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Heroes in exile (Tatcon x Sana)

Nodding she walked quickly along just in front of him leading her back to her apartment block. “I can lose anyone I want to lose.” Letting herself inside her apartment she scanned the room looking for threats, when she found none she stepped inside and turned to face him. “I also don’t need your father’s teachings for that little trick. People’s minds are a specialty. This is where we part, see you at the ship, may the force be with you.” Turning she went back into the apartment grabbing a bag and stuffing her clothing and belongings inside.

It only took her a few minutes but she was out the door with everything that was hers and she wanted to take. Quickly making her way through crowded streets she dodged and wove through bodies, constantly searching for any malevolent presence. Doubling back on herself several times she did eye sweeps and checked blind spots and worked her way through nearly a quarter of Nar Shadaar’s bar and entertainment districts as she made sure she wasn’t followed.

Stealthily she crept along the docks watching the shadows and empty spaces near Rayne-Sunn’s ship. She waited nearly half an hour according to the chrono as she watched the area before deciding it was definitely safe enough to cross and go to his ship. Reaching the craft she pressed the comm’s stud attached to the docking controls. “It’s me, open the ramp.”
 
Rayne-Sunn would grin a bit to himself when she said mind manipulation was her specialty. He had found out over time it was a useful skill, but not one that he possesed. Unfortunate, but what he lacked he made up in other skills. One she started packing away he quickly disappeared and exited out an open window and headed to the street to do many of the same steps she did to lose any possible trails. For a man his size he was able to disappear quite efficiently, and he was back at his ship quite a while before her, being there to open the ramp when she came buzzing.

"Stay in the cargo hold until we leave the planet Lai. Best if you stay discrete for a while longer." His voice said, coming from the cockpit as the engines started to warm up. Apparently he had already obtained his clearance and coordinates for leaving the planet, so now it was just a matter of taking off and heading out in to space, which for all intents and purposes went splendidly.

About ten minutes after take off he would come out of the cockpit, climbing down the stairs to the cargo hold which occupied the middle and rear sections of the ship. He would hope to find her in there as he suggested, and if he did, he would speak while slipping off the gloves he wore for flight.

"One of my men have the helm. We have to fly out a bit before jumping to hyperspace, or it would look like a getaway." He would say.
 
Kailian dashed onto the ship as soon as he lowered the ramp, heading for the cargo hold and ducking down behind a crate, pointing her blaster at the door until Rayne-Sunn had lifted them off of the surface and was taking them out of the system and heading towards the hyper jump distance. As soon as she felt safe she holstered the blaster and stood leaning against a crate in the center of the hold waiting for the other Jedi to come out of the cockpit.

Giving a small not at him letting her know what was to happen next she decided to get a few formalities and questions out of the way before things went too much further. “You should probably call me Kailian when we are in private, rather than my street name, Master Rynin.” Stepping forwards slightly and away from the box she inclined her head in the fashion of respect that padawans gave to the full knights and masters of the order.

“Where are we heading? And if you don’t mind my asking what are we going to do once we get there?” Kailian was burning with curiosity at finally escaping the mundane existence she’d led on Nar Shadaar. For years she’d dreamt of leaving and resisting the Empire, and now at least she was leaving. But having survived an attempt by the Empire she was sure that they would send a follow up team to figure out what happened to her would be assassins. As soon as that team found them dead they would know that at least one Jedi had been on Nar Shadaar.

With the knowledge that she would be hunted either way she made a conscious decision. Whenever they reached their destination, whether Rayne-Sunn would join her or not, Kai would start to actively resist the empire. If he chose not to join her she would attempt to erase any connection with him so as not to lead them back to him if she should fall prey to the Empire in the future. But such decisions and ideas were to be left for future discussions, for now she waited for Rayne-Sunn’s answers to her questions.
 
Rayne-Sunn would give her a nod, though after she had finished asking her questions, he would hold up a hand to her. "I shall call you Kailian as you ask, but do not call me master, nor Rynin. The Council and my father chose the name so people could not make the relation between me and him. Though it proved convenient following the Purge, my name is Rayne-Sunn, is that is that." He said calmly and softly, moving to sit upon a box that had been sitting in the hold. Running his hand on his stubbled cheek, he would ponder her question as ocean blue eyes turned up to look at her.

