Defective Deflections

[itazna]

The soft hisses from the droid’s thrusters echoed in the small chamber as Joran eased his center of gravity down, his legs bowing out a bit. The head-sized training droid hovered a short distance away, twisting and twirling as if trying to let the youngling get a good look at it from all sides. Suddenly, it shot out to the left and released a small stun bolt at the same time. Joran’s saber blade flashed in a quick arc and the bolt deflected harmlessly to the ground.
Just as he celebrated his success, Joran was suddenly assaulted by a volley of bolts from the rapidly maneuvering droid. Two bolts were deflected with ease and grace, the third and fourth were closer, but a double slash sent them harmlessly away, the fifth…The fifth was unexpected and had Joran sprawling on the ground to avoid being hit.
Grumbling to himself, Joran quickly scrambled to his feet as he heard the droid moving once more. His self-berating snapped to a halt as he swung his humming lightsaber in wide arcs, trying to correct his poor form and deflect the bolts at the same time. Of course, with his mind unfocused, the deflections became more of a series of wild dodges. Joran gritted his teeth and advanced on the droid as it another round of bolts at him. Ducking and slashing, he kept the bolts away, but his form was becoming more and more erratic.
The droid zipped around Joran as he knocked a bolt away and was suddenly behind him. Dropping backwards into a sloppy roll, he heard a bolt crackle past him. Coming up to his knees, he thrust his hand out and called upon the Force. The droid barely budged in the air as Joran’s concentration slipped. Angry at all the mistakes he’d made up to this point, he didn’t even notice the last bolt, until it slammed into his shoulder and knocked him to the ground. Sighing as the droid backed off, he shut off his lightsaber and picked himself up.
Dusting off his tunic, he let out one more sigh and then his wide smile reappeared on his face, “Ah well, at least I lasted a while, even with those slips.” He turned and pointed at the droid that was floating back to the shelf it rested on, “I’ll get you eventually, can’t run from me forever!”

[Iota]

It had been a fair while since Gaius had stepped foot in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, he had spent most of his time on Tython in the aid of establishing the Jedi Temple, he had somewhat forgotten how much noise was produced in a temple that was, at the same time, relatively quiet. The hustling of the younglings running back and forth heading for their classes, the introduction of hordes of younglings who had the potential to be Jedi or shuffled off into the aggro-corps if they were unsuccessful.

Gaius had stepped down from being a Council member to ‘re-connect’ with himself and the force, or at least that is what he lead people to believe, in all honesty he just wanted to go out into the galaxy and do things his way without all the red tape involved as he knew to what extent it can hinder a situation. Especially in these perilous times with the re-emergence of the Sith Lords, It was more now than ever that his skills as a Weapon Master would become invaluable in the field and not in backroom discussing useless agendas. But in order to defeat this terror, new Jedi had to be trained, there were no overnight remedies for this particular plight, it had to be the long game and the Jedi Master knew this.

Passing through the many hall ways, Gaius had a certain feeling of completeness, he was content, it wasn’t often he would feel such a way as the force would often guide him to instance where his particular skills would be needed, but the force was quiet, he had no nagging sensations at the back of his mind, he was totally and utterly at peace. It was easily noticeable too as he had a bounce in his step and a smile on his face, nodding at the Masters and Knights with respect as he passed. He was of course heading to the training room, for his own needs, but glance over the potential padawans as it was nearing that time where they would be chosen or discarded, in a sense.

Gaius was not the only Jedi in search for a padawan, for there were numerous Knights in search too, but it had seemed to be an unwritten rule, or perhaps, just out of respect that the Jedi Masters who have ‘first pick’ or so to speak. It hadn’t taken the Jedi Master long to sift through the riff raff, there was certainly talent, but also a lot of pride, this did not bode well for the Jedi as he though pride and arrogance may go hand in hand and to underestimate an opponent or indeed the force was a grave error.

Then he stumbled across a youngling, he had potential. He was not perfect and neither did he shine as perhaps the others did, but one thing he saw almost instantly was that this child, unlike the rest, tried to better himself and not was not like most humans, at least at first glance, as humans generally annoy Falleen with their personality traits. Gaius sat a bench across the room, not too close to draw the younglings attention, but close enough to still note where the youngling can improve and to just watch him for some time until the Jedi Master had made his mind up.

