Post by Dee on Sept 8, 2010 2:24:00 GMT -5
Name: Jia Suutrar
Race: Mirialan
Age: 18
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 96 lbs.
Appearance:
(( Pic is not mine, no credit to me! Special thanks to Apillis for finding the pic for me and to lmr for adjusting the skin color! It's mostly for reference of her general features/body type. Clearly it's missing some important things like her tattoos, padawan braid, hair and eye color. That stuff all needs to be imagined. Sorry! Finding a pic of an actual Mirialan is hard. D: ))
Small and thin with very little noticeable muscle mass, it's clear to most that the girl is likely not capable of any impressive feats of strength, but looks as if she was built for speed, with a frame that allows for quick and flexible movements; not unusual for one of her species. She is fairly short for her age - in fact, she is fairly short in general - and is no stranger to being towered over by others. Her hair at first glance appears black but if the lighting is right and one is looking closely, it's revealed to be a shade of very dark purple. Though for years it was little more than a disheveled mess on her head, it now hangs down to a length just below her chin. She wears her padawan braid proudly, the outward sign of her ranking in the Order clearly standing out at the forefront.
Along the left side of her face is a row of small black triangle-shaped tattoos, which begins by the top corner of her cheek bone and curve around beneath her eye. This is her contribution to the Mirialan tradition of marking accomplishment through tattoos. These small triangles alternate between being drawn right side up and upsidedown, and stand out against the light green tone of her skin. Her eyes are a dark, deep shade of blue.
Her clothing can best be described as typical, the result of having been trained by a very traditional master for many years of her early life. She wears the usual robes of light shades of tans and browns that would immediately make one think 'Jedi', including well worn leather boots and a dark brown cloak. Her lightsaber hangs from a black leather belt which sits somewhat lopsided at her hip, as if it were not the perfect size for her waist. Even though she may have more freedom these days to vary her style of dress if she so chooses, taught habits are difficult to break, and so she rarely ever does.
Personality: Friendly and kind hearted, Jia is a girl who's easy to get along with. As a child she was timid and had her tough bouts with shyness but as she aged she mostly grew out of them, although there are times when those moments return. Usually in situations when she feels overwhelmed, uncomfortable, or nervous. Despite that occasional fall back, for the most part she's a very social person who enjoys being around others. A friendly smile is often found stuck on her expression, and her compassion and care for others is never in question. She is often very concerned about the people around her and takes the ideals of protecting them and their well-being very seriously. She has even been observed at times becoming quite impassioned at what she sees as extreme cases of injustice.
Jia is naturally gifted with extreme empathy, perhaps not unrelated to her also naturally strong connection to the Force through sensing what's around her. She's able to interpret and sometimes truly feel the emotions of others as if they were her own, to the point where they will begin to affect her whether she wants them to or not. Not only does she find herself affected by the emotions of others, she is often deeply driven by her own as well. As hard as she might try to not let her emotions take control of her or her actions, it is not uncommon for them to run away with her and she has always struggled to control them. She has attempted to overcome this perceived failing her entire life, as it directly conflicts with the Jedi teachings of emotional control.
She is dedicated to doing well, whether it's for others or for herself. As a result of having a master who for many years kept his relationship with her at arm's length and based solely on how well she did in her training, her desire to impress others through her successes is extreme. Which in turn, makes it difficult for her to handle when she fails at a task or makes mistakes - something she is no stranger to. Though she has confidence in the abilities she is talented in, the moment someone she respects looks on her with disappointment is enough to make that disappear and be replaced with shame and self consciousness.
She has a rather strong curiosity. One that much like her emotions, she has always had difficulty controlling. It often causes her to unintentionally stumble onto and into unfortunate situations, as she will act on that curiosity before fully thinking through the possible consequences of her actions. It has gotten her into trouble on several occasions, and frequently drives her masters to near insanity.
Birth place: Mirial
Faction: Jedi
Rank: Padawan
Bio: Jia remembers little of her early life before the Order. She remembers her mother, her father and a big brother. She remembers that things were difficult for her family. She only really understood that as she grew and looked back on the few unclear memories she had. She remembers the first time she saw a Jedi. She didn't know he was a Jedi then. He was there on an investigation, his stumbling onto her was completely accidental. He could sense her strong connection to the Force, he told her parents. She could be very powerful one day. There was not a great deal of debate that she remembers. She remembers the tears in her mother's eyes as her father handed her over to this man. She remembers crying often on the trip back to the temple on Coruscant. She was only a child, what did she know other than that she wanted her mother and father, and they were no where to be found? With time, those feelings passed as the only memories she had of them became blurry images.
Her training as a youngling was fairly typical, with very little about it standing out. She grew into a friendly girl, always offering a smile and despite the timidness she seemed to have, she had no difficulties making friends among her fellow younglings or endearing herself to the teachers. Although she rarely ever exhibited any particularly outstanding shows of power, her talents in telekinesis and telepathy showed through even at her young age, and there was no doubt that she had a strong natural ability to sense through the Force. The natural agility of her species helped her develop decent basic skills with a training lightsaber as well. It was the fact that although she didn't shine above all others, but that she clearly did have the potential to do so, that led to her being picked by a master shortly before her thirteenth birthday; just barely keeping her from being sent to the Jedi Service Corp. He was a Jedi Knight, a Sentinel, a human man named Qi Qiang.
