Kidd 'n Play

[Saint]

Padawan Kidd Vegas had awoken on time for training this morning. Today, he'd meet the Jedi Knight who was to help him with his training, and ascertain whether or not he was ready for the Trials. Ensuring that he was at least fifteen minutes early, Kidd had already showered, shaved, made ready, and downed breakfast before reporting to the training area. Not overly anxious, he was rather curious though just who his Knight would be.

A Padawan he'd met just the other day mentioned that the Sword of the Jedi was his mentor. That had to be pretty neat. Regardless though, just -having- a Jedi mentor was a blessing, and Kidd would be more than content regardless of who he was assigned to. Poor attitudes benefited nobody. He could hear his prior mentor reciting now, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." The thought brought a chuckle and a smirk to his face.

Adjusting his attire somewhat, he wanted to make sure that he at least -looked- presentable when his mentor arrived. He had spent an hour or so last night ensuring that his garments were clean and wrinkle-free, even polishing up his boots a bit so that they didn't appear to be too scuffed up. Krath, he even put on a bit of smell-good this morning. Some trial scent he had picked up. He thought it was called something like... Excite? Huh...

 

[Corvis]

Cnile hummed an old Coruscani tune as she made her way through the Temple's halls, musing over the training of her next Padawan. She allowed herself a wry smile, hoping this one wouldn't end up in the med bay on his first day as well. Nodding to a pair of Master's walking down the hall, she noticed she was getting close to the small meditation room where she was to meet this Kidd Vegas. “Obvious nickname in that one.” she half said to herself.

As she stretched out her senses to get a sense of the room, surprised to find that the Padawan had actually gotten there before her. Her wry smile shifted slightly as she found herself bemused by the pleasant surprise. Waving to activate the door control, she stepped slowly in the room. Instantly catching wind of his cologne, she looked him over.

He wasn't much younger than her, but he carried himself as one who had been raised by the Order. She hadn't had time to read the file on him, having just returned from a mission on Ord Cantrell, but he seemed to a genuinely good soul. As she caught his eye, she nodded, “Hello, my name is Jedi Knight Cnile Mengele.” she extended her hand, “Kidd Vegas, I presume?”

 

[Saint]

Sniffing a bit, Kidd noted that perhaps his cologne was a bit too strong. Perhaps. Then again, he -had- just put it on only minutes ago before entering the small meditation room. Yeah... the size of the room probably didn't help either, as the scent had little area to dissipate into. Hopefully it wasn't overwhelmingly strong. He did want to make a good first impression.

Just as all these thoughts were running through his head, the door to the room opened and in walked an attractive young lady who was a bit shorter than he was. Extending her hand as she caught his eye, the Jedi Knight introduced herself as Cnile Mengele. With a quick step forward, Kidd made to meet her gesture at least half-way, taking her hand firmly within his as he shook it.

"Yes Ma'am," he replied with an affable smile on his face. "It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance." He wished that he could've said that he had heard so much about her, or some other phrase similar that you always saw in the holovids when folks met each other for the first time, but since he had grown up on Tython and had only recently been transferred to the Temple here on Coruscant... he had nothing.

Dipping his forehead in a slight bow of sorts that was meant to show respect and honor, Kidd closed his eyes as he added, "I look forward to your training Ma'am." Hopefully this student-teacher relationship would grow into a solid friendship. Kidd hadn't had much experiences otherwise, himself being quite the positive and friendly sort. He smiled sincerely as he erected his posture from the slight bow, attentions focused solely on the Jedi Knight before him.

 

[Corvis]

Cnile smiled at the Padawan's formal but affable nature. “I like him already,” she thought, glancing about the room. Usually her Padawan's had immediately presented her with some way or another to directly dive into training, but so far Kidd seemed composed and in control. Very much the model of how a Jedi should be. “I guess I could stand to learn a bit more about him.” she mused as she stepped over to glance out the window.

“You just arrived on Coruscant right?” she asked. She was sure she hadn't seen him around before, so it seemed a safe assumption. “If so, how about we go for a quick patrol of the temple district? You can tell me about yourself, and I'll get a chance to see what you already know.”

 

[Saint]

"Yes Ma'am, only a few weeks ago," was Kidd's response to his new mentor's question regarding his arrival to Coruscant. When she suggested a patrol of the temple district, Kidd replied happily, his face lighting up, "That'd be mos' agreeable Ma'am." And with that, Kidd turned to walk out with the Jedi Knight, appropriately keeping to her left side as he fell back a bit, allowing her the lead and also showing deference.

