Ask A Day in the Life of Master and Padawan

[Scorpio Armegedon]

Introduction

Scorpio stood upon the precipice of a new Era within his life as he stood just outside the Council's inner chamber. His form swayed in the nervousness he felt as a Knight taking on a Padawan of the first time. He knew he was being assigned one today, but the unknowing had a certain way of ascertaining being nerve wrecking to say the least. And yet, when @Alhazred was brought out the inner chamber, a certain sigh of relief and excitement flushed his form with the reality of the Nu-Vaal from the social would be that student. A smile encroached upon his face.

"Alhazred... How have you been?" Scorpio inquired as he put out his hand in welcoming. The awkwardness of it being a student he didn't know quickly washed away as if dust. "I never imagined that the Council would assign me you."

With a nod, he thanked Alhazred's escort and motioned his pupil to walk with him. The social had been an enlightening moment and Alhazred had been the only association he had made that night within the Order, so in truth, Alhazred was the only other Jedi he knew outside the usual passings and gatherings. Well him, Master Elenath, and Hiraya Manawari. But his level of association with Alhazred was slightly deeper than with the other two. And he was given his Trials just a few days after that. It felt fitting that Alhazred was now his student.

"So tell me. How far along have you came in your studies?" It was a valid question, one Scorpio knew that was usually the first question was asked in his own experience. But even in his own genuine curiosity, he had to admit the question came off awkwardly in his attempt at formality. "Apologies. I'm trying to gauge where we should begin."

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

Alhazred smiled under his mouth tendrils at the sight of Scorpio. The young man was filled with pleasant energy, and the music around him was just as pleasant and eager. It spoke of youthfulness and life, something that he had been growing to appreciate lately. In his previous worlds of living, he had been one stuck with stoic scientism, pristine but dull in lifelessness. The Jedi temples and the Jedi in particular were so much more than the clean laboratories and space ships he had been accustomed to.

"It is salutary to see you again young master Scorpio" Alhazred whispered as he reached up and took the young man's hand. He held the shake a bit longer than usual, his webbed hands appreciating the touch of the man's skin. "I must admit, you were not my first expectancy in choice of teacher either. But I am pleasantly surprised."

Breaking the grip, Alhazred followed Scorpio alongside as he began to ask his questions.

"I've... exceeded in some areas. Having no master meant I had to be self-initiated in certain things. I trust you have been informed of my...recent endeavers?"

The 'endeavers' Alhazred was referencing were colorful to say the least. Not everyone had encountered both a starweird or a nightmare demon, let alone so early in their jedi training, in addition due to their own actions. True, the mental scars remained, but they had helped the Nu-Vaal grow in ways that normal study would never had done.

"Lets see..." Alhazred rubbed his face tendrils much like one would brush a beard or a mustache. "I have bonded with the force enough to have a basic understanding of telepathy, and my little adventure with Armen has helped me some with the ideas of moving objects in a much more dangerous setting. So I have some understanding over the aspects of control, sense and alter, though far from any kind of mastery, especially over the physical realm. I also will admit my physical training has been more, as humans say, placed on the backburner, due to my desire of what you call sign casting."

Saying this made Alhazred actually give a pause in his thinking. He had been through a lot with the Jedi already. It was actually surprising to himself that he had done so much with so little.

Sheepishly, Alhazred continued. "There was also with the incident with the starweird that I had mentally...broke. Much to my own chagrin, I admit i lost control in that situation, both over the situation itself as well as my own mind. Does this aid you Scorpio?"

@Mythos

 

[Scorpio Armegedon]

Scorpio listened attentively to Alhazred as the two of them walked, taking in his words and summarizing the general gist. In truth, Scorpio had pretty much the same training. He had two Masters, both of whom had disappeared upon him, and ended up learning on his own as Alhazred had until his mission to Kashyyyk. It was there that Master Elenath had recommended his and Hiraya's rise to Knights, one Scorpio took up and now stood here a Knight of the Jedi Order. He wasn't for sure if Hiraya had done the same, but he hoped the best for the Tiefling either way.

"My own training was very much the same." Scorpio vocalized aloud to Alhazred, his hand reaching up to stroke his full beard as he thought on where to begin. In truth, he was surprised that Alhazred hadn't been recommended for Knighthood himself, but perhaps there was something the Council had found him lacking, or rather, in need of. But what? What could Scorpio provide that Alhazred could not learn on his own. "I'm actually surprised that we're not standing here as equals, rather than as Teacher and Pupil. Perhaps the Council believe I have something worth teaching."

Scorpio chuckled an awkward jest as his words rolled off his tongue, scratching at the back of his head in embarrassment that he had suggested that Alhazred was incapable of learning it on his own. And yet, neither could deny that the Council had placed them in their roles for a reason. Perhaps even suggesting that Scorpio himself had something to learn from this as well. The wisdom of the Council was beyond either of their comprehension to say the least. Whatever the case may have been, what's done was done and the reasoning behind it would inevitably come.

As they made their approach to Homesteader, Scorpio's ship, Oof came running out of it's confines, the binary chirping of it's vocal patterns mimicking that of an undersized dog barking as it ran around the two until Scorpio knelt down and petted the Droid atop its head. Shifting his gaze upward toward the cockpit, Scorpio saw Hutt laying across the console just inside the Viewport. At least the two hadn't gotten into trouble while he was away. Boarding the ship, with Oof at his heels, Scorpio spoke to Alhazred.

