Are We There Yet?

Are We There Yet?
Date of Scene:	29 January 2025
Location:	Outer Rim
Synopsis:	Navi and Cayde hang out on the way to Ilum.
Cast of Characters:	Cayde Alexis, Navi

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Cayde Alexis has posed:
    In the middle of the trip to Ilum, there doesn't seem to be much going on aboard the ship. Not much to do, really as it's far from a luxury liner. Most are asleep, but not Cayde. No, instead he's in the small-ish but mostly empty cargo bay, practicing lightsaber forms.

Navi has posed:
'At least he's not in trouble,' Navi thinks as she pauses in the hatchway to the cargo bay. Wrapped in a short white robe and with her hair hastily braided and mussed, she's clearly been awakened from sleep. She rubs her eyes, just to be sure she's seeing what she's seeing, and looks again.

Cayde is still there, and still practicing lightsaber forms. Sighing softly in relief, she idly crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the hatch coaming to watch.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    For one thing, he has progressed quite a bit since Ann had taken him as padawan. Although this space was probably slightly too small, as there are scorch marks on some of the walls.

    As she sighs, he pauses and turns to her, tilting his head slightly. But where else would he go?

Navi has posed:
"You're not in trouble, Cayde," Navi replies to his look, glancing idly at the scorch marks on the walls, then back to him. "That's all I'm worried about. Just try not to cut through the outer hull, okay?"

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde follows her gaze to the scorch marks on the wall, his expression becoming slightly sheepish. Oh...oops. [...Sorry] he signs quickly, upon noticing the damage.

Navi has posed:
"Just try to be more conscious of your swing. You can bring the 'saber in a little closer to your body and put more hip and waist rotation into your maneuvers if you need to fight in a more confined space with a full-length 'saber. Make sure to ask Anne about things like that while training," Navi suggests. "I learned those techniques from my late Master, but I don't think there's enough space in here for me to teach them, and I'd want Anne's approval before I tried it."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde seems to be listening to what she has to say, nodding. But after a moment, he re-ignites his saber again and does a summoning motion toward her.

    <Practice together?> he offers.

Navi has posed:
"Cayde, if there's barely enough room for one person to practice, there's definitely not enough room for two," Navi points out, though she is polite about it. "Otherwise I'd be just fine with it."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Oh...

    Cayde deflates visibly and retracts his lightsaber again, sighing. He's just so bored. There's nothing to do around here, and it'll be at least another week before they arrive.

Navi has posed:
Navi steps closer and hugs Cayde gently. "I know... long space trips are boring as frell," she says gently. She's trying to comfort him and be sympathetic, since she's bored, too. But being young, female, and bare-legged, while hugging a young man, may prove an unwanted distraction, or at least less comfortable than she wants...

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    As she comes closer and puts her arms around him, Cayde flushes, his face becoming hot. But he reciprocates, stroking her back gently for a moment. However, he quickly pulls away again. Nope, not supposed to be doing that.

    He looks pensive a moment. [Tell me about your master] he signs finally.

Navi has posed:
Navi stares at him for a startled moment as he pulls away, uncomprehending. His request is met with a faint blush, and she takes a seat on the edge of a cargo container. "It's kind of a long story, and there's no happy ending," she warns gently. "Her name was Armeia Khraye, and she was a Jedi Knight roughly ten years older than I. She was very skilled in both healing and battle, and we worked very well together. I learned a lot from her, and I was proud to call her my greatest friend as well as my Master."

"The story gets really sad after this," she warns softly. "It's been several years, but I still have a hard time talking about it. Make sure you really want to hear it before you ask me to go on."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Well...if she didn't want talk about it, she didn't have to. <It's okay...if you don't want> he projects.

    Although, there is a part of him that wants to know. There weren't many people in the galaxy who trusted him that much.

Navi has posed:
"I'll just say that she died to save others, including me. She could have saved herself, but that wasn't who she was. Her death broke my heart... it's still in pieces," Navi whispers. "Bad things happened after that, and when it was all over, more than a year had gone by, and I'd lost absolutely all of my trust and confidence in the Jedi Council. That's why I'm not a Jedi anymore. And why getting back the remains of her lightsaber was so important to me."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    [That is...] Cayde begins, but then he doesn't finish. Well, he was going to say that was the Jedi way. But, maybe that wasn't what Navi needed to hear right now. He pats her on the shoulder gently.

    [Well...they saved me] he signs instead.

Navi has posed:
"Yes... they saved you. They've also all but threatened to send you to the Outer Rim over a crooked politician's demands, and may still be considering it," Navi replies, just a bit wearily. "The Council may be Jedi, but sometimes they don't seem to act like Jedi."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Hmm...he doesn't remember any threats. Sure, there had been a discussion, but he already knew there were some who didn't think he should have been given Jedi training in the first place and had always been against it.

    Cayde shrugs. <Not all want me here>

Navi has posed:
"That's why I said 'all but threatened', Cayde... they didn't threaten to do it, but they almost did," Navi adds. "And for what it's worth, I think Jedi training was the only option open to you if you wanted to live a productive life. And I think anyone who feels otherwise has no heart. If you hadn't been taken in by the Jedi, you'd've likely wound up like that disaster-prone little girl we had to rescue... enslaved to a criminal group and forced to do downright evil things with your gift. If you were lucky, you'd've been paid for it. If you weren't, you'd have to choose between doing what they wanted or getting murdered."

"My Master and I played a role in busting up some criminal slave dens a time or three. I saw a couple kids a lot like you, with gifts they could barely control, being starved until they did what their masters wanted them to. The first time I saw it, it made me literally sick. I never found out what happened to those kids, but I hope the Jedi took them in."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Well, he doesn't really agree that they don't have any heart.

    Cayde sighs. [I know...I am difficult] he admits, his gaze falling for a moment.

Navi has posed:
"You have a gift. Sometimes it's a curse as much as a gift. We understand that," Navi replies, taking his hands in hers if he lets her. "Sometimes I think you could stand to listen more and go off on your own less, and sometimes I get impatient with you for taking unnecessary risks. That doesn't mean I want you to get shipped off to the Rim or kicked out of the Order."

She takes a deep breath, blushing faintly. "I care about you, Cayde, the same as I care about Anne and Master Windu and everyone else I work with. I want you to be safe and happy, and it makes me /furious/ to see people calling you a freak and picking on you. If the Force had done something different, they could be in your boots, the same as I could've! It's just mean and selfish to treat you like that."

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde looks down at his hands as she takes them into hers. He squeezes them affectionately. <Thank you> he projects to her, although he looks away then and withdraws. Yes, many of the other padawans and even some of the younger Knights had a habit of picking on him. But he'd grown accustomed to it.

    [Try to sleep now] he signs, standing up.

Navi has posed:
"You're welcome, and I'll try," Navi replies as Cayde turns to leave. "You get some sleep, too. And if things get too dull, meditate. Sometimes it helps with cabin fever." She follows him out of the cargo bay before making her way back to her tiny quarters.