Open Hidden Past Snow Mountain Paths

[Ke'rena]

Unknown mountain range, Fiana, three weeks after the events of The Frozen Doors

The news of the Jedi on Fiani reached the village by word of mouth. Rena's extended family came for a visit a few weeks ago bearing stories of the Jedi seen in Teakroof. According to them, Jedi representatives had met with a council representing multiple Fianan settlements, and an agreement was made that the Jedi could retake an old temple they had somewhere deep in the mountains. The temple would apparently not serve as a base of military operations for the Jedi but as a place of learning and knowledge.

This news directly resulted in quite a long journey with Rena's fathers which was now quickly coming to an end. Both of the men were very accustomed to long periods of time out "on the road" per se, having worked as scouts, trackers, and literal pathfinders for most of their adult lives. Being their daughter, Rena was certainly more accustomed to it than others, but they had grown weary and tired of travel long before their fathers even began to feel the slightest twinges of fatigue. The group had stopped to rest at every village, hamlet, or town they'd passed along the way, and while Rena's fathers bought supplies and gathered information, they caught up on some well-needed rest.

Since Rena's cousins didn't know the exact location of the temple, just the mountain range, Rena's fathers, Reiji and Enmei, had to work off rumors and information given to them by those they spoke to in the towns they passed through. Their hard work paid off though, and they were speeding steadily through a mountain path that would supposedly lead them straight to the temple. Rena had nodded off yet again, slumped on the speeder behind Reiji, arms around his waist, seemingly unbothered by the icy winds or the powdering of snow that struck their exposed cheek whenever a snowbank was flown over. Enmei, on his own speeder, was driving several meters ahead. So when the temple finally came into view, he was the first to spot it.

His following shout to his husband woke Rena up, so when the three of them finally slowly approached the temple, they were fully awake. Most of their body was concealed by the large poncho that swallowed them up down to the legs, which were uncovered other than warm, woolen wraps around the heel of their digitigrade limbs. They wore woolen gloves, and a thick woolen scarf was wrapped loosely around their head and neck. Two grey, vulpine ears perked up attentively from the top of their head, and a bushy grey tail swept back and forth from under the poncho, brushing against the snow underfoot.

And with that, Rena, led on by their fathers, began trudging through the snow up toward the temple. There were people about, working on whatever repairs or what-else the temple may need, who would have certainly already spotted them on their way up.

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OOC: Hello! This is an introduction thread of sorts for Ke'rena, who is not yet a part of the Order. Open to any Jedi! <3

 

[L'Veth]

L’Veth had volunteered to help with whatever the Order needed when it came to the temple on Fiana. Not because she felt particularly generous in offering aid, but more of a weird compulsion to help the planet she’d been born on but didn’t remember.

L’Veth had grown up on some other backwater and her parents rarely spoke of their time on Fiana despite having met and spent the first few years of their relationship there. She had always wondered if something had happened and why they had chosen to leave and live in a stinking shithole in the middle of nowhere, but she never really got any answers from them.

And then they went off and died on her, so she supposed that particular question never really would get an answer. Oh well, she figured. Not all stories got a succinct conclusion, that was just how life went.

Carrying supplies to and fro, L’Veth happened to stop to adjust her earbuds when she noticed several figures approaching the temple grounds from one of the mountain passes. Her eyebrow arched in curiosity and with a shrug, L’Veth forgot about the box of supplies she’d been carrying and left it on the ground, instead opting to head towards the figures to see what they wanted.

Despite Fiana not having a reputation for housing a Sith presence, strange people approaching from the wilderness was probably worth checking out. Though, the young padawan did her best to check her suspicions at the door and instead approached the situation with a smile, even if it was half-cocked in just one corner of her mouth.

Hey there, can I help you guys? She asked, her gaze swiping swiftly from the two men to the small girl that stood with them.

L’Veth’s ears flitted slightly as her eyes hung on Ke'rena, sensing the spark of something familiar inside the kid, her half smile becoming more genuine than it was before.

@lizziie

 

[Rain]

The apple in her hand was far from fresh, and the cold meant that each mouthful was closer to a frozen slushy than an actual apple. But the young padawan didn't mind, she liked the cold. And even though she knew she might be sick the next day, being able to sit out in the open, taking in the beauty of a new world and being away from the Temple (at least the temple she called home), was worth it. It made the makeshift popsicle she was eating more delicious than any meal she had had in a decent while.