As directed, Kidd began to tell Knight Cnile about growing up on Tython, being found by the Jedi at an early age, and how he's never really left the Monastery... well, Tython for that matter, and hadn't been overly anxious to take his trials. His previous mentor also cared little to leave Tython as well, having lost a Padawan previous on a trip off-world, and decided to keep Kidd about in the Monastery for his safety.

Shrugging his shoulders a bit as he looked over at Cnile, Kidd went on, "So I've yet to really try to take my Trials, since I wasn't able to leave Tython." Pursing his lips as he looked about for a moment, "And being here on Coruscant is a -huge- difference from Tython." Gesturing about, he went on, "On Tython, there's grass, trees, rivers, lakes, all sorts of plant life and wild life." Shaking his head he added, "Not like here."

Quirking a funny smirk he made to catch Cnile's eye, "Here, there's wild life, but not the sort -I'm- use to." Chuckling a bit, it took him a moment before he continued, "It feels a -lot- different here too... not like on Tython. Here, everything's so.. it's all so... well... I've already gotten lost a couple of times when just trying to go out for a walk." He shook his head lightly, a touch embarassed by that. One thing about wandering around on Tython, you really only had two planes to worry about. On Coruscant, you could go up and down as well, only making it all the more complicated for a young country boy like Kidd.

 

[Corvis]

Cnile chuckled politely as he described his time since leaving Tython, and the differences he'd discovered since leaving his home planet. She'd yet to have a chance to visit the ancient monastery herself, but she heard it was a world of natural beauty. As stark a contrast with Coruscant as her first visit to Ossus was. “That, I definitely do understand. I grew up on Coruscant, but I was trained on Ossus.” She glanced about the arching skyscrapers of the Temple district as the exited the Temple.

“If you think your life is different now, wait until you see the differences when you finally do go back home.” she smiled, hiding a slight ache as she thought about how much Coruscant had changed in the millenia since she first left it. She didn't regret what she did for a second, but nostalgia was always a moving force.

“Aye, moving about a city is much different than working your way through the woods.” she her eyes settled on the neon sign marking a row of cantinas. “It's much less about orienteering and more about feeling out the city. Especially her e on Coruscant, it's cities within a city. So long as you know how to get from one distinct district to another, you can usually get close to where you need to go.” She smirked knowingly, “The rest is just getting lost enough times to memorize the area.”

Was the neon lights faded behind them, Cnile lead them to a large open air intersection of speeder airways. “As Jedi, we have a bit of an advantage in navigating it on foot.” She took a deep breath, here eyes tracing a pat she'd often taken on her free-running sojourns into the city. “Tell me, are you familiar with using the Force to aid your movement?”

 

[Saint]

In regards to her comment about getting lost enough times to memorize the area, Kidd thought back on the time not even a week ago where he ended up in the undercity... somewhere... and was nearly kidnapped. Some.. kid?.. had pulled a weapon on him and when Kidd made off to run, a net had sprung up and attempted to envelope him. Shaking his head lightly, he said aloud, "I'd much rather git lost with you than by m'self."

Suddenly realizing how silly that sounded, and potentially flirty, Kidd's cheeks blushed a bright red. Glancing aside with a hint of nervousness but mostly embarassment, he added quickly, "I uh... I mean... I'm jus' sayin' that I'd rather not git lost on m'own again." Giving his head another quick shake, he went on, "One close call is enough fer me." Now truth be told, it wasn't that Kidd -didn't- want to flirt with Knight Cnile a bit... I mean, she was attractive and quite affable, but she was also his mentor. A Knight of the Jedi Order. Kidd was only a Padawan. That probably wouldn't bode well to strike up a relationship between Knight and Padawan... though the thought did tickle his mind, bringing a slight smirk to his lips which he quickly shoved away, pushing the thought out of his mind. Focus Kidd, Focus!

Clearing his throat before replying to her inquiry about using the Force to aide his movements, Kidd happily spoke up as he was reasonably (at least in his mind) skilled in such activities. Smiling broadly, face alighting, he stated almost proudly, "Oh yes Ma'am. I use to run wild an' free back on Tython. Through the forests, along the rivers, jumping, leaping, climbing, running and falling, heh. All SORTS of fun an' good times." He beamed a huge smile, recalling numerous days that he and other padawans would just roam and run the forests all day and night, playing hide and seek, tag, and other silly games. Heh, good times indeed.

