A Castle on the Sand

[Kuzo]

Central Civilian Medical Center
Avalonia
Dosuun

"You're here early Raj!"

Irajah smiled at the woman on the other side of the counter.

"Well, if you mean buying caf, I ran out at home, so you get to see me an extra time today."

Normally, the petite doctor was already two cups in by this time of the morning. But [member="Boo Chiyo"] had used her bag of ground caf to plant some kind of seeds in. The cups were decorated cute and all, and she had displayed them on the windowsill with pleasure.... until she discovered this morning what 'dirt' he'd used.

Sigh.

She paid for her drink and headed out of the cafeteria with a small wave. The forced cheerfulness necessitated by the pre-caf interactions made her face hurt, and she was happy to make it up to her office without any other social hijackings. Dropping her briefcase and jacket on the couch, she settled behind the desk a moment later. A long sigh of relief came as she sipped the dark, sweet liquid in peace for a moment-

"Doctor Ven?"

She reached over, flicking on the wall com.

"Mmmm, yes Dori?"

"I'm sending your new student shadow up to your office now."

"My new what?"

[member="Samka Derith"]

 

[Samka Derith]

Baston of Ren​

Virgillia​

Two weeks prior ​

​

"Enter."

Samka Derith knew the voice well but never had she known the name it belonged to. She never had to know. He had observed a few parts of her training on Skye and since then he had played the part of the messenger, passing along her orders from as far back as the early assassinations she performed on Demonsgate. He'd become a relay between herself and the elder Masters of Ren, it was these chambers- these darkened and baron chambers- in which she'd enter to voice concerns and requests. Yet never had she known his name. All that mattered was simply that he was a Master of Ren.

As ever, the elder Ren was meditating with his back to the door. He sat cross legged on the floor in a room deserted of furnishing or anything else of note. The room consisted only of the stone walls, floor and ceiling of the Bastion which meant her attention could be focused solely on one thing. The meditating figure.

Samka strode forwards taking slow steps around in a semi-circle until she came to a halt directly in front of the masked Ren on the floor. "You summoned me?"

The figure on the floor tilted his head up to look at her, the teenage Ren with a face even more youthful than her age. A body appearing to be still in early adolescence. Her blessing and her curse. There was no Dark Side sorcery involved here just the plain and simple fact that puberty had not yet finished the job. She was, what many would call, a late bloomer.

"There is a situation for which we believe your skills are ideal. I trust your upcoming schedule is clear?" The man asked, although the mask hid his face from her, it was clear to the younger Ren that their eyes were locked together.

"I have no schedule beyond the tasks which the Supreme Leader leaves to us," Sam responded, her posture rigid and tone neutral. She was in 'soldier mode'. A state of mind she had taught herself to enter when dealing with the senior Ren and nobody else. A state where her typical faux genteel behaviour and dry wit were nowhere to be found.

The man on the floor nodded approvingly, "As it should be," then finally stood up. Where once she'd been looking down at him, he was now the taller of the pair. "We believe there's another active unregistered Force Sensitive in the Imperial capital. We need you to confirm."

Sam nodded, it was a common yet important task. Unregistered Force Sensitives could cause great problems, they could be Jedi spies or rogue Sith for one but the greatest reason they had to be identified and monitored was simply that they were citizens of unknown power under a Government unwilling to tolerate the unknown. "Eliminate if so?"

The elder Ren shook his head in response, "For now only identify. This one's death would be noticed and investigated, she is not only a doctor held in high regard but has ties to our allies on Panatha whom it would not do well to alienate."

"So be it," Sam bowed her head forwards slightly, a rare mark of obedience from the headstrong Knight. "Do I have a way in?"

