Ask Stones over Sand

[Milo Corr]

For a man both poor in credits and in sights one would imagine that upon arriving on G'wenee the beaches would have been his first destination, instead the moment he had landed he walked in the opposite direction. Oh no, this vagrant was too good for the sands and the water, he was here for one very important reason: History. A necessary and needed distraction lest foul thoughts or a craving overtake him.

Despite his years on the streets of Empress Teta, learning their ways and wisdom, he was still easy prey for the first merchant who could hock some dubiously old 'relic' for a few easy credits that the vagabond barely had, as well as vague directions as to where to find more. Not as if he had a place to store them or the ability to sell them, but he was a man obsessed with the past. What lessons could he dig up from ancient peoples, and what revelations might he reveal?

In truth, very little. Milo was less than even an amateur archeologist, but the thought of exploring ruins and retrieving relics had always been a dream of his ever since sneaking into the Tetan museums as a boy on the streets. His head was full of wonders concerning what he might find, not for once willing to entertain the thought that the answer could be nothing at all.

He had not lingered in the slum outskirts of the city, for they reminded him far too much of home, and avoided any attention due to his ability to slip into any crowd before eventually departing down one of the highways into the vast jungles beyond, following the instructions given. His pockets were filled with enough nutrition bars to last him a week, water would be the first real concern as he only brought a couple of bottles. Anything more and he would be weighed down, but water shouldn't be too hard to find in a jungle, right? Naïve were his thoughts and his ways, but then he had survived dehydration and starvation more than once.

It didn't take long for him to get lost after entering the jungle, having only the star as a reference to the direction of his coming and going, but he stuck true to the guide and before long found what he was looking for. A ruin, though it wasn't quite what he was expecting. Instead of a grand structure of Anandu design, where great ceremonies of importance were held. While the latter may have been true the former was not, instead of a hall or a temple Milo merely stumbled upon an open air circle of carven stone, surrounding a bowl like floor half filled with dirt. A circle smaller of stones sat at its center, far too recent to be attributed to the Anandu but also old enough that nothing remained within it but blackened dirt. If the area had any valuables it had been picked over long before the man even drew breath.

It was something at least.

Sitting down upon the dirt the vagrant drew out the item he had purchased, a simple coin-like disk, and traced its strange and nonsensical pattern with his thumb. "Well... Now what?" This wasn't quite what he imagined when it came to delving into ruins, but it should have been the expectation.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

This time his trips through the Outer Rim had brought Elidan to G’wenee. The planet was pretty famous as a touristic spot, being only behind Zeltros as the place with the best parties of the Galaxy. There was even some type of rivalry between them, with the locals saying that the Zeltrons only win because they had the pheromones. The half-Annfyn considered all that as a silly thing.

It wasn’t the parties that brought Elidan to the planet, it was the poor. The tourists and authorities could ignore it, but G’wenee was full of slums. There were people there living in worse conditions than a slave in Hutt Space. They didn’t have access to the health system and good schools. Beyond that, they were preyed upon by the gangs and cartels that controlled these areas. The poor were forced to work in their shady business.

Since he had arrived on the planet, Elidan had taken his residence in a small pension lodge in the outskirts of one of the largest slums. Recently, the local authorities had chased out the gangs that controlled it. They did it only after tourists were kidnapped by them, not caring that this same criminal group had exploited the inhabitants of the slum in their drug business. The half-Annfyn couldn’t avoid feeling disgusted with the fact that they only acted because it would damage the image of their tropical paradise.

Disgusting.

With the slum free, the half-Annfyn decided to help the poor here. It took some time for him to win them over, but Elidan was finally able to win them over. With their trust, he started to heal who needed and teach whoever wanted to have some basic knowledge. He was surprised that most of them didn’t know how to read or even to speak Galactic basics, using the local language. At least Tete helped with the translations.

He hoped that it would be enough to help, but it was very little to stop the problems that affected them. Reflecting about it, Elidan decided to reach some of the local authorities to bring jobs, hospitals and schools to that pacified slum.

Feeling exalted in the past days, Elidan was convinced by the very people that he was helping to take the day off. Since he learned early to not question them, the half-Annfyn went to visit one of the local ruins. It was located in the jungle, so he thought that a walk through it would be relaxing.

Unfortunately, Elidan got completely lost, regretting not having taken the ride that was offered by tourists. He indeed reached a ruin, but it didn’t look like the one that he had expected. This one didn’t look so ancient like the ones made by the fabled Arandu. However, a smile appeared on his lips when he saw that there was a person there.

He waved at the man, while he approached. “Hi! I got lost and ended coming to this place rather than the ancient temple. Do you know the direction?” he signed to the other, with the droid on his belt translating what he meant. “Oh, my name is Elidan, by the way. What is your name?”

