Jedi Padawan Quest (Star Wars)
- Thread starter The Laurent
- Start date
Silvereagle21
Soaring through the Sky
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
[X] Training with Master Cin Drallig. The games showed her her limits, and so she finds herself with Elize, Aydan, and some of the other best lightsaber fighters when the alarm goes off.
Ultramandalore
Errant Quester
- Location
- just south of Parts Unknown
[x] Training with Master Cin Drallig. The games showed her her limits, and so she finds herself with Elize, Aydan, and some of the other best lightsaber fighters when the alarm goes off.
[X] Training with Master Cin Drallig. The games showed her her limits, and so she finds herself with Elize, Aydan, and some of the other best lightsaber fighters when the alarm goes off.
We are going to have to check out that crack the next chance we get though.
We are going to have to check out that crack the next chance we get though.
Knight-Radiant
Recovering Rageaholic
[X] Training with Master Cin Drallig. The games showed her her limits, and so she finds herself with Elize, Aydan, and some of the other best lightsaber fighters when the alarm goes off.
Prince Charon
Just zis guy, you know?
[X] Training with Master Cin Drallig. The games showed her her limits, and so she finds herself with Elize, Aydan, and some of the other best lightsaber fighters when the alarm goes off.
- Location
- Bloomington, IN
[X] Walking with her friends, Nima bumped into Hannah, and something that could be an apology and could be a fight started… and then came the attack.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Several things, most of them pretty subtle and character beat-y?
Which since nobody comments on the chapter when voting, I can't know if anyone actually caught.
[x] Training with Master Cin Drallig. The games showed her her limits, and so she finds herself with Elize, Aydan, and some of the other best lightsaber fighters when the alarm goes off.
- Location
- Georgia
[X] Training with Master Cin Drallig. The games showed her her limits, and so she finds herself with Elize, Aydan, and some of the other best lightsaber fighters when the alarm goes off.
Honestly seeing Scout in action makes me want to pick up Dark Rendezvous. She's awesome.
I'm actually surprised Nima's team did as well as they did.
Honestly seeing Scout in action makes me want to pick up Dark Rendezvous. She's awesome.
I'm actually surprised Nima's team did as well as they did.
Zeitgeist Blue
Currently Made of Metal
- Location
- Manila, Philippines, GMT +8
[X] Training with Master Cin Drallig. The games showed her her limits, and so she finds herself with Elize, Aydan, and some of the other best lightsaber fighters when the alarm goes off.
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Last Call! Vote closes
, so if you've been putting it off make sure to get a vote in.
- Location
- Somewhere!
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Okay, so tally! Voting isn't quite closed yet, but we're getting there.
Also, I have the weird thought about what a coffee shop AU of this quest would be like.
Also, I have the weird thought about what a coffee shop AU of this quest would be like.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Nima would be the new alien girl at the Coruscant diner. Hannah would be the owner's daughter--owner of a large chain of stores--Elize would be a speeder racer, Wessen a girl who might actually be with special forces, and Scout would be an intrepid college hipster who somehow seems to have an odd intuition.
Or something.
XVIII: Lockdowns
- Pronouns
- They/Them
XVIII: Lockdowns
Nima watched the fight, Aydan versus Katarina. The room was small, the environment barren, and Katarina in fine form. She relied on Shien, primarily, but could flow into moments of Soresu, deflecting, defending, quiet and intense, her eyes cold, her body poised. She even slipped once into a single riposte in the Makashi style, her form so perfect that it was wondrous to behold. She knew a thousand subtle moves, and in the Force she was a statue, a monument, and yet fluid, adaptable, if in ways that didn't leave much out, much to grasp on.
Aydan, on the other hand, was almost sloppy, almost vicious. He moved through Djem-So, her alter-ego, and even did moves that were similar to Juyo's, his footwork fast but often good-enough rather than perfect. But there was an intensity to him, a focus and a drive. His emotions spiralled outwards, keen as the edge of a vibroblade, and were weapons--but he was not his emotions' weapon. It was a style and an intensity that had only grown more solid since the Clone Wars began, as if it fed off of the chaos.
Nima Tyruti, of course, noticed only half of this or less, but Elize was by her side, whispering it all to her eagerly, leaning into her, her brown eyes almost glinting, her face a study in enthusiasm.
Nima was watching other things. Or rather, she was looking and reaching out in the Force, feeling the strange, emotional core to this fight, to every fight. It was what she did best.
Katarina was a riverstone, flowing through the waters of the Force, skimming along or sinking deep in it. But today her emotions seemed off balance, as if there was a slight crack in the stone, a flaw. Her movements were a little hasty, and Nima realized what the emotion was that was slipping out from the composure (not emotionlessness, exactly, but something undominated by emotions) actually was. Irritation.
Katarina didn't like Aydan. This, if anything, made Nima want to root for her more.
"You'd think that Katarina would win more, and against me she's killer, but Aydan usually wins," Elize said. She frowned at Nima, and the look on her face. "What is it?"
"She's annoyed by him," Nima whispered. "It's evident, like--"
Katarina pressed a little too much. Her pale face was blank, but she knew that Aydan wasn't letting his mood control him. That was a little odd to say, after seeing the way it circled and circled around, the black eddies and the strange edges. But it wasn't, he wasn't allowing even their strength to become a weakness.
If Katarina leaned into her emotions, allowed herself to guide them and be driven by them, then it'd be risky but she could be more aggressive and win. If she allowed herself to remain cool and perfect, she'd wear Aydan down, Nima bet, three times out of five.
"Really?" Elize said. "I don't see it." She shook her head.
"She's going to lose," Nima said. Katarina pressed forward, her blade sweeping around in a circle, intentionally crowding Aydan back. But he just smirked, the emotion not feeding into overconfidence as he… let her.
Nima watched, entranced. This wasn't the Aydan she'd seen at the fight, when he'd been prickled and annoyed and having to fight in a team. This was an Aydan who was able to get away with all of the petty little things, the Aydan who had a future, and whose future might be that of the scarred, watchful Battlemaster, one day.
That was the Aydan who let her push outwards, outwards, with a form meant for defense. It was bold, and yet Nima could see it wasn't working, that she was pushing her swinging, swirling attacks just a little bit too far. The style was meant to push away, to deflect blaster bolts and hold off lightsabers, this was… not it.
The blades sparked as they met, faster and faster, until finally his yellow training saber slammed into hers--blue, very traditional--right as she was swinging it around. She almost dropped it, gripping it tighter, but she had to retreat or she'd lose, still not making a sound or panting, but almost desperate in her movements. It was as if he didn't even have to try now. She blocked a few more blows, but there wasn't a chance. Elize nodded, having seen it as well.
It was still hard-fought, but the lightsaber went skittering from her grasp. She reached out with the Force, grabbing it just in time to save herself from what would have been a deathstroke if they were fighting with real lightsabers.
"Done," Cin Drallig said. Katarina hadn't lost, but after something like that, it was pretty clear who had won. "You should not go for such a blow unless you are forced to, Aydan. But that move you made was quite interesting."