The fact that she had come so close to not being accepted as a padawan was what drove Jia to try hard to succeed in her early training. Qi attempted to teach her a wide variety of skills, in order to find out exactly what areas she seemed to show talent in. As a sentinel he believed a balance of skills was necessary, and that showed through his beginning training of his padawan. When it came to lightsaber combat he chose to take advantage of her natural speed and flexibility, and focused her training on styles which would benefit from them and not cause her lack of strength to be too great of a disadvantage. Soresu was the first choice, and to counteract the overly defensive style he also decided to train her in Ataru.
Along with her lightsaber training, Qi also taught Jia basic unarmed skills in case she should ever lose her lightsaber or find herself in a situation where it would be needed. This training did not extend very far, as to Qi it was a very secondary focus compared to her other skills. Her lack of strength made it so that her strikes were never very powerful in nature, but she was quick enough that he was able to teach her how to define a precise area to target to make up for that weakness. Though it did not seem to be something she was ever going to master, she learned enough from Qi to be able to throw a decent punch and be able to at least defend herself until she could get away from such a form of combat, or find a different solution.
In terms of her use of the Force, she continued to do well in telepathy and telekinesis, surpassing levels of skill that were considered 'normal' for her age. She had a natural empathy that became apparent, likely developed from her strong connection with sensing through the Force which Qi was sure to have her develop. Though healing was something which she mentally took well to and wanted to be able to improve in, it took her some time to get the hang of, which she eventually managed to do after a great deal of work. Destruction was not something Qi ever intended to make his student familiar with in any form, other than sharing his opinion of it as he warned her of its crudeness.
Her master was not an unkind man, but was very strict and extremely cautious in his ways, sometimes to the point of severity. He often kept his relationship with his padawan as that of a teacher and a student, and nothing more. She found this difficult to deal with at first, as she thought his distance might have been directly related to her possibly under performing. However, eventually she came to simply accept the fact that this was how he was and how he wanted things to be. She was never truly happy with it, but knew it was not her place to question it. Qi took her on most of his assignments as was normal. On their missions Jia did the best she could, though she was prone to small missteps and a deep curiosity sometimes led her to action without foreseeing the consequences, which tended to not turn out well. Her master did his best to have her outgrow this and though she has become better, she is still sometimes to this day unintentionally reckless in this way.
When she was fifteen, Jia went on a mission with Qi to Montitia to assist him in helping the settlers there deal with a group of pirates who had been terrorizing the planet. They had been periodically raiding the farms and smaller villages and stealing their little food and supplies for themselves, and cared little what had to be destroyed or who had to be killed in the process. The poverty stricken settlers were unable to deal with the piracy themselves and had received little in support from the Republic, and so the Jedi became involved. They intended to first try negotiating with the pirates to come to some sort of deal. Both Qi and Jia were of the general mindset that fighting was never the preferable solution. Neither were ever truly happy about having to draw their lightsabers but if they had to, they would in a second. It was one thing that they still would have agreed on, even if they were not master and padawan. Unfortunately though perhaps not surprisingly, the pirates would hear nothing of attempted compromises. The small village they had been staying in fell under attack by these raiders, and with no other option available the knight and his padawan leapt into action to assist. He told Jia to stay relatively far from the brunt of the combat, and to keep any innocents from being caught in the middle. Qi was a competent Jedi Knight capable of handling greater odds than a normal man, but even he found himself overwhelmed by their numbers. As he was about to be struck down from behind, Jia in fear and desperation was able to use a very strong force push to propel the group of pirates around her Master a surprisingly great distance away from him. Qi was both shocked and confused by her sudden display of power, but was only able to think further on what had happened once the battle was over. The leader of the raiders was killed during the fight, and after retreating their attacks against the planet ceased. It was likely due to the fact that now that Jedi were seriously involved, they decided it was time to move along.
After questioning his padawan on what had happened, Qi discovered that she was just as unsure as he was about how she had pulled off that amount of power. She admitted, somewhat ashamedly, that she had been very afraid and frustrated by the fact that she felt unable to aid her master. Though he did not share his thoughts with her, he came to the conclusion that her peaking fear and anger gave her very sudden, very short control over power that she was normally unable to reach without great exertion and focus. Certainly power that any young padawan would have difficult sustaining and controlling. The idea concerned him. While it may have saved him, he also assumed it had unfortunately created an opening to allow in the dark side, as her actions had been based in such negative emotions. He knew that tasting such control over power often led many to corruption. He was especially worried about her, as she had a tendency to let emotions affect her more than a Jedi should (as this event further proved the dangers of to him) which made her vulnerable. He kept a very close eye on her, even more so than he had before, and became even more strict and distant as a result. Everything had to be done exactly as he said, exactly as he demonstrated, or it was incorrect. He would allow no room for the dark side to sneak in and corrupt this child. Since he did not make these thoughts known, all Jia knew was that a man she respected suddenly seemed even more uninterested in having any sort of bond with her. It was disheartening and lonely for her, but she did her best to deal with the feelings and move on despite them.
