The First Step

[The Doctor]

Serenno: The perfect example of all that The Good Doctor despised. This place was one of the most decadent and deceitful and elitist and downright unpleasant places in the known Galaxy, and that was truly saying something. It wasn't the manipulative schemes, underhanded tactics or general lack of fairplay and honour, The Doctor herself was party to those same tactics and they served her well, no no no...it was the motive behind the madness. These people were all some of the most self serving and self absorbed people she had the displeasure of knowing, these were people that had grown up together, come together as families, but at the drop of a hat they would all gladly stab each other in the back to grab that little extra slice of power, that little bit of control over people, places and positions. This was the kind of place that would benefit the greatest from the Unification, she thought, all that petty squabbling and family feuding just gone in a blink, replaced by a love for one another and a devotion toward the new order and it's Mistress. Still, the Unification was far from a concept as of now, best not to dwell on it and focus on why she came here, disguised and in hiding.
It had been a few weeks since she had been soundly beaten by the Wookie hunter, her saber stolen from under her, and her ego immensely bruised (the fact that she momentarily let fear overcome her didn't help either). As much as it embarrassed her to admit to that failure, she would not deny that it had taught her a valuable lesson - if she was to be what she needed to be, she needed to be a deadly adversary in ALL forms, both physical and mental. Now she stood before the door of Jareth Sharl, a more recent addition to the 'exile' family. From what little she knew, his worldview seemed rather close to her own. Both seemed to want what was best for the Jedi, and bth knew the truth of the Force, the truth all jedi refused to accept: that the light and the dark are still both the force, thus worthy of exploration. In addition, he's reported to be cool headed, loyal, and pragmatic. Despite the result of the last time she took a chance, The Doctor couldn't afford to shut in with only herself, a force was powerless without allies and followers, and she had none as of yet. She would have to take chances and hope that fortune favours the bold.
With a firm hand, she gave the front door and few quick knocks - she had reached out to him before so he would know she was coming.

@Adobi-Wan Kenobi

 

[Jareth Sharl]

The reputation he was building up was beginning to proceed him it seemed. He had only been among the Exiles for a short span of time by comparison to some of the Exiles that he had heard of... and yet his reputation was starting to be considered as much as the others. This could be a dangerous thing if word ever became public; but within it's own circles his reputation was still powerful. But it was a good motivation to stay on top of things. A single slip up, and people of Serenno could hear about his true story and then it would all be over before it began. In truth he was well on his way to creating some kind of unified front to the Exiles... already he had several pledging themselves to him and his order. But he was preferring to keep it quiet until everything was in perfect order.

Today though, he had a visitor. He wore a grey and white ceremonial and formal tunic with a blue-grey cape hanging off the back of it and his hair slicked back per always as he had made preparations for his guest; leaving much of the brute labor to the droids of his estate. It seemed to him; that the reason for the woman they called "The Doctor" wanting to pay him a personal visit boiled down to the fact that she needed some kind of formal training; and from what he knew of her it seemed they shared a lot of common goals. If this was the case, perhaps they could strike an accord of some sort; and again become a powerful set of allies to work together. Jareth would of course wait to hash out all of the details until her arrival here on the planet; but already he could tell he had a great respect for this woman. The sought knowledge, understanding that it brought power; much like himself. She sought unity, knowing there was strength in numbers and having a unified front. It was simply a pity that it was so hard to unite exiles who were on whole, a selfish lot of people. He too was having trouble on this front; but he was working on a solution to this problem.

As far as training the woman went, Jareth believed he would rise to the challenge. He had only recently sent Odric back to his Master Jabhar after concluding a six month long training regiment with the young man. Besides this, Jareth was also beginning the training of Invictus. It seemed so far that Jareth was able to reach all sorts of people... but the catch was that he had to know something about each of those that came before him for training; in order for him to better motivate them. Most exiles know only one way to motivate their students... but beating them with a stick and telling them to better. While this was sometimes effective, it wasn't always the most effective; as Jareth had Just proved recently with Odric; his star pupil so far. It also had the tendency to kill off valuable resources... With that being said; he hoped to get to know the woman who was coming to meet him in person.

'Tap Tap Tap Tap!'

That was the knock at the door.

A Luxury droid opened the door for the kind Doctor, and Jareth appeared at the top of the double staircase; a charming smile on his face as he took his first few steps down the stairs. "Ahh, Doctor! Pleased to finally meet you.." He said energetically and yet smoothly. He shooed the droid away before it had a chance to give her it's customary greeting. It looked a little stunned, and then hurt, but then promptly walked away as ordered. He came to a stop at the bottom of the staircase, and looked the woman directly in the eyes. "How was your trip here?" He asked, extending his hand in greeting to her. A meal had already been prepared by the server droids, and Jareth could smell it. He much preferred to go through the getting to know you process first, as this was the best way for him to learn the vital things he needed to train those who had come to him before...

 

[The Doctor]

