Path to Comradery

[Iridescence]

OOC Note: The Initiates are on Jedha and this will be mostly fluff until we decide to add an actual plot.


Calei Rein grinned as the ship landed on Jedha. This was her first time being on a new planet, ever. "Please be careful," someone said to her as she excitedly rushed to the exit ramp. "I will," Calei promised, not actually thinking she'll be careful. She'll be fine. The city was bustling with all kinds of diversities around. How do I even get to where I'm going? She was told to simply continue her studies on Jedha, to meditate in the holiness it is in. Follow your instincts, the other side of her brain said. Calei's steps lightened as she breathed the city in.

The overcrowding if the citizens was too much for the Initiate. She moved to the outside of all the people. Her thin brown robe stuck to her skin in some places. Her curly hair was stuffed underneath the hood. It was very hot, but Rein refused to remove her hood. The city offered plenty of paths that were less followed by. Calei saw one of pretty stone, and darted to it. The path sloped upwards, Calei loved higher places. The Initiate picked up her pace. She unveiled herself, her hair sticking out in every direction and her golden eyes peering out underneath. Hmm. She wondered if there were any other Jedi about. @Dawnrider

 

[Shax]

Initially Cyrus hadn't liked Jedha, it was hot, covered in desert and was in the middle of nowhere. Though it was the Temple of Whills that had changed his mind, it was a serene place, not like the other temples, not even Tython, there was true silence inside this temple that Cyrus found relaxing. Cyrus sat still in the Temple meditating, before a mental timer went off prompting him to take a deep breath and wake up from his meditative state. Quietly he changes out of his regular Jedi robes into something that still signified his as a Jedi, but also something that was more suited to the climate. Stepping out the main doors of the temple he broke into a brisk jog towards the main part of the city, counting his every step he took.

He made his way into the city, continuing his jogging until he reached the market. Stopping for a moment to catch his breath, he bought himself some off world fruit and slowly snacked on it as he continued to run. Moving now into the less crowded areas of the streets so as not to have as many obstacles, Cyrus picked up the pace, moving to higher elevated pathways. He had been jogging for around half an hour when his concentration must have slipped, he very narrowly avoided crashing into a young girl as he came running through, tripping over himself but managing to catch himself on a step before completely falling over. He looked back at where the young girl was, and called out to her politely "Sorry! I didn't see you there, are you alright?"

 

[Iridescence]

Calei, who saw Cyrus running towards her, slipped aside. She expertly kept her balance from skirting away so suddenly. It would be just her luck if she had stumbled back and landed on her rear, but thankfully she kept her cool. As she turned back towards the boy, the Initiate smiled and stifled a giggle as he almost fell. She heard him call back to her.

"I'm fine!" Rein called back in response. "Are you?" The girl asked, rushing to his side. Calei realized that he didn't seem too much like a young boy. He was older than she had registered at first. The apparel was that of a Jedi's, but he still seemed too young to be a Jedi Master. He had to be an initiate. The other initiate stood a head or more taller than Calei. He looked a little sweaty, as if he was jogging a while. The guy was lucky Calei had a calm temperament. Most civilians around here seemed grumpy.

"What's your name?" Calei asked again as she neared Cyrus as he regained himself. He looked almost familiar, Calei had probably seen him around in classes or around the temple. @Dawnrider

 

[Shax]

Cyrus got back up, calling out that he is alright to the girl. Looking down at his hand he could see that there was some blood, nothing major just slightly skinned. The girl moved over to him, giving Cyrus a clear few of what she looked like, the most apparent detail was that of her striking eyes, they watched him with a yellowy gold hue that was a little unsettling. She was certainly shorter than Cyrus, making him want to sit down so as not to loom, and she had frizzy hair that stuck out around her head that looked a little uncomfortable in the heat.

"My name is Cyrus, I'm a Jedi." He watched her expectantly, waiting for her to volunteer her own name. Cyrus sat down on a near by step and poured some water over his hand, trying to get some dirt out of the admittedly minor wound. Whatever water fell onto the ground was immediately sucked up by the desert, temporarily distracting Cyrus from the Girl. Now that he had a chance to think, he feels like he has seen her before, while it wasn't an impossibility it set off warning bells in his head prompting him to keep himself a little guarded when speaking to her.

