108/That Missing Something

That Missing Something
Date of Scene:	07 March 2024
Location:	Jedi Temple - Coruscant
Synopsis:	Navi visits the Temple on Coruscant again, and runs into Cayde.
Cast of Characters:	Cayde Alexis, Navi

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Cayde Alexis has posed:
    It's well past curfew at the Temple on Coruscant, and most of everyone has retired for the night. The hallways are mostly empty, except for the night shift Temple Guard.

    And Cayde, apparently.

    The padawan seems to be wandering around rather aimlessly, looking exhausted and yet not exactly headed back to his room to sleep.

Navi has posed:
Navi is not wandering aimlessly. The blonde Sephi has returned to Coruscant on Brotherhood business that peripherally involves the Jedi Order, and thus has been granted temporary lodgings at the Temple. She is in the process of returning to those lodgings when she spots Cayde.

As he looks on the verge of keeling over on the spot, she hurries to his side. "Cayde? Are you all right? You look like you haven't slept in a week," she asks, instantly concerned for him.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    In spite of how exhausted he looks, Cayde actually seems glad to see Navi. His expression brightens when she approaches, and he nods when she asks if he's all right.

    [I am fine] he signs, then smiles and motions for her to follow him as he starts heading toward his room.

Navi has posed:
"You don't /look/ fine," Navi replies, but moves to follow Cayde anyway. "You look /tired/. You should probably be sleeping. I know /I/ should be."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde rolls his eyes at her. Is she really doing this right now? He turns around momentarily and walks backwards, signing [Then why are you awake]

    Upon arriving in his room, he goes over to a drawer and opens it, beginning to rummage around in it as if looking for something.

Navi has posed:
"Because I just got here and had to be assigned temporary quarters. I was just on my way there," Navi replies levelly. She studies him as he leads the way. "Were you waiting for me?" she asks, after a moment's thought.

She pauses behind him as he rummages through a drawer, clearly looking for something. "What are you looking for? And is it something to do with our recent misadventures at Canto Bight?" she asks curiously.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde doesn't answer any of her questions but after a few moments he produces a focusing amulet similar to the one he'd given to Ann a while ago. But this one has a brass-colored housing with floral motifs and a blue crystal in the center. He turns and offers it to Navi.

Navi has posed:
"This is for me?" Navi asks, carefully accepting the amulet and studying it. She can't help blushing faintly at the thought of Cayde giving her such a gift, and impulsively hugs the Padawan. "It's /wonderful/... thank you!"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde nods when she asks if it's for her. Of course it's for her, why else would he be handing it to her?

    He seems a bit taken aback by the impulsive hug, but accepts it, patting her on the back gently before withdrawing. [You are welcome]

Navi has posed:
Navi carefully slips the necklace for the amulet around her neck. "Have you figured out anything about what that auburn-haired woman at Canto Bight was talking about? Whatever she paid those two sentients to cover up? It sounded like something she really, really didn't want getting out," she asks worriedly. "I'm not sure what would've happened if those security goons would've caught us."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde shakes his head. He honestly hasn't had a chance to really think about it or research it yet.

    Although, he did pull a few articles regarding recent events in the galaxy over the past decade or so. The padawan opens another drawer under his bed, and pulls out one of them.

Navi has posed:
Navi kneels on the floor as Cayde retrieves the articles. "Can I read that with you?" she asks, moving to rise and join him wherever he seats himself.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde nods and hands her one of the articles, while he keeps the other, going to sit on the bed.

Navi has posed:
Navi seats herself beside Cayde. She tries not to sit uncomfortably close to him, but the size of the bed limits how far away she can sit. She begins to study the article with due care. "Hmm..."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    The two of them read in silence for a few minutes, although Cayde finds his mind wandering. The Grafs were hyperspace prospectors, right? They charted new hyperlanes, so could the disaster have been some kind of accident in space? But there were so many...

    At some point, Navi might notice his presence in her mind. There is some natural curiosity about her. He doesn't know much about the Sephi, and while he's been around her a few times he actually doesn't know that much about her.

Navi has posed:
"Hmm... they were talking about a chunk of hull plating... so I'd guess they were salvaging and destroying the remains of a starship or space station, if that makes any sense. Hope it does," Navi murmurs, studying the text thoughtfully.

