You Are Not a Commoner Anymore, You Are Royalty.

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Bradshaw Ku"] was Kay's adopted son, brought into her life long ago when he was a mere boy of 8 with his sister Rae-Anna who was 5. They lived together for a few years as a loving family with her first husband Shaw-Ku. Tragically, Shaw was murdered by a Sith Lord and both Brad and Rae-Anna were taken from Kay for their safety. She never learned of their whereabouts or what happened to them.

Until recently.

Due to Kay being in the spotlight after taking control over Commenor as it's Queen, Brad found his way to her. At first he was angry with her, blaming her for Shaw's death and their family being torn apart. But then he learned what had happened and forgave her. Now instead of wandering the Galaxy alone and without purpose, he finally had a home again.

Now Brad lay in the medical wing of the Palace, recovering due to multiple injuries he recieved on Kwenn Station while fighting the Incursion. Kay visited him, mostly to find him sleeping and it was in those moments that she realized how much he still meant to her. Losing him again would break her heart. He was a hero and he needed to see that. He had a purpose, and he needed to see that too. In a matter of months he'll be a big brother again and it'll be his duty to be in charge of things while Kay and [member="Veiere Arenais"] were away. For that he nedded help in how to rule.

Kay sat in her office, having sent out word through the proper channels in the bids of finding Brad a tutor of sorts, one that could teach him the ways of politics and being a leader. She just didn't have the time to do it all herself, even though she wished that she did. Now she waited for applicants to come by for an interview. One of Kay's assistants, Olivia, had filtered the selection down to a few individuals. Soon the first of them would be arriving.

In the meantime, Kay just drank her tea and busied herself with paperwork.

 

[Jairdain]

When Jairdain had joined the Jedi, she had wanted to grow up and be a diplomat or a consular. A few times, she had put this into practice. While on one of these diplomatic missions, she had been captured by the Sith and held captive by them for close to a year. In the end, she had fallen prey to their brainwashing and become what she didn't want to be. The Jedi within her had fought back the whole time and she had broken her mind again to return to the Jedi. While she was not the same, Jairdain still had hopes to be a consular or diplomat.

It came as a mild surprise when a bid came to her attention. Lady Kay of Commenor was searching for somebody to help guide her son. They had briefly met once before on Commenor when the Silver Jedi wanted to reopen their embassy there. After cleaned up the grounds, it had been opened for visitors. Lady Kay and her husband she had met there. Though the role she played was small, she had wanted to return there and see if she had a future there.

Now the opportunity was being extended to her to potentially return. Providing she passed the interview process. She would be glad to return to Commenor and maybe even be able to make amends for being part of the Sith when they initiated a skirmish with them. She wasn't sure if Kay knew about her presence there or not. Jairdain hadn't not gotten into combat with anybody and had actually had a conflict with her love. She had run from him then and eventually found her way back to them.

Answering the message with an agreeable time to show, Jairdain arrived. Wearing what she was comfortable in, she was in brown boots, black pants and vest. Under her vest was a white shirt with lace at the cuffs and her collar. On her hip rested her lightsaber hilt if she was allowed to keep it for the interview. Not one to go out of her way to dress to impress, she did attempt to make herself look nice. Her hair was down like always and brushed out. It went down her back and some partially rested on her shoulders. Doing her best to keep it back, the natural wave brought some of it forward.

When the time came, she arrived on time and wasn't entirely sure of what protocols to follow.

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Bradshaw Ku"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was a bit surprised at the attire that [member="Jairdain"] wore when she stepped into her office. The pants, vest, white frilly shirt, all of it made her appear more like the type to run off on an adventure instead of working with Royalty concerning lessons on politics. But that made it even more perfect. [member="Bradshaw Ku"] might respond better to that, than to someone that had been a teacher for all of their life.

