Private What about the forests?

[Colette]

The twitter of birds and the rustle of winds beckoned from beyond the leaf-covered treetops above. Colette took a deep breath to let the frisk mountain air fill her lungs with the determination she needed to finally break out of her mind and gently let her guard down. From what she could tell there were no predators around, but it never hurt to be careful.

The tension in her shoulder evened out ever so slightly with a quick adjustment of the straps of her bag. The summit of this hill was all too near with one final rock between her, Valery, and their destination for the day.

"I don't know." The kid said before she got herself up on the rock with a big step and a grunt. "The Order has problems too. Can't expect the galaxy to just listen because we claim we're good, y'know? Have to show it."

"A lot of planets, a lot of people, a lot of opinions." Almost made it seem simple. "But hey, that's work. We're not here for that."

"Look!" She said and pointed ahead of them for Valery to see. "That thing kinda looks like a monkey-lizard."

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

Valery paused, the soft crunch of her boots against the dirt trail coming to a stop as she glanced up at her daughter, a fond smile spreading across her face. The breeze teased at her hair, carrying with it the refreshing scent of pine and wildflowers.

"You're right," she said, her voice calm yet tinged with the authority of someone who had seen the galaxy's trials many times before. "I'd argue we've made some good improvements, though. I've seen the Jedi Order when it was very different from what it's like today, and I'm quite happy with where we are now, and where we're heading."

She adjusted her footing, steadying herself as she joined Colette at the top of the rock. Her amber eyes took in the view ahead, but her focus was still very much on her daughter. At least, until she began to point at something.

"Hmm, a monkey-lizard? I see it!" Her tone carried a hint of playful pride, something that always shone through when she spoke with Colette. Though the idea of meeting a monkey-lizard also brought back some memories.

"Do you want to get closer to it?" With a playful nudge and a sparkle in her eye, Valery motioned forward, "I once had a Padawan who adopted a monkey-lizard as his pet. Or, well, the monkey-lizard chose him after he saved the little guy."

Colette ​

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

"No way!" Colette scoffed and shook her head. "Those little guys scream and piss and shit everywh-"

She cleared her throat. Right, language and all that.

"An old apprentice, eh?" Colette pushed on towards where the little monkey had been. "Are we talking now or ancient times padawan?"

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

Valery let out a laugh at Colette's abrupt but honest description of monkey-lizards. The way she cleared her throat and tried to recover only made it better. Valery shook her head, a playful smirk tugging at her lips as she stepped forward to follow her daughter.

"You're not wrong," she admitted with a chuckle. "They're little terrors. But they can also be surprisingly loyal and... endearing, in their own chaotic way."

As they approached the area where the monkey-lizard had been, Valery squinted at Colette, her fiery gaze narrowing slightly. "And to answer your question, this was long before my time in stasis," she said, her tone shifting to something a little more reminiscent. "Orbeka was his name — one of my very first Padawans."

Her expression softened as memories of the Padawan came flooding back.

Colette ​

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

Nibbles could be chaotic at times too, but he was never not cute with it. He was beauty and grace in one whereas a monkey-lizard was just an overgrown pest that mostly served some kind of dietary function to the rest of the world. A cat was a companion, a friend, and emotionally present in ways that a lizard just couldn't be.

And then, as Colette listened, she caught a glimpse of Valery's attention slipping just the slightest for little more than a moment as she reminisced about her past.

"I still can't get over that." Colette smiled to herself. "The time… Distance? Wait? How much has passed since then and now."

"Have you tried to find the descendants of this… Orbeka? Would that even be possible?"

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

Valery's gaze flicked back to Colette, and she let out a soft chuckle at her daughter's curiosity. There was a warmth to her expression, but also a hint of the bittersweet nature of the memories they were discussing.

"Over 4,000 years have passed since those days," Valery said, her voice carrying a tone of quiet reflection.

She paused for a moment, her lips curling into a small, knowing smile. "As for Orbeka having descendants... I'd say that's highly unlikely." Valery shook her head lightly, a playful glimmer in her eyes. "Back then, Jedi were still very strict about attachments. Love, family — those kinds of bonds were forbidden. My Enclave was no exception. Orbeka was loyal to the Order, and I doubt he ever strayed from its teachings."

