Warm Water [Mal]

[Danee]

3600 BBY

Central Public Garden

1:37 PM

Alaari looked around the park, the people of Coruscant walking around in the park around her as she sat down on the edge of one of the fountains, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Again Alaari glanced around, seeing no one she recognized directly she undid her boots and pulled down her socks as well, setting them down on the ground close to the edge she turned to the water. Slowly she lowered her feet into the cool flowing water. Shivering slightly just as her toes broke the surface and dipped into the cold fluid.

This was something Alaari did from time to time when she had the opportunity and the weather allowed it. Today, both the time and the weather allowed her to spend some time outside the temple, her friends were out on different worlds either with their masters or alone. Alaari moved her feet through the water, watching as the water bent around her legs and feet, cooling her down.

It had been a few stressful days lately and she had been wanting to take a break from her duties for a while, so when she got the chance she took it and left the temple to relax in the park. As much as she loved to sit in the library and just read book after book, it could get a bit boring from time to time, and when that happened she went to the park.

Her white robe was laying in a pile to her left next to her shoes and socks, leaving her in her obi. Sitting and moving her feet through the water felt nice, it was relaxing and it stilled her usually rapid moving thoughts focused on her upcoming Trials. Looking up she looked at the sun and closed her eyes, letting the sun wash over her skin.

It happened that Alaari wondered what her home world was like, not having been there before she wondered what it would be like to walk around with other Togruta on the world they called home. She sighed and looked back down into the water that flowed through the fountain and around her feet.

[Mal]

Mal had been given the day off, which was something new for him. He was used to a day or two of no orders where he was free to do what he chose, but he was not used to an actual day of. Must be one of those benefits of being in the private sector now, and one he was not in a hurry to give up again. He'd been working almost none stop for the last ten years, only taking time to himself when he requested leave to visit his family. So now that he found himself with downtime he decided to spend it walking one of the local gardens, one of his favorites with fountains. He found the water soothing, it helped him think and do the one thing the Army spent years teaching him not to do; relax. It had been drilled into him for the last ten years, "If you relax you die, always remember that fact soldier."

The soldier picked up one of the flowers and smiled for a moment, he was tempted to bring it back for Ina, she'd been working harder than he'd expected of anyone lately. He was sure she could use the smile, and he knew he'd like to see her smile. Mal froze in his steps for a second, then shook his head. This wasn't a line of thought he wanted to stay in at the moment, first off he barely knew the woman, second she was his boss. Besides, Ofi would kill him if the droid found out he was thinking of bringing Ina flowers. Shaking his head again and smiling he continued walking through the garden, listening to the water in the fountains. He let the water clear his mind, and began one of the breathing exercises Clerix had taught him to clear his mind.

Of course Mal stopped again a few moments later when he saw something odd, a female Togruta sitting with her feet in one of the fountains. Robes and boots, presumably her's, sat in a pile next to her and her attention was not focused on what she was doing at the moment. Not that it needed to be with her just sitting there. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what would cause a young woman to sit on the edge of a fountain with her feet in the water on such a nice day. It was a public garden after all, he wasn't sure if soaking your feet in the fountain was allowed. Not that anyone seemed to be moving to stop her, so he didn't see the point in stopping her. Though his attention was drawn by it, and he had nothing to get to at the moment, so he thought he'd join her in sitting on the edge of the fountain at least.

It didn't take Mal long to get over to her, and she didn't notice him. She was looking down at her feet in the water, which caused Mal to smile and form an idea. He was still holding the flower in his hand, and he had no other ideas for it, so he dropped it in the water at her feet, smiling the whole while. "Sorry, you were so focused I couldn't resist. Name's Mal Denton." He said as an introduction, sitting down cross-legged on the edge of the fountain with her. "Though it is nice to know the flower didn't go to waste. Went to a lovely young lady that looked like she might enjoy it." His tone of voice was upbeat, and despite the way his words may have been construed, he wasn't flirting with her.

[Danee]

Alaari was lost in thought, trying to remember her parents that she had left behind at the mere age of two, she could barely remember how her mother sounded,, something she wished to know again some time. Slowly she stirred her feet around in the water when a flower suddenly landed in the water between her naked feet.