She got to her feet, giving the lightsaber a few seconds' glance before moving around her desk to greet her guest. "Thank you for coming. I know that it might seem a little odd that I'm reaching outside of my own circle, but then again, I don't tend to do things in a typical fashion. It keeps people guessing." She gestured to the tea set on the coffee table. "Care for some Sapir tea?"

Whether the Jedi did or not, Kay sat herself down on one of the comfy chairs. Her baby bump was visable, but so far wasn't big enough to hinder her movements. "I've asked you to come to see if you'd like to join my staff. My son Brad is recovering from injury, which will give him a lot of downtime. As you may have guessed, I'm with child and cannot dedicate enough time to instruct my son on the arts of diplomacy and politics. Would you be willing to help? He needs someone experienced and patient, both to keep him in line and to teach him responsibility."

 

[Jairdain]

This would be the first time for Jairdain to have close interaction with somebody that was considered royalty. Even though they had met long ago, Kay may not remember her from that day. The knight remembered meeting her then and gave Kay a smile. Time had passed for both of them and had changed her slightly. While she still had the hopes to be diplomat or consular, the opportunity to follow that path hadn't been open to her until now. With the contact from Commenor, Jairdain hoped to follow it once again.

Different view on things now, but far more open than she had been originally. Now being able to see things from multiple viewpoints would be of an assistance in helping her son grow into his position. It would take time and Jairdain hoped Kay would see the potential she offered. If requested Jairdain would be able to produce a small disk that contained her previous work in both diplomatic and political areas. It wasn't much, but the knight was young and just getting started or restarted on this path.

"Thank you for inviting me, Your Majesty. Sometimes it wise to look outside of what one is familiar with. Yes, I will take some tea with you."

There was a difference between the Kay she had met originally and the one that now sat with her. A weight was on her shoulders that had just been set there before. Kay had grown into her position and now carried that weight comfortably and with confidence. She was pregnant now too and Jairdain could pick up on the growing life within the other woman.

"If I wasn't willing to help, would I be talking to you now?"

A touch of humor was in her voice, but the respect for Kay and her position within Commenor was there as well. It spoke of the honesty Jairdain thought with and openness she had for Kay. There was nothing she was going to try and hide or keep secret from her.

"If you would welcome me here like this, I will gladly help and assist however I can."

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Bradshaw Ku"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay leaned over and poured both of them a cup of tea, handing one to [member="Jairdain"] before leaning back with her own cup cradled in her hands. "You're welcome." She didn't ask for a resume. A copy of it was already in her files when the lady applied for the job. She sipped her tea, smiling at the humour that was offered. Good. She'd need that. [member="Bradshaw Ku"] was anything but a straight face. He was a flirt and tended to use humour in any situation, even uncomfortable ones. It was his crutch as much as tea was hers.

"I was a little disappointed that the Silver Jedi Embassy isn't utilized to it's full potential. But it's understandable, given the wars that are thrust upon them and that they thrust upon others. Yet it has freed you up at any rate and for that I'm thankful." She sipped her tea. "Brad is in the medical wing, still recovering. We'll go and visit him shortly. Hopefully he accepts this. If not, then I'm unsure of what to do." Most of the time when she had visited him, he had been sleeping or pretending to sleep. She didn't think that Brad was mad at her, but moreso not wanting to talk about it. Trauma can do that. She knew that from experience.

 

[Jairdain]

When the tea was offered to her, Jairdain carefully took the cup from Kay to take a sip of it. She picked up on the fact Kay appreciated the touch of humor she displayed. Even though the knight was unable to see the smile, she returned it.

Their initial meeting had been before Jairdain had been taken captive by the Sith and corrupted. Back then Jairdain had been a quiet observer after introducing herself. She still was to a degree, but would more readily speak up now. Not to draw attention to herself, but it was a sign of her growing up more and having a confidence she didn't have then.

Nodding her head when Kay mentioned the Embassy wasn't being used to its fullest like they had intended, but duty had called many of the Jedi. War had come to them and then they had attempted to strike a blow to the Sith.

"Recovering from what? If I may know."

