[ASK] Reunion of Teacher and Student

[Lycanthorph]

Orbiting above the broken world of Anoth lies the Light of the Force, a great Star Destroyer now serving as the Jedi Flagship and a mobile temple for various purposes, including training of lightsaber and non-lightsaber combat. Hit hard during the Sith attack, it was able to re-locate here and prevail unlike the rest of the temples. Some would call it luck, but someone once said that there is no such thing as luck, only the Force.

Soon, a vessel drops out of hyperspace, heading towards the Light of the Force. As it comes closer, it is revealed to be a small transport ship. The pilot begins broadcasting the ship`s transponder codes, along with the passenger list as a convoy approaches the ship and begins escorting it towards the Jedi Flagship. Among the passengers is a Jedi Knight known as Xan-Dar Sulati. He sits alone in the back of the passenger area with the hood above his head and a scarf around his face, but pulled down to his chin. His long hair conceals most of his face, but upon close inspection one would see that he wears a bandanna over the left side of his face, just barely hiding a scar which seemed to have come from a very painful wound.

As the transport ship arrives at the Light of the Force, it is thoroughly scanned before allowed entrance to the hangar. Afterwards, the transport ship is searched for bugs and trackers while the passengers are undergoing mandatory searches. After what seemed like hours of mandatory search and questioning, Xan-Dar is finally allowed to set foot into the Light of the Force. He pulls down his hood, brushing his hair back with his left hand as he walks towards the main halls. There, he finds an abundance of people socialising, relaxing. As he walks onward, he notices two younglings running through the hall, laughing but they grow silent as he passes by, staring at him. He looks at them and smiles faintly at them, thinking : " Am I that intimidating ? Stupid question. I wouldn`t be too happy around some tall, scarred fellow who looks like he might kill someone either . "

He walks to a more quiet part of the hall and takes a seat, thinking to himself : " I wonder how many of us have survived . "

 

[Vulpes]

The Light of the Force was practically ground-zero for Arikka's reintegration into the Jedi. Although she'd been back for roughly a month, many still were hardly aware of her return. That was likely in part of her new appearance. Her hair was just above her shoulders and had a partially faded burgundy highlight across the bangs. It was part of her disguise that she had developed during her time away from the Jedi. In truthfulness, Arikka would miss the focus she put onto her appearance during her time away, something she once saw a useless activity. Beyond personal hygiene and basic fashion, she had rarely done anything like this years ago.

She was in a standard outfit, not quite Jedi-like, nor civilian. She wore, for the most part, all black. Besides her socks and outer robe, that is. She wore a pair of bantha hide pants, with the leather dyed black. Her utility belt which contained her lightsaber and numerous other items she found useful was around her waist. A black tanktop was mostly concealed by her standard brown Jedi cloak. She used this to easily identify herself as a Jedi, since it had almost become a symbolic outfit of them.

Arikka-Mar, the recently voted-in Watch Master, had taken it upon herself to pay the Light of the Force another visit. She had hardly spent time on it prior to the Fall of Coruscant, but from what she remembered, it was fairly identical to how it was, except for the crew and residents were less panicked, and there were certainly more of them. She liked to oversee the new arrivals to the Order, and had caught a barely audible intercom announcement declaring the arrival of a ship. It was not too far from the hanger she was by, so she departed for it, looking to great any new members to the Order.

She glanced at those who exited that hanger, not seeing anyone who appeared to be confused, lost, or improperly dressed, typically the dead give-away of a new arrival, but one did catch her eyes. Arikka swept her bangs away from her eyes to get a complete view, pondering if it was whom she thought it was. The 'stranger' sat themselves on a bench and appeared to be who she thought: Xan-Dar Sulati.

The Codru-Ji approached her former Padawan as she pondered what to say. Before she had time to fully orchestrate in her mind what she was going to say, she was already within range of speaking to him, so she just free-spoke. "I suppose it's been a long time, hm? She spoke, "I'm still upset that I was unable to see your Knighting ceremony."

