Open Coruscant Midnight Stroll

[Kaala Vel]

Rough days led to rough nights. She'd never been very good at burying her emotions, and the day had really tested her. It'd been years, but she still felt pangs from her mom's death. The kids she went to school with were ruthless--aliens weren't always welcome alongside humans--and the kids she lived with were never not on her nerves. She needed to walk it out, so out the window she went.

They weren't supposed to leave at night, but Kaala swore she would explode if she had to spend one more second in that stuffy little room. It was easy enough to escape and get back in anyways; if she used the force, even easier. It was fine though, they wouldn't miss her. She'd walk down a couple blocks past the bar and to the convenience store, grab a snack or a fruit, and come back. She would be back before 3am, easy.

Kaala started down the dimly lit street and bounced a little ball as she absentmindedly went along. The ball never reached her palm though; it paused inches away as if something repelled it. This went on for a while--the togruta child took a step, the ball bounced, and so on. Kaala was lost in thought, going from angry to sad to just okay as she traveled through the day's events.

She took another step, eyes lazily gazing out in front of her, but her foot caught on the uneven ground and sent her falling to the ground. The togruta child let out a surprised squeal and a pained "oof." The ball, out of her control, bounced off and toward a storm drain. She scrambled to feet and chased after it, her arm outstretched toward the pink plastic sphere. The ball slipped through the iron grate, then moments later shot back out and landed itself in her waiting palm. Geez, how embarrassing.

Kaala dusted herself off and continued on her way to the store, but this time grasped the ball tightly. She didn't feel like tripping again, nor embarrassing herself to any potential onlooker. The street had been deserted before, but it was always crowded around the bar.

 

[Ember Blaze]

Ember just had one of the toughest days of her life. She came to Coruscant early this morning expecting to be in a cell by the end of the day and dead by the end of the week. She had murdered a security officer, or so she thought. Much to her surprise, things didn't work out that way, and she was a free woman, having been given the abstract goal of helping the galaxy.

The only question for her now is, how to do that? After spending some time meditating, Ember still had no clear goal. She had some thoughts on the subject, she could go and join a Jedi Recovery Team, or roam the galaxy helping those in need. While both objectives are vital goals, she knew she could do something bigger, with more impact. Unable to sleep after the events of the day and her mind still racing, Ember spoke into the silence around her "I am never going to find the answers I need in this room." Not waiting for an answer, Ember put on her cloak, hid her lightsaber as best she could, and left the room.

Ember had no clear path on where she was going, she just walked. Minutes or hours later, Ember lost track of the time, she found herself walking down an empty street. She could hear the sound of a small object being bounced off the ground. Curious and in need of a distraction from herself, Ember followed the noise as best she could. As she was about to leave the alley and emerge onto the street, she heard the pained squeal of a child. Instincts kicking in, Ember had her called her lightsaber to her hand, as she carefully looked around the edge of the alleyway.

Ember could see a togruta child picking herself off the ground. With no-one else around, Ember relaxed and stowed her saber once again. Watching the child, Ember saw her running after a little pink ball, which quickly disappeared from sight down a nearby grate. Slightly laughing to herself for being so on edge, Ember started out of the alley, planning to help the girl retrieve the ball. Ember didn't even make it a single step out of the alley when the little pink ball floated back up through the grate and into the girl's hand. Ember thought to herself "Interesting. It looks like this girl has some sort of force powers. I wonder if she knows about the Jedi Order, or if she even understands she is using the Force."

Finally leaving the shadows of the alley, Ember closed the distance between herself and the togruta girl, saying "Hey there, my name is Ember, what is yours?" Ember gave the child her best smile and did what she could to not appear threating.

 

[Kaala Vel]

Ember's words caught Kaala by surprise. She had been so lost in thought that she had tuned out everything around her once again; but the sound of the stranger's voice jolted her back to the present. Quietly, Kaala studied the stranger before deciding that the woman didn't seem like bad news. Not that she wasn't suspicious of her, but with some people she could just tell. Ember seemed alright, and she liked that name too.

