Ask Ajan Kloss Arrested Development

[Juniper]

There was nothing but the sound of the rain. It pattered down on Nara, soaking her through. The heavy, dark clouds hung overhead, making the grove feel glum. Oppressive. Gloomy.

Just how she wanted it.

She wasn't wearing her usual coat. Just a tank top and some leggings, with some more slender boots on her feet. She could feel the cold water splat against her skin. It was good. It kept her focused. It kept her focused on the now, rather than languishing on what was happening around her. Everything that was raging around the arrest, the arguments, the looks in those judging Jedi eyes...

Focus. Channel it. Nara felt that anger bubble again but she breathed in. Her fingers tightened around the training saber. She glared right at the tree in front of her and clenched her teeth.

She ran. Her feet splashed on the puddle-spattered grass as she dashed to the tree. She felt the tingle on her skin, in her nerves, in her stomach. She felt the force between the air and her, the tree and her, between everything. The second she reached the tree, her foot slipped up onto the trunk, as she focused and pushed right through that resistance or reluctance. I can do this.

Three steps. Four. Five. Quick pads up on the bark before she pushed back off it, turning in the air. The saber in her hand felt heavier all of a sudden and she guided that down. The saber smacked down against the tree trunk hard, wrenching her arm back in response. Nara yelled in pain, dropping the saber for a second.

"GAH!" she grunted, holding her elbow as she flexed her fingers. Then she felt even more pissed that she'd let a tree get the better of her. She snarled and urged the saber back into her palm with a soft smack. She held it in both hands as she started slicing towards the tree, practising some forms as best she could. Occasionally, the top of the saber would hit the bark and she'd grunt.

Come on, come on, come on... she thought, trying to avoid thinking about anything but this. About Oren. About the Jedi. About anything that'd make her so furious she'd do nothing but scream and rage incoherently and impotently.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Wandering aimlessly through the forest, Hannibal was going on one of his usual runs. Part of his daily routine when he wasn't aboard a ship, he'd kept it up ever since he was a Padawan. Exercise kept the body fit and the mind sharp, his mother used to say. He just took her at her word, considering the shape she was in. He had his usual blaster and lightsaber, never willingly leaving his ship without them, but he was quite casually dressed in cargo pants and a black t-shirt with a pair of his usual boots. It had started raining at some point, so he was soaked, but that didn't particularly bother him. He built his gear waterproof, and it was good practice. Nothing like running in the rain on Nar Shaddaa, what with all the smooth metal.

In the middle of this, though, he was getting a sort of uncomfortable feeling despite being surrounded by nature. He was near constantly half-sunk into the Living Force while training, another old training habit, and his senses were quite sharp. It felt annoyingly similar to a certain masked individual, if significantly less creepy. Casually changing direction toward the source, he was soon rewarded with a painful-sounding smack and yell combo. He found himself in a little grove, soaked like everything else, with a Padawan he vaguely recognized dueling what he was nearly certain was a tree. Based on the look on her face and the feel she was giving off, she was either losing the stubborn foliage, ticked off about something, or both.

It didn't take him long to remember who it was. Wasn't this Oren's Padawan? The one who started yet another Jedi debate in a hallway over his arrest? The stewing she was clearly stuck in the middle of seemed sub-optimal to Hannibal, and she seemed to be rather concentrated on. Luckily, Hannibal was well skilled at breaking the concentration of others. Drawing on the Force he stepped quietly into the small clearing, inhaled deeply, placed his hands up by his mouth, and shouted a greeting at well above acceptable or even necessary volume.

"YO! HOW'S IT GOIN'?" blasted out from his position, the grin on his face radiant despite the rain. That'll get her attention!

@Charndley

 

[Juniper]

She hit the tree harder. Her entire attention focused on it. Picturing everyone she was angry with, everyone she hated, everyone with their smug, condescending little comments and their haughty looks as she slashed towards the bark angrily, until...

Until someone shouted and she nearly jumped out of her skin.

She span around quickly, eyes flashing between anger and surprise. She'd come here so nobody would bother her or sneak up on her. So she could 'work out' her feelings in peace. Now, they wouldn't even let her have that. Obviously it was Jedi stood there. Only a Jedi could have that kind of grin on his face over all this.

"WHAT?" she snarled, brandishing the training saber like it was a lethal weapon, before she took a breath and let it drop. There was a gentle thump as it landed on the ground and Nara folded her arms around herself. Looking a little hunched, shivering slightly in the rain. Still sullen and grumpy, but not as upfront aggressive.

"Oh y'know. Peachy."

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

He couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the young Jedi, hunched over and shivering in the rain like an abandoned kitten. In a sense she sort of was, what with her master being in prison and all. Hannibal stepped further into the clearing, slipping on a pair of leather gloves he'd retrieved from a belt pouch, and pulled the training saber up and into his left hand with a brief usage of the Force. He wiped some of the mud off on his pants, looking over at the padawan.

