The open pages. (OPEN/Kermit)

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

Four weeks....

It had been four weeks sense Gharassk had been confined by the councils orders to the temple. Four weeks wasn't that bad, however the only upside to the young Togruta not being able to leave the temple was that in those four weeks he had studied more then he and others normally did in four months.

Also; staying in one place for as long as he had he had met quite a few people, and re-met several of his friends he already knew.

Unfortunately even in a subject he was interested in, he had fallen asleep in the Courtyard on a bench while reading a book on saver forums. When he was last awake it was dark outside but not he had awaken to sunlight warming his face, he opened his eyes to find that he had buried himself in his robes and saw several birds starring back into his face. One of them was pecking at where his ear would be if he had any, but being a Togruta he had none.

After He shut his eyes again to try and insert the thought of getting off of him into the birds minds they one by one flew away.

He sat up and noticed a white speck of some gooey substance on his outer robes, it took him a few seconds to wake up and let it register as bird poop.

Eww...
He grumbled at the speck as he yanked the robes off his body and picked up the holo book that had fallen on the ground, and noticed that others had been in the courtyard at least but there was no sign of any seeing him on the bench which was in the far back behind several trees and took a winding path to get up into the area he was at. It was a place he had quite fallen in love of due to it being quiet and rarely was there any one else near that area. Not that he didn't like company, but when he was studying it was useful to know of a quiet place, in this case it was too quiet and he had fallen asleep.

He looked around and decided to just stay there and read some more until he would get hungry.

[kermit]

Argon walked through the courtyard. He was still pondering whether to join the Blades and the war.

Sometimes you have to kill, but is that time now?

He had come to the courtyard to ponder this quietly. He noticed several things. Birds. Other Jedi. A Torugrata.

Wait, what?

For some reason, the Torugrata interested him. Then he recognized the alien.

Oh, him...

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

Gharassk had been reading for several minutes now he had gotten three pages read, and counting what he had read last night he had finished a chapter and a half.

The he felt a stirring in the force more then a tree but as his skills where weak and not as honed as other Jedi he still couldn't tell where or who. He raised his eyes from the book and squinted looking into the trees, scanning...scanning...then he saw standing like a ghost a Jedi human male. He had a lightsaber and he looked older then Gharassk and other Padawans so he could safely say he was a knight.

He couldn't really recognize him though, Gharassk scratched his cheek with his free hand and then spoke out to the other,
Hello there...No need to stand scared...i won't bite...the birds nip a bit though... Gharassk noticed how it looked as though the other knew of Gharassk, but Gharassk did, know him, was it possible that he had heard of Gharassk disobeying orders?...

[kermit]

Argon had indeed heard of the incident. He hadn't been too shaken by the message, but he felt a little strange talking to him.

"Hello. I'm Argon Farwell. You're Gharassk, I belive?"

OK, I can handle this. No need to foul up a random meeting. This will just be fine...

Yes. Talking to the boy was very strange...

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

"Hello. I'm Argon Farwell. You're Gharassk, I believe?"

Yup...You've made a name for yourself Gharassk...He even knows your name...maybe someday you'll live it down. He thought to himself.

Hello Argon, I mean "Knight Argon Farwell" Sorry still getting used to using titles.

He folded the holo book over and moved his robes to allow the other male to sit on the bench if he wanted to.

So i take it you've heard of the fact that i disobeyed orders from the council? Do you know what i did exactly? Or could I amuse you with a Story? Gharassk's humor had become one that was growing as fast as his Knowledge, being alone proved to be a good way to feed you Sense of humor he was finding.

Do you know what I did that the council disapproved of?

[kermit]

"No, all I know is what I've heard from a gossiper. Told me that you disobeyed orders and now you're stuck here. I'm not judging."

Argon sat down next to the Padawan.

"If you really do want to tell the tale, I'm all ears. But you don't have to."

I have tales, too. Many, many tales...

Argon felt a bit more comfortable with casual talk than intense debate. Meeting this Padawan was a relief.

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

"If you really do want to tell the tale, I'm all ears. But you don't have to." Argon said.


Gharassk nodded, then replied after he sat down.
My story must be getting around quick...odd how strangers know of it and my friends don't.

Any way, I was accompanying two others to Druckenwell, And the only reason a wanted to go was because my former master had, "contacted" me, he was holding republic solders captive, he said if i told the council or the republic he would have killed them and left without freeing them. He wanted me, so even though I knew it was a trap i left the group i was with and went to rescue them. I didn't succeed on defeating my former master and he left me scared,

He touched the painless wound on his stomach that had healed now. Regardless if the circumstances had been off by anything at all, Gharassk knew he would have been dead.

I could have died, any way, with the help of the other Jedi I was kept alive long enough to make it home and be healed. I just thought that someone needed to know the truth about why I'm in trouble.

Any way think what you will, that's what happened.
He sighed with relief it felt good to get that off his chest.

[kermit]

Argon leaned back, lost in thought. After a minute, he finally responded.

"Now, I am a new knight, but I think what you did was necessary. You belived soldiers needed help, and you gave it to them. I personally don't know why the council punished you for something natural in all good sapients-the need to help the needy."

Argon almost never understood the decisions of the council. They punished the boy for helping soldiers who might have been in need of help?

Interesting...

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

"Now, I am a new knight, but I think what you did was necessary. You believed soldiers needed help, and you gave it to them. I personally don't know why the council punished you for something natural in all good sapients-the need to help the needy."

Gharassk turned to him to speak in the councils defense,
Now don't blame them for that, the reason they mainly gave me discipline was because I didn't inform them, In truth I was being deceptive in keeping it secret, But it was one of the few times where the person had no real choice.

He said making a defense in the councils place, while tactfully keeping himself in the right place, he had told the complete truth,
But it is good to know that someone understands. For that I thank you.