"Kaala," she stated in reponse. The togruta didn't say anything else right away; she just kept walking. Then, after curiosity got the better of her, she looked back over at Ember and asked, "Do...do you need something?"

 

[Ember Blaze]

The girl in front of her looked like she wasn't expecting anyone to talk to her, which is to be expected. Not many people expect a complete stranger to approach them in dimly light alleys and say hello. Most would expect the kind of things Ember would have done before she joined the Jedi Order. The girl gave her name, Kaala. Ember had expected Kaala to stop and talk to her, but instead, Kaala walked on.

Worried about crossing the child's boundaries, Ember remained silent, waiting to see if the girl would walk away or turn to talk. To Ember's surprise, Kaala did turn around and asked what Ember needed.

Lightly chuckling, Ember smiled and said to the girl "I need a lot of things actually, but I don't need anything from you Kaala. I am here as a friend." Ember paused for a second, thinking of how to phrase what she needed to ask, without giving herself away as a Jedi or endangering the child. Deciding to err on the side of caution, Ember asked "I saw you drop you the pink ball back there, I was wondering if you had it on a string?"

Ember hoped that the child would understand her hidden meaning "I saw you use the force." Ember waited for Kaala to respond, all while keeping an eye on the surrounding areas.

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak had taken a fascination with Coruscant as soon as he had set foot on the planet. It was filled with such life, but it was so unlike being on other worlds. Devoid of any flora or fauna, every single piece of life here had goals. He walked up and down the platforms and streets that made this world, and just reached out with his senses, letting his own mind wander through the minds of others.

He had a voracious and uncanny appetite for knowledge, and after a bit of self-reflection, he decided that was what brought him back here again. He wanted to know the minds of the people who lived here. Not because he wanted to talk to them or spend time with them, but because in understanding them, he found his own place in the galaxy.

In his own way, he was a pawn of the Force, letting it guide him through the planet wherever it needed him to go, and that had led him here. Although he hardly knew where "here" was, it didn't matter. The Force was a balance of all things: Light and Dark, and it seemed he was to fulfill its purpose of balancing the Light.

Although he carried his lightsaber, it was nowhere to be seen, but his presence in the Force wasn't suppressed or pushed aside. While the young darksider wasn't powerful enough to exude anything overly terrifying, there was a slight chill to his presence. Appealing to some and horrifying to others, it was the call of the dark side: both seductive and dangerous.

To his own senses, Talak could sense the slightest ebb and flow of the Force as it responded to the hand of someone else nearby, and that brought him to this spot. Two women spoke quietly to one another, and although Talak didn't hide, he didn't outright approach the two yet either. He was curious. That insatiable curiosity that would almost certainly be his undoing someday. @lizziie @ActualRaptors

 

[Kaala Vel]

'I am here as a friend." She was here as a friend? What did that even mean? They weren't friends. Kaala didn't even have any friends, as sad as that was. What use were they anyways? Kaala didn't have to dwell on it too long though, as Ember's next question piped her interest. Did she not know what the force was?

"Um, no." Kaala opened her palm and twisted the ball around in her fingers. No strings, just smooth pink surface. "I just...called it back to me." She didn't have the words to describe how she did what she did. She knew it was the force, but all she knew was that she could sometimes will it to do as she wanted. Sometimes--that was the key word.

Then after a few more moments she tentatively asked, "did you see me trip?" Oh god, she hoped not. "

(edit:) Kaala didn't notice the new stranger.

 

[Ember Blaze]

That answered that question for her. Kaala could use the force. Ember thought back to her time training on Ajan Kloss, and how much those experiences shaped who she is today. Maybe Kaala would be heading to Ajan Kloss one day soon, to begin her training as a Jedi. Ember knew that she could not force or deceive Kaala into joining the order, all she could do was give Kaala the facts and let her decide on her own.

Before Ember even had time to respond, the young child asked if Ember had seen her fall. Ember burst out laughing, completely taken by surprise by the question. She had expected a lot, but she was not ready for this. "I didn't see you fall but I did hear you. By the time I looked around the corner, you were already getting up."

