Living Behind a Mask (DoTR Character Testing)

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

Location: Alderaan
09:00 Local Time
(Roughly 10 years before the timeline)​

"We are descending to the planet's surface," said the pilot over the intercom. Saerina Avrikana, a ten-year-old Padawan, eagerly ran over to the ship's window and gazed down in awe at the beautiful blue and green planet beneath. Alderaan, the place where they said she was born. The young girl only had faint memories of the place, and she couldn't contain her excitement of seeing her homeworld again (even though the Jedi Knights and older Padawans kept reminding her not to get overly attached to a planet). But it was such a beautiful planet. And Saerina loved things that were pleasing to the eye.

The ship landed, and Saerina joined the couple of Jedi Knights with their group of Padawans, all of which were roughly around her own age. One of the Knights would eventually become her Master, even though she didn't know that yet. As for the other Padawans, she knew their names but hadn't talked to them much. They were all very close to each other and Saerina found it hard to try to talk to them. Besides, she didn't mind being by herself sometimes. Everyone was talking excitedly about the event that was about to occur- the meeting of the Senator of Alderaan. The Padawans were only to practice greeting this important figure, and then let the Jedi Knights do the "grown up stuff."

Once outside, they met the Senator and everyone else that accompanied him. They went through the proper greetings- the smiling, the polite bowing, the handshaking. Saerina was disappointed at first, because she didn't see any other children. But then... she did see one. He was a boy about her age, pretty much hiding behind the adults. He had an odd sort of expression on his face- not really happy, but not really sad. Perhaps, Saerina thought, he was just lonely.

Then the adults went off and told the Padawans they were allowed to go amuse themselves in the town. Everyone else went off, but Saerina didn't go with them... she wanted to talk to the boy. She didn't know much about the Force but she had a strong feeling that this boy needed a friend. Though a little nervous about talking to a stranger, she walked up and smiled shyly. "Hi," she said. "My name is Saerina. What's yours?"
@Noctyr

 

[Noctyr]

The low rumble of the shuttle’s engines coming to a halt filled the passenger compartment as it landed. Sev was somewhat excited to see the landscape that Alderaan had to offer, as he had heard rumors of the planet’s beauty. He had grown up on the planet Obulette, a world covered in cities, ash colored rock, and shallow seas. Compared to Alderaan, it was a bleak world, made even stranger by it’s solar cycle. Unlike other planets, Obulette was in a state of perpetual twilight. There way no day, nor night, so Sev was fascinated with the concept of night and day.

Sev was sitting next to his mother, Estalle, both dressed in the attire of the Tapani Noble House Mecetti. Lady Estalle Telluria was a shrewd, influential, and conniving politician, but most of all, she was a stern mother. Rising from her seat, she looked at Sev and spoke to him in a lecturing tone.

“Remember the intent of this meeting, Sevarin. You are not to reveal our secret to the Jedi.”

Sevarin nodded. In the wake of his father’s death, there were many amongst the Jedi that suspected House Mecetti of harboring more Sith. This was the first of many meetings Estalle had arranged to try and save face and avert suspicion.

The two exited the shuttle, and were immediately greeted by the Senator of Alderaan.

“It is a pleasure to have your acquaintance, senator. I am Lady Estalle Telluria of House Mecetti. This here is my son, Prince Sevarin Telluria of Obulette.” She took a curt bow, raising her dress at the sides slightly as she did so, and soon after, the Alderaanian Senator exchanged his courtesies.

Sev saw Jedi everywhere. Padawans and Knights were practically crawling all over the place. Despite his hatred for the Jedi, he kept his emotions in check. He couldn’t risk the diplomatic talks from something as simple as a glare or frown in the direction of the Jedi. Soon enough, as the adults were about to leave, Sev shot a glance at his mother, wondering what to do as she went ahead to speak indoors with the Senator. But before he could get a response, a young padawan girl approached him.

“Hi, my name is Saerina. What’s yours?”

You’re a Jedi. Sev thought. What could you possibly want from me?

He cast that thought at the back of his mind before responding. Again, he wasn't supposed to show any hostility towards the Jedi, even if it was a thought. They could sense those things.

“Ah….h-hi…..” He averted his eyes, also a bit shy himself. “I’m Sev…”

He turned his head to glance at his mother again, as if to ask her what to do. Noticing this, Estalle glanced at Saerina, giving her a hard look before she simply nodded to Sev and continued to walk away, and that’s all that Sev needed to know that his mother was allowing him autonomy in how to act next.

Overcoming his initial shyness, he continued to talk to her.

“So…you’re a Jedi, huh?”