@Cartoonkarl

 

[Milo Corr]

Milo had just begun to clean his teeth with a nail when Elidan appeared, so wrapped up in his thoughts that he hadn't even heard the scuffing of boots. Milo leaped up immediately and turned around, semi-crouched with a hand slipping into his jacket to pick draw something unseen, like a wolf with hackles yet with all the intimidation factor of a bunny about to run. He was, of course, experienced in the art of fleeing.

While Elidan appeared friendly the strange signs he made only increased the vagrants anxiety until the droid began to translate. While he may not have been overtly hostile, Milo was well aware that looks could be deceiving. Milo straightened his spine out slowly, puffing out his chest so as to appear more intimidating than the scrawny and malnourished man might purely as a defense mechanism. "No," he started, clearly thinking over his response. "I was... Looking for it myself. Didn't much find it."

Looking the robed half-Annfyn he decided that he wasn't immediately under threat and slowly began to ease his posture though would be just as quick to bolt should it appear necessary. "I'm Milo," he said awkwardly, having little else to add.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

The man’s change of posture and apparent uneasiness made Elidan slightly move his hand to his right side, hovering over the place where his lightsaber was connected to his belt. The human in front of him didn’t seem a treat, but the half-Annfyn knew that appearances could be deceiving.

Although, the man looked so scrawny that Elidan was pretty sure that a simple flick of the Force would be enough to make him faint.

Another factor that made the half-Annfyn forget about the possibility of an attack coming from him was the fear that he felt through the Force. Elidan wanted to laugh with the fact that someone could think that he was scary.

“I see.” Elidan signed, his eyes still studying the human. He noticed how the man had tried to look more intimidating by puffing his chest, but it had the opposite effect. Now the Knight was really concerned with him. When was the last time that he ate properly? If he had to bet, the half-Annfyn would say that it probably was several weeks ago.

“Nice meet you, Milo.” Elidan turned to look at ruins, then to the path that he took to arrive there. He felt tempted to walk back to the city and find a transport to the great temple. However, he didn’t want to leave the human here alone. “Are you still interested in going to the ruins? If we go back to the city, I can find a ride for us to get here.”

Before the other could answer, Elidan smiled at Millo. “I noticed that you are unnerved by my presence. You don’t need to be. I swear by the Force that I’ll not hurt you.”

@Cartoonkarl

 

[Milo Corr]

Despite the half-Annfyn's seemingly friendly appearance he remained wary though slowly dropped his hand from his jacket. Wasn't like he was all that great at fighting anyways, far better at running. He only continued to deflate as not only did Elidan try to reassure him but even swore on the Force. While that didn't quite mean much to the vagrant it at least showed that the half-Annfyn was making an attempt. Though one should always be wary of accepting rides from strangers.

Slouching his shoulders the man scratched the side of his head before shrugging. "Nice to meet you too, I suppose. A ride wouldn't be all too bad but you do anything funny and I'm gone." Carefully he approached, slipping his thumbs into the waist of his grubby pants. It was a defensive posture but a far more casual one at that. "They're why I'm here, after all. Read some articles about the ruins and thought they would be worth a look, see what might be out there to dig up. If you're willing to take me there I won't say no."

While Milo's food security was lacking that was not to say he was emaciated, just thin and sallow. With sunken cheeks and the constant fatigue which followed the malnourished. By the bulging of his jacket's pockets it was clear he had brought supplies with him and had the willpower not to just tear into them whenever he was hungry, which he likely was. Otherwise he seemed rather put together, clean despite the state of his clothes, and the bunching of his hair. What a man like this was out here searching for ruins rather than working a job was any sentient's guess.

Then he gave Elidan an odd look, looking him over for a few seconds as he took in his appearance. "You're a bit of a strange one, what are you, some sort of Jedi?" He leered at the lightsaber for a long moment, eyes narrowing. As a student of history Milo had a far more nuanced opinion of the organization than was the popular sentiment but that didn't mean a whole lot when out in the jungles confronted by a stranger. There was also the possibility that Elidan could be something far different than a jedi, but given his initial attitude he decided that was unlikely.

No Sith would have interest in a vagabond. "What are you doing looking for a temple, aren't there slaves to free and people to help?"

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan listened to what Milo was saying, but his eyes remained at the man’s posture. He was nearly sure that the human wasn’t going to attack him, and even if it happened, the half-Annfyn would be able to defend himself. The Knight was more concerned with the fact that the other man would get scared and do something stupid, like running deep in the jungle. There were dangerous animals out here.

He decided to be extra-careful to not scare Milo away.

With Milo’s agreement, Elidan guided him through the path that he walked through early. It wasn’t paved and tall trees covered each side of it, while wild flowers grew around the base of its trunks. The half-Annfyn loved it, even if it wasn’t exactly beautiful. The proximity with nature was more appealing to him than the aesthetic appearance of the place.