With so much having gone​ on in her own personal life recently, she had been unable to keep up on many events outside of herself and Silver's. As Kay spoke, Jairdain picked up on something. It appeared they both had a troubled past, they shared something in common. Maybe more than just one thing. Wondering it was, she kept the question to herself until the first was answered.

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Bradshaw Ku"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay sipped her tea as she thought about what to tell [member="Jairdain"] . It was hard to tell who knew what, or how far out in the Galaxy the attacks took place.

"We were on Kwenn Station when it was attacked by the Contingency. The whole station was in danger. Brad left me to try to stop it and during a confrontation he fell, and he fell hard. I found him with so many injuries, broken bones and the like. We were lucky to have gotten to him in time..." She didn't want to lose him. Not again. Once was enough.

Another sip of her tea was taken. She had a habit of drinking away whatever made her feel uncomfortable or too emotional. But only with tea. Always just her tea.

"No doubt he'll be putting on a brave face with anyone around. But I still worry. I just hope that he doesn't think that I'm coddling him."

[member="Bradshaw Ku"]

 

[Jairdain]

At the time of the attack, Jairdain had been going through her own mental ordeal and recovering from her time with the sith and return to the jedi. What transpired in the greater galaxy was lost on her. Bits and pieces, she had heard of, but it had not affected her to any degree. Knowing it had Kay, her son and Commenor, the knight would go out of her way to learn more of what had transpired if given the opportunity.

"It is good he was reached in time then. He will recover."

Changed in some way no doubt, traumatic events did that to people. From what Kay said, it was very traumatic for him. Jairdain gave a little half smile at the brave face comment and nodded.

"So many people just don't know when it is okay to just be themselves and not wear a mask of some sort, your majesty."

One thing Jairdain had never done was wear a mask. What you saw was what and who she was. However, she knew how to do wear one. As a growing diplomat or consular, she needed to sometimes keep things to herself over certain situations, but that wasn't the same thing. Being one way and acting another was not who she was. However, being in that role, she would in a way have to don a mask now.

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Bradshaw Ku"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded. Of course she was ever so thankful to have been able to hear her son's call. She didn't even want to think about what would have occurred if she hadn't.

But when [member="Jairdain"] spoke of wearing a mask, she just sipped her tea quietly for a moment. "It's expected for politicians and nobility to don masks. I try to be true to myself as much as I can, but there are certain things that should not be brought to light. There are things needed to be done not just for my own sake, but for the sake of my people as well." [member="Bradshaw Ku"] will need to learn hiw to wear that mask; how to be polite at gala events where the person speaking to him is insulting him. He'll need to learn to maintain his temper as there are some that would tempt it purely for entertainment.

Politics was a game. And that game included wearing costumes and maskss.

 

[Jairdain]

A moment passed that felt weighted with thought, maybe at what Jairdain said or maybe Kay was thinking of what had happened on Kwenn Station. Perhaps it was both. Whichever it was, she didn't pry, but the reason became clear after that moment.

The words of Kay made perfect sense to the knight and she nodded. When Kay said there were certain thing that should not be brought to light, Jairdain wondered what she meant. While she was here to help her son, whatever was being kept hidden, she may need to know for her duty.

"I imagine that to be the case for you and would be for somebody involved in politics. There was a point in the past when I stayed with the Dominion and was involved with their senate meeting. So I got a small taste of politics then."

When she said the first part, it was spoken in a friendly tone to take any potential sting out of the words, by the end, her voice was thoughtful slightly. Jairdain wondered if her past would have been different if she had stayed with the Dominion and what she might be like now if that were the case. Soon after that meeting, she had returned to Silver Jedi and her life changed.

There was one thing she would always do and that was be polite when she was in public. Behind closed doors and with somebody she could trust, Jairdain may show what she truly felt. Trust was something she was finding more difficult to give and there were only a few she did. Maybe Kay and her son would be added to that list. Time would tell.