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

Lady Estalle's look of disapproval did not go past Saerina, who understood perfectly that it was not anything friendly. She shifted uncomfortably, wondering if she had done something wrong. But she became distracted once the boy spoke. At first he didn't meet her eyes, and he mumbled so that it was sort of hard to hear him speak. Saerina wondered if it had been a bad idea to try to talk to him. But, then the lady left, and Saerina felt that she could relax a bit- and Sev seemed to relax a bit too.

She suppressed a giggle when he asked if she was a Jedi. To her, it seemed perfectly obvious... She was wearing the traditional beige colors of the Jedi, and boots and a Padawan braid and everything. Unfortunately, she didn't have her own lightsaber yet, but she still thought she looked like how Jedi ought to look. But she told herself that some people probably were not too familiar with what Jedi looked like. "Yes, I'm a Padawan," she said cheerfully. "That means I'm still in training." There was a brief, awkward silence as she tried to think of something else to say. Absentmindedly playing with her messy brown braid, she finally thought of something. "So, do you live here, on Alderaan? I was born here, actually.... but I don't remember it much."

Saerina hoped that she would be able to get him talking more freely. She wanted to make a new friend, since the other Padawans could be so intimidating sometimes. And she wanted to know more about Sev. Why he was so quiet, why there didn't seem to be any other children with him. Was he living in a world full of adults? Saerina thought that seemed like a sad way to live. Adults were so boring.

 

[Noctyr]

Sev had always lived a life of harsh lessons, but they were always designed to make him understand the harshness of reality. Torture, hatred, pain, suffering…they were all tools of the Sith designed to make him stronger. Even at Sev’s young age of 11 years old, his Sith masters did not tolerate weakness. Most of his life, he was surrounded by adults, forced to adapt into a life where playtime seldom ever happened.

“That's cool! I’m from Obulette…that lady from earlier is my mother. She's supposed to talk to the Senator today, and she decided to bring me along.” He smiled apologetically for having been overly reserved earlier, and instead, relaxed a lot more. He was glad to see someone his age. “Sorry…my home planet isn’t this…bright. Where I come from, there’s no night or day. It’s always in between.”

He blushed a bit from embarrassment, clasping his hands behind his back at what he wanted to ask next, given how…light hearted it was of a request. But he felt almost compelled to do it. After being deprived of the luxury for so long…

“I w-was wondering...do you want to play? Mother doesn't let me play very often...”

It was a normal thing for a kid to do, but Sev had never really gotten much of a chance to do so before, let alone with any kids his age. Everything was always so gloomy in the order. He understood why, but even then, sometimes he wished it wasn’t so.

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

Saerina's blue eyes widened in interest when Sev mentioned Obulette. She had not heard of that planet before... but then again, there were many planets she had not heard of. "Really?" she exclaimed. "Wow... How does that work? Does the planet just not rotate? Or is there some weird reason that has to do with the Force?" She stopped short, realizing that Sev wasn't a Jedi and he might not know anything about the Force. But, at the very least, maybe he knew something that explained why a planet could never be night or day. His remarks about his mother also triggered her curiosity, but she decided not to ask too much about her. She just seemed... scary... to Saerina. Perhaps even Sev thought she was scary, since he was so quiet when she was around. And now, he was smiling. Saerina did not want to make him go all quiet again.

She had not at all expected him to ask her to play. Like him, she wasn't much used to playing because the Jedi discouraged useless activity. She enjoyed her training very much, and there were plenty of other children around if she wanted to connect with them... but, they never suggested going out and playing. Everything had to have a purpose. But, even though she wasn't sure if it seemed like a good idea, it did seem fun, so she smiled and said, "Sure! I've never really played much... what should we do?" She had no idea what "normal" children liked to do. Suddenly her eyes lit up as she thought of an idea. "We could do a stick fight! If it's okay. We won't actually hit each other," she added hastily.

 

[Noctyr]

Sev smiled, noting that she had stopped talking about Obulette out of consideration for him. But he entertained her curiosity anyway. Unlike his preconceived notions about the Jedi, Saerina seemed different to him. She was easy to talk to, especially compared to the adults.

“Obulette orbits a dim red star….I don’t know why there’s no night or day, but my mother says it has something to do with the force.”

True enough, Obulette was a planet infused with dark side energies. While not completely inhospitable and as strong in the dark side compared to worlds such as Malachor IV or Korriban, the world was in perpetual twilight because of the power of the energy on the planet.