Nima hadn't caught it, so Elize chimed in. "It's how he pressed forward and sort of ducked, a little. To push forward and up a little with his strokes? It's the opposite of how the overhead attacks work, but it's not really underhanded and--"
Nima frowned. She'd seen the defeat coming, but she hadn't known all the technical details, had guessed based on nothing more than intuition. But it'd seemed so obvious to her, and the way that Elize was looking at her was… impressed.
And an impressed Elize was impressive in turn. "You're really on your way, if you're here, though. It's usually just the three of us at this hour."
Cin Drallig was still talking, sternly and carefully, this time mostly about specific problems of form.
"Really?"
"Sometimes one or two others. Scout sometimes, or even though he's a Padawan, Whie. He's even more controlled than Katarina, sometimes. Actually… "
"What?" Nima asked, frowning.
"Sorry, I shouldn't be… what you just did, with the emotions it was--"
"It's not that hard," Nima said, quietly. Then, as if confiding a great secret, "More than a few people are sometimes a little annoyed by Aydan."
Not as consistently as she suspected Katarina was, but that was left hanging in the air.
"Yes. It is really hard. Aydan's clearly never even begun to master it or he'd be intentionally needling her, instead of at most smirking and always looking over his shoulder to see if she catches up, or even surpasses him," Elize said, with a sage nod.
"That's true," Nima said.
"So, yeah, Scout and Whie, and neither of them… with Scout, it's, well. It's the Force. Someday she'll be very good with a lightsaber, more than good enough for a Jedi Knight, but she's never going to be great."
Nima didn't reply either way, just let Elize keep on talking. It was more, after all, than many people would have credited Scout with. "And Whie's even stronger in the force than Katarina, but he's so by the books it's almost painful, when you see him fight. He'll never surprise you, except through perfect quality." She said it low, her voice almost a hiss. "It's embarrassing, how good he is at everything, but unless he starts being willing to make a mistake, he's never going to be great. I… don't think."
Nima stared and wondered why Elize had ever even thought that Nima was doing anything special, because the way she'd just dissected the careers of two people, including one person Nima cared for, as if it was easy to make these estimations. "Huh," Nima said. But before she could say anything, Cin Drallig was approaching.
"Nima, Aydan. You two will be training together next. Practice. Aydan…"
His voice was controlled, and it was impossible to even begin to get a handle on what his emotions were. Kids called him 'The Troll' and there were about a thousand stories about why. Suddenly Nima's strange, impressed happiness melted away, replaced by apprehension.
"You know Nima," he finally said. "Teach her something."
"I do," Aydan said, almost ignoring the last words, and he almost vibrated with passion, with a chance to show off. He was going to try to finish her as quickly as he could.
She knew he was going to win, but she needed to do this, for herself. She was getting better, but that wasn't the same as getting good. Jar'kai was new, and the fact that she was as good with it as with a single lightsaber, and… maybe even better, was enough. It was enough that she'd managed to surpass herself in a way she knew was so unbalanced that if she became a Padawan she'd be forced to--
Forced to? She'd been convinced to try twin-sabers, and now it felt so natural and right that going back to a single one would have felt awkward and ungainly. That was something that she felt almost impressed about as she stepped forward.
There were many guards, many ways to start with Jar'kai. For a moment she thought about the open guard, one lightsaber to the left, one to the right. Arms wide open as if about to accept a hug, but slightly tilted downward. It was a bold sort of strategy, one that made it hard to read which angle she was going to come from, even with a shoto.
(She'd heard that some Jedi used two full-length blades, but that seemed oddly limited, compared to the fast, careful fighting with a shoto.)
Instead, her blades were crossed, almost, in front of her. A defensive stance. The regular blade was a blue training saber, but she'd found and almost fallen in love with a silvery training shoto, the glow almost hypnotic as she stared past them at Aydan.
His lightsaber wasn't even on. No, he wasn't going to do that, was he?
She felt it out, felt him in the Force, and realized that he wasn't, but he wanted her to think he was. It showed in his eyes, the way they flickered to her face, trying to read her back. But he wasn't as good at it.
He was going to pretend that he was going to use Trakata, to not even activate his lightsaber as he slipped and dodged around her, only to turn it on just in time to give her a sting on her back. It was the sort of game that Elize could have won, but she was pretty sure he didn't have the experience.
Trakata was very cool, but only in limited ways.
But he dove forward, not activating the blade until the last moment. His legs had said--if that's all she'd read--that he was going to dodge left, play the Trakata game. His mind, his emotions, said that he was going for the attack.
Down came her longer blade, catching his. Now he'd deflect--
Yes. She felt it, the way that he'd pushed her blade away, but that's why the shoto came up, thrusting outwards as if it were some dead-steel foil. He twisted aside, slicing down again, this time angrier, but still controlled.
But… not as controlled as he had been. Nima didn't smile, her face was blank as she leapt over his blade, landing behind him and turning in a circle, sweeping past.
Her movements, seen from afar, would seem coordinated, perhaps even dominant, if one wasn't a Jedi. But she knew she'd lost the moment she'd landed. She'd surprised him once, and she pressed that advantage, dodging and weaving, but he had no trouble blocking her blows, and the Force flowed through him so strongly that in a matter of a dozen seconds she was panting and had been disarmed of her main blade.
"I surrender," Nima said, quietly.
He hadn't held back, and she'd barely had a chance to try to truly see what his weaknesses were, let alone his strengths.
He was grinning… but Nima could almost feel Cin Drallig's frowning.
"Katarina. Same instructions," Drallig said. "You fought very well, Aydan."
Aydan nodded. Of course he had.
Katarina walked up, and drew her own saber. Nima took a breath and stood up straighter. She breathed out, then reached to grab her saber. When she stood again, she bowed to Katarina, knowing the other girl loved formalities.
Katarina was a carefully carved stone now, but… but it was odd. It felt as if the stone was directed, as from a hand, towards her. As if she was--
Katarina bowed, and then attacked.
It wasn't as fast as it could have been, and Nima realized what this was. Soresu was actually very poor at dealing with two blades, and so she leaned into the attacks, she danced around them, she stared at Katarina in shock--
The other girl was… well. The other girl was giving her small hints in her emotions. Allowing herself to be seen, moments at a time, hot, powerful flashes of intent that couldn't be mistaken for anything else.
So they circled and clashed, the lightsabers sparking as they hit, Nima's clothes feeling heavy and hot as she moved in such perfect symmetry with Katarina's attentions. She feints, and learns to dodge a feint in Soresu, driving herself forward, forcing herself to challenge Katarina. She wasn't going to get a chance to do this at some other time.
It should be bizarre, for of course she'd never gotten anything like battle fever. She'd liked running, she'd liked winning the times she had in Fy Tor Ana's class, but this was different. It was close, the way their emotions clashed, the way her movements seemed synchronized. The way that Katarina warned her before every attack and yet almost won. But didn't, somehow, seem as if she were simply toying with Nima. No, she was letting Nima toy with her, letting her learn.
But it felt like it was more than that. Nobody, absolutely nobody, had done this. Other than Lexia, smiling at her and challenging her again and again, nobody had opened up their own emotions, let them play and change and shift… well. Not since Yoda, not since she was a child, and Yoda was more like a giant boulder to climb than--
Whatever this was.