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Bradshaw Ku"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay nodded. Politics wasn't for everyone. People had to have a certain stomach for it. [member="Veiere Arenais"] tried to stay away from it as much as he could. Yet being married to her didn't help in that. He did it all for love though. She had tried to get away from it on more than one occasion, but always found her way back to it. Perhaps it was her calling.

"I try to be as honest as I can, don't get me wrong. I'm a bad liar. But there are some people that enjoy insulting others to their faces. So I must not let it bother me or copy their behaviour. That's where the mask comes in."

She finished her tea and set it aside. "Shall we go and visit Brad now? The sooner that he knows about you, the better."

[member="Jairdain"] [member="Bradshaw Ku"]

 

[Jairdain]

Kay said she was honest and caused Jairdain to relax slightly. In saying she was a bad liar, the knight chuckled a little.

"My eyes will always be like a window to how I feel."

If Kay did look at her eyes, she may notice they were unfocused but a clear violet color. At the moment, they held a bit of humor as she had just chuckled at what Kay said. It didn't quite totally fade as Kay spoke more. Giving a nod to the queen, Jairdain finished off her tea and also set her cup down.

"Yes, I would like to meet him. For some reason I think he's going to resent my presence, at least for a time."

Hopefully that hurdle would be worked through and the resentment would diminish in time.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

When [member="Jairdain"] 'looked' at her, that was when she saw it. The woman didn't seem to focus on her at all. Was she unable to see? Kay had known of a couple of others that couldn't, [member="Darth Erebos"] among them. And with [member="Kirie Ito"] being deaf, it was almost comical to notice such diversity aming her staff. She had Jedi, Sith and everything in between. Now there was a pair with certain disabilities that some might find a disadvantage. But she saw the potential in all of them. And that was why she hired them. She always valued the underdogs. Maybe it was because that she was one herself.

Kay got to her feet and headed out of her office, talking while she walked. "With Brad, it's hard to guess. We could be surprised and find out that he's pleased to have the help. Who knows?" Through the hallways they walked, moving to the medical wing. [member="Bradshaw Ku"] had his own private room as most did. She wondered just how many nurses among the staff that he had hit on so far. Probably the majority.

When they reached his room, she opened the door and stepped in, urging Jairdain to come in with her. She found Brad asleep in bed, or perhaps he was just pretending? "Brad...you have a visitor. Are you awake?"

 

[Bradshaw Ku]

Bradshaw closed his eyes quickly when the door to his med-room opened. It was a tactic he’d used many times whenever his mother came to visit ever since ending up in here. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t want to talk to her. It was that he didn’t want to talk about what happened on Kwenn station. Specifically, the part where he nearly and stupidly got himself killed.

His anger had taken hold then. It pushed him to action, the dark side feeding off his anger and compelling him forward with the sureness and inanity born from pure adrenaline and the strength that flowed into him. A gift, a Trojan horse, offered by that most mysterious of all powers. Only to realize too late that, what he’d actually done was not defeat his enemy, but throw himself into a reactor shaft with no plan, no way to survive. A lucky run in with a maintenance walk was the only reason he was even here. Sure, he’d killed the controlled one, but he’d almost traded his life to do it.

It wasn’t the first time his anger had compelled him so, and it wouldn’t be the last. But to say that he was embarrassed and felt stupid for it, would be an understatement.

This wasn’t his mother’s usual visit. There was another person, someone strong in the force with her. Then, she confirmed it. There was someone else and apparently whoever it was wanted to see him. For a split second, he wondered if it was [member="Silfe Sosuri"]. But that thought vanished instantly. Besides the fact that they’d only met once during a meeting, the other person with his mother had a strong presence in the force.

One eye popped open. There was his mom, and there… The other woman standing with his mother was young, probably his age, he guessed, and nice to look at.

Maybe she was his new nurse?

Another eye popped open and he gingerly scooted himself up a little, placing his arms casually behind his head in a relaxed pose.

“Well, I am now. Got a new nurse for me, did you?”