"Kaala, there are a few things I would like to talk with you about if that is ok? I know how you called the ball back to you." Ember reached out her hand in the direction of some small rocks. "I know because I al..."

Ember dropped her arm and grew stiff. Standing up fully, Ember looked at Kaala saying "Don't be scared, we have a visitor. Stay behind me, and I'll keep you safe." Ember felt the presence before she saw who it belonged to. She could feel the dark side, chills ran up her back. This was no place to come face-to-face with a dark side user. But Ember also knew she couldn't leave Kaala here by herself.

When she saw him, Ember knew the dark side was coming from him. Ember stayed on guard, watching his every move. She called out to him "Why are you here? Do you wish to talk, or are you here to hurt others?" Ember's day just kept getting weirder and weirder.

@lizziie @Phoenix

 

[Kaala Vel]

The way Ember was phrasing her sentences made it sound like she was hiding something, Kaala was in trouble, or she was about to propose something. Of course that made Kaala immediately suspicious. It was the same way the orphange heads would talk to them, although her voice lacked the pity. Perhaps she was just being genuine. Kaala supposed she didn't have too much exposure to genuine people.

The togruta had to consider though, why would Ember care whether the ball had a string? While Kaala was well aware that force users were rare, it just didn't seem like a huge deal to her. Her mom didn't care too much, even if she was the only one to ever really...know. Kaala avoided using it in front of others. She had no other explanation for what Ember saw, though. No reason to lie. Maybe...what if Ember knew other force users? What if she knew Jedi? What if she was--

Kaala's wild train of thought was cut short by firm words. Don't be scared? Stay behind her? The togruta teen looked around for a mugger, a scoundrel or a belligerent drunk and saw none. Kaala then followed Ember's glare to a man in the shadows.

Oh. That's who.

 

[Talak Rand]

By the time the two actually looked his way, Talak was leaning against the corner of the alley, surprisingly casually. He could almost suppress the faint smile on his face at the reaction from the older woman. She really didn't seem to like him, and yet, hadn't ever met him.

He frowned as he heard what Ember said to the young girl and pushed off from the wall. He walked slowly toward them both with a smoothness to each step. He didn't have his saber out, nor did he plan to reach for it, but he knew that if he needed it, it would be in his hand in the blink of an eye.

Why would she need protecting? he asked. He could only imagine the stories that had been told about "dark siders" especially after all that the Sith had done in their conquests, but that was the nature of the Force. A necessary evil.

Thus far, the only person taking a threatening stance is you, he said, motioning to the defensive posture she had taken in moving the young girl behind her, acting as if the young man was going to lash out at any moment. @lizziie @ActualRaptors

 

[Ember Blaze]

Ember watched as various emotions flew across Vara's face. Ember almost thought that Vara was suspicious of her, but Ember had to quickly put the thought away. While any suspicion would be understandable, Ember could not let it distract her. In front of her, the man approached, the barest hint of a smile on his face.

He seemed confused as to why Ember reacted so hostilely towards him. It's true that he hadn't made any threatening moves, she could still sense the dark side on him. Given what she knew of the dark side, she felt her caution was worthy. "I think you know why I'm doing this."

Ember was reluctant to overtly give away that she was a Jedi. But she feared she would have to soon, her instincts told her to be wary of this man, and watch his every move. Still, at the back of her mind, Ember knew that he was right. He had done nothing wrong, he was just peacefully passing by. What if what she knew of the dark side was wrong? Or at the very least, not the whole truth. Regardless, Kaala's safety comes first. She would have never been caught up in this if it wasn't for Ember. She decided it was time to go for honesty and hope for the best.

"I know who you are, at least what you are, and I'd imagine you know who I am. I would prefer that things don't get physical while Kaala is here." Ember gestured towards the young girl. Exaggerating her sigh, Ember turned back to Kaala and softly said "I am a Jedi Knight, I can use the force just like you. And if I am not mistaken, this man is sort of a Jedi like me, just one of a different faction." Turning back to the man "My name is Ember, what are you doing here watching us?"

