Getting Over A Loss

[Karl the Unfettered]

"Drat it all," the tall, skinny young man said to himself as he made his way to one of the cafeterias in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, "I'se 'ungry ag'in." The young man's belly rumbled audibly, and he grimaced, rubbing his hand against it. He wore the robes of a Padawan of the Order, orange and red, yet they were too short in the legs and arms; as if in contrast, they hung loosely from his narrow shoulders, swirling about his torso in loose folds of cloth. The light robes were supposed to be unnassuming and practical, not posing any serious hindrance to movement, yet the young man nevertheless felt himself hindered and held back by the il-fitting garment; he couldn't wait to receive the tailored, better-quality robes of a Knight.

At last he reached the cafeteria, and went in to get some food. The attendant droid clicked dissapprovingly. "This is the fifth time you've been in here, Padawan Gunslinger," it droned as it filled the young man's tray. "You should watch what you eat."

"Yeah yeah yeah," Gunslinger hissed, "does I look like I'm needin' a diet? Huh?" The droids were always like this; they always said the same thing, and he never gained any weight.

"Nevertheless, leave some for the others," it replied. "You have reached full physical development, the Younglings need regular-"

"Not like y'all ain't go' enou' t' go 'roun'," he muttered back, wandering over to a table. He spied one of the Younglings, and his face broke into a rare smile; the boy was a friend of his, so far as he had friends.

The boy looked up as the older man sat down, and smiled. "Hello, Tuljima," he said cheerfully. "How have you been? Still feeling down about losing your master?"

Tuljima sighed. "Nah, not s' much anymore," he replied before shovelling a bunch of food into his mouth. He chewed rapidly and swallowed; the boy giggled. "Yeah, 'ey said I coul' take th' Trials if'n I wan'ed, bu' I sai' no. I don' feel rea'y."

"That's good," the boy replied seriously. "They said yesterday that confidence in yourself is part of what being a Jedi is; if you're not sure you can do it, then you should wait and prepare yourself better."

"Tha's righ'," Tuljima said, pushing his empty tray away. "Well, 'anks f'r talkin' t' me, Gallo," he said as he stood up, ruffling the kids hair. He wandered back out, heading in the general direction of the Council Chambers. Maybe they finally knew of someone who would accept him as a Padawan...

Then he remembered getting a datapad earlier, and pulled it out to examine; he hadn't looked before, since he'd been hungry. It told him a Master Elgriq had agreed to take him on as a student. "I hearda 'im," Tuljima muttered, switching direction. He knew vaguely where the masters' dorms were, and figured he'd get there eventually if he didn't run into Elgriq on the way there anyway.

[Leo]

Elgriq strode quickly down a hall of Jedi Quarters. His bulky gray robes flowed in the breeze. The hall was long, and ornate. The roof was supported by ornate pillars, and a fountain was at the intersection of that hall and another. Elgriq's quarters were at the corner of one hall and the one intersecting it, near the fountain. Tuljima was standing near his quarters. Elgriq fixed up his robes, stroked his massive beard, and walked up to the Man. He decieded to keep the welcome out of his quarters.

"Tuljima Gunslinger I presume! Hello I am Master Elgriq and I beleive ive been assigned to you" Pleasure to meet your aqquaintance."

Elgriq didnt know this man, but he hoped he would get to.

[Karl the Unfettered]

((Leo, I'd think a master would at least do some research into a padawan such as Tuljima, given the circumstances surrounding the pairing. Plus, he should be somewhat well-known; not every Jedi refuses to carry a lightsaber outside the Temple, after all, or is as un-Jedi-like a Jedi as Tuljima.))

"Eh?!" Tuljima cried, jumping up and whirling about at Elgriq's robust welcome. "Oh, uh... yeah, yeah, I'se Tuljima... ye'd be H'ellgrick then?" The mispronunciation was not deliberate; it was simply the way Tuljima spoke, regardless of how the Jedi had tried to teach him.

"Ye're sorta big," the younger man continued, noting how he didn't have to crane his head down to meet Elgriq in the eye. They were the same height, if not density. "So, uh, Mas'er H'ellgrick, whaddawe do, 'en?"

[Leo]

(( You must understand that this new apprenticeship was on the fly. Dont worry, I am prepared. If you dont like this plan of action tell me and i will edit.))

Elgriq chuckled at the young man's comment about his size.

"Well, when one is raised by wookiees they tend to carry themselves in a big, intimidating manner. "

Elgriq recognized the young man. He had known his master, and remembered him talking about his padawan. How he liked to eat, and how he refused to carry a lightsaber. Elgriq was going to fix that. He took a more serious tone.