"We have to return to Bespin, that is unavoidable. I have to return the ship and give my father the news from Alderaan. After that we can dicuss the next best move." He answered, knowing that some input from other sources would be beneficial. "Maybe we can find some other Jedi. There must be other planets here in the Outer Rim that host at least one. We run in to danger with that though, because the more of us there are, the easier we will be to find." He continued, contemplating a bit more as he looked at Kailian for a bit longer, and then towards the quarters at the front. "Come with me, I'll show you your room on the ship."

The room itself was relatively small, just enough space for a small desk to write on, and a bed that was attached to the far wall complete with dark red bed covers. "If you want to rest you can" Rayne-Sunn added, looking back to her for a moment, "Even after hyper space we'll have some time to kill before landing at home."
 
Nodding at his command to call her Rayne-Sunn, she leaned back against the crate for a moment more as she listened to his plan on their travels. “If you wish to join me in resisting the empire, I plan to for sure. If not then I don’t hold it against you at all.” Behind her calm façade was a swirling mess of emotion; anger, vengeance, and sadness ebbed and flowed through Kai’s soul as she tried to push aside the memories of the Purges.

Kailian followed him through the ship as he showed her the quarters she would stay in. They were similar in size to her Padawan’s quarters back in the Temple on Coruscant. That rogue thought instantly filled Kai’s mind with nostalgia, regret, and sadness as she remembered the others who lived in that temple, and all of the younglings so many of who were killed during the fall.

“Is there some place I had practice, it’s been years since I was able to fully practice my techniques and skills.” Stretching she dropped her bags on the small quarter’s rooms, pulling off her cloak leaving her in black tight fitting pants and a tight long sleeve black top that she always exercised in. The clothes allowed her full range of motion without the possibility of the material catching on a protrusion. “When we leave hyper I will rest.”
 
He would contemplate the words she said about resisting the Empire. It was an idea he had had ever since the Purge, but it was foolish to think that two Jedi could hope to make a worthwhile impact on the Empire without some strong allies and plans. After introducing her to her room, he would give an answer. "I will work with you about the Empire, but you have to be calm and patient with it, otherwise more innocent people will die and our impact will be useless." He said, taking a tone of a kind but firm mentor, for he knew where her emotions would lead her if they went unchecked.

When she asked about training and removed her cloak, Rayne-Sunn would be hard pressed not to take in the shape that the outfit onlined, but he managed to avoid gawking somehow. Instead he turned towards the relatively empty cargo bay, and waved an arm in its direction. "Practice what you wish in here, the boxes are empty and unimportant anyway. If you want to practice with your lightsaber, let me know and I can either help you, or one of the droids." He continued, smiling softly at her before walking to the door at the end of the small hall which held his cabin so he could pull off the overcoat and hang it up, stretching lazily as he looked out the viewport to the stars before them.
 
Kailian knew that patience and slow working was the key, but it wasn’t something she was accustomed to or mentally programmed for. She was a person of action and the here and now, it had always gotten her into trouble with her Master over how rash her decisions were. That mixed with her inability to set aside her compassion for those who suffered during the war had her biting back a sigh as she nodded her head in reluctant acceptance of Rayne-Sunn’s point.

Nodding when she was told that the cargo area would work for her training, Kailian made her way back to the large empty space and practiced her unarmed training regimen, stretching and moving quickly. Soon after she moved into her knife exercises and followed them with lightsaber techniques. As she trained she visualized all of the sessions she’d had with her late master and the things he’d taught her, the things that had been forced into her memory as she was beaten time and again in practice by his skill.

A short while later she made her way to her bunk to wait for the trip to end and for them to approach Bespin. Her thoughts about ways to fight back against the empire and maybe even do it a true death blow had Kai’s mind racing until it finally drifted off to sleep.
 
While she trained, Rayne-Sunn would occupy himself with various small tasks that had to be completed whenever a transaction was made. Tibana gas was one of those special cargoes which required a vast array of paperwork to be completed in order for the guilds and the Empire so they could track who was getting one. Transactions like this one were always difficult because the data had to be manipulated since it wouldn't do Winn Gas Mining any good if the Empire knew they were providing gas to a suspected opponent of the Emperor. This part always aggitated Rayne-Sunn, dishonesty was not something he came by naturally, but his father was a professional in deceit, so the younger Winn just did as his father instructed, and went about his business.

When Kai wandered off to her bunk following her training, he would decide to move back to the bridge, watching the ripples of hyperspace fly by at alarming rates. 'Another Jedi...' he thought to himself as he rested his feet up on the console before him. 'So wild, but so talented. What am I going to do with her so she doesn't get killed...'