The Doctor waltzed in through the door, ignoring the droid as it began to utter some kind of gibberish greeting (not that it annoyed her, the droid was actually kind of cute with it's rabbit-like structure). The first thought that entered her mind when she took a quick glance around, noting the paintings spread around, the embroidered banners proudly displaying his house crest, and all the ornate furniture and masonry, was that this man certainly enjoyed the high life. He did nothing to dissuade that as he gave as warm a greeting as she had hoped, practically hopping down the stairs in his formal garb.
"And me without a dress, the pleasure is all mine Brother" She said warmly, allowing a small smile to creak into her lips as her current form began to molt away, skin and hair briefly melting into wax-like liquid dripping down what used to be a face. And just as quickly as it was there, the Shi'ido was gone again, replaced by her more lustrous, buxom and familiar Exile form that took Jareth's hand in a firm, but loose shake. She raised an eyebrow at the thought of the journey here - sat on a public freighter opposite a screeching baby and fretful mother that wouldn't stop talking about The Doctor's shawl and how good it made her look...truly odd, very heartwarming and nice, but odd. "It was...cramped"
She let the smile fall from her lips as her eyes now fell upon Jareth's, staring straight through her. In that instant, she felt a primal urge to look inside his mind, figure out what made him tick, take control of the situation. There was something peculiar about the young 'exile', a certain hardness about him, a pragmatic edge etched into his face that felt uncomfortable here, but also quite happy to not be needed, like an emergency alarm on standby. She knew full well that the two shared certain similarities, and whilst the thought of finding out now was tempting, she was smarter and more sensible than that - even if she could breach his mind, why encroach on a possible ally's weak point? It was disloyal and cold, two things she wasn't the biggest fan of.
She turned away and her heels turned into a slow 360 degree spin, her eyes absent mindedly wandering the house as she exhaled softly, letting the Dark Side spill out from her after more than enough time holding it in like a bad case of Blue Milk Belly. The corruption wasn't just contained to herself or Jareth though, there was some residual energy around this house too, a taste of other 'exiles' in the air. She sniffed deeply, letting her tongue flick out and glide through the air before closing back in again. "You've been busy brother, I can still feel your last guest...in fact...Odric was it?"

 

[Jareth Sharl]

She was good humored; that was a pleasant surprise. He had a feeling he knew a little less about this Doctor than she knew about him; having done considerably less digging on her since she had announced her little visit. Meanwhile it wasn't hard for people to do their research on Jareth since he was something of a public figure on Serenno. This was a fact that was proving to be both blessing and curse for him. On one hand, he had the power to use for his goals, and to avoid the prying eye of certain situations that would have otherwise already identified him as an Exile and force user. On the other hand, it wasn't hard for others who came here to his estate to figure out that they could easily expose him. If he wasn't careful in choosing his allies, that could be his very fate. So far he had been one step ahead of all of the different problems that presented themselves to his work, but luck could run out eventually. Soon, it would be time to get ahead of this simple loose end.

Before they had met each other in the middle of the entry way, she had changed her form, revealing what Jareth perceived to have been her natural form. Jareth didn't know a particularly great deal about the Shi'ido race of people, except for the obvious. They were shape shifters. A useless skill to be sure; one that Jareth was also in the process of duplicating through use of the force and his illusion abilities. But it was still a while before he would have the skill mastered. Regardless once her hand was in his, he brought it up and kissed the back of her hand in greeting; being relatively un-phased by what he had just seen. Appearances were hardly everything; and Jareth much rather cared to make allies than enemies; and he had every confidence that if they agreed on as much as they did, she would prove to be a great asset in his organization.

She answered his question about the trip from wherever she had just come from to Serenno; explaining it had been cramped. If he was being totally honest; Jareth hadn't expected much less from a standard public transport. "I will be sure to provide any adornments you require.." Jareth promised; not about to guess her taste in dress. Even if it was a joke; he had no qualms providing such a thing if she actually desired it. "And you will have plenty of space for the duration of your stay I assure you." He promised; already knowing what room he would likely assign her. He watched as she took in the room she was present in, and was about to turn to invite her further into his estate when she uttered the name of Odric; the last Student Jareth had trained in these halls not so long ago. "You know the boy?" Jareth asked inquisitively as he arched his brow, but also gestured for her to follow him down the hall way so they could get started. To say the least, he was curious to know how she knew Odric, and if she brought news of him and his progress...

 

[The Doctor]

She couldn't help but smirk a little when he actually kissed her hand, sending the briefest of tingles down her wrist. The Doctor was always had a weak spot for signs of affection, so if he was trying to butter her up, she would not deny that she was slowly becoming a little more receptive to his charm. He was also a gentleman, offering to replace whatever basic needs she required, and even though she didn't know for sure, she had mentally drawn a list on the trip over just in case.
"Nothing too grandiose, just clothes and simple toiletries among other things, clothing preferably in the black and red area, one of the few stigmas attached to us that I fully accept and embrace is the idea that we all wander around in Black Robes" She said, quickly clearing her throat. Of all the stereotypes and clichés that had become associated with 'Exiles', from the idea of them being angry brooding conquerors to the idea that they have an evil laugh, the dress sense was at least pretty slick. "I will also be needing something else which is more relevant to why I'm here, but we'll get to that at a later point" Her brow furrowed in annoyance as her thoughts slowly began to shift downard and back toward the slowly healing scar in her lower torso. Thankfully, Jareth was all too happy to move the conversation forward in some respect, though this particular topic only prompted her entire face to fall a little. "Odric...I wish I could have known him, but unfortunately he seems to have gone to ground for reasons unknown, before I could reach out to him," She had tried every resource she had to find him, meager though they were, but the boy was nowhere to be found, seemingly unexplained in his reasoning.
Now she looked back up at her new benefactor, a soft smile on her face. "It was a shame, he seemed to have a lot of potential from what I heard, I imagine you felt the same way if I can smell him here, in the walls, the wood, in..." She froze, sniffing deeply again and following a scent like a sniffer dog, coming to a small vase of flowers sitting on the window sill "...oddly enough, very much in the vases, was he a flower person?" She asked. Whilst she was here for her own reasons, there was no harm at all in conversation; Odric was an interesting fellow from the small amounts of information she gleamed, ad every word was another piece of inforation form Jareth.

 

[Jareth Sharl]

Jareth was careful to make a mental note of the things she requested; she explaining that she didn't actually need a whole lot in order to be comfortable in her new surroundings. Ironically enough, her taste in color scheme wasn't actually that far off from the things that could be generically provided by the resources he had at his disposal. When that was taken into consideration she alluded to needing something else from him; though she decided she would mention what exactly it was at a later time. Jareth was already aware of the training that she would be wanting from him; but wasn't entirely sure if she was implying that or something else she might be requiring from him. He didn't rack his brain on it for too long though before the subject he had been eagerly waiting to hear back on was answered next.

