Tatooine: Jedi Temple

[empath_wiggin]

The first thing that one sees when leaving the Inn is a huge room, held up by pillars, an intricate mosaic on the floor, and bright coloured tapestries on the wall. Nothing seems normal to Earth-eyes, everything is more lavish, and somehow indescribable. Oddly enough, as anyone would say, it isn't half as ornate as the temple on Coruscant. This one

Comments

[fallen_april]

And in the midst of all this is one unfamiliar figure in strange clothes staring in awe at her surroundings. Dark hair, still damp from a shower, pulled back in a braid, khaki-colored shorts, and a tank top that says "CBGB & OFMUG" on it. She has no luggage, just a small cloth messenger-style purse that has her toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, a few hair ties, and a change of underwear. And she's barefoot, not having taken the time to find her shoes.

"Wow." April says.

Those're all the words she's got just now.

[empath_wiggin]

One of the sharper baby Jedi wanders by, a Twi'lek in a simple brown robe. She walks up to Valentine and pulls her skirt. "Lady Skywalker, why's she dressed funny?"

"She's from another planet, Amira. I'm getting her something else to wear. Now go about your business." Valentine smiled at the little girl, who pulled her skirt again.

"She is really pretty, Lady Skywalker, even though she's got funny things on her skirt." Skipping away, head tentacles bouncing, Amira leaves for her classes.

"Frell. Sorry about that."

[fallen_april]

April blushes a bit and fiddles with the hem of her shirt nervously. "It's okay. She was cute."

And a Twi'lek. A Twi'lek.

This is going to be an interesting vacation.

[empath_wiggin]

"Alright. Looks like we should get you something else to wear first." Avoiding a string of teenagers practicing something involving a rope and a lightsabre, she leads April up the stairs, through a couple hallways, and to a door in the middle of one of the walls. Pulling a card out of her skirt pocket, Valentine opens the door with a swoosh

[fallen_april]

"Oh..." April drops her satchel on the bed with hardly a glance, her eyes flickering back and forth, trying to take everything in. She picks up the datapad absently, then sets it down again. If she were more interested in technology, she'd probably be more interested in it.

She opens the armoire, and her eyes go wide. "Oh..." Her hands are on the fabrics almost instantly, flipping through and seeing what all is there. There's nothing so fancy as what Valentine was showing her in the Inn, but it's simple and beautiful and functional and she likes it.

"How did you... did you get all this just for me?" she asks, rather incredulously.

[empath_wiggin]

"Of course I did." Valentine smiles. "April, you're part of the family, and we're going to take care of you." She pauses, and smirks. "Besides. I can recognize geekglee when I see it. You need some special things." Valentine points to the datapad. "That's a communicator and a PDA and a music player and a camera and a map of the temple, if you need it." Pausing, she looks around. "Hopefully you have everything you need for now. I'll send a 'droid up later when you're ready for bed in case there's anything you need done." Beat. "Now, how about a tour?"

[fallen_april]

"You didn't really... well... well thanks." Sure, Valentine didn't have to do this, but... well, Luke had already once said she was part of the family, and she needs a distraction. It's funny, she thinks absently, but I'd actually forgotten about the whole shitstorm for a moment...

She goes back to the forgetting quickly, and grabs a pair of loose pants and a tunic out of the armoire. "I'll just change real quick," she says, and scoots into the bathroom. Not more than two minutes later, she emerges again - still barefoot but looking much more a part of the surroundings. She scoops up the datapad and tucks it in her satchel, slings it over her shoulder, and grins a little at Valentine. "Okay, ready."

Geekglee to the nth degree.

[empath_wiggin]

When she returns, Valentine has a book open on the table. "This might help. The writing here isn't the alphabet we're used to. It's called Aurebesh. The language is the same, so you don't have to worry about that, but the characters are different. Annoying at first, but it shouldn't take too long to understand." She smiles. "I'll help if you need it." She gets up from the desk and holds the card out to April. "Welcome home, dear."

With that, she goes out the door and into the hall, waiting for the other woman.

[fallen_april]

April brushes her fingers over the book's pages and smiles. The characters are creative and new and almost like modern art. She makes a mental note to study this a bit before she goes to sleep.

Home. A place where you're supposed to feel completely comfortable and safe. Her parents' house had never been home. When she was with Roger was definitely the closest she'd ever come to being home. JD's apartment had been becoming home. But really, home seems like a fairy tale.

Or maybe she'll find it here, in the most unlikely of places.

"You're getting ahead of yourself," she mutters under her breath, and sticks the cardkey into her bag, following Valentine out into the hall.

[empath_wiggin]

Valentine catches her words, but doesn't say anything. She's not going to push, but she wants April to feel like this could be home.

Turning down the hall, back towards the main stairwell, Val waves at the doors. "These are all rooms for people living here. Some of them are teachers, some Jedi, and some other people who have connections to the Temple. The younglings and Padawans live down another hall, don't worry. They won't keep you up at night." She smirks, and walks on.

[fallen_april]

"Oh, I could probably sleep through a hurricane," April says quickly. "I mean, not that I think they'll be loud down here, if the teachers are here, but... y'know. If they are. No worries, right?" She grins a bit. "Anyway, I'm generally a night owl."

The stone is cool and smooth under her feet, relaxing and soothing. She likes it here already.

[empath_wiggin]

Valentine cracks up. "You're dealing with Jedi younglings here, April. Most of them come up with almost more creative things than battleschoolers."

She leads April down the stairs and down a hallway to their left. After a couple office doors, the hall opens up to a tall room, totally encased in glass, and looking out over a rather pretty sandscape. Thirteen seats ring a central mosaic of strange symbols.

"Welcome to the High Council chamber, April. This is one of two places where the Jedi business is conducted."

[fallen_april]

The sound of her gasp echoes softly, and April can't even find words for how beautiful this room is. She takes a few steps inside, feeling like she's trespassing somewhere sacred.

She will definitely be back to draw this.

"Oh, it's... it's beautiful," she manages eventually. She wanders in a little farther, feeling the mosaic tiles under her feet and looking at the symbols curiously. "What do these mean?"

[empath_wiggin]

The Force holds very few things sacred, except life and peace. However, there is a great sense of hugeness, of eternity in this place. Even Valentine stays to the side of the room, looking from afar.

"They're ancient Jedi symbols, telling the story of the Jedi order up to current times." She points to groups of symbols in front of the chairs. "Also, each of those bits state the name of the Council member who holds that chair, and his or her actual title. That one, directly across from us is Luke."

[fallen_april]

"Wow." She's going to be saying that a lot. "So they'll have to change the mosaic whenever the council changes? Or will it be, like... a memorial to whoever first held that chair after the rise of the New Republic?"

She knows some of her history! Really!

[empath_wiggin]

"I don't know if they've thought that far yet." Valentine laughs, her amusement filling the room with a sense of comfort and amusement. "It's possible that they'll keep the floor, and put a name on the chair. They might change the floor, too." She shrugs. "It's odd to me to think that my husband's name will be on the floor for eternity. He might be the head of the Jedi Order, but I still have to pick up his socks in the morning."