After a few hours of silence she might feel the soft thump of the ship landing as the massive freighter engines slowly spun down to a quieter state, having to cool before being turned off.

Rayne-Sunn would appear at the door to her room shortly thereafter, having changed into more casual apparel, a short sleeved button up shirt that was embroidered with the Winn family colours of black and dark orange, and black slacks. Compared to what most people wore as their clothing of choice in the galaxy, he might seem a little odd. "We've arrived Kailian. Come out when you're ready." He said softly and smiled, before disappearing, his footfalls audibly heard heading down the ramp in front of the steps of his droids.

They hadn't arrived at the platform which served as the start and stop point for the mining operation, instead landing at the Winn family home, a rather large stone mansion, coloured in a manner very similar to the clouds in which the home was floating. There was a large flat platform which came out from the front of the home, and that was where the freighter had landed, close to the steps which cut through a three tiered garden leading to the pillared front door.

Once Rayne-Sunn had exited one of the droids returned to stand by Kai's door, saying at a low volume, "Whenever you want miss, I have been tasked to take your bags, if you so choose."
 
Nervous energy flooded through Kailian as she felt the ship drop out of hyper space. For the next little while she attempted to meditate in her chamber while waiting for the ship to land. Her meditation was interrupted constantly by her own stray thoughts, as different ideas, desires, and fears all flashed through her mind the moment she neared the meditative state that her master had taught her. Giving up with a frustrated sigh she resorted to pacing the room until she felt the ship’s gear touch down.

Throwing her black cloak on over the same form fitting outfit she had on before she waited bags set beside the door. Not wanting to get in the way of any landing procedure and unsure if there was any risk to safety Kai decided that waiting in her room was best. Passing her clothes bag to the droid she kept her small pack slung on her back which contained everything of critical value.

Looking at the building they landed by Kai was immediately struck by the ostentatious nature of the building. It’s gardens and columns were designed to show off the wealth of the owner, and this was surely a private residence with where it was located. Seeing Rayne-Sunn heading towards the house, Kai followed her head moving to take in more of the large house and the clouds that the house floated amongst. Having never been to Bespin it was a strange experience, though probably less strange than some she’d had during the war. Jogging she made herself catch up to Rayne-Sunn, “What now then?”
 
Placing his hands in his pockets as she caught up to him, he gave a small shrug. "Plesantries. If we're going to be staying here for any amount of time, might as well say hello. Just to warn you, my dad is as arrogant as the house suggests. However, he knows a lot so it would be worth discussing our ideas with him." He said casually, looking over at her for a moment, before glancing back to the front door. At the door there was a butler droid who silently opened the door for the two of them, leading to a marble floored hall that continued the pillared theme that led to a grand staircase. Rayne-Sunn lightly sighed to himself, never really liking how his dad chose to adorn his house, but dealing with it none the less.

Shortly after their entry and tall, thinly built man in his later fifties came down one of their staircases holding a data pad, not really noticing the two of them until he had nearly reached the bottom of the stairs, at which point he looked up sharply and observed them.

"Welcome back Rayne-Sunn...I see you brought company." He said in a deep, baritone voice as he switched his attention to Kai. "Found a stray Force cat I see." He continued, stepping forward and offering his hand to her. "I am Jun-Kun Winn. And you?"
 
Following along Kai tightened the straps on her backpack making sure it didn’t shift when she moved. Her footsteps light and nimble as she followed Rayne-Sunn along the decorated pathway and towards the front of the house, she just nodded at his warning about his father and stepped thought the door a pace behind him. Looking around she took in the ostentatious decorations hanging from the walls, the marbled floors and the pillared theme around the room.

She felt the man before she saw him, he had a presence and an affinity for the force that he didn’t seem to bother hiding. It wasn’t long before she was bristling at his comment about her being a stray, the unintended reference to the fact that all of her fellow Jedi except a select few were dead had her agitation rising faster than her control. Sticking her small hand into his larger one she gave it a brief forceful shake before letting go and wiping her hand on her leg as if to clean it of something slimy.

“My name is Kailian Turmak, thank you for allowing me the pleasure of your home.” Her voice was controlled despite her thin hold on her anger and Kai concentrated for a moment on shoving that anger back down into place the well-practiced methods of control coming out again. The only evidence of her inner battle of will was the slight tightening of her jaw as she stared at Jun-Kun.
 