 

[Iridescence]

"My name is Calei, Calei Rein. I'm a Jedi as well," the Initiate introduced herself to this Cyrus. Their eyes, a luminescent gold and a vivid green, met. Rein sensed a disturbance in his eyes as he quickly looked away and sat down. Calei winced when she saw the superficial wound on his hand. "Those are the worst," she commented towards the wound, trying to make both of them feel a little more comfortable. She decided to sit next to him, not too close however. Moving her robes forward so they wouldn't catch, she sat a good six inches away from Cyrus. She had definitely seen him before, but she obviously hasn't seen him in a long time.

Stars, is it hot. Her hair wasn't helping. To distract herself from the tensity, she decided to do something with her hair. Rein flung her hair forward, and then combed it back with her fingers into a high ponytail. Her bangs were still curled around her head in an annoyingly fluffy frame. The pores on her neck could actually breathe now. Cyrus's hair probably didn't feel the best with it's black color. Calei stared at him as he watched the water trickling into the ground. Do I ask him stuff? She wasn't the best at socializing, humans were a rarity in her nine years of Cathar, and then people often avoided her on Dantooine. "You're an Initiate as well, right?" Calei's memory was trying to serve her. "Who's your master?"
@Dawnrider

 

[Shax]

Nodding in greeting towards the girl as she offered her name, and nodded again in agreement when she commented on his hand. Cyrus forced himself to take slow breaths, sitting here like this wasn't exactly comfortable, it was a little awkward in all honesty. Despite this, the girl asked Cyrus more questions, to which he turned to face her, she asked him if he was an Initiate, and who his master was. He slightly narrowed his eyes at her, before recognising her from the temple on Dantooine.

With a much more friendly expression he replied "Yes I'm an Initiate, apprenticed to Al-Ric Fen, Jedi knight. What about you? I want to say I've seen you at Dantooine, though I'm a little unsure." He smiled slightly at her as he finished his own question, leaning forward in a conversational way, and so he wouldn't have to look down when trying to meet her eyes. They were equals after all, so Cyrus wouldn't put himself higher than her, figuratively or literally. "And if I my ask, what brings you to Jehda?"

 

[Iridescence]

As Calei watched him nod, she wondered if he was ever going to respond. The tensity melted away and Calei let out a subtle, or what she thought was subtle, sigh of relief. This happened so frequently, the awkwardness, Rein wondered how she wasn't used to the kindled tension. She cursed whatever gene gave her eyes in her head. If she had regular eyes, she'd probably worry more about her nose. However, it is what it is, she reasoned in her brain. Returning the smile towards Cyrus, she replied, "Uh...I'm apprenticed to Grand Master Pelora." She smiled shyly, and continued, "It's kinda stressful." Calei was pleased Cyrus remembered her, she actually beamed. I probably seem like an idiot.

She considered his question, and met his eyes again. Pretty eyes, she noted but quickly moved on. "I guess a change in scenery. Sometimes there's so much going on at the capital, it's hard to concentrate. I heard some others were coming to Jedha for a visit, so I thought 'why not?'. What about you? I haven't seen you on Dantooine in a while," Calei responded, reminding herself she probably shouldn't talk about a dream she had about this planet. So far, it hasn't really recurred to once. She had known of Initiates come her to train because of the strong feeling of the Force. "I also thought it'd be fun to experience the history of the Force firsthand, ya know?" Conversation had finally come easy to Calei Rein. @Dawnrider

 

[Shax]

Cyrus watched as a range of emotions played behind Calei's golden eyes, as she spoke of her master. Cyrus didn't know how to feel about her statement about who her master was, he went through a variety of emotions, ranging from jealousy to respect, but most dominantly he was feeling protective of her. Already he felt this way, though he tended to feel that way about most people who were smaller than him, but this time he had an actual reason, how would the Jedi react if she was hurt and he could have helped? Cyrus didn't intend to find out, not a little out of his own guilt about Tython.

