Diamond in the Ruff

[Cap'n Hobbes]

Miranda wandered the streets of Theed preferring the uncrowded back alleys as opposed to the bustling main metropolis of the city, her feet automatically taking her to her favorite haunts. Her mind wandered freely thinking about how just over a year ago she had been a slave on another planet forced to mine spice in caves of complete darkness. Her former masters weren’t exactly harsh with their words, but more so with their actions. She remembered how desperate she had been when she had escaped the planet with her guardian, only to see him fade and become one with the force as he would’ve put it, to Naboo.

She let out a sigh at the bitter memory and headed back to Ms. Lights House for the Unprivileged. It was really a stroke of luck that Ms. Light had been on the same ship as Miranda when she first landed on Naboo a year ago. If it hadn’t been for her, she had no idea where she would be now, probably in the same place as Jade. She opened the doors to the house and stepped inside, not sure what to expect, but knowing that for now she was home.

 

[Ral]

The sun was warm and inviting. It wasn't hot, in fact it was about mild for Naboo. Still, Kai enjoyed it and the pleasant weather. Kai had decided to visit the capital Theed with his young Pantoran friend, Jade. Theed was a beautiful city with amazing architecture. He enjoyed walking along the wide open streets. It was home for him. In fact, he had even changed out of his normally somber black gear for the typical Naboo wear. Nothing fancy, but at least he would look like a native. He still kept his belt on his hip with lightsaber and shatter gun in easy reach.

Turning to his friend he asked, "So, what do you think so far? It's no Lamaredd, but nothing quite matches the way Naboo looks and feels!"

It was easy for Kai to forget that Jade was blind and only saw through the Force, still when he did remember he wondered what things looked like when all you saw was the Force. Stopping in front of an orphan house Kai paused. It was Ms. Lights place. Kai's mother was a friend of the owner and so Kai knew her as well. Thinking to drop in and say hello Kai started up the steps. "C'mon, my mom knows the person who owns this place. I want to say hi and then we can continue our tour."

Opening the door Kai walked into the orphan house. As he stepped inside something tickled his mind. He had felt it before; it was the Force. It must have been calling out to him, telling him that something or someone important was near.

 

[Undine]

Jade enjoyed the sunlight on her skin, and she wondered what stars looked like sometimes. She had met up with her friend Kai back in Moenia, and he offered to take her to Theed, the capital of Naboo. They had both opted for some local attire for the trip. Jade enjoyed Naboo fairly way actually the Jungle swaps reminding her of her the marshes from her early childhood on Pantora, maybe one day she'll return there. The half faded memories of her parents abandoning her still stung. The Jedi had been her family since she was roughly 3 years old, and she held no faith in any possible blood tides she may still have.

As Kai inquired about how she was enjoying Naboo, she turned to him and replied, "The jungle swamps remind me of the marshes on my homeworld, did I ever tell you I lived in a marsh before being given over to the Order?" she asked her friend.

He was leading her to the house of someone he said was named Ms. Lights, and who was a friend of his mother's. When they walked into the house, Jade could see her a human girl, slightly older than her by a few years. She glowed slightly brighter then others, as all force sensitives did. Jade noticed Kai could feel her as well. She decided to let Kai lead the way.​

 

[Cap'n Hobbes]

Ms. Light kept Miranda and the others busy with house chores, sweeping the floors, making beds, looking after the little ones, things like that. Miranda didn’t mind doing this kind of work, actually she rather enjoyed it. It made a nice change from what she had grown up with in any case. She was so engrossed in her work that she hardly noticed the two new kids walk into the house, people were often coming and going that she rarely paid any attention to who came in these days. Ms. Light on the other hand, did notice and went straight to meet the new guests.

“Well if it isn’t young master Kai,” she said, “and what’s this? Have you gotten yourself a girlfriend?” Ms. Light was naturally a good natured human and generally liked to keep things in good light when guests were around, especially ones such as these. She waved them inside and went off to bring them snacks and generally be a good hostess.

 

[Ral]

Kai let out a hearty laugh. Looking over at Jade he shook his head. "No I don't think you did." Turning back to Ms. Light, Kai gave her a warm smile. "Please. This is my friend Jade. We met... While I was out traveling. Jade, this is Ms. Light, a friend of my mother's."

Following her inside Kai got a glimpse of a gangly girl with auburn hair. The tingling feeling tickled his brain again. That was her. She was the one. Glancing back at Jade, Kai nodded. He was sure his young friend could detect the girl's sensitivity to the Force. Kai kept to keep an eye on the girl; he wanted to speak to her, but she seemed shy.
"What do you see? Do you think she would be interested in coming with us?" Kai inquired of Jade.