Her breath was hot on her knuckles when she paused, having backpedaled from a sudden sweeping backhand. She looked at this strange, solemn, amused and yet kind person--all of that in touches of emotion, in brief surges that Katarina had to know Nima saw and appreciated--who she barely knew.
"Thank you," Nima said, softly. As if they were the only two people in the entire world. But they weren't.
Katarina smiled, and Nima realized that she was the only one there that wasn't surprised. Elize was gaping, was startled, and Aydan looked like he hadn't even begun to understand it. Even Cin Drallig seemed slightly stiff. A straightening of his posture.
Nima had never seen Katarina smile, that was true. She was always so dour, always so proper, the sort of person who sniffed at the Almas experiment or anything less then… what? Philosophical and spiritual perfection? But the kindness--strange and careful, as if she were afraid that it was unwarranted--showed in that smile. A pale face, a little bit slender, a little bit marble, became something more lively. Not a stone at all.
If she said it was nothing, Nima wouldn't know what she'd do. She realized she was smiling, she wouldn't if Katarina said that. This felt like the beginning of a friendship, as odd as that would have seemed before the fight. Everything about Katarina had a new context when the kindness was considered. It wasn't that she had thought Katarina was cruel: to say that Katarina was cruel was to say that she wasn't an excellent Jedi in the making.
This, though.
"You're welcome," Katarina said instead.
That drove Nima forward, done with her circling, grinning in what she knew was probably an absurd way. "It's very impressive."
"So is the Mind Healing you are practicing with Knight Lexie," Katarina said. It felt like a fact, more than anything. "You are missed in philosophy classes." Her voice went quieter, and now--now as Nima finally broke through her Soresu guard and used her shoto to box Katarina in, to limit her options, finally got how to do that--it was meant just for her. "Hannah upbraided one of her partners on an assignment. Doubles. She said 'You don't have half the organizational and research skills of Tyruti, and it's supposed to be your specialty. Please, we must do this adequately or not at all.'"
It sounded verbatim, and it wasn't mocking, the way Cho would have said it--when Cho had been angry at Hannah, and didn't that feel a while ago. "Oh," Nima said, quietly.
"I do not understand that class with Clones. I do not think I approve of it. But I hope you are enjoying it, and learning much," Katarina said, equally quietly, as she swirled around, almost ending their fight right there, leaning into the blows, her emotions falling out of place like, like--
Like two lekku slipping from a braid. The simile was just as surprising as the emotions.
"I am. The clones are not so different than Jedi, in some ways," Nima said, louder this time. She almost had Katarina backed up against a wall, and then she'd probably have to end the fight, leap over her or--
There were a lot of ways to defeat a mediocre duelist like Nima Tyruti, even when she felt on the ball, as she was now.
"Oh? What ways?"
"Dedication. Devotion. Calm," Nima said, and Katarina's face was smoothing, but that niceness, it was still there. It didn't need a smile, not really. Not once one knew how to read emotions. "They're--"
That's when there was a crash. That's when red lights flashed.
This wasn't a drill, something had gone wrong. They only flashed a few times: Jedi weren't unmindful. They'd know what to do.
*******
It was a rather good plan. In the event of trouble, all over the Temple there were rooms--ordinary rooms, to tell the truth--where only a passcode or a decent amount of blaster fire (or a lightsaber, admittedly) could allow one through. The passcode changed every two weeks, and only Knights and above knew it. If the Temple was ever under attack, that's where they'd go, to one of those, so that the more experienced Jedi could keep the Initiates and the less capable Padawans safe.
Nobody outside the Order knew the passcodes, and the rooms themselves were relatively secure. Rather plain, though. They made decent meeting rooms, when one needed to talk quietly. In this case, it was one of the smaller, nearer rooms, and so there were only the five of them in there. Looking tense.
"Katarina," Cin Drallig said, calmly. "Excellent. You passed the test, and I was impressed with how you did so. You should train with Nima more often, it helps you both, it seems. Aydan, you failed."
"Failed?"
"Teach her something," Cin Drallig said. His voice wasn't icy, but it was very, very firm. "That's what I said. What did you teach her, except that she was a less skilled duelist? What did you see her as? If you are to be an expert in the blade, you should know how to teach others."
"I do!" Aydan said, and Nima gulped. She could feel the desperation, the fear, the--
Aydan liked Cin Drallig, Aydan wanted his good opinion. That much was obvious, it was obvious that so many of the students would do quite a bit to be on his good side. Perhaps Nima was in that category to.
So she should have expected it, but the strength of the emotion was startling.
"I do teach. Remember those kids? You said I did a good job," Aydan insisted.
"I did, and you did. But you have to be able to train people closer to your peers as well, not preen and show off when I in fact know exactly how skilled of a lightsaber duelist you are." His words were precise, but now there was a sort of annoyance creeping in, and of course there was. You didn't talk to a Master like that, you could disagree with them if it were a debate, if it were something important. Not just talking back.
Elize was frowning, in a corner. Katarina had retreated again.
"So you know. It doesn't matter that much, I'll be out there in the war before too long, and it's not as if I'm not an excellent Jedi alr--"
"You are not. Not even remotely," Cin Drallig said, and this time his voice was so cutting, and yet so restrained, that she knew there was anger there. "Elize has been working on her math, and is taking lessons on piloting just in case she needs it. Katarina is improving at philosophy, and has begun to consider joining in on a new initiative, charity for the people of Coruscant so that they may see their Jedi. She's on her way to a leading role in this. Meanwhile, Aydan, when at a Kalankion banquet, and you are served the second course, which utensil should you use?"
"Does that… matter?" Aydan asked, baffled. Nima knew he'd learned this one in class. Elize was frowning, trying to remember, while Katarina felt as if she suspected but wasn't entirely sure.
"It might well, Kalankion almost defected less than a month ago. Nima, what is the answer?"
"It's, it's a trick question," Nima said. "In their culture, not eating with your hands means that you think it's poisoned or in some way impure, or that the food is bad. Everything they eat is with a container, or something to scoop it up, or just plain hands. The second course would be soup, in a bowl made out of bread, traditionally. If you ate with a utensil, or brought one, or… it'd be a deadly insult."
"Yes, it would. It is unfortunate that an ambassador of all things did not know this," Cin Drallig said. "But the Knight with him did, and that is why they are still in the Republic, and still providing the raw materials for the mines that Master Bell believes can help the naval warfare situation."
Nima perked up at that. But how could an ambassador…
Who was the Republic sending? Did the Jedi really have to do everything? Nima pushed down that sharp thought.
"Oh," Aydan said.
"You have it in you to be a skilled duelist, one of the strongest in the Order. But you must work on your other skills," Cin Drallig said, resting a hand on Aydan's shoulder, his voice a little kinder, "if you wish to be a good Jedi."
"Oh."
Cin Drallig straightened. "I shall be back. I will check what this is about."
Aydan slumped to the floor the moment he left. Nima looked at him, then glanced over at Katarina. "Charity?"
"One of the older retired Jedi believed that it was the will of the Force to do so," Katarina said. "One must have respect for one's elders."
"What are you going to do?"