 

[Corvis]

Cnile had to stifle a laugh as Kidd fumbled over himself. She'd gotten used to the Padawans and even some of the other Knights fawning over her. The Jedi moratorium on relationships had been lifted, and with it had come a whole new dynamic within the temples. The attention didn't bother Cnile, in fact she often found it flattering. The idea of a Padawan and Master romantic relationship was out of the question. While she always developed a certain fondness for her Padawans, she believed the anything more than that was counter-productive to their development. Still, as her Padawan's face turned red, she decided he needed a few words of encouragement. “Easy, Kidd. I knew what you meant.”

Letting the moment pass, she listened to him speak of his time on Tython, basking in the warm feelings of his nostalgia as she picked out a path across the expanse. Nodding as he finished, she smirked, “Good. Let see what you can do then.” Dropping into a running stance and she drew on the Force, she gave him a smirk. “Try to keep up.”

With that, she sprinted up to the wall. Cutting right, Force leapt up several meters, wall kicking off the side of a balcony. Her momentum carrying her up, she extended her arms and grasped a window ledge twenty meters off the ground. Shimming her way across the ledge she eventually got to another balcony, and with a force assisted flip, she landed on top of the balcony. Her smirk growing to one that bordered on cockiness, she looked over her shoulder, watching her Padwan's progress with keen interest.

 

[Saint]

Still somewhat embarassed, Kidd was greatly relieved when his Knight said that she knew what he meant. He chuckled lightly to himself, a bit of a nervous one if you know what I mean, as he recoverd himself. Taking a deep breath, he regained full composure... at least outwardly... though mostly inwardly as well. Her looks and friendliness was a bit of a distraction. Then again, perhaps that was a good thing. It'd teach him not to let such things draw away his attention so easily. If he could keep a professional demeanor... or... at least one without flirting and fawning over her... then that would be a win. Still, it would prove a challenge.

Upon her challenge to keep up (at least that's how Kidd interpretted it), the padawan fought the silly thoughts of her smirk just before she took off. When she did, he found himself distracted once again at her backside. Scolding himself severely, he let out a frustrated, mostly-inward growl as he shook the thought from his head. Turning his attention -right- back to her, it was darn impressive just how far and away she had gotten already. Krath, could she move!!

After a sharp exhale upon drawing in a breath, Kidd swung his arms to either side as if he was readying himself to take off into an all-out sprint... then bolted!! Following the Knight's path, he too did a force leap, kicking off the side of a balcony (only a bit lower than Cnile had) and extended his arms to catch the same window ledge. **PHLAT** He hit the wall hard as his hands were just inches shy (okay, so maybe a foot) of grasping the ledge. The impact knocked some of the wind out of him as he fell to the top of a dumpster, landing in a good stance to slow the momentum as he helped brace himself with his two hands on either side.

It took him a couple of moments, but he soon regained his breath and tried again, this time collecting himself better and leaping straight for the balcony that Cnile was on. He was nowhere close to grabbing the ledge of the floor, but then again, that wasn't his target. A ladder hanging down from it was and he was able to grab a rung only a few feet from where Cnile stood. With a quick pull and jump, Kidd was able to propel himself the rest of the way up, landing beside the Jedi Knight with a landing that wasn't as graceful as hers, but still found him stably (after a millisecond) next to her.

Quirking a bit of a sheepish grin, he replied, "Perhaps not as smooth an' graceful as you Ma'am, bu' a'least I made it." He forced a semi-proud beam for her as he dusted down his attire a bit, straightening it out some. Any improper or inappropriate thoughts were gone now, swept away by the focus he was putting forward to accomplish what his Knight was challenging him to do. His training. Swallowing away the nervousness, Kidd stood ready for her next challenge... whatever that may be, heh.

 

[Corvis]

Cnile winced visibly as the sickening slap of her padawan flying into the wall cut through the air. Stepping forward to lean over the edge of the railing, she watched as he readied himself for his second attempt. He was taking a different route this time, showing both persistence and ingenuity at the same time, the latter of which surprised her. With most Order-raised Padawans she knew, it was extremely difficult to get them to think outside their comfort zone. “Still not bad. You have the basics down, the rest will come with practice.” she stated simply, walking over to a communications wire strung out across the airway.

“Next bit is a going be fun.” she said, her smirk still in place as she climbed up on top of the wire. She she eased herself out a couple of feet, she used flight nudges of telekinetic power to keep her balance. Turning around she began to walk backwards along the wire a few steps before stopping. “You've had practice with telekinetic applications of the Force before, correct?”

 

[Saint]

Kidd watched a bit confidently as the Knight walked out onto a wire, balancing herself -quite- well. When asked about telekinesis, he responded a bit quickly, "Yes Ma'am, I've spent a fair amount of time training an' practicing such." He stepped forward up to the edge of the wire, rubbing his hands together as he stood ready for the next challenging task. Truth be told, the front of his torso and side of his face still stung a bit from his collision with the wall.