As Jia grew her skills improved, and the events which occurred on Mantitia never repeated themselves. Regardless, her master remained cautious. As she matured she learned to better accept Qi's desired position as nothing more to her than a teacher, and rather than focusing on that fact she just pushed herself harder to improve in ways that he would notice. As she aged she became more interested in personal improvement and increasing her general knowledge and skills on her own. She took it upon herself to begin researching the culture of her people, which she knew very little about, during downtime of her lessons with Qi. She didn't get very far with doing so as her master began to discourage it, saying that it was unnecessary clinging to a past she never really had and could lead to interfering with her training. Though it was a severe reaction, he often felt that her sense of curiosity was too strong for her own good and it only led him close to paranoia, and he attempted to keep it under control in any way he could. Though she didn't fully agree with his worries, she respected him enough to not voice so and did as he said. She did however at that point begin to follow the tradition of tattooing her face as a sign of her accomplishments. Around the same time she began to further delve into a new found interest in the deeper workings of computers. Which led to an unfortunate occurrence within the Jedi archives which resulted in requiring days of repair and left Qi once again deeply unhappy with his padawan's uncontrollable desire to explore.
Telling her to stop studying the culture of her species was not the only time Qi would discourage Jia from personal, individual growth. He kept close watch over what she did with her time when they were not training together. Most notably, he did not let her create her own lightsaber despite the fact that she had spent a great deal of time preparing herself through research and meditation and felt ready to finally do so, saying that he still did not think she was ready for the spiritual aspect involved in the construction of a lightsaber. The lightsaber she continues to use to this day was one that he gave her when he first took her as his padawan to be used on their assignments. It is a touchy subject for her that leaves her feeling insecure, as she feels like she is trailing behind her peers in this area.
When Jia was sixteen her master began being sent on a series of secretive tasks in which he had to assist other Jedi in the locating and either redeeming, apprehending or in extreme cases where no other option was present, eliminating a specific group of older padawans who had fallen to the dark side. This was not the kind of assignment typically given by the Order, and the serious tasks being asked of those involved were unknown by most and never spoken about publicly, due to the potential of them becoming fairly dark in nature. These missions took their toll on Qi throughout the months they were carried out, partially because of what he was being asked to do and how it conflicted with his beliefs, and partially because of his paranoid worry that his very padawan had the potential of becoming one of the ones he was now helping to find. He began to blame the Jedi Order itself for the fall of these young men and women, deciding that it was a fault in the ways of the Order that led to their corruption. By the end of these missions he had become completely jaded and left the Order, very shortly after Jia turned seventeen.
Jia could see and feel the decline of her master's connection to the Jedi for months prior to his actual departure from the Order. She was deeply confused by it, as Qi had always been so devoted. His loyalty to the Jedi was one of the most prominent things she had learned from him. To see him suddenly begin acting in ways he never had before distracted her, and made the last few months of her training with him difficult. Yet despite her declining performance, he did not seem to outwardly care. When seeking advice from other Jedi about whether or not something should have been done to assist her master, she most often got the answer that what he was experiencing was something he had to work through on his own, and that it would strengthen his connection with the Force. She didn't understand, as to her it felt like exactly the opposite was happening. His leaving was not a surprise to her by the time it occurred, as she could feel his inner turmoil. She was never told why he left, or the details behind the missions he had gone on without her, and though she could barely resist pressing for answers she knew better than to actually do so. Regardless of the fact that it was not entirely a surprise to her, she was still saddened by Qi's departure, but knew that she had to keep moving forward.
Unsure about her own future, she did her best to not let anxiety affect her as her training was temporarily carried out by various knights and masters within the walls of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant as she waited to be either chosen or assigned to another master. This continued for a number of weeks, with no one stepping up to take on the task of permanently continuing her training. As time went by without a place being found for her, she found it more and more difficult not to worry.
After a few weeks of waiting the Council did assign Jia to a new master: a Jedi Knight named Rin, the Watchman of the Abron System. Despite the changes she would have to adapt to, the padawan was relieved. The relationship between Jia and Rin was tense at first as both tried to feel out their new circumstances, but within their first few weeks together they overcame it. Over the past months they have grown closer as they have worked and spent time together.
Having become used to her responsibilities as the padawan to a Watchmen, and to the differences in training methods and teachings between Rin and Qi, Jia has again settled into a sense of normalcy. Most of her time is spent away from the Jedi Temple, working alongside her master to watch over and protect Alpheridies and its surrounding areas.
Lightsaber: The first lightsaber created by Jia herself. The patterns on its hilt are reminiscent of those on her previous master's lightsaber, though they are not completely exact in appearance.
Color: Icy Blue
Practiced Lightsaber forms:
Shii-Cho - 3
Makashi - N/A
Soresu - 2
Ataru - 1
Shien / Djem So - N/A
>>Sub-form Backhanded
Niman - N/A
>>Sub-form Jar-kai, or Dual Wield
Juyo - N/A
Double Bladed Combat
Force-Sensitive Abilities or practices:
Telekinetic: 4
Telepathic: 4
Body: 2
Sense: 5
Protection: 1
Healing: 2
Destruction: 0
Specialized Skills:
Attributes:
Physical Strength:3
Intelligence: 5
Speed: 6
Leadership: 2
Unarmed: 2
Melee Weapons: 0
Ranged Weapons: 0
Force Attunement: +3
RP Sample: Jia knelt alone in one of the rooms of the Jedi Temple of Coruscant. It was quiet, although it was not a place typically used for deep meditation. It was in actuality one of the rooms specifically meant to be used for lightsaber combat training. Despite that fact, she often went there to meditate when it was not in use. The large windows had a perfect view of Coruscant's setting sun and cast a warm, golden glow throughout the spacious room. It was comforting to her, and it helped her focus. She was surrounded by silence, and even her slow, calm breath barely made any sound. Her discarded cloak lied right behind her unmoving form as a pile of ruffled cloth. Her mind was clear of all worries, all overt emotions and all distractions. She could feel the Force around her, moving through her. She was perfectly at peace at that moment.