"There are kitchens, and the Jedi have plenty of food. Little excess, but we have talents. We will hand out what we can to the poor and needy, and there are other things," Katarina said. She smiled, just slightly, then closed up again.
"Ask Jayne, he'd love to help."
And get out in the city, even if he had to be under all but guard the whole time. Just the chance would be enough, and Nima was sure he was keeping his promise.
"Oh." Katarina nodded. "I will."
Nima smiled, and hoped that the alert wasn't too dangerous. She should be worrying more, but instead she felt oddly caught up in the strange whirl of emotions. Aydan… her fight with Katarina, it all felt more important than some minor threat. The Temple was safe, it'd never have to--
But at the same time, she wished she had a real lightsaber, just in case. It was just sensible, she thought, letting out a tired breath.
It had been an odd rollercoaster, and so she wasn't surprised when Elize took her arm and dragged her to a corner. "What was that?"
"What was… what? The argument? I think Cin Drallig pushed a little too hard," Nima admitted.
"Not hard enough. He's never looked quite that bad, but he always has that look when he doesn't impress Cin Drallig," Elize said, quietly. "He'll get over it."
Maybe he will, Nima didn't know. "Well, is that it?"
"No. With Katarina. We should fight," Elize said, firmly.
Nima blinked, "Now? I suppose it could--"
"No. Sometime. I have no idea what you were doing. It looked like dancing, it was… kinda beautiful, and sorta weird. And she smiled. She doesn't smile. I promise you she doesn't smile." Elize was smiling wide, as if to provide some sort of bizarre counterpoint. "You… I mean, geeze. If getting people to open up like that is what they teach in your classes, then everyone should take them. I don't know how…"
"It was her choice," Nima said.
"Yes. And… c'mon," Elize said. "I know I don't gossip much, but this is actually really, really cool. Oh, I know she's nice, or at least… but whenever I try to find something to talk to her about stuff, even lightsaber techniques… bam." Elize waved her hand, as if portraying a speeder crashing into the ground.
Katarina turned her head, but said nothing, and Elize began to speak quieter, her teeth worrying at her bottom lip. "So that's… would you like to go get lunch after this? A little late, but I'm sure--"
She sounded a little odd, and Nima let out a breath, trying to figure it out. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah. Of course I'm fine. Time of the… I mean. Nevermind," Elize said. "Still, I don't think there's anyone you don't befriend. Even Cho."
Nima blinked, "What's wrong with Cho?"
"She's ranting about all those bills."
Nima remembered, they'd almost had a fight about it again, and a bizarre one at that, in something like violent agreement that the Chancellor's latest bills were unacceptable, and that this bizarre Mandalore crisis was intolerable. Nima cared a little more about the latter than the former, but that was because Scout was worried. Every time Ahsoka wound up in the news, Scout worried that it'd be bad news.
The war was dangerous. Quinlan Vos was back as an ally, as a Jedi, had been playing some baffling game with the Dark Side. Mace Windu had gone off on another mission, and even Yoda had been out of the Temple at times.
It felt emptier than ever, but now here she was, packed in with so many emotions. She could feel them, but the bizarre thing was that she couldn't know what some of them were. Elize was jealous, but why? She was content despite everything, sweating and tired but not caring, and she didn't want to ruin her mood just because...
Elize wanted to be her friend and didn't like Katarina?
But, she did. Nima was sure of it.
"Why the sigh?" Elize asked, worry evident on her face.
"Just, Cho. Always Cho," Nima said. "I'm not sure why we're friends sometimes, and then she's just great and we're discussing everything civilly. She's gotten… a little angrier, recently. I wish I could help. But it's the news." Now Nima was allowing her mood to sour, thinking of how bad it was that she couldn't help her friend. Or… the person something like her friend. She wanted to help anyone who needed.
"It's fine. If you want someone to… wait. No. Forget I said it."
"You didn't," Nima pointed out, frowning a little as she looked at Elize.
"Well, you could talk to Aydan," Elize said.
"I should," Nima admitted, standing up a little bit. If she'd done so to Hannah, Hannah who clearly at least respected Nima's abilities as a Jedi, from her words. Hannah who had been willing to say it. Maybe Nima should talk to her too.
She didn't have time, but she needed to help others. Surely she could figure out a way. So she walked over to Aydan knelt by him.
He looked up at her, smelling rather foul with sweat, and said, "Trakata."
"What?"
"You should practice Trakata. With one blade. It will save your life someday," Aydan said, as if he'd been thinking it through. "Two blades means you can trick people. Especially with the different lengths. If you want to practice it, we could."
Nima was pretty sure he hadn't really learned, and she frowned. "I could put you in touch with someone who could help you with any of the classes if--"
"I'm. Fine," Aydan said. "But, if you know anyone… I can't remember the diplomatic stuff, it all just swims in my head. And reading all of those reports." He shook his head. He didn't say anything, but it was as if there was something more there. His elbows were sharply angled as he clutched himself.
If she was a fool, she'd hug him.
"Very well," Nima said. "I'll try it next time we meet."
"Oh, you'll do more than try," Aydan said. "Do or do not--"
"You're right," Nima said.
Aydan snorted. "I'm not sure you'll do anyways. You rely too much on your ability to read emotions when you fight. Surely someone could exploit that. I saw it, felt it rather. It was impressive, but Katarina could have been leading you into death, I think? I'm not good with the emotions, but in the Force it was obvious what she was doing." He said it all quickly, like he was outraged that someone would dare to do that. She didn't know why, though.
"I know," Nima said, quietly. "But… it helped."
"It did, and I didn't," Aydan said. "You should go over to your friend. She's bouncing up and down."
"I'm sorry that Master Cin Drallig talked to you like, that, he--"
"Do you disagree?" Aydan asked.
Nima couldn't answer that.
"Well, there we go," Aydan said. And nothing more.
So there she was. Aydan sullen and sulking--though he hadn't refused the offer--Katarina smiling slightly but clearly just wanting to wait it out, and Elize besides herself and bizarrely, unfairly jealous of… what?
Nima didn't know.
She was glad when the door opened and all was done. An hour, an hour of awkwardness, but not enough to make her forget her new obligations or the possibility of new friends.
******
Terrorists. They'd driven three speeders into the front entrance and started shooting. One of the civilians who maintains the Temple grounds was dead, and several others were injured before they'd been subdued. It was some sort of pro-Confederacy group, and Nima noticed that the Senate started rushing through a bill to strengthen the security of the Republic, as well as a few other matters.
Ahsoka's incredulous letter mentioned something about Obi-Wan and some woman, and Mandalorian neutrality might be soon gone--or so Cho informed her--because apparently the leader of the neutrality faction in Mandalore was on a ship here and everyone was sure she'd soon pick sides. After all, there was a war on, surely she'd approve if they rushed a decision to invade Mandalore for her…
Oh. And also Geonosis, Nima heard with dismay, her stomach sinking. That had been somehow taken back, and so they'd have to send another army. Who had missed it, and how?
Nima knew from Lexie that there had been an uptick in cases, people torn apart by the news that Geonosis somehow, some way wasn't done with. That it wasn't over.