One thing, he was curious how she was going to challenge his telekinetic abilities, himself not even thinking or realizing that she may have been using such powers to keep herself balanced. In his mind, she was probably just that nimble. Glancing down at the wire himself, he found himself kind of hoping that she wouldn't call him out onto it, since he knew that he wasn't as nimble and well-balanced as she was exhibiting right now.

 

[Corvis]

Cnile grinned, slowly walking backwards as she drew the Padawan out into the middle of the airway. “Good to hear it. It's a core part of a Jedi's tool kit. Not only for it's obvious physical applications but the psychological effects it has on non-Force sensitives.” She grimaced to herself, she never thought herself the lecturer, but in this case it was necessary to lure Kidd into a more ideal position. “The ingenuity to use it in unique situations is one of the greatest skills a Jedi can have.” Glancing out of the corner of her eye, she ducked as an errant speeder pilot nearly knocked her off the wire. They were far enough out now, she decided, and stopped moving.

“You're very confident and self assured, Kidd.” she smiled, the compliment was genuine and she wanted him to know that. What she didn't say, is that this was the reason she had set this up. She wanted him as exposed and off guard as possible to get a candid answer out of him. “And you seem to have proficiency in all the core abilities a Jedi should have. A bit green, yes, but quite well off for a Padawan.” As she finished the statement, an almost sinister smirk crossed her face. Tweaking her heel, she sent a shimmy down the wire. Her telekinetic abilities ready to catch the Padawan should he loose his balance, she locked her eyes with his. “So tell me, what is your greatest challenge as a Jedi, your greatest flaw.”

 

[Saint]

Kidd followed out his mentor onto the narrow wire, arms stretched out to either side for balance. It struck him that she was meaning to use telekinesis while walking out on this wire. Curious... he'd never really thought of that before; then again, there weren't alot of comm wires on Tython around the Monastery either... Calculating partially in his head, he figured that she was only using small amounts of telekinesis, just enough to keep balance and not anything like moving giant boulders or fighters.

Her remark about having the ingenuity to use the Force in unique situations really hit home for him. It supported a lesson he had learned long ago. Certainly, the Force was an incredible power and a tool, but placed in the hands of one unskilled in its use, and it was no more worth a bucket of lard. The mind was a force multiplier. Kidd figured himself fortunate to have such a knowledgeable mentor. She seemed... WHOA!! An errant speeder nearly clipped the Knight!! That was a close call.

Her compliment caught him off guard, and coming from her, caused him the slightest hint of a blush, his cheeks seeming a bit more pink, though hardly noticeable. He started to say Thank-you but just then, a shimmy came down the wire and Kidd found himself bending his knees rather quickly in an attempt to absorb the energy and lower his center of gravity, arms fully extending themselves out to either side. His gaze was fixed downwards at an angle below his Mentor's feet as he focused to keep himself upright atop the wire.

"So tell me, what is your greatest challenge as a Jedi, your greatest flaw." The words hung in the air for a few moments as Kidd took the time to process them, still steadying himself with small applications of the Force to keep him balanced. He wasn't as efficient with his usage as his Mentor, but still, he kept himself upright... for the most part. He was still trying to balance more with his natural abilities than with the Force.

"My greatest fault," he began slowly, gaze still fixed on nothing below his Mentor as he began to erect his posture more fully, "is that I don't meditate as much as I should. I prefer forthright action as opposed to the role of a supporter or enabler. Planning or logistics." He chewed a bit on his bottom lip as he thought it over a bit more. Yup, that was pretty much what he wanted to say... to admit. He didn't -think- he had a bigger weakness, but then again, he -was- still a Padawan and not a Knight due partially to his own somewhat lacking drive or motivation.

But was that a weakness? He wasn't too sure. To be content in all things wasn't a weakness was it? He'd been a Padawan longer than most... a LOT most, heh. Still, on a personal level, it didn't bother him so much. That was probably why he had been sent to the Temple on Coruscant. Force him out of his comfort zone and challenge him.

 

[Corvis]

Cnile resumed her slow walk backwards, slightly disappointed by the answer. Then again, she couldn't expect much more. Most Padawans didn't spend very much time musing on their faults until someone, usually their Master, came along and showed them to him. “Raynor spoiled me a bit, in that regard.” she mumbled, thinking of one of her other Padawan's briefly. As she glanced back at Kidd, surprised to see he was now using the Force the balance herself, a slight smile cracked her face.