Unfortunately it seemed to him that Odric was no where to be found by her. He had no doubt caught her attention in much the same way that the young lad had caught Jareth's own attention; and Jareth had to nod in his agreement that Odric did indeed have a great potential. She had no idea; recalling just how quickly the boy had picked up the lessons Jareth had to share with him about Makashi. Still, Jareth couldn't help but think that the boy's journey was not yet ended; not after everything Jareth had seen in the young man's future. Regardless he was not going to dwell on that for very long either. The Kind Doctor brought up the flowers, and Jareth arched his eyebrow in curiosity and confusion for a moment; not recalling any specific moment in their six month training period in which Ordic had ever mentioned flowers of any kind. "Not that I can recall." Jareth admitted; though also knew it was very possible that there was simply a great many things he didn't know about Odric. They had bonded, yes; But they had only had a limited amount of time to work together.

Finally at the end of the hall was two great doors that Jareth pulled open and stepped aside to allow her to enter first. Beyond the large wooden; old style doors, was a dark room with a black top shining table. Tall chairs flanked all sides of the table, with a fireplace at the far end of the room being the only source of heat or light. "Forgive me, I've never had a Shi'ido guest before, so I had to be creative with the meal choices." He admitted, not knowing completely what it was she would like to eat or consider a delicacy. As such, he had selected a variety of meals from across the Galaxy for tonight. It had taken hours for the droid staff to prepare, but it was of course worth while; Jareth was certain. "I know you must be eager to get started, but after such a long and disappointing journey, I try to always have a meal prepared for my guests. And besides that, I never rush into training before getting to know my students." Jareth explained as he pulled a chair out for her to help seat his guest...

 

[The Doctor]

She noted by the look on Jareth's face that Odric must have been something of the secretive type when it came to matters outside of training, not that she could blame him for that - everyone has one secret at least. Thinking on it now, she got the feeling her initial stay here might be a little tense; if Odric's presence was felt everywhere, then it would be a constant reminder of her having failed to find and speak to the young one, a sad accentuation of wasted potential. Still, this was no time to focus on such matters, and The Doctor couldn't do much about it now, so it was best to just move on and hope he resurfaces in time, so for now, she followed her host into the absolutely...muted Dining Room.
It wasn't that she hated the room, far from it, this house was, thus far, just the kind of ambience and atmosphere she longed for in a home and it brought a true and honest smile to her face, but at the same time, he seemed to have over done it a little with the darkness seeing as how there was only one source of light blocked partially by all the chairs...maybe he's just nocturnal like that. She couldn't help but let the smile turn to a little smirk at the mention of not knowing what Shi'ido eat (that being anything really, they were the dominant predators on Sh'shuun so anything was fair game, be it Flora or Fauna).
"Not many do, we're a secretive people like that, us skin-shifters" She said, nodding her head in thanks as the chair was pulled back for her. Upon taking her seat, and seeing Jareth take his, she immediately began to dig in to the Pantoran Zuulquinea, always careful not to act impolite or vulgar whilst she ate out of respect. "In truth, we eat most things that other humanoids do, flora and fauna alike" She revealed between mouthfuls of the stew. Seeing all this food and knowing that she was highly likely to eat it all, she decided that this conversation would go on for a while, and thought it best to finally let her body relax, all her muscles releasing and relaxing with a deep and heavy sigh.
Leaning back into her chair, she noted his mention of wishing to get to know his students better. It was a rare thing to see a master actually try to get to know their students instead of just telling them to do something and expecting them to perform miracles, it was like the art of mentoring had died out along with common sense and pragmatism among the 'exiles'. With every word out of his mouth, The Doctor was liking Jareth more and more,: he was polite, considerate, accomodating, he actually understood how to properly teach a student, and despite her quite enjoying a little bit of senseless violence (in private company of course), she could respect his desire for a smooth way of running things. "You've gone to a lot of effort for me, thank you very much, I most definitely needed this after...recent events" She said, the bitterness in her mouth threatening to poison her current meal.

 

[Jareth Sharl]

To his pleasant surprise it seemed that his visitor didn't actually mind the distraction. She seemed to actually care for the extra provisions he had set aside; especially since she understood that it was a means for him to collect information about her. Getting to know his students wasn't something he did for the sake of having some kind of power over them of course... rather he did it to find the best and most efficient ways to motivate them, to reach their hearts. Jareth's methodology and philosophy of training was; in his humble opinion, far superior to either the Jedi or the Exiles. While the Jedi understood the important of balance; they often failed to actually implement it in their training; training everyone in the same way... as if the training could be uniform and that every student would understand the same lessons in the same way. This was flawed. The Force... Life... Lightsabers... These were skills that could not be taught in a class room. They required experience. Motivation. The other side of the same coin was the Exiles; who understood the importance of Motivation, but couldn't grasp the importance of balance. They motivated with pain and hatred. Jareth did understand that on occasion, these were perfectly acceptable motivations; but more often, he found other, more effective means to do so.

He took his own seat at the end of the table and began to pour two glasses of wine; one for his guest and then the second one for himself before he was cutting into his meat and listening to her speak; paying attention for what clues he might be able to use to better motivate her once their training sessions actually began. He was also taking special note of the fact that she would eat fairly well anything he could think to put on the table; which was a relief in many ways. While he by no means minded making special accommodations for his guests; it certainly made it far easier when they didn't have such special needs. Modest clothing and meals made keeping things prepared for her much simpler. "Duly noted." Jareth smiled, taking the first bite of his meal; and following it up with the crisp white wine from his own home world.

And then came the point that he could use save for later. She only briefly alluded to the recent events that brought her here on this very day. He still didn't know much about what had happened to her; but he was indeed interested, as he was almost certain that would be key to her motivation, at least in part. Jareth perked up a little and looked at her closer before he spoke once more. "And what exactly are you referring to, Doctor ___..." He paused, giving her an opportunity to actually give him her name; which he had been wondering about; but also to answer the question about what had happened. Of course he would prefer to call her by some more meaningful title than just doctor, and he doubted that was her given name. A more personal name was in order he believed. But he also wanted to know what had happened. After that he could look for even more motivations; but this seemed to be the first and most potent one worth investigating...

