Residential Towers

"Oh, please, Lexi. Chi's been ready to get away from us since the moment she was subjected to one of your tours. She's probably been counting down the minutes until you finally got us here."

Vivikayl grinned slyly, leaning against the wall next to the door, and crossed her arms over her chest. It was nice to have some fresh meat in the Temple, especially someone as open-minded as Achiira. Open-minded or naive and innocent. It didn't matter all too much to Vivikayl, though. Having a new student to study at the Temple was something to celebrate, and having a new friend even more so. At the mention of the militaristic Base of old, though, the Echani shuddered slightly before giggling.

"The Base was alright. Nothing special, really. Like Lexi said, it was more like a military-type building. Grand Master Calmcacil turning its unfortunate destruction into a chance for a proper Temple is the silver lining anybody could have hoped for. But that'll be a story for another day."

Vivikayl winked at Achiira, unsure how she would take the mention of its 'destruction.' She was sure that word had reached the other Temples of its fate, though, and that the Base's demise occurred at the Sith's hands. It was a shifting point for the Jedi and an awakening moment for all Jedi throughout the galaxy. Well, maybe. Who knows what Temples tried to keep things from their students? They were all different, and now more than ever, Vivikayl had been shown that fact in meeting Achiira and hearing about the Corellian one. If hadn't been taught that event in recent history, well, that story would be for another day, like she said. Tonight, though, Achiira would need her rest. Sunrise would be here before she knew it.

"You better. I don't want to be pouncing on our bed while you're sleeping in your birthday suit. Talk about awkward." With a mischievous smirk, Vivikayl shot a piercing glance over at Alexia before continuing without losing that expression. "Hey, I see nothing wrong with it. We can even have a sleepover! If anybody wants to frown down upon us from their holy pedestal, we can just borrow a few things from the Archives and say that we're doing a group study or something."

Achiira gasped in cheek as Viv spoke about Achiira counting down the minutes , followed by a bright laugh. Viv really did know how to be cheeky in the most liveliest of ways, yet it almost seemed to push the boundaries with some of the things she came out with. She guessed this was something she'd have to get used to on a daily basis if she was to hang around here for some while. "Hey Viv! Not at all. The tour was actually very informative and eye opening, Alexia did a great Job". She gave a warm smile towards Alexia. Achiira could have played it down and said something in the cheeky fashion Viv enjoyed, but she knew that her polite reply would have irked Viv a little.

Achiira listened as Viv spoke about the old Jedi facility. It didn't sound like anything special like Viv had mentioned. The word Base just seemed very dull and military indeed, something that doesn't sound fitting for Jedi and their purpose. She can only imagine what it looked like. Like Viv said, it would be a story for some other time.

Viv seemed excited at the thought of the three girls having a sleep over, yet Achiira seemed a little on edge about it, Viv moving way too fast for her brain to keep up with. She chuckled slighty, side stepping Viv's developing plans for a sleep over and agreed with Alexia. "Yes, I think its time to let Achiira sleep too. Maybe I can dream about what its like to see Viv behaving herself". She gave a cheeky grin to Viv, before looking to Alexia once more. "Is there anything I important I should know about the room or anything that may be happening tomorrow? Or is everything different for visitors?

Vivikayl's grin only widened as Achiira's gaze seemed to drift off while staring right at her. The Echani could tell that the poor girl had probably gotten stuck in her head for a moment. It happened. When she came out of it, though, Vivikayl's smile had reached a new, beaming level of mischievous hilarity. At the mention of 'dragging' her around the Temple, the Echani Knight only offered a wink to match, as though to silently allude that she knew Achiira would like it, one way or another.

However, there was something that Achiira mentioned that made Vivikayl rapidly blink several times, as though processing some confusing statement. Her head cocked the side, and after a beat, her silver gaze once fixed upon Achiira drifted over to her best friend quizzically. As Achiira bowed to say her goodnight, Vivikayl couldn't help but whisper, yet per usual to her typical nature, loud enough for Achiira to hear.

"She does know that sunrise is before seven o'clock, right…? I guess I really am going to be dragging her to sunrise meditations in her pajamas."