Approaching Central Civilian Medical Center​

Avalonia​

Dosuun​

Present​

​

There was a way in. Sam did a passing spot check of herself in a reflective window as she walked Avalonia's streets to the Medical Center. Civilian clothing, a smart-casual long dress, and hair dyed so it appeared a natural dusty blonde colour, beyond that Sam had done little beyond mask the features which betrayed the corruption of the Dark Side. Her eyes were once more their natural brown and skin pigmentation no longer resembled a corpse but a natural, if still pale, shade of pinkish cream. Slung over her shoulder was a bag containing nothing but her lunch. In other words, she'd done her best to look unremarkable.

Upon entering the centre, Sam's eyes flickered across the room of the reception in an attempt to look unsure and anxious. All to settle into the part she was to play. "Oh, um, hi there," Sam said whilst walking up to the receptionist and flashing a brief nervous smile to the person behind the counter. "I'm Cassidy Jynth, I'm supposed to shadow Doctor Ven for a few weeks as part of my coursework."

The receptionist looked unsure as she checked her terminal yet sure enough, the information planted by Ren slicers had found its way there to confirm Cassidy's story.

"Doctor Ven? I'm sending your new student shadow up to your office now."

Sam was flagged through to the staff areas but stopped in her tracks. She remembered the directions to Doctor Ven's office but instead she began to walk around, peeking into every door to look as lost as possible in the hopes that the doctor herself would come out to see this scatterbrained performance.

[member="Irajah Ven"]​

 

[Kuzo]

Irajah pressed a button, waiting as her fingers drummed her desk.

"Yes, Administrator Kelso? Doctor Ven. No, nothing's wrong- well, not exactly. I wasn't informed of a student shadow? I'm just wondering what's going on with that? No, no I have the time. No, you don't need to reassign her. I'd just prefer prior notice of anything like this in the future? Yes, thank you. No, the new office is fine. Honestly, it's more space than I need. Did I notice the what?"

She looked up, perplexed.

"Yes, I do see it. I appreciate it. No, it's perfect I'm sure. What? No, I'm just surprised is all. I'll try it out right away, thank you Sir."

Irajah hit the button on the comm to end the call, more perplexed now than when she'd called him. Kelso was a vast improvement over her old boss, but he was weird. Sometimes, if she didn't know better, it was like she was his boss, rather than the other way around. The whole thing was baffling. She figured it was just because he was new. He'd sort himself out eventually.

She frowned, eyeing the shiny, brand new caf machine on the counter across the room. The latest in the string of vaguely strange things happening around the hospital recently. She had no way of knowing that all of the changes were being wrought directly by [member="Darth Prazutis"]. Her days were much more pleasant. She just didn't know why.

Looking down at the lack luster, half drunk cup of caf on her desk, then back up at the caf machine and the small bag of..... was that Dathomiri dark roast?

Abandoning the cafeteria mud without another thought, she headed across the room to make a real cup of caf.

****

A few minutes later, she sighed, taking small sips from the steaming ceramic mug with evident pleasure. Someone had even set up a shelf above the machine with sweetener and a small box of pastries.

Hmmmm, she'd been waiting for something.

Poking her head out of the door, Irajah glanced down the hallway curiously. It shouldn't have taken this long for her mystery student to make it up here. She blinked slightly, stepping outside of the door and watching for a moment as [member="Samka Derith"] peered through the window of the office several rooms down, clearly checking the room number and the name on the plaque before moving on to the next one.

Clearing her throat, so she didn't startle the girl, she called out, her tone cool but friendly.

"Need help finding something?"

 

[Samka Derith]

Sam had to tip-toe to look into a room through one of the windows on the doors. What was inside was difficult to make out even then, a sort of storage room perhaps? It didn't really matter, all that mattered was the show she was making and how it looked like the girl was trying to work out what the room was.

Footsteps approached to her right but Samka didn't react until the figure cleared their throat, spinning her head around and taking several steps back from the door as though she were afraid she'd done something wrong.

"Need help finding something?"