Unlike her.


Valery fell quiet for a moment, letting the weight of time settle before her smirk returned. "Now, let's focus on the task at hand. Monkey-lizard or not, I'm sure we'll find something interesting ahead. If it's as chaotic as you say, though, I'll leave the introductions to you." Her fiery eyes gleamed with teasing amusement.

Colette ​

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

Four-thousand years without so much as a lineage or a chance at it because people couldn't separate passion, lust, and love from anger and hate. Colette frowned for a moment, growing increasingly thankful for being alive in the moment and not the past. Which didn't say much. The past was the past. A heartbeat was a part of it no sooner than a heart could beat. The future wasn't much better either, but few things made Colette as merely existing in the present where she and her thoughts belonged.

And in the present Valery had left the idea float that Colette be responsible for introductions to any local wildlife. It made sense, the kid had an evident affinity for nature. After all, Colette had pet a dangerous predator no sooner than she had first set foot on New Cov.

A shrill laughter rung from the branches above.

"Bonds were forbidden." It repeated in an eerily decent mimicry of Valery's voice. "Task at hand. Task at hand."

Colette raised her brow and looked up at a nearby tree branch where the blue-yellow little fella was having far too much fun over something that wasn't particularly funny at all. The padawan put her hands on her hips with a huff.

"Heard something funny, little guy?" She said and shook her head with a happy little smirk.

"Something funny! Something funny!" It demanded.

Colette looked at Valery.

"Well? He seems to think you're really funny. Say something."

"Say something." The little guy repeated.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

Valery blinked, momentarily caught off guard by Colette's sudden suggestion. Her fiery eyes flicked from her daughter to the cheeky little creature perched in the branches above, its shrill mimicry still ringing in her ears. She raised an eyebrow, then smirked, a mischievous glint sparking to life in her gaze.

"Alright," Valery said, her tone light but deliberate as she turned her attention back to Colette. "Something funny?"

She paused dramatically, folding her arms and leaning slightly toward her Padawan.

"Colette should get her nails done."

The little monkey-lizard above burst into raucous laughter, nearly toppling off its branch as it repeated her words in an uncanny imitation. "Get her nails done! Get her nails done!"

Valery grinned, clearly amused by the reaction, and glanced back at Colette with a playful shrug. "Looks like he agrees with me."

The monkey-lizard chimed in once more, shrieking between its giggles, "Agrees! Agrees!"

Colette ​

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

The kid looked at her fingernails and gave Valery an amused look. She clipped them regularly, but that didn't say much. Some dirt just seemed insistent 0n digging itself right under there where it would be hard to reach. If people had a problem with that it was more of a they problem than a Colette problem, she liked the way she looked.

"Yea', well… I'm just not as vain as you are, mother." Colette said and laced her word with a deep layer of irony. The M-word got easier to say with each passing mention of the word, strange as it still was to her. A word was, in the end, just a word it would seem. "Come back to me once you've done anything important that didn't ruffle your pretty little ponytail."

"Pretty little ponytail!" The monkey-lizard screeched and laughed. "Get her nails done."

"That's enough outta you, bud." Colette chuckled and dug into her pack to throw a tiny morsel of food at the creature. The creature happily took it and ran away to feed in peace. "We better get out of here before he returns with friends."

Colette shook her head.

"Really, though? Nails? Is this connected to that thing I heard one of the other, older padawans say? That you could tell a lot about a person based on the length of their nails."

But whatever that meant had swished right over Colette's head.

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

Valery let out a genuine laugh at Colette's witty comeback, the kind that warmed her fiery eyes and lit up her entire face. The irony in her daughter's tone wasn't lost on her, nor was the playful jab about her ponytail. Still chuckling, Valery stepped closer and wrapped an arm around Colette's shoulder, pulling her into a quick, affectionate side hug.

"Touché," she said, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze before releasing her. The word mother still caught her by surprise a little whenever Colette used it, but it never failed to bring a quiet warmth to her heart.

These were the little things that made her happy.

When Colette asked about the nails, Valery chuckled again, shaking her head as she adjusted the strap of her pack. "No, it's not some cryptic Jedi philosophy about nails," she teased, the smirk on her lips making it clear she was enjoying this moment. "It's just because you're not exactly the nail polish and manicure type, Colette. Unlike many others your age."