A student properly motivated by their own desires would be eager to listen and learn... and when they wanted to learn, they became infinitely easier to mold and teach. He had already come to realize whatever had happened to her was somewhat sensitive to her; but he also hoped she realized his reasons for asking were strictly wholesome.

 

[The Doctor]

It was the pause in his step that wiped all expression from The Doctor's face, smile giving way to a steely gaze that began to bore into her eyes. He was waiting for a name, but she had forsaken it months ago, it was beneath her now, it had been ever since she had discovered her purpose, when the Unification was birthed in her mind's eye. Not only that, Jareth was both smart and resourceful, he more than likely knew about a few goings on in the Order despite his status as an Exile...in fact, she began to wonder if the Jedi even knew he was exile yet, or if he had still managed to fool them after all this time. That point aside, if he knew her old name, he might full well know about what got her exiled, about...her...

*************

Spoiler: Jedi!Doctor

The Medical Bay was always awash in the familiar white glow, Aleera's predecessor had said that it loaned the place a certain air of tranquility, befitting that of the Jedi Order. She couldn't help but agree, she always felt swimmingly calm and content in here, away from the battles and carnage, it was important to her to savour every moment considering that she never knew when she would be sent back out into the field again. It was a good place to think too, especially during times of personal crisis like now. She had recieved the news not too long ago: Jarrus Berithiaan had left the Order, turned on his comrades and slaughtered his team, dragging one of them away with him to be converted along with him. Her heart ached and whined at the thought of what he would do to that poor girl, and what his friends must have thought as he turned the blade on them...and he wouldn't have done that if she hadn't saved him. Jarrus was reckless, on the young Shi'ido's table more than most looking to get patched up and back into the fight, and every single time, she had told him the same things: A jedi doesn't seek out blood, we do not enjoy death and carnage, we do not act without thinking. He never listened of course, but initially it was more charming than anything, he always had that air of rogue-ish charm around him that made her think him a maverick more than anything else.
The weeks leading up to his fall had seen a different turn though, he had become more exasperated than anything else, irritable, brutish, even predatory in some cases. She spotted him many times when his team had visited, he looked at her with a certain...hunger, but she had tried to push those thoughts away in the hope she was wrong. Now they were gone, two more young souls unprepared for war dragged into a grinder and sent into the abyss. It was a horrifying thought, the idea of the Dark Side being so corrupting and corrosive that even the most dedicated of jedi could fall prey, anger, fears, aggressive behaviors...even lusts.
Master Dufraisne? A small voice called out, Aleera turning with a beaming smile toward her most recent patient. Teyhana had been caught in the Jaws of an explosion a week ago, but thankfully the damage was fixable, the problem was her mind, it took time for her brain's neural pathways to fully rebuild themselves so she has to be watched 24/7 to make sure she does not do anything stupid. Aleera strode over to the young Corellian, a sly grin on her face as she laid a hand on her cheek, the other coming up with a small light to check over her eyes. Her coordination was slowly returning, and the brain was starting to process more complex stimuli faster, as evidenced by the reaction of the light in her eye, a lessening reaction of the pupils indicating that she's using the force to keep her eyes from getting blinded by it.
Hmm...someone has been eating something they shouldn't She muttered grimly, holding out her hand as the young knight, much to her embarrassment and Aleera's wide eyed horror, opened her mouth and handed her a small punctured pack of bacta. Quickly, she grabbed a small hose and held the patient's mouth open, spraying it out before giving her a gentle slap on the shoulder. Really Tey? Bacta!? You know that's not meant to be eaten! She said, looking at the pack again and covering her mouth in utter shame. She had turned her back for ten seconds, ten! This girl could not be trusted to do anything whilst she had her back turned, though thankfully she had a solution to this. She opened a small cabinet and took out a muzzle, commonly designed for deranged patients and rabid screamers and ordered the knight to open her mouth, with the knight obeying without hesitation, as she did with every command. Aleera slipped it into her mouth and locked it around her jaw, keeping any 'food' from her gullet and also keeping her from biting her tongue. Crisis averted, she looked into Teyhana's eyes and pointed right at her, a firm look on her face. I have told you many times, do not eat this equipment, and you do not listen...you know this is for your own good knight, and you know that don't you?
In response, the knight simply nodded sadly and went back to her bed, wrapping the sheets around her tightly and trying her best to sleep. Aleera was about to get back to work when something flickered in the corner of her eye, her head jerking toward the door. As if anticipating that, whatever was there had alread moved, but Aleera was a quickfooted lass, and she got to the door just in time to see a small set of blue brown robes disappear around the corner. No doubt about it, it was Jarrus' friend, Beor, one of his few friends still alive after his untimely massacre, and that was only because he was in a different team. She had aught him sneaking in here twice now for some reason, and both times he had just been standing there not bothering to hide as if he...was...transfixed...
Her eyes wandered back to the muzzled patient, and the the thoughts began to enter her head again...but this time she wouldn't let them happen...Teyhana was under her care, she was hers...

Her saber pike and surgical laser were in her hand as she stepped out of the bay...