[itazna]

Joran moved over to a datapad he’d laid on the side of the training area and tapped out instructions for the training remote to begin the practice run again shortly. For a moment, he almost gave into the temptation to see his status during the bout he’d just run through. Unlike most students, Joran preferred to replay his training in his own mind, think about what his body should have done in situations. Looking at random stats and numbers just brought his mood down and didn’t really tell him a whole lot.

Successfully fighting off that small urge, Joran moved to the center of the room, powered down his lightsaber and closed his eyes. Gradually, he got his breathing under control and focused his concentration, recalling his match with the remote and what he’d done wrong. Overconfidence of course was a major issue, getting unfocused after blocking a few bolts, a mistake that often occurred in his practices. As the images ran through his mind, he muttered softly to himself, “Should have blocked then turned away…Shot high, could have ducked under that, next time…”

A soft beep brought Joran’s focus back to the here and now, alerting him that the next practice run was about to begin. The soft blue blade of his saber extended as he activated it and readied himself. The remote left the shelf and hovered its way into position as Joran calmed himself and let the Force take hold.
The first bolt should have surprised him, it almost always did, but instead, he knocked it easily away with a soft flick of his wrist. Joran dropped his weight and slowly circled the droid as it tracked him, zipping back and forth. Another stunning bolt shot out, deflected as easily as the first. Joran concentrated as much as he could, doing his best not to get overexcited at how well he was doing this time. A sudden volley flew at him and his lightsaber flashed in the air as he moved nimbly about the room.

A burst of elation went through Joran’s mind, shaking his connection to the Force and nearly sending a bolt straight into his stomach, but a desperate deflection and quick spin to the side saved him, but just barely. Knowing he had to end this before he got too carried away, he took a deep breath, tapped into the Force, and let it take hold as he moved forward.

The remote flitted away from Joran, spitting bolts as it did. Knocking the bolts aside with short, simple swings, he halved the distance between the two of them. A quick dodge to the left brought the droid on Joran’s side, but he was ready. A wide slash came within a foot of the droid, bringing a wide smile to Joran’s face, he could do this, he was winning! Spinning on his heel, Joran brought his saber up to bat aside the few bolts the droid shot at him and lunged. As his body flew forward, he reached out with the Force to take hold of the droid and pull it towards him. The remote tried to move away, but was tugged at the saber-wielding youngling. This was it, Joran’s big moment, a near perfect training session. He was so excited that he forgot that the small barrels that shot the stunning bolts were on all the sides of the remote. His eyes widened as a small adjustment brought one of the small openings aimed right at his chest.

The bolt laid him out on the ground, knocking the breath out of his body and freeing the droid from his Force-inflicted hold. It beeped to signal the training sessions end and then floated serenely back to its perch. Joran lay gasping on the ground for a moment before getting up on his elbows and shaking his head, “Well, that went…better I suppose.”

[Iota]

(really short one, i apologise)

Gaius watched with intrigued as the youngling carried on his training, he didn't need to use the force to see that he was going over his previous training bout in his mind, it was all over his face. Still, the jedi master knew that you would only improve through practise and adapting, but he always knew that out there, in reality and knee deep in the enemy, you cannot afford to make such mistakes, still, this child was still a youngling and had a life time ahead of him to better his skills and hone his craft.

The jedi master smirked to himself softly as the laast bolt hit the youngling "he's only human" he scoffed lightly to himself. Gaius dusted himself ouff and straightened his robes as he stood before waalking towards the youngling in a regal fashion.

"Breath deep, youngling.. remember.. clear your mind, do not fixate on what you need to do, clear your mind until you hear nothing and remember you stance. The droid is beating you because you are only reacting to where it is shooting from, use the force and judge as to where it from, be two steps ahead.." The Jedi Master smiled softly "but where are my manners? i am Master Gaius Fal'kirk" he introduced himself as he held out a hand to shake the youngling's hand.

[itazna]

The comforting blue glow of Joran’s lightsaber faded as he deactivated it and got to his feet. His chest stung from where the remote had stunned him, his back ached from landing on it so hard, and his head was spinning slightly from bouncing off the ground. All in all, he figured it could have been worse.

He heard slight movement across the room and began to turn, figuring in was another student wanting to use the training area. When suddenly faced with a tall, elegant, Falleen Jedi approaching him, he felt his mouth drop open for a moment. A sudden flurry of thoughts ran through his head.