Looking up she saw no tree from where the flower could have descended from, instead Alaari's attention was stolen by a voice coming from her side. Looking at the man who had dropped the flower and was now sitting next to her now she cocked her head to the side slightly. "Are you always so smooth when speaking, Mal Denton?" She asked, it was nice to get complimented from time to time, especially if it was from a random person such as Mal here.

The man who called himself Mal Denton looked like he had been through a lot, noticing his scars on his cheek. Mal's clothing on the other hand was pretty well kept and it seemed like he cared a lot about how he looked, perhaps he was a Soldier who was off-duty? It was unlikely that he'd be a mercenary, as from her experience, Alaari had noticed that they didn't care as much about how they looked and was often a bit sharper with their word choice.

A brief glare from something around his neck caught her attention as well, looking briefly at his neck to try and see what it was but didn't stare for too long to not seem like she was staring at him.

Looking back down at the flower she opened her palm and raised it slowly, making the flower ascend from the surface of the fountain and then rest in her hand. "My name is Alaari Sen, so tell me Mr. Denton, do you always give flowers to girls that catch your eye?" Alaari inquired and looked at him as she moved the flower to her nose, taking it its smell and then looking at it.

Flowers was something Alaari hadn't interested herself in so much, nonetheless she did enjoy them and those she had read about she usually looked for when on different worlds. Now, she couldn't recognize this species although she did enjoy its smell.

[Mal]

Mal smiled at the woman's reaction to the flower, or to it suddenly appearing between her feet at least. "I get lucky with word choice at times ma'am." He said with a small chuckle, it was true enough too. He rarely thought about what he was going to say in a casual setting, instead just letting the conversation flow naturally. He noticed her eyes shift to his chest, which caused him to glance down himself. Light glinted off of his mother's ring, which he proceeded to tuck under his shirt. Out of sight out of mind. He still mourned for her, and always would, but he had put it in his past. His mother wouldn't want him spending his life living in guilt that he couldn't save her. Instead she'd want him to live on and have a long happy life.

She asked him another question, one which caused him to smile widely, offering another chuckle and shaking his head. "Only when the flowers are readily available. And please call me Mal, Jedi Sen." He said, he had not only seen the flower rise to her had, he had sensed it. The gathering of the Force energy, he tried to pay attention to it, but it was all still so new to him that he couldn't focus it yet. He just needed to keep practicing like Clerix had told him and he'd be able to use it at will soon. In the meantime he wouldn't worry about it, all things happened in time. Or whatever the saying was.

Mal sat straighter and took a few deep breaths, looking out at the water for a few moments clearing his mind. "So tell me, what brings you out here? Other than it being a nice day, I hope nothing is troubling you." He turned his head to look at her and smiled softly. He'd try and help her however he could if he was able, but he was a simple soldier. There were a great many things he'd be unable to do, like provide multi-million credit funding for... anything. Well he'd try and help how he could anyway. Though the best way to help was if there was nothing wrong in the first place.

Silvery grey eyes looked back out over the fountain, watching the light glint off the water. "Besides, the way I look at it life is too short not to do the little things like that. At least humans don't have all that long of a lifespan." Admittedly, he didn't know much about the togruta, he knew enough to know that he liked the race in general. They generally seemed to be wise and kind, and they were avid nature lovers. Who could hate a race that went around barefoot for no other reason than to feel the earth beneath their feet.

[Danee]

Alaari looked at him as he changed his pose, there was something about him that kept poking her mind. It was just that she couldn't put her finger on what it was that was so special about him. As he looked out over the water Alaari did the same.

Was there something bothering her? She heard him ask her and raised a brow looking at him. Well, there was a few things, first was the fact that her trials were coming up slowly and she had to do them, then she'd have to find her master and ask about permission to go to Naboo with the Jedi Knight named Chias whom she had met in the library.

Maybe she was troubled and maybe that was why she was sitting out here? She didn't really know, but the day had been nice so she couldn't really resist going out here. "Don't worry, Mal, I'm not troubled at the moment." she replied and looked back at him. "I appreciate your concern. Life is something that's always slipping away from us, no matter who it is, it's always slipping away." Alari said and looked at the flower, slowly opening her hand and let the flower fall back into the water, when it left her hand however she closed it again, just missing it.