She ruffled Colette's hair lightly before stepping forward, her fiery eyes scanning the trail ahead. "Come on, before your new friend decides to bring his whole family back. I think we've had enough beauty advice for one day."

Colette ​

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

To Shaye? Tushaye? Was that even a word that Valery just used? Colette's brows sunk for a moment in confusion as she looked at her mother.

"Yeah, well, many others my age don't know how to field dress a beast or how to build a lean-to either, so…" She fired back right before Valery ruffled her hair. "Right, or before they get mad that we won't share more of our food."

The trek continued down the trail, and eventually they reached a big clearing of grass. At the center of the clearing was a small hill with thick brush.

"Kinda looks like a circle, almost." Colette commented and rubbed her hand around her neck, accidentally smearing more dust and grime against her skin. "Don't really get this on New Cov, huh?"

"Grows too fast."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring


As they walked further down the trail, Valery couldn't help but grin at Colette's remarks about field dressing and lean-tos. "Fair enough. You'd win a survival contest hands-down. But I'm still not sure it's a skill that'll impress your new monkey-lizard fan club." She glanced over her shoulder, half-expecting the little creature to reappear, but the trail remained quiet. For now.

When they reached the clearing, Valery paused, her gaze sweeping across the landscape. The grass swayed gently in the breeze, the sunlight catching the vibrant green hues and casting long shadows over the hill and thick brush in the center.

"It does look like a circle," Valery agreed, stepping forward and crouching slightly to inspect the area. "Almost like a natural arena or... maybe the monkey-lizard's version of a front yard?" She raised an eyebrow at Colette, smirking playfully. "Better hope we're not trespassing."

At Colette's mention of New Cov, Valery straightened and dusted her hands off. "No, nothing like this there," she said thoughtfully, as she looked around, "On New Cov, we'd also already be attacked by now."

She turned her attention back to Colette, her expression softening. "But that's what makes exploring places like this so fun. It's different. And you never know what you'll find."

Colette ​

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

There was no real competition as far as survivalism went. Colette could outlast the entire Jedi Order with what she knew and despite the pride that came before a fall she felt very comfortable letting others know that. She smiled wide as Valery brought it up and smirked when she brought up the monkey-lizard club.

"You really won't let that monkey-lizard go, huh?" She asked and shook her head. "Not too late for them to ambush us. Could even grab a camera if you want."

"Places like these aren't really all that unique, but that doesn't take away the beauty." Colette said and ran a hand through her hair to straighten it out and get it out of her face. "Fresh air, wet grass, and a slight breeze. We're on our feet, moving forward… This is the good life."

Valery had seen it many times before. The longer Colette stayed in one place the more restless she got. Home was just about the only place where she could be for any longer period of time before she had ants crawling in her skin that begged her to get out.

"Not sure I'll ever not be a nomad. It's just who I am."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

Valery chuckled softly, brushing a strand of hair back from her face as she gave Colette a sidelong glance. "Oh, I'll let the monkey-lizard go... eventually. But I'm definitely grabbing a camera if they decide to ambush us again," she teased, her smirk widening.

She stepped forward, her boots crunching softly against the grass as the breeze carried the fresh, earthy scent of the clearing. Valery let out a contented sigh, her fiery eyes scanning the horizon before landing back on Colette. There was something peaceful about this moment, the kind of peace she didn't often find in her busy life.

"This is the good life," she said, her voice thoughtful but warm. "And it's okay to be a nomad, Colette. To want to explore, move, and see what's out there. It's who you are, and I'd never want to change that." She paused, her gaze softening as she tilted her head slightly to look at Colette more closely. "But," Valery added, a faint smile tugging at her lips, "As long as you come home every now and then. Otherwise..."

She trailed off, her expression turning playful as she placed her hands on her hips. "I'll miss you. And so will the little ones. Vera might not admit it, but she'll keep asking when you're coming back. And Aurra? She'll probably find a way to track you down herself."

Colette ​

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

"Well, of course!" Colette smiled. "Even nomads have some place they return to. Markets, meeting spots, that kind of thing. Some things are best to get from those who don't want to wander."

