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[Maura Starwalk]

Previously...​

"So, I've never really done orientation stuff before sooo fair warning, I'm wingin' it."

Ezra's movers had gotten his stuff put into his room, and the others had finally dispersed. While classes were cancelled because of the commotion, everyone still had other commitments or training sessions to attend. So maybe as much as some of them wanted to, eventually even Ezra's roommate had to go, leaving him, Maura, and the one or two remaining movers still shuffling boxes about the room. Being his orientation person, her schedule for today was essentially just hanging out and showing him around. Which was, of course, totally fine with her. Anything to stay out of those awful, boring meditation classes.

"This is everything, right? No more boxes?" She'd probably seen the movers come and go three times now, each bringing back more and more stuff upon their return. She'd never thought that anyone could need so many clothes before, and her t-shirt collection was pretty decently-sized. She was definitely going to stop listening to anyone who told her she had too much stuff after witnessing this.

But, Maura noted to herself, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The Jedi weren't huge on material attachments and stuff, but she would be far from upset if this was a sign they were letting up on that a bit.

tag: @Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra was checking the labels on all his boxes. He was doing several rounds around them, making sure every last one was accounted for. If Maura looked, she would notice he had a color coded spreadsheet pulled up on his datapad. The boxes were all arranged accordingly. He bristled a bit at her question.

“I’m told I can’t house my vehicles inside the temple,” He said moodily. He had at least three speeder bikes and one speeder that he wanted accessible at all times, “And who is going to be my personal attendant?” Ezra asked, looking around. If one of his droids couldn’t do it, surely a live person would.

He was almost dreading the tour through the cafeteria. He knew it wouldn’t be anywhere near the cultural cuisines he was used to. He half expected them to only serve bland salad. Did Jedi even eat meat? He really should have done more research…

“Let’s keep the tour going,” He said at last, finally giving up on the boxes for now. He wanted to see the rest of the temple and scope out the kinds of ‘classes’ that were taught here, “What extracurricular activities are there? Do they play sports and have a team?”

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

"Personal attendant?" Maura snorted. "Yeah, they'll bring one over tomorrow. We hire only the best with our extensive budget for hired help."

The padawan pushed her palms against the seat of the chair she was on and launched herself forward onto her feet just after Ezra declared his desire to start the tour. "Where to first?" She couldn't decide if it would be better to start close and end far, or vice versa. "Or maybe I should just take a loop around the temple?" Though if they started with the lesson halls, they'd end up by the cafeteria around lunch...

She started to walk out of the room and into the hall as Ezra piped up with question one of maybe-many."Here?" She knew some temples had their own teams and would sometimes play against each other, but she wasn't exactly sure what Ithor had off the top of her head, other than huttball. "I'm not totally sure. I know they at least have a huttball team 'cause they came over to Yavin once to play us, but stuff like that varies temple to temple," she explained, half talking out of her ass. "But there are totally extracurricular activities! I used to do skimboard races back on Yavin before I started traveling a bunch."

They rounded a corner and entered the academic wing, and Maura stopped in front of a tacky cork board with all sorts of listings for various clubs or other things. If he wanted to see what was available, voilà.

"So what made you want to be a Jedi?" she prompted, turning to look at him. "You seemed to have met a buncha padawans already!"

tag: @Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

“Oh, excellent, I trust they will be set up with adequate quarters,” Ezra said in response. Her sarcasm went clear over his head. He genuinely believed he had an assistant coming the next day.

He followed her around, listening to her mention skimboarding, “I’ve done snowboarding,” Ezra explained, “Is it similar?” Skimboarding was something he never got around to trying. Probably because it was something poor kids did. However, he couldn’t deny that it looked fun, so he would try it at least once.

Ezra paused when she asked the Jedi question. He got it a lot, and he was never quite sure how to answer. He shrugged, “Figure they’re less loony than the Sith and I have to figure out this whole Force thing,” There was little more to it than that. This was perhaps the most chatty he had been in a while, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Dash’s grand welcome had put him in a better mood.

“Yeah..Jedi are like cockroaches. They show up anywhere I go,” He said dryly as he looked at the list of activities, “How is Huttball legal here? I thought Jedi didn’t endorse violence,” Huttball consisted of weapons and explosions, and it often led to death. It was banned in most civilized parts of the galaxy.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

"I've never gone snowboarding before," Maura noted. "So I'm not sure, even though there's no friction involved, it might be similar?" One of the biggest struggles she'd seen people have was learning to constantly be aware of and adjust according to their center of gravity. Since the normal force keeping them on the board was a lot more finicky than solid ground, it could be difficult for anyone with shitty balance. "It's easier if you have a really good sense of balance," she decided. Her eyes lit up as an idea appeared. "If you wanna try it out, mine's in my room! I can grab it after the tour!"

