True Colors (D8, LA)

[Raven Cadera]

Raven looked over the last touches of the paint-job. How strange it was to her that this project had helped her connect more to herself, to her parents' legacy, and find a way to begin healing her own sense of self.

The self-loathing after her capture and subsequent rescue had been heavy, and even if she was told the others didn't see it as her failure Raven had felt differently about her awakening to her own limitations and shortcomings.

Though as she had worked through those feelings, healed, and even found a sense of some kind of peace with herself, she had also found something she needed to face that was far more terrifying than any fight she had been in. Because she couldn't just beat up, shoot, or stab emotions.

The last coat of sealing was put over the paint, and she figured that she might as well face that unwinnable battle now that her armor was complete. She wiped her hands on her already paint-stained combat fatigues and went to find Praxton.

[Honor]

Checking all of the usual places Raven would not find him. Strange as it was, perhaps someone else would have seen where he went?

[Raven Cadera]

It was strange. He was almost always around here somewhere.

Figuring that maybe he was out on a mission or a hunt, she figured she would ask around instead. Maybe Dredgen, or Mand'alor himself.

Why did she have a bad feeling about this...

[Honor]

Mand'alor was in the training room, if anyone knew where Praxton was it would be him. However, as if fate decided to cover all options Dredgen joined up with her when she was walking through the halls. "Su cuy'gar, Sister," he said, walking beside her matching her stride.

[Raven Cadera]

"Su cuy'gar, Brother," she greeted in return, feeling almost a little underdressed now without her armor as she walked beside the giant man in his armor. With the tank-top, her arms and upper body showed her rough history with its scars and marks, old and newer.

"... Have you seen Praxton, by the way?" Raven figured she'd ask Dredgen first, before bothering Mand'alor.

[Honor]

"I have not, not since the night we came to pull your ass out of the fire," he said with a deep chuckle, slapped her on the back. "But I've been hunting. Mand'alore has said that I owed him a proper hunt after I lied to him on that first one. Brought him a few Gundark to make up for it. Was a chore bringing all the trophies back. Gundark corpses smell quick in a desert sun."

[Raven Cadera]

Now that she found very concerning, but the slap on her back knocked her about enough that her worry didn't get a chance to register on her face. Those slaps felt a lot harder without armor.

"Gundarks? Brother, kandosii! You found and defeated multiple ones?" Raven returned the favor of slapping Dredgen on the shoulder, and kept her pace towards the training room. Certainly, as his brother, Mand'alor would have answers.

Probably on a long scouting mission. Right? Not... not in trouble because of me. I hope. Once you were used to life treating you terribly, Raven felt more and more sure that something was now going to go totally bad because it had been a few weeks of peace and quiet.

[Honor]

Dredgen laughed with a bark of a laugh at that, walking together into the training room they saw the scene before them. Five Mandalorians occupied this room, Mand'alor at the center with four of the others surrounding him. Some of the strongest she's seen. The male in the black-ish armor with the deep red color mixed in. The female with the designed deep purple on her armor and two others whom she was not at all familiar yet with.

Each, simultaneously attacked Mand'alore with training weapons. Their spar was something to behold, each warrior in their own pride was strong. The male with which she was familiar was agile, Mand'alor would strike him back that he fell into a tumble but he quickly tumbled over back onto his feet and used it to launch himself forward again. The woman marked purple was strong and for a time held Mand'alore's blade steady as they sparred off in a contest of strength but Mand'alore was always faster and swept her leg that he might move to the next.

For some while she watched these titans fight, spar, all four against Mand'alor and him fending them off each time until the tide of the battle shifted and he put each one into out for terms of their spar systematically. Using his true weapon he even avoided using the proper blade, but kept any of them from too much harm with jabs of the blunt pole and blunt-edge of his weapon.

When they finished..

[Mandalore]

Turning to Raven and Dredgen he looked between them both, "Is something amiss?" he asked.

[Raven Cadera]

Raven stood and watched the display, awed by the skil and strength of these warriors much more seasoned and experienced than herself. She had a lot more fighting left to do to be on par with this...

"Mand'alor," Raven gave him a nod of respect. "I'm looking for Praxton... can't find him anywhere in the Enclave. Dredgen hasn't seen him either." Assuming her usual posture of crossing her arms over her chest, she managed to keep her concern subdued for now.

[Mandalore]

"Had you found him I would have been concerned," he replied, shifting his weapon in his hand as to make it stand beside him. "Praxton is not here. I have sent him on an important assignment. One that he has earned from his actions. With the urgency I bade him leave immediately."

[Raven Cadera]

Raven had a horrible nagging feeling that it was somehow her fault... that he had been sent as punishment for what he had done for her. At moments like this, she hated not being able to see the face of the one she was talking to, not seeing the facial expressions.

She bit her tongue at the first questions that wanted to tumble out of her mouth, though it was obvious that she was holding something back. "... What do you mean, earned from his actions?" To her, it had sounded like a punishment, and this time she wasn't able to quite hold back the concern.

He's my sponsor, closest I have to family. It's completely natural for me to ask!

[Mandalore]

"Revealing us to those outsiders he compromised the safety of this enclave. Our numbers are greater than they have ever been before but the Empire, Saxon and his ilk, they hunt us daily. Outsiders have weak tongues, and there is a risk that I cannot deny. Praxton, as the one who brought them here, has been tasked with finding us a new location," he explained.