Nima didn't know what to say. She kept her head down, and when Lexie said that Marruc was going to be joining her for lessons, she didn't know whether to be glad at the proof that she was making progress, or worried.
She hoped things would go well, but she had reason to doubt it.
What's her relationship with Marruc? (No Write-ins)
[] Reasonably positive, if distant. But the very thought of… she just doesn't want to see or talk with him, showing off and no doubt doing so much better and. No. She's not going to be like that. She'll be perfectly polite, she can manage that. Polite, professional, they're just taking lessons together, no need to act as if Lexie's going to declare one of them her favorite ch… person.
[] Nima was always somewhat warm to him, but there was something about her that he didn't like. He withdrew, he frowned, and saw fit not to talk to her except when they had to. It's not quite glacial, but it's… frustrating.
[] He was nice enough, but there was always something about his smiles, his jokes, his friendliness which had been hard to open up to. Hard to be close to. She knows it's a little hypocritical, but she just doesn't like him that much.
******
A/N: Here you go.
Nima watched the fight, Aydan versus Katarina. The room was small, the environment barren, and Katarina in fine form. She relied on Shien, primarily, but could flow into moments of Soresu, deflecting, defending, quiet and intense, her eyes cold, her body poised. She even slipped once into a single riposte in the Makashi style, her form so perfect that it was wondrous to behold. She knew a thousand subtle moves, and in the Force she was a statue, a monument, and yet fluid, adaptable, if in ways that didn't leave much out, much to grasp on.
Aydan, on the other hand, was almost sloppy, almost vicious. He moved through Djem-So, her alter-ego, and even did moves that were similar to Juyo's, his footwork fast but often good-enough rather than perfect. But there was an intensity to him, a focus and a drive. His emotions spiralled outwards, keen as the edge of a vibroblade, and were weapons--but he was not his emotions' weapon. It was a style and an intensity that had only grown more solid since the Clone Wars began, as if it fed off of the chaos.
Nima Tyruti, of course, noticed only half of this or less, but Elize was by her side, whispering it all to her eagerly, leaning into her, her brown eyes almost glinting, her face a study in enthusiasm.
Nima was watching other things. Or rather, she was looking and reaching out in the Force, feeling the strange, emotional core to this fight, to every fight. It was what she did best.
Katarina was a riverstone, flowing through the waters of the Force, skimming along or sinking deep in it. But today her emotions seemed off balance, as if there was a slight crack in the stone, a flaw. Her movements were a little hasty, and Nima realized what the emotion was that was slipping out from the composure (not emotionlessness, exactly, but something undominated by emotions) actually was. Irritation.
Katarina didn't like Aydan. This, if anything, made Nima want to root for her more.
"You'd think that Katarina would win more, and against me she's killer, but Aydan usually wins," Elize said. She frowned at Nima, and the look on her face. "What is it?"
"She's annoyed by him," Nima whispered. "It's evident, like--"
Katarina pressed a little too much. Her pale face was blank, but she knew that Aydan wasn't letting his mood control him. That was a little odd to say, after seeing the way it circled and circled around, the black eddies and the strange edges. But it wasn't, he wasn't allowing even their strength to become a weakness.
If Katarina leaned into her emotions, allowed herself to guide them and be driven by them, then it'd be risky but she could be more aggressive and win. If she allowed herself to remain cool and perfect, she'd wear Aydan down, Nima bet, three times out of five.
"Really?" Elize said. "I don't see it." She shook her head.
"She's going to lose," Nima said. Katarina pressed forward, her blade sweeping around in a circle, intentionally crowding Aydan back. But he just smirked, the emotion not feeding into overconfidence as he… let her.
Nima watched, entranced. This wasn't the Aydan she'd seen at the fight, when he'd been prickled and annoyed and having to fight in a team. This was an Aydan who was able to get away with all of the petty little things, the Aydan who had a future, and whose future might be that of the scarred, watchful Battlemaster, one day.
That was the Aydan who let her push outwards, outwards, with a form meant for defense. It was bold, and yet Nima could see it wasn't working, that she was pushing her swinging, swirling attacks just a little bit too far. The style was meant to push away, to deflect blaster bolts and hold off lightsabers, this was… not it.
The blades sparked as they met, faster and faster, until finally his yellow training saber slammed into hers--blue, very traditional--right as she was swinging it around. She almost dropped it, gripping it tighter, but she had to retreat or she'd lose, still not making a sound or panting, but almost desperate in her movements. It was as if he didn't even have to try now. She blocked a few more blows, but there wasn't a chance. Elize nodded, having seen it as well.
It was still hard-fought, but the lightsaber went skittering from her grasp. She reached out with the Force, grabbing it just in time to save herself from what would have been a deathstroke if they were fighting with real lightsabers.
"Done," Cin Drallig said. Katarina hadn't lost, but after something like that, it was pretty clear who had won. "You should not go for such a blow unless you are forced to, Aydan. But that move you made was quite interesting."
Nima hadn't caught it, so Elize chimed in. "It's how he pressed forward and sort of ducked, a little. To push forward and up a little with his strokes? It's the opposite of how the overhead attacks work, but it's not really underhanded and--"
Nima frowned. She'd seen the defeat coming, but she hadn't known all the technical details, had guessed based on nothing more than intuition. But it'd seemed so obvious to her, and the way that Elize was looking at her was… impressed.
And an impressed Elize was impressive in turn. "You're really on your way, if you're here, though. It's usually just the three of us at this hour."
Cin Drallig was still talking, sternly and carefully, this time mostly about specific problems of form.
"Really?"
"Sometimes one or two others. Scout sometimes, or even though he's a Padawan, Whie. He's even more controlled than Katarina, sometimes. Actually… "
"What?" Nima asked, frowning.
"Sorry, I shouldn't be… what you just did, with the emotions it was--"
"It's not that hard," Nima said, quietly. Then, as if confiding a great secret, "More than a few people are sometimes a little annoyed by Aydan."
Not as consistently as she suspected Katarina was, but that was left hanging in the air.
"Yes. It is really hard. Aydan's clearly never even begun to master it or he'd be intentionally needling her, instead of at most smirking and always looking over his shoulder to see if she catches up, or even surpasses him," Elize said, with a sage nod.
"That's true," Nima said.
"So, yeah, Scout and Whie, and neither of them… with Scout, it's, well. It's the Force. Someday she'll be very good with a lightsaber, more than good enough for a Jedi Knight, but she's never going to be great."
Nima didn't reply either way, just let Elize keep on talking. It was more, after all, than many people would have credited Scout with. "And Whie's even stronger in the force than Katarina, but he's so by the books it's almost painful, when you see him fight. He'll never surprise you, except through perfect quality." She said it low, her voice almost a hiss. "It's embarrassing, how good he is at everything, but unless he starts being willing to make a mistake, he's never going to be great. I… don't think."
Nima stared and wondered why Elize had ever even thought that Nima was doing anything special, because the way she'd just dissected the careers of two people, including one person Nima cared for, as if it was easy to make these estimations. "Huh," Nima said. But before she could say anything, Cin Drallig was approaching.
