Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Sept 14, 2010 18:47:20 GMT -5
I'd like to make myself believe
That planet earth turns slowly
It’s hard to say that I'd rather
Stay awake when I'm asleep
Because my dreams are bursting at the seams…
~ Fireflies by: Owl City
That planet earth turns slowly
It’s hard to say that I'd rather
Stay awake when I'm asleep
Because my dreams are bursting at the seams…
~ Fireflies by: Owl City
Name: Elysia Chronostia ((based off of the Elysian Fields of Greek mythology))
Nickname: Elys
Race: Miraluka
Age: 20
Height: 5’ 5”
Weight: 134 lbs
Appearance: There isn’t much to say when it comes to Elysia…to be quite honest, she’s the epitome of the unexceptional, at least for her race. Sandy brown hair is kept just long enough for her to tie up into a ponytail or a short braid (as well as her padawan braid), with feathers of hair that often slip free to hang about her face. That very same face is the picture of mediocrity, with average lips, slim cheeks, unobtrusive ears, and a less than noticeable (if slightly upturned) nose. Her form is trim and well honed from her years training to be a jedi, but that also means that her figure leaves a bit to be desired. While not under-developed, she is far from ‘curvy’ or ‘buxom’…though perhaps that’s for the best, considering her lifestyle. Such things would only draw the wrong attention, after all.
Like most other miralukans, she has pale skin and…of course…no eyes. To hide this…unsettling (to most other species)…fact, the young woman wears a royal blue silk sash tied around her eyes. This is the only bit of fine cloth she owns, and was received as a gift of thanks from one of the missions she went on with her previous master after her original sash caught fire. From there, the only other bit of color she keeps about her person is a blue strip of cloth to tie her hair with. This cloth, however, is of the same coarse weave that her robes are made of. Like all padawans, those robes are little more than the functional browns, tans, beiges, and whites of the Jedi Order. Standard boots, belt, tunics, pants and robes (often with a durable leather satchel bag)…once again, she is little more than a forgettable face and form in the sea of jedi milling through the temple grounds. Even her pike, though noticeable in its staff-like design, is of simple, understated, and utilitarian design.
Should she require clothing that does not mark her as ‘jedi’, Elysia often chooses muted colors…soft browns, greens, blues and tans are often her colors of choice, with the occasional black or white thrown in. Everything worn is easy to move in, and simple in design…the only staples being her jedi issue boots and belt, simply because they seem to just work best for her. Occasionally she will attach a blaster holster to her belt, having some experience in using blaster pistols and finding them useful at points. She rarely leaves her pike behind, and has found that the lack of noticeable emitter on it leads others to believe that it is simply a plain staff.
Personality: What Elysia lacks in physical distinction, she tends to make up for in personality. From the get go Elysia had been very…un-miraluka-like (did that even make sense? Of course it did). While she has every ability to be cautious and deliberative (and most times she is) there are points…very, glaringly, obvious points…where she outright throws caution and deliberation to the wind. She is, however, very thoughtful…once you get past the eccentricities, anyway.
What eccentricities?
Perhaps we should start with the fact that Elysia is prone to bouts of being contrary…constantly. If you say it’s hot, she’s likely to say that it’s cold, and only after some amount of debate will she admit that she meant it was cold on Arkania, but that it was, indeed, a warm day here (wherever ‘here’ might be). If you tell her that you dislike studying, she’ll immediately counter that she loves studying (which, for the most part, is actually true) and that one should study constantly. Should someone tell her that the force is strictly made of ‘good and evil’ or ‘dark and light’ she simply must disagree…if only for the sake of playing devil’s advocate. Of course, she’ll also tell you that these impromptu debates help her learn more about others beliefs, or whatever topic might be the subject…and while that is very true, she also tends to find no small amount of amusement in the reactions she receives from others. Fortunately, the young woman knows her place as a padawan, and will often keep her ‘debates’ to times, places, and situations that won’t be greatly effected by a lack of “team solidarity,” as she calls it.
Yet another quirk of Elysia’s is the fact that she lives up to the old adage of “you only torment the ones you love.” If she doesn’t at least like you, she just won’t bother with finding some way (time and again) to tease, pester, dismay, perplex, exasperate, or otherwise vex you…it just isn’t worth her time. Unfortunately, this makes the girl quite a handful most of the time, but luckily she isn’t without some sense. Elysia is more than aware of the fact that there are some moments when such things just shouldn’t happen…and they don’t. It’s often these times that surprise people the most.
