Ask Takodana Where Flowers Bloom

[Prani Shalrazi]

Prani had no answer to his question. She chewed her lip, “I’m sorry, that was a jerk thing for me to say,” She blurted out, feeling terrible. Why shouldn’t he tell all his friends they’re incredible? Of course they’re incredible! Since when was Prani so selfish? None of this made any sense! He dashed her line of thought when he drew out the flower. Prani blinked at him, her face heating up again when he drew close to tuck the flower behind her ear. She mirrored his big smile, suddenly elated and forgetting about her social awkwardness.

Before she could ponder on what he said next, he was darting off towards the castle, “Hey! No fair! I’m in a heavy dress!” She complained as she rushed after him. She used the Force to tug some low plants in his face to harmlessly fill his mouth with leaves on his attempt to race back. Giggling past him, Prani dashed towards the castle.

It wasn’t till they were on the shuttle, mostly dried, that Prani glanced over at him, “Thanks Shaw,” She said with a smile, “This was the best day I’ve had…in a long time,” She said sheepishly.

—​

It had been a few weeks since the trip into town. Prani and Shaw saw each other in passing, but they were mostly occupied with their individual classes and studies. And of course, being a popular kid, Shaw was always surrounded by a group in the hallways. One day Prani found herself wandering towards the dorms where he stayed. She had heard that he had a master and who it was. While she had never met the Jedi Master herself, the other padawans couldn’t stop talking about it. Prani also knew he would be gone for a while, so thought to visit him before he left.

She wore one of her usual dresses that the other padawans teased her about because it looked so ‘old timey’, but otherwise had her bag with her. Prani had the flower Shaw had given her in her hair, looking as vibrant as the day he tucked it behind her ear. With plant surge as her specialty, she was able to keep it alive and well.

Prani took a deep, nervous breath before knocking on his door.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

After Kashyyyk, everything had changed. Shaw had a master now. He had used the force for the first time. He knew—I mean really knew that he wanted to be a Jedi, no matter what his parents had to say and no matter what he had once believed. Of course he hadn't actually told them yet. He was putting that off. He would probably be putting it off for a long time. Sometimes circumstances and opinions changed. Sometimes people changed. They would just... have to accept that when the time came to tell them. He really hoped they would.

Master Valtiere had been straight up with him, letting him know that he would be away from the temple and his friends for long periods of time from now on, but he had also allowed Shaw to return to Takodana to collect some of his things and say goodbye to his friends. The teenager realized that he didn't have to allow Shaw to return to the temple, so he really appreciated it. Master Valtiere seemed liked a really solid guy. Just a little scary sometimes. But that just lent itself to the mysterious, aloof persona he had. Dude was like a really dope space Legolas.

In typical Shaw fashion, he had put packing off until the last possible fashion. Space Legolas—who he only referred to as Space Legolas in his head and never out loud—would be expecting him soon. Shaw was throwing clothes into a duffel bag, mostly at random, when there was a knock at his door.

"Prani!" he grinned when the door swung open, a gleam in his eyes. He was a little out of breath, but his whole face lit up at the sight of her. It had been his intention to find her and some of his other friends after he had finished packing, but this was better. Except that his room was still a mess. He pulled the door in a little behind him, hoping she wouldn't notice. He tried to play it nonchalant, like there was nothing to see. He was horrible at playing it nonchalant. "Hey! You've still got the flower!" He thought it looked even better now than it had that day he had picked it by the lake. Prani's magic no doubt. @Sreeya

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Prani smiled as soon as he opened the door. She wasn’t entirely surprised that he awkwardly tried to block the path to his room. He was always shifty about his room for some reason. What was he hiding in there?? Prani blushed at the mention of the flower, “‘Course I do, it’s a real pretty flower,” She said with a giggle, “And I know a trick or two ‘bout keepin’ ‘em alive.”

She stood there awkwardly for a moment before clearing her throat, “So…I heard you got a Master,” She said, “I did too!” Prani said cheerfully, “His name is Elidan. But we’re stayin’ around the temples. I heard yours is gonna take you away for a while..” The disappointment was difficult to keep out of her tone, "But you'll see so much of the galaxy!"

