Serenla grumbled under her breath as she hurtled away yet another stone from the wreckage. Why she still had to obey Master Gryffon’s orders when she was no longer his apprentice she would never understand. She knew everyone was helping to rebuild after the Great Jedi War, but she would much rather be training than be relegated to moving slabs of broken walls and statues. That man would cause her suffering yet. Frustration welled up in her, and a groan escaped her lips as she threw a stone larger than her speeder as far as she could. She listened to the echoes as it fell down the canyon walls and smirked. She WAS getting stronger. They would see.
The summons to the Great Hall had come not a moment too soon, as far as she was concerned. She hadn’t bothered with a permanent residence yet, as she wasn’t sure if she felt ready for it. Having a home after being an orphan and urchin so long felt...almost wrong. Like a luxury just waiting to be stolen. While she trusted her clan mates more than any of the others from Korriban, she still watched them all from the corners of her eyes. Some habits just died hard - or lived forever. Either way, she wouldn’t allow herself to grow too comfortable or let herself grow weak. As she strode into her tent, another habit - one she was honing in her training - took priority. She scanned the space quickly, checking to see if anything had been disturbed, changed, or moved at all. From time to time, her Aedile would come in and make the slightest of changes - at her request - to keep her on her toes. All appeared well, and she nodded slightly to herself as she prepared for her journey.
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The Great Hall always took her breath away. The history, the knowledge, the PRESENCE of her clan was almost palpable. Serenla took great pride in keeping her eyes unfocused, seeing all around her as she marched solemnly to the Clan Summit to make her report. She nodded to those seated before her and paced slowly as she spoke.
“Honored members of the summit, greetings to you all. I was a bit surprised to receive your summons. While I have earned the rank of Dark Jedi Knight, there are others in my clan more prolific, and more...seasoned...than I you could have asked here today.” Her eyes met those of the members present, each in turn. “I am afraid my report may not be as extensive as some of those. I mostly keep to myself, and my former Master has requested my assistance with tasks that have kept me out of the clan halls for long periods of time.” Serenla stopped her pacing and faced the summit, voice carrying easily through the hall. “I have used this opportunity to train on my own and make some observations about the clan that I would like to share. There seems to be an air of persecution about Taldryan, like the rest of the Brotherhood sees us as targets. I see no reason why that should not be true. After all, aren’t we all striving for the same things? There is bound to be some conflict.” Her smile was brief and cool. “The leadership has been pleasant, as always. Do all the things, Serenla. We can do this together, guys. Show them who the top clan is. Gently prodding us to participate in clan activities. While the same few members squabble over who gets to be on top and strut around like peacocks with their medals and awards.” A lock of auburn hair fell into her eyes and she brushed it back, tucking it behind her ear. “I, too, have earned some of those. But I feel like we need to take action!” She pounded her fist against the palm of her other hand. “Contentment breeds weakness. And if we sit around congratulating ourselves and patting our backs, we won’t be ready to fight when the time comes. If we grow too comfortable with our position, we leave it ripe for the taking.” She clasped her hands loosely behind her back.”That’s why I feel we need to finish rebuilding, and refocus on training. Five months is long enough - we have spent enough time mooning over our losses and licking our wounds. It is time for Taldryan to build its strength once again.” She bowed deeply, from the waist. “I thank you for your time.”