*************

If he knew, she believed he might not understand, he might decide to put an end to this once and for all before it even began, and all of this would have been for nothing. She wouldn't blame him, it was a sordid and rather disturbing tale: Jedi Healer grows possessive of mentally diminished patient, kills their admirers and tries to lobotomize her when she's rejected in a moment of utter obssession, before being defeated by said patient and cast out. On the opposite end of that spectrum though, telling him nothing would only leave him with little to use to train her, and the very reason she came here was to become the being she needed to be to bring about her vision, not to mention that giving him nothing would only stoke the fire of his suspicions, and she wanted there to be no tension or awkwardness between them, not if this was to work.
Completely unaware that the entire time, her face had run the gamut from scared, to angry, all the way to the edge of hysteria in her deep thought, she finally settled on her usual calm exterior, but this time with a steely edge to it. She leaned in close, her fists balled with tightly contained anger ans shaking with barely contained fear, almost afraid to say it, as if the words would cause her to burst into flames. "Understand that I only ever want to hear this name once, I've moved on from it, it is no longer my name, I am The Doctor, that is who I choose to be, ok Master Sharl?" She asked, completely monotone, save for a small sprinkling of barely concealed hatred for towards the topic. She took a deep breath, knowing that if he knew this story from the jedi temple archive, the name would spark it back into his memories. "...Aleera Dusfraine"

 

[Jareth Sharl]

Not to his surprise; it seemed that his asking after her name sparked some sort of emotional response in the woman that was here as his guest. His own eyes fell on her, looking over her carefully as he mapped out the string of emotions that played out before him. Anger, fear, several different things all played out at once and he had a hard time identifying where they came from or what caused them. She hadn't spoken a word for several long moments. Jareth was silent, taking a sip of his wine or a bite of his meal as he listened quietly to the silence that filled the room. His posture, his poise didn't shift or break in the anticipation. He just waited for it to come as he knew it would. And come it did. After a moment or two, she was shaking herself back from her internal musings and leaning forward once more; making it painfully clear that she wanted only to be known as The Doctor. There was no other name as far as she was concerned. When she spoke to ask if he understood, he simply nodded curtly. "Of course." He smiled agreeably. And then came the truth of it all. Aleera Dusfraine. Now, Jareth hadn't by any means known every Jedi in the order during his time there. On the contrary, he had known only a select few Jedi well; and there were so many stories of fallen Jedi, defeated Jedi, War Heroes... the stories were impossible to really keep track of. But as much attention to detail that Jareth did pay, he had caught quite a few stories; and the name did ring a bell, even if it was a limited recollection he had on the matter.

He didn't know her story, and made a note of her name to himself to be sure to retrieve the information at a later time and to learn what he could about her... for academic purposes of course.

"Hmmm.." Finally his own internal musings ended and he nodded with a smile; looking back up at her careful not to repeat the name she seemed to so despise. "Well then, Doctor..." Jareth repeated; keeping his eyes on her for a moment longer. "What exactly brings you to my front door for training?" He asked, expecting her to take the question as more than just a simple answer. He didn't want to know what she wanted to learn. He wanted to know why she needed to learn it, why she wanted to learn the skills she was seeking to learn. It didn't matter if she wanted to learn to influence people, or to wield a lightsaber; what mattered to him was the why. With that, he could understand what would reach her heart, what illustrations would speak to her most, how she should best utilize what he taught her. Yes, some of it she would have to learn on her own accord; this was true. But all of that would be possible once the key to her training was unlocked. He leaned forward and rephrased the question to make it clear what he wanted out of it. "What gives you the desire to learn these things?" He asked, tilting his head.

 

[The Doctor]

He was kind enough to understand her feelings on the name situation, or at least, acknowledge it. Funnily enough, he didn't appear so show any sign of recognition beyond a slight turn off to her left, as if recalling a distant memory. He must have heard the name in passing, and if there was any more to it than that, he was good at keeping it hidden. She wasn't about to touch him with the force any time soon, so for now all she could do was read him and try her hand at arts she had only begun half a year ago. When he jerked back to reality, his demeanor remained unchanged beyond a simple smile and recognition of her request, which she followed with a grateful smile and a small nod.
"Thank you Master Sharl" She said, raising a glass to him before downing the last of her wine, briefly letting her manners slip her mind as she practically chugged the 3/4 full glass into her gullet - memories cut deeper than swords for her. Now that dinner was underway, and the pleasantries and introductions had been made, it was time for the more important matters, as evidenced by Jareth's follow-up question. Of course, the question carried many implications with it, all of which she knew he was aware of and expected to hear an answer to. Her mind unwillingly fell back into the past again, to those days after being exiled, wandering about the galaxy, aimless and angry and screaming at the stars about how the force had taken everything for her. The mere thought of all her research having been destroyed, like every other time, made her grow cold again, her eyes turning chilled blue at the cavalcade of emotion and distant voices echoing through time to her preset self, images of papers being burned and Tey...Tey with the lightsaber to Aleera's throat.
It was a dark time for her, until that fateful night. She had spent her final credits drinking her woes away, only to fall into the same drunken stupor her memories were going to as well. The vision came to her in her dreams as she slept in an ally hovel outside a bar for the hundredth time...and it was beautiful. All the worlds in all the universe, happy, purified, safe in comfort and wealth Families torn apart came together again, criminals renouncing their ways and turning their minds towards helping their people and planets. Wastelands and war torn worlds rebuilt, shining skies of yellow and orange with flecks of purple painted through it, ecosystems rebuilt. Jedi and Exile coming together again after being shown the way, the darkness and the light converging...unifying. At the centre of it all, she stood, a piece of her mind resting in all minds, with a slave in tow, a small sacrifice to pay for everlasting peace and happiness.
The Unification had shown her the way, and that was why she was here now, for she needed to be the pinnacle of what she could be if she were to even begin to figure out how to do that. She looked at Master Sharl, smiling contentedly before speaking. "I had a dream one night, a vision granted to me by the force after my exile...I saw everything, the universe as a whole, healing every wound, big or small, people torn apart by petty issues and grievances coming together again, civillians, families, lawmen and criminals...Jedi and Exile, brought together in perfect harmony, finally seeing the light and the dark for what they were, two halfs of the same whole, both leading the way toward a new future for all. They all banded together to heal and spread and be happy and content, I saw planets devastated by war and disease cured, entire ecosystems rebuilt and allowed to flourish, extinct species brought back from death, plants revived...it was beautiful...I have a part to play in that, and I sense that it lies here somewhere, I just don't know where. Whatever my role is, I'm far from ready, I need to learn to defend myself, to harness the force in ways not thought possible, I need to be the best that I can be...and I believe you can help me become that, and I know what you may say, this vision can't be possible, that kind of grand scale event is the least likely thing in the galaxy, and may be right, but a future like that...I have to try for it"