"Something that I have noticed among you humans, is that you fight life itself, trying to cling onto it. Age is not a bad thing, which some believe it is." Looking at him she cocked her head slightly. "They cling onto life as if they can hold it in place, there have been plenty examples of that happening, mostly among humanity, I'm afraid."

Turning back to the fountain she pulled up her feet and folded her legs, looking out over the fountain. "Humanity is a beautiful race, a cruel, war bringing race, but still very beautiful. You just need to stop thinking about age as a bad thing, death is as much of a part of life as birth is." She said and looked down at her folded legs and then back at Mal.

"When you realize that, you'll be able to live better."

[Mal]

Mal nodded and smiled at her, "I agree completely. Life is constantly slipping away, that's why I like places like this. Peaceful, serene. I wish more places could be like this, quiet and I like the flowers." Truth be told he didn't like wasting his time on anything meaningless, and sitting among the flowers was something that never lacked in meaning. He was happy he got to share it with someone this time though. He enjoyed the company, and the Jedi's presence seemed soothing, like she was trying to relax. He cleared his head again, focused on nothing in particular and starred out over the water. He almost reached up and touched the ring under his shirt, his thoughts shifting to his mother for the moment, but he didn't. His thoughts cleared, and he refocused his mind.

Mal listened carefully to everything that Alaari had to say, and then nodded, turning to look at her and locking his silvery grey eyes on her's. "There are good and bad in every race, but humanity does seem to have more of the bad than the good. Still, I come to places like this... And I hope that everyone can find a measure of peace like it. That's what I chose to fight for in the Army, the good people that wanted nothing more than to live in peace. The people who wanted nothing more than to live and love, the ones without the ability to defend themselves from the war." Looking back over at her he smiled wistfully, "I guess the only way I was able to rationalize some of it was to romanticize it. Odd thought, romanticizing war, but it got me through alive."

Mal smiled as he continued to think about it, reaching his hand into the cool water of the fountain for a few moments. "Believe me though, when my time comes I'm ready. I'd like to have a family first, there's more than one type of immortality. I'd prefer the type where my friends and family sit around and remember me fondly. I'd like to be remembered as the father and grandfather who got down on the ground and played with his children and grandchildren." Mal's smile turned to a mischievous grin, as he brought his hand from the water he angled it slightly so some of the water flew from his fingertips and landed on Alaari. Though he turned and looked out over the fountain innocently, like he hadn't done anything at all. The big soldier had a childlike side, which was the one that was on the forefront of his personality ninety-nine percent of the time.

"Besides, I'd like to believe that when I die, my friends and family will be there waiting for me, welcoming me with open arms." Mal smiled over at her again, playfully pushing her shoulder lightly. He flashed a playful smile at her again and then traced his fingers across the water again. "It's all balance, light and dark, good and bad, life and death. Without one, the other cannot exist, and we wouldn't know about anything that exists in between." This was probably the most philosophical that the soldier would ever get, he much preferred his normal fun loving childlike personality. It was more entertaining.

[Danee]

Alaari looked at Mal as he responded, he wasn't as simple as most of the non-jedi humans she had met, and yet he didn't seem to be overly complicated. Mal felt like something in the middle, he cared but not too much. Alaari nodded as he talked about war.

The Togruta shrugged as he said it was odd to romanticise war, but it was probably the best way to get out of it alive and in preferably, one piece. Alaari had yet to see a large battlefield outside of Holorecords or reading about them in books. It seemed like a terrifying place but yet a place where everything hang by a frail thread that would snap at the slightest mistake.

Thinking back to what bothered her about him, Alaari realized that it might be because of force sensitivity, which would be odd as he didn't look like a Jedi and the fact that he mentioned that he wanted a family before dying pretty much sealed it for her. She looked back out over the fountain right before she felt water landing on her, taking her off guard and making her flinch.

"Hey!" she replied as he pushed her slightly and then moved his fingers through the surface. Alaari kept an eye on him as he spoke, making sure that he'd not get the jump on her again like that.

