The Council's Verdict

The Council's Verdict
Date of Scene:	09 June 2024
Location:
Synopsis:	The Council gives Cayde and Annelia further instructions on the young padawan's training going forward.
Cast of Characters:	159, Pike Windu, Navi, Annelia Belask, Cayde Alexis, 334

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Athena (159) has posed:
Somewhere in the distance, a bell tower chimes, marking the top of the hour and the commencing of evening at the Jedi Temple.

In the High Council Tower, the Council has once again convened, to discuss certain matters and address the last session's topic - what to do with a certain padawan under the tutelage of the Jedi Knight, Annelia Belask.

Once the bell tower has finished chiming, all members of the Council are seated, and doors to the meeting room once again slide open, permitting any Jedi present at the Temple on Coruscant as well as any others the Council had invited to attend, into the chamber.

Pike Windu has posed:
    Jedi Master Pike Windu enters the chamber. This time he appears more unkempt than usual and withdrawn. He finds a spot along the wall and stands at ease.

Navi has posed:
Navi enters, pausing at one side of the doors to look for a position beside someone familiar. Eventually she takes a place beside Master Windu, leaving a polite distance between them. "Hello, Master Windu," she says softly, by way of greeting.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Staid, relatively stoic (For her), and quiet, Annelia walks into the chambers in much less... aggravated fashion than last time.

    Half expecting to end up speaking again, she takes herself directly to a position near the front.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde follows Ann inside. Yes, even up toward the front as much as it makes him uncomfortable.

Athena (159) has posed:
Yaddle, once again, smiles politely at everyone, nodding. "Thank you all for coming," she says, "please, be seated."

Her gaze rests on Pike, and then Navi momentarily, before she turns to face Annelia, and Cayde. "Annelia, will you and Cayde come up onto the dais?"

"The Council has made a decision regarding how to move forward with Padawan Alexis' training."

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu smiles and nods in greeting to Navi. His visage turns contemptuous as Annelia and Cayde are summoned onto the dais. He looks at each Councilor, trying to read their faces.

Navi has posed:
Navi arcs one pale eyebrow at Pike's look at Annelia and Cayde, or at least their summons. She watches the pair approach the dais with sympathy and some trepidation. What if they really do send him away?

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann nods, pushing herself to her feet and walking up to the Dais in largely businesslike manner...

    Save for a brief pause as she catches Pike's look. She slows, frowning a moment- then almost looks... apologetic for a moment before returning to approaching as directed.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde takes a deep breath and follows Ann up onto the dais, trying to avoid eye contact with most people. Especially Pike...

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
Largely due to arriving among the last of those present to file in, Caius finds himself opposite where Navi and Windu are though among Jedi he's familiar with. He folds his arms but simply observes quietly for now. Much of his opinon had bene expressed though it would seem he's well known for not holding his peace if he's got something else to add.

For now, he simply watches and waits though he does look Pike over with slightly narrowed eyes and visible concern before turning his gaze back to the council, Cayde and Anne.

Athena (159) has posed:
Yaddle glances around the Jedi in the room gathered, nodding. She then bows politely to Annelia and Cayde. "We have recognized that Master Pike's concern regarding Cayde's ... actions should not be dismissed. The young padawan, while showing much promise and progress in his training, still does require some more discipline."

She pauses, then. "Most of the Padawans, and even some of the younglings, for the next four weeks, will be accompanying our historian, Master Trelk, in spending a bulk of their training at the Rotunda so that they may complete their group projects for their Ambassadorial Politics and Diplomacy class. Padawan Alexis will be excused from this project, and instead, be subjected to a daytime curfew here at the Temple, which will last for as long as other Padawans are preoccupied with their group projects assigned to them by Master Trelk."

"He will only be allowed out of the Temple once the other Padawans have returned each day, and even then, if he is to go out, he -must- be both accompanied and supervised by another ranking Jedi."