Of course, she wasn't on vacation, being allowed to visit a new Temple was contingent on fulfilling certain duties that had been assigned to the crop of padawans who had arrived on the planet. Today she was manning the information desk, tasked with dealing with any locals showing up at the temple. Most people on the planet, and much of the Galaxy, had never even heard of a Jedi, much less seen one in person. So there were bound to be questions, demands, calls for help. It was their job to filter out the valid inquiries from the crazies.

As her companion at the desk, a Chadra-Fan named Twiggy, was dealing with someone claiming to own the land the Jedi temple was located on and hinting at payments, Rain continued eating her apple, till she spotted a trio of figures approaching the temple. Grinning, Rain kicked Twiggy under the desk so that the other padawan could spot the approaching figure as well. This would make the tenth time today that someone had shown up with a child who was special, and was destined to join the Jedi. Ten wannabe younglings was on the padawan first-contact bingo, and with this one Rain was more or less assured to win.

"Your creds are mine!" She whispered quietly in Twiggy's ears as she rose from her chair and scooped up a datapad. She was making her way towards the new arrivals, eager to proclaim her victory, till she spotted another of the padawans on duty outside the temple intercept them. Reaching the trio of visitors and the other Jedi, she smilled politely at them, giving L'Veth a nod as she waited for the visitors to answer.

@lizziie @Logan

 

[Aranmir]

When he offered to help the organization of a new Jedi Temple on the planet of Fiana, Aranmir expected two things. First the prospect of visiting a new world, one that he had never heard about before. Second, the possibility of having some adventures in this place, because he would explore the lands around the temple when he had some free time.

What he didn’t expect was the fact that Fiana would be a very cold planet and the Temple would be located in a mountainside covered by snow. For someone that was born in a tropical world like G’wenee, where the lowest temperature was 28 °C in the winter, visiting a place like this one was a slow and terrible death. Even with the warm clothes that he was wearing, the winter hat, the gloves and the purple scarf around his neck, the Tiefling could still feel the cold.

The Padawan wasn’t going to complain about it, though. He had work to do, such as helping Knight Iamy Doffus to carry some boxes. The Tarsunt could be an old grumpy Jedi, but even he was invested in helping put the temple to work. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to make him stop complaining about how this new generation was inconsequential.

The Tiefling only nodded during the entire time.

When the last box was in its right place, Aranmir rushed away from Doffus, who went on a rant about children these days being impolite. The Tiefling wanted to find someone else that he could help, perhaps greeting the Fiani that could visit the temple at the entrance. Although he doubted that they would want to see a purple devil at the door.

He went there anyway. The Tiefling never bothered by what others thought about his appearance.

At the entrance, the Padawan saw a small commotion. He approached the group, smiling and waving at the visitors. “Hello!” Aranmir waited for them to answer L’Veth’s question, eager to know who they were.

And happy for being away from Knight Doffus.

@lizziie @Logan @Wit

 

[Kaedan]

With a new Jedi temple being established on Fiana, Kaedan believed that this would be a good experience to have. As such, he volunteered to help out even though that meant that he would have to put his training with his master on hold. Even so, this was something that was important to the Jedi Order and as such it was important to all within the order.

Now that he was on Fiana with others from the order, he got to work in getting the library set up so that they would be able to get the archives and holobooks all set up. It was kind of boring if you thought too hard about it but Kaedan didn't. He simply got the shelves ready and made sure that things were in place. Having got the place set up, Kaedan believed that it would be time to rejoin the others to give a progress report. The walk was rather quiet. He knew that it was a new temple but he never expected the silence to be so... deafening.

As he approached the door, he felt the chills from outside seeping in. Clothed heavily with warm winter gear, he believed it would have made a difference but it was so cold that it felt like he was simply wearing light clothes. He guessed that was why it was beneficial to have fur just like the Fiani people. Unfortunately, he was human so no fur and no protection against the elements and the temperature.

When he stepped out, he saw the other padawans speaking to a trio of Fiani. He figured that he should join them just incase there was something that was important going on. Trudging through the snow on the ground of the mountain, he approached and stood next to his comrades.

@lizziie @Logan @Wit @LouJoVi

 

[Ke'rena]

Rena's wide eyes peeked out from behind their father as the three of them closed the distance between their speeders and the temple. They started to lag behind them as their citrine eyes first took in the sight of the temple, then the friendly faces that hopped down from various places around the structure. A senko fiani with auburn hair approached them first, addressing their fathers ahead with a half-smile. Her eyes settled on Rena, and the yako fiani hurried to return the smile. But it wouldn't be much longer before their attention was entirely stolen away at the sight of the other three arriving.