- [member="Lady Kay"] - [member="Jairdain"] -​

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smirked as at first it seemed as though [member="Bradshaw Ku"] was asleep. Yet the moment she mentioned a visitor, surprisingly he woke up, as cool and collected as any one man. So of course she figured out that he was faking his sleep earlier in a bid to hide from her.

She folded her arms across her chest. "If I knew that those words were the magic ones to get you to wake up, I'd of said them earlier. But no, she's not your nurse. This is [member="Jairdain"] and she is going to be your tutor, councellor and advisor. It won't be long before I have to really cut down on my work. Veiere is busy woth his own, so you're going to need to step up to the plate and learn to be a leader. Shaw was teaching you it when you were younger. I'm sure that those lessons would come to mind again."

 

[Jairdain]

Jairdain followed Kay, almost beside her, but not quite. Kay was in higher station and she didn't have the right to walk next to her, at least in public. She didn't feel Kay stood fully on formalities, but there were times for everything. Until Jairdain learned what those were, she would act this way. Her intuition told her at least at first, Bradshaw would resent her presence and role in his life.

It didn't take too long and the two women had arrived at the medical area where Bradshaw was recovering. Kay opened the door for them and she followed her in. It didn't take long for him sit up in bed to notice her.

Looking at him through Force, Jairdain could see him far more clearly in a way than somebody with actual vision. Reading him through his emotions, she saw there was a layer of darkness within him. One that even he may not be fully aware of. As the knight made her impression of him in her mind, a shiver went through the Force.

While Jairdain knew the future was never set in stone, but his future would lead to him falling to that darkness. It was a blessing and a curse,when she had her visions like this, they had never been wrong. In her mind, his path was going to lead that way. She had been down one similar herself, what she never could see was where her own path was going. So a question came to her mind, would she follow him? For now, she would keep this to herself and if the opportunity came up, her warning would be passed. Even if that warning would do no good.

When he spoke, Bradshaw assumed she was here to be a nurse for him. Kay set the record straight, mentioning Veiere and another person Jairdain had never heard of or met before. There was a touch of humor in her voice at first though and she appreciated that.

"Sounds as if I have some shoes to fill. I just hope I can."

Moving forward, Jairdain approached the bed Brad laid in and gave him just as a formal nod that she had Kay when she walked into her office.

"It is my pleasure to meet you, Brad. How is your recovery going? As Queen Kay said, I am Jairdain."

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Bradshaw Ku"]

 

[Bradshaw Ku]

Bradshaw ran his hand down his face. Slowly pulling and elongating the skin as it went. Almost comically so. What was his mother talking about? She got him a tutor, councillor, an advisor? For what? He needed to… step up to the plate and learn to be a leader? She brought his father into this?

[member="Jairdain"] gave him a formal nod, and introduced herself. Big shoes to fill, she’d said. Nobody could fill Shaw Ku’s shoes.

He grimaced at the woman, almost as if someone had just shoved a lemon into his mouth, and offered her a slight movement of the hand meant to represent a greeting wave. His manners, what little he had, were lost to him after this very unexpected surprise. It was so out of the blue. One day he’s freely roaming the galaxy, looking for his younger sister, frequenting backwater cantina’s, or wandering the shady backstreets of cities, all in the expectation that his parents had the running of government under control, the next, he’s in a hospital bed being told that he now had to be a leader!

Of course, he knew that eventually he’d have to take a keener interest in the workings of government. Learning how to be a politician, chatting up diplomats, waving to crowds, kissing babies, but he just assumed all that was in the far future.

His mother gets pregnant and all of a sudden, they can’t run an empire? C’mon!

“If I knew you’d be pulling this, I would’ve stayed asleep. You know, most people just bring flowers, plush Ewoks, or balloons when they visit people in the hospital."

"Where is my Ewok, mother?”

He then turned to answer Jair, “Right now, I’d be doing better if you were my new nurse.”