How long has he been watching me? Did he see the first bout? I should have payed more attention, I didn’t even notice him come in?..Wait, what’d he say?

Snapping to attention as he realized the Jedi was addressing him as he approached, Joran realized he was being instructed, or lectured possibly, it wasn’t always easy to figure out which with his teachers. Stunned as the entire problem with his practice session was broken apart and simplified in such an easy way, Joran listened with rapt attention. Reacting to where the droid was seemed like the best way to accomplish things, anticipating to where it could be seemed like an impossibility, even with the Force.

So wrapped up in this new revelation in his combat method, he almost didn’t notice the Jedi extending his hand and introducing himself.

For a moment, he couldn't believe what he heard as he shook the Jedi master’s hand. A master had been watching him, a master! Not just one of the masters who doubled as their teacher, a master he’d never seen before had watched him, and given him advice! With poorly disguised excitement, Joran stammered out,

“Hello M-Master, my n-name is Joran Odia. It’s a pleasure to meet you, a-and thank you very much for the advice.”

[azuresky]

It was a crisp, fresh day on Coruscant, and the sun’s rays drifted slowing in and out of the Jedi Temple illuminating the chambers within in a strange, seemingly random way. Adjusting her sleeping mask idly and tugging on the sleeve of her long grey robe, Dalaya ambled towards the training grounds: she had a lot on her mind. Having entered the Temple at a young age, Dalaya was now ready to be taken as a padawan. However none of the Jedi Masters had taken much of an interest in her, and Dalaya was beginning to wonder if she personally was at fault.

Her long mornings were always spent in one of the many training rooms that littered the Temple. Dalaya could only distract herself from the long wait by training. The hustle and bustle of the temple continued despite the youngling’s woes; Masters, Knights, Padawans and younglings all scurrying around the Temple in a rush, trying to make it to their next engagement. It was an odd thing – to see such hurry in a Temple built to celebrate peaceful existence.

As Dalaya perambulated through the Temple library she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sorrow for the loss of her old friend Juiin. The library had been his favorite place, and she would often spend hour upon hour listening to him read. ‘This is no time to lose control’ she reprimanded, ‘the knights and masters may be looking for students.’

Continuing on through the Temple she soon came to training rooms’ entrance. The door was framed by two geometric stone columns, which helped to support a protruding arch. To the side of the columns were two identical, ornate statues (presumably of Jedi’s from the past) that held lit torches in their modest hands.

Dalaya entered the training complex and casually proceeded to her usual training room, to be met with an unusual surprise. The training room was currently occupied by another youngling and what appeared to be a Jedi Master. Standing still in the doorway, she reached out with the force hoping to get a better look at the situation.

The youngling was a human slightly taller than her, and possibly a couple of years older. He had sandy-coffee colored skin, and bright eyes, and appeared to be very excited about the presence of the master. From the mark on his shoulder, it seemed as though he had been training recently. The master, who had undoubtedly sensed her already, was a Falleen of truly impressive stature and musculature: Dalaya found him slightly intimidating. “Sorry to interrupt, Master” she apologized whilst bowing, as she could not muster the courage to ‘look’ the man in the eye, “but I can leave if you wish?”

[Iota]

“Hello M-Master, my n-name is Joran Odia. It’s a pleasure to meet you, a-and thank you very much for the advice.” the youngling replied, Gaius smiled softly as he gave a slight nod in recognition "I am here to help, for i am a jedi.. that is what ... we.. do" emphasis on the 'we' was made, albiet slightly subtle. "Remember, there is no ignorance, there is knowledge, youngling.. and this manifests itself not only in studying, but experience and eventually wisdom..." Gaius started to pace slowly back and fourth infront of the youngling as he continued to speak in a soft tone as his reptillian skin and scale pigmintation changed from his normal green colour to a more calming blue colour to convey a sense of calm and content sense of mind and being. "heed these words and practise and one day, just maybe.. you will be a Jedi Knight, Gaurdian of the galactic Republic"

Gaius had already made up his mind about taking on this youngling as a padawan, but he didn't want to tell the youngling, but rathr keep it a surprise. He did not want the youngling to get ahead of himself, for the life ahead of him would be a long and hard one.