"You don't look peachy." he observed astutely, stating the obvious, tone light and conversational. "In fact, you look like you might be causing this rain." He was kidding, of course. Rain was common on this planet, but Nara's expression could certainly be described as stormy. "You were the one yelling in the hallway about Oren, I hear. The Jedi could use a bit of yelling I think, but stewing in the rain isn't gonna do much good, y'know." He paused for a moment, looking contemplative. "Unless running up wet trees is some obscure training regimen Oren's got you doing, I s'pose."

He looked down at the soaked young woman, tilting his head slightly. "If it is, your focus is terrible. What's on your mind, kiddo?" He was at least a little bit trying to be annoying to goad a response out of her, even if it might seem he was just being his normally irreverent self. Stewing in bad stuff wasn't the best for one's mental state, and from what he'd gathered the impromptu hallway meeting hadn't gone anywhere helpful. Nara was probably sitting on a big ol' pile of mixed emotions regarding Oren's arrest, and if there was one thing Hannibal was practiced at, it was poking people until emotions can spilling out. In this case, to be properly dealt with.

@Charndley

 

[Juniper]

"Your grasp of the obvious is really inspiring me right now," she told him, still pouting a little, but there was some jest in it. The Knight in front of her seemed to have stopped yelling at her though, which instantly put him above most of the other Knights in her estimation. "Y'know, I would've said the same, but some of the other Jedi disagreed. They used harsher words than that though," she said to him, huffing slightly as she looked at the ground.

"Master Oren liked running up trees. The wet kind weren't necessarily part of that, but they say beggars can't be choosers," she said, waving to the rain as it fell around them. "What's on my mind is that my Master's been arrested, he's rotting hundreds, thousands of light-years away where I can't get him out, I'm supposed to be there or he's supposed to be here and nobody will tell me anything." Her voice started to crack towards the end of her tumble of thoughts, nose sniffling. Which wasn't easy when you had a storm's worth of rain running down your face. Her nails dug into her palms again as she tried to control herself, slipping into already-well-worn grooves.

"So I thought I'd come and hit something. And it was either going to be another Jedi or a tree. I thought the tree was less likely to hit me back." She was trying to joke, but her voice rang hollow of any mirth. She bit her lip, looking back at the gleaming tree, before looking at him again.

"I'm Nara. If you didn't know that already." She paused for a second, trying to think her question through. "What happens when a padawan loses their master?"

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal listened patiently to each of Nara's answers, nodding as appropriate and raising an eyebrow at learning that Oren apparently enjoyed running up trees. What an odd man, that one. Then there was the outburst of emotion, which was essentially Hannibal's intended outcome here. For half a moment his smirk curled into an irritated expression in response to no one telling her anything. What kind of show were the Jedi running if they couldn't even send a courtesy message or something? The Council must be too busy meditating or something to bother.

His expression softened a little when she asked about masterless padawans. He blinked a little, tilting his head and putting on a bemused expression. "I'm Hannibal. Hans if that's too long for you." He leaned in a little, smiling in a kind sort of way that was rarely seen on his face. He wouldn't admit it to anyone under duress, but he was generally nicer to kids. "And you haven't lost your master, Nara. Oren's in prison for a crime he confessed to. He'll get out and back to lecturing you and everyone else in no time." He waved his hand in a vaguely dismissive fashion. "Besides, everything he's taught is still with you, isn't it? Oren's won't stop being your master unless you decide to stop keeping in mind what he taught you, even if he's not here right now."

He offered Nara the training lightsaber in his gloved left hand, mostly free of mud. "The best thing you can do for Oren while he's away is follow his example in doing good, but also learn from his mistakes. That's what teachers are for, yes?" He flashed his usual grin. Oren had indeed made a mistake or two, but he had immediately learned from them and admitted to them freely. He was humble and hard working, that one. Hannibal couldn't see Nara being humble, necessarily, but definitely hard working.

"If you need training until he gets back, you can join me for mine, maybe some do-gooding out in the greater galaxy." A genuine offer. Hannibal trained hard and the kind of work he tended to get into wasn't easy, but it didn't feel like people were lining up to deal with the loud-mouthed Nara. Luckily, Hannibal enjoyed Jedi with more spirit in them. It got boring, otherwise.

@Charndley

 

[Juniper]

Nara took the training saber back from him, holding it loosely in her right hand. "I'll learn from his mistakes. I won't get arrested," she replied, retreating into anger-laced snarkiness when provoked. Though there was an element of truth in there. "I hope when he gets out, he's ready for some talking to. I can't believe he'd get caught and just admit to it, it's like he learned nothing from me," she joked, rolling her eyes.