He then wondered if there was much else to talk about, What about you? I don't know, What do you think, what are your stories?

[kermit]

You don't even know...

Argon raised his right hand and pointed to the scar.

"Want to know where this came from?"

Might as well start with something easy.

His story would be a long one, but it was a story he had told many times. The story of Pralaa and the slavers.

I STILL hate those guys.

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

Gharassk had made a good defense for himself and the council, he could tell that by the fact that the other didn't press the matter further.

"Want to know where this came from?"

Gharassks noticed the burn scar on the mans hand. And then did actually wonder how he had gotten it.
OK? He said imagining how he possibly got it, perhaps it was his trial of flesh.

How did you get such a nasty scar?

Gharassk had often wondered what was held in store for his future trials, or if being stabbed by Gwaldosa his former master would count for his trial of flesh. Is he to young for it to count?

Questions would be answered by listening to stories and by doing the research he had been doing.

[kermit]

"Well, when I was a Padawan, I went on this mission to Tatooine. I was supposed to stop some slavers. You know, rescue slaves, kill the slavers, the usual. So I went there and discovered just what combat was like. I lashed out into the battle, without thinking."

He stopped for a breath. This WAS going to be a bit of a story.

"This Trandoshan named Pralaa fired his blaster and I got this. It cost me the mission. I was depressed for years."

That outta do it. Don't want to bore him.

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

"Well, when I was a Padawan, I went on this mission to Tatooine. I was supposed to stop some slavers. You know, rescue slaves, kill the slavers, the usual. So I went there and discovered just what combat was like. I lashed out into the battle, without thinking. This Trandoshan named Pralaa fired his blaster and I got this. It cost me the mission. I was depressed for years."

Gharassk listened to the story while Argon told it then he got to the quick end.
OK here's a few questions if you don't mind, How old where you?, Did that count as your trial of flesh?, and how did you know the Trandoshan's name? Gharassk asked a few thought out questions and sat there looking at the slightly older human. And waiting for the answer.

[kermit]

"First, I was thirteen. Second, it didn't but it came really close to counting. Third, we were given names and pictures of all the slavers before the mission, and I recognized him."

Argon had never before thought about the fact that it didn't count for his trial of flesh. He thought about it, then quickly decided it didn't matter.

Besides, I'm a knight now, so it wouldn't have made much difference either way.

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

"First, I was thirteen. Second, it didn't but it came really close to counting. Third, we were given names and pictures of all the slavers before the mission, and I recognized him."

Gharassk nodded at Argon,
I see...makes sense really.
Gharassk thought about what to do next, then he remembered he was in the same garden that he and Vance healed the dead plant in, perhaps he could check up on it.

Hey, ya' know what? I got something I can show you. Fallow me... it isn't far from here!

Gharassk grabbed his Book and bird Poo soaked outer robes, and began his walk through the garden, fallowing the path as it winded until he reached one of the main path ways that he turned left and fallowed some more until he saw the bench that he and Anahid had both sat on, and across from it was the flower hugging the tree trunk still healthy, looking better then the others and then it had when he left it.

There it is... He stepped over to it and knelled down to stroke it.

This plant died a few weeks ago you know? Me and a friend of mine healed it together...now look at it...the force is truly amazing isn't it?

[kermit]

Argon looked at the plant. It was, indeed, amazing. Then he remembered.

"I've seen that plant before... when it was wilting. I didn't do anything, because I thought it could not be saved. But you have just shown me, it could be saved. You saved it. Wow. Just wow."

A dead plant saved... what else can be saved with the Force?

He pondered this question, and it lead to it's logical conclusion.

The galaxy... for it too, with war and corruption, is a dying plant...

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

"I've seen that plant before... when it was wilting. I didn't do anything, because I thought it could not be saved. But you have just shown me, it could be saved. You saved it. Wow. Just wow."

Gharassk smiled, he remembered the conversation surrounding this plant, it was about the war, and weather the Jedi should help or not. His conclusion was and always will be "Yes."

Like i said i wasn't alone, but it felt good to help save the life of even an inanimate object.

He stroked it again, before standing up and carefully walking away from the plant avoiding stepping on others.

Then he thought to bring the conversation back.
What is your view on the war? Do you thing we, the Jedi Order should assist? As the blades do?

[kermit]

I should of known...

"Well, I have been thinking about that very thing. For many days... and I have reached a decision."

Argon knew what he was going to say.

"We should join. We should stop the Sith. I don't want to get too metaphorical, but that plant... before it was healed, it was like the galaxy. Wilting, dying. Because, at least in part, of the Sith. But the plant was healed. And so can the galaxy."

OK. Philosophical speeches... not my thing.

Argon Farwell knew exactly what he was going to do, very soon...

[Adobi-Wan Kenobi]

"Well, I have been thinking about that very thing. For many days... and I have reached a decision. We should join. We should stop the Sith. I don't want to get too metaphorical, but that plant... before it was healed, it was like the galaxy. Wilting, dying. Because, at least in part, of the Sith. But the plant was healed. And so can the galaxy."


Gharassk nodded, I hope if i get a master soon he will turn out to be a blade, or at least Join them at some point.

Gharassk passed by Argon and plopped himself on the bench, with a sigh, wondering if the man was about to ask about his master, that was another long-ish story.

Gharassk was still paying attention to Argon but he also decided to open his holo book and read it as well, no true need to stop reading.

[kermit]

Argon had a thought.

"You know, I never thought about this, but maybe I could have a Padawan someday. Not now, of course. I'm too young, I don't know enough. But sometime in the future, maybe..."

Argon had always discounted thoughts of getting a Padawan. He thought it would be too much of a commitment for his tastes. Then again, being a Jedi Knight was a commitment, also.

Too many decisions lately...