Living in the Sunshine (Open)

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Master Teer Ka, Watchman for Shili, had finally finished her circuit of the western hemisphere of her native planet, and had successfully recruited twenty children into the Jedi Order, some with the help of Knight Novos, who had now left Shili behind and gone out on her continuing missions, leaving the Togruta Jedi to tend to her people alone once more.

It was, Teer admitted, nice to be back in Corvala. The capital city was far from the splendor or volume of Coruscant, but it had a certain charm. The bustling foot traffic came to mind. Most everything could be reached by walking, and even in the city the technology seemed unobtrusive.

It was through one of the main streets that Teer was walking, just another red-skinned Togruta in a sea of her own people, without clothing that would make her stand out. In fact only three things set her apart in a glance. The scars on her face and neck, the lightsaber on her belt, and the akul-tooth headdress on her brow, where her face met her montrals.

That was what really set her apart, as it signified she was an elite hunter, who had personally slain an akul. That earned her respect. Certainly she couldn't garner respect as an elder, as she hardly looked the 58 years she was. Some women aged more gracefully than others, and Teer had always been rather timeless.

Her feet carried her through the street and into a bazaar, a street market brimming with venders selling every kind of trinket and every kind of food imaginable, catering to both the locals and the non-Togruta who had obviously come from off-world.

Contrary to the expectations of some, Shili did have a large amount of visitors compared to the small local population. It had much of the appeal of Cerea or Ithor, vast swaths of unspoiled wilderness. It also offered excellent hunting for those who were into that. It was a good tourist destination, though Master Ka dearly loved it either way.

She stopped off at a booth and bought a fruit, nibbling it as she walked along, simply enjoying the day.

It was good to be on Shili, enjoying a peaceful sunny day, not having to worry about fighting Sith or instructing a Padawan. It was like a large vacation for her. It was hard to think she actually drew a stipend for it. But she did.

Red lips formed a small smile and Teer Ka continued to walk, eating and examining the various stands.

[Res]

Walking through the crowded streets of Corvala, the capital city on Shili. He wasn't there for any particular reason just trying to get perspective of his life at the moment. Tov had been on the planet for most of he day. He knew that Master Ka had requested to be the Watchman on her home planet. Something Tov couldn't imagine doing, he enjoyed traveling too much. The thought of being stuck on one planet for months on end wasn't something he would enjoy.

The Twi'lek had parked his speeder bike on the outskirts of the the town. He though it would he nice to just walk the stands and see if anything struck his fancy. The last several weeks had been very eventful. Loosing his hand, meeting Anushka and then having a week to report back to the temple. The master had been searching for answers for what happen to him on Ambria but all he could find was that everything he did was correct.

The purple Twi'lek rounded a corner and stopped at a fruit stand buying somthing that resembled a apple. Paying the vendor and nodding, he took a bite and went on his way down the simi crowded streets. Corvala was much slower paced than Coruscant, no speeders zooming over head or worry about getting your pocket picked. Finishing his fruit he tossed the core into a trash can, the Twi'lek closed his black cloak. His hood was lowered since there wasn't any use for it to be up.

After a few more moment of walking, he felt a presence. It was strong in the force, the light side of the force. Looking in the direction of where it was at. He had felt it once before, it was a master. Could it be Master Ka, why would she be in the city? He though then he remembered she could be there to recruit a youngling or just be enjoying the beautiful day that it was. Pushing out further, as he started walking toward the presence. It was intact Teer Ka, turning down the street he spotted the Togruta Master. Walking up to her he bowed.

"Master Ka, it's a pleasure to see you again"

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Teer was in the middle of examining a textile when she sensed a signature in the Force, and just a few seconds later she felt a person come up behind her and speak. The voice was instantly familiar, and she promptly turned, spotting a purple Twi'lek who she recognized.

He was a fellow Jedi Master, one who she'd met in the Jedi Temple a few months ago shortly before she left for Shili. She'd offered him a spar and he'd declined it, which wasn't all that unusual as a spar with Teer Ka was far from enjoyable.

The Togruta Jedi pressed her palms together and bowed slightly in a gesture of greeting, before straightening her head and greeting him.

"Master Tov, I wasn't expecting to see you here."

It was a surprise for her, but not an unpleasant one. The unexpected wasn't always bad, though she usually disliked what she hadn't anticipated. Teer liked to know how the flow of a conversation or a duel would go, and she liked to anticipate all possible outcomes. The unexpected thwarted plans and threw a wrench into the works too often, and as such she was rarely comfortable with it.