Discreetly he glanced at people as they walked passed, Cyrus new he was being Paranoid, the Holy City was incredibly secure, but it never hurt to be safe. She continued to speak, and Cyrus kept himself in a relaxed posture as he listened to her, attempting to mask his admittedly irrational concerns. Cyrus quickly replies to her in a conversational tone of voice, letting his voice change in pitch depending on the words "Impressive, Grand Master Pelora is a good teacher, I'm sure you do him proud." Cyrus smiled again, before continuing " I came here to meet my Master, and before that I was at Lothal. I hadn't realised I haven't been to Dantooine recently until I look back on it now. I can also completely understand why you would want to try and learn the force's history, I probably couldn't figure it out but its still fascinating." Cyrus took a pause, almost as if he had decided to be finished speaking, before interrupting any reply with "Have you been to the Temple yet?" Cyrus would feel better if they were in the sight of other Jedi, though he didn't want to force her to go to the Temple.

 

[Iridescence]

"Thank you," Calei appreciated Cyrus's praise. "I'm sure you're very talented yourself." Calei zoned out and was lost in thought and only heard half of what Cyrus was saying. The word 'temple' woke her out of her daze. She continued, "No, I haven't visited the Temple just yet. We can start heading there if you'd like," Rein shook herself out of a spacey look in her eyes and then abruptly stood up. "It'd be nice to see more of the city on the way to the Temple. How do you like it?" Calei noticed the unease with the surroundings in Cyrus's face when she had looked at him. She didn't blame him, the way things were going in the galaxy, Jedi had to watch their backs. Hopefully, there shouldn't be any Sith in the Holy City.

Rein felt a wave of tension tighten her throat as she noticed many more citizens began to walk the path where the two were sitting. "How far away is the Temple from here?" She asked, hoping not to far away. She tried to listen to what the civilians were saying, why they were walking this way, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She turned her head to the direction where Cyrus had came from, then back to where he was sitting. She watched expectantly for him to stand up, figuring they'll talk as they walk.

 

[Shax]

Cyrus watched as Calei stood up, explaining how she wanted to see the rest of the city on the way to the temple, she watched him expectantly. Cyrus stood up, and proceeded to look down both ways of the path, not only watching for people but trying to gauge how far away they were. He determined that the Temple of Whills was almost half way across the city, it would be some time before they got there if they travelled on foot. Though Calei did say she wanted to see the rest of the city, so this is a good opportunity to show her.

Cyrus kept a relaxed expression on his face, though his brows were slightly knitted together as he looked around, he turned back to Calei and said "We are about an hours walk from temple, but there is plenty in between here and it that we can go see if you wanted." He gestured for her to follow him and then he proceeded to walk at a measured pace so as not to invite suspicion, keeping his steps equal in distance and speed. His hand hovered near his Lightsaber, not that he anticipated a fight, it was simply to remind himself that it was there, and to keep himself focused.

 

[Iridescence]

"An hour? Jeez, you went for a long run," Calei commented, she wouldn't want to do it in the heat. "But that sounds lovely, seeing the city inbetween. She fell in step with Cyrus. The girl didn't realize how freaking short she was until now as she paced her walking beside her friend. More civilians had come walking the path they were on, passing them in pace and some lingering either right beside them or right behind them. Their presence annoying Calei and she huffed through her nose. Out of all the paths this city must have, they choose this one. Calei thought, her fingers involuntarily tapped against her thigh in slight frustration. She didn't like crowds, and she certainly didn't like having her conversations possibly overheard.

Calei observed Cyrus's hand around his lightsaber. It made her think of a joke, but she kept it to herself and kept walking with a smirk on her face. She shook her head to get rid of it, but it kept coming back. With a slight cough, she addressed a question that's been plaguing her mind since she heard about this planet. "Are there any jungle-y ecosystems around here?" She asked, purely curious. Her toes were itching to climb. "And what's your favorite part of the city?" Calei tried to keep the conversation moving as fluidly as possible. Thankfully, they turned off that path and continued.