Her eyes opened slowly. Distraction. She turned her head to glance over her shoulder toward the door. She just watched and waited. Seconds later her Master appeared in the doorway. He looked unsurprised to see that she was already waiting for him to arrive. She knew he was coming, even without him having to say a word or having previously told her to expect him. "Hello, Master." She was the first to break the silence. Though she typically allowed him to speak first out of polite respect, she noticed that lately if she did not spark their discussion, it was questionable whether he would either.
"Hello Jia." He replied simply. Waited for her to continue.
"How are you?" It was a question she wasn't sure why she continued to ask. The answer had begun to always be the same. There was something different about the Jedi Knight. Something off. He had always been fairly distant, but in the past few months it had become something much deeper than that. She could almost swear that he felt... disheartened. Disillusioned. He was losing his connection to something very important to him and it was taking its toll on him. She was concerned for her master, but she had a strong feeling that even if she were to make that known or to try to offer assistance, it would be of little help and he would turn her down.
"I am fine." Qi answered her question before continuing quickly without allowing a response from the girl, "I'm leaving on another mission." Jia shifted slightly. He had gone on many of his last assignments without her. They were often sudden and he gave her little warning. He never offered a reason why he would not take her, nor did he ever speak of it after he returned. She had not heard anyone speak much of what he was off doing, in fact. Not even vague whispers. She wasn't sure what to think of the idea that whatever he was doing was so secretive, but she had no doubt that it was connected to the feelings she was sensing in him.
"Am I going with you this time?" She asked even though she was pretty certain that she already knew the answer he was going to give.
"No."
"I see." She looked forward again. Her blue eyed gaze sunk to the floor and rested on the lightsaber that was set down in front of her. She slowly reached a hand over to take it in a soft grasp. "In that case, I was wondering... Maybe while you're gone, I can finally make my own lightsaber?" She tried not to sound so ridiculously hopeful about the possibility, though it was difficult for her to restrain in the almost child-like tone of her voice. She knew it was not exactly traditional for a padawan suggest to their Master when they felt that they were ready for such a test. It could often be seen as a sign of overconfidence which was very dangerous for a padawan; so Qi had told her many times. There was no such feeling in her. Her motives at this point had little to do with actual confidence, and more to do with worry that she was falling behind. She would be turning seventeen soon. She had seen many padawans younger than herself successfully complete their own lightsabers. She felt she was a bit old to still be using a lightsaber given to her by her master.
"No. Not yet. When you are ready then you will take that test, and not before. You will do so at a time where I am available, in case something goes wrong."
Jia held back the sigh that wanted to escape from her lips and hid the disappointment from outwardly showing in her expression. "Yes, Master." She made an effort to keep her shoulders from slumping in defeat.
"My preparations are finished, I am about to leave. While I am gone, you will continue your training as we discussed last time. I will see you when I return."
Jia nodded in silent confirmation of Qi's words. She said nothing for a moment until she turned to look at him over her shoulder again, right before he was about to turn to leave. "May the Force be with you, Master." He didn't respond verbally to his padawan's farewell. His only reaction was a quick nod before he turned and disappeared from the doorway. Jia stared at the now vacant spot where her Master had been for a few seconds longer before looking forward again. Her eyes again stared off, empty as she started to sink into her own mind.
She didn't understand what more she had to do. What was he waiting for her to prove to him? She wasn't perfect, but she had come a long way and she wasn't a complete failure either. She had prepared herself for this, she felt ready. What was holding her back in his eyes? How much longer was he going to tell her that she wasn't? He wasn't even letting her show him how far she had come, and it wasn't like she was going to get the chance if he kept running off on these assignments without her either. Not to mention the fact that lately, he didn't even seem to truly care about her progress... She ceased her dwelling very suddenly as she realized that frustration was dominating her thoughts. She shut her eyes again and took a deep, calming breath. She wasn't thinking rationally. She often let her emotions get out of hand and getting angry would do her no good. It could only do harm. She refused to think any longer on the subject. She carefully placed her lightsaber back down in front of her after loosening the increasingly tightened grip she had on it.
There is no emotion. There is peace. She silently recited the first line of the Jedi Code to herself. It was calming, and after a short moment of deep focus her mind was clear once again. Gone was her worry, her frustration and even her deep curiosity about where her Master was headed and what he was doing. There was no longer anything to feel but the Force surrounding her, and as she reminded herself what her life had been devoted to and why, with all its ups and downs, she was at peace once again. For the moment.
Edit (3/11/13): Rewrote appearance/personality sections. Adjusted height/weight. Strength raised from 2 to 3.