When Ms. Light came back with the snacks Kai asked about the young girl. "Excuse me, I'm curious who that is over there. That skinny girl with the auburn hair. Do you think you could have her come over here?"

 

[Undine]

Jade laughed softly at Ms. Lights' words, as Kai introduced her. "Oh please, I'm only 11, plus my interests lie elsewhere." she commented to the lady. Ms. Lights led them inside, and as they walked around Kai asked Jade she could see and if she could tell if we had peaked the girl's interest.

Jade concentrated on the young woman's mind, she could feel that she was preoccupied with her chores. As Ms. Lights turned to call the girl, Jade whispered in Kai's ear, "I have no idea if she would be interested in coming with us, and she doesn't seem to have noticed us yet. As far as what I can see, I see other kids and teenagers walking about do various things." Jade watch as the girl in question came at Ms. Lights' beckoning.​

 

[Cap'n Hobbes]

“You mean Miranda? Sure thing, she’s a sweet girl but rather shy, I’ll bring her over now,” Ms. Light said and went off to fetch Miranda.

Miranda was off in a corner dusting some cabinets when she heard Ms. Light coming. Truth be told, she had been eaves dropping on their conversation ever since she heard the name Jade. She was curious to know what they wanted with her and if they had any connection with her old master. Miranda eyed the two girls cautiously, she still wasn’t quite sure what to make of them yet, nor did she know what two kids no older than she wanted to do with her.

“Um, hi,” she said in a very small voice as she fidgeted nervously.

 

[Ral]

"Excellent! Thank you." He remarked with a smile. Turning to Jade he commented, "Well, let's see how this goes, huh?"

Running a hand through his long straight hair, Kai attempted to keep it tidy looking. As the girl came out Kai finally got a good look at her. She was short and skinny, with green eyes, but not unattractive, at least to Kai. She also seemed very timid as she approached them, barely making any eye contact. As she stood before them she spoke so softly that Kai had a hard time hearing her. Pausing for a moment, Kai watched her body language as she fidgeted nervously and looked generally uncomfortable. With a welcoming smile, Kai finally spoke. "Hi, I'm Kai. Why don't you take a seat so we can talk more comfortably." Giving her a few moments for Jade to introduce herself and for this girl Miranda to decide whether to stand or sit.

"So, we wanted to talk to you because we both think you're special."

Kai would pause there and wait to gauge her reaction and go from there.

 

[Undine]

Jade stood there, watching as the girl moved through the building making her way to them, she seem shy, but Jade had a feeling that would change in time. Kai on the other hand seemed somehow nervous, and kept fiddling with his hair. The girl greeted them in a shy manner, to which Kai introduced himself. Jade looked in the girl's direction, "And my name is Jade Evoyn, a pleasure to meet you." Jade was more than willing to take the backseat for now, no need to bombard the young woman.​

 

[Cap'n Hobbes]

“Special?” Miranda repeated quizzically as she took her seat across from the two, however her attention subconsciously drew towards Jade. Getting a good look at her, Miranda knew that this young girl had no connection to her Jade. She was rather wary of the two, she had heard stories from some of the other children. Stories of how the rich would sometimes come to a place like this, pretend to be a friend only to mock them afterwards. She would have to proceed with caution, she wasn’t about to be taken advantage of, never again.

 

[Ral]

"Yes, you see, we believe you can use the Force." Kai stated matter-of-factly. He could sense that she was unsure of them or what they wanted. Her distrust to him showed in her body language. Thinking of what to do next, Kai paused for a second. With a gentle smile, Kai gathered the Force around him and focused his mind on sending positive energy towards her. If she was truly sensitive to the Force she should passively sense his goodwill. He would need her to trust him, otherwise they would probably leave the orphanage without her. While that probably wouldn't be a terrible thing, the future the Order could give this girl would be much better and brighter than what she would have here. Hoping that she would sense his intentions he continued to speak. "You see, we are part of an ancient group called the Jedi Order. Perhaps you've heard of us? We use the Force and try to help people."

Maybe it was a little too much for a girl. It was almost too much when Kai first learned that he could use the Force. Hoping to show her what he could do, Kai reached out in the Force and gently lifted a small fruit off the table into his hand. With a sincere grin on his face he offered the fruit to Miranda. "We just want to talk today. I promise."

 

[Undine]

Jade could feel her hesitation and a bit of loss, she seemed to be holding them back at a distance, unsure of their intentions. Kai was levitating a piece of fruit, while Jade concentrated on feeling the emotions from this girl and attempting to send her as much calming energies as she could. She didn't want her to feel threatened.​

 

[Cap'n Hobbes]

Miranda watched silently as Kai explained who Jade and she were. She didn’t even flinch when Kai lifted in the air. Of course she knew that she could use the force however she had never heard of the Jedi before. Jade, her jade, had never mentioned them while he taught her see. She could tell that he was being truthful, she sensed no lies. When she had been taught to see with the force, perhaps as a side effect, she also gained an uncanny ability to tell if one was lying or not. It was the subtle differences in the auras she saw when she saw with the force that told her the difference.