"There's... something I'd like to bring up." Alaari spoke and looked at him. "There's this... odd aura surrounding you, which I've been thinking on a bit now. I do not think the guess is right, but I'm pretty sure when I say this... I think, note; think, that you might be sensitive to the force." Alaari said, carefully if she would be wrong so it wouldn't offend.

"Did you not get noticed when a child?" She asked and raised a brow.

[Mal]

Mal couldn't help but smile as she yelled in surprise, a teasing grin spreading across his lips. He was just teasing her, trying to get a smile out of her. An old habit of his that he refused to break, he liked making people smile. He'd heard the phrase that a picture was worth a thousand words, well he thought a smile was worth ten thousand. So he tried to be that guy everyone knew who was always making the people around him smile and laugh, he would rather everyone be happy than if everyone was trying to kill each other. In any case he just hoped that she wasn't mad at him, it would be funny if a Jedi got angry over something as little as water and a teasing push. Pulling his hand out of the water, he dried it off on his pants before sitting there and closing his eyes, practicing his breathing exercises again. He could almost feel the Force...

Then Alaari was asking him something, looking over at her and smiling he nodded a few times. "Yes, and yes. Yes I am Force-sensitive, I'm not trained though. I'm trying to learn how to use the Force, but it's slow work." Mal rolled his shoulders a few times and then relaxed again. "And I was discovered, but my parents didn't want to give me up, so they kept me. I only learned about my sensitivity to the Force a few weeks ago though, went my whole life until now not knowing. Now I'm just trying to figure it all out." He didn't want to admit that he was getting help from Jedi, he assumed it could cause trouble for them and he didn't want that. It would be far easier for everyone involved if it didn't become public knowledge.

"I think I can almost feel it, I can almost reach it and use it." Mal didn't sound bitter or annoyed, more than anything he was simply curious at this point. He was trying to learn what he needed to do to learn everything safely, he knew that he could potentially be dangerous if he couldn't control himself. So for the moment he was taking it slow, once he could reach the Force, he'd try and learn a few abilities. Thinking back on his past, he now realized that his ability to know when something was going to happen was the Force. Likewise, he now understood that his superior reflexes was due to the Force. Now that he knew that, if he used it accidentally now, he would try and remember the feeling. Try to remember what it was like to use the Force, but he had learned in the first few days that trying to force it was a no go.

Mal shrugged and flashed a smile at Alaari, "I'm not mad though, everything that's happened in my life has led me to who I am now. Without the influence of everyone around me I don't know what I'd be." Stretching slightly, he looked around the garden for a few seconds. Then back to Alaari, "You want a snack? My treat. There's a stand nearby that has the best bofa treats on Coruscant." Mal had seen the stand out of the corner of his eye not long before he sat down next to Alaari, and it had been in the back of his mind since. Pushed aside maybe, but not forgotten. Never know, maybe food would help him figure everything out.

[Danee]

Alaari looked at him, she was both intrigued by him and yet she felt sorry for him at the same time. To have the chance to become Jedi, something that's a mere dream for most, but get it taken away. It saddened her slightly that his parents were so selfish to keep him in the dark when it came to his own body.

She wondered at times if she ever had met her parents after she left for the temple, she had been two at the time so she didn't really have any memories of how they looked. But Alaari wanted to believe that she remembered her mother's voice. She knew she was not supposed to dwell on her past too much as it could possibly cloud her judgement, but these were things she thought about when alone in the library.

Nodding she looked at him, she wanted to say that she understood if he was angry but he didn't sound angry about the fact nor did she know what it felt like.

Casting a glance out over the water before she heard him speak again and looked back at him. Mal was certainly an interesting human. "A snack?" she thought a bit and looked up at the sky, shrugging after a few seconds. "Eh, sure, why not?" Alaari smiled and him, she could use a snack and Bofa treats where if she recalled correctly, quite good.

Turning towards to where her socks and boots were placed she began to put on her socks again. She didn't really like wearing boots, it was like listening to music with something muffling it. But in this case it wasn't music, rather it felt like she distanced further from the force when she wore both boots and socks. Although she walked barefoot in the Temple and on certain open planets she didn't do it when out on Coruscant, mostly because the ground could be covered in glass splinters or things like that.