“Not to most introspective, but you definitely have some skill with the Force.” She said, hopping briefly down to the balcony at the other end of the communications wire. “And there is nothing wrong with being a do-er rather than a thinker, so long as you realize that there are times when thought must precede action.” She cracked her neck slightly, trying to decide what to do next. She could continue leading him through the city just to test his Force abilities, but that seemed a waste of time. And without a spare lightsaber, taking him into the seedier portions of the city for some combat excerises was foolhardy at best.

Taking a deep breath she looked out across the city. The bright neon lights, and flurry of constant motion were always soothing to her. Glancing over at her Padawan, she thought back to one of the hardest questions her Master had asked her. “Why are you a Jedi, Kidd?”

 

[Saint]

Kidd was too focused on the wire and keeping his balance to note any hint of disappointment from his mentor while she mumbled, not catching the words either. He looked up briefly to catch her eye as she remarked about him not being the most introspective. Well, that made it easier to push aside any thoughts or hopes of anything more than a master-apprentice style relationship. She had been fairly blunt with that statement right off, cutting him to the quick as it were, though he took it fairly well.

Truth was, he hadn't really thought about his greatest fault before. Not really. He knew that he lacked some initiative in regards to his trials, but still... The Knight hopped off the other end, landing smoothly atop a balcony as she commented about being a do-er. He nodded his head lightly as he returned his focus to the wire, himself crossing closer to where she was as he replied with a "Yes ma'am." It took a few moments and a moment of shakiness, but Kidd did make it over to the other side, hopping down alongside Cnile who seemed to be making some sort of decision.

When she asked him why he was a Jedi, the question was lost on the Padawan. Why -was- he a Jedi? Well, he was a Jedi because the Order took him to be trained at a very young age. He was a Jedi because with his powers and abilities, it was his responsibility to be a good steward of those, and to serve and protect those that were less fortunate than he. He was a Jedi because for whatever reason, he believed in what the Order stood for, the Jedi Code, and all of that. He hadn't really known or seriously pondered or contemplated any other way. Weren't there punishments for such things if you left the Order and misused your powers?

He began to state his thoughts to his Knight, himself not really impressed at the depth of his thought on such a subject, but then again, perhaps he was just that simple. Was there anything wrong with that? At least he had been holding true and firm to the Code, the Order, and his beliefs. Certainly -that- had to matter... Didn't it?

 

[Corvis]

“Fear of reprisal is hardly a reason to take up the responsibilities of the Jedi,” she said, sighing slightly as she spoke. “Jedi break away from the Order frequently, and more than we'd like to admit go on to lead lives no different than any other sentient.” She let her shoulders sag, leaning against the railing. She couldn't be too disappointed, her own answer to this question hadn't come easily for her either. Still, it was obvious the true struggle for this Padawan was not that of skill, but of heart. Without a stake in becoming a Knight, he'd languish and eventually drop out of the Order entirely.

Like so many things, emotion was the key. She waved him over, gesturing down at the people walking up and down the garishly lit boulevard. “When you look out and watch the struggle of everyday sentient against a cruel and unforgiving galaxy, what do you feel?”

 

[Saint]

“When you look out and watch the struggle of everyday sentient against a cruel and unforgiving galaxy, what do you feel?” Already, judging by her body language, Kidd's response didn't excite her or anything. In fact, she seemed rather disappointed... perhaps a bit frustrated? He didn't know her well enough yet to read her just right. Either way, his answer had been a let down. Gaze turning elsewhere for no other reason than to -not- read her body language, Kidd glanced over random people as he stepped up alongside her with only a hint of reluctance.

After a few moments, he replied, "I feel a duty to train an' use what powers an' abilities I have for the greater good; mostly following the directives given me by my superiors who have more wisdom an' knowledge in how t'do so." Keeping his gaze on the passers-by, Kidd intended not to look or even glance at her, himself not wanting to see her reaction to his response. He wasn't much of one for meditating and had stated such. Why did she expect some deep, philosophical answer to her questions then? Got it. He knew this was a fault and had stated such. Was she just rubbing it in more or trying to make some kind of point here?

Either way, he tried to calm himself as he gripped the siderail, grip tightening a bit as he turned his hands over it. He was -completely- out of his element here on Coruscant; couple that with these soul-searching questions; and not forgetting his somewhat lack of performance (at least not anywhere close to being on par with the Knight's abilities)... He forced himself to draw in a deep breath and exhale slowly, eyes closing as he tried to bring himself back to center. It was a basic exercise in meditation, but one he had done often enough.