Race: Mirialan
Age: 18
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 96 lbs.
Appearance:
(( Pic is not mine, no credit to me! Special thanks to Apillis for finding the pic for me and to lmr for adjusting the skin color! It's mostly for reference of her general features/body type. Clearly it's missing some important things like her tattoos, padawan braid, hair and eye color. That stuff all needs to be imagined. Sorry! Finding a pic of an actual Mirialan is hard. D: ))
Small and thin with very little noticeable muscle mass, it's clear to most that the girl is likely not capable of any impressive feats of strength, but looks as if she was built for speed, with a frame that allows for quick and flexible movements; not unusual for one of her species. She is fairly short for her age - in fact, she is fairly short in general - and is no stranger to being towered over by others. Her hair at first glance appears black but if the lighting is right and one is looking closely, it's revealed to be a shade of very dark purple. Though for years it was little more than a disheveled mess on her head, it now hangs down to a length just below her chin. She wears her padawan braid proudly, the outward sign of her ranking in the Order clearly standing out at the forefront.
Along the left side of her face is a row of small black triangle-shaped tattoos, which begins by the top corner of her cheek bone and curve around beneath her eye. This is her contribution to the Mirialan tradition of marking accomplishment through tattoos. These small triangles alternate between being drawn right side up and upsidedown, and stand out against the light green tone of her skin. Her eyes are a dark, deep shade of blue.
Her clothing can best be described as typical, the result of having been trained by a very traditional master for many years of her early life. She wears the usual robes of light shades of tans and browns that would immediately make one think 'Jedi', including well worn leather boots and a dark brown cloak. Her lightsaber hangs from a black leather belt which sits somewhat lopsided at her hip, as if it were not the perfect size for her waist. Even though she may have more freedom these days to vary her style of dress if she so chooses, taught habits are difficult to break, and so she rarely ever does.
Personality: Friendly and kind hearted, Jia is a girl who's easy to get along with. As a child she was timid and had her tough bouts with shyness but as she aged she mostly grew out of them, although there are times when those moments return. Usually in situations when she feels overwhelmed, uncomfortable, or nervous. Despite that occasional fall back, for the most part she's a very social person who enjoys being around others. A friendly smile is often found stuck on her expression, and her compassion and care for others is never in question. She is often very concerned about the people around her and takes the ideals of protecting them and their well-being very seriously. She has even been observed at times becoming quite impassioned at what she sees as extreme cases of injustice.
Jia is naturally gifted with extreme empathy, perhaps not unrelated to her also naturally strong connection to the Force through sensing what's around her. She's able to interpret and sometimes truly feel the emotions of others as if they were her own, to the point where they will begin to affect her whether she wants them to or not. Not only does she find herself affected by the emotions of others, she is often deeply driven by her own as well. As hard as she might try to not let her emotions take control of her or her actions, it is not uncommon for them to run away with her and she has always struggled to control them. She has attempted to overcome this perceived failing her entire life, as it directly conflicts with the Jedi teachings of emotional control.
She is dedicated to doing well, whether it's for others or for herself. As a result of having a master who for many years kept his relationship with her at arm's length and based solely on how well she did in her training, her desire to impress others through her successes is extreme. Which in turn, makes it difficult for her to handle when she fails at a task or makes mistakes - something she is no stranger to. Though she has confidence in the abilities she is talented in, the moment someone she respects looks on her with disappointment is enough to make that disappear and be replaced with shame and self consciousness.
She has a rather strong curiosity. One that much like her emotions, she has always had difficulty controlling. It often causes her to unintentionally stumble onto and into unfortunate situations, as she will act on that curiosity before fully thinking through the possible consequences of her actions. It has gotten her into trouble on several occasions, and frequently drives her masters to near insanity.
Birth place: Mirial
Faction: Jedi
Rank: Padawan
Bio: Jia remembers little of her early life before the Order. She remembers her mother, her father and a big brother. She remembers that things were difficult for her family. She only really understood that as she grew and looked back on the few unclear memories she had. She remembers the first time she saw a Jedi. She didn't know he was a Jedi then. He was there on an investigation, his stumbling onto her was completely accidental. He could sense her strong connection to the Force, he told her parents. She could be very powerful one day. There was not a great deal of debate that she remembers. She remembers the tears in her mother's eyes as her father handed her over to this man. She remembers crying often on the trip back to the temple on Coruscant. She was only a child, what did she know other than that she wanted her mother and father, and they were no where to be found? With time, those feelings passed as the only memories she had of them became blurry images.
Her training as a youngling was fairly typical, with very little about it standing out. She grew into a friendly girl, always offering a smile and despite the timidness she seemed to have, she had no difficulties making friends among her fellow younglings or endearing herself to the teachers. Although she rarely ever exhibited any particularly outstanding shows of power, her talents in telekinesis and telepathy showed through even at her young age, and there was no doubt that she had a strong natural ability to sense through the Force. The natural agility of her species helped her develop decent basic skills with a training lightsaber as well. It was the fact that although she didn't shine above all others, but that she clearly did have the potential to do so, that led to her being picked by a master shortly before her thirteenth birthday; just barely keeping her from being sent to the Jedi Service Corp. He was a Jedi Knight, a Sentinel, a human man named Qi Qiang.