Nevertheless, she was a big girl and could handle herself.

"What brings you to Shili?" Teer asked in her customary formal tone, her accent richer than ever due to the Basic she'd been neglecting for weeks.

Generally speaking she didn't assume Jedi went anywhere for recreation, though she herself had blended it with work in the past by choosing Shili as a place to train her Padawans. She could be wrong though. Regardless, she wasn't egotistical enough to think that the Twi'lek Master had travelled all the way to the Expansion Region in order to talk with her.

The Togruta momentarily paused, remembering yet again that she'd left Ashla in the office instead of taking her with her, and she felt a pang of guilt over confining her bird and leaving her alone. That was an error she would have to rectify later.

[Res]

Watching as the elder Jedi bowed to him, he could tell there was a ting of curiosity in her voice to why he had traveled so far from the temple. It wasn't to see her, he was hoping that he wouldn't run into her while on Shili. Though he knew it would be hard with two Jedi as powerful as them to ignore power as them.

The Twi'lek smiled slightly, it was good to see another Jedi. He had been around so many shady beings for the last couple weeks. He didn't know how people could live in such conditions. As he stood he placed his hands in his sleeves.

"I was on my way back to Coruscant and I stopped here to refuel. I have been on a mission from the Council."

Tov said to the Jedi Watchman, looking down as he towered her. The Twi'lek was one of the taller Jedi in the Order so he had to physically move his head and look down to make eye contact. It wasn't so bad it gave him an advantage in fights with his long reach and long strides.

"You look well Master. The solitude has treated you well I see."

He joked as he shifted his weight. Tov had been riding in a ship for awhile now searching he hadn't found what he was looking for. He didn't think he would ever find what the Council had sent him out to do. It had been almost a month and he hadn't found any trace of the Sith. He had also taken the time to reflect on everything that happened the last couple weeks.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Master Ka might have raised an eyebrow if she'd had them, as if he was stopping at Shili for refueling he was taking a rather leisurely and circuitous route home, as her homeworld didn't exactly lie exactly on the Hydian way.

A sadly small number of people visited Shili for recreation, which was truly a tragedy as her planet offered so much nature to see and natural activities. Admittedly many people were put off by the dangerous predators, but what rose didn't have its thorns?

She did wave her red-skinned hand dismissively when he said she looked well. The truth was that she was rather lonely and hadn't made any friends during her few months present on her native soil. She enjoyed the job, but in her time off she did feel a little isolated.

Master Ka was genuinely not used to being away from other Jedi. She'd always been based out of the Jedi enclave at Dantooine or the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, just one voice in a choir, but now she was singing alone, generally the lone wielder of the Force on the planet, though she had been twice-visited by Jedi.

Instead of addressing her own little problem, she turned her dark eyes and stern gaze onto the younger Twi'lek, taking in his aura and using her nuanced senses to feel him.

"You seem different from when last we met," Teer said thoughtfully after a long minute of silent scrutiny. "Are you burdened perhaps?"

Her query was hardly a stretch, and it was slightly more than innocent. If there was a problem, Teer wanted to know about it, still driven a little by curiosity, and still more out of caution. Whenever there was a problem or a situation, she thought it best to get down to the root of it and address it with action, even if the action was simply discussion.

She'd learned her lesson about not heeding warning signs with her second Padawan, as her negligence of his deepening troubles had allowed him to slip into the Dark Side, ultimately sealing his fate.

The Togruta Jedi had been too late to save him or prevent his fall, but it had instilled in her a scrutiny to seek out possible flaws and dangers and help the victim safeguard against them.

In this case, she wasn't sure if Tov was carrying some seed of darkness ready to sprout, but she was fairly certain something was weighing on his mind, and if it was a problem, she was willing to solve it. Or to make an honest attempt at least.

[Res]

When the Togruta Master waved off the comment of her looking well Tov gave a little smile out the corner of his mouth. He hadn't smiled in nearly a week, when he saw Alana on Tatooine. It was after the misjudgment on his part with the Grey Jedi Anushka. Though he doesn't regret the experience but if any found out he would be serverly lectured on the discipline of the Order. He looked at Teer Ka and gave her a reassuring smile.

"It is just this mission Master. It has me worried. I do not wish to discuss it out in the open like this. Is there a place where we can talk."

Tov said as he looked around as to wonder if her residents was close. But he knew if probably wasn't close to any villages or city. Most Watchman he came across on his missions lived far from others. It brought safety to the people of the planet in case a Dark Jedi or Sith should come.