She listened to Hannibal's proposition and smiled up at him. "If you're offering..." she started saying, with a small smile forming on her lips, "that sounds like it'd be nice. Thank you." Anything that'd keep her mind off things. Anything that'd let her get somewhere and help people.

"Please tell me you're not going to have me lifting ships and floating rocks like Oren did. I was hoping for a little bit of a break with that one," she suggested, frowning a little more. "You don't look like the type that's obsessed with rocks and plant life."

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal simply nodded in response to the young woman's assertion she wouldn't get arrested, though he privately noted that sounds like something he would say that more accurately meant he wouldn't get caught. Nara sort of reminded Hannibal of himself when he was a Padawan, though maybe a bit less argumentative. So far, anyway. More importantly she'd accepted his offer, resulting in his grin widening once more, straightening up with his hands on his hips. He'd perhaps cut a dashing figure if he wasn't soaked through from the rain.

"Trees and rocks are nice, but my training focuses on more than using the Force that way. Lots of practical stuff. It's tough, though, and will include a lot of physical stuff and getting frustrated." His grin widened, turning impish as he looked at the rain-soaked Padawan. "Think you can handle it?" he asked, clearly challenging her. The stuff he'd done since he was a Padawan was challenging, and sometimes odd, but he was fairly versatile and rather fit as a result of it. He wouldn't have pushed himself so hard if it wasn't as difficult as it was, seeing as he was inherently a somewhat competitive person at heart.

He also was taken out with different masters on missions around the galaxy, the experience forging and maturing him into someone who now served as a Jedi Knight. Hannibal was very much a fan of the practical approach and, while patience was a valuable lesson, so too was taking action.

@Charndley

 

[Juniper]

"Practical sounds pretty good to me right now." Anything to get away from endless arguments and discussions about what they should be doing. Nara had never really been any good at theory, or talking through things. She liked to get stuff done. Maybe that was her major failing. She blushed a little more, those unpleasant thoughts surfacing again. The idea that she might just be wrong about most things wasn't a pleasant one.

"Oh yeah, I think I can handle it," she fired back, smirking a little more at Hannibal. "I've been training for months now on this wet-ass planet, I think I'm familiar with frustration." She slipped the training saber to her hip, clipping it to the belt on her waist as she smiled, looking up at him with her hands on her hips. Training with someone else would be good for her. It'd broaden her experience. Who knows, she might even be able to salvage something out of the total mess that'd been the last few weeks.

"I might need to dry off first.. y'know," she said to him, looking down at her soaked training clothes, shivering slightly with the moisture and cool. "But I'm with ya when you're ready."

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal nodded sharply at the Padawan's assertion she'd be up for it. No backing out now, at least not unless she wanted to get made fun of by Hannibal at every opportunity. He hadn't actually trained a proper Padawan before, but if Nara was at stubborn as she seemed Hannibal felt she'd benefit from the same sort of training he'd gone through, one way or another.

He waved in the general direction of the temple and turned away. "Agreed. We should head back. There's hot food in it for you if ya run back with me." With a wink he was off, jogging back to the temple through mud and rain. Poor visibility, water-weighted clothes and uneven footing. A good challenge, if a reasonable one, and one of his things he preferred to do without the Force. While their Jedi powers were important and useful, Hannibal personally felt overuse resulted in complacency and inflexibility. He didn't know how much physical conditioning Oren had set up for Nara, but Hannibal intended to get her into good shape by the time Oren got back if nothing else.

@Charndley

 

[Juniper]

"Yeah we should head back right.... race?" she asked as she watched him just set off into a well-paced jog, right through the pouring rain and the muddy tracks, back towards the temple. Did he just challenge me to a race? she wondered, open-mouthed as she watched him head off. Yeah you idiot, and you're stood here with your mouth hanging open. MOVE!

Nara sprang into a desperate dash, trying to catch back up to him. Her own stupid fault for just not paying attention. Her leg started to hurt where the hilt of the training saber was whacking into the side of her thigh. Perfect, just perfect. She huffed as she tried to catch up, overdoing her sprint in a doomed attempt to keep up.

There should be a better way... to use the Force... to do this, she thought to herself as she started gasping through the damn, jungle air for more breath, feeling the muscles in her lower legs start to burn a little bit as the temple came a little more into view.

All I wanted to do was hit something! she screamed inside her head as she watched Hannibal easily just jog ahead of her, straight towards the temple.

@Mr. Teatime

 

[Hannibal Grayza]

Hannibal laughed as he jogged away, making sure not to increase his speed while Nara caught up to him. He felt she would learn quickly enough, especially considering how stubborn and determined she seemed to be. Besides, what young woman doesn't want the physical conditioning to drop a man on his butt? None in their right mind, obviously.

She wasn't there yet, but she would be. For now though he kept his pace fairly light, really just working the restless energy out. At least Nara would get some home-cooked food and a bit of cake at the end of her arduous impromptu journey back to the temple.

\\END