The fact that she had come so close to not being accepted as a padawan was what drove Jia to try hard to succeed in her early training. Qi attempted to teach her a wide variety of skills, in order to find out exactly what areas she seemed to show talent in. As a sentinel he believed a balance of skills was necessary, and that showed through his beginning training of his padawan. When it came to lightsaber combat he chose to take advantage of her natural speed and flexibility, and focused her training on styles which would benefit from them and not cause her lack of strength to be too great of a disadvantage. Soresu was the first choice, and to counteract the overly defensive style he also decided to train her in Ataru.
Along with her lightsaber training, Qi also taught Jia basic unarmed skills in case she should ever lose her lightsaber or find herself in a situation where it would be needed. This training did not extend very far, as to Qi it was a very secondary focus compared to her other skills. Her lack of strength made it so that her strikes were never very powerful in nature, but she was quick enough that he was able to teach her how to define a precise area to target to make up for that weakness. Though it did not seem to be something she was ever going to master, she learned enough from Qi to be able to throw a decent punch and be able to at least defend herself until she could get away from such a form of combat, or find a different solution.
In terms of her use of the Force, she continued to do well in telepathy and telekinesis, surpassing levels of skill that were considered 'normal' for her age. She had a natural empathy that became apparent, likely developed from her strong connection with sensing through the Force which Qi was sure to have her develop. Though healing was something which she mentally took well to and wanted to be able to improve in, it took her some time to get the hang of, which she eventually managed to do after a great deal of work. Destruction was not something Qi ever intended to make his student familiar with in any form, other than sharing his opinion of it as he warned her of its crudeness.
Her master was not an unkind man, but was very strict and extremely cautious in his ways, sometimes to the point of severity. He often kept his relationship with his padawan as that of a teacher and a student, and nothing more. She found this difficult to deal with at first, as she thought his distance might have been directly related to her possibly under performing. However, eventually she came to simply accept the fact that this was how he was and how he wanted things to be. She was never truly happy with it, but knew it was not her place to question it. Qi took her on most of his assignments as was normal. On their missions Jia did the best she could, though she was prone to small missteps and a deep curiosity sometimes led her to action without foreseeing the consequences, which tended to not turn out well. Her master did his best to have her outgrow this and though she has become better, she is still sometimes to this day unintentionally reckless in this way.
When she was fifteen, Jia went on a mission with Qi to Montitia to assist him in helping the settlers there deal with a group of pirates who had been terrorizing the planet. They had been periodically raiding the farms and smaller villages and stealing their little food and supplies for themselves, and cared little what had to be destroyed or who had to be killed in the process. The poverty stricken settlers were unable to deal with the piracy themselves and had received little in support from the Republic, and so the Jedi became involved. They intended to first try negotiating with the pirates to come to some sort of deal. Both Qi and Jia were of the general mindset that fighting was never the preferable solution. Neither were ever truly happy about having to draw their lightsabers but if they had to, they would in a second. It was one thing that they still would have agreed on, even if they were not master and padawan. Unfortunately though perhaps not surprisingly, the pirates would hear nothing of attempted compromises. The small village they had been staying in fell under attack by these raiders, and with no other option available the knight and his padawan leapt into action to assist. He told Jia to stay relatively far from the brunt of the combat, and to keep any innocents from being caught in the middle. Qi was a competent Jedi Knight capable of handling greater odds than a normal man, but even he found himself overwhelmed by their numbers. As he was about to be struck down from behind, Jia in fear and desperation was able to use a very strong force push to propel the group of pirates around her Master a surprisingly great distance away from him. Qi was both shocked and confused by her sudden display of power, but was only able to think further on what had happened once the battle was over. The leader of the raiders was killed during the fight, and after retreating their attacks against the planet ceased. It was likely due to the fact that now that Jedi were seriously involved, they decided it was time to move along.
After questioning his padawan on what had happened, Qi discovered that she was just as unsure as he was about how she had pulled off that amount of power. She admitted, somewhat ashamedly, that she had been very afraid and frustrated by the fact that she felt unable to aid her master. Though he did not share his thoughts with her, he came to the conclusion that her peaking fear and anger gave her very sudden, very short control over power that she was normally unable to reach without great exertion and focus. Certainly power that any young padawan would have difficult sustaining and controlling. The idea concerned him. While it may have saved him, he also assumed it had unfortunately created an opening to allow in the dark side, as her actions had been based in such negative emotions. He knew that tasting such control over power often led many to corruption. He was especially worried about her, as she had a tendency to let emotions affect her more than a Jedi should (as this event further proved the dangers of to him) which made her vulnerable. He kept a very close eye on her, even more so than he had before, and became even more strict and distant as a result. Everything had to be done exactly as he said, exactly as he demonstrated, or it was incorrect. He would allow no room for the dark side to sneak in and corrupt this child. Since he did not make these thoughts known, all Jia knew was that a man she respected suddenly seemed even more uninterested in having any sort of bond with her. It was disheartening and lonely for her, but she did her best to deal with the feelings and move on despite them.