"Wow! There really are non-fiani here!" Two humans and someone with purple skin and horns? Rena's eyes jumped between all three of them but ended on Aranmir, staring unabashedly at what was a person nothing like they'd ever seen before.

While Rena was busy gawking at the Jedi, Keiji stepped forward with a sweeping, outstretched hand to introduce himself and his family. "Greetings Master Jedi," he began in basic, speaking with a heavy fianan accent. "I am A'keiji, this is my husband T'enmei, and our daughter, Ke'rena."

"Hi," Rena squeaked out with a tiny wave of their hand. Their basic was not very good, so they were too nervous to say anything more at that moment.

Enmei put a reassuring hand on Rena's shoulder when they moved up closer next to him, then began to speak. "Our daughter has been gifted with the- the Force, and they would like to learn to use it." Rena confirmed this with a sharp, affirming nod, and Enmei continued. "I am under the impression that the Jedi take on those who want to learn. Who may be spoken to about this?"


@Logan @Wit @LouJoVi @StephDLegend

 

[L'Veth]

L'Veth was a little surprised at how suddenly.. crowded everything had become, though maybe she shouldn't have been. It was the nature of the Jedi to flock to those that needed help and whether that was someone who's life was in danger or someone looking for what ultimately amounted to the HR department, it didn't really seem to matter too much.

Looking to the two men who L'Veth presumed to be the little girl's parents, she flashed them a comforting smile and nodded her head at Enmei's question.

Your best bet would be Master Benlow, L'Veth said, pointing towards a rather stern looking Twi'lek man standing a dozen yards away speaking with someone holding a datapad. He will be able to help you and answer any questions you might have. Don't let his dour face fool you, he's a sweetheart.

Turning her attention back to Ke'rena, L'Veth would flash the seemingly shy girl a smile, the Fiani's tail swishing from side to side. In the mean time, we can show Ke'rena around the temple and stuff. Want to learn how to do some cool stuff with the force, Ke'rena?

L'Veth wasn't super knowledgeable with what exactly brand new recruits to the other were shown these days, but she figured some cool force shenanigans had to be near the top of the list.

Why else would someone want to be a Jedi, anyway?

@lizziie @Wit @LouJoVi @StephDLegend

 

[Ke'rena]

Both men followed L'Veth's gesture to look at Master Benlow. Keiji nodded and started over immediately, either not needing or thinking to wait for more context, but Enmei stayed to listen to L'Veth until she finished.

"Thank you. My husband and I will go speak with him. In the meantime- " Enmei dropped his hand from Rena's shoulder and smiled their way. "Go ahead and take a look around! We won't leave without you." With that, Rena's father headed over to join Keiji and Master Benlow who had already entered into a conversation, leaving Rena alone with the four strangers who called themselves Jedi.

They looked quickly between L'Veth, Kaedan, Aranmir, and Rain before stumbling over their words. "Hi! I am Ke'rena." They, like their fathers, had a very notable accent, but they seemed to have a lot lighter grasp of basic than either of their parents. "I want that, yes!"

Despite their clear uncertainty when they spoke, their body language and the excited sparkle in their citrine eyes indicated that, at least, they lacked any apprehension about the actual situation itself. Then, upon realizing that she could probably just speak to L'Veth in the language of the fiani, quickly switched to fianan.

"I'm not very good with the Force yet! There was no one in my village who could teach me, so I've had to practice all on my own. One time I caught a lemming by making it stop running away, though!"

Then, realizing that it might be rude to speak in a way that the others couldn't understand, Rena took a moment to translate what they wanted to say into basic before addressing the others. "What is it that you all call yourselves?"

@Logan @Wit @LouJoVi @StephDLegend

 

[Zana Ryks]

The cold mountain breeze kept a shiver up Zana's back, even so much so that the thick mittens and scarves were insufficient to entirely keep her warm. Small sock-like knitted wear sat snug upon each of her montrals, providing just a little bit more comfort than before.

While the Padawan's had been enjoying themselves, the freshly minted knight set to work preparing some delicious snacks and drinks. Ranging from a tasty selection of exotic fruits from afar that had been brought along, including Bofa, Binkberry and Lothal peaches among others. Some cheeses and slices of meat on crackers, plus a myriad of other options in case none of those were to their liking, and of course insulated water boxes for hydration.