Elysia’s eccentric personality also filters into her hobbies. After all, what students ever really want to study most of the day? This isn’t to say that she studies in the archives all day, however…oh no. For Elysia, life is like one, very large, study hall. Everything must be noticed at least once and thought about. This leaves the girl observing, noting, and pondering some of the strangest things. One day she may be in the gardens, gazing intently at the fountain across from her and wondering if it was the water that made the air cooler there, or the plethora of plants…while the next day, she may be found in the same exact place pouring over the latest news articles and wondering who’s to blame for rising crime rates…the parents of the criminals for raising them poorly, or the criminals for not choosing to lead a better life. Of all padawans, this one seems to be insatiably curious.
Along with this curiosity comes the strong desire to experiment, adding yet another layer to her personality. In whatever free time she may have, Elysia can often be found experimenting (that is, if she isn’t studying, teasing someone, or being contrary and playing devil’s advocate). She has been found doing nearly everything from taking apart the temple’s practice drones and scrapped droids, to attempting new force abilities (or ‘old’ abilities in new ways) and combat skills. She’s even gone so far as to help in the Temple kitchens so she could experiment with cooking (a skill she’s learned she rather enjoys, but hasn’t quite perfected yet).
Setting aside these peculiarities, Elysia is a kind person, and thoughtful of others and their emotions, despite her actions. She does try to limit her pushing of buttons and starting of debates to times and places where they won’t cause too much of a stir or put the one she’s dealing with on the spot, so to speak. Her intention is never to hurt others. Generally speaking, Elysia is also a rather happy and optimistic person, though when she finds herself feeling on the more pessimistic side of things, she’s more of a “the glass is empty” person, rather than it being only half empty. Unfortunately, since her master turned to the dark side, she has also developed a bit of a sarcastic and bitter streak, also causing her to be less trusting of others…especially potential masters; after all, that type of betrayal leaves a long lasting ‘scar’. Whether this is a permanent factor of her personality, however, is still under some debate.
Birth place: Alpheridies
Faction: Jedi
Rank: Padawan
Bio:
[/u][/center]
The Farmer’s Daughter
[/u][/center]Alpheridies.
The verdant, if adopted, home world of the Miraluka race. Agriculturally based as their civilization was, it wasn’t surprising that Elysia’s parents were farmers…just like most of their ‘brothers and sisters’ were. Without many hardships to worry about, it seemed that the arrival of the little miraluka daughter was going to be warmly welcomed…and she was. Elysia was born surprisingly easily, her little form squirming even at the cord was cut to separate her from her mother, and she was nursing for the first time in the first few minutes of her life. She was the best thing that had happened to Meela and Jost, and they would do everything in their power to make sure she had the best life possible, after all, they may not have been hard up, but they weren’t well off…and they wanted the best for their little girl.
Of course, the first few years of her life followed this thinking…she was doted on and scolded in equal measures as she grew while they worked to guide her into being a good Miraluka, as well as a good person. Having no other children at the time, Meela and Jost were free to spend the time they weren’t working on the farm, working with her…and playing with her…and reading to her…and just generally being parents. Of course they knew she was force sensitive…all Miraluka were…and they knew that one day she’d have to go to the Culu Memorial Center to be trained…it would mean the best life they could ever hope to give her, but it would also mean giving her away, and rarely…if ever…see her. As much as they wanted their daughter to have the best life possible, they loved her greatly and didn’t want to give her away.
Elysia knew nothing of her parent’s constant debate over if they should give her to the jedi to train or not, knowing only that the world was a very strange and interesting place. Ever the curious little girl, she was constantly looking at everything from the moment she was born. As she grew older, everything within reach was at risk of being taken and played with or examined, teethed on or toyed with. Bugs? Yucky? Never! Mud too dirty? Of course not! Kitchen? Dangerous? Sure, but there was just so much in there to look at! No place was safe once she grew into her toddler years, and even less so as she neared the age of five. However, unbeknownst to the precocious little girl, her parents (now with two more little energetic little bundles of energy to run around after) had decided that their precious little Elysia would be better off with the Jedi. They would fill her growing and curious little mind with all the knowledge she could possibly absorb, she could see the universe, she could see and touch and do things that she just couldn’t here on Alpheridies…she could really be allowed to bloom, and not be stuck here living a simple and routine life.
And so, with tear filled eyes, Meela and Jost took Elysia to the Culu Memorial Center to be trained by the jedi.
Dream Big, Little One
[/u]Ages: 5-10[/center]
It was difficult for the little girl to understand why mommy and daddy were leaving her with the nice, but very strangely dressed, people in the big, odd, building so full of other children and people. It had been pleasant visit to the nice jeedai people in their brown coats who talked into her mind, but she didn’t want to stay with them! They all tried their very best to make her feel comfortable with them and she knew it…they were very nice people, after all…but she was confused, and watching her parents walk away like that left a very large part of the very little girl wondering if they just didn’t want her any more.