"Nibbles would also be sad if I didn't come home. And Aurra, of course." She chuckled with warmth. "I'd miss Vera and the rest too, of course, but those two are… Special to me."

"Is that… Okay in a family? I love them all, but… I feel like I love some of them just a little more."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

Valery's fiery eyes softened as Colette's words warmed the air between them, and a gentle chuckle escaped her lips. She reached out to brush her fingers lightly against Colette's arm, a gesture of reassurance and affection.

"Of course it's okay," Valery said warmly, her voice carrying the soothing tone of someone who understood family in all its complexities. "In larger families, it's natural to gravitate toward certain people. Siblings connect in different ways — it doesn't mean you love anyone less, just that your bonds are unique."

She tilted her head slightly, her lips curving into a playful smile. "That said, as a mom, I don't have favorites. I love all of you equally. Although," she added with a mock-serious tone, "I will admit some of you can make it a little harder to stay sane."

But Valery would never be able to choose between her children. Her love for each and every one of them was intense, to say the least.

Colette ​

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

Right. She connected with the chaos of the other two triplets, but with Aurra it was the quiet and calm that really appealed to Colette despite everything. Not to mention how she kept up with them despite lacking a force connection. Didn't make her any less of a person but certainly put her at a disadvantage to certain other things when compared to her siblings.

Maybe it wasn't a problem now, maybe it never would be, but Colette did her best to just be there for the kid anyway. She knew what it felt like to be left alone because you lacked a thing, it was terrible.

"So I'm the favorite, you say?" Colette joked and nudged Valery with her elbow. "Good to know…"

"Nah, I get it. As a leader you can't put the community at risk with favorites. Might just tear it all down." She shrugged. "Tear the Order down, that is. Make people lose faith, all that."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

Valery rolled her eyes with an exaggerated sigh at Colette's comment, though the faintest smirk tugged at her lips. "Sure, sure, the favorite," she replied playfully.

Her teasing tone softened as Colette explained her reasoning, and Valery nodded thoughtfully. "You're right," she said, her voice quieter now. "As a leader, I have to be careful not to show favoritism. It's about fairness and keeping the trust of those who rely on me."

She paused, her fiery gaze growing distant for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. "But it's more than that," she continued, her tone laced with emotion. "When I think about each of you — every one of my children — I don't see favorites or comparisons. I just feel this... overwhelming love." Her hand lightly brushed against her chest, as though trying to convey the depth of what she was describing. "It's powerful, and it's fierce. Like an instinct to protect all of you, no matter what."

Valery turned her gaze back to Colette, her fiery eyes shining with warmth and vulnerability. "The thought of losing even one of you... it's unbearable. I could never pick one above the others because you're all special to me in your own way. Every one of you brings something unique, something I couldn't imagine my life without."

She smiled softly, her expression filled with a deep pride and love that only a mother could convey. "You're not just my kids — you're my everything."

Colette ​

 

[Colette]

Valery Noble

"That's what they were afraid of, right?" Colette asked and looked at Valery. "How love could be used for evil, and not the beauty of it."

"It never made sense to me. For an order so focused on life, they seem so afraid to live it."

 

[Valery Noble]

​

Outfit: Wedding Ring

Valery's expression softened as she listened to Colette's words, her fiery eyes reflecting a mix of understanding and contemplation. She nodded slowly, acknowledging the truth in what Colette was saying.

"You're right," Valery said gently. "That's what they were afraid of — how love, attachment, and emotions could lead to darkness if not handled carefully. And there's some truth to it. If something were to happen to my children, the emotional response could be... overwhelming. It's the kind of pain that can break even the strongest Jedi." Her voice carried a quiet gravity, the weight of her own fears evident in her tone.

"But," she continued, her voice firming with conviction, "I believe the answer isn't to suppress those emotions or avoid love altogether. It's to acknowledge them, to understand them, and to find balance. My family has given me strength I never knew I had before. Strength to keep going, to protect, and to stand firm, even in the darkest moments."

Valery's hand lightly brushed against her chest as she spoke, as if grounding herself in the emotions she was describing. "Before my time in stasis, I was devoted to the Jedi Order, but something always felt… incomplete. I didn't truly understand how much I was missing until I had my family. Being a wife, a mother, and a Jedi — it's given me purpose in ways I never thought possible."

Colette ​