“O-okay! That sounds kinda fun!” he replied, when she suggested that they stick fight. Luckily, Alderaan had no shortage of beautiful landscape, including a myriad of trees. “Let’s go over there! I think we can find sticks there!” He pointed into the distance, a vast plain with trees scattered throughout the object of his focus. He held out his hand for her to grab. If Saerina agreed to follow, he’d head off, weaving and running his way through the Alderaanian settlement till they hit the outskirts. Soon enough, they’d reach a portion of the plains where a few trees were clustered.

Breathing heavily, smiling, and placing his hands on his knees, he exclaimed, “Alright, we’re here!” After a short time of recovery, he walked over to a nearby tree and grabbed two sticks lying on the ground in front of it. Handing one to Saerina, he smiled and assumed the opening stance of Juyo. Form VII, Juyo was one of the most aggressive, if not the most aggressive of the lightsaber forms ever created. It focused on emotion and passion as a driving force in combat, so much that historically, some considered it to be a Sith lightsaber style. It was also the only way Sev had ever been taught to fight thus far, and he almost instinctively entered the stance, despite knowing they were just playing around.

He giggled before continuing to speak. “Whoever wins gets to double dog dare the other! But no hitting! Only tapping!”

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

Saerina stared thoughtfully at nothing for a minute as she tried to imagine a world with a red sun, and it never rotated because of the Force or something weird like that.... Such a place obviously was very dark, then! "Interesting..." she mused. "I have never heard of a place like that in my whole life." She wanted to ask Sev more.... if he liked the perpetual twilight, if it was scary sometimes, what did people like to do there. But she had a feeling it was best to leave the subject alone. They could talk about more things besides a weird planet that orbited a very dim star.

Her eyes lit up when he pointed to the nearby field. She had no idea if they were allowed to go that far, but it seemed like fun, and it was safe, so why did it really matter? "That place looks perfect!" she exclaimed. "We can probably get some really big ones, too.... race you there!" With a grin, she sprinted off across the paved sidewalks and onto the grass. It was so deliciously green and soft, she was tempted to kick off her boots- but, not right now. It certainly was a long ways to run, and Saerina did not know yet how to use the Force to her advantage here. She did have to exercise a lot though, as part of her training, so it didn't feel much different than what she was used to.

She grinned back at him and accepted the stick he offered her. Unlike Sev, Saerina was not yet learning an advanced lightsaber form; she wasn't old enough. Though she knew about Soresu and Makashi and how the older Jedi said she might be good at those someday. All she did right now was Shii-Cho, and she practiced it a lot- and was pretty good at it for her age. So she subconsciously went into the opening stance. "Sounds good... you had better hope I don't win!" she said mischievously, with an amused gleam in her eye as she wondered what she would dare Sev to do if she won. "Okay, ready... set... go!" Saerina had not at all considered that there were things that most people didn't know about using a lightsaber (or in this case, a stick). And of course, she didn't have the slightest idea that her new friend already knew a thing or two about lightsabers. So it felt completely natural to her to swing playfully at his stick, using the wide and sweeping strokes of Shii-Cho, not worrying about form and not trying to hit his body.

 

[Noctyr]

Sev advanced, his feet sliding across the grassy plain as he started with a thrust, easily deflected by Saerina’s stick. Yet as soon as that move ended, Sev attempted again.

Left side swipe. Right side swipe. Downward stroke with an arcing flourish. Like Saerina, Sev was quick. His father taught him about the force, but thus far, he had only managed to levitate small objects, and nothing else. He also may have learned an advanced lightsaber form, but the downside of Form VII was it’s ignorance of defense. He was trying his best to manage a solid tap using the stick, but in doing so, he was leaving plenty of openings.

One of the wide, sweeping strokes Saerina used managed to tap Sev in the side as he attempted the downward stroke. He smiled, instinctively pulling away.

“D-darn! You got me good with that one, but it’s not over yet!~”

And thus he continued, pressing forward with a diagonal uppercut swing. There was something odd he felt at his core though. When he usually practiced, everything was centered around discipline and an unbridled focus on channeling anger, hatred, and fear. The Sith used violent and negative emotion to fuel their power in the dark side, and consequently, their battles. It was the way that Sev was taught to fight, although there wasn’t much true hatred or anger in him at this point in his life. He was a 10 year old kid, expected to survive in the harsh frame of reality the Sith Order had constructed for him. Although he was not fully immersed in it, the dark side was all that he knew.

Yet in this fight, this game of theirs, he only felt happiness. There was no ill intent towards Saerina. She was his friend. The only person he had “fought” thus far who was simply here to have fun, more than anything. And it was this feeling that permeated his being, creating a link in the force, for unsuspecting to even Sev himself, he had the ability to form force bonds almost subconsciously. Saerina would likely sense it too. The raw emotion of happiness echoing through the force as the two continued their game. The more force sensitive someone was, the stronger the perception became.