"Spare bunk is above mine. Feel free to make yourself at home." Scorpio spoke, pointing the direction to the rear cabin near the science lab and medical bay. Most noticeable was that of the abundance of herbs growing within, including some of the Marcan from the social event. As Alhazred would grow comfortable, Scorpio made his way to the front of the upper deck where the communications array and Navi computers were located and check his messages. And there it was, a beacon of hope that Scorpio had been waiting on. A message from Wyllow.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

"You cannot learn a thing you think you already know" Alhazred replied to Scorpio's comment about Alhazred being an equal, momentarily thinking it was a jab at the Nu-Vaal's age. In truth, Alhazred was the inexperienced Jedi grasping at things beyond his understanding, much to his detriment. Perhaps him being assigned a master was more of making sure someone was keeping an eye on him rather and making sure he didn't do something too reckless in his pursuit. Or perhaps it was because Scorpio had something to offer Alhazred that the Nu-Vaal needed: experience and a less narrow minded temperament.

The dog like creature surprised Alhazred and made him take a step back in apprehension. Being so small and not oriented towards combat, any kind of creature had the knack of triggerring a flight or fight response, even if it was just a probe droid coming to his chin.

"I must ask Scorpio..." Alhazred started. "How does your sight see these mechanical things? My people pursue neither mechanical arts nor artificial intelligences, and having droids seems perplexing for Jedi... Your cat on the other hand..."

Alhazred's face smiled slightly at the sight of the Tooka. His mind started to wander towards the cat, beginning to hear the force's song . He could trace some of the notes emitting from the cat. Those light strings. It would be interesting, trying to synchronize his own song with the cat's, seeing if its song and his could become momentarily one, allowing one to influence the other.

Thnakfully, Scorpio's words broke Alhazred's concentration.

"What? Ah, yes, thank you" Alhazred replied. As he hoisted his own sactchel of personal affects onto the bunk, he silently thanked his parent host for making him so small. It may not have been helpful in combat, but his size helped life onboard a space ship.

"Yes, yes, this will be good" Alhazred said as he crawled onto the bunk and dangled his legs off the side like a youngling.

@Mythos

 

[Scorpio Armegedon]

The visage of an Annfyn flickered to life as Scorpio activated his comm, her caramel hued skin and golden eyes hidden behind the blue of the projection with only the hint of her platinum hair coming through as his gaze met her own. Wyllow. His beautiful wife, the half of him that ached in silence as he placed duty before heart incomplete as her stared upon her callous face. Her could still feel her anger toward his choice emanating even through the projection, and it saddened his heart.

"Taryn and Shae wish to see their father." Her voice was torn in evidence, a tremble in her undertone as she contacted him against her own wishes. She couldn't see it, her visage only a recording, but Scorpio still pretended to cusp her face as he always had, the lingering love he had for her never fading. "Against my better judgement, I'm inviting you to Annwfyn to see our children... if you have the time or the want to. If not, then i am sorry to have wasted your time Jedi."

There was bitterness in her words that echoed across ages. Scorpio and Wyllow had met during his time amongst the Luka Sene and when he departed to join the Jedi, she had forced him to make an impossible choice. It truly hurt him that it came to this, and his love for her would be and was abundantly evident. But his call to the Order was more than a choice made. He was beaconed to it, similar to Gemini, by an outside source. He knew that Wyllow and the kids were better off on Annwfyn, away from him and whomever was behind the message. There was abundant politics behind the scenes on Alpheridies, and his mother's Clan were all but destroyed.

This was necessity. There were things yet out of his reach that could deny the threat. Wyllow would just have to understand, one day. Turning off the transmission, he headed back to where Alhazred remained. Seeing the Nu-Vaal atop the bunk made the realization of his height a surprising shock for Scorpio. He had never really noticed his height before, or rather lack of. But seeing through blind eyes wasn't necessarily clarity in the form most could see.

"As the old adage speaks, the Force flows through everything, including stone and metal." He responded to Alhazred's previous question, the sadness of the previous moment lingering as it slowly passed. "It's something akin to sonar location, but instead delving into the Force rather than sound. My mind is open to the Force, and it shows me what it wants me to see."

It was the best explanation that Scorpio could grasp in layman's terms to describe it. Otherwise, it was something that someone had to experience for themselves to truly understand a semblance of it's grasp. And even then, it deviated from person to person and their depth of blindness. If one could see outside the Force, their connection would differ from one who has never seen before, such as Scorpio. Standing before Alhazred, he spoke.

"It might be better if I take the top." A jest came as his blind gaze met Alhazred at equal level, the silver of his eyes flickering behind the remnant of forced back tears. "How would you like to visit the world of Annwfyn? You'll be welcomed there as long as you're in my company, so it may be a once in a lifetime chance."

The Annfyn were a cautious breed of humanoids, leary and downright hesitant of offworlders and outsiders. And to purposely break their laws led many to be imprisoned or exiled from their world. And yet, Scorpio was a Child of Nature, a rite of passage granted to very few. And even he had not returned without invitation. But now that he had it, he was excited to see Taryn and Shae, his children. And as his Padawan, the invitation extended to Alhazred as an associate.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

"Do not worry, I was literally bred to fit into starships" Alhazred waved at the comment of Scorpio taking the top bunk. However, he also noticed the young man's eyes.

There was something going on with the man. Alhazred had seen such a look before, if only academically. The look a Givin gave off when his calculations came asunder, the appearance of a child discovering something not pleasent in the extreme. He himself had experienced such feeling when his host first left him without giving him instructions on how to find Vaal. Alhazred could've pressed, but not wanting to press into such personal details, Alhazred simply nodded.