Vivikayl snickered under her breath before turning once more to face Achiira fully. Placing one hand on her hip and the other poised in a farewell salute, the Echani cocked a hip and gave one last beaming smile towards her new friend before they parted ways for the evening.

"If that's an invitation, just know that you'll never get rid of me," she warned with a giggle. "We'll see you tomorrow, Chi! I'll be here first thing, so you don't miss out on all the fun tomorrow. Sleep well!"

Achiira didn't get much to time to reply about the difference in sun rise as Alexia had already grabbed Viv and headed down the hallway. She watched as the two Knights walked away and wondered if they were talking about her. She wondered if they liked her and didn't mind that she was a little quiet and reserved compared to them. Here eyes began to twitch a little, a sign that she was due some sleep.

She entered the room, quickly noticing that her belongings had already been delivered and set at the foot of the bed. She closed the door behind her, didn't look at anything else in the room and walked over to her smaller case on the floor, and sat in front of it. She unlatched the lock, opened it and gave a gentle sigh. Master Shanti's folded robe were inside, along with her polished silver Lightsaber that rested on top. She reached out her hand and held the Lightsaber, pushing its gold button and igniting its blade, the blue hue lighting up her face and the hum of it filling the room.

"I am sorry Master I should have been quicker, I should have been better. I will make you proud and I will not fail you. I promise."

Small tears fell from her eyes as she deactivated the Lightsaber and hung her head for a moment. It was the first time she had had to allow herself to mourn, to miss, and to remember her old master. She put the Lightsaber back into the case, pushed her self up from the floor and took out some night clothes, a tooth brush and a hair brush, and entered the bathroom.

Twenty or so minutes later Achiira emerged from the steamed out bathroom in her night clothes, towel drying her hair. She tied her hair back into a ponytail, pulled back the duvet of the bed and got under it, and laying her head back on the pillow. She thought about her arrival. She wondered if Melia and the children were okay, and if she might happen to cross paths with them tomorrow. She wondered how much more Viv annoyed Alexia since they left her. She wondered if Viv was going to come blazing through the door at 5am in the morning. She then wondered about Atuna and where he had disappeared to. She wondered if she was meant to be here to see him, or if it was just to be here at the Academy. After all, the force brought her here. Tomorrow was a new day to work all that out. One thing she knew for certain, she felt home here. She felt herself drifting off.

The bustling of the Jedi Temple had returned to its usual murmurs as Felix rose into the sky, outperforming the nocturnal beauty of the native flora. For many who called Felucia and the Jedi Temple their home, it was just another typical day. For Master Starflight, however, the day had many things in store, and her agenda listed many peculiarities she wouldn't usually attend. However, for the Jedi Master, it was welcomed. It wasn't every day that she was extended an invitation to follow up with new arrivals.

Skipping her usual, extended morning meditation, Kalli slowly made her way through the guest towers. Although quietly content with meeting Melia again, the Master Jedi took her time to reach her destination while she mulled over their first encounter. She wanted to learn more about her children and help situate them within the Temple. Still, a more prominent thought was to learn about Melia herself -- something that seemed to initially draw the other woman into herself. Perhaps it was the unsettling, perpetual thoughts rising to the surface that her husband and children were Force-Sensitives, yet she was not, not the focus, and to be drawn out into the light may have been an unfamiliar experience. However, Melia had also alluded to other oddities about the family dynamic that may have been the cause. The answers Kalli sought were never quite simple and very rarely answered.

Quieting her thoughts, Kalli approached the door and whispered a silent reminder to herself. She then knocked on the Lemep family's door with a three-knock rhythm that was resounded with quiet resolve, neither reluctant to make itself heard nor oh too loud to demand attention and disrupt inside happenings.

"Melia?" Kalli called out as she leaned in towards the door. "Titus, Ivy? Is anyone home?"

Dressed in her usual beige robes, altered with lighter fabric to account for Felucia's humidity and heat, Kalli held her bright blonde hair up in a messy bun with a fringe to frame her delicate features. Like Melia's, though, the Master Jedi's familiar benevolent smile was disrupted as the door opened. Cautiously, Kalli leaned her head forward to glance inside the chambers before accepting the opened-door invitation. The Master Jedi seemed to look about for the new voice and presence she sensed, to what she could only assume to be Melia's husband, Atuna. The flurry of motion of Melia's bow drew Kalli's eyes back to her acquaintance, though, and the blonde-haired woman smiled graciously towards the other.