Maura went to comment on his barebones response to her question, but his own about the legality of HuttBall switched her back onto that topic. "Ah, yeah, I guess it's more like... HuttBall-lite," she answered. Obviously, there were no deadly weapons and definitely no explosions. "I think it's like a fine line between being training- " Maura made quotation gestures with her fingers. "- and a game."

So was it really HuttBall? ...no, but it was as close as the padawans would get to one. "You'll see. Anyway, this board won't move, so let's continue!"

Maura immediately started down the hallway, moving at a quick pace that would be easy for him to follow with his long legs, but still quite energetic. It would become more and more obvious over the course of the orientation that Maura did not like to sit - or stand - still.

"So this is the beginning of the lessons halls," Maura began again. "A lot of the younger or new Jedi take their classes here. You'll probably have classes with other new Jedi, 'less you've already done school." A looked of disgust masked with false enthusiasm washed over her face. "The meditation and general training classes are held further down this hall. Everyone has to take meditation classes, but if you're lucky and have a master you might not have to take general training classes. Speaking of-" The teen spun around and began walking backward to face the part-Sephi as she spoke. "Do you have a master yet?"

She felt like that was probably in the orientation file she'd been sent, but she hated reading so she'd barely skimmed through it.

tag: @Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

“Meditation?” Ezra asked, bristling a bit, “My Pops does that nonstop,” He muttered quietly. Emryc could meditate for literal days at a time. It was such a bizarre thing he did and dad always gave dodgy answers. ‘It’s to find tranquility and center himself’. What the hell kind of answer was that? Ezra’s musings took him by some of the other classrooms, “I won’t have any classes in the daycare, will I?” He asked, concerned as he looked at some of the youngling classes. New padawan or not, that was just outright embarrassing.

“Yeah, Zathria,” He said simply as he kept looking around. Ezra figured everyone had a Master. And a lightsaber. He was jealous of everyone because he still only just had the kyber crystal that hung around his neck.

“I want to try skimboarding,” Ezra said abruptly. He liked trying new sports and skimboarding, although for poor people, looked entertaining. There was another thought nagging at the back of his mind for a while. He slowed his walk slightly, glancing around them and then looking back at Maura with those very piercing eyes that saw right through your soul, “Do you like it? Being a Jedi?”

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

"Well, maybe you'll be a natural then." Maura commented offhand. Emryc Thorne meditated? She couldn't decide if that made sense or didn't make any sense at all, but she supposed it was something non-Force-sensitives might do. "Uhhh I dunno. I doubt it. Ask your master." Maura thought it'd be kind of embarrassing to get put in a youngling class, but she doubted he would have to sit with a bunch of kids even if he did get put in a beginner class. "Most Jedi join around our age, so you'll probablyyy be fine?" She knew a lot of Jedi who'd grown up in the temple, but even more joined later on. Classes were mostly based on skill level and experience, but you couldn't teach a kid the same way you taught a teen, so she was pretty sure they avoided large age gaps when assigning classes.

He wanted to skimboard? Now? "Are you sure?" Wait, why would she even ask that? She would much rather break out her board than walk him around the temple! "Fuck it then, let's go!"

Maura sidestepped Ezra and began walking in the opposite direction they were going, leading him back toward the dorms. There was a slight falter in her step as his question reached her ears, and she was quiet for a few seconds while she pondered the question.

Did she like being a Jedi? The answer came without too much thought. "Yes." At the end of the day, she wanted to help people. She liked making a difference. But did she like everything about being a Jedi? "But it's hard, and sometimes it sucks." Her life in general had never been hard after joining the temple, not really, but there were things she'd faced that would top anything she would've experienced even if she was still on the streets. How many life-or-death situations had she been in before she'd even turned sixteen?

She glanced back at Ezra, her large, black eyes meeting his silver gaze, an almost challenging glint in the featureless void. "You have to find something to keep you going, or you won't make it. Something bigger than yourself." If he was only here to figure out how to use the Force, and only here because the Sith were 'loony', she didn't think he would stick around for too long. Hopefully though, like she had, he would find that something.

"But, I like helping people, so for me it's ok!" Her tone switched from serious to casual, and she stopped in front of a plain door with colorful letters spelling out 'MAURA' sprawled across the surface. With a wave of her hand, she opened the door, revealing a surprisingly plain room with nothing but a few duffel bags half spilled out onto the floor. It looked like she'd just moved in, or just finished packing. Her skimboard was upside down against her desk, and she beckoned it over with a wave of her hand before turning to face Ezra again. She held it up, squinted at him, then nodded to herself.