 

[Lycanthorph]

As Xan relaxes a bit in his seat, he closes his eye as he attempts to silence the ambient sound around him and instead lets his mind be filled with the Force, sensing the Force signatures of others nearby. To a casual observer, it looks like he is napping. The sensation reminds him of his time in the Jedi temples, it makes him feel happy. Safe. At home. But then he remembers his home on Coruscant and what happened to it ten years ago.

Feeling uneasy, he snaps back to reality as he brushes the hair off the right side of his face, but for some reason keeps the flowing locks of hair over the left side of his face undisturbed. Then, it dawns upon him that he felt an oddly familiar Force signature nearby before he ceased meditating. Before he can think of who it might be, he hears a familiar voice : " I suppose it's been a long time, hm ? I'm still upset that I was unable to see your Knighting ceremony. "

" No way. ", he thinks to himself as he turns in the direction of the voice. There, he sees none other than Arikka-Mar, his old Master. He stands up with a faint smile on his face and faces Arikka. He pauses, unsure what to do, before he does the first thing that pops into his mind : he bows down before her, a display of formality he has not demonstrated in quite a while. As he gets back into his regular stance, he then notices that he seems to be towering over her.

" It`s great to see you, Mas-" ... he slipped. Again. After all this time. He coughs lightly, as if clearing his throat before he speaks again : " ... Arikka. " He then pauses again before he speaks : " It`s been ten years. Ten long years. ... How has life treated you in these past ten years ? Better than it did me, I hope. " He chuckles a bit as he starts scratching his right arm.

 

[Vulpes]

Arikka feigned a sigh as she rested her shoulder on the wall, "I was worried you weren't who I thought you were, then I'd of looked like quite a fool," she said getting a closer look at her former Padawan. "Time... has not done wonders, has it? You seem battle weary. Nevermind my last ten years, what in the galaxy happened to you?"

The Codru-Ji crossed her arms, with the intent to hear what had happened to him. Truthfully, she expected this from a lot of Jedi, many had faced hardships and conflict during the disappearance of the Jedi, and Arikka was one of the few fortunate ones to not have to deal with it. Her time was very stress inducing, being undercover and all, but she rarely had to actually fight.

 

[Lycanthorph]

Xan let out a soft chuckle as Arikka said that she wasn`t entirely sure that it was him, smiling as he spoke : " Hiding in plain sight is a useful feat ... although the bandanna ... ", he pauses as he lifts the hair off the left side of his face, revealing a dark blue bandanna covering the left eye and what seems to be quite a scar, " ... occasionally draws attention to myself . That and the faceplate I`ve finished a while ago. " His face keeps the smile as he lets go of the hair which falls back over the left side of his face, tilting his head to the side. " Time... has not done wonders, has it? You seem battle weary. Nevermind my last ten years, what in the galaxy happened to you ? " , says Arikka and at that moment, Xan`s smile visibly dies out.

Xan looks away, moving his gaze towards other Jedi nearby. " That obvious, huh ? ", he says as almost smirks. Almost. He lets out a heavy sigh as he looks down, saying : " Where should I start ? ... I guess the beginning would be a good start. When this whole ... situation escalated, when the Alliance fell and once again, we had become the hunted. No longer viewed as protectors of peace and order, but instead as vile criminals to be punished by death. "