“Yes, I’m a Jedi.” he smiled at Milo, having expected that the clothes that he was wearing would give up his identity. Not that it was a secret to begin with. “And you aren’t from G’wenee. Are you from the Core? The accent is identical to that of the Core Worlds.” since he was used to traveling constantly, Elidan had learned to differentiate the accents that citizens of each planet had.

“Well, people said that I needed a break. I spent the past weeks helping people in the slums, but they thought that I was getting tired. I’m not tired. I could heal and teach algebra or other subjects to many others right now.” Elidan could lie for himself, but he was showing signs of exhaustion. The dark circles that were appearing below his eyes showed it. “They threw me out and said that I should only return after I took the day off.”

“So I decided to visit these ruins as a distraction. I heard that it was used to make rituals there.” he jumped over a root that had brought through the solid in the middle of the path. “Do you know about the Arandu?”

@Cartoonkarl

 

[Milo Corr]

The Vagabond let himself relax as he began to follow the Jedi through the jungle, silently thankful that he knew the way out before Milo had to struggle with that reality. Of all the people he could have stumbled into there was likely no better than a Jedi. There was always a slight awkwardness whenever he waited for the end of the droid's translation, but it did not break up the conversation too much. "Empress Teta, Deep Core. The ecumenopolis of stars. Good ear."

"It sounds like you're doing work at least, thankless work. I knew more than a few kids that could have used a jedi back home. We can only be one place, eh? Either way, you look out for those folk and they'll look out for you if they're like the people I'm familiar with." While he took note of the exhaustion he didn't mention it, instead falling in a march not too far from Elidan.

"I'd hope so though, temples are generally used for rituals," he snorted. "But no, I don't know very much, honestly, thus why I came. To learn. The galaxy is a wide and wonderful place, with far too many peoples and places, while I'd like to imagine that I'm widely knowledgeable about history, I know the broad strokes, not the niches." On his small datapad he possessed atlases and almanacs, the histories of the galaxy, yet G'wenee wasn't often mentioned and neither were its ancient inhabitants. "I did a little studying on the way here, and bought this neat little coin thing," he said, holding up the valueless 'relic'.

"But if you're in the teaching mood I'm always willing to listen- Err, I mean learn." He rubbed his nose, partially embarrassed. Milo grew more casual the longer they conversed and it wasn't long before that wariness had left him. Whether it was naivety or merely the vagrant pegged Elidan as being true to his words, he dropped all pretenses of caution and hostility.

It wasn't long before they had retread the Jedi's path and found themselves outside of the jungle once more, the Vagrant only needing to pause once to rub his calves. His lack of consistent meals ensured that his muscles were poorly maintained and after already walking for a few hours it was clear that he wasn't cut out for this sort of travel. Yet he never once complained, merely asking for a moment to rest.

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan smiled when Milo confirmed his guess about his place of origin. “When you travel a lot, you learn to notice these differences.” the half–Annfyn thought how it was interesting that even if the Galaxy was deeply connected through hyperspace and the Galactic Basic reached all of its corners, there were still these small differences between the people.

He loved these signs of individuality.

“Well, I think that's the case. Yet, I preferred to be working with them. They need more help than I need to rest.” the truth was that Elidan really needed help. He alone would never be able to leave a great impact, because his project to help the poor would always stall once he left the planet. Indeed, he couldn’t be in two places at the same time. The half-Annfyn really needed to recruit more Jedi to help, or convince doctors and professors to participate. In the past days, he had been contemplating doing it.

The half-Annfyn tilted his head, a large smile appearing on his lips. “I also only know the basics about the Arandu. However, I have heard that they had some knowledge about the Force. I wanted to see if there is anything interesting about it in their ruins.” besides, if he returned to the slums before his “free time” had passed, the people would expel him again. It would happen until he did it properly. “We can learn together.”

They continued walking through the path until they left the jungle. In front of them was a paved road, where occasionally some speeders and other vehicles were passing. During the walk, Elidan had noticed that the human stopped to rub his calves, an obvious signal that he was a bit fatigued.

He would gesture for the other to follow him some more more until they stopped at a bus stop. “The vehicles for tourists usually stop here.” Elidan sent in one of the benches, putting his bag in the lap. “Have you already eaten today? I have brought some sandwiches and water that I can share with you.”

@Cartoonkarl

 

[Milo Corr]

"Gotta be on the move a lot as a Jedi, huh? From one problem to another," there was no cynicism or remark hidden within his statement, simply curiosity. "At least you're not one of those cloistered types."