 

[Shax]

As the two Initiates walked along, Cyrus involuntarily let a small smirk of pride tug at the left side of his mouth, the opposite side to which Calei was walking, at her comment on how long he ran. He directed them into an adjacent path in order to get out of the sudden increase in pedestrian traffic, looking around trying to determine the closest interesting place in the City. He decided on the Market, and proceeded to direct them in that direction. He kept his pace leisurely, so as not to get ahead of Calei, "To the best of my knowledge no, there are no jungle-y ecosystems on this moon. Mostly just desert and mesa's." Cyrus looks down slightly at Calei while still keeping himself turned forward "The Market is this way." He said while gesturing in the direction they were already walking.

The path they took was narrow, light in terms of foot traffic, those they past were hurriedly headed where they needed to go giving Cyrus no time to get details on them. They were surrounded on both sides with buildings that felt a little oppressive as Cyrus slightly picked up his pace to get out of the path. "I would say that my favourite part of the city would be the Temple, but if you don't consider that part of the city then I would say the Starport. Its interesting to see the diversity of people as they come through, and their ships are constantly unique and changing." After about five minutes, the two Initiates were nearing the Market, already they could hear the din of voices and loud street vendors hawking their wares on whoever would listen. "And what about you, do you have a favourite part of the city yet?" Cyrus had to raise his voice to be heard over the din of people.

 

[Iridescence]

"Darn," Calei mumbled under her breath, at the fact there were no jungles. As they walked the narrow path, Calei stared upwards at the tops of buildings that bordered the alleyway. The rays of sunlight lit her eyes to a blazing forge and warmed her face. She mentally scaled them, wondering how much effort it would be to climb them. It'd be an interesting project. She tempted herself to ask Cyrus about maybe seeing how fast they could scale the buildings one day, but the still slightly nervous girl decided against it. Though, one walking stride of Cyrus's was almost twice as long as Calei's steps, she stepped up her pace so she wouldn't feel as if she was slowing them down. Calei was listening to Cyrus's every word as she took in the city.

"The Starport sounds fun!" She replied to Cyrus's response. As Calei observed the nearing bustling Market, it brought back some memories from Cathar. Rein smiled softly, seeing families moving along and the community feel. I'm such a sap. Although the noise pollution could usually be found as annoying to most people, Calei welcomed it for a change. She did have to raise her voice so she could answer his question. "No, not yet," Calei was smiling broadly at this point, "I'm sure I'll find one though. I am loving the Market," Calei scanned her surroundings. She was very excited to see the other parts of the city, especially the Temple itself.

 

[Shax]

The Market was setup inside a large clearing area that vaguely resembled a square, Cyrus made sure to keep sight of Calei as they moved through the crowd, he stayed close to her as they tried to push their way through the press of people. They ended up in a clearing at the middle of the crowd, being that the vendors and stores were all at the edges of the area, almost everyone was pressed into the sides of the square. "Stay here! I'll get us something to eat." Cyrus quickly moved through the crowd, edging around people to get to one of the food vendors and purchased himself and Calei some good smelling food which he took away in a large bag.

Cyrus once again tried to navigate through the press of people, though he began to notice more and more people filtering into the market square, he checked the closest thing he had on hand that could tell the time, a datapad, which told him it was almost noon. He returned to the centre of the square, hoping Calei had stayed where he had left her, if she hadn't he decided to wait for her at the place he left her.

 

[Iridescence]

"You really expect me to stay here with this crowd?" Calei called out to her comrade, her heart racing a little bit. She wasn't one for staying put, but she also had no idea where to go. She tried to keep an eye of Cyrus, but as she lost sight of him she sighed loudly. Rein saw a quick movement in the corner of her eye, something red. Maybe she was just being paranoid. She lifted herself up to her tiptoes to try and see Cyrus. She thought she saw him, she wasn't sure. The red flashed again, something was moving.

It was a deep red, almost a burgundy. Calei spun around to find it. She quickly scanned the crowd, it had disappeared. "Cyrus!" Calei called out, almost though gritted teeth. She didn't want to draw attention, but if there was trouble nearby, she shouldn't face it alone. She saw the direction he had gone, and inched (quite literally) in that direction. Why would he leave her, of all people, alone? Her fingers tapped her thigh impatiently, her anxiety getting the better of her. She saw him running back with a bag of food. "Let's get out of here, please," Calei had told him, her throat was a little dry and her eyes were wide.

