Mourning by Fighting [open]

[Mara]

Xierra came a few steps closer to him, her lightsaber hilt in her hand only because she had nowhere else to put it, her belt torn from earlier. She knit her brows in slight confusion. "A lecture?" About to add more, she stopped, unsure about how much she wanted to tell this man about herself, though he was willing to talk about his own.

Adjusting her clothing a bit to a more presentable array, she asked, "You visit the healers quite often?" Xierra hoped she wouldn't regret asking this particular question, keeping herself slightly aware and on guard.

[Zarkan]

Aser smiled wryly at xierra. "Yes, a lecture I'm oft amazed by the numbers of padawans and young knights who give them." aser slowly pushed himself up to his feet. "As for the healers well I probably don't go as often as I should, but then many of the people here go to them when they stub their toes. It's quite a change from the small enclave that was on Dantooine, but still yet those practice drones can still do some damage and I fight a fair number of them so there are times I; mostly against my will, am forced to go to them.

[Mara]

She nodded, understanding. "If my--." Here Xierra paused, wondering how much she wanted to say to this stranger, although he was a fellow Jedi. She quickly reached out with her senses, not wanting to move her eyes from his, and was relieved to find that most of the onlookers had moved on now that the fight seemed to be over. Xierra cleared her throat and started over. "If my Master hadn't been so versed in the healing arts himself, I probably would have had to come here myself a time or two," smiling smally.

[Zarkan]

"Well, I fallow after my master, rest his soul." he said quietly to xierra once she had finished speaking. "If it can't be punched, kicked, kneed, elbowed, headbutted, or run through you better find a different jedi." Aser let out a low sigh as he focused off into space. "I think he always meant to see me become a guardian like he had been, heh, at this rate I'll be lucky to stay in the order at all." Shaking his head he looked back at xierra "So, what do you plan to be knight? consular perhaps? They seem to like their mind tricks too."

[Mara]

She listened quietly as he spoke of his master, remembering the years she had spent with her own lost master, the training, the moments of conversation. All of it was dear to Xierra. She couldn't think of anything to say in reply to his mention of his time in the order being short. Yes, he had been a bit rash and showed a few signs of anger during their fight, but she didn't think it was enough to end his career. Trying to console him, and maybe inject a little humor, "Maybe you just need a padawan to take care, to show you the way of peace?"

Xierra was silent a moment, thinking about whether she should apologize for her mind melding actions during the fight, put his mind at ease about his actions during their spar. But then he asked what kind of Knight she wanted to be. Even addressed her as one. At this, she became even more silent, looking away from him. Finally with resolve, she looked back at him and said honestly, "I'm not sure. I would like to pass my Trials first."

[Zarkan]

Aser let out a dry laugh "I don't think anyone would want to torture a poor padawan so much as to allow me to take them." he shook his head and leaned back against a near by pillar as he listened to Xierra. Surprise played across his face. Trials? so your still a padawan my apologies. I can't tell you much to help with the trials I never rightly finished them myself. he lowered his head and shook it. "Frankly I'm a little embarrassed to be beaten by a padawan in a straight out spar.

[Mara]

Xierra smiled; to be given praise as such by a Jedi other than her master was hard to come by. She bowed her head quickly before looking at him again, her grayish green skin taking on a slight pink hue. "I had a good teacher." Raising an eyebrow at him after her blush disappeared, and her skin took on its normal color, she added, "Or maybe you are just distracted and out of practice?"

[Zarkan]

Aser felt a bit miffed."I am hardly out of practice I spend almost ten hours a day sparing down here. Aser shook his head as he looked away. " I should have never been that distracted I do my master dishonor by being so. aser raised a eyebrow at xierra "Does your skin always flicker colors like that?

[Mara]

Xierra felt a little awkward; she knew inside that she had been at least partially responsible for his distraction with her delving in his mind. She knew it was unfair, and that she should mention it to him. But she wasn't sure how to go about it. Instead, she answered his last question. "When my emotions change, sometimes, yes." She smiled, "I think Falleen would make bad sabbacc players."

[Zarkan]

Aser nodded True I suppose, I'm sorry I'm not extremely familiar with most non-human species. Aseranda fell quite as he looked off towards a group of learners across the way finding himself mostly at a loss for words. "Um, sorry about the belt." he said sheepishly.

[Mara]

She nodded as well, knowing that Falleens in particular were not that well-known because they rarely left their home world, owing to deeply set belief that they were better than any other being. Xierra had only left because of the discovery of her Force talent. And she was young enough to not have those desires completely embedded in her memory.