"I... knew your master. He spoke highly of you, and I am honored to take up his mantle as your master. He did tell me about your fighting styles, and the fact that you do not carry a lightsaber. I must tell you Tuljima that if you are to be my padawan, you shall make your own lightsaber. My master taught me that lightsaber individuality is key. I carry that beleif."

Elgriq took out his lightsaber and held it up. The magnificent cube emitter graced with interplanetary gems, and the incredible cloud orb at the other end of the hilt.

"I think, that as our first act as master and padawan, we shall go to Ilum, and construct a lightsaber for you. If you are wondering why not here, do not ask. Ilum is the place where you shall construct it. This will be your weapon entirely. We shall get to know eachother along the way, and after We return I shall test your abilities. The first thing my master did was take me to Ilum, as it shall be with you. We leave in one hour with a jedi transport, make ready and meet me back here."

Elgriq nodded to tuljima and entered his Quarters to Gather his things.

[Karl the Unfettered]

((Ok, that's cool then.))

Elgriq had known old Master Torvus? That didn't surprise Tuljima; the elderly Jedi had known many people in his long life. "Well... it ain't tha' I dun' like 'em," he protested. "It's jus'... I don' feel worthy of 'em until I c'n make m' own an' all, an' be a Knigh'..." He shook his head, and went off to his own quarters; in keeping with the Jedi ways of non-materialism, he didn't have much.

In his rooms, he picked up his pack and filled it up; spare robes and clean underclothing, power cells for his blaster pistol, his vibrosword, and food and rations for two weeks. He hesitated when he came across the lightsaber the fallen Shaylas had wielded against him; for some reason he hadn't turned it in, finding himself curious about what made it different from Jedi weapons. Obviously he hadn't come across anything immediately different, but still.

Then he shrugged and threw it into the pack too; Elgriq might be able to tell him about it. He sat down and meditated until the specified time, then stood and hurried to meet his new master (and when Tuljima hurried, it was quite obvious). "I'se ready, Mas'er," he said when he caught sight of the man. "I know ye said th' ligh'saber's s'ppose' t' be a Jedi's on'y weap'n, bu'..." and he gestured at the sword and pistol. "Well, like I said, I don' feel righ' carryin' one jus' ye'. So..." and he shrugged awkwardly, unsure of how Elgriq would handle this oblique insubordination. "'Sides, carryin' one sorta gives away yer a Jedi 'r Sith 'r wha'ev, an' 'at's bad news in spots o' th' gal'xy." He didn't want to be judged and attacked on sight, in other words; not that he minded being attacked, so much.

"An' anythin' I make'd be an insult t' yer own blade, Mas'er," he added, nodding at Elgriq's beautifully crafted weapon. "I ain't s' good wi' tools an' such."

[Leo]

Elgriq stroked his beard at Tuljima's oposition to carrying a lightsaber. This would be a problem. Perhaps he would be better off fighting the way he had been the whole time, with a blaster and blade. When the young one motioned to his weapons, Elgriq pulled back his robes and whipped his nabboo pistol out of its holster.

"I use a blaster too, lad."

And when Tuljima commented on the lightsaber giving them away as Jedi, elgriq said.

"Lightsabers can always be concealed if need be, the Sith can sense if the force is strong with you, a lightsaber is good to have in handy when you encounter one, becuase it wont be your weapon that gives you away. This is common sense my freind, use it."

Elgriq holstered his blaster and said.

"This weapon will be entirely your own, and when you have it, you will look at mine and laugh. It will be to your specifications, blade witdth and length, Not many padawans have the oppurtinity.. When combatting the sith, and other foes, the lightsaber is almost essential. I have already scheduled a transport to leave for Ilum soon. I understand that you not feeling worthy for a lightsaber is an obstacle, but you must overcome it!Will you go, contruct your weapon, and begin your path to becoming a true jedi?"

[Karl the Unfettered]

"'Course I goes!" Tuljima replied, laughing a little. "Didn' say I wasn', eh?" He did want to weild one and fight against the Sith; fighting was what he did, after all. It was just that, a blade and a blaster at once was unexpected; more than once he'd saved his own life against a more skilled swordsman, by whipping his blaster out and shooting the enemy from point-blank range. Maybe he could combine the lightsaber and the blaster...?

No time for such musings, though. "Well yah, I'se rea'y. Le's go 'en?" he asked, gesturing in the direction of the hangar bays. He'd heard of Ilum, and just hoped there was lots of food; he didn't do very well in the cold, it made his metabolism go faster and his energy drain quicker.

[Leo]

*MOVE TULJIMA GUNSLINGER AND MASTER ELGRIQ TO ILUM*

OOC: Tuljima read my PM before You post.