He leans back into his seat and closes his eye, thinking back to that moment ... when Coruscant fell and the Alliance followed with it. " It was a few hours before Coruscant fell under the attack of the Sith. I was on my way to Coruscant before I`ve heard the news on the HoloNet of an impending Sith invasion. The transport I was on was en route to Coruscant to pick up civilians and transport them away from Coruscant. I knew I was taking a huge risk by going there, but ... my father was still there ... that is, unless he already somehow got off-world, something I wasn`t going to leave up to chance. " He pauses as he brushes his hair back, opening his eye as he looks forward, noticing a few Younglings playing together, laughing. He then says : " By the time I`ve arrived, the city was already in chaos. The Sith were already here, the planetary defense system already doing it`s work as the defense force tried to hold their ground, to buy more time for civilians to get out. I could feel the fear of every person I passed by as I moved through the crowd, making my way towards my father`s shop. But then ... I felt ... pain and sadness. I was so distracted by it that I stopped right there in the crowd. A part of me wished to ignore it and press on. But I couldn`t. It was my obligation as a Jedi to help. I looked around, trying to find the source of such intense pain and sadness. Then I saw it. " He glances towards one of the Younglings, a little girl, no more than six or seven years old. " I saw a young girl, crying, as she sat over the body of an older woman, shaking her. As I approached, the little girl raised her head towards me. It was then when I noticed that the girl was wearing a bandanna over her eyes, yet she could see me, I somehow knew that she could see me just fine. I`ll never forget the words she half-whispered : ' I can`t wake mommy up. She fell, she won`t wake up ! ' . I was having difficulties controlling my own emotions, let alone keep hers out of my head, barely being able to summon the willpower not to burst into tears and collapse on the ground. I kneeled down as I glanced towards the older woman, placing my hand over her neck, checking her vitals. It was as I`ve feared, she was dead, yet ... I couldn`t utter the words, simply shaking my head towards the little girl. I barely spoke the words ' I am sorry ' as I got up and was ready to leave. ' You have to leave her. ' , I said to her with unease, feeling powerless for not being able to help her. ' You have to run. You have to ... ' Before I could even finish the sentence, two speeders collided above, now were heading downwards, right into the crowd. One of them was heading towads her. She knew it before I could even see it, but luckily I reacted fast enough. I raised both of my hands towards the falling speeder and reached out with the Force, hoping it would assist me. I was able to stop it mere meters away from us, but the other ... the other collided with the crowd, killing several civilians. As I released the grip I held over the speeder, watching it fall down into the clearing as the crowd dispersed around it, I felt something hugging my leg. I looked down to see the girl looking back at me. She stopped crying. I don`t know why, but I picked her up into my hands and moved on. " He paused again, this time to scratch the stubble on his face.

He then clears his throat as he continues : " Well, long story short, I`ve found my father, alive and well. We barely escaped Coruscant, but we did. I wish others were more fortunate like we were. As for the girl, Aeylah is her name ... well, we have tried to locate a family member of hers, but all attempts bore no result. My father suggested that we leave her at an orphanage, but I did not agree. Life in an orphanage wasn`t good to begin with, now would be even worse with the fall of the Alliance. But what I was really afraid of ... was the Sith. Being in an orphanage would make her an easy target. She was Force-Sensitive, I could sense it. Plus ... she has kind-of grown attached to me, it was a bit surprising. And then we went home. Our true home. " He paused yet again, this time leaning closer to Arikka, whispering : " Oh, right, I forgot to mention. Turns out I`m Mandalorian by birth. Don`t tell anyone . " That playful half-smirk of his appeared briefly on his face as he drew back into his seat and continued in his usual tone of voice : " I discovered that I had kin I never knew about, most of which were warriors and/or mercenaries just like father. I resumed my training, got to know Aeylah better, got to know my family and herritage better. Father was happy, I was happy as much as I could be with the whole situation and eventually Aeylah was happy. Unfortunately ... ", his smirk fades, " ... nothing lasts. Especially good things like that. "