Not much time had passed with Gaius talking to Joran until he had sensed the arrival of another inquisitive youngling, he glanced his eyes towards her location, a Miraluka - a race who were naturally gifted in the force. She apologised for her interruption, which is undrstandable and she stated that she would levae if instructed.

"Ah, come youngling.. no need to apologise, you have done nothing wrong.. join us.. i am Master Gaius Fal'kirk, and this is Joran, a fellow youngling.." Gius smiled softly and gave a slight bow to the young miraluka "it seem the force works in mysterious ways" he stated, ut this was more to himself than the younglings infront of him.

[azuresky]

(OOC: Have a project to do, so the post is somewhat short.)

IC:

“Ah, come youngling. No need to apologise, you have done nothing wrong... Join us... I am Master Gaius Fal'kirk, and this is Joran, a fellow youngling.” The newly identified Master Fal’kirk spoke with a kind tone, and returning to an upright position she saw that the Falleen’s skin has turned to a tranquil blue. No longer as intimidated by Master Fal’kirk, Dalaya expressed her gratitude with a meek “Thank you” and walked over to join the pair in a stiff, overly-formal manner. She may not have been as intimidated by the Falleen, but she was still nervous to be around a Master: it was not often that Jedi would express an interest in talking to the younglings. Her footsteps sent out hollow echoes with every collision. She could feel her heart beating. She knew that this meeting may be important.

Joran seemed to be slightly more skilled than her; however this was to be expected due to their age difference. Dalaya was glad to meet Joran (after all, he was a new face), and felt that they would get along well: his smile was infectious. Her lips curled up slightly, “Hello Joran, it’s a pleasure meeting you.” Dalaya tugged at her robe absent-mindedly and offered her hand to the other youngling. “Forgive me for asking, Master, but which speciality of Jedi are you? I only ask because I am unsure what exactly each speciality entails…”

Brushing a lock of her scruffy black hair from her face, she peered at the Falleen master in earnest curiosity. The man exuded an aura of power, and she found herself wondering whether all Jedi Masters commanded such respect merely by existing. Dalaya hoped that she would be allowed to train with the pair, even for a short while.

[itazna]

(OOC: Not really happy with it, but here you go.)

"I am here to help, for i am a jedi.. that is what ... we.. do" Joran noticed the slight inflection on 'we' and for a moment, his heart dropped. Any master passing by would offer advice if it looked like the youngling warranted it. "Remember, there is no ignorance, there is knowledge, youngling.. and this manifests itself not only in studying, but experience and eventually wisdom..." Halfway convinced that this was a simple lecture and nothing more, Joran nodded slowly, to show that he was in fact listening, even as a dozen or so thoughts swirled about his head. Barely noticing the smooth transition of the master's skin from green to a soothing blue, his eyes widened as he heard, "heed these words and practise and one day, just maybe.. you will be a Jedi Knight, Gaurdian of the galactic Republic"

Bowing his head just enough to hide his smile, Joran mumbled softly, "Yes Master, I understand." Unsure still if this was a personal interest for the older Jedi or simply a helping hand in his training, Joran was still overwhelmed that Master Fal'kirk would hint he had potential to actually become a Knight.

A voice off to the side startled him out of his slight daydream, and he mentally commanded himself to start focusing more, that was the second time today he'd been spacing off. A miraluka padawan had just entered the room, luckily addressing Master Fal'kirk because Joran had no idea what she'd just said.

As she crossed the room to stand next to him, Joran couldn't help but notice that she was walking a bit...odd, like she had slept wrong and woke up a bit stiff. Putting it off at being nervous around new people perhaps, or actually sleeping wrong, he smiled warmly at her as she greeted him with, “Hello Joran, it’s a pleasure meeting you.” and returned his smile.

He shook her offered hand and gave a small bow of his head to her, "Nice to meet you as well." As he turned away, he realized that he'd forgotten to ask her name, but as he opened his mouth to do so, he heard her addressing Master Fal'kirk already. A question about his specialty was something that hadn't crossed Joran's mind, and was actually interested in. Mentally making a note to ask the other youngling her name later, he listened politely.

[Iota]

"No need to be nervous, youngling.. be at peace" Gaius smiled towards the miraluka. The jedi master waved his hands towards the floor "please, sit.. i am sure we have many a thing to talk about.." The Jedi Master paced once again back and forth, with an air of authority. Gaius was a rather modest creature, pride and arrogance naturally annoyed a Fallen, it was their biggest gripe with humans and often lead to mistakes and failures, so he would make sure these traits were at a minimum in potential padawans, for they could have dire consequences too.