“Um, I baked ya some cookies for snack fuel,” Prani said, bringing out a box of baked goods and knowing how he was a bottomless pit on adventures. He would notice they were all miniature shapes of things like a canoe paddle, a tiny jet ski, a luxury speeder (the trunk to be specific). She reached into her bag and also drew out a beanie, “I knitted this because um..your haircut doesn’t look like it ever keeps ya warm,” She said with a chuckle. She didn’t know where he would be going, but at least he would be comfortable.

Prani chewed on her lip, shifting from one foot to the other. Her face once again seemed like she had more to say or do, but she quickly cleared her throat, “Well that’s all!” She said, “I’m..” - 'going to miss you', she wanted to say, “I’m gonna be ‘round. Uh.. keep in touch, yeah?” She said cheerfully, preparing to shuffle off.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

"For real?" Shaw asked, all smiles when she said she had a master too now. "That's awesome!" He had met Elidan before, back on that assignment to Mindor. He could really see the two of them getting along well, and he was excited for Prani to be entering this next phase in her padawan journey. It was neat that they both got to do it at the same time.

When she pulled out the baked goods, there was a smile with a genuine build that lit Shaw's whole face up. Each cookie was a reminder of some of the adventures and good times they had shared over the past few months. The amount of detail was insane. She must have spent forever making these.He couldn't wait to try one. "Prani, this is..." He couldn't tear his eyes away from them, and as usual he couldn't find the words. "You really are out there doing the most, you know it?"

And she wasn't even finished, pulling a handmade beanie out of her bag next. How could one person do so much? Be so thoughtful? Prani was a giver. She had been giving to him since that first day they had met. What had he ever given her? Other than that flower, and that was just something he'd picked up. Something that would eventually wither away.

"Come on in!" he said as soon as she started to turn to leave, grasping at her wrist to tug her inside. He swung the door open wide to allow her entry without even thinking about why it had been closed. He really didn't want her to go yet. She couldn't just show up at his door, shower him with gifts he didn't deserve, and then leave. "Uhhhh," he froze, "Excuse the mess." Mess was a generous word for the state of his room. With a sweep of his arm he cleared a spot for her to sit at the end of the bed. "Have a seat!"

Shaw stood in front of the mirror and tried the beanie on, grinning from ear to ear. "This is dope! What do you think? Boy would this have come in handy on Shili." Between the friendship bracelet and the beanie he was going to have a Prani original fit. "You spoil me." Time to give something to her for a change. "I'll bring you something whenever I get back. Something that makes me think of you. That I think you'll like, alright?" Hopefully his gift giving skills had gotten better since last Life Day. He wanted to get her something she would really like.

He sat down beside her on the bed and picked the box of baked goods up again. "Okay if I try one now?" he asked, glancing over at her. If the answer was yes, he would pick up the jet ski. "This one is my favorite. Reminds me of your wild side," he teased, offering her to choose one so they could try them together. @Sreeya

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Prani was surprised when he grasped her wrist to tug her in. The moment she stepped into the room, she started to cough and sneeze from the excessive cloud of Hatchet body spray. Her eyes almost watered, but she waved it off, taking a seat where he gestured. The room was a sty, but it was definitely Shaw. Wrappers of snacks, comic books, cases for video games, text books used as makeshift end tables. She couldn’t help but smile at it all, thinking back to her own completely immaculate space.

When he walked back with the beanie, Prani grinned at him, “It looks great!” She cheered, “I’m so happy it fits! I had to..guess the size of your head,” She said with a giggle.

“If you want,” Prani said in response to his sentiments about bringing something back, “My family and me are huge on giving gifts. We don’t do it to get anything in return. I guess it’s just a habit since we always move from place to place so we love leavin’ folks with something before we go,” She smiled fondly, “I’m glad you like it.”

As he started to break into the cookies, Prani chuckled, “Oh goodness, Shaw, these are supposed to be for your adventures,” She started to laugh some more, “You’ll go through them before you even get on the transport out,” Prani said as she picked out one shaped like a tiny suit of armor, “Can’t forget Sir Huff ‘n Puff,” She said before taking a bite. There was a moment of silence before she spoke again.

“I heard he leaves for months at a time…sometimes even a year or more,” Prani said as she looked at Shaw. Would he come back a changed person? Would she be different? She chewed the inside of her lip, looking down at her lap.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

"Of course I want to," Shaw said right away. His mind was already racing with ideas. None of them seemed quite good enough, so he would have to give it some more thought. Hopefully he would come across something on his travels that just hit him, and he would know right away that it was the perfect gift for Prani. There was a first time for everything. Maybe the force would even help out with something like that. Was that how the force worked? He would have to mention it to Master Valtiere.

