Ask Sernpidal Smokey and the Skipping Student

[Natalie Hope]

As if being forced to teach classes wasn't bad enough, now the powers that be had her looking for students that ditched class? Were they aware how many classes she ditched as a Padawan!? Oh no! Maybe that was why they were doing this to her now. Speaking of, bet Mr. Jawline is orchestrating this whole thing somewhere in super-important-ville or where ever the hell that man went. No, that's not right. As much as watching her squirm was a thing that made Ezra smirk, she wouldn't grace his mind for even a split second. Why is he so ho- NATALIE FOCUS PLEASE! Right, missing student, ditches class.

Under any other circumstance, Natalie would be helping the poor Padawan out. Classes were boring! This however had been her class. She was teaching lightsabers and shit, man! Who would wanna skip a class where they got to beat the pulp out of other Padawan? Also, Natalie was anything but boring. This was clearly a crime against Natalies everywhere- which meant it was a crime against humanity. Or so the Master in charge of educating the Master-less Padawan went.

Natalie started with the classroom, obviously. She slowly made her way out into the halls and then the cafeteria. There was a severe doubt anyone would skip class and go to the cafeteria though. Skipping classes for cardboard steak seemed like a missed opportunity. There was a city on Sernpidal though, and if Natalie was going to skip class, that's where she would be headed. Natalie started making her way toward the speeder garage, searching every face and hood for this little delinquint. Qui-gon-fucking-jinn... did she just say delinquint? Nope, she was taking a vacation after this. Twenty years old and she was already starting to be all... responsible and shit. Uhg.

@Tulos

 

[Koemi]

Lightsaber practice... with children? Koemi groaned as she drug herself down the halls of the Academy. Where the hell was the sense in that? It was already late in the afternoon and every other damn class she had to take had already taken it's toll on her. Beating on some poor kid with a wooden staff was hardly how she wanted to spend her evening.

Okay, maybe it did sound like it wouldn't be the worst time but as her Ezphone chimed in her pocket, Koemi hurriedly snatched it from her pocket and opened the message.

Terran: Bunch of us are getting together tonight! Grabbing a bite and heading to the Savage Red show at the new venue that opened up! You're in, yea?

Koemi: Uhhh... obviously! Omw!

”Fuck class,” Koemi beamed, stuffing her phone back into her pocket. Savage Red were only here for another rotation and there was no way in hell she was missing their last show of the tour. She had a lifetime to play with sticks and bloody faces. When would she get another chance to see Shlaashk play live?!

Faster than you could say encore, Koemi sped walk from her dorm after getting ready, meiloorun in hand. She bubbled with excitement, practically skipping to the garage to slip out and into the city with none the wiser. That was all shot to shit as she rounded the corner and saw the instructor she had just dipped out on scouring the corridor.

”Shit...” she muttered, taking cautious steps backward as she chewed on the bite of meiloorun she had taken before silently slipping back around the corner, only to bump into some young Rodian with a black eye.

“Hey! We missed you in class, Koemi! Where were you?!”

”Shut up! Move!” she hissed, shoving her way past before bolting down the hallway. She needed another way out of the Academy like five minutes ago!

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Where oh where could this Padawan have gone to? The halls began to fill with Jedi of all shapes, sizes, and ages. Most wore customary robes. Natalie stood out in her black tank top and jeans sans the usual leather jacket she wore over it all. She'd left that back in the classroom. Her lightsaber was of course on full display now at the small of her back, but that was okay. Having a lightsaber in a Jedi Temple was... well it was about as normal as one could get.

“Hey! We missed you in class, Koemi! Where were you?!”

Natalie turned her hazel gaze in the direction of the sound. It was just around the corner. Trust your Jedi peers to always ruin things when you're up to shenanigans. It was the golden rule of being a Jedi. At least this class ditcher had time to continue to get into trouble as they grew and learned. It was a like a punch in the gut every time Natalie was expected to act all responsible and proper. Just once she would like to aggressively recon some strange substances and pass out on a college quad in some other girl's clothes again. Alas, now she was old lady Nat, chasing down a Padawan. You really do either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain.

Breaking into a jog at first, Natalie attempted to turn the corner in time to at the very least see the class ditcher. Maybe she could assess where the Padawan was headed, since the garage was clearly the opposite direction.

