Light poured through the windows into the classroom where the younglings had gathered for their morning lessons. They all sat attentively, facing up, gazing at their teacher. None of them could be above ten years old at the most, though they sat there, listening, learning as if they were young adults. The woman before them was small with a petite frame, no older than late twenties or early thirties yet her hair was white as snow. A purple veil covered her face, hiding the empty sockets where any human's eyes would be. As she paced before the children as she spoke, her brown and beige robes flowed behind her, catching the air as she walked. One child raised his hand, causing the Miraluka woman to stop her pacing, facing the child with a warm smile, more out of courtesy than necessity.
"You have a question?", she spoke with a soft, comforting tone as the young boy appeared a little nervous.
"Master Quao... I was wondering, um...", he started, though he stopped mid sentence, looking down and fiddling with his hands. Quao remained stationary, patiently waiting for the child to finish his sentence. "What's it like, seeing the world as you do?", he asked after gathering the courage to ask. The question was innocent enough, one that Quao was used to answering, considering the relative rarity of her race in Republic space. She placed her hand to her chin, thinking for a moment on the best way to word her answer.
"I guess you could explain it more in terms of an electrical circuit than objects. I have already explained in a previous lesson about how the Force flows through all things. I do not see a person as a person, I see their presence in the Force. Colours are unknown to me and the perception of a beautiful star-filled sky holds a very different beauty to me, compared to what most would perceive. I am unable to make accurate comparisons though, as I have never seen the world any other way, so for that I apologise", she eventually replied to the question, her smile once again replacing her thoughtful expression as she tried to put her point across. Despite having so much practice at answering the question, it was one that could not be answered so simply. The boy nodded, though she could sense that he was still confused with the answer.
"Thank you, Master Quao", he uttered in a quiet voice before looking back down. Suddenly there was a quiet, yet audible beeping sound, signalling to Quao that the class had ended. She once again faced the main body of the room, still smiling.
"That's it for our session today, remember that if you have any questions, or want to talk to me about anything, I'm always around and willing to help", she concluded as she walked towards the door, through the class. It was standard practice that she would take the younglings to their next class, and so she waited for them to file out of the room, escorting them down the corridor and around the corner to their next class where their next instructor was already preparing to give his lesson. After a quick head count, Quao gestured to the instructor that all the younglings were present and accounted for, before returning and walking back down the corridor, though this time she walked until she was outside the temple itself, walking to the waterfall where she had instructed Ina as a Padawan about the history of the Order. She took a seat, her eyeless gaze staring over the water as the sound of the cascading waterfall filled her ears. It was calming. Quao allowed her head to tip backwards, relaxing amidst the sound, though it was interrupted by the beeping of her holocommunicator. Reaching into her robes, Quao pulled out the offending piece of machinery and pressed the button to accept the transmission.
"Q! We need to talk. Now. Coruscant as soon as you are able, it's really quite important", the voice came through with a sense of urgency. She immediately identified the voice as La'or's, a woman who was on the wrong side of the law more often than not, but a good woman who Quao could trust her life with.
"Can't you tell me anything else? I can't just up and leave my duties here on a whim", Quao replied, a frown creasing her forehead.
"Nothing more that I can say here. All you need to know is that it's not something you'll want to ignore. Speak to you soon!".
"But...", Quao was too late, the Twi'lek had already shut down her holocommunicator, severing the connection.
Quao rubbed her face. She hadn't had time to discern La'or's motives or plans, and so she was left completely in the dark. The nature of the transmission concerned her greatly, but the lack of knowledge appealed to her more cautious side. With a heavy sigh, Quao stood up, brushing off her robes and turning to face the Jedi Temple. She began to walk back towards the building, her brain working to formulate how to go about her next actions. She had petitioned the Council for too much time off-planet recently, and she wasn't sure how they'd take to her making another petition. She had duties in the Temple that needed taking are of which also hold a lot of importance. Nevertheless, she had to at least try. La'or wasn't one who called upon Quao much, usually it was the other way around, but for the rare occasions she did, it was for very good reason. The Twi'lek hadn't misled Quao before, so Quao was confident that the issue was very important and possibly highly sensitive. She checked that the Council weren't already speaking with another before she knocked, and entered the room.