While this wondering was never really voiced, and never really forgotten, Elysia found her time in the temple more and more enjoyable. Here there were things to read, and do, and learn about. There were children like her (sort of anyway) who could do special things with their minds and bodies. Of course, the little ball of energy that was Elysia was sometimes overzealous in her greetings or her attempts to do things, annoying her teachers or putting other students off with her outgoing personality. It didn’t seem to get to her, however, as she managed to coax some of the other younglings into understanding that she was just a very happy and curious person. All the time she was practicing, all the time she was reading, all the time she was questioning everyone about everything. Before, during, and after classes the questions of “why” or “how” or “why not” were often heard from her, leading to a series of other questions and excited (but attentive) listening. If there was something new to learn, Elysia was instantly on top of it with a hundred new questions as she attempted to satiate her seemingly boundless curiosity.
This was something the youngling teachers often warned her about as well. While it was good that she questioned things, and desired to learn more, she must learn to focus herself on the studies she had already, or she would never really learn, let alone master, anything. She needed to learn control, it was what would help her most in the long run…especially if she ever wanted to become a padawan, and later a knight. Honestly Elysia had never thought of that. She was only six and control was a fairly new concept to her still (much to the master’s chagrin), but she took their words to heart and tried to learn more about this ‘control’ they seemed to think was so important. That was likely one of the most intelligent things she’d ever done to that moment, and the effects were seen swiftly.
While still bouncy and full to the brim of questions, Elys (as she was nicknamed) tried her best to control herself during classes and hold her questions and enthusiasm back until it was time to practice what they’d learned. It was a definitive step in the correct direction for the girl, and by the age of ten she had met the woman who would become her master.
The Force Works in Mysterious Ways
[/u]Age: 10[/center]
It had been a typical day in the Culu Memorial Center, at least it had been for Elys, when the rutian twi’lek arrived. The ten year old girl had been walking along the halls muttering the same phrase over and over to herself as she gazed down at the datapad in her hand, making the others she passed look at her oddly, when she ran headlong into something warm and solid that made a rather…displeased…sound at the collision. Looking up…and up…at the tall woman she’d just run into, Elys could only stare for a moment. For the great number of jedi she’d seen come through the Culu Memorial halls, she hadn’t ever come across a twi’lek. She knew what a twi’lek was, of course, but to see one in person for the first time had the curious little girl not only surprised, but mildly stunned.
That passed, however, in the flick of one of the rutian woman’s lekku.
No sooner had both studied each other for a moment than Elysia’s typical curious and hyper nature had her practically bounding around the knight like an excitable puppy. Question after question popped into the miraluka’s mind, and question after question was asked until, finally, she stopped before the woman with a startled look. For a long moment both were very silent, gazing at each other…the miraluka looking just as startled as before, and the twi’lek gazing back stonily…before Elys hurriedly apologized for not only running into the older woman, but then for bombarding her with questions when she shouldn’t have. This was immediately followed by the explanation of “I was just curious…I'm always curious, and sometimes it gets me into trouble.” This seemed to be the one thing that made the woman smile. The truth was, she was both amused and pleased by the young girl’s reaction to her and the apology that followed.
Ayani’avan, as Elys later discovered the knight’s name to be, actually hadn’t been there to search for a padawan, but instead had come from the Coruscant temple to relay a message to one of the masters living at Culu Memorial, as well as transporting a holocron that had been requested. This wasn’t to say that Elys didn’t follow after the woman on the way to her destinations. In fact, she was the one who led Ayani to the master she had been seeking. It was funny the way things like that worked out; a knight seeking a master instead found a youngling seeking a knight to become their master and ended following that youngling to the exact person they were seeking in the first place. The force certainly did work in strange ways.
This was the beginning of what would be a learning experience for both for the next eight years.
Express Yourself
[/u]Ages: 10-14[/center]
While always eager to please (perhaps in part because of the fact that she still harbored some belief that her parents had left her at the Culu Memorial because she wasn’t good enough), Elys had trouble focusing at points, especially when it came to her saber training. With book knowledge she was a dry sponge, eager to soak up information given to her…when it came to investigations, practice or otherwise, the young miraluka took the challenge and ran with it, trying to sort through all the evidence and possibilities and information she possibly could…it was a challenge she enjoyed…but saber training, to her anyway, was tedious and difficult work, and the girl just didn’t seem to have the heart for it. So, to spur her interest in training, Ayani introduced the girl to other forms of fighting…and not just with the lightsaber. There was only one condition: Elys had to train dutifully in shii-cho.
The tactic worked wonders.