"Forgive me for asking, Master, but which speciality of Jedi are you? I only ask because I am unsure what exactly each speciality entails…"
Dalaya asked in an inquisitive tone, this was a good question by all means, intrigue nd curiousity, good signs in a youngling. Gaius smiled softly towards the young Miraluka before he replied in a soft tone "I am a Weapons Master, which is the advanced version of the Jedi Guardian.. i, like the other Guardians and weapon Masters, are the first line of defense against the thousands of enemies that seek to destroy the Galactic Republic.. i am the fist of the Jedi Order.."

The Jedi Master looked towards both the younglings and stated "Please, if you hve any other questions.. sppek freely.."

[azuresky]

The human boy replied to her greeting in kind, but gave her a strange look that she presumed had something to do with her nervousness. Master Fal’kirk seemed to give her a soft, approving smile before he replied: "I am a Weapons Master, which is the advanced version of the Jedi Guardian. I, like the other Guardians and weapon Masters, am the first line of defence against the thousands of enemies that seek to destroy the Galactic Republic... I am the fist of the Jedi Order.” Such a powerful statement combined with such a modest sincerity made a great impression on the young Dalaya… she wondered whether being a guardian was something Juiin would have approved of.

Dalaya wondered; did this man have a personal interest in either of the two younglings? Perhaps he intended to take both of them as his Padawans? She was getting ahead of herself! Whilst it was not unheard of for a Master to choose his Padawan minutes after meeting them in an informal situation, most Padawans were picked up at tournaments or class reviews… besides, she doubted that the council would approve of one man taking two Padawans at the same time; it was certainly unconventional, though not impossible.

She was broken from her musings by the calm voice of one Gaius Fal’kirk - "Please, if you have any other questions... speak freely." Dalaya decided it would be too presumptuous to ask the master about his intentions, but was interested in training with the pair. She was unsure what exercise the boy had been performing, but she had heard the Jedi giving him feedback. This could be a valuable opportunity to improve her standing in the eyes of the master and indeed her skill.

“I do. Would it be possible to train with the two of you – only for as long as it’s convenient?”

[itazna]

"I am a Weapons Master, which is the advanced version of the Jedi Guardian. I, like the other Guardians and weapon Masters, am the first line of defence against the thousands of enemies that seek to destroy the Galactic Republic... I am the fist of the Jedi Order.”

Those words went round and round in Joran’s mind as he looked in newfound awe at Master Fal’kirk. In the beginning, he’d been excited at the prospect of having an interest taken in his training by a master, having a master who wielded a lightsaber with the skill that he one day hoped to achieve made his heart pound in his chest. Doing his best to calm himself, Joran remembered that just because he was being generous with his advice and giving them a chance to question him, didn’t mean that the master wanted to take on a student. For all he knew, Master Fal’kirk may already have one, and was just being helpful.

With this revelation, came a second thought. What if this new youngling was picked instead of him? It was obvious that she had more control and was far calmer than Joran was, and was that way naturally it seemed. Her personality was closer to the jedi master’s than his ever could be. Even though he didn’t think personality had that much to do with padawan selection, it certainly could be a deciding factor.

With a deep breath, Joran shut out these whirling thoughts and focused once again on Master Fal’kirk as he invited the younglings to ask him more questions. The youngling next to him spoke up first, asking politely,

“I do. Would it be possible to train with the two of you – only for as long as it’s convenient?”

Ignoring the slight temptation to refuse to train with her, Joran took one more long inhale and looked at the master,

“Actually, I would like to take a moment to practice as well. You were saying something about using the Force to…predict where your opponent would strike from next. Would you be willing to show us about that more?”

[Iota]

"But of course" Gaius replied to the young Miraluka "i am sure, as you both are young.. that you are very inquisitive indeed.. now, i can try to answer your questions and queries to the best of my abilities.. the force and what some may call 'the living force' is in some regards unfathomable to an extent, it is everything that you can see, hear, touch, smell, tatse and sense.." The Jedi Master stoped pacing and lowering himself to the floor, he, himself was still relatively young for a Fallen considering their average life span, so he didn;t have issues moving about, Gaius sat on the floor, with his legs crossed, he then went onto place his hands on his knees.