 

[Jareth Sharl]

His question only hung in the air for a few short moments while she seemed to consider just what it was he was asking. Yes; it was clear that she did. That she understood he wanted more than just a surface answer to that question. It also seemed that she knew very well that his reasons behind asking such a serious question were indeed for her benefit; as she showed no reservation about blocking him out. Rather she was deciding for herself exactly how to answer the question, where the answer of the question lie and how she could bring it out in conversation like this. Jareth was leaning forward when she again began to speak; giving him a detailed explanation about what it was she believed to be possible and what she hoped to see happen in the future... in her own lifetime. The Jedi and Exiles, people on a small scale and large alike, the Galaxy and individual worlds... all of it brought back together. Worlds healed, the Galaxy for once in it's long history being at peace. The Jedi and the Exiles as equals. It was eerily similar to his own belief albeit on a far grander scale. Perhaps that was just how she thought? Or... perhaps this was some kind of message... that he was not the only one who thought this way. That there were others out there who were willing to find a balance in the force, in the universe, and to bring it to bear on the galaxy.

This elegantly lead into her motives... her desire to learn being a way for her to protect herself and preserve her dream until it can come to fruition. This of course meant that she would do what she could in order to train herself... including coming to one of the most advanced practitioners of Makashi for training and wisdom. Jareth personally would love to see a dream like this; one the almost shared, come to be a reality. So when she guessed that he might not agree with it, Jareth laughed a little and shook his head emphatically. "Oh no my dear, You couldn't be more wrong." Jareth began, sitting back gently and comfortably into his tall chair once more. "I myself belief as you do..." He admitted. "It baffles me that neither of them see the flaws within themselves, and despise the positive qualities of the opposite force. The Jedi hate the Exile's passion... which is a strong motivating force. The Exiles hate the Jedi wisdom and discipline; which in turn create strong minded individuals. I prefer to believe the only way either side will survive is if they discover the truth, the balance of knowledge and power that lies in the middle." Jareth explained; only scratching the surface of his own philosophy on the matter. There was a lot more he had to say one the subject of course, but now certainly wasn't the time for them to argue their beliefs on the force... even if it certainly seemed like they had a lot in common in that area.

Rather; right at this moment Jareth had now discovered what he believed to be the information that would allow him to motivate her. And through that motivation; she would be her own driving force to learn. Her desire to learn wasn't a selfish one like it was with many other Exiles... and so beating her over the head; as so many do, would not suffice in teaching her. Rather, he simply needed to cater to her desire to learn and to achieve their common goal; and she would do the rest naturally. If he asked her to complete a thousand exercises; she would do it for that dream. If he had her copy a thousand texts, again she would do it. It was the beauty of motivation. That being said; motivation was not in itself enough to teach a student. The teacher had to know how to apply the motivation to the study. Reading the same lesson on a page a thousand times wouldn't be beneficial by itself, unless the master could explain to the student why they needed that information. These were Jareth's personal favorite kind of student; because that was exactly the teaching style he favored. A good teacher could teach with any teaching style to over come any obstacle, this was true. But every teacher, good or bad, had a teaching style. A way to reach the hearts of their students. While the Exiles preferred to beat the lessons into their students, and the Jedi to preach them to death; Jareth preferred a method of helping the student to find the answers they wanted to know. It was far more satisfactory to the teacher and to the student in the long run...

With a smile on his features still, Jareth nodded. "This will be a good partnership... I think you will learn well from my methods. You will fit in well..." He nodded, continuing on with his meal once more. Soon... they would begin their first lesson.

 

[The Doctor]

The response she expected was not the one she recieved, instead a feeling of oncoming annoyance and resignation was washed away, replaced with confidence, hope. Not only did he believe in her vision, he had a similar view, his endgame was the same, and delivering this all with a beaming smile, The Doctor believed she had finally found her footing, all the better to climb with. She couldn't help but wonder if the force was pushing the two together for some purpose, some grander design unknown to them...then again, plans often go awry when they clash with another's. Her mind fell back into the sea of thought that had consumed her these past weeks since the Unification became known to her, the endless research and information she grabbed and snatched from any passing conversation, cheap spy, and pot luck encounter. She had heard small whispers of another, an 'Exile' lurking in the shadows that also sought to unite the 'exiles' toward her own ends, one who was just as subtle, crafty, sufficient and powerful as herself.
She knew the former healer from her time in the Jedi, but Rhea was nowhere to be seen as of late, lending more credence to the vague rumors surrounding her. The Doctor knew how big a threat she could become, especially if allowed to gather powerful enough followers and see her own vision through. It wouldn't be too long before attention fell on this sect of her own, and Jareth's influence could only stave off undesirables for so long before they would need to reveal themselves and fight for the right to stand together and lead the galaxy to a better future...she needed to be ready.
Her eyes fell back on Jareth at his words of finding the middle ground between the Light and Dark, a Grey area that philosophy could converge in. It was true, the Jedi were far too rigid in their teachings, but similarly, the 'exiles' were far too harsh and disorganized in their training too, One needed to find the right balance of structure, flexibility, perception, and will if one was to train a force user without a significant chance of their teachings being wasted. She smiled knowingly at the accurate description, remembering more than a few jedi whom had gotten into spats with young knights they had taken under their wing, resulting in a few broken bones or bruised egos. Like her, Jareth agreed that this partnership could be highly beneficial to the two, and as much as she had reservations about what might go wrong, she allowed herself this moment of hope for the future.
"I believe that together, with enough strong, loyal, and unified followers, we could truly do this...I look forward to learning under you Master" She said, letting the last word hang a little in the air - she may not be a Jedi anymore, but one should always respect the Master-Apprentice chain. Now came the embarrassing part, and these next words were uttered with no small amount of irrepressible shame. "There is one slight caveat though...I have no saber...one of the catalysts that drew me here occured a few weeks ago on Nar Shadda, I had ventured there to gain more knowledge for my research, but I was ambushed by a Wookie hunter, he...ugh, he beat me like I was a small youngling that had never held a Lightsaber before, and he took it, presumably for the bounty"