While the two continued training in shii-cho, the twi’lek investigator introduced her padawan to unarmed combat forms (which she seemed rather fond of, as well as well suited for because of her natural speed) as well as an array of melee and long range weapons, safety, and techniques. It opened up an entirely new world of curiosity for the girl and she found a growing interest in a great number of combat forms. Finding particular use and interest in unarmed, blaster and slug pistols, and staff/spear combat, Elys pushed herself regularly to learn as much as she could about each of these forms of combat and become as good at them as possible.
It was also during this time that Ayani assisted her young padawan in creating her first lightsaber.
The journey to Illume was a long, and cold, one but it was quite an eye opener for the girl. Never before had she felt the draw of the crystals, though she had noticed something odd about them when she had…not so accidentally…taken apart one of the training sabers. She had asked, at the time, what it was she had felt from the crystals, but the answer had been lackluster as the instructor had been irritated that she’d dismantled the thing in the first place. Now, with a proper master to instruct her, Elys had questioned Ayani about the same thing. While the answer of ‘it’s the draw of the crystals and the force in them’ had still confused the young miraluka, she had accepted the answer more readily. Once they reached the jedi controlled planet Ayani had watched, bemused, as her padawan had flitted among the clusters of crystals, studying them all to the best of her ability. The emerald green crystal that she returned with after a long and excited search would become the heart of her saber.
As the years slowly wound on, the life of the young girl was more than fulfilling. Life of as a Jedi Investigator seemed a perfect fit for the ever curious miraluka, allowing her to see and do and learn things that she hadn’t ever thought of seeing, learning, or doing. This wasn’t to mention the fact that it allowed her to stretch her mental muscles with all sorts of sleuthing and problem solving, a fact that fit the ever curious nature of the girl and, at points, drove her poor master up the walls. However, the quirky and outgoing personality seemed to be so outside of the typical ‘jedi’ mold that she had little trouble fitting in with those of the younger generations outside of it…the ones who might have information but wouldn’t likely speak to someone outside of their age range. This wasn’t to say that the girl, especially as she grew into a more level headed (or at least less flamboyant and flighty) teen, didn’t get into her fair share of trouble. Trouble was always a factor in the life of a jedi, especially for investigators since they were always in the midst of whatever it was they were dealing with, and often under cover.
As a result Ayani began teaching her padawan protective techniques. She had been meaning to do so for quite some time as a way of testing the girl’s strengths and weaknesses in force abilities, but time always seemed to escape her in the hustle of various long missions. Like her telepathic abilities, Elys was capable in the arena of protection, more so than altering her physical abilities, but she didn’t press the boundaries into excelling in that area either. What Ayani did notice, however, was the fact that her student had particular trouble with telekinetic abilities. Her ability to push and pull objects was passable, but lifting them or lowering them, moving them around…something just seemed to escape Elysia in that realm no matter how hard the girl tried. It was a frustrating situation for Elys, and something she could never quite get over.
This frustration, however, was the beginning of a very different, yet equally useful, talent.
She and Ayani had been practicing. Not something that was atypical for the pair, obviously, and the frustration level was high in the room as, once again, Elys failed to be able to lift a small, polished, metal ball. So frustrated was the young padawan, that she slammed her hands down on the table the ball rested on, causing an updraft of wind that…for the briefest of moments…pushed the palm sized sphere a couple centimeters off the flat surface. Both master and apprentice blinked, confused at what had just happened, but neither stopped to think about what it might mean. At least, not at the time they didn’t. Deciding that perhaps it was time for a break, or at least a change in scenery, Ayani had led Elys out into the Room of a Thousand Fountains to meditate…not that Elys was of a mind to meditate at the time. Following her master dutifully, however, she settled in and set about watching a water flower float in the pool rather than meditate.
So long did she gaze at this floating flower that her mind began to wander…pondering the motion of the water and how interesting it would be if she could move the flower over the surface of the water at will…using just the water. Now, typically, this wouldn’t have been anything worthy of note…she’d pondered such things before, after all, and nothing had happened…this time, though, it did. It wasn’t big, nor was it pretty, it wasn’t even smooth in its motion, but the flower was indeed pushed upward by a sudden (and rather oddly shaped) bubble of water. It was so sudden and surprising to the girl that she stood up suddenly, leaning over the edge of the pond and watching the flower and the area around it as if expecting the source of the disturbance to make itself known. Ayani, of course, had noticed the sudden motion of her student and opened her eyes, looking first at Elys, then over to the pond, then back before asking what exactly had gotten the girl so riled up.
After explaining the situation, Ayani suggested that Elys try it again…as if the miraluka had caused it! This confused the girl beyond belief, and she said as much, but the twi’lek knight would have none of the questioning, only an attempt to do the same thing again would appease her. So, Elys had little choice but to try again…and try she did. In an attempt to recreate the incident, as one would with any experiment, Elys sat herself down in the exact same position, though the exact same things, made the exact same movements…and waited…
…and waited…
….and waited.