"Nima, Aydan. You two will be training together next. Practice. Aydan…"
His voice was controlled, and it was impossible to even begin to get a handle on what his emotions were. Kids called him 'The Troll' and there were about a thousand stories about why. Suddenly Nima's strange, impressed happiness melted away, replaced by apprehension.
"You know Nima," he finally said. "Teach her something."
"I do," Aydan said, almost ignoring the last words, and he almost vibrated with passion, with a chance to show off. He was going to try to finish her as quickly as he could.
She knew he was going to win, but she needed to do this, for herself. She was getting better, but that wasn't the same as getting good. Jar'kai was new, and the fact that she was as good with it as with a single lightsaber, and… maybe even better, was enough. It was enough that she'd managed to surpass herself in a way she knew was so unbalanced that if she became a Padawan she'd be forced to--
Forced to? She'd been convinced to try twin-sabers, and now it felt so natural and right that going back to a single one would have felt awkward and ungainly. That was something that she felt almost impressed about as she stepped forward.
There were many guards, many ways to start with Jar'kai. For a moment she thought about the open guard, one lightsaber to the left, one to the right. Arms wide open as if about to accept a hug, but slightly tilted downward. It was a bold sort of strategy, one that made it hard to read which angle she was going to come from, even with a shoto.
(She'd heard that some Jedi used two full-length blades, but that seemed oddly limited, compared to the fast, careful fighting with a shoto.)
Instead, her blades were crossed, almost, in front of her. A defensive stance. The regular blade was a blue training saber, but she'd found and almost fallen in love with a silvery training shoto, the glow almost hypnotic as she stared past them at Aydan.
His lightsaber wasn't even on. No, he wasn't going to do that, was he?
She felt it out, felt him in the Force, and realized that he wasn't, but he wanted her to think he was. It showed in his eyes, the way they flickered to her face, trying to read her back. But he wasn't as good at it.
He was going to pretend that he was going to use Trakata, to not even activate his lightsaber as he slipped and dodged around her, only to turn it on just in time to give her a sting on her back. It was the sort of game that Elize could have won, but she was pretty sure he didn't have the experience.
Trakata was very cool, but only in limited ways.
But he dove forward, not activating the blade until the last moment. His legs had said--if that's all she'd read--that he was going to dodge left, play the Trakata game. His mind, his emotions, said that he was going for the attack.
Down came her longer blade, catching his. Now he'd deflect--
Yes. She felt it, the way that he'd pushed her blade away, but that's why the shoto came up, thrusting outwards as if it were some dead-steel foil. He twisted aside, slicing down again, this time angrier, but still controlled.
But… not as controlled as he had been. Nima didn't smile, her face was blank as she leapt over his blade, landing behind him and turning in a circle, sweeping past.
Her movements, seen from afar, would seem coordinated, perhaps even dominant, if one wasn't a Jedi. But she knew she'd lost the moment she'd landed. She'd surprised him once, and she pressed that advantage, dodging and weaving, but he had no trouble blocking her blows, and the Force flowed through him so strongly that in a matter of a dozen seconds she was panting and had been disarmed of her main blade.
"I surrender," Nima said, quietly.
He hadn't held back, and she'd barely had a chance to try to truly see what his weaknesses were, let alone his strengths.
He was grinning… but Nima could almost feel Cin Drallig's frowning.
"Katarina. Same instructions," Drallig said. "You fought very well, Aydan."
Aydan nodded. Of course he had.
Katarina walked up, and drew her own saber. Nima took a breath and stood up straighter. She breathed out, then reached to grab her saber. When she stood again, she bowed to Katarina, knowing the other girl loved formalities.
Katarina was a carefully carved stone now, but… but it was odd. It felt as if the stone was directed, as from a hand, towards her. As if she was--
Katarina bowed, and then attacked.
It wasn't as fast as it could have been, and Nima realized what this was. Soresu was actually very poor at dealing with two blades, and so she leaned into the attacks, she danced around them, she stared at Katarina in shock--
The other girl was… well. The other girl was giving her small hints in her emotions. Allowing herself to be seen, moments at a time, hot, powerful flashes of intent that couldn't be mistaken for anything else.
So they circled and clashed, the lightsabers sparking as they hit, Nima's clothes feeling heavy and hot as she moved in such perfect symmetry with Katarina's attentions. She feints, and learns to dodge a feint in Soresu, driving herself forward, forcing herself to challenge Katarina. She wasn't going to get a chance to do this at some other time.
It should be bizarre, for of course she'd never gotten anything like battle fever. She'd liked running, she'd liked winning the times she had in Fy Tor Ana's class, but this was different. It was close, the way their emotions clashed, the way her movements seemed synchronized. The way that Katarina warned her before every attack and yet almost won. But didn't, somehow, seem as if she were simply toying with Nima. No, she was letting Nima toy with her, letting her learn.
But it felt like it was more than that. Nobody, absolutely nobody, had done this. Other than Lexia, smiling at her and challenging her again and again, nobody had opened up their own emotions, let them play and change and shift… well. Not since Yoda, not since she was a child, and Yoda was more like a giant boulder to climb than--
Whatever this was.
Her breath was hot on her knuckles when she paused, having backpedaled from a sudden sweeping backhand. She looked at this strange, solemn, amused and yet kind person--all of that in touches of emotion, in brief surges that Katarina had to know Nima saw and appreciated--who she barely knew.
"Thank you," Nima said, softly. As if they were the only two people in the entire world. But they weren't.
Katarina smiled, and Nima realized that she was the only one there that wasn't surprised. Elize was gaping, was startled, and Aydan looked like he hadn't even begun to understand it. Even Cin Drallig seemed slightly stiff. A straightening of his posture.
Nima had never seen Katarina smile, that was true. She was always so dour, always so proper, the sort of person who sniffed at the Almas experiment or anything less then… what? Philosophical and spiritual perfection? But the kindness--strange and careful, as if she were afraid that it was unwarranted--showed in that smile. A pale face, a little bit slender, a little bit marble, became something more lively. Not a stone at all.
If she said it was nothing, Nima wouldn't know what she'd do. She realized she was smiling, she wouldn't if Katarina said that. This felt like the beginning of a friendship, as odd as that would have seemed before the fight. Everything about Katarina had a new context when the kindness was considered. It wasn't that she had thought Katarina was cruel: to say that Katarina was cruel was to say that she wasn't an excellent Jedi in the making.
This, though.
"You're welcome," Katarina said instead.
That drove Nima forward, done with her circling, grinning in what she knew was probably an absurd way. "It's very impressive."
"So is the Mind Healing you are practicing with Knight Lexie," Katarina said. It felt like a fact, more than anything. "You are missed in philosophy classes." Her voice went quieter, and now--now as Nima finally broke through her Soresu guard and used her shoto to box Katarina in, to limit her options, finally got how to do that--it was meant just for her. "Hannah upbraided one of her partners on an assignment. Doubles. She said 'You don't have half the organizational and research skills of Tyruti, and it's supposed to be your specialty. Please, we must do this adequately or not at all.'"
It sounded verbatim, and it wasn't mocking, the way Cho would have said it--when Cho had been angry at Hannah, and didn't that feel a while ago. "Oh," Nima said, quietly.