As Jia grew her skills improved, and the events which occurred on Mantitia never repeated themselves. Regardless, her master remained cautious. As she matured she learned to better accept Qi's desired position as nothing more to her than a teacher, and rather than focusing on that fact she just pushed herself harder to improve in ways that he would notice. As she aged she became more interested in personal improvement and increasing her general knowledge and skills on her own. She took it upon herself to begin researching the culture of her people, which she knew very little about, during downtime of her lessons with Qi. She didn't get very far with doing so as her master began to discourage it, saying that it was unnecessary clinging to a past she never really had and could lead to interfering with her training. Though it was a severe reaction, he often felt that her sense of curiosity was too strong for her own good and it only led him close to paranoia, and he attempted to keep it under control in any way he could. Though she didn't fully agree with his worries, she respected him enough to not voice so and did as he said. She did however at that point begin to follow the tradition of tattooing her face as a sign of her accomplishments. Around the same time she began to further delve into a new found interest in the deeper workings of computers. Which led to an unfortunate occurrence within the Jedi archives which resulted in requiring days of repair and left Qi once again deeply unhappy with his padawan's uncontrollable desire to explore.
Telling her to stop studying the culture of her species was not the only time Qi would discourage Jia from personal, individual growth. He kept close watch over what she did with her time when they were not training together. Most notably, he did not let her create her own lightsaber despite the fact that she had spent a great deal of time preparing herself through research and meditation and felt ready to finally do so, saying that he still did not think she was ready for the spiritual aspect involved in the construction of a lightsaber. The lightsaber she continues to use to this day was one that he gave her when he first took her as his padawan to be used on their assignments. It is a touchy subject for her that leaves her feeling insecure, as she feels like she is trailing behind her peers in this area.
When Jia was sixteen her master began being sent on a series of secretive tasks in which he had to assist other Jedi in the locating and either redeeming, apprehending or in extreme cases where no other option was present, eliminating a specific group of older padawans who had fallen to the dark side. This was not the kind of assignment typically given by the Order, and the serious tasks being asked of those involved were unknown by most and never spoken about publicly, due to the potential of them becoming fairly dark in nature. These missions took their toll on Qi throughout the months they were carried out, partially because of what he was being asked to do and how it conflicted with his beliefs, and partially because of his paranoid worry that his very padawan had the potential of becoming one of the ones he was now helping to find. He began to blame the Jedi Order itself for the fall of these young men and women, deciding that it was a fault in the ways of the Order that led to their corruption. By the end of these missions he had become completely jaded and left the Order, very shortly after Jia turned seventeen.
Jia could see and feel the decline of her master's connection to the Jedi for months prior to his actual departure from the Order. She was deeply confused by it, as Qi had always been so devoted. His loyalty to the Jedi was one of the most prominent things she had learned from him. To see him suddenly begin acting in ways he never had before distracted her, and made the last few months of her training with him difficult. Yet despite her declining performance, he did not seem to outwardly care. When seeking advice from other Jedi about whether or not something should have been done to assist her master, she most often got the answer that what he was experiencing was something he had to work through on his own, and that it would strengthen his connection with the Force. She didn't understand, as to her it felt like exactly the opposite was happening. His leaving was not a surprise to her by the time it occurred, as she could feel his inner turmoil. She was never told why he left, or the details behind the missions he had gone on without her, and though she could barely resist pressing for answers she knew better than to actually do so. Regardless of the fact that it was not entirely a surprise to her, she was still saddened by Qi's departure, but knew that she had to keep moving forward.
Unsure about her own future, she did her best to not let anxiety affect her as her training was temporarily carried out by various knights and masters within the walls of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant as she waited to be either chosen or assigned to another master. This continued for a number of weeks, with no one stepping up to take on the task of permanently continuing her training. As time went by without a place being found for her, she found it more and more difficult not to worry.
After a few weeks of waiting the Council did assign Jia to a new master: a Jedi Knight named Rin, the Watchman of the Abron System. Despite the changes she would have to adapt to, the padawan was relieved. The relationship between Jia and Rin was tense at first as both tried to feel out their new circumstances, but within their first few weeks together they overcame it. Over the past months they have grown closer as they have worked and spent time together.
Having become used to her responsibilities as the padawan to a Watchmen, and to the differences in training methods and teachings between Rin and Qi, Jia has again settled into a sense of normalcy. Most of her time is spent away from the Jedi Temple, working alongside her master to watch over and protect Alpheridies and its surrounding areas.
Lightsaber: The first lightsaber created by Jia herself. The patterns on its hilt are reminiscent of those on her previous master's lightsaber, though they are not completely exact in appearance.
Color: Icy Blue
Practiced Lightsaber forms:
Shii-Cho - 3
Makashi - N/A
Soresu - 2
Ataru - 1
Shien / Djem So - N/A
>>Sub-form Backhanded
Niman - N/A
>>Sub-form Jar-kai, or Dual Wield
Juyo - N/A
Double Bladed Combat
Force-Sensitive Abilities or practices:
Telekinetic: 4
Telepathic: 4
Body: 2
Sense: 5
Protection: 1
Healing: 2
Destruction: 0
Specialized Skills:
Attributes:
Physical Strength:3
Intelligence: 5
Speed: 6
Leadership: 2
Unarmed: 2
Melee Weapons: 0
Ranged Weapons: 0
Force Attunement: +3
RP Sample: Jia knelt alone in one of the rooms of the Jedi Temple of Coruscant. It was quiet, although it was not a place typically used for deep meditation. It was in actuality one of the rooms specifically meant to be used for lightsaber combat training. Despite that fact, she often went there to meditate when it was not in use. The large windows had a perfect view of Coruscant's setting sun and cast a warm, golden glow throughout the spacious room. It was comforting to her, and it helped her focus. She was surrounded by silence, and even her slow, calm breath barely made any sound. Her discarded cloak lied right behind her unmoving form as a pile of ruffled cloth. Her mind was clear of all worries, all overt emotions and all distractions. She could feel the Force around her, moving through her. She was perfectly at peace at that moment.
