Alderaan - Love and Intrigue

The Festival was soon at an end, and it had been... quite the memorable one. For a lot of different reasons. Some of them pretty bad considering all that happened yesterday.

For the night, she wore civilian clothing, with just the brown outer robe of a Jedi over, instead of her usual attire.

With everyone else looking to walk the maze with someone they liked, Kat waited for the one she wanted to "run the maze" with tonight...

Gaul arrived in a crisp princely regalia of the colors of House Panteer. He smiled and said, “Master Jedi, this seems highly irregular, but I am honored.”

He then offered his arm.

"I... suppose it is highly irregular yes," she said, smiling a bit herself. "I kind of like the idea of something irregular tonight. We didn't get a chance to dance at the ball after all."

Kat took the offered arm, glad to focus on this moment for now.

"Prince Joran is doing better today? He seemed rather worse for wear yesterday, after what happened."

“Even if he wasn’t he would still act like he was. Perceived weakness is anathema to my brother,” he said in reply.

"To many people, it would seem."

She gently squeezed his arm with hers, holding it close between them as they walked through the maze. "What's the future looking like for you, after the Festival?"

"I am not really worrying about that, it's hard to think of the future after yesterday and all the things we experienced," he responded.

"I can see that."

She looked to the side for a moment to admire some of the exotic flowers of the maze. All who had been untouched by yesterday's events.

"I think I will stay on Alderaan, after the Festival. I came here to think about my own future, and what I see is that there's many reasons for me to be here. Help rebuild, restore, mend the wounds, be there for my family..." Kat looked to him, "see more of you, perhaps too."

"You came here for a reason, outside of protecting us from ourselves?" he asked.

"I did..." she nodded, sighing a bit. "... After Coruscant, and fighting the Sith again, I needed a break from things. Rethink my path in life as a Jedi. Which I have no regrets about; I'm proud to think of all the good things I've done, as a Jedi, and the privilege I've had as a Jedi to help people."

She was less proud about some of the warts of the Order. The Sixth Line, the rumors that assassins had tried to murder the Sith Empress... the behaviour of some of her fellow Jedi here. It didn't feel like the Order she had started with, or experienced with Master Syo.

Kat shook her head. "I think I can do more good, by staying here, and I want to stay here. Will probably talk to Alysele Organa about this too, as she's the only Jedi I know who has managed to have a real personal life outside of being a Jedi."

"That seems like a serious life change, master Jedi," he responded. "Isn't being a Jedi a life long calling?"

"It's supposed to be." Her lips quirked a bit. Not quite a smile, not quite grimace. "It's complicated... I've just not been happy with the Order in the most recent years, even if I like being someone who can protect and help people."

Looking to Gaul, her smile was a bit wry. "I don't know if that's something you can relate to?"

"I can, although I have no basis of what life is like from the inside but I know we would not have survived this ordeal without the Jedi, but I am sure you see things I can't," he admitted.

"I can only see things from my own point of view. And... I think what saved Alderaan wasn't the Jedi alone, or one or two individuals. I think it was the spirit of the people to stand up against what was wrong - people who didn't want this home destroyed with yet another conflict."

While she kept attention on the path they were walking, it was mostly on him. "And we all need to work together to recover from this. Less infighting, more coming together. And I want to be here to help with that, however I can. I think that is something worth working for."

"And whatever this conspiracy was, did not help either," he added. "It's a difficult threat to combat with so little clues about it, sounding more like a bogey man hiding in our refreshers."

She chuckled a little bit at that. "Yeah it does feel a bit like that. But worth looking into, I suppose. To learn more."

There was a small sigh from her, but not a sad one. More a sense of relief. "... It's nice here in this part of the maze. Away from the spectacle around your twin-siblings, now that this is the most important night for those trying to win their hearts. Any idea on who it will be in the end?"

“They both have brought the toe that mean the most to them, I can’t ay where their heart goes but I think the choices they have ahead of them are good ones, mostly. Everyone has rough edges but these are all good people and it seems like they really do care which is all that matter to me,” he said.

“Mother wants what is best for the House but I think she will allow them to choose if that is what they truly want.”

"Ah, that is good news," she smiled with some relief to hear that. And hopefully it wouldn't be the old count. That seemed a bit weird to her. "If they find happiness, I'm happy for them."

"But what about you, is that something you'll be able to choose? Or something you want to find?"

“Mother has consumed herself with the seeing the twins properly paired that she might try and coax me into doing hat is best for the family but she might not and spare us all the trouble. If this were the early days of the festival, I would have said, no, not at all… by all means I wish to avoid any such entanglements for the near and far future. But now, my icy heart has softened, I can imagine it,” he said to her with kindness.

“It would be highly irregular, but it could work.”

"Icy heart?" Kat chuckled warmly. "Now that's something I don't believe. I've seen how much you care, Gaul."

"And highly irregular... that seems like the type you're into."

"It has been an irregular week, so maybe that is just going around," he said chuckling.