"I do not understand that class with Clones. I do not think I approve of it. But I hope you are enjoying it, and learning much," Katarina said, equally quietly, as she swirled around, almost ending their fight right there, leaning into the blows, her emotions falling out of place like, like--
Like two lekku slipping from a braid. The simile was just as surprising as the emotions.
"I am. The clones are not so different than Jedi, in some ways," Nima said, louder this time. She almost had Katarina backed up against a wall, and then she'd probably have to end the fight, leap over her or--
There were a lot of ways to defeat a mediocre duelist like Nima Tyruti, even when she felt on the ball, as she was now.
"Oh? What ways?"
"Dedication. Devotion. Calm," Nima said, and Katarina's face was smoothing, but that niceness, it was still there. It didn't need a smile, not really. Not once one knew how to read emotions. "They're--"
That's when there was a crash. That's when red lights flashed.
This wasn't a drill, something had gone wrong. They only flashed a few times: Jedi weren't unmindful. They'd know what to do.
*******
It was a rather good plan. In the event of trouble, all over the Temple there were rooms--ordinary rooms, to tell the truth--where only a passcode or a decent amount of blaster fire (or a lightsaber, admittedly) could allow one through. The passcode changed every two weeks, and only Knights and above knew it. If the Temple was ever under attack, that's where they'd go, to one of those, so that the more experienced Jedi could keep the Initiates and the less capable Padawans safe.
Nobody outside the Order knew the passcodes, and the rooms themselves were relatively secure. Rather plain, though. They made decent meeting rooms, when one needed to talk quietly. In this case, it was one of the smaller, nearer rooms, and so there were only the five of them in there. Looking tense.
"Katarina," Cin Drallig said, calmly. "Excellent. You passed the test, and I was impressed with how you did so. You should train with Nima more often, it helps you both, it seems. Aydan, you failed."
"Failed?"
"Teach her something," Cin Drallig said. His voice wasn't icy, but it was very, very firm. "That's what I said. What did you teach her, except that she was a less skilled duelist? What did you see her as? If you are to be an expert in the blade, you should know how to teach others."
"I do!" Aydan said, and Nima gulped. She could feel the desperation, the fear, the--
Aydan liked Cin Drallig, Aydan wanted his good opinion. That much was obvious, it was obvious that so many of the students would do quite a bit to be on his good side. Perhaps Nima was in that category to.
So she should have expected it, but the strength of the emotion was startling.
"I do teach. Remember those kids? You said I did a good job," Aydan insisted.
"I did, and you did. But you have to be able to train people closer to your peers as well, not preen and show off when I in fact know exactly how skilled of a lightsaber duelist you are." His words were precise, but now there was a sort of annoyance creeping in, and of course there was. You didn't talk to a Master like that, you could disagree with them if it were a debate, if it were something important. Not just talking back.
Elize was frowning, in a corner. Katarina had retreated again.
"So you know. It doesn't matter that much, I'll be out there in the war before too long, and it's not as if I'm not an excellent Jedi alr--"
"You are not. Not even remotely," Cin Drallig said, and this time his voice was so cutting, and yet so restrained, that she knew there was anger there. "Elize has been working on her math, and is taking lessons on piloting just in case she needs it. Katarina is improving at philosophy, and has begun to consider joining in on a new initiative, charity for the people of Coruscant so that they may see their Jedi. She's on her way to a leading role in this. Meanwhile, Aydan, when at a Kalankion banquet, and you are served the second course, which utensil should you use?"
"Does that… matter?" Aydan asked, baffled. Nima knew he'd learned this one in class. Elize was frowning, trying to remember, while Katarina felt as if she suspected but wasn't entirely sure.
"It might well, Kalankion almost defected less than a month ago. Nima, what is the answer?"
"It's, it's a trick question," Nima said. "In their culture, not eating with your hands means that you think it's poisoned or in some way impure, or that the food is bad. Everything they eat is with a container, or something to scoop it up, or just plain hands. The second course would be soup, in a bowl made out of bread, traditionally. If you ate with a utensil, or brought one, or… it'd be a deadly insult."
"Yes, it would. It is unfortunate that an ambassador of all things did not know this," Cin Drallig said. "But the Knight with him did, and that is why they are still in the Republic, and still providing the raw materials for the mines that Master Bell believes can help the naval warfare situation."
Nima perked up at that. But how could an ambassador…
Who was the Republic sending? Did the Jedi really have to do everything? Nima pushed down that sharp thought.
"Oh," Aydan said.
"You have it in you to be a skilled duelist, one of the strongest in the Order. But you must work on your other skills," Cin Drallig said, resting a hand on Aydan's shoulder, his voice a little kinder, "if you wish to be a good Jedi."
"Oh."
Cin Drallig straightened. "I shall be back. I will check what this is about."
Aydan slumped to the floor the moment he left. Nima looked at him, then glanced over at Katarina. "Charity?"
"One of the older retired Jedi believed that it was the will of the Force to do so," Katarina said. "One must have respect for one's elders."
"What are you going to do?"
"There are kitchens, and the Jedi have plenty of food. Little excess, but we have talents. We will hand out what we can to the poor and needy, and there are other things," Katarina said. She smiled, just slightly, then closed up again.
"Ask Jayne, he'd love to help."
And get out in the city, even if he had to be under all but guard the whole time. Just the chance would be enough, and Nima was sure he was keeping his promise.
"Oh." Katarina nodded. "I will."
Nima smiled, and hoped that the alert wasn't too dangerous. She should be worrying more, but instead she felt oddly caught up in the strange whirl of emotions. Aydan… her fight with Katarina, it all felt more important than some minor threat. The Temple was safe, it'd never have to--
But at the same time, she wished she had a real lightsaber, just in case. It was just sensible, she thought, letting out a tired breath.
It had been an odd rollercoaster, and so she wasn't surprised when Elize took her arm and dragged her to a corner. "What was that?"
"What was… what? The argument? I think Cin Drallig pushed a little too hard," Nima admitted.
"Not hard enough. He's never looked quite that bad, but he always has that look when he doesn't impress Cin Drallig," Elize said, quietly. "He'll get over it."
Maybe he will, Nima didn't know. "Well, is that it?"
"No. With Katarina. We should fight," Elize said, firmly.
Nima blinked, "Now? I suppose it could--"
"No. Sometime. I have no idea what you were doing. It looked like dancing, it was… kinda beautiful, and sorta weird. And she smiled. She doesn't smile. I promise you she doesn't smile." Elize was smiling wide, as if to provide some sort of bizarre counterpoint. "You… I mean, geeze. If getting people to open up like that is what they teach in your classes, then everyone should take them. I don't know how…"
"It was her choice," Nima said.
"Yes. And… c'mon," Elize said. "I know I don't gossip much, but this is actually really, really cool. Oh, I know she's nice, or at least… but whenever I try to find something to talk to her about stuff, even lightsaber techniques… bam." Elize waved her hand, as if portraying a speeder crashing into the ground.
Katarina turned her head, but said nothing, and Elize began to speak quieter, her teeth worrying at her bottom lip. "So that's… would you like to go get lunch after this? A little late, but I'm sure--"
She sounded a little odd, and Nima let out a breath, trying to figure it out. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah. Of course I'm fine. Time of the… I mean. Nevermind," Elize said. "Still, I don't think there's anyone you don't befriend. Even Cho."