"I would enjoy such a honorable peregrination" Alhazred commented. "I can't say I know much of the world, but I feel such a place is good for you."

@Mythos

 

[Scorpio Armegedon]

There was a semblance over overcoming joy that radiated from Scorpio at Alhazred's reply, as well as a sense of serenity and appreciation. Scorpio thought back to the last time he saw Taryn and Shae, his mind quickly accessing the possibilities of their growth. And of Wyllow, the star that lit his world with the warmest of environments; tropical and peaceful. Even as he stood there, the apparent affection he held for his family was present within his presence and written all over his physical form. There was an extra pep in his overall step.

"It truly is." He replied in subtle jest as he offered Alhazred to follow him to the cockpit. Homesteader was a truly defining name for his ship, as most of it held an overall appearance of a small apartment like interior. An true RV aspect within the Galactic confines. But the outside wore the wear and tear of many ages and former battle scars littered it's hull. As the crossed into the nose of the ship where the cockpit laid, Scorpio sat down and warmed up the recently refueled engines as they sputtered to life haphazardly. "I truly thank you."

There was sincerity in his voice as the ship's sputter came to a harmonic purr, and Scorpio lifted it off and entered local air traffic. "The Annfyn are naturalists by nature. Could provide opportunities to expand upon your training while we are on Annwfyn. Perhaps even philosophy. " Scorpio spoke as his ship entered the upper atmosphere and began preparing their hyperspace jump through the Nav-Com. "But first, my wife..."

With that spoken, Scorpio shuddered slightly. There was still the lingering anger she held toward him for his decision to join the Order. But after the contact was made about his family becoming a target, it became a necessary choice to be made, some things best left hidden. She may not understood his reasoning, but in his mind as well as his heart, she didn't need to. As long as she and the kids were safe, that was all that mattered. And if the context of the contact was right, he had already lost one family to it before. The Rägnär Clan held grudges beyond time and space, and his mother's choice to leave behind her darkened life wrought dire consequences that left him an orphan.

He would not do that to his children. He would not do that to Wyllow. And in a battle against Miralukian Clans, he had to be strong in the Force, focused and tactical. It was a balance that had to be forged. At least, that's how he justified his choice. Only the Force would tell if it was the right one. Pushing the lever forward, the stars blurred and Homesteader entered hyperspace.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

Alhazred was half hypnotised by the ship's workings. It was no secret that his people were less than ill equipped for handling space ship travel, especially after the release of the biological report done by the sentientologist, Saal Bol. Where most species had advanced technologically, his had done so more spiritually, both to their benefit and detriment.

However, Alhazred was brought back to the situation when Scorpio began talking.

"Interesting" Alhazred commented, not adding much beyond that. Naturalists weren't the most uncommon thing in the galaxy. Heck, many in the galaxy viewed people with cybernetics with disdain. But each culture had their own views that made them unique. Perhaps Scorpio was right in that Alhazred could learn something.

"I was not aware that you were married young master Scorpio" Alhazred noted. "My people don't have such trappings like husbands and wives. All of us are basically as identical as starfish or coral polyps. We breed via mitosis, and thus, we do not perscribe to relations like husbands and wives."

"But i must confess...and pardon if I overstep my boundries..." Alhazred continued as he faced Scorpio, his eyes squinting slightly in curiosity. "I've heard that such attachments were once forbidden by the Jedi. It surprises me that the Jedi allow such things now. Has your marriage interfered with your Jedi training at all?"

@Mythos

 

[Scorpio Armegedon]

As the two barreled through hyperspace aboard the Homesteader, their conversation would continue amidst the occasional checking of instruments and readings by Scorpio as he listened to Alhazred attentively. "So there is no emotional involvement? I don't suppose I could exist in that way." Scorpio meant no harm with his words, nor intended to insult if it came across as such. He was, however, overly blunt in his assessment as his blind silvered eyes diverted to his Padawan.

Simply put, Scorpio held a certain understanding about himself and the world around him. So to see life another way, was adamantly impossible. In some ways, he somewhat disagreed with it. Emotions were a focal point in sentience, in existence. Even in the hardships of his life, from losing his childhood to his Uncle, to his marriage to Wyllow and the children she bore, and now, a Jedi like his father, he understood the depths of one's soul through their emotions. They were a necessity in his mind. And to think of his life without them, felt cold.

"I love my wife, you know? I mean, we have our problems...." He replied in earnest, his gaze reminiscent of a deep look. "But to never know it in my heart, I just can't fathom it Alhazred. I would never feel how I feel."

Leaning forward, Scorpio dialed a known, flipped a switch, and leaned back.

"But this is the life I chose for us." Scorpio spoke, a truth hidden beneath his words as he stared out the Viewport and felt the pull of hyperspace as they traversed billions of stars, quadrillions of lives, and sextillions of worlds that had yet to be truly explored. All of it instantaneously. It always had a euphoric aspect, slightly glorious, but also slightly disabling, like being torn by endless visions all at once. It took focus and attunement to block them out completely. Discipline. Diligence. "I'm not sure how the Order would feel about it. But it's never really been spoken about either, until now at least. It's something I usually keep to myself."

Scorpio had rarely spoken of his wife and kids. He kept the subject close to his vest per se. And it's reasoning was a long story even to be summarized. For on the horizon sat a being that threatened to engulf his family if he had chose to stay. The only course of action was to distance himself completely, and to follow his Father's footsteps into the Order. Or so he felt. And he had been adamant in this endeavor. Made his wife think he chose this life over her. Although, he did keep tabs on the children through her on regular basis. It was a necessity, until his meeting with that being came to pass.