Taking up and dusting off her white Jedi robe she put it on and moved her lekku so they were laying on top of the white and red robe. "When you are ready." she said with a warm smile at him.

[Mal]

Mal smiled and waited patiently as Alaari pulled her boots on, he was going to offer to get the snacks and come back, but she had started pulling her socks on first. So he just remained silent and let her do her thing. In the meantime he simply waited and listened to the water, not focusing on anything in particular and letting his mind wander. His mind went back to his parents, they had been talking about them. And he couldn't help but pull his mother's wedding ring from under his shirt and twirled it around his hand a few times as he thought about it. When Alaari said she was ready when he was he dropped the ring and stood, returning the smile Alaari gave him. He started walking, motioning for her to come with him.

"So I've met a few Jedi, but I've never asked. What's it like being a Jedi?" Mal had never looked too deeply into the Jedi, he had learned enough to know that all they wanted was to defend the Republic. That was good enough for him. However of the Jedi he had met, he liked them. They had all been incredibly nice people, willing to help no matter what the issue was. And he couldn't help but like Alaari. She seemed to be an incredibly nice and happy young woman, she was a boon to the Jedi. And that was saying something considering every Jedi he'd met had been kind and helpful. In the end he pushed all the thoughts out of his mind for the moment, it would be rude not to focus on what she was telling him. If his mother found out he wasn't paying attention, she would have slapped his wrist.

Mal stopped at a cart that was being pushed by an elderly looking besalisk, pushing the cart with two of his four arms. A third arm held a handful of bofa treats wrapped in plastic, and his fourth arm was used to wave new customers in. Mal waved at the man and approached, purchasing two of the wrapped treats with a smile. He'd been turned onto the fruit treats by an old childhood friend while he was back home on Corulag on leave one day. Mal had been as excited as a child when he'd found them here, especially when he found out they were quite delicious. Apparently the old besalisk made them all himself and sold them all day. And as far as Mal was concerned, the man probably made such a good living on it that he could live on the top level of Coruscant.

Mal held one of the treats out for Alaari and opened his with his other hand and his teeth. He'd been described as childlike in everyday life on more than one occasion, and he tended to live up to that description. Of course man of those people, who he had served with, also described him as terrifying on the battlefield. That part he didn't quite understand, he just did what needed to be done, but he always chose not to dwell on it. He didn't know if he'd like what he'd find if he did. The thoughts were brushed from his mind as he pulled the treat out and took a bite, smiling over at Alaari as she took her first bite. "You like it?"

[Danee]

Alaari nodded and followed Mal next to him as he motioned for her to join him. There wasn't too many people around, which was relaxing in its own way. As Mal asked how it was being a Jedi she had to think a little, she didn't know any other way of life, so she couldn't really compare it to anything.

"Eh... well, I quite like it, although I've lived in the order my entire life so I can't really compare. Hmm... Being a Jedi is... interesting, I've been on planets I would never have been able to visit otherwise, I've talked to politicians as well as homeless people... It's a bit of an odd lifestyle. We do not keep things, or well... we do own some things but nothing that has a great value or a memory, as they might affect our judgement." She said as they walked towards someone driving a cart.

"I think, if I had a child of my own and they were force sensitive, I wouldn't want to take away the chance from them, even if it means that I'll never speak to it again." Alaari looked up at Mal. "A Jedi is taken in at a very young age so that they'll have no memories of their parents when growing up, should they have to take actions against their parents they won't have memories, emotions or anything like that to cloud their judgement." Alaari sighed slightly and looked at the besalisk a Mal got her a bofa treat, smiling at him before taking a bite from it.

The taste wasn't something she expected and as she swallowed the bite she thought for a bit. "Hmm... yeah."