 

[Shax]

Cyrus heard Calei call out to him from the crowd, he quickly moved towards her voice and saw as she moved towards him as well, the anxiety in her eyes and the stress in her voice. Cyrus mutely nodded and guided them away from the din of people, making sure to keep close the other Initiate to try and help her calm down. He couldn't help but wonder what had spooked her, maybe she just wasn't good in crowds, maybe she saw someone she didn't like, maybe the Sith are preparing an invasion, who knows.

As they got away from the noise of the market and back to the regular city noise, Cyrus spoke in a quiet concerned voice, "Are you alright? I'm sorry I left you in the crowd, I only intended to be a moment." He seemed to be making points more for his own benefit, he felt bad for leaving her in the crowd regardless of whether or not she was OK with large amounts of people.

 

[Iridescence]

"I'm sorry, I just got spooked," Calei's face began to redden. She felt ridiculously stupid and she felt guilty once she saw the genuine concern on his face. "I just thought I saw something, or someone. You're fine, thank you for the getting the food. It's fine now, thank you," Calei was talking very fast. "I'll just feel better when we're away from the crowd." The Initiate scanned the crowd one final time before she followed Cyrus. Calei felt almost ashamed for seeming so cowardly, she was a Jedi. It was the crowd, she decided.

As they furthered down the path, Calei felt her heartbeat slow down. "Again, I'm really sorry for acting like that. Where do you think we can go to eat that deliciously smelling food?" She hoped she hadn't ruined her rep with Cyrus, not so soon, he seemed like he could be a great friend. Her stomach growled lowly reminding her that she hadn't eaten since that morning.

 

[Shax]

Cyrus smiled softly, the kind of smile one would give to reassure a younger sibling, before absentmindedly scratching the side of his head and nodding slightly. "It's alright, don't worry about it." He once again started to scan the city, remembering landmarks and street signs, trying to gauge where the best place to visit next, or to find a place to eat. He walked a little forward down the path they were on and looked down an adjacent walkway, while he unconsciously tapped his index finger on his Lightsaber.

"Unfortunately, there aren't any parks that we could go too, but I think there is a Cantina near here that we could probably find a table at. Or we could go to the next place I had in mind which is conveniently the Starport." He looked down at Calei waiting for her response, wondering if she really did just get anxious in the crowd or if she actually saw something.

 

[Iridescence]

"We'll keep going to the Starport, I still want to see the rest of the city," Calei's eyes watched the path before her. "We could honestly eat on the way if it's more or less finger food," Calei's stomach rumbled as she spoke. She politely grabbed the bag from Cyrus and opened it. What was inside looked almost like strips of fowl. It smelled great, and with a shrug, she picked one up with a thumb and a forefinger and bit into it. "Mmm, it's really good, what do I owe you?" Calei spoke as she chewed, not really minding her manners. She reached for her backpack with her free hand.

"So do you remember any of your life before the Jedi?" Calei asked him, hoping there wasn't anything triggering. She didn't really know too much about him except the fact that he was an Initiate. They never really talked much except for passing by in the corridors. Most people knew about her, the youngling shipped in from Cathar. Rein didn't want to pry, so she awaited his answer while slowly chewing on the food.

 

[Shax]

Cyrus nodded, once again silent as Calei started eating her food. He politely waved off her offer of repayment, and ate his own food. He looked down the street, walking at leisurely pace, now that there was once again no urgency to get where they were going. After she asked what he remembered before the Jedi, Cyrus thought back for a few steps, trying to remember what it was like. "Unfortunately not much, Like a lot of the Initiates I was picked up when I was very small."

As he said the words he was struck with a little bit of resentment, he had no real choice what to do with himself, but he couldn't imagine another life or family without the Jedi. He fought to keep the slight bitterness out of his voice, though he wasn't entirely successful. He stretched his arms, being careful not to accidentally hit Calei, before continuing "I was born on Correlia, and I remember noise. That's about it." He looked down at Calei, he had never paid much attention to others after Tython, but he had heard some rumours about her, though he didn't want to assume anything so he just asked "What about you? Remember anything before the Jedi?"