Nima blinked, "What's wrong with Cho?"
"She's ranting about all those bills."
Nima remembered, they'd almost had a fight about it again, and a bizarre one at that, in something like violent agreement that the Chancellor's latest bills were unacceptable, and that this bizarre Mandalore crisis was intolerable. Nima cared a little more about the latter than the former, but that was because Scout was worried. Every time Ahsoka wound up in the news, Scout worried that it'd be bad news.
The war was dangerous. Quinlan Vos was back as an ally, as a Jedi, had been playing some baffling game with the Dark Side. Mace Windu had gone off on another mission, and even Yoda had been out of the Temple at times.
It felt emptier than ever, but now here she was, packed in with so many emotions. She could feel them, but the bizarre thing was that she couldn't know what some of them were. Elize was jealous, but why? She was content despite everything, sweating and tired but not caring, and she didn't want to ruin her mood just because...
Elize wanted to be her friend and didn't like Katarina?
But, she did. Nima was sure of it.
"Why the sigh?" Elize asked, worry evident on her face.
"Just, Cho. Always Cho," Nima said. "I'm not sure why we're friends sometimes, and then she's just great and we're discussing everything civilly. She's gotten… a little angrier, recently. I wish I could help. But it's the news." Now Nima was allowing her mood to sour, thinking of how bad it was that she couldn't help her friend. Or… the person something like her friend. She wanted to help anyone who needed.
"It's fine. If you want someone to… wait. No. Forget I said it."
"You didn't," Nima pointed out, frowning a little as she looked at Elize.
"Well, you could talk to Aydan," Elize said.
"I should," Nima admitted, standing up a little bit. If she'd done so to Hannah, Hannah who clearly at least respected Nima's abilities as a Jedi, from her words. Hannah who had been willing to say it. Maybe Nima should talk to her too.
She didn't have time, but she needed to help others. Surely she could figure out a way. So she walked over to Aydan knelt by him.
He looked up at her, smelling rather foul with sweat, and said, "Trakata."
"What?"
"You should practice Trakata. With one blade. It will save your life someday," Aydan said, as if he'd been thinking it through. "Two blades means you can trick people. Especially with the different lengths. If you want to practice it, we could."
Nima was pretty sure he hadn't really learned, and she frowned. "I could put you in touch with someone who could help you with any of the classes if--"
"I'm. Fine," Aydan said. "But, if you know anyone… I can't remember the diplomatic stuff, it all just swims in my head. And reading all of those reports." He shook his head. He didn't say anything, but it was as if there was something more there. His elbows were sharply angled as he clutched himself.
If she was a fool, she'd hug him.
"Very well," Nima said. "I'll try it next time we meet."
"Oh, you'll do more than try," Aydan said. "Do or do not--"
"You're right," Nima said.
Aydan snorted. "I'm not sure you'll do anyways. You rely too much on your ability to read emotions when you fight. Surely someone could exploit that. I saw it, felt it rather. It was impressive, but Katarina could have been leading you into death, I think? I'm not good with the emotions, but in the Force it was obvious what she was doing." He said it all quickly, like he was outraged that someone would dare to do that. She didn't know why, though.
"I know," Nima said, quietly. "But… it helped."
"It did, and I didn't," Aydan said. "You should go over to your friend. She's bouncing up and down."
"I'm sorry that Master Cin Drallig talked to you like, that, he--"
"Do you disagree?" Aydan asked.
Nima couldn't answer that.
"Well, there we go," Aydan said. And nothing more.
So there she was. Aydan sullen and sulking--though he hadn't refused the offer--Katarina smiling slightly but clearly just wanting to wait it out, and Elize besides herself and bizarrely, unfairly jealous of… what?
Nima didn't know.
She was glad when the door opened and all was done. An hour, an hour of awkwardness, but not enough to make her forget her new obligations or the possibility of new friends.
******
Terrorists. They'd driven three speeders into the front entrance and started shooting. One of the civilians who maintains the Temple grounds was dead, and several others were injured before they'd been subdued. It was some sort of pro-Confederacy group, and Nima noticed that the Senate started rushing through a bill to strengthen the security of the Republic, as well as a few other matters.
Ahsoka's incredulous letter mentioned something about Obi-Wan and some woman, and Mandalorian neutrality might be soon gone--or so Cho informed her--because apparently the leader of the neutrality faction in Mandalore was on a ship here and everyone was sure she'd soon pick sides. After all, there was a war on, surely she'd approve if they rushed a decision to invade Mandalore for her…
Oh. And also Geonosis, Nima heard with dismay, her stomach sinking. That had been somehow taken back, and so they'd have to send another army. Who had missed it, and how?
Nima knew from Lexie that there had been an uptick in cases, people torn apart by the news that Geonosis somehow, some way wasn't done with. That it wasn't over.
Nima didn't know what to say. She kept her head down, and when Lexie said that Marruc was going to be joining her for lessons, she didn't know whether to be glad at the proof that she was making progress, or worried.
She hoped things would go well, but she had reason to doubt it.
What's her relationship with Marruc? (No Write-ins)
[] Reasonably positive, if distant. But the very thought of… she just doesn't want to see or talk with him, showing off and no doubt doing so much better and. No. She's not going to be like that. She'll be perfectly polite, she can manage that. Polite, professional, they're just taking lessons together, no need to act as if Lexie's going to declare one of them her favorite ch… person.
[] Nima was always somewhat warm to him, but there was something about her that he didn't like. He withdrew, he frowned, and saw fit not to talk to her except when they had to. It's not quite glacial, but it's… frustrating.
[] He was nice enough, but there was always something about his smiles, his jokes, his friendliness which had been hard to open up to. Hard to be close to. She knows it's a little hypocritical, but she just doesn't like him that much.
******
A/N: Here you go.
Last edited:
- Location
- Head in the clouds
Oh, it's going to hurt so much when Knightfall happens.
I wonder. Was that ambassador intentionally appointed by Palpatine (or someone else) in order to sabotage the alliance?
It also allows them to see how the Temple responds to attacks. And they even have clones inside, taking notes on what the Jedi do.
[X] Reasonably positive, if distant. But the very thought of… she just doesn't want to see or talk with him, showing off and no doubt doing so much better and. No. She's not going to be like that. She'll be perfectly polite, she can manage that. Polite, professional, they're just taking lessons together, no need to act as if Lexie's going to declare one of them her favorite ch… person.
In both of the other options, the relationship is onesided. Either Nima is reaching out to him while he puts up a mask, or he's a friendly person who she just can't connect with. I like this option because it's balanced. And it's also very honest about her feelings.
- Location
- Somewhere in the stacks
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] He was nice enough, but there was always something about his smiles, his jokes, his friendliness which had been hard to open up to. Hard to be close to. She knows it's a little hypocritical, but she just doesn't like him that much.
- Location
- United States of America
[X] Nima was always somewhat warm to him, but there was something about her that he didn't like. He withdrew, he frowned, and saw fit not to talk to her except when they had to. It's not quite glacial, but it's… frustrating.