The small movement of her jaw, combined with the method in which she shook her hand gave the elder Winn all the proof he needed of her displeasure. He would straighten up and grin subtly as he gave a small shrug. "It is my son who is allowing you the pleasure. I merely keep the home it seems." He said, looking over at Rayne-Sunn for a moment with a daggered expression, one which the younger Winn returned with equal vexation.

"Always a keen host dad." Was his only reply as Jun-Kun turned and headed back towards the stairs, and invariably his office.

"Keep the girl's temper under wraps Rayne, or she's going to visit a place you never went and I would never hope to return to." Was his closing remark, though he did smack a small addentum on, "Dinner will be ready in an hour. I'm sure your mother would be glad to meet miss Turmak."

Rayne-Sunn's jaw shifted a bit much like Kailian's had, and he placed a hand on her shoulder gently. "Come, I will show you your room, then we can visit the small temple we have hidden here." He said softly before letting go of her and starting to walk to the staircase.
 
Kai noticed the tension between the two Winn family members and watched as headed up the stairs. As soon as he was out of sight she felt Rayne-Sunn’s hand on her shoulder and then him stepping past to guide her up the stairs towards her room. As they ascended Kailian noticed even more of ostentatious nature of the house with the paintings, sculptures and different artifacts that were placed into little niches.

As they walked Kai decided to broach the subject of something that the elder Winn had said. “Rayne-Sunn? What place was your father talking about that I may end up visiting?” Her curiosity was alive now as she tried to figure out the place that the older man dreaded. Different ideas and possibilities bounced around inside of her brain as they walked. Waiting for barely a breath Kai burst out her next question without thinking or censoring what she might say, “And why such animosity between you and your father?”

The curiosity she felt towards the parent child relationship was something that Kai knew she’d never probably understand. Her parents had given her up and she’d been raised by dozens of the different knights and masters of the order so that as a youngling she had held no special attachment with any of them. In fact Kai didn’t even know who her parents were or where they came from. Her entire background was a mystery to her since the order took her away at such a young age.
 
Rayne-Sunn would be quiet as they climbed the stairs, focusing more on what he could do to make Kai's stay more pleasurable and worthwhile, and what they could do in order to mount some kind of true resistance to the Empire. When she asked her first question he would still remain silent, not wanting to answer that kind of question right away because threats of being in that mental state usually scared the young Jedi. And then she asked her second question, and that made Rayne-Sunn chuckle a bit as he thought about the unique relationship between his father and him.

"To answer your first question Kai...my father is talking about the Dark Side..." He said softly, not really wanting to scare her into thinking she was heading down the path to ruin. "Strong emotions, especially those of anger are the cornerstones of falling to the Dark Side. My dad fell once, so he is not a fan of seeing other people go the same way." He continued, walking down a long hallway that had a large door at the end of it.

"As for my father and I...well, he was a Jedi, and he did not want his child to follow the same life. But I did, and I became the Jedi he wanted to be. The emotional connection between us is weak and his sense of discipline is far more strict than the Jedi Order we know. However, he does love me, though he worries the Empire might catch wind of who I am or was." He continued, before opening the door to a massive, open air bedroom which was relatively sparse in terms of furniture, having a large, four post bed on one side (made and tidy) with a pair of bedside tables beside it. Nearby was a desk, but the biggest feature was a large window/door which was straight ahead of the entrance, leading out to a patio which held an immaculate view of the Bespin clouds around them, and some of the more savoury parts of the garden. Unlike the dark marble that lined the entrance, this room was mostly beige and colour, and reflected the sunlight fantastically.

"This will be your room while you're here Kai, so please make yourself at home. You can train here if you wish, but we do have a temple for it as well." He said, introducing her to the room. "If you need me, I'm just around the corner. Look for the white door." He said with a soft smile as he slowly started to walk away, hands tucked in to his pockets idly.
 
Looking around the room she pondered the idea of what Rayne-Sunn had said. She didn’t really didn’t believe she would fall to the dark side, sometimes she became angry yes but never had she let her anger force her to act. When her master had realized that Kailian’s quickness to emotions hadn’t and probably wouldn’t every be completely lost he taught her to control them and to use them towards the proper way the order wanted them to do things. It had saved her many times over as when her emotions were running it seemed that her connection to the force was more powerful. The risk of falling was always there but Kai had never really had any of the feelings that drove most of the Fallen Jedi to fall; she’d never felt the need for more power, or jealous of someone’s possessions, or angry because someone was better at something. Rather she felt her emotions made her stronger, but at the same time admitted to herself that it might just be her own way to placate herself and shield herself from the idea that she could fall.