The Jedi Master was in his own way, quite odd.. but not in a bad way, quirky, some would say. But he was a reknowned Jedi in the order and once sat on the council, so there, in a way, was a method to his madness, or so to speak. "Come, let us recite the jedi code and meditate on it's meaning and apllications..." He nodded to the younglings, both that Gaius felt had a bright bright future "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.There is no passion, there is serenity.There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force."

[itazna]

"I am sure, as you both are young.. that you are very inquisitive indeed.. now, I can try to answer your questions and queries to the best of my abilities.. the force and what some may call 'the living force' is in some regards unfathomable to an extent, it is everything that you can see, hear, touch, smell, taste and sense..."

Joran closed his eyes for a moment, trying to picture this 'living force' about him. His mind seemed unable to create this mental image for him, the idea of something connecting him not only to the living beings in the room with him, but the inanimate objects and indeed the very air...It was an overwhelming prospect.

Opening his eyes, Joran found Master Fal'kirk seating himself comfortably on the ground. Before he could open his mouth and question him on what exactly it was he was doing, the somewhat odd master answered his unspoken thought.

"Come, let us recite the jedi code and meditate on it's meaning and applications..."

Giving the seated master an akward look for a moment, Joran shot the youngling at his side a questioning look then sank down to a cross-legged position as well. Placing his lightsaber hilt reverently at his side, he placed his hands on his knees and closed his eyes once again.

Calmly, repeating after Master Fal'kirk and breathing slowly, Joran said,

"There is no emotion, there is peace... There is no ignorance, there is knowledge....There is no passion, there is serenity...There is no chaos, there is harmony... There is no death, there is the Force."

This time, as he closed his eyes and repeated the code, he felt something strange. His mind began forming the image he'd attempted to piece together only moments ago. He vaguely 'sensed' the room and people around him, and in a strange way, he did actually feel connected to them in some fashion, just the way the master had said he was. Smiling at this, Joran took another breath and continued his meditation with his companions.

[azuresky]

The master replied to her in a kind way; “I am sure, as you both are young... that you are very inquisitive indeed... now, I can try to answer your questions and queries to the best of my abilities. The force and what some may call 'the living force' is in some regards unfathomable to an extent, it is everything that you can see, hear, touch, smell, taste and sense...” Dalaya had heard of the living force before, but she could never understand why the living force did not talk about destiny: surely some things were unavoidable? If the living force flowed through all things, connecting them directly to each other in the present, then are followers of the living force encouraged to interfere with other people’s matters? More questions were raised than answered.

Dalaya glanced over at Joran, to see him close his eyes in concentration. She thought it might be a good idea to join him and try to visualise this ‘living force’. Sitting down slowly in a cross-legged position, Dalaya let her eyelids fall and focused on the force. She felt the force as she always had: a united entity that comprised everything, mapping out countless possibilities for the future. She focused in on the people in the room around her, and felt their connection to the force, but still could not sense it flowing through them. It seemed to her as though they were the force.

She opened her eyes slowly, noticing Master Fal’kirk assume a comfortable position on the training-room floor. Joran looked like he was about to question the Master, but he answered Joran’s unspoken question. “Come, let us recite the jedi code and meditate on its meaning and applications...”

Dalaya supressed a chuckle as Joran gave the Master a strange look, like an inquisitive bird, and then turned and gave her a questioning look. She was unsure what the look was about, but she guessed that he had been expecting something more… action-packed. “There is no emotion, there is peace... There is no ignorance, there is knowledge....There is no passion, there is serenity...There is no chaos, there is harmony... There is no death, there is the Force.” Dalaya recited calmly. She had always liked that mantra – it exalted control. When she closed her eyes and reached out to the force again she still could not find the living force that the kind man in front of her spoke of so fondly. Truth be told, she could never sense sides to the force, but she dare not tell anyone that.

In the end, the question of destiny weighed so heavily on her mind that she had to say something. “Master, what of our destiny, what of our fate?”

[Iota]

Gaius sat on the floor, his mind was clear, he was content. The training room had gone quiet, the rest of the younglings had retired elsewhere, it was peaceful. the only occurance with in the training room was a slight breeze. To Gaius, this was heaven, metaphorically speaking of course. He had spent many years in chaos, fighting it back with his lightsaber - either bringing those back from the dark side, or forcing to take drastic measures by ending their life in self defense. It was times like these, were he could sit back, relax and contemplate life, the universe and everything that made it all worth while.