 

[Jareth Sharl]

It seemed that he had truly impressed her with his own philosophy; and had won her over to his side with little effort. All that remained after that was the actual training that had yet to commence; and was the actual reason for her being here with him at the moment. Jareth had a good feeling that the training would be promising in itself as well, and that she would be an easy student to teach; her willingness to learn complimented his own teaching methods, which would make this easier on the both of them. If there had been any question about this, or any apprehension before now; it was certainly washed out now by the promise of successful training and the creation of a group of like minded people to work together towards a common goal that the two of them shared...

That didn't mean though, that there wouldn't be any hiccups along the way as Jareth was soon finding out. The Doctor spoke to explain the first of many speed bumps that would get in their way. Namely; that she had recently lost her lightsaber to a Wookie hunter of some kind. Jareth sighed heavily; not at her loss of a lightsaber, but at the incompetence of the world in which they lived in right now. The stupidity of the Hunters and Hutts who had placed such a bounty on the Force Users of this generation. It would be a great annoyance for his own plans; this he had already predicted. Granted Jareth was not the kind of person to reveal he was a force user to everyone who passed by anyway; but it would make it harder for him to operate once he got things moving properly. Eventually... he would have to do away with this bounty. He would prove to the Hutts that this little bounty they had was unsustainable...

Saying nothing on the matter though he looked back to her and smiled kindly. "Fortunately for us, the philosophies of Makashi are still teachable without a live blade." He explained, wiping his mouth with his napkin before setting it in his empty plate; waiting to make sure she had finished her own meal as well. Once she was finished, he would be ready to begin the training that he had promised to her; but he wouldn't rush her either.

 

[The Doctor]

Considering the trip here, The Doctor was in a particularly foul mood and whenever she had afoul mod, she always compensated via stress eating, a benefit that was not unappreciated given she could do it without worrying about weight (the merits of skin changing). Within minutes of Jareth's understanding comment over how the training could still go on, she was finished every dish, letting out a rather loud burp which only provoked a blush from her.
"Eep! Sorry, beg your pardon" She said quickly before rising to her feet. With dinner over, and their conversation at a standstill for now, her mind came to ask some questions about her benefactor. Just why had he so readily agreed to train her? That had bothered her the whole trip, and after what she had learned concerning Odric and his views, she was still quite clueless, though a map of this man was beginning to form in her mind. A man with similar views offers to train her, his personality implies he has already planned the training out to some degree, his meticulous mesures to ensure she has a good first impression, his talk of having trained Odric and asking after him, keeping an eye out... "I'm sorry if this seems to be presumptuous,I don't mean to accuse or pry, you've been nothing but kind and civil to me, but it seems to me like a man such as yourself doesn't train others and go to all this effort simply for his own amusement...what you teach me benefits you in some way doesn't it? Moves forward some kind of plan you have in motion, and don't say you don't have one...man like you, with all we just discussed, and with how meticulous you are in your approach to people and your sense of decoration...you're a man with a plan, a plan that would see this vision come to light...am I right?"

 

[Jareth Sharl]

Jareth had said nothing to prompt her to hurry her meal; allowing her to enjoy the delicacies he had provided. He was gradually more and more surprised the more she continued to devour, though he reasoned he probably shouldn't have been surprised. The form he had only briefly witnessed was quite different than this more human one that she currently projected; and he imagined that as such her biology was actually considerably different than his own. He had come to accept that he knew very little about her race; and had previously admitted as much moments before when he had explained he didn't know precisely what to fix her for this dinner. It was the Doctor who broke the silence when she was apologizing for her un-ladylike behavior; causing Jareth a smirk for a moment. "Its not a question of what to serve, it's a question of how much..." Jareth observed with a smirk; the look on his features as if he was making a note for next time.

Quick witted as he had expected her to be, the Doctor was asking him another question now. Better than that, she was covering all the angles, leaving no room for him to sneak around the question. She was very meticulous in her own right. She had surmised already that he was making some kind of an attempt to move his plans forward, and made sure he knew she was aware of it. Jareth's expression wasn't a combative one. Just a knowing grin that let her know he had heard her and acknowledged what she was saying. Jareth's own goal in this was to create allies. At the very start it would simply be because she would end up owing him a favor and he would gain some influence with her. But after he had heard how similar their own beliefs were, he couldn't help but wonder if their alliance could be more than that. If together they could prove to accomplish their dreams as they had laid them out for the other.

He pushed himself up from the chair, and then put the chair back in it's proper place in front of the table, gesturing for her to come with him into the next hall way. "Very perceptive." Jareth complimented, leading her into one of the halls; this one being the wing of the estate that held the quarters and guest rooms. "One needs a foundation to build a structure of any kind. Similarly, if I want this dream of mine to become reality, it needs a foundation no?" Jareth asked, walking at a pace that was a casual stroll along side his guest. "That requires allies, friends, resources- " He interrupted himself. "-You can take your pick of these rooms by the way." He smiled, gesturing to the guest rooms. "At any rate... it is rare to find someone with such a similar mind set. Since you leave no room for funny business, I would quite like it if you were to join my cause." Jareth admitted, though in such a casual manner that it didn't even sound like a proposition; just a statement. "Whether you do so or not is entirely up to you... but I pose this question; how likely do you think it is that two like minded individuals such as ourselves simply happen to meet and share our secret goals with the other?" He asked, tilting his head as they walked.

He shrugged.