[Mal]

Mal nodded as he listened, she must have felt sorry for him the way she spoke about children of her own. He supposed he couldn't blame her, he felt bad that she hadn't gotten to know her family. He supposed he could understand it, but without his parents he never would have become the man he was today. They had helped shape and groom him, much the way the Jedi must have shaped and groomed Alaari to be who she was today. He tried to think of himself standing there in robes with a lightsaber at his waist. Somehow he couldn't imagine it, he couldn't imagine his life without his mother and father there guiding him. Again he reached up and toyed with his mother's wedding ring while he ate his treat, his mind lost in thought until he shook his head and cleared his mind.

Mal smiled as she said that she liked it, "Good, I'm glad to hear that. Got these things on leave once, loved them ever since." His thoughts returned to what they had been talking about, still mulling it over before he turned to look at the Togruta again. After a few more seconds he went back to looking at one of the fountains, then started walking toward it slowly, making sure Alaari was keeping up with him. By the time they reached the fountain his bofa treat was gone and he had used a napkin provided to clean his hands. His mind raced, he needed to figure out how to say what was on his mind. He was pretty sure he could get Alaari to just sense the gist of what he was thinking, but he felt like it would be better to say it aloud.

Mal motioned at the water, "Life is like this water here. Ever flowing forward, each of us are like a single drop of water." He bent over and dipped his hand in the water, then pulled it out and held his hand out over the fountain. The drops fell back into the water creating ripples. "Each of us is small, but what we can do sometimes causes ripples. I unconsciously used the Force to save my squadmates from dying on multiple occasions. That was a ripple." Another drop fell from his hand, another ripple. "My parents kept me instead of giving me to the Jedi, another ripple. However, without them keeping me I never would have kept those men and women alive. I never would have made my ripples, not those ones anyway." Turning to look at her he smiled, going through battle after battle had made him reflect on life more than once.

"When I was a kid I used to play Jedi like all other kids, bet I was the only one of my friends that actually had the potential though. Still, I wouldn't change anything that's happened to me. It's all molded me into who I am." Mal reached up and tapped the wedding ring around his neck, "My mother helped shape me, guide me. Taught me right from wrong, taught me to fight for what I believe in. She showed me how to live and love, and how to not let my emotions rule everything I do. She taught me how to detach myself when I get angry so I don't do something incredibly stupid. Of course that didn't stick until I saw combat."

Mal laughed and shook his head after a few more seconds, raising his hands up indicating he was finished talking. "Listen to me, you'd think I was a philosopher as opposed to a soldier." Shaking his hand dry he shoved his hands in his pockets, a small smile still plastered across his lips as he looked between the fountain and Alaari. He hoped that he didn't just make an incredibly huge idiot out of himself, that would be bad.

[Danee]

Alaari ate her snack quietly as she followed him back towards the fountain. The Togruta did notice him touching the gleaming object around his neck again, probably a ring? A lost wife maybe? Or perhaps someone he was going to propose to but never got the time? Various scenarios ran through her head as the two approached the fountain again.

Wiping her hands clean she tossed the scrap into a trashcan and returned to his side afterwards as he began to talk about life. He was an odd fellow, Mal. He had the looks of a soldier but the mind of a poet. To her, it didn't really match. Nevertheless she listened closely to what he said about the ripples their actions create. Alaari was very aware of this as well.

However as he tapped the ring and mentioned his mother, Alaari realized whom the ring had belonged to. She nodded as he talked about how he had been taught how to tell right from wrong and other things. Somehow she missed that, she never got to experience that with her own mother. Briefly she looked up into the sky and wondered if she was still alive, if she had met her or they would never meet again.

A chuckle escaped her as Mal said he sounded like a philosopher, shrugging she looked at him and remained silent. Everyone has a bit of a philosophical side, it's just about finding it and not to be afraid of showing it. Alaari sighed and looked at him again. "You miss her, don't you? Your mother I mean. I saw the ring a while ago but didn't want to ask too much about it. Sometimes I wonder whether if I have met my mother or father, whether they are still alive or if I will ever meet them again." She said and looked up into the sky once more.

"Family is... something very powerful, people will go unbelievable lengths to protect those who they love, which is why us Jedi are kept away from our family at a young age. That way, should they ever pose a threat to someone, we wont have to fight ourselves before doing what is right. Call it cruel all you want, but... I don't know.."