"I have a speeder bike just on the edge of the city. In case we must travel"

The Twi'lek Master started making his way toward the direction of the bike. He turned and waited for the elder Jedi to catch up. Not in a gesture to convey that Master Ka was slow but out of courtesy of the other Jedi.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Master Ka nodded. Her colleague was right, in that missions were not something to be discussed openly in the streets, particularly when on the native planet of a species with exceptional hearing.

Yes, there was a place for secrecy in Teer's opinion. Just not secrecy between other Jedi, outside of confidential matters of course. Certainly she hadn't been very forthcoming with information on her assignments with others in the past, but her own assignments had generally been considerably more dangerous, where secrecy was a shield.

Today Teer was both trusting and distrustful of other Jedi. It all boiled down to character judgments really. If Master Ka saw someone she suspected of harboring darkness, she wasn't likely to trust them. But a Jedi who she knew, who had proved himself? She could place her confidence on that man. Yet...

There was still room for faith. She had to have a degree of faith in others, because she couldn't do everything by herself. Luckily Sirius, her last Padawan, had taught her that it was all right to place her trust in the hands of others, and he'd restored what her pursuit of Dark Jedi had taken from her.

But there was still a long road to go before Teer regained the idealism she'd had as a Youngling, she was battle-worn and had scars to bear, and she was no longer young. Still though, she felt it was her opportunity now to improve herself.

Everything happened for a reason.

Master Ka redirected Tov, steering him away from the outskirts of Corvala, and further into the center, towards the anonymous office the Order kept for her use on the planet. It wasn't as secret as it could be, as it was known to the planetary government, but it was safe enough, much like Shili.

The walked together in relative silence, finally entering the office and moving past the secretary into a large room with a balcony in the back. Before it was a large desk made of reddish wood, and on the walls were various bits of tribal art.

In the corner on a gnarled wooden perch, was Ashla, Teer's Corellian Banshee Bird, looking a little less than pleased at being left alone when she could have been taken for an excursion.

Teer crossed the room to reach her, scratching the bird behind the head before moving to her desk and pulling off the soft-soled leather boots she'd been wearing, setting them down and letting her feet breathe.

"It is safe to talk here Master Tov. You may consider myself at your disposal for the duration of your stay on Shili."

[Res]

The Twi'lek turned back to follow the older Jedi as they made their way further into the city. It was beautiful, he had never seen so many Togruta in one place. They were as diverse as his race. There are the solid colored Twi'leks but there were some that had bands of natural color on there lekku. This wasn't the case for Tova'nas, he was a simple plain purple Twi'lek. Nothing special in how he looked, except for the metallic hand he now had.

A short walk later the Jedi came to a building. Entering it he was just as impressed with it as he was with the city. His gaze scanned the room, it was simple nothing too extraordinary about the room except for the the bird. He remembered the Banshee bird from there indrodution on the roof or the Temple. Tovs eyes followed Teer as she stroked her avian pet and then made her way to the desk in the center of the room.

The Jedi slowly made his way to the chair that was placed in front of the desk. Sitting down he opened his robes, the crystal around his neck caught the sun. This was one thing that he cherished more then his life. Reaching over with his right hand adjusting the black glove on his left hand. It still was slightly uncomfortable but he was getting used to it.

"Yes good. I was instructed to search for a Sith. This particular Sith has been targeting not just Political Officials but has attacked Jedi as well. The latest was a Knight that was protecting a Senator from Naboo. Me and my Padawan Gharassk Ran encountered him on Ambria, while we were there. I am hoping to find him soon before anymore innocent people get hurt."

Tov finished his speech and relaxed. He was unsure how Master Ka would take the news about a Sith purposely attacking Jedi.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Teer steepled her fingers and said nothing as the purple Twi'lek talked. Her face was attentive and calm, with the carefully neutral expression she usually wore perfectly intact.

While the news of Sith purposefully seeking out Jedi to harm did not surprise her in light of their unprovoked invasions of Dantooine and Rhen Var, the idea that one had wreaked havoc as far away as Naboo troubled her.

That Outer Rim world was on the opposite end of the galaxy from the Empire, and if they could strike there, their reach was longer than she'd expected. It was a matter to be worried over, and had she been on the Council she would not have neglected the threat. As it was though, she was in no grand position of leadership, and she could not single-handedly drive back the Sith.

It was possible she could hunt the danger down herself and deal with him, but those days were behind her. Master Ka had settled into a retirement from such duties, and they were now left to younger Jedi. Her life was in another phase, a phase of adjustment. She was no longer the warrior, and was instead learning what she'd neglected in her youth.