"Keep sayin' that and you won't be helping anyone. We're mortals, not machines, and even they're prone to entropy. Trust me," he offered as he tugged on his ratty jacket. "You run yourself ragged and you won't finish the race." In a similar gesture the vagrant sat down on a separate bench, no longer as apprehensive as he was earlier though was quick to accept the offer of food, feigning disinterest despite sudden eagerness. Sandwiches beat nutrition bars every day. "I could eat," he said, holding out a hand expectantly.

Milo was shameless, but then a life of thievery and narcotics did that to a man. As a necessity of life, food was always in demand, and any meal he could skip digging into his reserves was a blessing. He suspected that he could likely get more out of the Jedi if he played up his state but he had left Empress Teta with a goal in mind. To become better, whatever form that took. The memory which had instilled that sentiment within him replaying over and over. "That's... Actually a bit why I'm searching for these ruins in particular, scoured or not. I've been doing a lot of reading on ancient civilizations and their relationship with the Force, the parallels and divergences of what is commonly known about concurrent- uh-... Beliefs?" He motioned to Elidan, referring to the Jedi.

"I'm not smart enough to puzzle over what they ate for breakfast or what their hobbies were, I'm likely not smart enough for even this, but I'd like to learn." He rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a small chuckle as they waited for their ride. "And neither do I have the cash to go to any of those fancy universities." Fishing out a rugged datapad that looked as though it had been rebuilt more than once. The vagabond waved it towards the half-Anfynn, "But I got all I need on here, or in any books I can find."

While it wasn't noticeable as they were traveling, now that he was sat down the addict had a slight twitch. His middle right finger danced to some erratic and unknown rhythm. It was only the first tell of many: darting eyes always on the look, the sudden straightening and slouching of his back, the idle scratching of his left forearm through his sleeve. A mixture of habits of the lifestyle of an urchin and a user, though he seemed to be handling the worst of it. Either Milo was riding the end of a long addiction or, more likely, had used rather recently.

"They ever teach you anything like that in the temples, not just history but how to be a historian?"

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

”I’ll go crazy if I need to stay cloistered.” Elidan would have laughed, if it wasn’t his selective mutism. The closest thing that he could do was open a large smile on his lips. “No offense against the Jedi that do it, but this life wasn’t for me. I want to be useful. I want to help people in need, even if I can’t speak near them.” it was strange that someone with so much social awkwardness had the desire to help others.

Well, Elidan wasn’t really normal or followed a common logic. He only wanted to make the difference.

“Going to war wasn’t my thing either.” Elidan’s good hand immediately scratched his artificial one, remembering the mark of a battle from several years ago. “I prefer to stay behind the lines, taking care of those that get hurt, but the soldiers always forget that they still exist.”

“Well, I’ll have that in mind.” Elidan smiled at Milo, pondering about his advice. Perhaps he should rest more, this way he would be able to work better. The Knight opened his bag and removed two sandwiches, each inside a plastic storage bag. “Which one do you want? Egg salad or turkey with cheese?” he showed each one to the man. “Both are pretty good, if I can say so myself.” he wasn’t the best cook out here, but the half-Annfyn knew how to make sandwiches that tasted good.

He took a bite from his sandwich while Milo explained his interest in the ruins. It was interesting. Elidan didn’t think that the other would have such a good understanding of how other civilizations understood the Force. “You are doing a very good search.” he signed, after giving a look at the Datapad in the human’s hand. “Not everyone can differentiate how each culture sees the Force. Or at least they don’t care to do it.”

While he ate, Elidan noticed Milo’s movements. Erratic movements of his fingers, darting eyes and twitches. The half-Annfyn had seen it many times to know that those were signs of addiction. He had helped people in remission by guiding them toward the specialists that could treat their cases, but it all depended on their will of following the treatment. He wondered if the human would accept help.

He didn’t said anything about it, though.

“Yes, we have Jedi historians. They travel the Galaxy collecting facts about history from different planets. Then they add it to the Archives.” he explained, before picking his bottle of water and filling two cups with it. He placed one next to Mile. “Are you interested in being a historian?”

@Cartoonkarl

 

[Milo Corr]

"Good that at least some of you keep your roots in the galaxy, history is none too kind to the generations of Jedi that forgot." Rather than elaborate he instead shifted off the topic, especially as Elidan spoke of war. He offered a quick nod, as if to agree or imply understanding concerning the want to help rather than fight, and the thoughtlessness of soldiers, but in truth his experience with war started and ended with text on a screen or the occasional ganger war in the dregs of Teta. He had fled from those, finding a new district to haunt.

Milo selected the turkey one and immediately took more than a few bites, wolfing half of it down before even taking the chance to chew. Not only had he not eaten well, given the conservation of his stash, but also neither had he had something of this quality in quite some time. Only after swallowing it with some difficulty did he offer up his gratitude. "Thanks," he said sheepishly. "I haven't eaten anything with meat in it in awhile, except for tube food."