Taking the fruit and cradling it in her hands, she shook her head and said, “I’m sorry, I haven’t heard of the Jedi before but I do know about the force.”

Her fear had ebbed as she took her seat, something about the two made her feel calm and at ease, but her voice was still soft and quiet. It was just who she was, Miranda had never needed to talk much as a slave and even now she still didn’t.

“A, um, friend of mine taught me to use it a long time ago,” she added, she didn’t mention names just yet after all they had just met and Jade’s death was still heavy on her spirit. She sighed and set the fruit down, “So what do you want to talk about?”

 

[Ral]

Watching her carefully he noticed that she did not seem to be surprised as he levitated the fruit to his hand. His smile spread into a grin as Miranda accepted the fruit and took a seat. Kai could sense that she had relaxed a little; which was a good thing. "Oh, so you have heard of the Force. That's good! That'll make this easier for us. Listen, Miranda, we think you can be a Jedi; you can use the Force and that's all you really need to join. This isn't a decision you have to make today, so take your time and don't rush into this because it's a big choice. Although, if you do wish to join we can take you to where some of the Jedi like to congregate on Naboo where you can learn more of the Jedi."

Pausing for a second Kai thought about what to say next as he let Miranda take in all of the information she was receiving. He didn't want to overwhelm the poor girl. Glancing over at Jade, Kai checked if she had anything to say before looking back at Miranda. "The Jedi can offer you a future, a home, a family, a meaning. The Order is like one big family, really, who try and help Galaxy. Unfortunately, there aren't enough of us to make a big much of a difference at the moment, but we still try when we can helping resolve disputes and serving where we're needed... Perhaps it would be easier if you asked us questions?"

The fact of the matter was that Kai wasn't entirely sure what to say to Miranda to convince her to join the Order. She could use the Force and she seemed good and innocent enough, although that could change. He at least wanted to give this girl a chance at what he thought would be a better life.

 

[Undine]

Jade smiled listening to them both, as she looked to Miranda and said, "We won't just be family, we'll always be there for you, even to the point where it may cost us our lives." Jade remembered back to the hazing years of her live before the order. She had been 4 years old when she was abandoned by her relatives never to see her mother, father, grandmother, or her big brother Onno ever again. Her hands began to shake a little so she hide them in her robes. She was a master a hiding her emotions and she smiled on. No one in the Order had ever heard her speak of her family that much definitely not any of their names. She could only remember her big brother's name anyway. She looked back towards Miranda and said, "We take family very seriously, especially me, we'll be like sisters."​

 

[Cap'n Hobbes]

As she listened to them talk about how the Jedi were a group of force sensitive’s that strived to do good in the galaxy, Miranda’s thoughts turned towards Jade’s words. Perhaps she was more like her old master than she originally gave her credit for. She wondered what it would be like to have a family again. The more she thought, the more she wanted it and the more she realized how horrible it was to be alone all the time as she was.

It was quite a while before she spoke again as she thought but when she did she said, “What would I have to do to join?”

 

[Ral]

Kai nodded in agreement as Jade spoke, adding onto what he said. With a light laugh Kai clapped his hands softly. "Well, if you wanted we could take you to one of the few training areas we have left that are safe for Jedi to gather. I think there is one on Naboo, so not too far away. There you would need to commit to serving the Jedi Order and the Force. Being a Jedi isn't a just a choice you make, it's a lifestyle. You have to be willing to make certain sacrifices, and it won't always be easy. But, that being said, it is a chance to hone your own connection to the Force and be among people like yourself who live to help others and maintain what little peace is left in the Galaxy. There will be a lot of meditation and rigorous training, which will require no small amount of patience and perseverance. If you think this is something you want we can leave now and introduce you to some of the knights and masters of our Order, they might have a better idea of how to train you... but you will be among friends."

Sitting back with a smile he simply remarked, "The choice is yours. You can wait to make your decision if you feel like you need time to think about it, or we can leave now. And if you choose not to, you won't hear about it anymore from us."

Seeing Miranda nod, Kai looked to Jade and nodded, "Let's get out of here, then."

 

[Undine]

Jade smiled at Miranda, unsure of what she was thinking and not wanting to invade her mind. She turned back to Kai and asked him, "Hey what time is it anyway, I'm getting a little hungry, maybe we can go get some food, it'll be on me."