I do what I must because there is no other choice." He spoke as the duo exited Hyperspace above Annwfyn, the turquoise gem appearing before their eyes. There destination was a quaint village a few days outside the forested Modron, the city in which they were porting for their visit. "The rest is up to fate. We're here. This is Annwfyn."

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

"It is...unorthadox compared to most in the galaxy" Alhazred commented on the subject of his own species terms on relationships and such. "But then again, we both are unorthadox species. Not everyone sees without seeing"

Of course, that didn't mean there wasn't relations at all. The most common of course was host and spawn. He after all did not know his host as well as he wanted, and while he was loathe to confess it, there were at times if affected his mindset. And while he did not have spawn, he knew he treated younglings differently as a result of his own host/spawn relationship.

Seeing a piece of Scorpio's inner self, Alhazred believed it was best not to push further. Instead, he silenced himself and enjoyed the view of hyperspace, at least as much as he could. Truth be told, he never enjoying the concept of hyperspace. It was too mystical to his primitive kind in several ways. You traveled faster than light but not faster than light? It was an alternative dimension but at the same time directly affected by the dimension he existed in? There were no stars, but you could see the stars go by? It was not right. It was better to travel the void under primitive propulsion, and experience the darkness that the void held in reserve.

Course, his kind were still primitive on the galactic scale. The only reason anyone knew what a Nu-Vaal looked like was because a ship with hyperdrive capability crashed onto Vaal, much like how their dead god crashed and gave birth to their kind. It was a kind of poetry. The void that gave life to Vaal also gave Vaal the ability to leave. Not that it was always a good thing. Alhazred had been accused a few times in his life of being part of a species that preferred 'dissection over discretion'

The view of Annwfyn was pleasing, both visually and in audile in the force. The song that Alhazred perceived as the planet came closer and closer was that of pleasing harps and gentle horns floating gently in the air. Alhazred could detect a likeness between it and that of Scorpio's song, much how two vastly different songs could be the same genre. There was a clear relation between the two. The question was whether it was because Scorpio considered this place his home, or because his thoughts lingered here longer then elsewhere.

"I admire the planet's lush landscape young Master Scorpio" Alhazred commented, his whispering voice betraying a slight hint of jealousy. "Tell me, is there anything I should prepare myself for? Your previous statements about me being alright as long as I'm in your presence indicated that something bad could happen if i wasn't in your company"

@Mythos

 

[Scorpio Armegedon]

As the Homesteader landed, Scorpio made his way toward his bunk and pulled forth a Om Shri om from beneath, delicate wooden box draped with intricate designs, and opened it. Within sat a ornate Circlet forged from the ore and metals of Annwfyn, intricate in design by its own right as he gazed upon it hesitantly and with sorrow before pulling it out and placing it atop his head. It was a gift from Wyllow's father, Drashae, after Scorpio's rite to become a Child of Nature and welcomed friend of their people. And it served as his official badge, signifying his entitlement. With a sigh as he closed the box and the duo would soon depart the ship.

For the most part, most of the Annfyn accepted Scorpio and some even openly welcomed him as a friend as they moved away from the ship and into the large city of Modron. But @Alhazred would only recieve partial stares and unwelcoming eyes from the common citizen. And the air only thickened with resentment as the duo traversed Modron toward the outer gates. Scorpio waited until now to explain the ways of the Annfyn people.

"To say that the people of Annwfyn are xenophobic wouldn't be far from the truth, only in a different light." He began to explain, his tone low enough that those standing aside could not hear him as most of the Annfyn seemed to distance themselves from Alhazred specifically. "They see the larger Galaxy as self destructive and unnatural, wishing no part of it. By association of being from the larger Galaxy, non-Annfyn are usually unwelcome and deemed a threat. I was once seen this way myself."

Modron was a city Scorpio knew all too well, the place where his life amongst the Annfyn beginning here during one of his missions as a Luka Sene. A rogue Miralukian had fled to this world, and upon finding out how the Annfyn are toward outsiders, kidnapped Wyllow in order to attempt to hide his presence amongst them. Drashae, of course, aided in the Miralukian's plight if only to save his daughter. And Scorpio was the one who pursued him. Saving her brought him to be recognized by the Annfyn properly and he was granted the rite of being a Child of Nature. And inevitably, they were wed. Turning into the back alleys to avoid the discomfort for Alhazred, Scorpio continued.

"They are a naturally gifted people, one in tune with the Living aspect of the Force, and as such, see the clarity of sentient hearts. They know our potential for bad as much as our potential for good, and it gives them reasons to be suspicious of all." As the two arrived at the city's eastern gate, Scorpio booked passage aboard a carriage heading for De'soto, the place that Scorpio once called home and dedicated his heart to. Turning back to Alhazred, he concluded. Hold no ill will toward them. This is their custom and tradition. Show the truth of your heart, and they will welcome you."

As the duo climbed aboard the carriage, Scorpio would sit most of the ride in silence, the aura of his nervousness apparent upon the Force as it's flow around him and through him shifted chaotically from time to time. After a few hours, the carriage stopped and Scorpio stood up. "We're here." He spoke and stepped forth from the veiled carriage into the vast village that was De'soto.