"I don't really know what I want to be, but when I imagine a historian I imagine something far less grandiose than your Jedi historians. I think of sentients pouring through old tomes in dusty libraries, which I'd say isn't in my interest. But going out to places, finding things, learning? Yeah, I like that part." Their ride showed up a moment later and, after stuffing the last of his sandwich into his mouth, he entered the vehicle and paid his fare. Milo likely didn't have much cash but he didn't seem to mind, credits flowed like the tides, it came and went, all that mattered was that he was alive for the next cycle.

"I used to not care," Milo said with ease, taking a seat across the aisle from Elidan, drawing out that small token he had purchased and rolling it between his knuckles like one might an imperial standard credit of old. "Was more interested in the wars, the happenings, the events." He paused. "Yet with how intrinsic the two are in many of them, it is impossible not to take an interest in it, and how people see it. The Ithorians with their focus on nature, the Baran Do Sages of the Kel Dor, and so on. I find it is in the more primitive, or archaic, societies that the truly radical thoughts appear more commonly. Trialist or beyond beliefs, cults to both sensitives and to other entities, and then more which are astoundingly similar to the Jedi in terms of asceticism."

"Yet it never quite feels like a race to the bottom, many were all, generally, created in a vacuum with little to no influence from one another... Or so I've read." He rubbed the back of his neck in an embarrassed fashion as the vehicle began to take them towards their destination. "I haven't exactly gone on many ventures outside of a datapad."

Then glancing out the window to watch the jungle roll on by, he snorted. "If I had known there was a convenient vehicle I would have paid for a ride sooner. Would have saved my legs a lot of effort." Now that the two of them were more familiar, and the half-Anfynn had offered him food, it appeared as though the vagrant amateur archeologist was far more talkative. Yet rather than be the sort who blathered incessantly he provided plenty of opportunities for Elidan to respond with his signs. Despite the initial awkwardness of communicating through a translator Milo hardly seemed to notice, as if taking the droid's voice was the half-Anfynn's own. He did, however, keep track of the hand signs despite an inability to understand them, spotting patterns and repeated gestures but could not match them to their spoken basic counterparts.

A curious mind did not exactly equate to an intelligent one. "How long have you been a jedi?"

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

”History never is never kind to the Jedi.” now was Elidan's moment to snort, or at least he would have done it if he was capable of speaking near Milo. “Not even the present is kind to us. However, I'll continue doing my part even if people do not appreciate it. The poor need help, and I don’t need a fan club. Their smiles are enough for me.” the half-Annfyn didn’t care about the terrible PR that the Order had these days, but he couldn’t care. The Jedi should try to do good more than appeasing the opinion of the masses. Although, he was pretty sure that these two could work together.

“No problem. I hope that you like it.” Elidan smiled, before taking a bite from his egg salad. Particularly, the Knight appreciated this one more than turkey. He noticed how Milo was eating his sandwich, as if it would disappear from his hands. It was another sign that the Knight had already seen before, this time from prolonged periods without food. The human probably had a difficult life, if the addiction wasn’t enough already.

Elidan listened to Milo talk about what he liked regarding history, pondering about what could suit it. He snapped his fingers when he finally remembered something. “Then you would like to be a field archaeologist. They travel around most of the time, visiting places and exploring ruins.” it was probably the closest that a non-Force user could be to being a Jedi Historian. “Have you heard about Doctor Aphra? She was a dubious person, but had some incredible adventures.”

“Honestly, I don’t know much about the history of these cults. I was more of a nature boy, during my time as a Padawan.” Elidan turned to look at a nearby bush, where some buds were yet to bloom. The half-Annfyn stretched his hand toward it, releasing the Force over the plant. Soon, two of the buds opened in beautiful yellow flowers. “See? Nature boy.”

When the vehicle arrived, Elidan finished his sandwich and followed Milo inside the vehicle. “I don’t have holobooks about history to give it to you, though. Unless you want to learn about medical theory.” the half-Annfyn had been studying more about it these days. He wanted to become a healer.

Milo’s question was taken by surprise. It had been a long time since he had joined the Order, nearly an entire lifetime ago. “Well, I was probably three years old? I really don’t remember, but it happened when I was very little. Before that, I used to live in an orphanage. The other Jedi told me about it. What did you used to do before coming here?”

@Cartoonkarl

 

[Milo Corr]

"Well aren't you all that and a pot of flowers. Smiles are nice but they don't mean a whole lot. Either way that you try to make a difference means that you're one of the good ones." His eyes followed Elidan's as the half-Anfynn caused a flower to bloom as he struggled to hide being impressed, though it went beyond the awe and wonder that one might see in the Force Insensitive. His eyes studied the gesture and the flowers, as though he might divine something from the movement, before returning his look to Elidan.