He lowered his head slightly, letting a few locks of hair fall over his eye as he spoke again : " Years passed by in a blink of an eye. After I`ve finished my training, I began working with my father, doing mercenary work. Not something I would do if the situation wasn`t so dire, but ... As Aeylah was considered a family member, father felt it was important to train her as well, at least for self-defense purposes. While he trained her in the ways of combat, I felt I was responsible to teach her the ways of the Force. Turned out be quite skilled with the Force, developing telekinetic abilities which were quite useful, but what she was really good in was telepathy. Sometimes, we`d have entire conversations without even saying a word, something that used to annoy my father. " He chuckles, for a second. " Then came year six ... sometimes, I wish I could forget the events that came to pass that day. But I can`t. Too many reminders. " He glances at his right arm for some reason, clenching his right hand into a fist. " It was a day like any other. My father, myself and a handful of family members were gearing up for a heavy security job. Heavy security obviously required heavy gear. Nothing really seemed to be out of the ordinary ... that is, until we`ve heard a noise near the camp, an animal screaming. Must have been a smaller animal falling prey to a larger one, I thought. But then I heard another sound ... a very distinctive sound a Jedi would recognize, the piercing sound of a lightsaber being ignited. Before we could even realize what was going on, one of us was cut down by a hooded figure that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. The figure lifted his lightsaber with one hand as it removed it`s cloak and hood with the other, revealing jet-black robes and a metal mask which design was undeniably Sith. I looked at my father and for the first time, I saw a hint of fear in him, but I saw something else. Determination. Before I could say anything, he put his helmet on and went up into the air using his jetpack to hover around in attempt to flank the Sith. Meanwhile, I ran towards my quarters and when I got there, I was digging through my trunk like a mad man, trying to find that long-forgotten weapon I haven`t used in six years. I could hear screams and gunfire slowly fading. When I finally ran outside, the only ones left alive were my father and the Sith. My father fired bursts of blaster fire from his rifle, trying to take down the Sith, but the Sith was too well trained, deflected or dodging every shot. Enraged, the Sith threw his lightsaber towards my father. My father quickly reacted, but not quickly enough. The edge of the lightsaber slashed his side and he went down. I was shocked, unable to move until I felt a cold gaze upon me. The Sith was now looking at me, laughing as he slowly walked towards me, taunting me with his lightsaber. For the first time in my life, I have felt an immense amount of anger boiling up inside of me. Without thinking, I ignited my lightsaber, raised it up and rushed towards the Sith. For a mere Padawan, I fought well, even managing to achieve a lucky strike at the Sith`s head. Unfortunately, I was only able to slightly burn his face and soon I would find out that I was outmatched. Furious, the Sith used the Force to push me away, using those few moments of breathing space to pry off the burnt mask, revealing a strangely familiar face. A Miralukan, grey-haired, scarred. As I got up, the Sith was already onto me. Swing after swing, swipe after swipe. He was tiring me out. Finally, he found an opening in my defense and used it. He slashed across my abdomen, my armor absorbing most of the attack. Most of it. Now not only tired, but hurt, I knew I was fighting a losing battle, yet I was not about to give up. If only willpower alone could win battles. We locked sabres, engaged in a short status quo, neither of us gaining an advantage. That is, until the Sith pushed his blade towards me and then ... upwards. I saw a bright flash of red light in my left eye before the light was gone ... replaced with intense pain that dulled all my senses. The pain was so intense that I almost did not feel such intense pain for the second time. For a moment I couldn`t see, but I could my knees touching ground. A grip tightened suddenly around my throat, forcing my head up. When vision came back to me, half of it, I was staring up at the Sith`s face, his viscerated eye sockets as he raised his lightsaber up, about to deliver the killing blow. But something distracted him. He released the Force grip he held on my throat as he turned around. I was catching my breath when I looked into the direction he was looking, a rocket heading towards him. I focused my sight forward and noticed that it was my father, still alive, who fired the rocket. Unfortunately, the Force was in the Sith`s favour that day. He sent a wave of telekinetic energy, pushing the rocket out of his way, now focused onto my father. With the last ounce of my strength, I reached out towards the rocket and guided it back towards the Sith, hoping that this time it will reach him before he can stop it. But ... as I was guiding the rocket back towards the Sith, I could see the Sith throwing his lightsaber towards my father, aimed at his head this time. Before the rocket reached it`s target, before I blacked out from the explosion ... I saw the lightsaber slicing into my father`s throat ... " , he stops.
A single tear runs over his cheek, which he quickly wipes off.

He breathes in and lets out a sigh as he speaks again : " I lost many things that day. My kin, my father, my left eye, my right arm ... ", he stops as he scratches his right arm, for some reason, " ... and ... a part of myself. I was never the same person afterwards. Aeylah found me an hour later, I was on the verge of death. We were picked up by a bunch of smugglers with quite an advanced ship, whose captain happened to be a good friend of my father. Was. They told me I spent hours in a bacta tank and two days in a coma. When I woke up, I had difficulty remembering recent events ... for a bit. I was stricken when I recalled everything, but Aeylah helped me go through it. One of the captain`s men built me an artificial arm and even managed to find my lightsaber. It was damaged beyond repair, but the crystal was intact. After my father`s funeral, I left. It was hard for me to leave Aeylah behind, but I felt that she was in danger if I stayed nearby. Still, she wouldn`t let me leave without something of hers to remind me of her, her dark blue bandanna. I haven`t heard from her since. "

His head sinks lower, like he`s about to say something he`s uncomfortable saying as he speaks : " In the next four years, I have ... done things ... things I am not proud of ... things a Jedi should not do. " He pauses for a moment before he speaks again with a half-whispering tone : " I am not the same boy you last saw ten years ago, Arikka. " He doesn`t look at her this time, as if ... ashamed.