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu's eyes narrow as he considers the will of the Council. His attention turns to Annelia, expectantly.

Navi has posed:
Navi sighs quietly, slumping a little as she looks to Annelia and Cayde, wondering what to expect. "At least they didn't send him away," she murmurs, barely loud enough for Pike to hear, "but this is almost as bad. They might as well have just confined him to the Temple until the group projects are done."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann exhales slowly as the verdict comes down, remaining silent for that long moment.

    Finally, after a brief pause after the end of the proclamation, she nods silently. Another pause before she adds: "Understood, Masters. I'll be sure to ensure this remains in effect."

    Her eyes are perhaps searching Master Trelk's face a moment, but otherwise she raises no further concern.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde sighs, slumping a bit as well. He knew this would end up limiting his freedom again...even if not as bad as before and not as long, it still stings. A daytime curfew? Yeah, they may as well have just confined him to the Temple again.

    ...Well unless he stopped trying to sleep at night. Which wasn't always successful anyway. Ann might be able to feel these thoughts going through his mind, and partially hers as well...

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
Seemingly the only one that is looking at this as a 'glass half full' scenario is Caius because indeed Cayde could have been sent away and this, if nothing else, should place more weight and urgency on the need to get Cayde the dedicated attention and help he needs.

He's far to old and far to skilled and gifted for what was happening before to continue and a temporary reset and redirection might help them all. This much is writ clear on his face as he looks more relieved then troubled but the disappointment of those he's familiar with the most is not unnoticed and he just shakes his head gently if any of them look his way. Now isn't the time or place to express thoughts for or against the decision.

Athena (159) has posed:
Yaddle seems to notice that most do not seem very satisfied with the verdict, and frowns, but Yarael speaks before she can.

"The reason for this being," the Quermian suddenly speaks up, "is because we have another task in mind for Cayde. An assignment, if you will. Cayde will not be the only Jedi who will be restricted to the Temple during the daytime hours for the next month, actually. There will be many, who are returning to the Temple on Coruscant for this next initiative, which will help the Jedi Order be more transparent to the public. We will be allowing the public to enter the Temple more freely, and participate in walk-in tours. We will make available guided tours, as well as self-guided ones."

He pauses. "Because of this, we will need multiple members of our Order to help conduct guided tours, and wanting to keep accessibility in mind, we have decided that Cayde will assist in giving tours for those who communicate primarily in BSL."

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu turns away to hide the incredulity on his face. Looking at Navi, he shakes his head and says sotto voce, "a curfew? Tour guide duty? No remedial training?"

Navi has posed:
"Guided tours through the /Temple/? Why does that give me a bad feeling, Master Windu?" Navi softly asks Pike. "Maybe the training will be before the scheduled tours? It's good that they gave him an assignment, and I think he could be a good guide, but... I don't know. I just have a bad feeling. Less about Cayde and more about having these tours at all," she continues, shaking her head slowly.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Another pause from Ann, and something like four or five different thoughts and reactions cross her face in sequence before she settles in, locks back into looking at the Council, and nods once, briskly.

    "Understood. I can make that work," she says simply- and it doesn't even sound begrudged! Like, at all!

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    When it's announced that he's supposed to help lead tour groups, the color drains from Cayde's face--even worse than when they'd been down in the catacombs and faced that monstrous creature. No...no there was no way...

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
"Tour duty....?"

Caius seems...just as befuddled as Windu is and based on their interactions to this point for them to be on the same page must mean somebody up there has -really- messed up.

Not to mention the implications that they are preparing to put on some sort of public relations show...but to what end?

Whereas before he'd been seemingly pleased at what he perceived as leniency...now he looks more neutral and concerned. He cocks an eyebrow and glances towards Anne and Cayde but at Anne's reaction being so muted he almost recoils in surprise. "..Well..wasn't expecting that."

Cayde's concern, on the other hand, isn't a surprise. The padawan can barely keep his mind from entering others unbidden and shows little restraint on doing it of his own will. How will forcing him to lead tour groups help here?