Somehow though, her eye managed not to twitch at the mention of Gharassk. That Padawan had deserted her on a mission to Druckenwell before she became a Watchman, sneaking away in the middle of the night and defying her as he went on a deceitful trip to Rodia for personal reasons. He'd nearly been killed there but for her timely arrival. And for his impudence and dereliction he'd become a Padawan to a Jedi and was allowed to roam free.

At the time she'd been strongly in favor of sending him into the Corps, as he was to her thinking unsuited to being a Jedi. Nevertheless, she chose to ignore the mention of his name and discuss the business that was actually pressing.

"I have not sensed any dark presence on Shili," Teer said evenly, though she could admit even her own highly attuned senses were not infallible. Still, the idea that there was a Sith under her nose was not something she was inclined to believe, if only for the reason that there was no real harm to do on Shili.

"Do you think this Sith is here? Or do you think he plans to stop here?"

[Res]

Tov sat there pondering thinking about what to say next. It wasn't that he was at a loss for word he just needed to be careful on what he says. He didn't know if someone was watching or listening, but he didn't sense anyone. That didn't mean that they weren't masking there force.

The purple Twi'lek adjusted in his seat. He didn't feel uncomfortable around Ka he just had sat for so long he was filling restless. Standing up he walked around the room, making his way over to a window and gazing out of it. The view was amazing, he could see himself spending time on Shili with his Padawan. Turning around he spoke again.

"Like I said i was on my way back to Coruscant. I knew that you were here as Shilis Watchman. Though I never thought that I would see you."

Tov said as he turned around looking at the Togruta master. The master lazily walked around the room, keeping eye contact ever so often with the elder Jedi.

"I was to believe that the Sith had perished in the battle. I had pushed him off the edge of the cliff. But apparently he had survived the fall. I had crippled him badly, i redirected his lightning back into his face. But that wasn't before he.....

The Twi'lek stopped in the middle of the sentance. Looking down at the black glove on his left hand. His mind goes back to the fight, and when the Sith took his hand. It was something Tova'nas has lived with for the last month. He just needed to find a way to get passed it.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

The Twi'lek Jedi hadn't really answered Master Ka's question, and the Togruta woman frowned a little as she wondered whether or not it was so hard to deliver a straight answer on whether or not he thought there was a Sith on her planet.

After all, it was really a yes or no, and she had to admit the evasiveness was a little annoying.

Still, Teer internalized it and restored her careful look of neutrality, steepling her fingers and watching the purple Twi'lek as he paced about her office, listening to him recount his duel briefly. She didn't think about what she would have done in his place, or condemn him for failing to kill his target; she simply accepted his explanation without question.

Teer followed Tov's gaze down to the gloved hand, and she pieced the facts together. Clearly he had a cybernetic hand underneath that glove, and she grimaced a little to imagine losing a body part and replacing it with metal and plastic, reliant on mechanical parts instead of her own flesh and blood.

That was the price of some mistakes though, and it wasn't as if Teer was without injuries herself. The scars on her face and neck were only the tip of the iceberg, and her body was riddled with various scars, most from shallow lightsaber burns she'd taken on by accident or as a calculated sacrifice.

Nevertheless, she still felt a certain empathy for Master Tov, which she vocalized.

"I am sorry for your loss Master Tov, but remember it could have been worse. You still prevailed, and a victory even with a small loss is still better than a defeat. Do not feel shame."

[Res]

The Twi'lek Jedi Master stood watching the bird in the corner. The bird was staring at the Jedi then tilted her head. Tov turned his attention to Teer as she spoke. The words were somewhat meaningless, he didn't feel like it was a victory. If it was a victory then why did the Sith still exists. Anas fixed his cloak and walked toward the desk.

"Thank you Master Ka, but how is it a victory when the Sith still wonders the Galaxy. I have failed in my duty as a Jedi to protect the galaxy from the Dark Side."

Tov took a deep breath and sat in the chair once more. There was silence for a little bit. Tov was thing of what to say next. He then realized that he really hadn't answered the original question Ka had asked. He did but it didn't seem like she excepted the answer he gave.

"But to answer your first question. I do not think the Sith would come here or is here. It is way to populated."

The Master leaned back in his chair and folded his arm. Looking at the Togruta, he could tell she was interested in his mission. Though he didn't have much more to tell her. Every lead that he had was a bust and he was heading back to Coruscant to check on his Padawan. It was to make sure that he hadn't gotten himself into anymore trouble.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Teer frowned as she realized she was going to have to play the role of counselor.