The other idea that he’d said was also foreign, when he explained the connection between his father and himself. Kai had never felt love, or known what it really meant, especially between family members. Though the connection amongst the Jedi was close it was more camaraderie rather than family bonds. Even the bond between her and Master Amrik had been that of mentor and student, though close they never felt like family. Then again Kai wasn’t sure on that point either as she didn’t truly know what family ties felt like. Shoving the idea aside for the time she pulled her head back from its thoughts and took in the huge space that was available to her, it was more than sufficient for her needs.

The room was rather ostentatious like the rest of the house and she figured every room would probably be decorated or sized on the same grand scale that the elder Winn seemed to enjoy. Tossing her pack down onto her bed she turned to the hallway where Rayne-Sunn was walking away, “Would it be possible to go to the temple now? Before eating?” Her voice held a quiet hope and longing, like a young girl wanting to return home, and that was how Kailian felt inside. The Temple had always been home, and since its destruction she had felt adrift, and she’d never been able to go to any other temple but she wanted to take this opportunity as soon as she was able.
 
Rayne-Sunn would look over his shoulder at her for a long moment, and smiled a very soft, geniune smile at her. "Of course. Come along." He said and motioned for her to follow once again. When she caught up she would lead him back to the main hall at the bottom of the stairs, and then to the left into another arrogant display of wealth, a massive library of bound books from across the galaxy, written in languages even the elder Winn didn't know. But Rayne-Sunn walked with purpose, so it would be obvious he had a specific location in mind, one book marked "A Brief History of the Jedi." With a tug of the book the case started to move, exposing a small passage way of stone that led to a staircase. "Keep close. The traps are repelled by a specific Force sensation. As long as you stay close to me, it should be fine."

The traps were a weird set up, something his father had came up with when bored one evening. Despite having not been part of the Jedi Order for many years, Jun-Kun's grasp on the Force had never faltered, and it was only grudgingly that he taught Rayne-Sunn how to access the temple he had made below. The path to it was small and barren, a passage of dry rock that turned and went down a series of stair cases until eventually they arrived at a near perfect replica of the main hall of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, though a little darker since it lacked natural light.

Rayne-Sunn took in a deep, careful breath and stepped in to the room, just walking along to enjoy the memories and feelings which this place associated with in his mind. Despite having spent so much time in his father's manor, the Temple always felt like his true place of rest.
 
Silently Kai followed him through the building until he opened the hidden passage that she figured was the way to the temple. Following his instructions she kept close to him no more than half a pace behind at any moment while they made themselves through the corridor filled with traps. Working their way through she felt the force power being pushed out of Rayne-Sunn to negate the traps and let the two visitors pass.

Finally as they passed through from barren rock to styled stone the smaller scaled replica of the Temple on Coruscant had Kailian trembling. Everything from the entryway and through into the main temple hall were an exact if smaller scale representation of the Temple she had spent a great majority of her life in. The flood of emotions and memories had Kai blinking back tears as she looked around, the joy of remembrance tied with the pain of loss and grief flooded through her.

Taking a few unsteady steps Kai knelt down in the middle of the main hall, her knees colliding with the cool stone with an audible ‘thud’. Her clenched fisted hands came up and were held under her chin as she tucked her head down to her chest still fighting her emotions before failing as the tears flowed freely down her cheeks leaving sparkling trails and small wet marks in the light layer of dust on the floor. For the first time in four years Kai was at a place where she felt home, and relatively safe. That feeling let her grieve for those she had lost and lose who she would never see again taken through treachery, for the first time and Kailian took that moment and grieved.
 
Rayne-Sunn would have been lost in his own reverie until he heard Kai fall to her knees, turning quickly to find the reason why. It a heartbeat it all made sense and though he didn't share the same level of emotional connection to the memories, he knew exactly where it was coming from. Turning fully he would take three short steps towards her, and then wrap his arms around her as he joined her closer to the floor, holding her in close as his only known means of providing comfort. Unless she pulled away he would keep her there until she stopped crying, or could at least verbalize that she did not want him doing what he was.