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

Saerina happily parried Sev's blows, not worrying so much about her slight mistakes or anticipating his moves. This wasn't an intense training session; it was just fun. And it felt completely natural to her. She barely thought about Sev's fighting style at all. She was only thinking about how nice it felt to be using just a stick and not a lightsaber, to be doing this just for fun and that her "opponent" was not judging her or trying to take advantage of her weaknesses. In fact, it was only when Sev grinned and said she got him when she realized something. He seemed to know what he was doing. She had sparred lots of older Padawans and Jedi Knights as practice and she knew what good lightsaber technique looked like. But, naively optimistic, she thought this was only because of raw potential and not because of previous training. After all, he was just a politician's son, in Saerina's mind. "Hey, you're pretty good!" she said cheerfully. "You would make a good Jedi, you know!" Of course, she had no idea what those words might have meant to him, given his previous experiences with the Jedi.

She did not know too much about the Force yet- how to try to sense someone's thoughts or let it help her find her way through an unknown place or any of that sort of advanced stuff. But Saerina could still easily feel the Force, even if she didn't know what exactly she was feeling. And that sensation of blissful happiness that Sev had subconsciously created through his Force bond, she could definitely feel it. Even though she didn't know exactly what it was. It was just, apparently, what it felt like to really have a friend.

They continued their mock fight, and Saerina didn't really know how to save her energy like in Soresu, so it wasn't long before she started to tire out and her form grew sloppier. At one point, she didn't block one of Sev's strokes and it swiped across both her knees. "Looks like we're even now," she said with a grin. "Want to do something else? Like..." her blue eyes searched the area- "how about that tree over there? We could see how high we can climb!"

 

[Noctyr]

When she told him he would make a good jedi, he hesitated for a moment. Here he was, finding a friend in someone who was part of the very same organization he had been led to hate. The same organization that had killed his father, and the same organization that was ignorant to the sacrifice one took when devoting themselves to the dark side. For Sev, the Sith were only realistic, not truly evil. For all Sev wanted was a galaxy devoid of the endless strife that generations have had to suffer and accept as reality. Morality was never black and white. There was a reason for everything. Sev had always been told there was a reason behind all the pain and suffering of the universe, and that sometimes it was necessary to achieve ones goals. While the Jedi saw the force as something to be guided by, the Sith saw it as a means to an end. At least, that’s what the Sith on Nyssa taught him. But all of that didn’t matter at this moment. There was but a brief moment of regret at not being able to fully reveal his own identity, else risking their friendship, but he tossed that thought aside as well. Maybe if he could somehow convince her that the jedi were wrong, somewhere down the line? That would have to wait, but at least it gave the young boy hope.

“O-Okay!” Sev smiled and ran to the tree, dropping his stick in the process. Once he was there he began to climb, happy and as carefree as he had ever been in his life. For once, he felt free! No more worrying about the seriousness of life, no more ruthless discipline and harshness. Just two kids, having a great time playing games in the plains of Alderaan. A picturesque scene, to be sure. Sev had found a friend. Reaching the top of the tree, he looked out into the distance, noticing how beautiful it was to see the city from the vantage point, and he smiled.

"You said you were from Alderaan, right? How come you don't remember it much? Did you leave a long time ago?"

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

Saerina, too, was extremely relieved to not be forced to focus on the future and her training and preparing herself for a life as a Jedi. It was strange because they always talked about focusing on the present, but they made her think about the future a lot. But now, all she was doing was racing up the tree and trying to be faster than Sev, not because anything was to be gained or lost by it, but because it was simply fun. The young Padawan was unaware of the momentary discomfort she had created by her comment on the Jedi. She didn't quite know yet how to use the Force to read peoples' emotions, and Sev had not made his feelings obvious. Which was probably a good thing.

"I think you beat me," she laughed, climbing up next to him on the thickest branch near the top. The other branches seemed too flimsy to allow them to go much higher. As they gazed at the beautiful city nearby, sparkling in the morning sunlight, Saerina partly wished that she had been able to live here. That the Jedi Temple wasn't on another world. There was just so much to see, so much beauty.

Then he asked her about Alderaan, and she nodded slowly. "Yes... They said I was three when the Jedi found me. And, with the Jedi, it's better to come to them at a younger age, because if you remember your family and have really strong attachments to people, you get distracted, I guess. You can be hurt more easily. So as soon as they found out I was Force sensitive, they took me to the Jedi. I think I have some really faint memories of Alderaan, but nothing like this." Saerina talked casually- she did not mind discussing her home planet. She had been so little when she left it, and was so confident in her identity as a Jedi, that it didn't mean much to her. "So, do you like living on Obulette?" she asked Sev, changing the subject. "With it being all dark, and you get used to it, does it bother you, or do you like it?"