He then tried to shift himself so that he’d be sitting on the side of his bed but his extensive, still healing wounds doth protested too much, shooting pain all around his abdomen, causing him to give up on the venture.

“So,” he said, looking back and forth between Jair and his mother, “what is she going to do? Follow me around and whisper secret tips in my ears? Is getting drinks in her job description?”

- [member="Lady Kay"] -​

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow at [member="Bradshaw Ku"] while he grimaced like a little child. Was he really put off at the idea of doing work? There was more to being a Prince than just flirting with the staff.

She smirked at his suggestion of gifts and flowers, giving him a look of mild amusement skirting on discontent that only a mother could give. She loved Brad dearly, but sometimes....

"Brad....you'll be getting lessons from her, and yes [member="Jairdain"] will be keeping a close eye on you. But there will be a time soon when I have to share my workload. I can't leave all of it to my assistants and Ministers. You are our eldest and must represent our family when the moment is called for. And in a good light. Jairdain will help you with that as you haven't studied politics. So please, please do this for me, for our people and for our family..."

 

[Jairdain]

Obviously unable to see the grimace Brad gave her, Jairdain picked up on his sentiment and feelings about her appointment as his tutor. Even if his words didn't say it all, she felt it through the Force. When he said he would be better off if she had been a new nurse, she only shook her head.

"I'm sure you have already been given better care than I could give you. Only know a few basics in that area, my prince."

She could always attempt to heal him additionally through the Force, but decided best to keep quiet on that. Instead Jairdain went for flattery through his rank and keep things respectful. He then asked what exactly she was going to do and mentioned whispering in his ear and fetching him drinks. Doing her best to hide a small smile of humor and probably failing like usual, she turned to look back in the direction of Kay to hear what she had to say on the matter.

Her answer was more than what Jairdain could provide and she remained silent to hear what Brad had to say on the situation. It wasn't like he had much of a choice right now. In time he would either learn to appreciate her company or attempt to push her away and impeded her in her duty. Her intuition told her they had very good chance to become close. Maybe one day he would consider her something more than a simple advisor. Her own path was clouded to her though and she couldn't tell where it would go from here.

[member="Lady Kay"] [member="Bradshaw Ku"]

 

[Bradshaw Ku]

Bradshaw let out an audible sigh.

His mother had given him more than a few lectures and chastisements since he’d joined her back on Commenor, and frankly, long before. This time, however, sounded different.

He expected the usual spiel about responsibility, honour, and so on and so forth. Not all of which always fell on deaf ears, but all of which did sound a whole hell of a lot duller than spending his time out in the greater galaxy: flying, boozing, and meeting nice women who would never be brought home to mamma.

What he didn’t expect, was the sense of urgency and desperation which underlined her appeal. This wasn’t like most of the other times, which were primarily about not making a mockery of his Princely title or the CSA. Real low-bar stuff. This time, there was something expected of him. Maybe it was just stress from her pregnancy, but she was pleading with him to take this seriously. It was a plea that did strike a chord – he could’ve just been spending too much time around her and the rest of the family – but he’d gone soft.

He looked over to Jair, a brow shot up in amusement, unware that she wouldn’t see it. He still wasn’t used to being called a prince or any such royal title so her attempt at flattery just sounded funny and odd to his ear more so than anything else.

“You know, I wasn’t really talking about helping me heal…” he started to explain to [member="Jairdain"] before remembering that his mother was present and thinking better of it.

“All right, fine.” He surrendered. “We can give it a go.”

Lifting his arms out wide he beckoned them comically toward him, “C’mon, let’s hug it out and then after you can get me that Ewok you still owe me.”

He still wasn’t especially pleased by the new set-up, or looking forward to the new responsibilities sailing his way just over the horizon, but he would do just what he said, he would ‘give it a go.’ He owed his mother at least that much.

The fact that his mother chose an attractive woman his age to tag along with him, well, that didn’t hurt either.

[member="Lady Kay"] ​