Xierra smiled warmly at him. "It's all right." She palmed her saber hilt back and forth, wondering how to go about what she must say, wishing that Master Revisc was here to guide her. Clearing her throat, "I'm sorry about... going into your mind. And what I caused you to do."

[Zarkan]

Aser nodded before she continued. "Nonsense, it was might fault I have a duty to control my emotions and a failed it besides I should have had my mental defenses up and I didn't it was a stupid mistake on my part don't worry about it." aser looked at the lightsaber in xierra's hands. "Don't you think pulling the saber was a bit much?

[Mara]

She glanced down at the unadorned silver hilt she held, thinking about what he had asked and thinking back to the battle a few minutes earlier. Xierra couldn't put her finger on an exact moment where she distinctly decided to use it. Another reason her old master would have chided her. She looked back up at him, sighing and shrugging. "I don't know. I just reacted."

[Zarkan]

Aser slid his hand along his own saber as xierra spoke. "I suppose that's what I did I just reacted instead of thinking." Aser looked at her and then shifted his feet as he looked away. "Umm..., I don't know if I should ask this, but. Now you don't have to answer this, but if it's not going too far what happened to your master?

[Mara]

The question she had been dreading answering had finally been asked, and, though she had been thinking about a response during her entire trip back to Coruscant, Xierra still wasn't sure how to go about it. The truth was usually the best option, and the one Master Revisc would insist on. But a simple truth or a long explanation? That was the biggest question.

Her thoughts turned inward as she looked away from Aser's face towards a flowering tree. Flashes came to her of her sessions with her Master. Their meeting. Their training. His death. Her skin briefly darkened before returning to its normal hue. Without turning to him, she said simply after girding her emotions to stay in check, "He passed into the Force."

[Zarkan]

Aser watched her reactions carefully before speaking. "I had assumed he had joined the force, but. He let out a deep sigh. "I was kinda interested in how he died." He looked around and stopped a bench before turning back to her. Come we can sit down over there. he said as he turned and made his way to the bench as he set on it he patted the spot beside him while still looking at her before he rubbed his shoulder.

[Mara]

Xierra paused momentarily; she had never told anyone the details of her master's death. The Jedi she had been traveling with already knew the details and probably had already delivered their message to the Council. Besides the fact she didn't want to remember it, she wasn't sure if she was ready to relive those moments so soon after they had happened.

But there was something friendly about this Knight she had just met and sparred with. When in a more calm state, he did exude a certain peace to her own thinking. Xierra followed Aser to the bench and sat down on the edge of it.

Quietly, she started, looking straight ahead, knowing that it would be easier for her if she focused off in the distance. Xierra's skin changed subtly, fluxing with different parts of her story. "We were walking in the jungle near our camp, looking for some fruits or other food we could take back to share with the other Jedi in our group. It came out of nowhere. I didn't know what it was, but my Master screamed. I quickly took out my lightsaber and attacked the creature. I cut it into pieces, even after it had let go of him."

She swallowed before moving on. "I went to him and saw that he was badly wounded. One in his stomach, the other, his head. I wanted to help back to camp, but he was too weak to move or to try a healing trance. And my own weaker healing arts were no match for his wounds.

"He passed into the Force, no matter how hard I tried, how much I tried to help him. 'Let the Force guide you always.' That's the last thing Master Revisc told me." She kept facing ahead, unable to look Aser in the eye, struggling with her emotions.

[Zarkan]

"At least you got to see your master at the end." he said sadly staring up into the sky before he realized how that must have sounded and cleared his throat and spoke again. "I'm sorry that didn't come out right. You have my condolences Xierra it's just I never got to see my master before or even after he died.

[Mara]

She blinked a couple of times, nodding, and waited for her skin to return to its normal shade before turning to look at him. "I'm very sorry. What happened?"

[Zarkan]

Aser looked at her before nodding and looking down at his ligh saber in his hands "We were both on Dantooine when the Sith Empire attacked it." he couldn't help, but remember that day as the troop ships started falling on the plains. "Like most of the rest of the jedi we spread out to the outlying towns to help with the defense a while after we arrived they called a retreat that is when we got separated we both ended up at different towns helping the farmers evacuate. It wasn't until I got to the northern space port that he had been killed he and several other jedi had stopped in a village to help defend it from a sith raider party. He ran a hand though his hair as he glanced at her his brows dropping. "The main force caught up with them there when they learned there was republic soldiers and jedi in the town they started bombarding the town with artillery my master and six other jedi fell along with almost two hundred civilians and half that many soldiers by the time I found out it was no longer possible for me to leave my post at the last line."