Her eyes opened slowly. Distraction. She turned her head to glance over her shoulder toward the door. She just watched and waited. Seconds later her Master appeared in the doorway. He looked unsurprised to see that she was already waiting for him to arrive. She knew he was coming, even without him having to say a word or having previously told her to expect him. "Hello, Master." She was the first to break the silence. Though she typically allowed him to speak first out of polite respect, she noticed that lately if she did not spark their discussion, it was questionable whether he would either.
"Hello Jia." He replied simply. Waited for her to continue.
"How are you?" It was a question she wasn't sure why she continued to ask. The answer had begun to always be the same. There was something different about the Jedi Knight. Something off. He had always been fairly distant, but in the past few months it had become something much deeper than that. She could almost swear that he felt... disheartened. Disillusioned. He was losing his connection to something very important to him and it was taking its toll on him. She was concerned for her master, but she had a strong feeling that even if she were to make that known or to try to offer assistance, it would be of little help and he would turn her down.
"I am fine." Qi answered her question before continuing quickly without allowing a response from the girl, "I'm leaving on another mission." Jia shifted slightly. He had gone on many of his last assignments without her. They were often sudden and he gave her little warning. He never offered a reason why he would not take her, nor did he ever speak of it after he returned. She had not heard anyone speak much of what he was off doing, in fact. Not even vague whispers. She wasn't sure what to think of the idea that whatever he was doing was so secretive, but she had no doubt that it was connected to the feelings she was sensing in him.
"Am I going with you this time?" She asked even though she was pretty certain that she already knew the answer he was going to give.
"No."
"I see." She looked forward again. Her blue eyed gaze sunk to the floor and rested on the lightsaber that was set down in front of her. She slowly reached a hand over to take it in a soft grasp. "In that case, I was wondering... Maybe while you're gone, I can finally make my own lightsaber?" She tried not to sound so ridiculously hopeful about the possibility, though it was difficult for her to restrain in the almost child-like tone of her voice. She knew it was not exactly traditional for a padawan suggest to their Master when they felt that they were ready for such a test. It could often be seen as a sign of overconfidence which was very dangerous for a padawan; so Qi had told her many times. There was no such feeling in her. Her motives at this point had little to do with actual confidence, and more to do with worry that she was falling behind. She would be turning seventeen soon. She had seen many padawans younger than herself successfully complete their own lightsabers. She felt she was a bit old to still be using a lightsaber given to her by her master.
"No. Not yet. When you are ready then you will take that test, and not before. You will do so at a time where I am available, in case something goes wrong."
Jia held back the sigh that wanted to escape from her lips and hid the disappointment from outwardly showing in her expression. "Yes, Master." She made an effort to keep her shoulders from slumping in defeat.
"My preparations are finished, I am about to leave. While I am gone, you will continue your training as we discussed last time. I will see you when I return."
Jia nodded in silent confirmation of Qi's words. She said nothing for a moment until she turned to look at him over her shoulder again, right before he was about to turn to leave. "May the Force be with you, Master." He didn't respond verbally to his padawan's farewell. His only reaction was a quick nod before he turned and disappeared from the doorway. Jia stared at the now vacant spot where her Master had been for a few seconds longer before looking forward again. Her eyes again stared off, empty as she started to sink into her own mind.
She didn't understand what more she had to do. What was he waiting for her to prove to him? She wasn't perfect, but she had come a long way and she wasn't a complete failure either. She had prepared herself for this, she felt ready. What was holding her back in his eyes? How much longer was he going to tell her that she wasn't? He wasn't even letting her show him how far she had come, and it wasn't like she was going to get the chance if he kept running off on these assignments without her either. Not to mention the fact that lately, he didn't even seem to truly care about her progress... She ceased her dwelling very suddenly as she realized that frustration was dominating her thoughts. She shut her eyes again and took a deep, calming breath. She wasn't thinking rationally. She often let her emotions get out of hand and getting angry would do her no good. It could only do harm. She refused to think any longer on the subject. She carefully placed her lightsaber back down in front of her after loosening the increasingly tightened grip she had on it.
There is no emotion. There is peace. She silently recited the first line of the Jedi Code to herself. It was calming, and after a short moment of deep focus her mind was clear once again. Gone was her worry, her frustration and even her deep curiosity about where her Master was headed and what he was doing. There was no longer anything to feel but the Force surrounding her, and as she reminded herself what her life had been devoted to and why, with all its ups and downs, she was at peace once again. For the moment.
Edit (3/11/13): Rewrote appearance/personality sections. Adjusted height/weight. Strength raised from 2 to 3.
