Private Wayward Shadow

[Allyson Locke]

//: Valery Noble //:
//: New Cov Jedi Temple //:

It was time to come home. As much as Allyson tried to avoid it, she knew where she belonged. Allyson had left after achieving almost everything she wanted to accomplish within the Alliance. The Shadows were flourishing, and the SIA was strong with a beautiful network of informants. Nothing was left to want, but something was still wrong - lacking. The failure of her assassination attempt on Carnifex haunted her. Everything she had worked for in her personal life was gone, along with the stability of her own mental state.

For the first time, she wanted to die. The light had left the Corellian, and despite her aid with the Alliance, it wasn't enough. Allyson had to find the light again on her own. Now that she's returned to civilization after her exile, Allyson figured it was time to reach out to the Alliance if they'd have her.

From what her intel told her, she was able to piece together a location that would be off the grid for the most part. In case she was still in trouble with some Alliance members, she figured most of them either died during the Great War or had decided to retire. She would check in on only a few, through her means and hopefully without them knowing. Allyson could have improved at keeping in touch with people, but she liked knowing they were safe.

The Corellian was fine being considered an enigma.

Finding the temple was more complicated than finding out that it existed. Allyson spent more time looking than she had expected. It should have been evident that a fellow shadow knew how to hide things, even a Jedi Temple. Eventually, she walked through the gardens a few days after Allyson landed in New Cov. The entire temple looked as if it was teleported from the old days. She moved carefully through climbing the stairs, feeling as if she was following in the footsteps of a Jedi from thousands of years ago. It was a surreal feeling, and the Corellian found herself lost in the beauty.

A breeze blew through the temple and, with it, whispers. They caught the Corellian's attention, and she looked around, only to see herself mostly alone in the area. Pausing, Allyson wondered if this was a sign - something from the Force telling her she was back on her path. She was never one to entirely give into the teachings and beliefs of the Jedi and the Force, but it may be time. Allyson shivered slightly and pulled up the collar of the old leather jacket. Years showed on the old leather and the faded Rogue Squadron patches.

She waited, knowing that Valery would eventually show up.

There was hope - especially if her returning to the Order was meant to be.

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov

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Outfit: Operative Suit | Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Ship: Link
Weapons: Blasters | Lightsaber |
Tag: Allyson Locke

"You know, there was a time when I thought I'd never see you again."

Valery had seemingly appeared from thin air behind the other Shadow, though she knew Allyson wouldn't have really expected anything else from her. The Corellian had been the one to pull her into the Shadows all those years ago, mentored her during a time when she needed to adjust to a vastly different era, and above all else, she had been a friend. She had placed her trust in Valery before almost anybody else did, and whether she realized it or not, Valery probably wouldn't have gotten this far without her help.

For a moment, Valery just looked at her old friend and offered a smile. Of all the places where she could run into her again, this one was perhaps most fitting. It's where Valery's own life as a Jedi had practically started, and where her path to becoming a Shadow had formed.

Now it served as a quiet meeting place, not just for Shadows, but for all Jedi.

"How have you been, Allyson?" Valery widened her arms and walked over for an embrace. They hadn't gotten the chance to properly say goodbye, so at the very least, she was going to make sure this welcome back would be one to remember. She wanted her friend to feel good about setting foot within the halls of a Jedi Temple again.

 

[Allyson Locke]

//: Valery Noble //:
//: New Cov Jedi Temple //:

Allyson turned upon hearing Valery's voice. She laughed sheepishly and put a hand on the back of her neck. "Well, I didn't think I'd be showing up anywhere near Alliance space any time soon." It wasn't a lie. The Corellian had burned several bridges with her last big mission into the Sith. Several of her personal relationships had gone up in flames, and the self-inflicted exile didn't prove any of it was avoidable. "I've been uh," She paused and shrugged, "I've been okay. Managed to get myself married and probably on the verge of divorce, got locked up a few times in Sith space," Allyson smirked knowing that they both knew her in a cage didn't last long, "stole some nice little datacrons from them...and yeah." The thought of Taiia made her heart drop; it was work - it was always work. "Beyond that, I've been okay."

The Corellian looked away, letting her eyes wander the temple once more. A part of her wished she could have experienced a place like this. She could have learned and studied from a young age, only knowing the Jedi. A part of her wondered if her life would have been much different. "How have you been?" Allyson's attention returned to Valery. She would be lying that the woman wasn't a sight for sore eyes. Knowing that someone was still in her corner was comforting.

A comfort she had long forgotten. "I never thanked you, but thank you." Valery was the reason Allyson could walk away from all of it when she needed to; the woman was also why Allyson fathomed coming back. She was a friend Allyson didn't know she needed.