It was a forested village's, houses not built, but grown from seedlings and adapted to be the Annfyn's housings. And at the far end sat a quaint little abode, two children playing in the yard. The moment Scorpio's eyes laid upon them, tears would stream from his eyes and he would choke upon his will to cry. And yet, he felt a tap upon his shoulder and as her turned to face her, he was barely able to utter her name, "Wyllow" before her fist met his face and he fell backwards into unconsciousness.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

Alhazred raised an eyebrow at Scorpio's explanation. These people were more alike with the Nu-Vaal species then Scorpio realized. The Nu-Vaal Jedi silently prayed to the Dead God and the Force that the Annwyfn did not practice live dissections, or dead ones for that matter, like Nu-Vaal did to those who stumbled onto Vaal. Even as Alhazred sheepishly waved to someone who stared and turned away, the only difference Alhazred could think of between these and his people was that his people were a bit more ruthless in their xenophobia.

"Do not stress over my will towards your people Scorpio" Alhazred reassured. "I believe i understand their viewpoints. Besides, as Jedi, we are sworn to help people of many views, even those who seem barbaric to the wider galaxy"

Despite the people's starings and unwelcomed looks, Alhazred seemed to be enjoy the scenery whole heartedly. The music of the Force here was much more soothing and lively. It felt like how the galaxy needed to be: alive. The carriage ride itself reminded him of the tales about how life in the galaxy began and how some myths told of planet-sized paradises. For a moment, Alhazred again envied Scorpio. Yag-Dhul's barren and chaotic surface had nothing like this. Perhaps Vaal did, but he had not witnessed the place yet.

Alhazred saw the younglings first. One of them was looking at him and making motions towards the sibling. It was probably out of the excitement of seeing Scorpio, but Alhazred's mind first thought that perhaps they were just as excited at seeing something as strange and unusual as a bipedial squid-faced starfarer. Nervously, Alhazred raised a hand to wave, but before he could, he heard the sound of a fist impacting a man's head.

Alhazred tried to catch Scorpio. His intention was good if anything. His planning on the other hand had much to be desired. Scorpio was a 5'10 being who, while fit, was much more bulky than what Alhazred would've expected. Alhazred was less than 5 feet tall, and easily less than half Scorpio's weight. Even a Givin youngling struggling with his first calculus problems could've told Alhazred that trying to catch the man on the way down was a bad idea.

Now on his back and partially underneath Scorpio, Alhazred strained to get out from under the man's weight.

"You must be the better half of young master Scorpio" Alhazred wheezed outloud as he stood back up, trying to simultaneously dust himself off and bow in greetings to the female. Alhazred made a bit more of a mess of himself as his turban began to come undone. A slight lump rose in his throat as his preconceived fears of being dissected alive returned to his mind. If that was to happen, knocking out Scorpio would be a good way to start.

"If it means anything, his bringing me here was a Jedi idea. Encountering other cultures peacefully is something we hope to do. I hope neither I nor he..." Alhazred gently nudged Scorpio with a foot, hoping to jostle him awake, "have not offended you with my presence."

@Mythos

 

[Scorpio Armegedon]

Wyllow stood there, her teeth clinched and her brazen brown eyes staring coldly at the fallen form of Scorpio as she huffed with uncontrollable rage. Only Alhazred's words brought her back to the reality of the moment as stern eyes fell upon the slightly shorter alien. She sighed. "So he has done it. He's become a Jedi?" She questioned Alhazred quizzically as her rage subsided.

There was a deep sorrow in her eyes as it shifted back to the unconscious form of Scorpio before shifting to the incoming children, Shae albeit faster than her younger brother who barely could run with his stubble legs. "Children, prepare your father's chair." She spoke before turning to Alhazred. "Help me get him up." As she lifted him up, one arm over her shoulder with the other hopefully over Alhazred's own, she kissed her husband on his forehead and began dragging his form toward the house at the end of the lane. "Stupid human". She spoke under her breath.

Meanwhile, as Alhazred and Wyllow would drag Scorpio's unconscious form toward the house, Shae and Taryn went about their duties, fluffing their father's chair near the fireplace, removing the folded clothes Wyllow had placed upon it, and as Taryn made a few jumps from the chair to the footstool, Shae ran the feathered duster across its form. When Wyllow and Alhazred would lay his form within in, Wyllow would remove his boots and place his feet upon the footstool before heading into the kitchen and putting on a pot of tea.

"You have nothing to fear, Padawan." She spoke as she returned, offering a seat upon a nearby couch to Alhazred. "I don't fear outsiders like the rest of my people as I'm sure you've realized by now. And as a companion to my husband, you are freely welcomed here as long as our laws are followed."

As she spoke, Scorpio mumbled something about loving her amidst his unconscious dreams, breaking her attention from his Padawan and a somber smile graced her face. "I know you do." She would reply before turning back to Alhazred with her own questions. "Does my husband fair well amongst his beloved Order?" There was a semblance of venom in her words as she asked Alhazred, but only directed at Scorpio. "I know his father was one, but did he really have to leave us behind to follow it?"

With the whistle of the tea pot echoing from the other room, Wyllow excused herself as she went to prepare it. Shae and Taryn, however, quickly approached Alhazred out of curiosity with their mother gone. "You look weird, mister." Shae would bluntly point out before Taryn would express his agreement. "Yeah." as he reached up his hand and pulled upon one of the Nu-Vaal's tentacles. Shae would slap Taryn's hand and turn a similar stare that her mother held earlier to Alhazred. "Are you the reason our father left?"

"That's enough children. He is not the reason your father left." Wyllow spoke as she stepped back into the room, Shae and Taryn quickly scurring away and back outside. "Forgive the little ones. They don't understand the outside world like we do."