Nothing. That was when Ayani suggested something that the girl hadn’t considered…Elys was simply trying to recreate the exact details of the event, but hadn’t likely put any of the feeling into it, none of the desire for it to happen. Shrugging, she decided it was worth a shot and tried again, this time really wanting the water to lift the flower…and sure enough, it did. This time, however…both master and student ended up…just a bit more wet than either had intended, but it gave Ayani a starting point, and a clue as to just what had happened, and how to help it happen in a more controlled manner. If the girl had even the slightest chance of being able to alter her environment, then they would both have to do some research and get to work.
Fireflies
[/u]Ages: 14-16[/center]
Life went on as usual, and slowly…very slowly…Elysia became ever more proficient at the various languages, abilities, and combat forms Ayani constantly drilled her on. She became good enough at wielding both blasters and pole arms, and had made good enough progress in shii-cho, that the twi’lek dangled another bribe. The woman was well known, by now, for doing such things…be it in investigations or to further her padawan’s training…especially to Elysia, who had experienced both on more than one occasion. The bribe was this: Ayani would take Elys to a blaster pistol and slug pistol marksman instructor and have him observe her…if he approved of her training and she passed his test, Elys would get a blaster or slug thrower of her own. Also, if Elys preformed admirably (pass or fail) for the marksman, Ayani would have one of the jedi weapons masters test the girl with a spear. If the girl gave her all during the test and proved that she had a good understanding of the weapon, Ayani would assist her in the creation of a pike…just so long as she continued her training in shii-cho as well. The bribe was just too good a chance to pass up, and Elysia immediately put all of her attention into training and attempting to perfect her techniques. It was almost unfortunate that shortly after the deal was made the two were sent on a mission that took them back to Alpheridies.
While the planet’s culture was, primarily, based around farming there had been reports of a radical Alpheridians (angry that their home world had been “taken over” by the Miraluka, while their own people’s numbers dwindled) that had decided it would be a good idea to take up the mantle of ‘terrorist.’ While they were a considerable number of generations late in acting, the fact that their people were so few on their own home world had unburied quite a few like-minded Alpheridians willing to take action against the prominent Miraluka society. It was because of this that Ayani and Elysia returned to the planet that had been the beginning of their relationship as Master and Padawan…and the planet of Elysia’s birth.
The Culu Memorial Center welcomed them both back with open arms and offered any assistance they might need, but many of the investigators on world were already out searching for the small pockets of terrorists spread across the planet. Elysia and her master were sent to one of the small sea-side towns to search for possible leads, and for some little while there wasn’t even so much as a whiff of a clue. If anything, the sleepy little town was just that…sleepy and little. Everyone knew everyone, and if any of them knew anything no one was telling. This didn’t keep the two from poking around, however; nor did it stop the terrorists from targeting Miralukan families living in the town.
One particular incident happened on a stormy day in her 16th year. The two jedi had been training, running through the sands of the beach to make use of the resistance, when they were battered by waves of disquiet in the force. Anger, fear, pain, distress, danger…all of these battered against their senses as the two picked up the pace, running headlong for one of the wharfs used by the fishermen of the town. As they approached it, of the boats could be seen out on the stormy sea…a small group of people on the dock. This earned no small amount of dismay from the two women, the shouting between the Alpheridians on the boat and the Miraluka on the wharf worrying them considerably. Upon reaching the area, both twi’lek and miraluka attempted to figure out what the problem was from the angry and highly distressed miralukans there, then (after several attempts at talking those in the boat into returning to the dock) wasted no time in hijacking another boat as a small form was tossed over and into the water.
While the boatful of Alpheridians jetted off, Ayani followed suite…her padawan, however, had other ideas. Elysia’s mind had been narrowed down to that one spot where the form had been tossed off, and while they neared it, the teen had called for her master to slow their pace to check for the person. Ayani, however, had been adamant about following the group. The short argument that followed ended in the padawan leaping from the craft and into the frigid and stormy waters of the ocean, drawn to the swiftly dimming presence, as the twi’lek knight continued after the presumed ‘terrorists.’ It took more than a bit of effort to reach the presence as it sank beneath the rough waves, but Elys was glad she had made the decision she had (against her master’s wishes) when she re-emerged with a boy no older than seven.