To a degree Rayne-Sunn had never dealt with the breadth of what had happened to his brothers and sisters at the Temple, and based off how he lived his life, he might never. He had learned so heavily that emotional connections to people, places and other general realities was probably one of the most dangerous things a Jedi could do. He had his father to serve as an example for that, and that is part of what fueled the animosity between them.

Either way, if he could find some way to help Kai, then maybe he could be at peace that he had at least done something for those more adversely affected by the Purge. No words were needed now, he could at least figure out that much.
 
Feeling Rayne-Sunn’s arms around her Kai reached out clutching her hands on his shirt over his chest, her small fists clinging to him and let her head drop onto his shoulder for a few minutes as she cried. She grieved not just for the people she’d come to know and treasure as friends and mentors, but rather for all of the things that had happened to everyone who she had at one time known. Every youngling, would never grow to be a padawan and then a knight or master in their own right, she would never tutor another padawan or learn something from one of the knights or masters. Instead, her entire life had been destroyed in one evening. Everything she had held dear, the teachers, the pupils, the halls of the Jedi and the teachings of the order were torn down by the rise of the Sith.

Finally her sobs stopped and Kai just sat trying to regain control of her emotions. Her grief and the pain she’d clutched and buried for so long was now mostly poured out, leaving just the need to come to grips with it, accept it and move on with her life. But that emotional state allowed her other emotions to roll around much easier, the pain, the rage, and strange feelings as she sat still clutching onto Rayne-Sunn. Kailian had never been in close physical contact with a male of her species or any other when it wasn’t in training or combat and the feel of his warmth and the comforting soothing power of his embrace had Kai confused.

She pulled her head away from his shoulder and looked at his face, though her hands were still in fists clutching his shirt. Her own face was twisted now with confusion rather than grief and sadness as she tried to decipher the feelings that were in her mind. Rayne-Sunn had comforted her and had helped to ease four years of repressed grief and sadness in a matter of minutes. By all of the studies on the mind that Kai had done as a padawan that was unusual to say the least. Either there was something about Rayne-Sunn either with the force or specifically related to her, or she was just that emotionally damaged that a few minutes of grieving seemed to have reduced the sadness inside herself.

Unclenching her hands she dropped them to her lap, face flushed as she realized how weak she had been as well, and the damage she must have done to his clothing. She sat staring down at her clasped hands now in her lap unable to look at Rayne-Sunn’s face and her voice came out soft and quiet almost lost, “Thank you.”
 
Rayne-Sunn's face would be so very calm when she looked up at him that it might seem weird. In all honesty, it was only in finding peace in himself he was able to work through any situation in his life, because some of the battles he had fought in stirred emotions that even he didn't want to deal with. So he just focused on her, held her and waited for the storm to pass. Maybe he did channel some of the Force to be able to calm her so quickly, and if he had it had not been an intentional action. He only ever cared for defending those who could not do the same for themselves, so much so it had become second nature, next to wielding a lightsaber.

When she eventually pulled away completely he would slowly run a hand through her soft hair before resting it on her shoulder. "You're welcome Kailian." That was all he could say, not having enough of a grasp on the nuances of the situation to know really what else to say. Instead he just stood up and offered his hand to her for her to do the same. "Come, we can practice if you want, or just enjoy the familiar comfort."
 
When he ran his hand through her hair and left it resting on her shoulder a shiver traveled down her spine making goosebumps break out all over her. The next moment was filled with silence until he pulled away and stood extending his hand for her. For some strange reason the loss of contact bothered Kailian but she shook away her thoughts deciding to try to untangle the knotted strands of her mind at a later time. Taking his hand Kai let Rayne-Sunn pull her to her feet the renewed contact making her skin tingle in a confusing way.

As soon as she was on her feet she took a small step away from him her face coated in a light blush something she hadn’t felt besides embarrassed chagrin since her days in training. The unusual reaction from her body that she was unable to control had Kai worried for a moment before she finally realized she’d stood silently staring at Rayne-Sunn for a long enough time after his offer for the silence to have become awkward.

Clearing her throat she shook her head softly, “I think I would like to enjoy the temple, we can practice another day.” In reality Kai didn’t believe her nerves and confused mind would allow her to concentrate on a practice session and she would be liable to hurt herself or Rayne-Sunn on accident during such a session. Instead she tried to occupy her mind by admiring the replica of her lost home and to try to find some inner balance.

