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Mace found himself getting out of bed just after sunrise, though once he had a chance to take a look outside, he was well aware that he and his padawan would be cabin-bound for what was most likely the majority of the day. Upon completing a typical diplomatic visit to Alderaan, Senator Organa offered for him and his padawan to stay in a cabin he owned at the base of the planet’s famously gorgeous mountains. True to its reputation, the scenery was rather breathtaking.
The sound of crackling, burning wood in the old fireplace was the only sound that could be heard within the comfortably small space. Outside the frost-tinged window was a beautiful sight; bright snow covered the countless evergreen trees surrounding the structure, darkened only by the thick cloud cover that remained overhead. This was the most peaceful place Mace had visited in quite a long time. The atmosphere brought with it a sense of peace, allowing both his mind and body to relax for once.
Oftentimes, it was difficult for the Jedi Master to remember that there were places in the galaxy that could be this quiet, after spending so much time on Coruscant of late. A break was desperately needed, for both himself and Omura. With the building tensions in the Senate, and the Jedi themselves seeming to always be harried, this quaint area was otherworldly. Literally, and figuratively.
Mace sipped at a now lukewarm mug of tea as he watched the snow begin to fall once more. Tiny white flakes stacked onto the pre-existing piles of snow, and despite the slight darkness that came with a clouded sky, the snow still found its own way to gleam. Maybe it was the way the white seemed to shine starkly against the forest’s otherwise earthly tones, but whatever it was, Mace quite enjoyed the sight. It wasn’t something he got to see very often, after all.
It was somewhere around midmorning when Mace finally heard some shuffling behind him, a tell-tale sight that Omura had awoken. Okay, its force signature had also indicated such to its master, but it was still quiet in the cabin itself until it had actually moved. It seemed to pause as it entered the common room that Mace currently occupied, either having not realized he was awake, in the room, or both. Either way, Mace only turned around slowly, his lips quirking into a small smile as the two made eye contact.
“Good morning, Padawan,” Mace intoned quietly, with that warmth in his voice that he usually only saved for his kids padawans. Omura shuffled on its feet for a moment, letting out a large fang-baring yawn before it replied softly.
“Good morning, Master.” it mumbled, sounding about as sleepy as it looked. Omura approached Mace then, standing next to him to glance outside of the window. As he turned to look back out as well, his gaze was torn back to Omura as it let out a little gasp. He saw its eyes go wide, studying the scenery in complete and total wonder. “So pretty…” it murmured, significantly more awake now than it had been mere moments before.
Come to think of it… had Omura ever even seen real snow like this before? Mace refused to count Ilum as ‘snowy’ rather than ‘blizzard-y’ (yes, he was aware that ‘blizzard-y’ wasn’t a real word), so, unless it had taken a different trip he wasn’t aware of, this might very well be Omura’s first time witnessing this sight. Its hands were now propped on the windowsill, supporting its weight as it leaned forward. He huffed out a quiet laugh as Omura’s breath fogged up the window, startling it and making it jump as it turned to blink owlishly up at him.
This time, Mace’s soft chuckle was just loud enough to be picked up by Omura’s montrals, causing the pink togruta to puff out its cheeks at him—but he simply stepped back, giving it space to look out of his as of yet un-fogged side of the window. It seemed apt enough to forgive Mace after that, as it immediately stepped sideways to look outside once more, though this time it knew not to get too close to the window lest their sightline gets obscured once more.
Mace now moved to fill in the space Omura had left. Despite the amazing view outside, he couldn’t make himself look away from Omura. It was nice, seeing it look so… bright-eyed and cheerful. Its eyes kept glancing to and fro, as if it was taking in every single detail from the landscape before it as it possibly could and committing them all to memory. In spite of how it had suffered, Omura was still capable of this childlike happiness. Mace felt a burning desperation to preserve moments like these, no matter what it took.
For now, though, he was content to simply watch and bask in his padawan’s happiness.