The swim back to shore wasn’t easy, and by the time they arrived she was numb and more than stiff, the boy barely moving and barely breathing as she hoisted him up into her arms and up to the wharf and waiting medics. Both were taken in and treated, the boy’s parents more than grateful for her assistance…their son would live because of her. Upon Ayani’s return, however, the news that the Alpheridians were dead weighed heavily on the padawan’s mind. Her typically stoic master seemed ill at ease, but the look she wore warded off any questions from the younger miraluka. It wasn’t long after that event that the combined force of the investigators on planet finished ferreting out the terrorist cells (not that there were many) and the two were allowed to return to Coruscant for a short while.
Bet on It
[/u]Age: 16[/center]
The time allotted was enough for Ayani to make good on her bribery.
A visit to the local military training facility was the site of the padawan’s first set of tests. Who better to supervise, after all, than someone who trained the soldiers of the Republic? The frigid and stoic man Ayani had enlisted to assist put the girl off, despite the fact that Ayani could be quite similar at points. Uncomfortable already, all the padawan could do was attempt to follow through with the bargain to the best of her abilities. The rigorous series of drills, courses, and marksmanship tests put all of her training through the wringer…right down to care and disassembly of the weapons she was using, slug thrower pistol, blaster pistol, and standard blaster and slug rifles. Honestly, Elysia hated every moment of it. The constant scowl of the man had her nerves on end at all times, the fact that she could see through her targets didn’t help any when she was supposed to be moving through a course swiftly and differentiating between civilian and hostile targets, and the fact that this was a blatant test of her skill only served to make the girl feel so uneasy that she had difficulty focusing on anything other than the fact that she felt she would fail no matter what she did. It was the combination of these things that did, indeed, cause the padawan to fail.
While Ayani did her best to assure her padawan that she was simply still learning, Elys felt differently. She knew she could do better, she had to do better…she knew, after some little time of private thought after the stern sergeant had lectured her and then left, that she was the real reason why she’d failed. No, it was more specific than that…her self defeating thoughts and her anxiety had been what had caused her to fail. Silently she went back to the temple with Ayani, but she was gone again before her master realized her padawan hadn’t simply gone to one of her usual temple haunts. The truth was she had gone back to the training facility, knowing full well that leaving the temple without her master and without permission was going to be frowned upon. She’d already attempted to talk Ayani into allowing her to retake the tests she’d just failed, but the twi’lek woman would have none of it…not so soon at least. Elys, however, had her mind made up and, being the stubborn padawan that she was, she had left to go and at least try to do that exact thing.
Upon reaching the facility she had little trouble hunting down the sergeant, one Sgt. Hajma. Convincing him to take the time out of his day to go through what seemed to be a failure in the making was an entirely different story. It took a lot of footwork and persistence to convince him (and his CO) to do such a thing but the more time she kept them talking about it, the more time they found themselves wasting…either way she was eating up their day so they might as well make some use of it, and get her out of their hair as swiftly as possible. The decision only seemed to make Hajma even more sour toward her but she didn’t care, she was out to prove something…if not to everyone else, then most certainly to herself. Of course, the Ayani was notified of her padawan’s whereabouts without Elysia’s knowledge. That didn’t mean she wasn’t already going through the same drills as before, it just meant she was going to be getting quite a lecture afterward.
The fact of the matter was, she was doing far better this time around than her first. The burst of determination and self confidence was what made all the difference. She wasn’t perfect, it was obvious she was still learning and she was certainly no elite marksman, but Elys pushed herself every step of the way to do the best she could. Care was simple, safety was simple, the basic firing positions were ingrained well enough, but she was still only passable when it came to her aiming on the fly. Despite the fact that she only barely scraped through the obstacle course in the maximum time Hajma had allotted, the sergeant had noticed the fact that she hadn’t held back this time…that she seemed more confident in herself and hadn’t hesitated. Ayani had agreed that it was certainly a large step in the right direction, but that didn’t stop her from chastising the girl for leaving the temple on her own without permission. In fact, the berating lasted the entire way back to the temple, minus the time it took to thank the sergeant for his assistance.
Upon finally returning to the temple, a very angry Ayani set about introducing the girl to the master she was going to spar against. The woman was kind enough, but the idea was still daunting. Elys had taken something away from her second attempt at the ranged weapons testing, even if it wasn’t going to be her own blaster…self confidence could go a long way. The master, a Cerean named Me’ballan, had many years of practice with both double bladed and pike sabers as well as a regular spear, a fact that Ayani had discovered one day while visiting the practice rooms while Elys was in the library, presumably studying. The two women had talked and, after some little while, the twi’lek master had broached the topic of testing her student’s skills. Me’ballan had readily agreed, and so, Elys found herself gazing across the mats at the calm woman.