 

[Vulpes]

"That Obvious, huh?" Arikka shrugged, not speaking to allow him to tell. Truthfully, it was not hard to read people, especially in the time she had spent away from the Jedi. Detecting things like this had become a second habit to her. With that knowledge, it was clear to her that whatever Xan-Dar was about to share with her, was something that would be difficult for him to tell, many Jedi had experienced horrific things in the time that the Alliance fell.

Arikka stood up straight, no longer using her shoulder to rest on the wall. She fixed her outer robe and then sat down beside her former apprentice. She was sure that she would not like whatever it was that he was about to say, so she used one of her hands to gently clasp onto one of his. It was a simple gesture, but in Codru-Ji culture, it was a strong sense of comfort, it meant that she was there for him. Truthfully, she was uncertain if this meant the same in Human culture, but it made no difference to her.

A somber emotion dwelt on Arikka as she listened to the story, not wishing to speak or to offend him after being through such tough times. A frown resided on her face as she listened, but truthfully she was angry. She did well to conceal this. The Master was angry that she was not able to be there for her student, that perhaps she might not of trained him well enough, or if she had not taken the mission, she could've protected him. It was all in the past, and this is possibly the first time she allowed these sorts of emotions get through to her. Still, she hid it behind a simple frown.

In an attempt to comfort ill-fortuned Jedi, she spoke once more, "We...we've all had issues after the fall of the Alliance.." she paused for a moment, contemplating how to disclose information without those around them knowing. She watched for a moment as people walked by, there was no way she was going to verbally explain it. She took one of her free hands and rubbed above her brow, and then rubbing her chin with it as she gently squeezed Xan's hand. "I'm going to try something, you must connect with me through the Force though.. I can not just speak of my past through verbal discussion." She looked to him for a moment and then looked down, closing her eyes to focus on a technique she recalled her Master using long ago.

It was a technique she did not know the name of, a combination of Force Vision and a sort of reverse-Empathy. It allowed her to show certain memories of her past, so that she could tell Xan-Dar what she had been doing during the same time. She spoke to him once more, through the Force though. "Do not speak of this, for it endangers myself and the Jedi," she said to him before attempting to connect an image through the Force to him.

For a moment, the vision was fuzzy and pale. Not much could be told, and it wasn't the correct memory anyways. It was a vague moment in the Codru-Ji's childhood, when she still resided on Tatooine. It was hard to make out much more of the memory as Arikka focused away from it. At this point, it felt that she had stablized the vision, it showed her time speaking to a Jedi Councillor, when she was first assigned the task of infiltrating the Ona'bak Retrade. "The Risks are a lot, and you will have to spend a long time away from the Order...

The memory trailed off as she focused on another, or rather a short series of memories. Ones of her training in stealth, her altering her appearance, and of her first arrival Nar Shaddaa. Other brief memories showed her giving food or credits to the homeless, when criminals were not watching her. Then a memory of her within a cantina, speaking with Yuri Sharp. The first time that she spoke with a reputable member of the criminal organization. It was when she was offered jobs to help the organization. And the eventual exposure of the Retrade being associated with the Hutts.

Arikka's mind was struggling to censor stuff she did not wish to share, or absolutely could not disclose. She repressed the crime she had to commit, things she could never forgive herself over. After the memory of meeting Yuri, the vision got fuzzier, until it was completely severed from Xan's viewing. Arikka opened her eyes now, tears forming on the inside as she sunk back into the seat. She spoke now quietly, "T-that's in short where I've been... I'm sorry I could not be there for you."

 

[Lycanthorph]

As Xan spoke his mind, he paused as he noticed Arikka place her hand onto his. Ironically, she placed her hand on his cybernetic one which for all it`s combat capabilities and durability has no sensors to detect heat or touch. An outdated design, some would argue. Still, he appreciated the gesture and made his mind at least slightly at ease.