"It is only fitting the one who has created the need for a new enclave be the one who seeks it out," he declared.

[Raven Cadera]

It took a great deal of willpower for her to not speak up then and there, that it had been because of her that Praxton had done so. Because she knew he wouldn't have wanted her to. She remembered his words, that he would say it was his idea and no other.

Her muscles tensed slightly. "I see..." she said, almost quietly. Internally, she was screaming at herself. "... My apologies for interrupting your training. I should... go finish up my armor." It was finished now, so it was a lie, but she just wanted to get out of there before she did something she'd regret.

Even if it felt like there were no right choices.

[Mandalore]

Mandalore watched Raven, and almost said nothing when she went to leave but...

"Some time apart will serve you both well," he commented. Moving his weapon up into his hand and looking to one of the Mandalorians nearby. It was one of the ones she was not properly familiar with that accepted it and moved away with it.

"That the weakness you have festered in one another does not consume you," he continued.

[Raven Cadera]

She stopped in her step as she was leaving, took a deep breath, and glanced over her shoulder. "... Excuse me?"

Right now, sensible thinking went out the window, and she let her anger show as she turned fully to face him. "Are you calling me a child? Weak?!"

[Mandalore]

"Praxton, whether he knows it or not, has grown attached to you. Perhaps he sees in you a child that he has not yet had the chance himself to father, a chance to pass on his tutelage onto a younger generation but regardless of what it is there is a fondness present that cannot be denied. This fondness has cost him his edge, and in his over-bearing nature he has allowed himself to aid you time and time again, which only weakens your potential. Knowing that he will come to your aid if you need it most dire alone is enough to sour the strength of who you can become," he said, his tone even and cutting.

[Raven Cadera]

The words hurt, but probably not the ones that Mand'alor had intended to hurt the most. What actually hurt most was thinking that Praxton saw her as a child too.

"That's bullshit," she sneered back. "Once, he and the others aided me in escaping Imperial capture. Once. Out of all the trials and fights I've seen in my time here, I've not leaned on him to protect me, or help me." This was perhaps the most insulting he had said to her, as she felt she had remained stubbornly independent to prove her worth.

"Or are you telling me that it was a lie, that we're supposed to look out for one another as brothers and sisters? That we're just going to leave our own to capture, torture, or death?"

[Mandalore]

"You do not even see it," he said, shaking his head. "How often it was that he spoke on your behalf."

"First: after he claimed you, as a sponsor does, he brought you on a trial I decided. During the course of that trial you found a woman, Dex. I had not deemed it time, originally, to accept this interrupted trial but Praxton spoke for you and his word is strong. I accepted. You were saved from having to watch Dex be tossed out when losing her sponsor. I accepted this because it added to our strength."

"Second: you petitioned me and heard my reply. Praxton, in his weakness, saw how this may affect you and spoke up. What information he shared was true, and was your right to know, but I saw in that moment how my brother favored you. How he spoke because of the weakness forming in his heart. Armed with this information you sharpened the blade of your argument. You would not have been so convincing otherwise. I do not regret your ability to change my answer, but I do regret that it was only a result of Praxton's weakness and not either of your strengths."

"Third and most dire: You think I do not see the lie for what it is, but Praxton is one to care for our people. It is true to know that he has spent little time doing anything other than aiding all of our people as he can. Yet, of course, he spends time more on you than any other. Which is not the problem inherently, as he is your sponsor, but what I highlight here is that he has not had the time to ever meet these outsiders. Nor would he risk bringing them here without good reason. Why, then, I must ask myself would he make such a mistake. Perhaps, because if he did not you would be hurt by it. Perhaps, my brothers weakness has finally started to take root and bring risk to the enclave. Praxton made this choice but I am not such a fool as to see the true reason behind my brothers action, it was for you."

[Raven Cadera]

She eyed the weapon he held for a moment with narrowed eyes, thinking of how she would use it against him, if she just attacked now. Perhaps it was thanks to the past week of finally finding some balance in herself in dealing with her own anger that she didn't do something as foolish as attacking a warrior who she had just seen was much more experienced than her.

What she did do, however, was step closer. Raven couldn't deny a lot of what he said... she knew some of it was true. Most of it, even. "You must be pretty damn blind if you can't see the value that allies outside the Mando'ade can have. Perhaps it's because of our different paths, but living on my own for years since I was a kid, I learned to kriffin' stack the deck in my favor when I could out there, dealing with much bigger opponents than myself. They bring a knife? I bring a blaster. They bring a blaster, I drop grenades. That's how I see it with the Saxons - and the Empire they've become the lapdogs to. Because you damn better be sure that both of those are stacking the decks in their favor."

There was a brief mocking laughter. "And why should I dismiss the value of outsiders? Not a single one of the Mando'ade lifted a finger to help me when I was orphaned. Not until I came here, and your brother was the only one to see me as one of you at first. Your brother is the one who convinced me of your right to the name of Mand'alor, that you were worthy. If not for these outsiders, I would've been in a cell now, tortured to tell the Imps everything about this place and you."

The respect she had for him was replaced with a cold glare as she looked straight into his visor. "And I will still honor his faith in you. I owe him that much."

"Now, I'm done here. I got better things to do with my time than this..." she took a step back from Mandalore.