[Mal]

Mal looked over at her as she started talking, listening to each word carefully. He reached over and touched her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "For what it's worth, your parents would be proud of you." Smiling at her he sighed and then nodded, going back to her first questions. "Yeah, I miss her. She died a few years ago while I was home on leave. My father is a trader, I wouldn't have called us rich, but we were well to do. Two men broke into our home, mom got up for some reason and investigated. I woke up when I felt her die. I didn't have time to think, I just acted. One shot from my blaster, I killed them both. The blast went in between ribs, through the heart, then into the second man."

Mal gripped his mother's wedding ring in a death grip, his knuckles turning white for a moment before he let go and turned to smile at Alaari. "But she wouldn't want me to be sad, she'd want me to move on, live life. Do what she taught me to do and help people, do the right thing." Mal touched her shoulder again, trying to offer the togruta some comfort about her parents. "If your parents are anything like mine, all they want is for you to live a long healthy, happy, life." He smiled at her before pulling her into a brief one armed hug. "Know this, if I've only known you for a little while and I can say your parents would be proud, then whatever they must really feel is a hundred times greater."

Mal sighed and looked around again, "It's not cruel, though it could be from a certain point of view. They're trying to insure that the Jedi can do what is right. I wouldn't be able to easily defeat my father if the need ever arose, and doing so might drive me to evil. Good thing the need won't ever arise." If it ever did though... well he'd go to the Jedi first, or at least to the cops. He wouldn't be able to handle it himself without falling to the dark side, and an angry hate filled Mal was something that no one wanted to see. He had certain skills that would be very dangerous if used against people, and contraptions he could build that would help keep him alive and others... Not alive. He almost shuddered at the thought before he pushed it aside and cleared his mind. No need to let his mind focus on those thoughts.

Mal sat down on a nearby bench, leaning back and stretching his legs out in front of him. "Hey, enough about sad topics Alaari, let's focus on something happy. We each got to meet a new person, a fun one too I don't mind saying." He flashed Alaari another grin, a wink following shortly after the grin. He looked out over the fountain at the few people that were in the park, families. The thought crossed his mind about what Alaari said, maybe having a family one day was a bad idea. He could imagine the lengths he'd be willing to go to, to protect his family. He didn't want to end up being hunted down by Jedi, being hunted down by anyone didn't appeal to his tastes. So he would have to make it a point not to fall to the dark side.

[Danee]

Alaari nodded and looked down at her feet when she felt him touch her shoulder. A light sigh and then she looked up at Mal as he began to talk about his mother's death. She felt sorry for him, to have lost the one person you love the most must have felt like losing a limb or worse.

Nodding as she felt him touch her shoulder again, however she was caught off guard slightly when she felt him hug her. Being at a loss of words she didn't know what to do, should she return the hug? What should she do? The feeling of his hug left her shortly after it had arrived as he ended it. She bit her lip slightly as he touched the subject she had ended on and nodded slightly.

She was still at a loss for words, not really knowing what to say in this situation. She followed him to the bench he sat down in, but Alaari didn't sit down with him. She had to be back at the temple soon. "Yeah, I agree, you are a fun and very interesting person, Mal." Alaari replied with a smile again and looked around at the different people and then back at him, just barely catching the grin. "I have to thank you for the snack but I'm afraid I have to return to the temple now." Bowing before him she smiled at Mal as she finished it. "It's been a pleasure to meet you, I hope we meet again, Mal Denton."

Alaari then waved at him and would then take her leave, unless Mal would stop her that is.

[Mal]

Alaari followed him to the bench, but she didn't sit. She returned his feelings about meeting an fun and interesting person, which made him smile. His smile faltered slightly when she said she had to go, but returned after a moment. They'd meet again at some point he was sure. Mal stood before she turned away and returned the bow before speaking, "It's a small planet Alaari. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon." Rising from the bow he flashed her another smile, waving to her as she turned to leave. Mal looked back at the bench for a few seconds, before he turned to start walking away himself.

After a few steps he turned back to face Alaari and yelled over to her; "Next time you buy the snacks!" Without really waiting he turned and started walking again, his mind wondering over several different things he needed to go do. Today wasn't over yet after all.

-End thread-