“Master, what of our destiny, what of our fate?” - dayala asked, sucha broad, indepth and wise question from a being so young, Gaius knew there was something special about this Miraluka, she was as strong in the force as those you are already under tutelage by a jedi, but she seemed not to have the mental control or clarity to realise this, but Gaius could see this, he could sense it. these two younglings before the Jedi Master had great potential.

"Fate.. Destiny.. it is a fickle thing, youngling... is it your destiny to become a Jedi? or perhaps is just being a Jedi the first step towards your destiny or fate? who knows.. Some jedi excell in the Order but are forgotton, some live a life of mediocrity and becme famous with in the order..." Gaius paused for a moment, breathing softly "If your destiny was set in stone and clear as the morning sun.. the Seer would have seen this.. But still, you both have a bright future a head of you and perhaps you do have a greater destiny at hand and perhaps you will have guidance from a Master along the way, but to furfill your destiny.." The Jedi Master once again paused, opening his eyes and looking back at the younglings "you will have to dedicate your life to the Order and be a bastian of peace for the Republic and for with in yourself, too."

[itazna]

“Master, what of our destiny, what of our fate?”

The calming feeling that generally accompanied meditation left Joran in an instant. Since his fellow youngling had entered the room, she’d had questions that had been utterly profound to Joran. He rarely heard such questions from his peers, unless of course, they leaned towards the more philosophical pursuits, which he supposed she may in fact.

His gaze drifted to Master Fal’kirk, he was indeed interested in his destiny, though he didn’t have the fortitude to ask so plainly. Since his thirteenth year had begun to loom on the horizon, he’d asked that same question of himself, what would fate have in store for him? Would he gain a Master? Or would he be sent somewhere to be forgotten?

"Fate... Destiny... it is a fickle thing, youngling... is it your destiny to become a Jedi? or perhaps is just being a Jedi the first step towards your destiny or fate? Who knows…? Some jedi excel in the Order but are forgotten, some live a life of mediocrity and become famous with in the order. If your destiny was set in stone and clear as the morning sun... the Seer would have seen this... But still, you both have a bright future ahead of you and perhaps you do have a greater destiny at hand and perhaps you will have guidance from a Master along the way, but to fulfill your destiny...You will have to dedicate your life to the Order and be a bastion of peace for the Republic and for within yourself, too."

Joran met Master Fal’kirk’s gaze with hope. Even if he wasn’t chosen today, or tomorrow, or ever, why would that decide if he should go on to become a great force for good in the universe? His reply to the youngling’s question had been one of the most inspiring things Joran had heard in all his years of being at the Jedi Temple.

Tightening his hands into fists, he nodded his head, and smiled widely,

“I know I’ve said it before, but thank you very much for your teaching Master Fal’kirk. Your advice will help me in my training immensely, and with or without a Master, I’ll make the Jedi Order proud of me.”

[azuresky]

“Fate... Destiny... it is a fickle thing, youngling... is it your destiny to become a Jedi? or perhaps is just being a Jedi the first step towards your destiny or fate? Who knows…? Some jedi excel in the Order but are forgotten, some live a life of mediocrity and become famous with in the order. If your destiny was set in stone and clear as the morning sun... the Seer would have seen this... But still, you both have a bright future ahead of you and perhaps you do have a greater destiny at hand and perhaps you will have guidance from a Master along the way, but to fulfil your destiny...You will have to dedicate your life to the Order and be a bastion of peace for the Republic and for within yourself, too.”

That sounded like a good answer to Dalaya (whose eyes lit up), but she still wanted to research the subject later – knowledge itself never could hurt. ‘He’s right,’ Dalaya thought, ‘every person should try to find inner peace. In the end, we all need something to strive for: we need to fight our own personal battle.’ The Master’s speech truly was inspiring, and it seemed to have a great effect on the youngling next to her; Joran tightened his fists and smiled that infectious smile whilst nodding his head.