"Yup, this will work." Her board was a longer variety so she could more easily manage dancing tricks, which conveniently meant it wouldn't be too small for the towering part-Sephi either. "Let's head out to the courtyard!"

Maura would march off in that direction, carrying the skimboard under her arm. Once they got there, she would probably just toss him into the water, so to speak. Even if he did fall off, the courtyard grass was pretty soft anyway.

tag: @Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

It was more her body language that spoke volumes than her words. Ezra watched her reaction to his question about being a Jedi, observant silver eyes studying her quietly. She had seen some things that she wished she hadn’t and there was a sense of regret that loomed above her. He had seen that look in himself when he had been ashamed of having the Force in the past. Did Ezra like helping people? Not really. He simply wanted to learn how to use the Force. How could he share that with anyone? That he didn’t feel this wild desire to assist strangers or be a hero? That he would absolutely leave someone else behind if it came down to him or them? Why was it so impossible to want self preservation?

He looked like he spaced out, which was common for him. He came back to it when she started walking again. Ezra followed her, looking around them. The grass looked soft, and at least it would cushion his fall. Whatever, he would be a pro at this. She made it look easy, so it had to be.

Ezra confidently stepped on the skimboard and kicked off.

Only to tip backwards, somehow manage a flip, and fall on his face on the ground. The skimboard spiraled out of control and knocked right into the ass of a Jedi Knight that was walking over to teach a lesson.

He was still spitting out a glob of dirt when he could hear the Knight walking over in a huff.

“Padawan Starwalk!” The man said sternly, “More is expected of you. You are to set an example for our newer recruits-”

“Oh cut the crap,” Ezra said as he peeled himself off the ground, wiping his face off, “I wanted to try it. Stardust had nothing to do with it,” He said icily.

The Knight was caught off guard, looking between the two Padawans, realizing that this was Emryc Thorne's famous child. After mouthing inaudibly a few times, he cleared his throat, “Keep your activities off campus grounds,” He said before he marched off.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

Maura couldn't help but burst out into laughter when Ezra immediately ate shit, and her amusement only doubled when the skimboard sped off to kick a passing knight right in his money maker. She was laughing too hard to respond to the knight, but she was largely unconcerned, especially when Ezra deadpanned an icy response to the knight.

"Some of these knights have massive sticks up their asses," she stated matter-of-factly, reaching out and using the Force to drag her runaway skimboard back over to the two of them. "We can go out and risk our lives for people, but skimboarding? In the courtyard? Way too reckless." She scrunched her face up at the knight's back as he walked away, then glanced sideways over at Ezra. He had dirt on his face. She grinned.

"You wanna try not to kiss dirt this time?" she asked as she tucked the board under her arm. She had Ezra with her, so she figured they might as well find some place a little more out of the way if he was still down to try it out. Since she was supposed to be a "good example" and all. Though, as she turned and began walking them some place a little more out of few, it would become a little more clear she wasn't actually asking him. She had to at least get him standing on the thing without eating shit. It was the bare minimum.

There was less space around the side of the temple, but it also tended to have a lower population of nosy knights. She waved at a couple of her peers as she approached, getting little waves back as they stared wide-eyed at Ezra behind her.

"Alright, so the board moves forward if you lean forward, and back if you lean back. So when you get on, try to like, not do either right away." She pointed to a spot at the front of the board, and one at the back. "Put your dominant foot in front here, and the other back here. Always keep your knees bent and your shoulders back."

Maura let the board down and stood next to it, looking at Ezra expectantly. "You can grab my shoulder if you think you're gonna fall," she offered.

tag: @Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra dusted himself off, still moody from the exchange. However, he recovered quickly enough, walking with her to a discreet area. He was used to people reacting to him, so he barely noticed, though it was likely all new for Maura having to deal with it. He was already disliking the amount of rules he had to follow - he was always used to getting what he wanted to a degree.

He attempted to get on the board again, imagining it more like a snowboard. He pictured himself on the slopes and tilted accordingly. His hands were out a bit, but he was slowly getting the hang of it, “Hey I think I’m-”

“IS THAT EZRA THORNE?” A girl somewhere screeched.