"Boy, oh boy..."

Athena (159) has posed:
The Quermian's long neck swivels, and he turns to give Windu a pointed look. "Master Windu, now that our decision has been made, are there any further suggestions you'd like to make regarding it? We are happy to add to this decision, if we believe the suggestion makes sense for the given circumstances."

Yaddle smiles faintly at Annelia. "Thank you, Annelia. This isn't just for Cayde, either," she says gently, "naturally, you will always accompany him while he is assisting with the tours, and in many cases, you may be the tour guide and Cayde simply a translator. I'm sure you would agree that both of you could work on being a bit more charismatic."

"We've realized that the solution to the problem is not to keep Cayde tucked away, apart from society entirely. No, this will only increase the risk of something like what happened at the convention happening again. The solution instead, we believe, is to expose him to the public more, in a safe and familiar environment, while only under Annelia's supervision."

Pike Windu has posed:
    Windu contemplates Yaddle's addendum and nods. "No Master. The Council's decision is fair and wise.

    Pike glances at Navi before adding, "I trust the Council is taking care in who is allowed into the Temple."

Navi has posed:
"I hope so," Navi observes in a low voice, low enough that only Pike should be able to hear. "I still have a bad feeling, though."

She watches Annelia and Cayde thoughtfully in the wake of Yaddle's addendum, recalling some other things she's seen of late. Will being a chaperoned tour guide or translator for a tour guide make him more accepted, or less? She has no answer.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann's mouth opens and her hand goes up as if to interject when told she's not all that charming- but she trails it off, fingers curling again as she looks to the side... then shrugs, nodding with mouth shifted to the side a little.

    "Fair enough, Masters. On to other topics, then?" she suggests, reaching back to pat Cayde's back reassuringlyall but outright assuming the horror on his face despite having not actually turned to look.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    As everyone continues discussing the notion of the tours, Cayde just stares at the opposite wall. No doubt some people are already thinking about them, and about how the young padawan will fare. Some think he'll do fine, others are pretty skeptical. Still others also think it's a horrible idea. None of the imagined scenarios end up helping.

    When Ann pats him on the back, he actually starts to feel rather nauseous. When she touches him, some of it migrates into his master.

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
BY now, Caius hsa made his way over towards Pike and Navi though his eyes are on the proceedings with a narrowed gaze.

"Well, that could have gone much worse.." he says quietly once in soft speaking distance to them both.

"I'm sure that..."

He sees Cayde looking a little less then..stable and he sighs softly. and then speaks up a little more loudly. in the event that others haven't noticed yet, "Masters...I believe our young Padawan could use a moment t gather his own thoughts on these events and steady himself?"

Hopefully the Council will let them simply step back to their seats and do so quickly.

Athena (159) has posed:
The masters nod at Caius, gesturing dismissively to indicate that Cayde and Annelia could sit, or leave, if they wanted to.

"Does anyone else wish to comment upon the decision?" Yaddle says, looking around. "If not, we will like to ask if anyone has anything new to report regarding the suspicious individuals that Navi and a few others had brought up last time we met?"

Pike Windu has posed:
    "I was expecting worse. I am glad to see..." Windu looks at Cayde and shakes his head.

    Having left the previous session early, Pike looks around with interest at the mention of suspicious individuals.

Navi has posed:
"I'm not completely convinced this isn't just as bad, in its own way. Cayde looked like he'd been sentenced to being fed to a Sarlacc. I'm not sure Ann's feeling much better," Navi observes, still keeping her voice low, so few besides Pike and Caius could hear her.

She gives Cayde a deeply sympathetic look before turning her attention back to the Council. "I wish I did. I've not seen any of the above since the last session," she admits.

Annelia Belask has posed:
    Ann bows her head to the Masters... and keeps it down as she looks at herself a moment- wincing slightly before frowning. She looks back at Cayde...