The Togruta woman was not exactly the first choice of most to deal with emotional problems, but that wasn't to say she couldn't do it. Teer was capable of being a sympathetic listener or of being an advisor, but the topic rarely came up.

Perhaps it was her stern gaze, severe face, or the scar along her cheek that convinced others she wasn't the one to come to for advice. Still, this time it was essential she give it. Tov was clearly being excessively hard on himself, and she felt she was the one to correct that. After all, he needed help.

And apparently the issue of the Sith on the loose was more or less closed, as he wasn't on Shili. That meant Teer didn't have to worry about a threat to her planet, and she could move to address these other concerns.

Her voice was slightly sympathetic this time, but still firm. Now was a time when she needed confidence.

"No one wins every duel. You emerged with your life, which is testimony to your skill. The Sith will be caught in time and eliminated. In the meantime, you need to regain your confidence."

Teer stood up behind her desk and pulled up her leather jerkin, revealing her right side, and mixed in among the red skin was a jagged scar, clearly the mark of a duel.

"A Dark Jedi threw a large shard of metal into my body and escaped. But in the end he was found and eliminated. It was a setback for me, and nothing more. Don't give up hope just because things are hard. Not a single one of us is perfect. We're all flawed, and we all fail from time to time."

The Togruta woman lowered her jerkin again and crossed the room to her pet, stroking the bird's head as she delivered her closing remark.

"This isn't the end of your career as a Jedi. We all make mistakes, that's how we learn. How you deal with a defeat is just as important as how you deal with a victory."

[Res]

The man watched the elder Jedi speak she was wise and and had more experience than the Twi'lek did. He valued the wisdom of the Weapon Master. She was right not everyone wins every duel. The main thing to get from the ordeal that he and his Padawan emerged with their lives. And with him on the case the Sith will be caught.

Tov then observed the Togruta Master come from behind her desk. Wondering what she was going he lifted her tunic and saw the scar on her abdomen. His eyes moved back to the face of Teer Ka as she spoke again. He was at a loss of words at what to say about the whole thing. He wanted to tell her that he should've beaten him then. That he let the Order down by not destroying a Sith. Master Tov knew he wasn't perfect but he knew he was a better duelist than that.

"Thank you Master. I just feel I let the Order down by not destroying the Sith. I let a very dangerous being loose out in the galaxy. He attacked and killed a Senator from Naboo."

The Twi'lek Master stated as he placed his hands on the arm rests. He looked up at the Togruta Master with a look of frustration. He was still frustrated that he hadn't found the Sith yet and he was not even close to finding him.

"Though you do make a valid point Master. He will be found and dep't with even if its the last thing I do."

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

[For some reason I never noticed your post. I am so, so sorry >.<]

He felt like he'd disappointed the order. It was understandable, to feel your failure so keenly. For successful duelists, such a setback was undeniably major, and always difficult to cope with. However, one had to.

A proper Jedi wouldn't hold himself back, wouldn't allow herself to languish in despair, and would get right back up and rejoin the fight. Dwelling on failures was neither wise nor acceptable, and Teer could personally vouch for that.

Maybe it was time to discuss her own experience. While she didn't like dredging up the emotions connected to those recent events, she felt like perhaps this was for a greater cause. Maybe discussing her knowledge would help him, and if it helped him... Then it was worthwhile.

"Master Tov, you can't right every wrong in this galaxy. Please listen carefully, as I don't often talk about this, and likely won't mention it again for a long time."

Teer sighed and crossed over to her bird, taking Ashla onto her arm and returning to her seat. Idly she stroked the bird's feathers, letting that soothing action distract from her tense words.

"My Master was on Dantooine. He stayed even after I left for Coruscant, as he was quite old. He rarely strayed from the enclave, generally sitting on a bench and staring out at the plains for hours. He'd been a Guardian all his life, but when his body had failed he'd become a Consular. He was a truly great Jedi."

Master Ka felt her eyes getting a little moist, and she wiped at them. As if sensing her emotion, Ashla rubbed her head up against the Togruta woman's arm.

"The Sith invaded and razed the enclave. He was killed," Teer said bluntly, before moving swiftly onto the moral of the story. "Sometimes you can't control it. Sometimes you have to give up and let others carry on the mission. Don't let your own personal pride get in the way, it will only foul things up. Remember, the Jedi Order is bigger than any one of us."