As he was finished, Arikka spoke : " We...we've all had issues after the fall of the Alliance... ". He looked at her and could notice Arikka frowning. It took him another moment to sense that it was her attempt to hide her emotions, her anger. He felt a bit ashamed for sensing her emotions as if he was invading her privacy, but it is an ability he has difficulties controlling, even more so after the events he disclosed.

She then squeezed his hand and said : " I'm going to try something, you must connect with me through the Force though... I can not just speak of my past through verbal discussion. " . Xan looked at her and stared as she closed her eyes. Then he felt it. A connection, but stronger unlike anything he had felt.
" Do not speak of this, for it endangers myself and the Jedi. ", Arikka spoke in his mind. He began to see a vision ... of Tattooine. The scenery looked familiar even though it was unclear as he has spent some time there, but the vision was quickly replaced by a much clearer vision. This time, it was of Arikka speaking to what seemed a high-ranking Jedi. He says : " The Risks are a lot, and you will have to spend a long time away from the Order... "

The vision then faded away, replaced by flashes and short vision of what Arikka did and had to do on Nar Shadda. She was struggling to block whatever she did that was not of honorable nature and she did it successfully, Xan was not able to make out the short visions on time as they flashed on too quickly. Then the connection was broken. As Xan cleared his mind and snapped to reality, he looked at Arikka. Tears were forming on the inside of her eyes as she sunk back into her seat. Almost whispering, she spoke : " T-that's in short where I've been... I'm sorry I could not be there for you. "

This time, Xan felt a different emotion : sadness. This time he was the one struggling, both to not make his distress too visible to as passerby and to keep emotions of others from overwhelming him. He placed his other hand on hers, not wishing to make her uncomfortable with his cold, prosthetic one as he spoke : " We`ve both been through a lot, haven`t we ? " He then paused as he kept looking at Arikka, unsure of what to say to ease her mind.
He was silent for a few moments as he was unsure what to say ... or to say anything at all, but then he spoke : " I`m sorry for what you have had to go through, what you have had to do, how much you had to compromise for the greater good. "
He then lets out a sigh as he continues : " I`m sorry I could not help you ... I`m sorry you had to go through that alone. "

 

[Vulpes]

"I knew I would be alone when I agreed to it. We all will have to make some form of sacrifice for the Force and our Order. Luckily, it seems that the Galaxy has thrown it's worst at us, and.." she gripped his hand slightly tighter now, a glimmer of positive outlook in her eyes as she peered at the young Jedi who roamed the corridors of the Light of the Force, "..from here, it will be easier." Both the Master and the Knight experienced many hardships, Xan-Dar's being physical, while Arikka's was mental. The hardships they faced would only improve them.

"Anyways..." Arikka spoke, attempting to make a lighter subject, one that was simplistic and almost juvenile in it's goal. "If you are not busy, I was preparing to visit the Mess hall, if you wish to join... What were you doing waiting here anyways?" she questioned.

 

[Lycanthorph]

" I trully hope that our path will be easier from here on, Arikka. " He could feel Arikka`s hand gripping his more tightly now. While he never voiced it, Xan-Dar sometimes wished he didn`t become a Jedi. Perhaps certain situations would not be so dire now, perhaps certain people like his father would still be alive. But ... if he wasn`t a Jedi, he would not have aided the people he did, he would not have rescued that lost girl in Coruscant, he would not have met Arikka. Perhaps some things are worth sacrificing for the greater good.

" If you are not busy, I was preparing to visit the Mess hall, if you wish to join ... What were you doing waiting here anyways ? " , Arikka asked. His face taking on a more brighter expression, he said : " Well, it`s been a long time since I`ve set foot in a Jedi temple. I thought it might be a good time to meet new friends ... or old ones. ", he winked at Arikka. " And I`d love to join you in the Mess Hall. To be honest, I`m starving. " He chuckled softly.

 

[Vulpes]

Arikka nodded her head as she began to walk towards the mess hall, which thankfully was not very far from where they were already situated. Starting up some small talk, Arikka began to work on lightening the mood, "So, have you begun to teach classes or even a student yet?" She asked, using her lower set of arms to wrap her cloak over her civilian-like clothing. It had been some time since she had worn something so bulky, so it'd take a little getting used to once more.