 

[Kaala Vel]

There was tension in the air; Ember seemed on edge from the man's presence, and it confused her. He hadn't done anything to threaten them. Perhaps Ember was being overly cautious? Coruscant could be a dangerous place--Kaala knew that all too well--but he didn't look anything like trouble to her. Did Ember know more than she was letting on, or was she just an anxious person? Kaala decided, after a moment, that the latter idea couldn't be true. If she were anxious, Kaala bet she wouldn't have bothered to introduce herself. Then after the man spoke, she doubted herself again.

'I think you know why I'm doing this.' Oh, there was definitely something going on here that she wasn't picking up on. Did they know each other? Old enemies, old friends? Kaala continued to be the definition of bewilderment until Ember turned back to her and whispered. Kaala's eyes grew wide.

"You're a Jedi?" Her hushed voice was strained with excitment. It was hardly a whisper at all. "You can use the Force? I've never met anyone else who could! Why didn't you say so be--" Kaala cut herself off when Ember addressed the stranger. Oh she had so many questions!

 

[Talak Rand]

He knew why she was doing this, eh? He had a few insights of his own as to why someone would do it, but he also knew that there was a small nugget of truth in her assumptions.

If I were here to cause trouble, why would I have walked right up? You seem to jump to a lot of conclusions, he said. If that was the way of the Jedi in general then perhaps he was wrong to be so curious about them. They certainly seemed more closed minded than he was.

And then they got to the last question. His head tilted slightly to the side and his brow furrowed along with a slight smirk. Why am I watching you? Why are you watching her? he asked, but continued before she could answer.

Of course the answer is that you weren't watching her, you just stumbled across her as I stumbled across both of you. One might even say that the Force brought us all together, he said. And there was an interesting point. Would the Jedi deny that the Force had brought them all together? Three Force sensitives in the same place surely couldn't be a coincidence. And if it was the Force, then who was the Jedi to stand in the way?

So you know about the Force? he asked the girl. Who taught you about it? he asked, genuinely curious. Finding individuals who knew or used the Force in the galaxy today was rare and difficult. Perhaps that was why the Force had brought him here. @lizziie @ActualRaptors

 

[Ember Blaze]

"You might be right about that. It appears I may have misjudged you. I haven't had much experience with those like you before." Ember said back to the man. "I can't deny that it appears the force brought us together, though for what purpose I do not know."

Ember's face let slip her inner confusion. She had been told by the Jedi to watch out for the dark side, and be wary of its users. Even her master seemed almost fearful of it. But this man in front of her did not match the preconceived notions she had about the dark side. Looking at him did send chills down her back, but he wasn't hostile. He was preceptive and curious. Slowly, Ember began to relax and her demeanor changed from cautious to inquisitive.

Before she had time to say more, the man was talking to Kaala. He had asked a good question, one she was going to ask herself. "I am curious about that as well Kaala, you seem to have better control over the force than I did prior to being trained." Ember said, stepping to the side so that the small group could talk in a loose circle.

A small flicker of hope rose into Ember, and a slight smile reached her face. She had been searching for a true purpose, and perhaps she could find that here. The intersection of a light and dark side user and a force-sensitive child who knew nothing of either. Ember waited patiently for the young girl's answer, excited about where this night would take them. @lizziie @Phoenix

 

[Kaala Vel]

She was surprised that they both turned their attention to her, about her. She was so used to being ignored. No one cared for the opinions of children when adults were talking. No one here, at least.

"Um, no one's ever really taught me anything," Kaala began. She'd never even met another force-sensitive individual before now. "I've always been able to use it. My mom--" Kaala paused for a moment after mentioning her name. "--she said I started when I was five." She couldn't do much with lifting...but she could heal. A smile tinted her lips. Mom thought that was the coolest.

"I can't really do much. Just move little things, and--" Could she really trust them? She'd just met them. She was upset from today. Maybe it was why she was leaking so much about herself. "--that's it."

She felt uncomfortably at the center of attention.

 

[Talak Rand]

It seemed he was making some sort of progress now. They weren't in open combat, and the Jedi seemed she had relaxed if ever so slightly. He wondered how this would end, though. He had a difficult time seeing anything where they all came out getting what they wanted, but perhaps that was a problem for later.