When that balance was not forthcoming she decided on another track. “Rayne-Sunn? I have met your father, but what is your mother like? How is your relationship with her?” Settling on an idea that held her curiosity she figured it would aid her in forgetting or at least momentarily placing aside her confusion.
 
Rayne-Sunn could understand her unwillingness to train. When it came to the Ways of the Jedi if you were in a sordid mental state then you were prone to mistakes that could have very undesirable consequences. So he did not push the issue, instead giving her a soft nod and a careful smile. He would also, with amusement, watch that little blush grow and fade on her cheeks, a reaction he had not seen from another Jedi in his entire live among the Enclave. He liked it, it suited her young face well, even if her eyes had seen limitless atrocities and sadness.

However, it was now time for him to react as she put forth her question about his mother. The thought of how to answer this made his smile widely as he turned and faced the mock Temple for a moment, before looking back to Kai. "My mother is a true mother. Caring and compassionate, strict but fair and loving. She is the reason I entered the temple later than most, however we never stopped our correspondence, mostly because my father was convinced that something would happen someday that would force me to return home." He started, placing his hands on his hips lazily as he looked around again. "Her and I get along extremely well. She gets along well with my father too, mostly because she does not take any batha fodder from him." He said with a wide smile.
 
Listening to his description Kai tried to imagine the type of relationship he was describing. The look of concentration on her face faded to frustration and confusion as she failed. The type of emotions he described she understood on an intellectual level but was unable to truly understand them. Finally she gave up with a sigh and turned away from him. Momentarily sparing a thought to wonder where her parents were and what kind of people they were Kailian wondered if they would care for her the same way Rayne-Sunn’s mother cared for him, or would they act like his father.

Her eyes looked at the Temple’s pillars but her mind was far away and finally she gave up on that train of thought as well and started to slowly walk deeper into the temple. Looking over at Rayne-Sunn she decided to ask him another question, “Do you have any siblings then?” Having always wondered at the sibling relationship, Kai thought if it might be like the friendships amongst the groups of younglings or if it was something else.

The brief thought of the younglings had her face crumpled in sadness before she gently pushed the thought aside, not shoving it away like she once would but rather taking it and accepting the fact that all of the younglings she’d seen on her less and less frequent visits back to the temple were gone. Them along with so many of the clone soldiers she’d known and learned the names of, and forged tentative friendships with despite her master’s admonitions. She knew that he forged the same bonds of camaraderie that she had during the war and so took no notice of his scolding.

Breaking her thoughts she turned once more to Rayne-Sunn waiting for his answer about any siblings, and before she could hear it she blurted out her next question. “When was dinner again?” The sudden broken thought was punctuated by the growling of her stomach to remind her that she hadn’t eaten in nearly a day. Kai looked down at her stomach and back up to Rayne-Sunn her face burning brightly with a blush. A blush that she didn’t understand, she felt her heated cheeks but wasn’t sure why she should feel embarrassed in front of Rayne-Sunn for feeling hungry but she did anyway.
 
Rayne-Sunn would still be caught up in watching the shift in emotion pass over her face as he could feel her mind shifting constantly through many thoughts and feelings that he could only imagine. The answer to her first question was very easy, however she would manage to even cut off his short answer, and this made him chuckle a bit. He would then notice the way her cheeks reddened when her stomach grumbled, and that would simply ellicit a laugh from Rayne-Sunn.

"Dinner will be soon, we can start heading back if you wish." He first responded, getting the impression that this was probably the more important question. "However, I have no siblings. My parents must have assumed I was more than enough of a handful." He said with a small grin. "Now let me ask you a question. Have you ever been kissed before?" He asked as he turned and started to walk towards the exit of the mock Temple, starting to guide her back towards where the food will be for her hungry stomach.
 
Her face still softly red tinged Kailian nodded when he asked if they wanted to head back and turned to walk beside him staying close as he talked about his family. The question he asked had her shocked and the fading blush returned even brighter as her face turned red and she stared down at her feet digging them in. Biting her lip Kai shook her head and looked up, “No. Why do you ask?” Her voice sounded small and meek again as she tried to wrap her head around the question.

Of course she had never been kissed, though she was prone to emotional outbursts those were usually of anger and sadness or injustice and frustration rather than affection. Kai knew the affection of friends but she had never known the type of affection that might lead to such an event as her kissing another person, though she knew of a few Jedi who had followed their affections. Forcing herself back into motion she stayed beside him as they approached the exit of the mock temple.
 
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