Ask Naboo Marble Floors

[Elias Ryn]

Naboo, one of those planets that had a unique history with both the Sith and the Jedi. It was the first time Elias had been on the planet and he didn't think he would forget it. His arms rested on a railing as he glanced down toward the water, it reflecting in his nearly amber eyes. The waves lapped and collided against each other and it was a representation of how he felt inside. His insides were churning and it resulted in a restless feeling that he couldn't get rid of if he wanted to. Ever since Kessel transpired, Elias had dove into his work for the Order but he also needed to clear his head and just separate himself from everyone. It was an opportunity he wasn't afforded much.

While he was on Naboo, it wasn't entirely to just clear his head. There had been reports that attempts on the princess' had been made, at least a successful kidnapping until one of the Rangers managed to rescue her. Thankfully, she had remained unharmed and was brought back to Naboo but the royal family wouldn't dare risk her safety again. They had contacted the Order and asked for their assistance as Naboo had already had run-ins with the Sith for years and most likely a bad taste in their mouth. Guard duty wasn't exactly the most illustrious thing to happen to him but it was a way for the Jedi and the royal family to have some sort of communication and possibly open doors to future agreements if everything went well.

It was time for Elias to make his way to the palace and he gently pushed off the railing to stand up to his full height. He cast one more glance to the reflective lake before turning and heading down the street. When he arrived at the palace, the guards stepped in front of him and acted as an obstacle as their weapons crossed together. He was dressed in regular civilian clothing with a jacket, shirt, and some long pants and he didn't blame them for the suspicion, with the princess' kidnapping and all. "I'm here to meet the royal family. I have received an invitation."

Elias pulled out the seal for the royal family and the guards quickly snagged it out of his hand to inspect it. When they realized it wasn't counterfeit, they straightened their backs and gave it to him gingerly. "Apologies, please step inside." The Jedi gave a brief nod, "No need for an apology." They were just doing their job. The guards stepped to the side to allow him through and he walked up the marble steps and entered the palace.

 

[Valeska]

“I don’t need a babysitter,” Val said for the 100th time today. Her family was having none of it. She planned to volunteer at a soup kitchen, and that meant it was suddenly an official diplomatic appearance. It also meant that she needed a security detail. Ever since she had been brought back home, Val had been stuck in the palace. She had the choice of either having a Jedi accompanying her or not leaving at all.

She dressed in a modest dress today, nothing that made her appear significantly wealthy. Val was waiting in the common meeting area that was far from the residential wings of the palace. Visitors could only arrive at the meeting area and were blocked off from going further inside.

She had to wipe the grumpy look off her face by the time she arrived to meet her security detail. Val was always caught off guard when it was a single person that passed for a regular civilian. And yet they were more powerful than the buff former military bodyguards she usually had.

A man met Elias when he arrived. He turned to look at Val as she descended the stairs. She wore her hair in a braid today, green eyes curiously eyeing the Jedi that waited. The aged man looked at her.

“Princess Valeska,” He said, “I present before you Jedi Knight Elias Ryn. He will be escorting you today outside of Theed.”

Val nodded, “Thank you, Kovin, you are dismissed.”

The man bowed deeply before turning to walk away. By then, Val walked towards the Jedi and came to a stop near him, “Hello er… Mr. Ryn,” She never quite knew how to greet Jedi.

 

[Elias Ryn]

Elias entered the palace and was slammed with the lavish nature of it immediately. He was used to temples and his small house on Nal Hutta when he was a child. The only way he was allowed into a building like a palace was through his dreams when he was a child. Just the furniture was probably more expensive than his entire childhood home and he took a moment to breathe it all in. But it wouldn't last long as a man would stop in front of him as a signal for him to stop as well and wait.

Korvin stared straight into Elias' eyes for a few moments and he just stared back as he was able to sense the uneasiness that flourished within him. Tensions were high because of the recent kidnapping and the man wasn't pleased that he was giving up the princess to the Jedi. "My name is Korvin. I'm the head of security for the palace. Anything happens to her, you and your Order will be hearing from me." The Jedi gave him a nod, "I'll keep that in mind. She'll be safe, don't worry." Elias could already tell he didn't want that man's ire.