While listening to Xan's response, she observed those who passed by, most didn't recognize her, and she didn't recognize them. However, some would look at, even if just momentarily, at her. Those were likely ones who remembered her from before the Battle of Coruscant. It would be a little difficult to recognize her after her change of appearance, as well as ten years passing by. Then she slowed down for a moment, as they were now in smelling range of the Mess hall, or at least she was. Arikka was still uncertain how far away Humans could smell, but she knew that she had greater distance than most.

"Here we are, the cafeteria.." she said to Xan, as she looked inside. It was as busy as the ones on Tython and Empress Teta were, that much had stayed the same. The meals seemed a little less plentiful, though. A lot of the variety had faded, likely the disappearance of funding from the Alliance had something to do with that. "It looks busy, I'll get us a seat, you get your food first and then I will." she said, moving over to an open table in the center of the cafeteria.

 

[Lycanthorph]

Xan-Dar adjusted his robes as he followed Arikka onward. Even though his clothes were a good blend of Jedi robes and civilian clothing, they stood out in a crowd at times. He wondered if the cafeteria served any Mandalorian meals, taste for which Xan acquired in the years he spent on Mandalore. It took him a moment before he realized the question his former Master asked him. He smiled faintly, brushing his hair back as he spoke : " No, I haven`t yet begun to teach classes. I think I need more time, experience and knowledge for that. A student, however ... I was thinking of taking a Padawan learner under my wing, so to speak. "

Soon after, Xan and Arikka enter the cafeteria with Arikka looking for seats while Xan gets his food first. Few minutes later, Xan arrives at his seat with a simple proteinloaf. He shrugs as he sits down, saying : " Sadly, they don`t have any Tiingilar, but this will do fine. " After Arikka returns with her meal, Xan asks : " What about you, Arikka? Have you begun teaching classes or another Padawan learner ? "

 

[Vulpes]

Arikka sat down a the table, contemplating while she waited for Xan to get his meal. She was certain that he would excel at training a Padawan, as he was still seeking knowledge. Truthfully, Arikka had learned just as much when she trained Xan as she did during her rise to Knighthood. Some of those experiences and efforts are what prepared her for her servitude to the Order as a Jedi Master.

After seeing her former Padawan return with his food, she nodded to him and stood up, approaching the area where food was being served. She picked out a dustcrepe and nausage, a tatooinian cuisine. She returned back to him with the tray and responded to him. "Teengilar? I have not heard of that.." she said, uncertain of the culture or if she even pronounced it proper. "I've begun one-on-one lessons with a few Jedi, but nothing as close as a Padawan-Master scenario. I am looking into taking one, though." she said, as she unraveled the silverware, preparing to eat.

 

[Hishamori]

Hishamori who been in the mess hall a while, studing and eating her meal, glanced over to the other two jedi now seated not very far away from her, she then glanced back at her studies and realized it probably was a good idea to take a break, and get to know her fellow jedi at the same time, with that in mind, Hish packed up her stuff, and decided to get more food, before joining the other two jedi, once she got her food, she came over to their table. "Um, excuse me? Do you mind if I join you two?" Hish asked in a polite tone.

 

[Lycanthorph]

Xan smiled Arikka as he took a bite out of his proteinloaf. Having a meal with an old friend, being surrounded by fellow Jedi, all of it ... seemed like a welcoming change to the usual days of his life. He chuckled, pausing to chew his food as he replied to Arikka`s statement : " Tiingilar is a well-known Mandalorian dish, somewhat infamous for being very, very spicy. The Mandalorians have a saying that any woman who can survive a plate of it is a keeper. But like I said, consider yourself lucky they don`t serve it here . " He winks at Arikka as he takes another bite of proteinloaf.

After chewing through his second bite, Xan says : " It`s good that you teach, Arikka. Padawans need all the skills and knowledge they can get, especially at times like these. " Xan then cracks his neck as he notices a young woman approach their table with food on her plate, saying : " Um, excuse me? Do you mind if I join you two ? " Xan glances at her, saying : " Uh, sure. " He then moves over to make space for her to sit down.