    More as a 'snap out of it' gesture than anything, she snaps her fingers a couple of times just in front of his eyes before going to guide him down to take a seat again and focus on something else for a minute.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    The snapping fingers doesn't seem to do any good. Well for one thing, it's not that Cayde doesn't seem attentive--it's just that he looks as if he's about to vomit, and the color has gone out of his face.

    He starts down from the dais, but before he gets back to his seat, he doubles over and does vomit onto the floor. Fortunately, he manages not to get any of it on anyone...

Athena (159) has posed:
Yaddle nods. "We'll just have to see how the situation unfolds," she says, "seems like the individuals in question have made themselves scarce since then. But please keep us appraised of anything you find," she adds, glancing to Anne and Cayde as well.

When the young padawan vomits, Yarael calmly raises a hand and moves the trash can right below Cayde's mouth so that it does not get on anything or anyone.

Meanwhile, Yaddle sits down and takes out a datapad. "It appears the other item we were scheduled to discuss was regarding a proposition sent to the Council by the young Tresslo Covo," she says, "on behalf of Gianka Alexis and Senator Burkenn, for the Order to officially endorse their full spice ban." Her brows furrow. "Interesting. While we do not do official endorsements, this matter is worth investigating. Master Pike Windu, would you care share insight? We are aware that while spice is used recreationally as a drug, it is also important in medicinal use and a full spice ban may affect advancement in healthcare... "

Pike Windu has posed:
    Pike is standing with Cayde now, holding an alcohol wipe under the boy's nose. "Sniff this. It will settle your nausea."

    Windu looks up at the dais and nods. "Spice is an effective pain reliever for the cases where all other drugs are ineffective."

Annelia Belask has posed:
    "Thank you, Master Windu," says Ann softly, nodding to him as he comes to help the padawan with the nausea and such. "I think the news was... a bit much for him. And if I know him, he might be overestimating the size of these tour groups, among other things."

    Despite the words in question and her speaking to Pike at the time, the tone really suggests a more reassuring bent perhaps more intended for Cayde. As she speaks she helps the padawan find his seat... and perhaps brings that swiftly-offered trash receptacle along juuuuuust in case.

Navi has posed:
Navi winces at the sound of poor Cayde's vomiting. She can't blame him; she can't really see herself as a tour guide, mostly due to a fear of working with large crowds, and she's nowhere near the telepathic savant Cayde is. She thinks about the spice issue a little, to take her mind off of that particular issue. "Um... not that I'm part of the Order, but... I could see banning forms of Spice that have no medicinal benefits. I have heard even the beneficial ones are very addictive," she opines.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    The alcohol seems to help a bit with the nausea, at least. Cayde manages to get back to his seat, aided by Ann. His face is still paler than usual, although his expression is mostly blank now. However, Ann will be able to sense that he's still petrified about this and dreading it heavily.

Caius Astras (334) has posed:
A quick glance is exchangd with Annelia. They'll have much to talk about after this, he's sure. Caius then leans forward and leans a hand onto Cayde's shoulder to pat it reassuringly.

"Could be much worst." he says softly towards him with a smile. "They might saddle you with having to lead around a bunch of eight year olds..."

Probably not the best way to reassure him.

"it'll be alright Cayde." he finally adds, his joking tone gone now. "We'll make sure you get the help you need for this...trial."

Athena (159) has posed:
"Yes, well, the proposition seems to be calling for a full ban on all spice," Yaddle says, her brows knitting together. "Regardless, it warrants more investigation before the Order can publicly say anything in favor for or against it. I'll find Tresslo and discuss the matter with him, then," she says.

She then picks up the datapad again and glances over at Pike, Anne, Caius, Cayde, and Navi, nodding. "Is there anything else any of you would like to address before the Council? Otherwise, the rest of these matters do not pertain to any of you, so you are free to stay for the rest of the session, or tend to other matters," she says.