"I-I'm looking for Doctor Ven's office," Sam stuttered slightly and took a few hesitant steps towards the woman. "I'm supposed to tag along with a professional as part of my coursework. You know, getting the hang of the real job not in the lecture hall."

Studying the newcomer's face, Sam's eyebrows rose dramatically. Samka Derith had recognised the face of Irajah Ven the moment she'd laid eyes on the doctor, she'd spent hours over these last few weeks studying the woman's appearance from holos and stills provided, looking closely for any evidence of Force Sensitivity such as Dark Side corruption. Cassidy Jynth on the other hand didn't recognise her until just now.

"Oh that's you, isn't it? I'm sorry I was looking for your office but I thought I might need the bathroom because- well it doesn't matter, then I got all muddled and turned around and I couldn't remember what the receptionist said, oh, but don't think it's her fault and get mad at her or anything, I'm just forgetful sometimes but, er, yeah I'm pleased to meet you, Doctor Ven." She let loose an explosion of words all of which was said with scarcely a breath in-between words or sentences. Talking quickly happened to be a skill she possessed thanks to years of singing lessons, Sam's lungs and vocals were well trained.

There was a pause before the teenager appeared to remember common courtesy and offered her name with a quick bow of her head. "Oh sorry, I'm Cassidy if you didn't know. Cassidy Jynth."

[member="Irajah Ven"]​

 

[Kuzo]

Even if Irajah hadn't been a woman prone to an easy smile, it would have been difficult to hold one back.

"Yup, that's me," she said with a warm smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Cassidy Jynth."

It wasn't often that Irajah met someone close to her own height. At least, who weren't children. Cassidy was young, but she occupied that space between. The two stood very close to eye level.

While, initially, the idea of a student shadow had been at best an annoyance, Irajah already found herself perfectly charmed by the young woman in front of her. In some ways, she reminded her a lot of.... well... herself. Ernest, a little awkward. It seemed like a long time since she'd been that young.

"Come on, I'll show you my office. That way you can find it tomorrow," she chuckled.

As they walked down the hallway, Irajah took the time to point out the various offices and departments as they passed.

"My department is the emergency room and the clinic, so we don't have a departmental office, though there is a lounge for our use down stairs," she explained. "Well," she paused, "Not my department. But. The one I work in. Anyway, this is my office."

The large corner office was one of the largest on the floor. Certainly the largest of the private offices. As they entered, Irajah frowned slightly, realizing that she still hadn't finished setting up. Her pictures were still in the box on her desk, and other than the shiny new caf machine on the end of the room with the couch and over stuffed chairs, it still looked largely unused.

"They just moved me in here a couple days ago," she said with a shrug that spoke more volumes than the words themselves did. Raj still didn't know why they'd changed her office. Just that it was four times the size of anything she could possibly ever need.

"Do you drink caf?" She asked over her shoulder, heading to what she was starting to refer to in her head as the beverage nook.

[member="Samka Derith"]

 

[Samka Derith]

"Come on, I'll show you my office. That way you can find it tomorrow," the doctor chuckled and led Cassidy down the hallway.

On her part, the girl would offer an obviously nervous little laugh for the sake of politeness, "I... sure hope so," Cassidy replied. The words didn't add anything to the conversation but she didn't want to just stay silent. Taking a moment to pull the bag over her shoulder up into a more comfortable position, the teenager took a short run forward to catch up with Doctor Ven.

Cassidy would nod along as the Doctor explained the rooms they passed, occasionally offering an "I see" or "Uh huh" not being sure what else she could say. But Samka was sending little probing tendrils of Force energy towards [member="Irajah Ven"]. She didn't dare send anything more just in case the Doctor was indeed a powerful Force user and would detect Sam's own sensitivity but the occasional tiny little scan should go unnoticed. The problem was these small probes were too weak for an extensive scan, she found nothing but Sam hadn't expected it would be so easy.

