

She motioned off with the hand, choosing to close out her statement then and there. She was a step behind when the reached the crest, and just as she turned she caught his eye.

"Hmph...maybe it isn't just your story..." She smirked before stepping ahead of him. She hoped he'd one day see what she saw.

"I have fond but brief memories of my mother...she was very sick when I was young..."

[member="Cedric Grayson"]