In the meantime, "If you think of something you'd like be sure to let me know, alright?" Though that would kind of defeat the purpose of a surprise gift, wouldn't it?

Shaw chuckled when she reminded him that the baked goods were for the trip. "Don't worry," he assured her, biting the seat off of the jet ski cookie, "I'll save the rest of em." But it was going to be hard. These were really good. The best cookies Shaw had ever had in his entire life, and that was really saying something because Zessel had some mad baking skills. "Whoa," he mumbled after just one bite, eyes going wide, "This is amazing, Prani. You really understood the assignment."

Sir Huff and Puff? Oh. Duh. She was talking about Master Valtiere now. Shaw really had to keep up. "A year, huh?" The teenager hadn't realized that it might be that long. Shaw blew out a breath and stared down at the last uneaten bite of his cookie. He didn't know that Prani could cook like this. Or that she could knit.

He stole a glance at her and wondered what else he didn't know about her. He suddenly wanted to know everything. Every little detail. From her favorite color to her greatest fear and everything in between. And he realized with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't. They didn't have time. He wondered if they ever would. "I'm gonna miss you, Prani." @Sreeya

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Prani knew Shaw was glancing her way, but she didn’t have the courage to look back at him. She chewed the inside of her lip, thinking about him being gone for an entire year. Would he keep in touch? Would he make entirely new friends? Would he be taught to give up all his friends and focus strictly on duties like a lot of older Jedi were? Like her great grandfather?

She was shaken out of her spiraling thoughts when Shaw spoke, the phrase causing her face to heat up. Prani finally glanced at him, looking into those familiar brown eyes that always reminded her that someone believed in her. That someone was in her corner no matter what. She managed a faint smile, “I’ll miss ya too, Shaw,” She said quietly, “But you’ll keep in touch, won’t ya? I don’t understand them TokTik videos but you can still send me stuff,” She chuckled, having seen him constantly stay in touch with Caul and Macote.

Before long, it was time for Shaw to get going. She walked with him as he made his way over to the docking bay, already spotting the intimidating and daunting profile of the Jedi Master. Prani stared at him in wonder for a moment before focusing back on Shaw. She shifted on her feet, wondering if it was too awkward to give him a hug. In the end, she was too much of a clueless and shy teenager, so she simply stood there.

“Have a safe journey, Shaw,” She said with a sad smile, “I’ll be here when you’re back!”

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

"Of course I will," Shaw nodded. An easy smile tugged at his lips, and he tilted his head toward her bag where he assumed her dataphone was. Although knowing her it was probably back in her dorm room collecting dust or crammed underneath a potted plant as a wedge. "But you know what that means, right? You've gotta actually check your dataphone every once in a while."

Prani had a habit of letting notifications pile up and go unread for weeks, maybe even months at a time. Shaw didn't know how she did it. He couldn't go a day without picking up the device and scrolling. Some days he couldn't even go an hour. Something Master Valtiere would probably look to rectify. "At least once every couple weeks, okay?" he teased. "I might send you something really important." He doubted it, but it would be nice to stay in touch. Even if it was over all the little insignificant stuff.

That was that. Goodbyes said, belongings crammed into a duffel bag. Snacks for the road in hand. Minimal straightening. It was time to go. Master Valtiere was already waiting for him at the landing pad, prompt and just as tall as ever. "Thanks for walking me out," the teenager said once they had come to a stop, turning to look at Prani again. It meant a lot to Shaw. To have someone to walk him out. To have someone to say goodbye to. Someone that cared enough to see him off.

Both of them just stood there awkwardly for a few painful seconds. Shaw wasn't sure what he ought to say or what he ought to do or even how to stand anymore. How could he suddenly forget how to stand? Should they hug? That was what friends did, right? If it had been Macote or Caul or Roanoke standing there he would've thrown his arms around them, ruffled their hair or something, and then said something goofy but heartfelt. So why couldn't he do that with Prani?

"I'll be looking forward to it," he said when she broke the silence. "Take care of yourself, alright? Keep it 100." He flashed her one of his usual big smiles, but his features involuntarily tugged downward as he gently bumped her arm with his fist. Then, almost to the boarding ramp, he realized that Prani probably didn't know what keep it 100 meant and turned back to explain, smiling, "That means be yourself." @Sreeya

/ end of thread​