Eventually, Val proceeded down the stairs and Korvin spun on his heel to face her and give the proper introduction. Elias just remained quiet with his arms crossed over his chest as there was a lot of formal tendencies he just didn't know about. His gaze didn't leave the princess's as he examined her with her red hair burning in the sun and his amber eyes connected to her vibrant green ones. His expectation had been quite a young girl and he was pleasantly surprised when it wasn't.

After he had been dismissed and the princess stopped beside him, he looked down at her and couldn't help but smirk at the way she used his name, "I haven't heard that in a while." It was usually Knight and then his full name. While Val didn't know how to greet a Jedi, he didn't how to greet actual royalty, and instead of doing anything fancy, he just stuck his hand out for her to shake after a second. "Good to finally meet you, Princess Valeska. You can just call me Elias to make it easier for both of us."

He turned his attention slightly to Korvin as he finally made his way out of the room. "Quite a cheerful friend you have." If he lost Val, it could only be assumed his own head would be on a pike the next morning. "So, the day is yours. I've been told you want to visit a soup kitchen first." Elias was her security detail and what she did, so did he.

 

[Valeska]

First name? Val blinked for a moment, not used to using first names for people she had just met. Nevertheless, she would oblige his request even if she struggled with it a few times. She beamed as she shook his hand, internally deciding that he was rather easy on the eyes. Val was normally surrounded by either meathead guards or old fossils.

She glanced towards where the attendant had walked when Elias mentioned him. Val had to smile at the sarcasm dripping from the Jedi’s words, “Ah yeah, he’s seen us grow up so he tends to be extra protective,” She watched where the man went with a measure of fondness. In some ways he had been in her life more than her own parents.

Val turned her attention back to Elias as she started walking, “The day is never truly mine, Mr. Ry- Elias,” She corrected herself, “However, yes I want to visit the kitchen to volunteer. I hope you don’t mind too many cameras on you.”

She led the way to a luxury speeder that was waiting for them. The driver walked out of the speeder to open the door for her and Elias.

They were on their way within moments, the ride about half an hour away. Val glanced over at the Jedi.

“Have you been to Naboo before, Mr. Ryn-” She sighed, “...Elias.”

 

[Elias Ryn]

Val simply stared at him when he mentioned to just call him by his first name and he wondered if he had messed up some tradition he didn't know about. But she smiled when they shook hands and he gave her a firm grip. Royalty was an interesting labyrinth that he hadn't quite solved yet. When she mentioned that Korvin had watched her grow up and was extra protective, it reminded him of his father and he couldn't help the smirk that came to his lips. There were plenty of memories when his father had reprimanded a client for suggesting his son couldn't partake in a mission with him. "I can't blame him."

Val led the way out of the palace and he followed side by side with her. She warned him of the cameras and it made him remember that he was most likely with one of the most famous people on the planet and the amount of attention it drew. "As long as they keep a respectable distance to you, the cameras and I won't have a problem." Elias actually wasn't a fan and didn't really approve of the fact of millions of people viewing him and judging his every move but it was something he'd just have to live with.

They arrived at the royal speeder and when the driver got out to open the door, Elias simply widened his eyes for a moment. The treatment they were getting was obviously something he wasn't used to and he couldn't hide it. But when she got in, he gave the driver a nod of thanks before taking the seat opposite of her.

As they drove out to the kitchen, Val asked him if he had been to Naboo before and he grinned at her stumbling with his name once more. "Trust me, it will get easier the more you say it." The fact she kept messing up his name made him wonder if she had ever enjoyed anything that wasn't formal. But when it came to her actual question, he shook his head. "No, I've always heard about it, enough so that I never thought to visit it before this really." The first thing that always came up was the beauty that the planet had and he heard the descriptions enough that he would've thought that he had actually been on the planet. But her question made him think of his own, "Have you ever left Naboo princess, or is it one of those stories where you're stuck in the palace all day and just read news clippings?"