"I hope I'm not intruding at a bad time," Kalli inquired with a quizzical tilt of her head, referring to Melia's earlier frown.

Although Kalli remained facing the other woman, as Atuna came around the corner, her bluish-green gaze shifted to find the tall and lanky man. Although he appeared young, there was a lingering shadow in the back of her mind. The Force tugged at her subconscious, advising her otherwise. From a first glance alone, though, it didn't take the Force to recognize that he had seen better days. It was instinctual for Kalli to bear a motherly manner, aiding those who seemed haunted by their inner demons. In every aspect that the word entailed, she was a keeper of the peace, no matter if it was ridding the acts of chaos or aiding an ally or acquaintance. However, that same silent, warning whisper wrapped the woman in stillness, her typical warm smile still perched on her lips.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Master Lemep," said Kalli, dipping her head in a bow, not quite low enough to be a formal gesture but still revealing a sense of respect. Turning back to Melia, she continued with a faint, light-hearted laugh in her tones, "Good. They'll need all the rest they can get. I hope that you both were able to get enough rest despite your long travels?"

Although with slow, cautious steps, Kalli approached Melia with her gaze now fixed in the general direction of the savory smell the kitchen was emitting. Although she didn't touch anything in the room out of personal respect, Kalli looked back at Atuna and Melia with a faint, questioning arch of her eyebrow to pair with her usual, mild smile.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

In quiet observation, Kalli kept her gaze trained upon the one speaking as Melia and Atuna shared their back and forth. Melia's puzzling explanations about her marriage during the tour didn't match what she was witnessing now. There was always more that happened behind closed doors--something she picked up as Melia dismissed her husband as he hinted at the idea that she should still be upset with him as she was earlier.

"You're better than many Jedi I know in reining back your emotions to not be seen."

The Jedi Master showed her slight curiosity in Melia with a quizzical tilt of her head. She said nothing else on the matter, though. Instead, Kalli settled herself into a chair as Melia had requested.

"You may be new arrivals to the Temple, but I deeply hope that you can one day feel like this is home. I am a guest in your home, even if this is only temporary. If I overstay my welcome, you are welcome to make that much known."

Kalli started with her usual warm and welcoming smile. It was there and gone a bit too soon, though, first thinking on the puzzling comment that Atuna had mentioned earlier. With permission to pry, Kalli accepted the offer without a second thought or beat of hesitation.

"You claim you aren't a Master, but you've brought yourself and your family to the Jedi Temple for refuge. Were you a Jedi Master at some point then, Atuna? Why are you no longer?" she asked with a gentle certainty for whatever answer he may offer in return. "My understanding is that Titus seeks a Master as well, but you've refused to begin his training. Why is that? I find it peculiar that you wouldn't have started teaching him, even if it was only the basics of Force control or saber combat."

Kalli's gaze followed Atuna as she made her inquiries, but as her final question for him fell, her eyes then found Melia. There were many questions she had for both of them, Melia included, but understanding the multifaceted truth of the Lemep family continued here with Atuna's account of his past.

Kalli offered a simple smile but one that reached her eyes with the faint wrinkles around her eyes becoming much more evident.

"One must be prepared for the unexpected," the Jedi Master said with a slight tilt of her head towards Melia with a smile. "In truth, Melia and I had already discussed it briefly, and it's been something on my mind since."

That was all Kalli said before she fell wholly silent for the rest of Atuna's recount and answers to her questions. Of course, despite remaining quiet, her shifting expressions showed more than enough, at least if Melia was watching closely. Atuna could perhaps sense the shifting disturbances in her emotions like the ocean wave's ebbing and flowing--from solemn and brief grief to shock and surprise and near disbelief. She remained quiet, though, up until Melia approached with the breakfast they had prepared, to which she gave a whispered 'thank you' and her familiar smile to match. As Atuna continued, however, even she found herself drawn into his story to hardly touch her own food, only sipping at her tea and taking smaller bites from time to time as to not be rude.