Laying a cup of tea before Alhazred, and Scorpio as well for when he would begin to stir, she kept one for herself and sat opposite him in a chair next to Scorpio. Taking a sip, she sat the cup and tray down before her upon a table that literally grew from the floor. "At my age, there are very few things I do not know or have not seen. And even though I will outlive my husband and my children both, i know he hides his fear from me. Whatever his reasons may be, it scares him beyond his own beliefs. In that, he has betrayed me and what our love stands for."

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

A moment of clarity flooded Alhazred's brain at the wife's response. So his joining of the order was not one that his wife enjoyed, and there was some possible resentment between the two. The look that Scorpio had about needing to come here made infinite more sense, though Alhazred wondered how much more there was to discover about the young man. Deep in his twin stomachs, Alhazred felt that this ordeal would be a tougher trial for Scorpio than his trials of knighthood.

The woman's words of reassurance didn't exactly do thier purpose, as Alhazred still felt slightly nervous for both himself and Scorpio, though not because of what the natives may do. He had no idea what married life was like. Were these displays of aggression an act of love or genuine hate?

"Your husband is a proficient man" Alhazred answered the woman's question while taking a seat. "He recently attained knighthood, and as punishment, he has been sentenced to keep an eye over my training. I believe our superiors think it would help me discover and assimilate the meaning of restraint from him"

Alhazred tried to insert some humor to help lighten the mood, though Alhazred felt the joke fall flat the moment it left his toothless maw. However, Alhazred felt his humor rise again when the children began to speak to him. He actually chuckled when the feminine one commented on his strange appearance. Imagine if he didn't have his turban on! Out of most of the species in the galaxy, Alhazred truly felt 'alien' amongst the human-like ones, and felt like their comments about his odd looks were just under the surface. To actually hear it said out loud and so plainly was almost a relief. He wasn't even upset when one of them grabbed his face tendril, though he did feel bad for the youngling. After all, his face tendrils were slightly corrosive to aid food digestion.

"They are fine. Burgeoning sentience means vocalizing what you don't understand." Alhazred replied for the woman's apology.

"...And testing the limits of reality's laws" Alhazred added with a wink towards the child while rubbing the tendril that the boy had so clumsily grabbed.

Taking the tea, Alhazred sipped gently between his face tendrils. His life had been filled with the finer things a mathematician and a scholar could attain, and he knew the enjoyment of tea better than most.

"You speak of a problem I have little experience in, benevolent hostess. " Alhazred responded. "But i can assure you I detect feelings about leaving you and the younglings from him as well. Still, it does puzzle me how much human males struggle to announce their fears and weaknesses. Reading The Road Home would do them some good "

Alhazred looked up, realizing what he said demanded explanation. "Sorry, The Road Home is something of my people's religious texts. Wonderful work, brimming with wisdom and esoteric nihilistic visions. If you ever get a chance to read it, you will not regret it"

@Mythos

 

[Scorpio Armegedon]

It was nice to hear from Alhazred that Scorpio still felt what she had suspected and she smiled even as she struggled in silence to fight back the tears that ached to be released. Her gaze fell upon his fallen form sitting beside her in the opposite chair, caressing the bruised hand in which she had previously laid him out with. Straightening herself, she shot her gaze back at Alhazred.

"I may just do that." She spoke, still nursing the hand. "Forgive my initial outburst. We Annfyn have a tendency to be explosive in our emotions. In joy, we are overjoyed, sadness a deep depression, anger... well, you saw it.

"I just wish he would trust me enough to tell me what drove him away." She spoke, her struggle to find the right words evident in her offlooking gaze as thoughts ran course through her mind, as well as in her undertone, the confusion that flowed in her words. "It's not his love for me and the children. It's his struggle to commit to our marriage and in our family. He runs from what we swore to be, and yet, cannot tell me why."

"I am sorry Wyllow." Scorpio spoke from his waking slumber, his hand reaching up and relocating his jaw before he struggled to sit up. She did have a mean hook. He had to give that to her. Outside her storming off that winter day with the kids, he had never seen her angry. "If I ever speak of what I saw, it's probable to come true no matter what I do. And if I was to show you, you would have your father revoke my rite as a Child of Nature."

Sitting up, but not looking Wyllow directly in the eye, Scorpio took a sip of the tea despite the pain that shot through his jaw line as the warm liquid swished to that side. Just as he did, however, an eruption of explosive joy erupted throughout the sitting area as two youthful voices scream at Scorpio, "Daddy!" as Scorpio was in essence bumrushed by the two toddlers.

Other than Shae, Scorpio and Taryn, not a word was spoken as the duo told their father of their Grandfather, adventures of their homestead, and fantastical outings across the vast and extensive forest surrounding their home with Mother and her family. All Scorpio could do was laugh, express the joy in hearing their tales, obviously outlandish, and constantly love upon them as if he had longed to for more days than even a Given could calculate. And for a brief moment, Alhazred would see Scorpio for what he was outside the Jedi Order; a Father.

Wyllow had remained quiet, a forced smile upon her face even if deep down she felt a semblance of joy mixed in with her anger at him. She still loved him. She could not deny that, nor that she wished deep in her soul that this moment would last. But mixed in was a bitter resentment that festered like a necrotic wound. That her husband refused to tell her. That he wouldn't explain himself to her, to allow her into even the darkest crevasses of his heart and mind. To avoid it growing any farther, Wyllow turned to Alhazred and broke their silence.

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you wish, or until your Order calls you elsewhere." She spoke as she rose from her seat to excuse herself. "I will send word to the other Houses within the village to understand and acknowledge this. You will find our quaint village more hospitable than that of Modron, and if you need anything, you have but to ask."

