Random Pieces of Practice/Just for Fun Writing

The Truth

(Please note that this is a different Irid than in the other piece, Mysterious Beginnings. Different timeline, era, whatever lol. Enjoy.)

 The marketplace of Nova Aeros bustled with sounds and scents. Blurs of mostly grey crossed Iridella Videre's path as she hurried about buying the supplies on her mental list. She had a good memory, her papa could name off up to thirty item that they or the clinic needed and the little eight year old would come home with every single one. She held about six items now, mostly food supply. Despite watching her surroundings carefully, Irid managed to bump into someone, falling to the ground.

"Oof!" Scrambling to stand, she retrieved a few of her groceries, the blue stranger handing the rest to her. But wait... He hadn't been there a moment ago... "I'm sorry sir, I didn't see you, are you okay?" Standing up straight, Irid studied him, surprised. "You... you don't have any eyes. You're like me." She tilted her head, brushing the dark hair from her face. "You're very blue. Why do you have that piece of cloth on your head?"

The Miralukan Jedi regarded the child with as much curiosity as she had about him.

"My my, aren't you an inquisitive one. You're quite blue yourself," he chuckled, using her own vocabulary. "Why don't you have a cloth over your face? Is that a practice of your family?" He knelt down to regard this young 'sister' with a smile. "Tell me, how many Miralukans are in this city?" Her puzzled expression spoke volumes before her words did.

"What's a mirluk... Miralu... Miralukan?" His smile faltered for a split second.

"Well, you see, a Miralukan is like us. We are a race of beings born without eyes who can 'see' through the Force, which flows through all things. Do you know anything about the Force?"

"It's that thing that Jedis use to beat up bad people!" Irid answered excitedly. "Like KAPOW! BAM!" She pretended to move things with her hands without touching them.

"Not exactly," he mused. "If you'd like, I can tell you more about it. I'll be on this planet for a few months, I'd be more than happy to teach you more. Just ask your parents first."

With an excited nod, Irid darted off through the crowds, weaving and dodging this way and that, fairly graceful for a child of her age. She took the quickest way out of the metropolis, continuing to run, heading across the field of grass just outside. On the other side sat the clinic, and her families home right next to it. She skipped into the house and put the food away in the pantry before finding her parents in the sitting room. Meridella played with Markus and Fillip on the floor, making engine noises for the ships they guided through the air. Jakobi bounced baby Kaiden on his knee in his favorite chair. They all smiled when Irid came in. Jakobi opened his mouth to ask about the grocery trip, but Irid's eagerness cut him off.

"Ma! Pa! I met a man today who said he's a Miraluka and he thinks I am too! Do you think it could be true?" After several seconds of silence, Irid furrowed her brow. "But... Wait... If I AM Miralukan... I'm the only Blind one in our family... If I'm Miralukan, why do you all have eyes but I don't?" Meridella glanced over to her husband, clueless for what to say. He simply nodded, setting Kaiden on the floor with his brothers.

"I suppose you're about old enough to understand it know?" He gave his lap a playful pat. "How old are you now? Five?" Shaking her head, Irid climbed up into the large chair. Her mother scooped up a boy in each arm and had Markus follow her out to the garden.

"I'm eight! I just turned eight! You know that!"

"Oh, do I? I am getting pretty old. Do you want to help me count my grey hairs?"

Grinning childishly, Irid shook her head again. "Too many to count now. But what am I old enough to understand?"

With a deep sigh, Jakobi gave her a sad chuckle. "I... I'm going to tell you a story, my Little Rainbow. I want you to listen and not ask any questions until I finish. Can you do that?"

Thinking it over, Irid nodded solemnly. "I can do that, Pa. I promise, not a peep until you're done."

"Good girl," he kissed her on the forehead. "Now, where to start... Well, you know about the Jedi, defenders of the galaxy. Noble protectors. Or so they make themselves out to be. In truth, the life of a Jedi is very difficult. A lot must be given up and they have many many rules about almost everything. Even about falling in love. I suppose that is a good place to start. It's a love story. Between a Master and his Padawan. The Miralukans, as you've now heard of them, they are a very close race, they always stick together, even if they don't know each other. This Jedi Master happened to be a Miralukan. And he was given the opportunity to teach another of his kid. A childhood friend of your mother, actually. Anyhow, he trained and taught her for a lot of years. Probably close to fifteen or so. She reached Knighthood in only seven years. In that time they grew very close, especially as she blossomed into a very lovely young lady. You might think it's gross, but age it's a huge deal when you're in love. This Jedi master, forty eight by this point, had somehow fallen for his former student, a bright and very wise woman by the time she was thirty. It had only been in the last five years that he noticed something between them. And she noticed as well. They discussed it and well, one thing lead to another and you were the result. They didn't know it yet though. They also didn't know that another Jedi found out about their feelings and decided to take matters into his own hand. So, the two Jedi, after finding out about you, came to your mother and I and asked if we could take you. Meridella has always wanted a little girl, and you know we both love you with all of our hearts. We agreed and we brought you here after you were born. We told people that Mer had given birth to you and that you had been born without eyes as a birthing issue. And the two Jedi, well, on the way back to the temple their ship blew. They didn't make it. The Jedi who knew had rigged an explosion in the engine that would go off upon entering the signal range. He was caught and jailed for it. But That's the truth, dear Irid. Meridella and I adopted you and we love you because you are our child. I don't ever want you to think we like you any less than any of your brothers. Because that wouldn't be true..." His voice trailed off, his green eyes looking over his daughter, not sure what she could be thinking. He didn't have to wait long to find out, though. And to be honest, he was incredibly surprised.

"So I am Miralukan? That's so cool! Does this mean I can go learn from the Miralukan Jedi I met?" Jakobi blinked a few times before laughing.

"Of course, dear. Just make sure the racial lessons are somewhere public. I'm here if you need me, you know how to use the communication terminals in every establishment." Pausing, Jakobi gave her a quick hug. "You are taking this very well," he observed.

"The way I see it," Irid explained, "I've always been adopted and didn't know it. Now that I know it, nothing really changes other than being more knowledgeable. So the information isn't the important part, it's always been there. It's what I do with the knowledge now that counts."

Jakobi found himself quite baffled. "How did you get to be so wise and yet you still act like a kid?" His daughter merely shrugged.

"Seeing the world differently than you makes me notice things you wouldn't, I think. Nothing really obstructs my sight, so I see the things you shield my brothers from. Any how, can you help me with something? I want to wear a head cloth like the man I met in the market."

"I think I've got just the thing," Jakobi smiled, setting her down so he could walk across the room. He pulled a strip of brown cloth from a drawer and helped her tie it over the place eyes would normally be. Irid couldn't help her beaming grin as she thanked him and ran out the door.