The jungle was quiet and the vehicle was not quite as filled with tourists as one might expect, there were few voices beyond Milo's and the droids as they passed the first signs of ruins in the form of old marker stones and partially overgrown roads. "That sounds like what I'd like to do, but as I said, no money." He tugged at his stained jacket, as if he needed to state his social class despite all the other evidence. Yet rather than lament about the lack of grants and scholarships for a nobody like himself, he instead shook his head. "Never heard of Doctor Aphra, and no- no. You can keep the medical stuff to yourself, that would be a bit over my head. I can stick to bandaging cuts and applying ointments to bruises, that suits me just fine."

"I was a bartender for a- a bit, a thief before that. Now I just do whatever comes my way that ensures I can eat without signing away too much time. I don't like staying in one place, you know?" For a brief moment something other than his neutral friendliness crossed his face before being shoved under the metaphorical rug. "So you didn't get much of a choice then, did you, to join the Jedi? It was made for you by who, your parents?" This was a story as old as time, the Jedi were an ancient philosophy spanning millennia and while it was no longer the moral core of the galaxy, especially after their popular expulsion, they still had to get recruits from somewhere.

Despite the critical nature of his question, Milo's opinion of Elidan did not seem soured by his occupation as a Jedi. If anything it made the vagrant more receptive to him, for a historian knew better than most the power of the Jedi. Their influence, their rise and fall, the legacy, and he himself had determined that for as much as it was full of mistakes, darkness, and wrongdoing, they at least possessed a positive ideal. They had been the guarantors of peace, and while the Galaxy may be quick to forget that fact, Milo did not.

"I can't imagine growing up in an environment like that, literally. Did you always want to stay a Jedi?"

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

”Are you sure? It can be very interesting.” Elidan joked, being very aware that not everyone likes to read about the different types of procedures that could be done in the treatment of a medullary infection. For those that didn’t want to follow that career, learning how to do the basics was all that was necessary for them.

“Regarding your lack of money, there are some public colleges. G’wenee have some that are pretty good and they accept foreigners. You only need to take an exam.” Elidan eyed Milo, uncertain if the human would ever try to do it. However, the half–Annfyn thought that it would be sad if someone couldn’t follow their dream because of the lack of money.

However, in the end it was Milo's choice to make.

He only listened while Milo explained his past. Elidan didn’t judge him when the man said that he had been a thief. The half-Annfyn had stopped judging people in the first two seconds that he started working in the slums. You never know what desperation would make someone do. However, he would still try to convince them to follow an honest path. He did find a job for some people that he helped.

Maybe he could do the same for Milo. “Do you know, I know a small trading company that had been hiring. They travel a lot. Maybe you would like to join them.” once again, the decision would depend on the human. Elidan would only offer the possibilities for him to pick.

“I’m an orphan. I was left in an orphanage on Chardaan when I was a baby. It’s the only thing that I had of them.” he showed a necklace to Milo. Sometimes Elidan wondered why he still carried it. “I was identified as a Force sensitive and the Jedi brought me in. They became my family.”

And now, his family was falling apart in a schism. Elidan had no idea which path he should follow, so he was trying to carve his own. It wasn't as if he had friends in the Order that would miss him if he simple decided to walk away and work alone. He didn't received a single friendly message since he started to wander around the Galaxy.

Everyone he knew was dead or disappeared.

Milo’s question took him by surprise, but he had already thought about it in the past. He still thinks about it. “No, sometimes I wanted to lower my head and disappear in the crowd. To not care about the fate of Galaxy, to not have people mocking my life choices on the Holonet, to ignore the expansion of the Sith and all that stuff. My life would be easier this way.” he shrugged, being egotistical sometimes was good. You still need to take care of yourself, because few would do it for you.

“Settling down and having a family would be nice, but I remember that there are so many people suffering out there. People that are homeless, have hunger and sickness. I wouldn’t never live a happy civilian life knowing that I have the power to help them, but I don’t do it because of egoism. Because I decided to ignore them.” he was now looking at Milo’s eyes. “They are already ignored by everyone, my attention and aid can be the only thing that they receive. Their happiness when they receive my help makes everything worth it, any thought about having a normal life disappears.”

@Cartoonkarl

 

[Milo Corr]

The addict didn't appear all too impressed with either option. College meant saying in one place, the worst thing for him to do if he desired to remain clean. Yet despite that being the goal he had relapsed on nearly every world he travelled to which both stretched his wallet and was the sign that it was time to go. Willingly or not, Milo had become rather adept at finding stim dealers though it wasn't exactly all that difficult given that by the time he was willing to seek them out he was shaking worse than he would without a coat in winter.