Spoiler: OOC Roll

Attempt: To see Koemi and get an idea of where she's headed. Roll: 100/100

@Tulos

 

[Koemi]

As she bolted down the corridor, heart pounding in her ears, Koemi couldn't stifle a chuckle and beaming grin. She forgot how fun it was to jump head first into trouble without the ever present and inherent dangers that came with being a Jedi. For the first time in a long time, she felt like a kid again.

Her attention swivelled to a room at her right and she quickly ducked in, closing the door behind her and allowing herself the briefest moment to sigh in relief. Resting her forehead on the door and taking a moment to catch her breath, Koemi still couldn't keep herself from laughing but she knew she needed to get a move on.

Turning to face the room, her smile dropped as she saw a dozen pairs (well, mostly pairs. What the hell kind of species is that?!) of energetic and bubbly younglings getting ready to be escorted to their bedrooms for the evening. In the corner, an elder Jedi who had been charged with watching over them had fallen asleep in their chair.

“Hi!”

“You wanna see what I learned today?!”

“We all learned it today, dummy!”

“You're not taking us to our rooms already, are you?”

Their ecstatic and high pitched voices were almost indiscernible as they tried to shout over one another, thrilled at the sight of a new face. Koemi forced a smile as she tried to shush the group of children, eyes flicking over to the sleeping babysitter. No wonder they had passed out. These kids were a handful and she had only been here for ten seconds. Poor old bat.

Natalie was coming, she could feel the Knight's presence growing closer. She couldn't let these guys bog her down now. But she had an idea.

”No, no! I'm actually supposed to tell you guys a secret! Do you wanna hear a secret?”

Eagerly they all looked up at her, nodding in agreement.

”It's Knight Natalie's birthday today but... she doesn't want anyone to know. She's getting ooold. I think we should give her a surprise happy birthday, don't you?”

Laughter erupted as they vibrated in excitement. Anything that meant they could stay up longer was a good thing.

”Okay, everyone hide! When she comes in, get her!”

As the younglings all scurried about, hiding under desks and behind the door, Koemi moved from window to window, searching for one she could open.

Natalie would round the corner in time to see the door Koemi had walked through slide shut some ways down the hall. A classroom of all places. No doubt she was cornered now but as she prepared to give chase, she would feel a tap on her elbow.

It was the Rodian with the black eye who had unknowingly given Koemi away, an Ezphone suctioned to his finger.

“Master Hope,” he beamed, holding the phone up for her to take. “She dropped this,”

On the screen was vibrant ad Koemi had been gushing over while she got ready in her dorm. Savage Red's holonet poster for tonight's show. Date, time, location. It would be quite clear where she would be going, and now she possessed the crucial component Koemi needed to unite with her friends off campus.

Spoiler

Weaponize the children!!! 6/20

@TheDudeMike​

 

[Natalie Hope]

Got you know, you little runt! Natalie was about to storm in that room, raise some fake hell, and end the day with a nice warm bowl of soup. A tap on her elbow brought her face to face with a black eyed rodian Padawan, one that had been in her class, actually. Natalie had to stop herself from smiling at remembering how they'd gotten the black eye. She'd shown the class that lightsaber combat didn't always have to be with lightsabers, and this rodian took a mean left hook after forgetting that. The smile she had to suppress quickly turned to horror. Did he just call her Master Hope? Deep inside Natalie there was a tiny little witch screaming as she burned on the pyre of moving up in the world.

Natalie took the phone. So she was looking for a "she." That made things easier. She was also looking for a Padawan missing their phone. One look at the screen, and everything fell into place. Natalie would have skipped class too for this. Savage Red looked fucking awesome. Probably sounded awesome too. Nothing got the blood pumping like a solid, mean riff and a whole lot of crazy in the crowd. Well, if anything she knew where to go to, if not to catch the Padawan, to enjoy a night of not being a Jedi. She pocketed the phone.

Bursting into the room, Natalie saw Blondie of all people, going from window to window. Really? Of course, that was the end of that line of thought because suddenly every kid on Sernpidal jumped out of the damned wood works screaming "Happy Birthday." If ever Natalie thought of what it would be like to drown in a sea of toddlers and seven year olds, she was quickly finding out. The horde was never ending, their focus and precision uncanny. There was no way this could have been real, Natalie must have gone to hell.

"Woah! You have a lightsaber!" Okay, time to start swatting hands. Doing her best to keep the kids hands away from objects that would absolutely end their existences, Natalie began to wade through the toddlers, albeit at a slow pace toward Blondie.