Atuna's past soon shifted to the children as Melia cut in, and with her breakfast half-eaten but her teacup now empty, Kalli set everything aside to have her full attention trained upon the other woman. With a final nod of understanding, Kalli allowed a brief beat to fill between the two's explanations before the Master Jedi piped up. Her usually gentle gaze was now heavy with a perplexion and concern.

"If there's anything one can learn from Felucia and it's lifeforms, it's that one must change with the times--evolve if you would--to survive. The Jedi Order has suffered great blows in the past, but we have rebuilt and also evolved, learning from our past to ensure that we no longer make the same mistakes. To help ease one of your voiced concerns, marriage is not so much frowned upon here, although I cannot speak for the Jedi orders throughout the galaxy. I was once wed to a wonderful man, and even the Grandmaster has children of his own. I know that it would take far more than this one point to reconsider your stance as a Master Jedi. Your other goals are astounding. I truly hope that there might be a way that we can bring it to the Grandmaster's attention. The Temple has already become something of a haven for libraries and archives, including Coruscant's Temple after it--"

Kalli cleared her throat, realizing her voice had suddenly drifted off. Collecting her thoughts and summoning another smile to curl at her lips, she continued.

"Regardless, we could use more historians. As you said, very few want to walk that path, and not much has changed between then and now," she finalized.

But then came the heavy part--something that caused even the Jedi Master's composure to crack with a purse of her lips. She seemingly decided otherwise to touch on the philosophical discussion of the Force. To excuse herself, though, she managed a meek and gentle explanation.

"There are many points about the Force you've made that I agree with. As you've said, the Force is impartial. It is sentient mortality that creates the good and evil we define. While I may have never visited the Vergence Scatter, my family has passed down many old stories, legends, and parables relating to the Force and its mysteries. I'm afraid that some of those aren't quite appropriate for teaching or sharing at a Jedi Temple."

To lessen the possible blow to her final statement, Kalli laughed lightheartedly and immediately shifted to the main focus of her meeting with Atuna and Melia today--the children.

"There is only so much that I can grasp about you, your past, and your reasoning in a single meeting, but I can assure you that I have a better understanding of why you've refused to train Titus. I can aid in assigning him to a Master, but with your permission, I would like to first assess him later this week. If he's up for it, that is." Kalli quirked an eyebrow with her smile brightening as she added, "And of course, I would recommend that you help him with his studies."

"As for Ivy, her... delicate situation makes more sense to me now and why she wouldn't want to train beside Titus. However, I would still like to encourage her to reconsider. That is unless you both are against it. With a Bond as strong as the one they share, they could be a great aid to one another. What more, I firmly believe that the training and discipline the padawans learn will help her carve a sense of self, one that isn't to be attached at the hip of the other like I observed." Kalli's eyes then shifted from Atuna onto Melia. "It will ultimately be her choice, of course, but that is one of the reasons I had requested to take her out to see the native flora, to speak with her and assess her personal desires and goals while here with her family at the Jedi Temple."

In truth, the children's whole situation was hard to grasp and even believe, but Kalli wasn't the type to dismiss such things so quickly. From Titus's case to how Ivy came to be--simply trying to process it was enough to cause a faint pounding in her head, even if she did well enough not to show it. If anything, that minor headache showed how much both Atuna and Melia had been through for their family. Leaning forward, Kalli clasped her hands together in her lap, breathed in a deep breath, before continuing on with her curiosities, however offering a brief disclaimer first.

"Please, with all of my questions to understand you, you are welcome to question me the same. I'm a guest in your home but also a servant to the Light Side and this Temple. It doesn't bode well for our acquaintanceship, either, if I know so much about you, yet you know nothing about me."

Kalli chuckled lightly under her breath, allowing her smile to be more easily seen than heard for that brief moment.

"May I assume, though, that your many years and experiences are the cause of your sleepless nights? Or is there something else that plagues you?" Kalli then asked, again indicating towards Atuna. Although she inquired about only the night before, it was clear by Atuna's appearance alone that it was a recurring situation. Melia had made an offhand comment about it happening frequently as well, though, so Kalli glanced over at Melia and added, "How long have they been going on?"