For nearly half an hour the two sparred, using both spears and the force to try to one up each other. The agreement had been that nothing would be held back on Elysia’s end (short of something deadly, of course…this wasn’t a fight to the death after all), and Me’ballan would not go easy on the girl since her job was to test the padawan’s skill with a spear in an actual battle. Inevitably Elys would have ended up dead if she’d been on her own, but Me’ballan had to admit that the girl had shown quite a bit of skill. “If she continues in this way, Ayani, I don’t doubt that Elysia will be quite proficient with a spear or pike,” she had said, before offering to tutor the girl further since the weapon was her specialty. Elys, practically beside herself with happiness at the offer, had hoped that this news and her performance (as well as the lapse in time between her previous excursion to meet with Hajma and now) would find Anyani in at least a slightly better mood.
It didn’t.
If anything, her master seemed more frigid than normal…calm on the outside, exuding calm, but after so many years of knowing her, Elys could all but see the anger rippling below the surface. Attempting not to show the turmoil this caused in her emotions, the padawan thanked Me’ballan with her master and followed her out of the room. This cold tension lasted throughout the rest of the days’ studies, as well as the next few days…and just when Elys was hoping that things would begin getting back to normal, the two were surprised by a most unexpected call. Hajma, it seemed, wished to speak to them for some short amount of time about something he happily (it was odd for Elys to even try to imagine the man as happy about anything) refused to talk about.
Meeting the man outside the temple gates, he recalled Ayani and Elys both stating that the testing she’d been through with him had been meant to test her ability and that the outcome would determine if she earned the right to her own blaster or not. Baffled that he would come all the way out to the temple over something so simple, Elys could only agree that this was the case. Before she had a chance to continue the man produced a small case and handed it over to her. “In that case, I believe you’ve earned this.” Inside was a V5-Hawker…a blaster side arm of fairly common use in the Republic military. “I spoke to my CO about the situation and he agreed that, since I was planning on getting a new side arm, it was permissible to re-register this one in your name.” The fact that she was a jedi, still under the watchful eye of a master, certainly helped the decision but even so, it was something that had Elys’ mind more blank than an unused piece of flimsy.
Ayani, however, was (if possible) even more icy than before. She ‘regretted’ to inform the sergeant that because of her student’s actions, the girl had lost her chance and that the ‘prize’ he was awarding her was ‘unfortunately’ unacceptable. To this day Elys isn’t certain just how he managed to convince Ayani to allow her to keep the weapon, but whether it was persistence or a good argument in defense of it, the baffled and (in the presence of her very angry mentor) timid padawan thanked the man and followed the twi’lek back to the temple.
Ordinary World
[/u]Ages: 17-19[/center]
Over the week the icy cold anger slowly drained away, but unfortunately it swiftly became a recurring issue. More and more often the two would butt heads over how to handle a situation, Ayani more and more frequently choosing to take harsh action against criminals that could have been subdued and captured instead. It was a nerve wracking, and sometimes downright frightening, experience for the girl as she desperately attempted to be the voice of reason for her master when it should have been the other way around. These concerns surfaced, finally, when Elys turned to Me’ballan after a particularly devastating confrontation.
Ayani and Elys had only recently returned from another trying mission, the twi’lek having all but tortured the information they were after out of the smuggler they’d captured in hopes of learning about a smuggling ring. It was the last straw for Elys and she made that painfully obvious when she actually forced herself between the two and lit her pike…but it was too late. While it made her point clear, it strained the already breaking bonds between the two. That strain turned into a break when they returned to the temple and made their report to the council. Ayani deemed the smuggler ‘extremely dangerous’ and as being a puppet of a dark jedi, that she believed him too dangerous to live. While the council hardly agreed with her decision to slay the smuggler (though they believed it had been a swift and relatively painless death), they couldn’t bring the smuggler back from the dead and they hadn't wanted him dead in the first place…all they could do now was keep the two from wandering too far from their watchful eyes. It didn’t escape their notice that the miraluka padawan was upset by something; however, she refused to say anything. Why, the answer was simple…Ayani was there.
Not that Ayani didn’t know quite well just what her padawan wished to say…and that was the problem. The argument that ensued after their meeting with the council was short compared to others they’d had, but the fact that it happened at all, and the intensity of it, had Elys seeking council from someone…anyone…but Ayani. So she turned to Me’ballan. The Cerean, concerned about the padawan, brought the situation up to the Council the next day, but by then it was too late.
The night Elysia had gone to Me’ballan, the girl returned to her quarters to find a note on her table in Ayani’s handwriting. It had said that she ‘wanted to apologize’ to the girl, but had decided to speak to a friend instead of waiting for the teen to return. With some minimal measure of hope Elys went searching for her master in the temple and out. She found her near the gates of the temple, and with a pack over her shoulder. As if this wasn’t strange enough, the feelings that emanated from her master in stifled ripples were…odd…cold, frightening, and dark. It confused and terrified the girl more than she would ever admit, but it only got worse from there. Ayani was leaving, she was told, and Elys had a decision to make… “either you leave with me and I continue training you, or you stay with the jedi and know that I will come back for you.” The meaning behind that, or at least the inferred meaning, was horrifying, but she refused to leave the Order…it just, didn’t feel right. Enraged by her padawan’s final betrayal, Ayani flung the girl back with a press of the force before vanishing into a waiting speeder.