Hmm, so her mother knew the Force as well, he thought to himself. And the Jedi... well they were likely enough to want to try to take both of them into the Order. That would be a mistake, of course.

There are others who can use the Force, too. We could train you how to do more, he said. The Force is an incredible thing, he said. It's depths were incredible and far more complex than anyone had ever fully understood. @lizziie @ActualRaptors

 

[Ember Blaze]

Ember listened to Kaala as she responded, while still keeping track of the man next to her. The young girl seemed to have the slightest smile at the mention of her mother. Her mother must have also had some force powers. I wonder what happened to her, surely if she was still around she would have tried to train Kaala, Ember thought, concern showing on her face.

Kaal looked uncomfortable now, likely because two strangers were focusing on her. It was Ember's turn to be uncomfortable, the strange man used 'we' as if she and him were offering to train Kaala. "The Force is also a very dangerous thing." Ember said, giving the man a pointed look. Giving her attention again to Kaala, saying "You can choose to be trained if you would like, the choice is yours."

"I am not sure what you're planning, but how could we even train her? You and I hardly know each other." Ember watched the man, watching for any hint of what he was truly after.

 

[Kaala Vel]

They were offering to train her.

They. Were offering. To train. Her.

Was this a dream? Kaala forced her face to remain in quiet consideration, but on the inside she was freaking out. All those books she'd read about the Jedi, all the stories of lightsabers and padawans and knights, everything--it could all come true for her. Her dream!

"You would train me?" He would take his own time to teach her? Ember too? Was this real? If only Mom were still here to see this. She'd be so happy for her!

"I would be h-honored to. To train." To become a Jedi. To show everyone in her shithole school that she was more than some alien. To make her mother proud.

((OOC: I keep posting with my main. Sorry about that...))

 

[Talak Rand]

Talak noted the look that the Jedi gave him, but he wasn't particularly amused. The Force hadn't given them this power so that they could live in fear of it. Certainly training was a necessity and discipline was helpful, but did Jedi live in fear of this power?

No, we don't, he said in response to her statement that they barely knew one another. Of course he would have liked to take her to the Sith Eternal, but he was certain the Jedi wouldn't allow that while she was still alive. But he also knew that he wasn't going to allow the Jedi to take her away and mislead her about the Force.

Would you prefer to not train her? he asked, pointing to the tone of the woman's comment. It was one that seemed as if she couldn't find an answer or didn't want to.

 

[Ember Blaze]

"That is wonderful to hear Kaala! It is a big step, but in the end, I think you'll find that it is worth it!" Ember smiled at the girl, genuinely excited for her.

Turning back to the man, Ember tried to calm her self, trying to call upon the diplomatic skills she learned as a child. "I would prefer to take her back to the Order, but I have a feeling you want to take her back to your people." Ember continued speaking, not waiting for his response. "This needs to be Kaala's choice, and she should be able to make it fully informed." Ember said, turning back to Kaala.

A smile again on her face, Ember spoke softly "I think you have a choice to make. You can choose to go with either of us, to our respective orders, or you can ask to be trained by the two of us. I don't know how that would work, but for you, I'm willing to make it work. But before you choose, would you like to know more about this man and I's sides of the force?"

Ember scratched her head, tired and anxious about how this night was going. "My name is Ember, by the way. I am a Jedi Knight." Ember spoke to the man, knowing that if Kaala wanted to be trained by both of them, she would need to get along with this man.

@Phoenix @lizziie

 

[Kaala Vel]

"I would like to know more; I thought there was only the Force, though? There are sides?" The togruta teenager had never read about anything regarding different sides of the Force. She'd only heard of the Jedi and their efforts to rebuild the galaxy. Perhaps she hadn't dug deep enough, or perhaps the books at the orphange were censored. She wouldn't doubt it.

Ember had also offered for them both to train her. She liked the idea of two mentors as opposed to one. Logically, she supposed that would mean twice the amount of information, especially if they knew different things. The ide of learning all they had to offer was exciting.

"And um, I think it'd be like, really cool if I could learn from both of you."