With that, Wyllow exited the room to allow Scorpio time with his children.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

Alhazred nodded at the woman. Her frankness was odd but a pleasant surprise. Most species were not so like this, especially at the Jedi temples. Course, he himself was similar, though he often hid his open feelings behind complex words that some people required a thesaurus to fully comprehend.

For the most part, Alhazred was enjoying this, if in a weird way. He still felt like an outsider, but his scholarly mind felt like he was observing something he would normally never had privy to. Indeed, how many Jedi had families that conducted their familial duties with outsiders in the room? It was actually a heartening pleasure the more Alhazred observed. This was a situation that, while it was Scorpio's, Alhazred planned on treasuring in an academic way and as a personal comfort.

"You younglings are quite fortunate." Alhazred whispered openly once the wife had left. "My host left me when I was five, with the understanding of never seeing each other again. Enlighten me, what is it spawn typically do with their hosts, erm, parents? Is it true you tend to do what others call 'play games?' "

@Mythos

 

[Scorpio Armegedon]

Amidst the ensuing tickle fest between Scorpio and his children, the trio looked up at Alhazred as his question perplexed the children. Scorpio, however, laughed. Looking at both Shae and Taryn as they looked to him for clarity, he smiled. "He's asking what do you two do with me and mom, like play games, go on adventures, etcetera." With an ecstatic look encompassing both of their faces, Shae was the first to speak.

"When Daddy still lived with us, we would go on all kinds of adventures." Her eyes grew big as she expanded her arms to full length to emphasize the vastness of it before continuing her tale. "One time, we fought a mean old witch who wanted to eat us for dinner, but Daddy saved us. Of course, it was momma pretending, but it was so fun!"

"Yeah". Taryn piped in, barely able to utter words outside a handful as he gummed his finger vigorously. "Daddy save us alot."

Scorpio chuckled and put Taryn down out of his lap as he stood, his jaw still aching from Wyllow's mean left hook. "Speaking of dinner, who wants to help me and Mr. Alhazred pick some vegetables from the garden? Naturally, Shae was quick to give a resounding "yuck", which Taryn agreed with and copied. But naturally, Scorpio gave a firm and scolding look to the two. "You want to grow big and strong like mommy and Daddy, don't you?" He questioned, to which both responded an excited "yeah!".

Scorpio would motion for Alhazred to follow, a short distance through the kitchen and out into the backyard where a medium sized garden sat off to the east of the playground Scorpio had built for the two and a small table and chairs sat north of near the house. It held a great view of the setting sun. "Pick something delicious." He would call out to the children as he stood next to his Padawan, whom he turned to as the children ran to the garden. "So. What do you eat, Alhazred? I don't recall seeing you eat anything.".

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

"I see. Well that does suit your father from what I've seen and heard" Alhazred stated simply at the explanation of 'games'. Truth be told, he had not much knowledge on the fact. His own host never did such things, and for the average Givin, the kind of 'games' younglings had with their parents were 'find the missing quadratic variable' and 'calculate the number of Mynock eggs inside a black hole'. Fun for the right kind of mind, but ostracizing when you were the only non-Givin in the room.

Alhazred followed, and watched the children run to the garden before he heard the question.

"Hmm? Oh, we evolved consuming a selection of aquatic life; snails, fish, octopuses, coral, seaweed... You'll find I'm quite omnivorous. If its nutritious, and if either you or your wife cooks half as well as she can biff and bob, I'm sure I'll be more than satisfied. "

Alhazred chuckled at his own joke, much like an old man would at his own. "Confess to me Master Scorpio. Such a greeting is unorthodox, no? Especially when younglings are present?"

@Mythos

 

[Scorpio Armegedon]

Scorpio began to chuckle uncontrollably for a few moments before the fit erupted into a resounding laughter that caused both Shae and Taryn to turn and gaze upon their father dumbfounded, which only added to the resounding fit. Moments would pass as it continued, and inevitably he found a way to stop the laughter, but tears would remain as his face and ribs hurt tremendously.

"No. Heh. My friend, heh, it's not atypical greeting." He spoke through the dying laughter, grasping his side as he took a moment to catch his breath and let the contracting muscles relax. But the Annfyn are more prone to extreme emotions. Wyllow's anger at me has had ample time to brew. And in all honesty, I deserved it."

As the moment of laughter died, so did the lighthearteness of the moment as it fleeted into a somber silence. He stared upon the setting sun as it disappeared behind the forested horizon, smiling briefly as the children ran in with the vegetables they had gather for meal. When Scorpio was sure they were alone, he let out a deep sigh. He smirked at Alhazred behind his embarrassment.

"Remember when I told you that my mother had been of the Sith?" He questioned his Padawan, memories turning back to their time at the Jedi gathering at the Temple when he was still a Padawan. "I found out alot more during my time with the Luka Sene on her homeworld of Alpheridies. She wasn't just Sith, but hailed from a noble house, House Rägnär, a family she had adopted into."

It was a revelation that Scorpio had made even before he came to be one of the Jedi, a revelation that would inevitably push him toward that very decision, and a decision to separate his family. "This particular noble House held ties to the Sith Purebloods, an ancient species in which the Sith Order derived their name, and as such were devoted to the Purebloods in every degree, and based themselves on Alpheridies to turn rogue Miralukians to their cause. The Luka Sene had an entire dossier on the family when i arrived, including myself, and i spent some time in jail while things were settled and i was eventually exonerated."