"I spend credits nearly as quickly as I get them, so that I don't spend it on things I don't need. I appreciate the offer but I'll pass for now, more money is the last thing I need." He always figured out how to get just a bit extra for that hit, but had the willpower to reserve enough for a ticket to the next world. Slowly he was making his way out of the civilized sectors, though he couldn't figure out if that was a good thing or not. It sure wasn't the safest.

The thought of being a choosy beggar caused him to wince, luckily Elidan distracted him with the necklace. The vagrant's mind immediately wondered about its value before he shook his head. Milo hadn't quite given up the life of a thief. He displayed little empathy concerning the Jedi's parentage. While it was something the two of them had in common they were still miles apart when it came to similarities, but that marked two.

What did draw his sympathy, however, was the half-Anfynn's reasoning for remaining a jedi, and that powerful gaze which caused Milo to look away, seemingly shamefully. "It's good that there are folk like you in the galaxy, and I don't mean Jedi." Pursing his lips he turned away from Elidan to stare out the window, his brow furrowed. "Could use a hell of a lot more, though." Rather than elaborate he remained quiet, one didn't need to possess the Force to know that his mind was clearly working.

Luckily, the vehicle came to a stop and slowly the transient pushed himself out of his seat. "Guess we're here," he declared with a sigh. "Since we've got similar ideas in mind we might as well go explore them together, if you don't mind I mean." Then as he began to walk towards the exit he did ask one last question. "Why here, of all places? Thousands of worlds out there with people in just as bad, or worse, situation. Yet you chose this one."

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

”I understand.” Elidan had the impression that the things that Milo said that he didn't need were drugs. Perhaps the human was trying to stop using it by himself. It was an admirable idea, but the half-Annfyn had some experience with people with addictions to know how doing it alone could be difficult. Yet, he still didn’t say anything.

If Milo decided to touch on this matter in their conversation, Elidan would offer advice. The Knight would never intrude in such a personal aspect of the human’s life.

“Well, I don’t know about it.” Elidan’s cheeks were a bit red, he was terrible in dealing with compliments. “I only try to help in the way that I can, even if it isn’t enough. Still, I hope that I can at least make the lives of the people that I help better. This is an important side of being a Jedi. Helping those in need.” empathy and charity were important parts of Light Side, as much as going to crusades killing the Sith. He only hoped that more of his fellow Jedi could see this way.

When the vehicle stopped, Elidan followed Milo outside. The ruins in front of them were exactly what he had expected. Covered by plants, the worn out tiles showed how this place was ancient. The half-Annfyn looked away from it when he heard the human’s question. “I usually travel between planets in the Outer Rim, helping in any way that I can. But with G’wenee, I felt a calling from the Force. As if it was wanting me to come here.”

“It’s an interesting feeling, like there was an importance in that place. Have you ever felt something similar?” Elidan had no idea that Milo was Force sensitve, but non-Force users could still feel attracted to a place that they never visisted, basically due to what someone would call as gut feeling.

@Cartoonkarl

 

[Milo Corr]

Milo chuckled at the half-Anfynn's reaction to his compliment, nodding along to his explanation. It was good that there were some champions of goodness in the galaxy, for even with them it is a far too dark existence. He didn't voice it however and instead interwove his fingers behind the back of his head as he stared at the ruins, lips twitching. G'wenee had merely been just another selection of many as he meandered ever outwards towards his true destination, Yavin. It was that place that tugged at him, for one reason or another, though he doubted it was due to the Force. It was just... Curious, covered in ancient ruins from long dead people.

"Sorta," Milo replied with a shrug. "I know I felt an incredible urge to leave Empress Teta, and to travel, but I don't think I could equate it to that. I just," He paused. "I just want to go to places sometimes, no rhyme or reason." He shrugged, still not revealing his sensitivity as he tugged on his jacket.

He began to head towards the largest building of the ruins, the temple, following the marked paths. His eyes began to explore the architecture with wonder as though, in part because he had never seen true ruins beyond the screen of a datapad. Familiar enough with Elidan he made no attempt at hiding his awe. "Wonder why it brought you here, at least. Maybe you'll find something here, eh?" He snorted, as if not believing the sentiment. These ruins had been picked clean long before Milo was born. "Wish more Jedi felt that tug on Teta, place would use a few jedi cleaning it up, but I suppose so does the rest of the galaxy, and most have more important things to do. Like fighting." It wasn't a mean-spirited comment, merely an honest one. The galaxy revolved around conflict in one form another, and the Jedi, like any entity, were just as involved.

Standing before the entrance of the temple he peered in but waited for Elidan to take the lead, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket to crinkle against the wrappers of his nutrition bars. "So what do you know about the Arandu, and their belief in the Force? That was one thing that wasn't in the brochure, I can assure you of that. Was it like a cult, or something more practical?"