 

[Noctyr]

“W-we were still competing?!” Sev laughed with her. He had to figure out what the dare was going to be, but first, he responded to her questions about his homeworld.

“Honestly? It’s kinda boring. My mom always warns me about the city being dangerous and stuff, but I don’t really know why. She doesn’t let me go outside very often, but it’s okay! I have a lot of room on the Estate to have fun!~”

After she had given her explanation of her own background, he gave her a worried expression. It was clear that he felt bad for her. “The Jedi…are you sure they’re right?” He thought about the strict lessons, the emphasis on sacrifice for the greater good that his father had instilled in him. Attaining power to change the universe for the better, even at the cost of vilifying oneself. It was the Jedi who had such black and white views on good and evil, and for all of the sacrifices Sev’s father made, they only served as excuses for the jedi to destroy him.

“I mean, my dad taught me a lot…and it made me stronger!” Sev smiled and laughed.

“Wanna be friends? My mom visits Alderaan all the time! We could hang out and explore and stuff!”

 

[AuroraRogersSkywalker]

Saerina grinned back at him. "Didn't I say we would try to see who could get to the top first? Or maybe I didn't. I don't remember." She shrugged happily, knowing it didn't really matter. It felt good to be in a place where what she said and did, didn't really matter much. Sev wasn't judging her and she wasn't judging him.

"What's it like living in an estate?" she asked, immediately intrigued. The Jedi Temple was a huge place, but there were so many people there. "Do you have all this room to yourself? Do you get to go exploring?" She wondered if it would be lonely to have such a big house all to oneself. She knew she would probably have fun at first, exploring and trying to see what sort of secret places she could find. After all, the Jedi only allowed her to be in a few places- the classrooms, her apartment, and sometimes the library. Sometimes she was tempted to go exploring those big, mysterious hallways, even though she wasn't supposed to, but she always knew it was a bad idea.

As she talked about the Jedi Order she noticed his expression change to concern, almost sympathy. She was about to ask what was wrong when he asked her if she thought the Jedi were right. A bit confused, she nodded and said, "Of course. The Jedi are all about peace and balance, and that's a good thing, right? I mean, look at wars. They're terrible things. People wanting to hurt each other on purpose... that's what the Jedi want to stop." At this point in her life, Saerina's view of the Jedi may have been a little simplistic and naïve. But this was only because she believed wholeheartedly in their values, and didn't have much life experience yet.

Sev's statement about his father piqued her curiosity a little. "What did your father teach you?" she asked, out of simple inquisitiveness.

When he asked if they wanted to be friends, Saerina just smiled. "I thought we were friends already!" They had played together, shared some thoughts together and (unbeknownst to Saerina) put aside their differences. That, in her young mind, was what friendship was. "I don't come to Alderaan very much... But maybe I will more! And maybe we can stay in touch."

 

[Noctyr]

Sev smiled again at her, teasingly.

“You ask a lot of questions, you know~”

Amongst the sith, Sev’s father was an enigma. A man whose ideals encompassed unbridled passion at one moment, yet harsh discipline the next. He was a harsh teacher, and Sev often learned the hard way. But there was always a lesson behind the harsh failures that Sev faced in his grueling training.

Sev sighed. Sev’s father was never the type to forgive his own son, nor show much compassion outside small gestures, but the man was completely driven by his ideals for what he considered a better galaxy. A prospect at a galactic future where conflict was no longer necessary, yet a prospect that cost him the luxury of living a pure and happy life. A prospect that became Sev’s goal, and the mantle which Sev was to uphold.

It was so easy to get lost in thought for the young boy. The feeling of loss hadn’t gone away. Tragedy had struck far too recently.

“Where I live, it’s lonely these days…the estate feels a bit….empty…I feel like I can trust you though, so I’ll tell you this…”

He frowned a little bit, looking into her eyes. His face was one of melancholy, and Saerina would be able to sense his emotions through the force. It was an effect amplified by the force bond between the two younglings. She’d sense his fear, his anger, his sadness. She’d sense why he felt hesitant at first when meeting her.

“My father was killed by jedi recently....because they thought he was a Sith Lord.”

He smiled, trying to hold back tears, but his eyes were watering.

“But I think, after meeting you, that everything will be fine! Because you’ll change things, right?”