Ezra began to topple over, quickly grabbing a hold of Maura’s shoulder. Of course, Maura was a whopping 119 lbs and he was almost 200, so that went about as well as expected. Both were sent crashing to the floor, Ezra groaning a bit as he rolled off her and rubbed his head, “I’ll try this at midnight,” He declared sternly. He looked at the skimboard, “Where can I find an extra?” He asked. Surely there was a massive skimboard collection somewhere in the temple?

He dusted himself off yet again, getting to his feet. He hesitated initially, but he actually extended a hand to help Maura to her feet as well, “This temple stuff is boring. Take me somewhere I’m not supposed to go,” Ezra said flatly, the faintest grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

Maura watched as Ezra climbed onto the board. Her lips widened into a smile when he didn't immediately fall off, but it was wiped from her face the moment a shrill female screech assaulted their ears. Her ears flattened against her ear - partially from irritation - and then she was flattened against the ground as a spooked Ezra brought her right down with him. Ouch.

"Yeah, sounds like that would be a better idea," she murmured, her own voice laced with the sharp edge of irritation. Not at him, though. Maura accepted his hand and was pulled up just as the voice pierced the air again.

"OMG! IT IS! EZ- " "Don't be mean. Don't be mean. Don't be-" Actually, nevermind. This got on her nerves.

"Holy shit, it is!" Maura snapped back, turning to glare at whoever was acting like a fool. She gestured dramatically to Ezra with both of her hands in a wide swing. "You have eyes! Omg!"

Embarrassed, the girl grew red in the face and hurried off. Maura turned to Ezra. "I don't know how you deal with it," she said, a mixture of pity and lingering irritation on her features. But when the celebrity padawan suggested they go somewhere else, specifically somewhere he wasn't supposed to be, that frown was quickly wiped away. There was nothing Maura loved more than getting into places she wasn't supposed to be in.

"You asked the right person," she declared as she pulled a keycard from her pocket and danced it between her fingers. Being the Grandmaster's apprentice definitely came with some privileges. "Next stop on the tour: the Council chambers." Unless you were specifically being summoned there, it wasn't usually open for anyone to just walk in. The chambers themselves were located in the private wing, which had a few other cool places too

"Follow me."

tag: @Sreeya

 

[Ezra Thorne]

Ezra was actually amused with the way Maura handled the irritating girl that quickly scurried away, but not before she giving her a dirty look. That was going to cause some gossip and drama though Maura wasn’t the type to be fazed. He shrugged vaguely at her question as they walked, “It’s all I’ve known,” He muttered quietly, “It’s all because I look like my Pops. He has his own fan club,” Ezra said with distaste.

He quirked a brow as she victoriously pulled out a keycard to get them into the council chambers, “Why do you have that?” He blurted out, genuinely impressed and nosy. He followed her, glancing over his shoulder now and then.

There was a sense of excitement walking through these halls when they were clearly not supposed to. Everything was empty, and he could hear a pin drop.

“What does the council even do in here?” He asked, unfamiliar with all the nuances with the Jedi. He looked at all the seats around them, spotting one that looked extra goofy and made more for lounging than sitting. This had once belonged to Hannibal Grayza (@Mr. Teatime ), but of course he didn’t know that. Ezra walked over and plopped himself down in the seat, practically draping himself across it, “Oh I can get used to this,” He said with a grin. Ezra changed up his voice to be more baritone and serious.

"Padawan Starwalk, I grant you the title of Knight!"

@lizziie

 

[Maura Starwalk]

"Having the Grandmaster as my mentor comes with some privileges," she answered with a giggle, her lips tugging up into a grin. Considering all the extra responsibilities and expectations she felt she had, she felt fully entitled to being able to sneak into places like this.

"Have meetings, probably," Maura answered as she strode leisurely through the empty hall and into the council room. While Ezra claimed up into the late Hannibal's chair and settled in, her black eyes lingered on her master's chair, a sparkle in their inky void. One day she would sit right there. Maybe she didn't want to be exactly like her master anymore, but she certainly wanted to live up to her expectations.

"Thank you Master Thorne, I'll do my best!" Maura played along, straightening her shoulders and giving the other teen a solemn nod. Her lips broke back into a grin before long, and she couldn't help but express her thoughts about the matter.

"I can't wait 'til I'm a knight, for real," she began. "I'm gonna do my trials the old-fashioned way! And then, once I'm finally eighteen, I'll get to be a knight." There would still be some time between now and then, but every day she felt more and more ready. "And then I'll go on and sit in one of these chairs one day."

Her eyes circled the room, lingering on her master's seat again. "But that's a long ways off," she added. "I wish I could show you the council room on Yavin... you can almost feel the history in the air."

tag: @Sreeya