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

Elidan nodded, agreeing to what Milo was saying. Sometimes you can simply have the desire to visit other places, without the Force calling you. Without having some cosmic purpose for you to be here. The desire to see new things, while seeking a change of airs, was natural. After all, few sentient beings liked to have static lives with the same routine every single day.

In Milo’s case, Elidan was pretty sure that the human had wanted to completely leave his life in Empress Teta. If he could use the man’s appearance as an explanation, the other had a very difficult life.

They walked through a path made of faded stones. There were some tourists around, spread among other ruins. They were taking pictures, even doing silly poses. The two men continued their walk, approaching the main temple. Elidan noticed that it was the most preserved building.

“I had been focusing on the Outer Rim, but maybe I should pay a visit to the Core in the future.” it was in these moments that Elidan felt frustrated. He was only one Jedi to deal with an entire Galaxy full of poverty and suffering. “Everyone helps in the way that they can, like fighting the Sith. I only hope that more of them would think like me and decided to give a hand with those that suffer. The suffering of civilians shouldn’t be forgotten, simply because it isn’t related to the Sith.”

To answer Milo’s question about the Arandu, Elidan was required to seek all his memories about them. As he had said early, history wasn’t his area of expertise. However, he had read a thing or two about the local history during his stay. “Well, they were near-humans. More humans than near, I need to say. They had an entire organized religion around the Force, with priests and all that stuff. They also healed people there with it, which is very cool because I can do that too.” perhaps it was the reason why he was brought here, to learn their healing techniques.

As if he would be capable of finding secrets of an ancient civilization.

“A fun fact, they worshiped three gods. One was an old man, another was a giant bird and another was a giant bat. The last two are similar to the Winged and Fangged deities of Dathomir, a planet that wasn’t far away from here. I saw that in a documentary last night in the local holonet.” Elidan explained, remembering that he had also seen on it legends about local monsters.

When they reached the temple’s entrance, Elidan turned to look at Milo. “Would you like to take some pictures before we go inside? Maybe to have a memory of you being here.”

@Cartoonkarl

 

[Milo Corr]

Milo shrugged as Elidan shared his thoughts about the Jedi having more concern for the civilians, in one part he couldn't blame them for not so actively assisting the galaxy's downtrodden population given popular sentiment, but then on the other Milo had read enough history to know that to ignore the Sith was to chop off your own head. The Jedi were just one institution, and a rather small one at that relative to their influence. The only blame he could level for the life he lived, and the lives of all wretches like him, was upon the now gone Republic and the societies to which they belonged. And upon himself for not trying to make a difference himself.

"Sounds about right, healers and priests is a common attribute of many that I've researched, but I don't know anything of the Dathomir deities. Kind of strange to have both a man and beasts as deities, usually it is one or the other. A lot of the cultures either saw themselves in their deities or something unlike themselves." Then, sheepishly, he shrugged, as if catching himself rambling.

The vagrant carried the same confidence that he would find something in these old ruins, which was to say very little, but yet he was here.

Elidan's question caught him off guard and as he stared up at the temple ruins and then back at the Jedi, his chin jutted out in a neanderthalic fashion. "Uh... I mean- You know, I've never had a picture of myself anywhere. Don't know how much a memory is worth." Then, peering at the droid which clung to Elidan, he shrugged. "But, why not I guess. Do you take one wherever you go?" he waved for the Jedi to join him. "Might as well have you in it, much more impressive to have a Jedi in the picture than myself. Can that droid of yours take one?"

@LouJoVi

 

[Elidan]

”Now that you mentioned that, there was something more in that tv show about their gods.” Elidan brought his gloved mechanical hand to his chin and started to think about it. He smiled and snapped his fingers when he finally remembered what it was. “It said that their myths said that the bird transformed into a woman and the bat into a man, with both being the children of the old man. There was a sense of anthropomorphism in their deities.”

Elidan blinked with Milo’s revelation. The half-Annfyn wasn’t a maniac for social media, from the type that takes a ton of pictures for even the most stupid reason. However, he still had some pictures taken during his life. He had to be photographed in the Orphanage, for the purpose of adding pictures in his documents. The same happened with the Jedi Order.

This made him wonder if Milo didn’t have a family that would take pictures from him. However, Elidan didn’t dare to ask.

“No, but these ruins are pretty cool and I wanted to have something from there. It’s my free day, so I can be a tourist.” Elidan smiled, while pulling his EZPhone from the bag. “My droid doesn't have arms, they would never be able to do that. However, I can take selfies. My arms are pretty long, so it will show a lot of the ruins behind us.”

He gestured for Milo to get in position in front of the temple, before getting close to the human to take the picture. Obviously, Elidan respected the other’s personal space, leaving a good distance between them, but was still enough for the picture to be good. This distance between them allowed the ruins to be more visible. “Do you have a datapad or anything like that? I’ll send it to you.”

@Cartoonkarl