"Hey! Wait!" Natalie called, attempting to reach the Padawan before she hopped out a window.

Spoiler: OOC Roll

Attempt to make it through the toddlers and reach Koemi before she escapes: 4/20 (Nice)

@Tulos

 

[Koemi]

And just like that, all hell broke loose as the door slid open. From every corner of the room Younglings began to bombard the Knight with shrill cries of joy. Were it not for the fact that Koemi was making an effort to get the fuck out of here, she'd have relished in the expression of shock that warped Natalie's face.

As it were, she had places to be. Running her hand along the side of the window, the Padawan found the clasp holding it shut and pulled it open. The cool fresh air hit her in the face, freedom mere seconds away.

“Hey! Wait!”

Koemi turned and sat on the window's edge, looking back at the Knight as she attempted to trudge through the horde of children, some now literally clinging to her arms and legs as they looked up at her with excitement. It was almost adorable, given that it wasn't her being pinned down by... what was it Natalie had called that kid before? Shin Kickers! That was it!

”Why would I do that?” Koemi laughed before leaning backward and falling through the window. Was she in trouble? Absolutely, but that was future Koemi's problem, not hers. Given that they were on the second floor, Koemi had time to reposition herself before landing on the ground safely in the courtyard.

Looking up at the window, the sounds of children's laughter still heard below, Koemi smiled and turned to make her way to the main gate. She reached her hand into her pocket for her phone, eager to text her friends that she was on her way, when her stomach sunk.

”Where did it go?!” she groaned, frantically tapping each pocket in search of her ezphone, searching the area she had landed, before realizing it must have fallen out of her pocket when she ran into her classmate. There was no going back for it, clearly. Fortunately, there was only one place the group liked to get a quick bite before expeditions like this and she could most definitely for a taco right about now.

Feet hammered concrete as she hustled through the courtyard, trying to get out and away from the Academy before Natalie or some other Knight caught up with her.

Spoiler

5/20

@TheDudeMike

 

[Natalie Hope]

Why would she wait? Uh, because a fellow Jedi was drowning in a sea of unending Younglings!? Uhg, why was it always Natalie that had to be the good battle nun? Wading through the shin kickers was slow, but Natalie got an idea. Oh yes, she knew how to handle little goblins like these. Words could not describe how thankful Natalie was that she grew up on Ord Mantell and didn't become a Jedi until after she was already insufferable in other ways. No happy, giddy, innocence here! Nope. No-siree.

"Hey guys, guess what they have in the cafeteria? Chocolate! Why don't you wake up sleepy head over there and go get some? I'll meet you all there," Natalie said, her voice raised above their screeches. The children seemed to amplify their rambunctiousness at the thought of delicious, sweet chocolate. The room cleared out as if someone had yelled bomb, and even the caretaker was gone. Natalie let out an exasperated sigh, checking everything to make sure the kids hadn't made off with anything, then hopped out the same window Koemi had.

Natalie was at a sprint the moment her leather boots hit the concrete toward the fleeing Padawan. Now it wasn't just doing what she had to do because she was told to- Koemi had unleashed the hell of toddlers. It was personal. Now now Natalie, Jedi fists into Jedi faces aren't good. Good little battle nun, remember? UHG! Fine, stern talking to. Like two words, all she'd need. Luckily for Natalie the main gate was under repairs and wouldn't open, stopping the Padawan just long enough for Natalie to catch up.

"Okay," Natalie huffed, grabbing her knees for a second to try to catch her breath before straightening out. "Fuck you." She even gave the girl a pointed finger. Man that felt good after the sea of toddlers. Natalie reached into her pocket and pulled out Koemi's EZPhone. "This is why you should have waited. Honestly, skipping class for a rockshow? What kind of Jedi does that?" A small pause in her rant, and Natalie tilted her head. "Wish I'd thought of that first instead of sleeping through all mine." She tossed the phone the girl, and folded her arms across her chest.

"Master Buzzkill is going to want to give you detention for this, you know?" Natalie had no idea what his actual name was. He was the one that made her teach the class in the first place. "You leave, and you're gonna pay for it later. Ooooooor, we go back in so I can grab my things and this turns into an educational one-on-one field trip." She paused for a moment, thinking. "He's still going to want to give you detentio though."

Spoiler: OOC Roll

9/20 on trying to convince Koemi... I think?

@Tulos