"It seems my mother's marriage to my father was aided by her work with the Luka Sene, ending their holdings on Alpheridies and led to House Rägnär's exile and my Uncle's revenge. But i knew this before i married Wyllow." Scorpio grew hesitant to speak the rest, but for the clarity of his choice to his pupil, he felt compelled to do so, if only to affirm that he had indeed made the right choice. "What I didn't know was that my Uncle had an heir, a son born just a few years before me. And three years ago, he contacted me."

This heir, Ōk Rägnär, also known as Darth Dictum as Alhazred's writer would undoubtedly remember him as, sent a singularly photo of Scorpio and his family, sighed by the man himself with the words 'Best Wishes, Cousin'. A photo he pulled from his pocket and offered to Alhazred as proof. A photo that was quickly pulled from both their hands as Scorpio offered up. Shaking his head, Scorpio conceded defeat, his gaze settling upon Wyllow as she gazed in horror in return.

"Now you know." he expressed to both, moving away from the banister he had been resting on, and inside, leaving a somber atmosphere that resided in silence for the rest of the night through supper, Scorpio putting the little ones to bed, and in his own going to bed on the couch that night and left Alhazred to the guest room as big as it was. There was little rest as both Scorpio and Wyllow would reside in their silence throughout, and even into the morning as Scorpio led Alhazred outside after breakfast. The Annfyn were vegans, so only fruits and vegetables consisted in both meals.

"Forgive the mood from last night." Scorpio conveyed to his Padawan for both he and Wyllow, an apology he knew both he and his wife would share instinctively. After all, Wyllow and Scorpio were very similar in most of their personality aspects, with very few differences brought about by hereditary traits. "I should have been more aware, but it's a revelation that draws my focus. Ōk's history is mostly unknown to the Luka Sene, and what I did find on him, was in the Jedi Archives and paints a sadistic picture. Despite what my wife may feel right now, there is deeper motives that are at play. Ōk left behind an imprint upon the photo that Wyllow cannot see, and only Miralukians can feel. For he and I are destined to meet, and if I had remained, they would meet the same fate that I foresaw."

A fate that Scorpio had come to accept if it ever came to pass, but not one he would chance upon his family. As a Jedi, was the only way Scorpio could see Ōk's defeat. And if not, at least only Scorpio could avoid their attachment to his fate. Ōk wants Scorpio to live in despair, and so that's all his agents would ever see. But what he can't forsee was Scorpio's trust in the will of the Force and the Jedi he had come to be. Stopping at the edge of the forest behind his former home, Scorpio pluck a leaf from a Annfyn Tree, twirling it in his fingers. "For now, it will simply have to be. But enough of my problems. Take a walk with the children and me.

With that said, Shae and Taryn came rushing from inside and toward their father and Alhazred, innocent grins upon both their faces. Picking Taryn up and placing him upon his back in a packing position as Shae grasped her father's free hand and took the leaf from it into her other hand. Scorpio smiled as he met Alhazred's gaze again, Shae placing the slit leaf to her lips and blowing, a harmonious music emitting as their stroll began.

@Narzen

 

[Alhazred]

The sudden outburst of laughter was shocking to Alhazred. He had spent most of his life among academics and now 'wizards' who some led a practically monastic lifestyle. Outbursts of emotions, even positive ones like joy or humor, were relatively new to the Nu-Vaal.

This planet was becoming a learning experience for Alhazred. Just not one he expected.

" But the Annfyn are more prone to extreme emotions. Wyllow's anger at me has had ample time to brew. And in all honesty, I deserved it."

This confused Alhazred greatly. To be so seeped in the Force, and yet to be prone to extreme emotional outbursts...that felt like a catastrophe waiting to occur. Then again, just because he had only experienced the negative emotional outbursts in his life might be influecing his bias.

"You have a rich familial history I see" Alhazred noted simply after Scorpio's explanation.

Dinner was pleasent to say the least. While Alhazred didn't speak as much as the younglings, he enjoyed the presence of both the little ones and Scorpio's wife, despite any awkwardness between anyone. The Younglings did ask a few questions about Alhazred, to which he was actually happy to answer. No, he wasn't a Quarren. Yes, he had witnessed other planets. No, he wasn't small for his age, he simply was bred to be miniscule. Yes, his kind came smaller occasionally. No, his face tendrils were not meant for grabbing things. Yes, it was ok they had been grabbed, just not to do it again. No, he couldn't say that had happened before.

One question and its follow-up did catch him by surprise. Did he have any family? What are his children like?

"Well..." Alhazred started. "My host and I haven't spoken since I was about five, so he isn't much of family. I've met a few of my cousins. They are...distant to say the least. By approximation, they are the closest thing to family at the moment, save the Jedi. As for spawn, I have created none so far, but I'm in my 80's. I have time to make some."

This question would keep him up during the night. Even as he layed down, his turban unwrapped and laying on the floor, his mind drifted back and forth over the question and answers he gave. Why didn't he have any spawn yet? Is it not the nature of the universe to grow and procreate? Alhazred supposed that at one point he reasoned Jedi weren't supposed to have spawn, but if Scorpio's life were starting to teach the Nu-Vaal anything, having younglings was not a sin in the Order's eyes. How many spawn did his host have so far? Should he have made a spawn by now?

The next morning, Alhazred listened to Scorpio intently.

"Fears plague many kinds. I suspect you are wise in not wanting your family in the crossfire of familial troubles. As long as your family understands what you've told me, I'm certain they will be at least, a little at ease."

Following the group, Alhazred's eyes drifted over the entire area. Like before, the planet was rich in life, and in turn, rich in the Force.

"Tell me Master Scorpio" Alhazred voiced out. "What training do you foresee for me?"

@Mythos