Dalaya was, however, aware of the passage of time, and she knew that she ought to leave soon. Joran spoke just as she was about to open her mouth: “I know I’ve said it before, but thank you very much for your teaching Master Fal’kirk. Your advice will help me in my training immensely, and with or without a Master I’ll make the Jedi Order proud of me.” To be honest, Dalaya couldn’t agree more, and she felt that it was necessary to voice it. “I too, would like to thank you for taking your time to help us with our training, and --” Dalaya was cut-off by a beeping sound coming from her alarm, signalling that it was the time at which she usually returned to the library. Dalaya scrambled to find the device, and turned the noise off as quickly as possible.

“Please forgive the interruption Master,” she spoke, thoroughly embarrassed and flushing bright red, “thank you for your great service to me, but I fear that I must leave soon. It has been an honour to meet you.” She bowed slowly to the master and turned to the other youngling: “By the way, I’m Dalaya.” She was about to turn and leave but then realised that Master Fal’kirk may want to reply.

[Iota]

Gaius was in a meditative stance when the younglings started to thank him on his insight and wisdom "not at all, younglings.." he responded with a slight smile on his face "not at all indeed.. "he sat back for a few moments, taking in the ebb and flows of the force that circulated with in the room, through himself and throught he younglings. the force was a marvellous thing to admire and to yield with such clarity and content.

It was long until the young Miraluka started to talk but was breifly interrupted by an alarm clock like noise and her appempt at a speedy departure, naturally, she was keen to learn all she could, very admirable trait to have, a trait that gaius liked and strived to envoke n the younglings at the temple when time would permit.

"You are going to want to miss what ever it is you need to attend too.. i am sure who ever it is you need to report too or see shall understand if you do not show.. for i have something that you both may be interested in.." Gaius opened his eyes slowly as he looked back and fourth from one youngling to another.

"You see" he pused for a moment before continuing "in these times, it is important for knights and masters of the jedi order to take on Padawans and you two have intrigued me greatly.." The Jedi Master paused for another moment as he helped himself to his feet "I am in need of such Padawans and you two are very much the type of younglings i would like to take under my preverbial wing.." He smiled softly at the two, hoping they would take the rather large hint "i am heading over to the Council room to apoint you both as my Padawans, now i am not forcing it upon either of you, but if you wish to learn everything i have to offer and strive futhor more towards your destiny, then by all means, follow me.. i shall not be offended if you wish not though, naturally" he bowed his head softly before heading towards the exit of the room.

(you both can post once more then we'll head ver to the council thread )

[itazna]

The sudden beeping noise coming from somewhere on his fellow youngling’s person startled Joran nearly as much as it seemed to startle her. His hand reached down for his lightsaber, as his thoughts instantly turned to the training remote resting on a shelf somewhere behind him. After a few seconds, he realized that the beeping was an alarm, and not the droid starting its practice run again.

Slipping his hand from the saber lying on the ground beside him, he saw an alarm appear in the youngling’s hands as she hurriedly shut it off and got to her feet,

“Please forgive the interruption Master, thank you for your great service to me, but I fear that I must leave soon. It has been an honour to meet you.”

Joran saw her face going a bright red as she apologized and excused herself. He felt a bit of empathy for her embarrassment, it seemed to be worse than his when he realized that Master Fal’kirk had been watching his somewhat lacking display of Force-usage just a short time ago. He imagined she was going to head off to some class now and was totally unprepared for her to turn to him and say,

“By the way, I’m Dalaya.”

Mentally making a note to remember her name, he nodded politely in thanks for telling him…again.

“You are going to want to miss whatever it is you need to attend too... I am sure who ever it is you need to report too or see shall understand if you do not show... For I have something that you both may be interested in…”

His interest piqued, Joran’s eyes snapped back to the seated master, to find him looking back and forth between the two of them. Was he going to teach them more?
"You see…in these times, it is important for knights and masters of the Jedi Order to take on Padawans and you two have intrigued me greatly…I am in need of such Padawans and you two are very much the type of younglings I would like to take under my proverbial wing…I am heading over to the Council room to appoint you both as my Padawans, now I am not forcing it upon either of you, but if you wish to learn everything I have to offer and strive further more towards your destiny, then by all means, follow me... I shall not be offended if you wish not though, naturally"

Joran’s jaw dropped, he was actually going to become a padawan! He quickly got to his feet, slipping his lightsaber into the belt at his waist and bowed respectfully to the departing master,

“Thank you very much Master Fal’kirk!”

Moving to follow him, Joran glanced back to Dalaya and grinned,

“Are you going to be joining us?”