Taking the tray out to find the others, Zana spotted a few new faces among the group. Calling out with a smile, she slid into their basic conversation with a "Hi, um anyone hungry or thirsty?"

@lizziie @Logan @Wit

 

[Aranmir]

”Hi, Ke’rena!” Aranmir smiled friendly at her, even after the girl stared at him as if a third eye had appeared in the middle of his head. He wouldn’t care about it, many others had already stared at thim this way and even worse. It was obvious that the Fiani here only thought that he was different because she never saw a Tielfing before.

“My name is Aranmir. It’s nice to meet you.” he smiled at her. The Padawan had no idea of what she had said before, probably it was the local language. It made him think about when he first entered the Jedi Order, how he would constantly slip back to Sil-Cale. Even now he still has an accent that would never go away, and it was totally fine for him.

He loved his accent. It made him remember his family in the circus. After all, they were from G’wenee too.

Then a Togruta Knight arrived carrying food. “Oh, I want some crackers.” he said, before moving to pick it. After having worked during most of the day, the Tiefling could use a snack.

@lizziie @Logan @Wit @Xorism @StephDLegend

 

[Kaedan]

Kaedan had joined the others outside of the temple as they all greeted a fiani trio. The cold winds were rather discomforting to the human padawan and possibly to his peers as well. Regardless of how they felt in that climate, they wanted to help out the Jedi Order with the temple so they had to deal with it until their tasks were done. There was fiani padawan among them and she was the first to approach the trio.

When the four of them had gathered, one of the male fiani spoke, introducing himself and his family. The girl greeted the padawans before the other man spoke. He claimed that the girl was gifted in the force and wanted to learn. That was the purpose of their trip. L'Veth, the fiani padawan, advised them on who would be best to speak to and even offered to show Ke'rena around the temple.

When the parents agreed, Rena was left in the stead of the padawan group. She said hi and introduced herself again. She was open to the idea of being shown the temple and learning cool things which was good. He could still remember his very own excitement when he was first brought to the temple back on Takodana. She wore the same excitement. Kaedan didn't understand what she said when she started speaking in her native tongue but he guessed that L'Veth would understand what the girl said.

She then turned her attention to the other padawan gathered and asked them what they called themselves. That more than likely was her asking them for their names. Aranmir spoke first, introducing himself. Kaedan smiled as he waved once again. "I am Kaedan Javik. It's nice to meet you Ke'rena."

While they were talking to the fiani, one of the togruta Jedi Knights approached them offering them some snacks and something to drink. "Thank you, master Ryks. I will also take some crackers and some cheese to go with them. I will take a bottle of water. Thank you once more."
@lizziie @Xorism @LouJoVi @Wit @Logan

 

[Ke'rena]

Food! Perfect, Rena was starving!

”Yes!” they exclaimed as they turned toward the knight, hungry hands already reaching out toward the tray. Unlike some of the others who asked first, Rena’s fingers descended upon the morsels with a greedy fury, then plucked bits of cheese and meat from the plate as they desired. The food was popped straight into their mouth, filling their cheeks with soft and chewy solids.

They then attempted to repeat the names of those who had introduced themselves, but it was made nigh impossible by the amount of food in their mouth. None of it was intelligible.

After everyone had introduced themselves, gotten a bit of food, or both, the group would eventually make their way into the temple and out of the cold. Rena’s eyes, wide with awe and curiosity, would dart around like a fly as they took in all the new sights around them.

”How big is this temple?” they asked, choosing and speaking their words deliberately. Though it had been L’Veth who originally offered to tour them around, the question was posed to anyone.

@Logan @Wit @StephDLegend @LouJoVi @Xorism

 

[Aranmir]

Once he had grabbed the crackers, Aranmir also moved to pick a bottle of water. The Tiefling had remembered that he hadn't ingested any liquid since he had started working. He immediately started to munch the food, while stopping for some moments to ingest the water.

The Fiani seemed to be so excited about everything around them that made Aranmir smile. He was so used to living in a Temple like this one that all looked normal for him. All the magic and awe of being among the Jedi disappeared after some time. He wondered if it would happen with Ke’rena at some point. If she decided to join them, of course.

“This place is pretty big.” Aranmir said, before proceeding to explain to the Fiani all that the Temple would have. “We had been organizing all the rooms during the past few days, soon everything will be prepared. Then we’ll only need Jedi to live around this place.” the Tiefling hoped that he wasn’t going to be located in this place. He would freeze to death.

@Logan @Wit @StephDLegend @lizziie @Xorism