Woes of a Padawan

[paradise lost]

It was dawn and the Coruscanti air was flushed pink with the rising sun. The Temple was at peace as Jedi began to stirr from whatever slumber they may have had the leisure of partaking in. There was a sort of silence wafting through the structure's halls; one that was reassuring to the early risers who had left the comfort of their beds. One such riser was a Twi'lek female who was just exiting the Archives, her pace unnaturally slow. Despite her calm expression and surprisingly stern eyes, there was an uncomfortable doubt in her, one that had not gone unnoticed by her fellows in the Order. She was morose even in such neutral posture, as though it was her lekku that gave her away. Really, it was just another day at the Temple; another day to train and study by herself. Mala Kru was actually quite fond of solitude. Recently, however, she had grown rather tempermental over the absence of Gor Delvin, her old Master. He had been killed keeping a Dark Jedi assassin at bay on Dagobah. Ever since her return from the mission, Mala had grown increasingly distant even when she forced herself to remain as detatched as possible. But with this subtle resentment towards herself, there was restlessness in the Padawan that yearned to leave the Temple and to travel to other worlds with a new Master. It was time to move on, even if she wasn't so certain that she was ready to handle it.

She headed for the gardens, eager to seek solace from her troubled young mind. She didn't want to dwell on Gor anymore. She wanted to push herself forward - better herself into a strong Jedi Guardian worthy of recognition. It would be difficult to do that without someone to guide her. Even Mala, who was not the most humble of Jedi, knew well enough that she was still in the process of being taught and was not yet ready for the trials she hoped to conquer one day. She was only seventeen and still knew little concerning the Force. She was a budding swordsman, however, and it was evident in her development with Soresu. She unhooked her weapon from her belt as she settled on a bench near a fountain, finding subtle comfort in the trickling water as she examined the hilt she had built for her saber. It was simple, but strong with a good grip to enable as much powerful manuevering as was possible. She was proud of her lightsaber, having constructed it with a mighty will that had even managed to impress the stern Gor Delvin. She smirked gently to herself as she remembered him fondly, having considered him a gruff father-figure to match her stubborn teenage temper. Would her new Master find a place as close in her thoughts as her old mentor? Only time and patience would tell, though the latter had never once been Mala's strong point. Still smirking slighty, she kept the hilt of her saber in her hands, letting its warm weight comfort her through this morning of woeful memories.

( This is reserved for Bobert's lovely character Idu. Sorry this is so short. I'm sick with the flu right now. But better posts will come. (: )

[Mr.Bøbert]

((ooc: Sorry its taken so long to post, but I had one yesterday (which was much longer and waaaay better then this one, but apparently the site ate it.... -_-))

Idu walked through the hallway, heading towards the Gardens to meditate. It was one of his favorite places to meditate, and he had not been there in a while. As he was walking, he sensed a presence, someone restless... He rounded the corner into the Gardens and found a Tyrian Twi'lek sitting on a bench, holding a lightsaber. He smiled, or at least the Ithorian equivalent of a humanoid's smile, and walked into the room. "Greetings, young one. Where is your Master?"

((ooc: Bleh. Terrible, I know. Like I said, the first one was WAAAY better....))

[paradise lost]

( Aw man. I haaaate it when sites eat posts. It's happened so many times for me now that I've taken to writing up my posts on Notepad instead. xD )

Surprisingly tender fingers stroked the weapon's silver and black hilt with a serene fondness that was not usual of the Twi'lek. She was much more content with the saber clutched between her hands, slicing aggressively at foes with a strength and agility that her old Master had hoped to further develop through her training. Her smirk became a scowl as she tightened her grip on the slender hilt, holding it closely in her lap as her memories churned like a storm in the midst of her thoughts. Why did her Master have to go and get himself killed? Why? Mala closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, hoping to calm herself as the Jedi had often taught her. She was a teenager, however, and still prone to tempermental mood swings, some of which had often vexed her Master when he had tried to help her ease her moods into a sense of peace and tranquility. Jedi weren't supposed to be angry, after all. Clenching her teeth behind her lips, the lavender Twi'lek opened her eyes and forced her grip to slacken. Years of training herself to detatch from death and here she was, brooding over the loss of her mentor. Pathetic.

Her lekku twitched as she sensed someone approach, more through the change of atmosphere than through the will of the Force. She felt her composure tighten to keep itself from breaking while her face drew an apathetic mask across her disturbed emotions. She refused to let any Jedi see her weak over the loss of her Master, especially since she knew it would be frowned upon. She glanced towards the advancing shape, recognizing it vaguely as her eyes hardened in an attempt to keep her feelings at bay. It was a defense mechanism of sorts, to keep one as distant as possible from everything that might pose a threat. And though she knew none of the Jedi were any threat to her physically, her unstable emotions were at stake. Mala was certainly in no mood to soften in the presence of the approaching Ithorian Master and it showed in her stiff posture and stern stare. In all truth, the Twi'lek would have been in a much better mood if the Jedi Master had turned away to meditate elsewhere. But she mustered up her manners and spoke nothing until she was addressed by her elder. Though a nerve was struck in this mention of her Master, Mala did not break composure. She simply glanced downwards for a moment, willing herself to keep calm, before staring back at the Ithorian. "He's dead," she said bluntly, in a voice that chose to be calm and direct rather than misleading and eloquent.

Though she wanted to leave it at that and flee to a room where she could train in solitude, she decided it would be far too rude to do so. Mala usually didn't care when she was rude, crude, or blunt, but for one reason or another she couldn't help but feel unsettled in acting so tempermental in the presence of the Ithorian Master. So, after a long pause, she looked back up at him with strong eyes and managed to elaborate. "He was killed by a dark assassin on our mission to the Dagobah system a few weeks ago." She felt her hands tighten their clutch of her weapon's hilt though ignored the tension as she continued to speak. "The Council has yet to assign me a new Master." And, with that, the Twi'lek fell quiet, her nerves on edge and her tongue tempted to lash out against the Order. She hoped her distant behavior was not enough to offend the Master even when she would have liked not to care so much. There was something about the Ithorian's peaceful presence, however, that managed to calm her slightly. It was strangely soothing despite her doubt and stubborn fondness for old memories.

[Mr.Bøbert]

((ooc: Sorry for not posting in... well, a very, very long time, but for some reason I couldn't load the thread for a while.))

Idu almost stepped back as he was suddenly back on Ryloth, just after the crash that had killed his former Master, Dnn'goff'en. He remembered the sadness, that he had lost the closest thing to a father he had since he had left the herdship. He remembered the fear he had felt, as he had to fend for himself until he could make it back to Coruscant. And finally, he remembered the anger, both at the pirates who had shot them down in the first place, and at himself, for thinking he could have somehow prevented it from happening.

Then, he was back in the gardens. He sat down next to the Twi'lek. "I know exactly how you feel. Tell me, young one. What is your name?"


((ooc: Not great, but I'm a little rushed atm....))