 

[Hishamori]

"Thanks" Hish smiles in apperication and sits down "I'm sorry, If I'm possibly intruding on your converstation" Hish says apologetic look. "The names, Hishamori, if your wondering." Hish pauses to take a drink before continuing "What's your names?" Hish asks while glancing at both of the other Jedi sitting at the table.

 

[Vulpes]

Arikka raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing the explanation of Tiingilar. Spicy food was something that Arikka had always been fond of, it was part of the cuisine of Tatooine. It actually surprised her a little that she had not heard of it, being somewhat of a chef herself, but then again it was from a culture she knew practically nothing about.. It would be something she'd have to ask Xan about later. "Ah," she responded, between consuming another piece of her meal.

The Jedi Master's eyes focused on the girl whom approached them, and continued to chew her food before swallowing. Xan-Dar had already answered the question, though. Which was not an issue, since she was abound to give the same response. Then she heard the girl whom she now knew was Hishamori ask a common question when meeting new people. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Hishamori. I am Jedi Master Arikka-Mar," she said giving a brief bow and picked another piece of her meal up, "Arikka for short, though."

 

[Hishamori]

Hishamori bowed her head in return greeting "It is nice to meet you, Jedi master, Arikka" Hish said and then brought her head back up, and had a smile she then glanced at the other Jedi "And you are?" Hish asked in a polite tone, as Hish waited for response, she decided to take a bite of her meal, while still being as polite as possible, in her waiting.

 

[Lycanthorph]

Xan-Dar glanced at the Padawan and replied : " I am Jedi Knight Xan-Dar Sulati. You may call me ' Xan ' if you wish . " He then smiled at the Padawan before taking a bite out of his proteinloaf. He then brushed the hair off the right side of his face while keeping a few locks of hair hanging over the bandanna that covers his left eye.

After chewing the piece of proteinloaf, he looked at the Padawan and said : " So, what brings you here, Hishamori ? "

 

[Vulpes]

The Jedi Master nodded her head as her former Padawan asked the question she was preparing to. She took another bite of her meal and then glanced over to Hishamori, curious of what her response would be. Then suddenly, she noticed something... Hishamori, like many others, was taller than her. It was something that she had gotten used to, being a shorter person and was also something she would often joke about.

"So what made you join the Jedi, Hishamori?" she said with a smile, as she was genuinely curious. She most Jedi this question at some point, and why not ask Hish sooner than later?

 

[Hishamori]

Hishamori only smiled in response to both Jedi's questions before thinking about how to answer both questions. "For the first one, My ships is actually getting some maintenance done, in the main hanger deck, and well I also wanted to meet some of my fellow Jedi on here" Hish paused as she took a drink and then continued "As for the second one, I come from a planet out in the very edges of the outer rim, just so happens. A Jedi knight at the time, found me there, found that I was very force senstive, and decided to ask my mom and myself if it would be okay to become a Jedi, or if I wanted to be one. After I was told what the Jedi were and what they represented, I almost instantly wanted to join because I liked the idea, I was ten years old as well, and I have gotta say, It was really amusing for a lot people I know, to see a Jedi knight getting dragged around by a 10 year old little girl, who look like she'd 'bounce off the walls any second', dragged him to meet my mom and they talked about it, she allowed it and, well been a full Jedi padawan since.. 16?" asked herself curiously trying to remember if she was right, once she believed she was she continued "I was there when the Jedi temple was blown apart on curoscant, quite a scary experience, fought with the a Rebel group for several years, killed and destroyed a lot of imperium soldiers, helped damage or sabotaged quite a decent amount of imperium outposts and some bases" Hish shrugged a bit.

She then took another bite of her meal, and swallowed the bite she had before continuing again "I then left and eventually got found by the Jedi, watched the chaos unfold and all that. I'm now 29, so I'm starting to get up there in age" Hish said in a nonchalant way and a smile, "I do apologise for my long explanation, and well if I possibly bored you, kinda hard to put all your experiences short and simple, when you want to still be detailed, and not too vague." Hish said with a shrug and took another bite of her meal before looking back at them "What about you two?" Hish asked curiously.