Hurt, frightened, and sad beyond words, Elys hurried back through the night air and into the temple wondering why this had to happen the week of her birthday.
Weapons:
Lightsaber: Pike
Color: royal blue
Description: Slim, simple, and understated in design. It has no readily noticeable emitter to make its appearance as a simple staff more believable. Black leather has been wound around it in several places to make handling easier and help maintain a better hold. Can untwist into two pieces for easier carrying/storage/concealment.
Lightsaber: single blade – normal (used mainly for training)
Color: emerald green
Pistols:
V5-Hawker blaster side arm (link)
Practiced Lightsaber forms:
Shii-Cho - 3
Soresu - 1
Pike combat - 3
Force-Sensitive Abilities or practices:
Telekinetic: 2
Telepathic: 4
Body: 4
Sense: 6
Protection: 4
Healing: 3
Destruction: 0
Specialized Skills: Force Sight (naturally used for vision)
Skills:
- Spear/Staff specialization
- Multi-lingual (beginning)
- Observation (esp. investigative)
- Heightened senses (hearing, smell, touch…she’s still technically ‘blind’ after all)
- Research (Link)
- Analysis (Link)
- Reasoning (Link)
- Lateral Thinking (Link)
- Decision Making (Link)
- Communication (Link)
- Critical thinking (Link)
- Multitasking (Link)
Languages (1-10 scale): 1's indicate the lowest level of knowledge (a few words here and there), 10 being mastery
Miralukese – primary (mastered)
Basic – secondary (mastered)
Huttese - 3
Bocce - 1
Smuggler’s cant – 4
Twi’leki - 2 (mainly comp.)
Shyriiwook - 1 (comp.)
Attributes:
Physical Strength: 5
Intelligence: 6
Speed: 7
Leadership: 2
Unarmed: 3
Melee Weapons: 4 (staff/spear emphasis)
Ranged Weapons: 4 (blaster and slug pistol emphasis)
Force Attunement: +4
RP Sample:
”Crap….crap-oh-crap-oh-crap! I can’t believe I'm going to be so late!”
The blur darting swiftly through the milling jedi of the temple, unlit pike in hand, and robes billowing out behind her, was named Elysia…Elys for short…and she was, obviously, late. Late for what was the question. ”Master Me’ballan is gonna slay me…” Skidding to a stop and glancing around an audible groan escaped her as she realized that she was still one floor above the sparring room used for the yearly apprentice tournaments. In the blink of an eye she was off at a run once more, flying through the halls and barely slipping through the doors to the downward-bound lift.
Grinning sheepishly at the other jedi in the lift with her, she pushed a strand of wayward sandy-brown hair from her face and settled her pike on the floor as she attempted not to fidget. Force knew it was a difficult task! No sooner had the eternally long ride down a floor come to an end, the doors sliding open, did she jet out of the lift as fast as possible in the direction of the tournament. Now, it was true that the tournament was meant for younglings to show off their skills, but she was in desperate need of a master to complete her training, and that was the one place many of the potential masters congregated to see how the new generation of jedi was shaping up, and perhaps take one on as a padawan.
At nineteen Elys was painfully close to becoming a knight, but it just wasn’t possible without a master! Now, this is typically the point where people begin asking how she managed to stay in the jedi to such an age if she didn’t have a master. The fact was, she had a master…’had’ being the past tense. The teen still struggled not to think of her former master, still had nightmares about her, but right now she was completely focused. This was her best chance to find someone willing to complete her training, something she very desperately wished to happen. Even as she stepped into the large ‘room’, the girl felt lost. It wasn’t that she’d never been to one of the tournaments before and so she was lost as to what to do, but rather…she felt lost in the sea of jedi filling the area. As swiftly as possible she made her way toward where Master Me’ballan said they should meet. After being chastised mildly by the Cerean master, the two moved off to try and find the miraluka teen a new master.
Unfortunately…the force wasn’t smiling upon the young woman. Even after hours of speaking to various knights and masters, relaying her skills and shortcomings, even repeating the reason for her needing to find a new master a few times, Elys walked away from the tournament at the end of the day with a heavy heart and no closer to finding someone to train her further.
I figured it was common sense that she had it. I didn't bother to make the change, sorry Kella. ^_~