Slowly she becomes aware that Cayde's thoughts are intruding into hers. It's subtle, but there, and she can easily sense an air of curiosity. <<Cayde? Do you know you're touching my mind right now? 'Cause I have a feeling you're curious about... something..?>> she thinks, hoping her minimal telepathic training will allow her to speak directly to him in this manner.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde startles slightly when she responds to him. Perhaps he hadn't been fully aware of himself. He looks away, suddenly embarrassed. [I am sorry] he signs quickly.

    He hadn't meant to intrude like that...

Navi has posed:
"It's okay. You're the strongest telepath I've ever met. Guess I just never thought about what might happen if your mind wandered," Navi replies gently. "I'm curious... were you thinking about me? Or was I just the only person in the room when your attention wandered?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Strong wasn't the issue...control was. Cayde sighs, then shrugs. [Both...I do not know much about you] he points out. [But...we are friends...right] he asks hopefully.

Navi has posed:
"We are friends," Navi replies, smiling. "And there's not much to know. I'm blonde, I'm a Sephi, I have blue eyes, and I like warm hugs. And I kind of devoted my life to seeking tranquility and peace through the Force. See? Not much at all." She smiles wryly. "You, on the other hand, are a Padawan, and a super-strong telepath with a penchant for getting into trouble and trying to do the right thing, so you're /miles/ ahead of me on the boring-to-interesting sliding scale."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    [Those are obvious] Cayde replies, of all the things she has just said about herself.

    He's pretty sure she's much less 'boring' than she says she is. Or thinks she is. In fact he's beginning to wonder if there just wasn't much else she wanted to talk about regarding herself.

    [How did you join...Brotherhood] he asks.

Navi has posed:
"I went to Jedha a couple years ago looking for greater meaning in life than just drifting from system to system doing odd jobs. I've always had this feeling that there was something more to the galaxy than things you can see and hold in your hands," Navi says softly. "I bumped into a monk of the Shining Brotherhood my second day there, and we talked for a couple hours about the Force, life, and meaning. In the end I followed him back to their chapterhouse and spoke to their chaptermaster about joining. It's been chores, meditation, and doing good works ever since. Maybe it's not for everyone, but it suits me fine," she adds, shrugging. "It's a good life."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    [You did not have enough before] Cayde asks. That is, meaning. Not enough meaning in life.

    [Not family...not business...not pleasure...]

Navi has posed:
"I... did not. I have no memory of my family. I was taken away from them before I was old enough to remember them," Navi replies, bowing her head. "I grew up in a communal home not much different from an orphanage. I left there when I came of age, but living out in the galaxy was a shock after such a regimented life... there was no structure, no consistency. You'd be surprised how important those things can become to you, even if you resent them at the time."

She sighs softly, shaking her head. "Even before I left that home, I felt like something was missing... or at least I was missing it. It was there somewhere, but it was always just out of reach. At least, it was until I joined the Brotherhood."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde arches a brow at her, watching her expectantly even after she'd finished. Wasn't she going to tell him what it was? That missing 'something' that always seemed just out of reach?

Navi has posed:
Navi blushes faintly. "Sorry... I guess it just seems really obvious to me. That thing I was missing was the Force. I could always feel it, right at the edge of my consciousness, but I couldn't make sense of it. I guess you could compare it to being hard of hearing all your life and suddenly getting your missing hearing back. You always knew you were missing something, because you could see it affecting the world around you, but you had no way to know what it was. Well, that and a sense of purpose. The Brotherhood is all about helping the less fortunate."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Ah. Right, that made sense.

    Cayde nods, and in spite of her limited Force abilities, she can feel that he's grateful for her sharing that with him. Not many people shared about themselves with him, at least not willfully.

Navi has posed:
"You're welcome," Navi murmurs, smiling faintly. Maybe her life only bears a resemblance to the very end of her story, but at least she made Cayde happy for the moment.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde frowns at that murmur, though. Wait, something didn't seem quite right...

    Oh....

    Well if she hadn't felt comfortable telling him the truth, she should have just said so.

    Anyway, he just sighs, visibly deflating and makes a slight shooing motion at her toward the door. [I am sorry I kept you....good night]

Navi has posed:
Navi blinks at the gesture, and the signs that follow. "If that's what you want," she says softly, rising and moving to the door.

She pauses at the door, looking back at him. "I told you the truth, Cayde. I just didn't tell you /all/ of it. I didn't tell you the parts I'd rather forget ever happened. Maybe someday I will, when it doesn't hurt so much. Good night, Cayde. I really hope it is."

She turns back toward the door to leave.