By this point, they could see another room coming up before them. This was in stark contrast though to the dining hall they had just come from. Instead of grey and dark walls like most of the estate, the room was a pale wooden color; almost like some kind of a training dojo. Relics, artifacts, and books lined different shelves; and a display of various weapons; both real and practice, was neatly set into one wall. Jareth's arms raised to either side of his body so as to encompass the entirety of the room; quite proud of the personal training room he had created. The ceiling was tall, allowing for a balcony of sorts to be stationed above the training room, in which one could watch the practice duels from. Another window could open to the outside of the estate, to overlook the gardens in the back, allowing natural light to fill the room during the day, the artificial lights only being needed for the evening periods. "You have free roam of my estate and my grounds, and you can train in here whenever you please." Jareth explained, unclasping his cape from his shoulders to drape it over a dummy's head while he moved to one of the shelves; clearly looking for specific books...

 

[The Doctor]

She had to hand it to him, for every word that the Doctor sparred with, he seemed to have something equal to parry. As she stood to continue on, he was all too glad to reveal a glimpse of his designs upon this world, perhaps even beyond. He too meant to bring this vision to pass, though in the back of her mind, The Doctor couldn't help but wonder if the methodology would eventually set the two apart - he was Exile, but she knew that he had willingly separated from his Jedi brethren, possibly without them even knowing, he certainly held himself to a fair standard. Regardless of that, The Doctor could feel it in her glands that this would be quite the prosperous relationship for, at least, the foreseeable future, and that the foundation they build together will serve well in years to come.

For now though, she had to focus on simply not dying, and there was a lot to do before she could begin to set her plans in motion and start building her web. Jareth led her into some kind of training room, not unlike the training facilities on Jedha, with the soft matted wood paneled floors and walls lined with weaponry of all kinds. She started to wander, nodding absent mindedly at his words, though still listening whilst she appraised the weapons hung like trophies on the left wall. The Doctor found herself drawn to one blade in particular: a small vibroblade about the length of her leg, waist down, gleaming in the slivers of dying sunlight that spilled through a window. She ran her finger up the edge slowly, drawing her own viscous purple blood, and touched the tip tenderly, a thumb coming up and beginning to caress the blade itself. The Doctor was transfixed, almost hypnotized at the the gleam, the shine, it was a weapon, yes, but it's design fell more in line with a piece of art for her. She smiled contently at the sight, grabbing the scabbard and sheathing it with a satisfying *shink*.
"I think I found my current weapon for the moment" She said with a smirk, holding it up. "Where did you get this?"

 

[Jareth Sharl]

Jareth had let his fingers glide their way across the titles of the different texts that were neatly lined on the shelves before him, looking for a couple of them in particular. Texts that he had either copied or stolen from the Jedi before he had left that dealt with information about the philosophies of the force, the different lightsaber forms. He had a fairly extensive; and yet always expanding, library in this room. Eventually he found his target, a book dealing with the specifics of lightsaber combat... the Jedi order had so many copies of these texts that Jareth doubted they would miss a copy or two. They probably didn't even notice they were gone through all the turmoil they were dealing with at the moment. He plucked them from the shelf and stacked them on a desk, marking specific sections that he would want her to study in her down time.

His attention was diverted from his work when she spoke up and asked him about one blade in particular. It was newer and less worn than some of the weapons in his collection; and thus she asked where it had come from; to which Jareth smiled with a nod. "That particular vibroblade is a ceremonial blade; still deadly yes, but not typically drawn for battle. I had it specifically designed when I took headship of House Sharl." Jareth explained, before he closed the books again; the tassel bookmarks still hanging from the pages he had selected. "You have access to the entirety of my library, but I specifically want you to look at the highlighted sections of these two books." Jareth explained, setting them aside so the Doctor could take them at her leisure. He made no argument to her taking the blade for the time being. It was only a temporary edition to her inventory, as she would soon no longer have any need for it once they went about giving her a new weapon. But for the purposes of training and keeping herself alive for the duration of any adventures they may be subjected to while she was here with him; it was wise for her to arm herself with some weapon or another. And it was as good a weapon as any of the others in his collection.

Jareth again stood to his full height and nodded. "Take what you need, prepare yourself, study hard. Your first lesson will begin in the morning." He explained, giving her a formal and respectful bow as his cape lifted back up from the dummy and flung itself around his shoulders again. He had every confidence she would excel at her training with flying colors; and she already knew so much about the force, so there would be plenty for him to work with and mold. By this point it was only a matter of time and patience which he was certain the both of them did have.

 

[The Doctor]

The Doctor spent a little more time dreamily dragging her feet across the room, her eyes fixed on several weapons for minutes at a time as she let her mind put them to good use on her imagined enemies. Every blade in here was beautiful in some form or another, different designs and cultures permeated every pore of this dojo like a big melting pot, each with a story to tell - some of honour, some of carnage, some of both. It was only after Jareth had given a bow and waltzed away into the house that she was snapped back to reality, and at that point, everything hit her like a water balloon on her head.

This was it...this was The First Step to her ascendancy, to the Unification. The vision that had directed her entered her mind anew, more vivid than it had first been, not as clouded and filled with a little more color. The tapestry of fate had given her a path, one that she was in no obligation to take, but with everything she wants as the prize at the end, it was hard not to start walking. Of course, there was the chance that she could fall before everything, the price of this path could be everything she had now...it was a price worth paying for a galaxy at peace though. The mere thought alone sent a cool down her spine, images of success and failure blurring around her in taunting and reassuring circles. Either way, after all she had lost to the war and the Jedi, this was all she had left anymore.

The Doctor wrapped the sword belt around her waist and she plucked the books from their perch on the desk before she turned toward the hallway, taking one aside glance back out the window at the sun setting, splattering the sky with brush strokes of purples and oranges. The light gleamed in her pure blue eyes and accentuated the small smile on her face.

"There's a new day coming..."

TO BE CONTINUED**​