"Wow," Cassidy blinked several times as she was shown to the woman's office. "It's huge, you must be very well respected, Doctor." Sam's brown eyes flickered across the room, seeking out any small hints to the Doctor's true nature. No sign of any artifacts strong in the Force or Force embedded items but only a fool would leave such things lying around if they were trying to hide. It was too early for large assumptions but already Samka had developed a few theories if the target was indeed sensitive to the Force.

1. There was a chance this doctor wasn't even aware of her abilities
2. She was aware but for whatever reason rejected the Force
3. She was affiliated with a strand of the Jedi Order. The Jedi, for their many faults, were capable of great healing and protection capabilities. A doctor would make the perfect disguise.
4. She was affiliated with the Sith. Doctor Ven was apparently spending prolonged time in the Panatha Reach. Having spent a small amount of time there herself, Samka was well aware of the strength of the Dark Side and the Sith Lords who reside there. She could be part of some unknown, heinous Sith plot. Sam had never truly trusted any who followed the inherently selfish doctrine of the Sith Order, no matter how much they may pretend to be an ally of the Supreme Leader.

She was then pulled from her thoughts by Doctor Ven asking something over her shoulder.

"Caf?" The teenager cocked her head and blinked in confusion. Perhaps the first genuine reaction since entering the building. Neither Cassidy nor Samka had any experience with the drink. It wasn't as if the Ren stood around the coffee machine gossiping during lunch break. "Um, sure thing I guess. First time for a lot of things today."

She paused to re-position her bag once more. "Um, may I leave this... somewhere? It's just my lunch but... the bag digs into my shoulder blades sometimes. It's kinda uncomfortable."

Once that was done, the girl bounced back over to the Doctor and pumped her fists, full of faux enthusiasm to overcome nerves. "Right! Er, what do we do now? How's the average day go?"

 

[Kuzo]

"It's huge, you must be very well respected, Doctor."

"Ehhhh."

Irajah made a waffling, back and forth motion with her hand. But she was smiling while she did it, obviously attempting some sort of joke to put the young woman more at ease.

"They needed my old office for something, and this was the only one available," she said with a laugh. At least, that was the reason she'd been given. "I expect it won't last. Which, honestly is fine. What do I need this much space for anyway?"

Irajah directed [member="Samka Derith"] to where there was a small fridge if she wanted to keep her lunch cold before turning to the caf machine. She spoke as she poured the two mugs, not looking at Cassidy as she did.

"The average day in the ER is 90% answering ridiculous questions and working with people who don't *really* need to be there, but we treat them as if they do," she said, stirring a generous helping of sweetener into each cup, "and 10% the sheer terror of having to make life and death decisions."

She turned around, handing her the mug carefully. Irajah leaned her hip on the counter behind her, taking small sips from her own cup. It was piping hot, sweet and bitter at once, and some of the best caf this side of the Rimma Trade Route.

"That 10% is some of the most important moments in a hospital. What we do in the ER often means the difference between a patient walking out of here or...." she trailed off. It was obvious what she meant by the or.

"My turn, then we'll head down to the Clinic. A little more.... low key for a first day."

She blew on her caf for a moment before:

"Why do you want to be a Doctor, Cassidy?"

 

[Samka Derith]

Giggling slightly at the Doctor's joke, Cassidy offered a few words, "I'm sure they must do. Must respect you, that is."

She answered Doctor Ven's while placing a pair of sandwiches from her bag into the fridge. Sam had a quick scan of the other contents of the fridge while there, not expecting to find some dark Sith secret stored in the fridge but always looking for something regardless. "Use the space for, er, well I'd install a holo entertainment system but it might get you in trouble." A joke, a joke should help Cassidy relax.

The girl offered [member="Irajah Ven"] a quick smile and briefest of eye contact as she took the mug with a small "thank you". She held the mug in both hands, attempting to take a sip but quickly withdrawing her lips in the face of the heat. Blowing the liquid slightly, the Ren decided she'd leave it to cool before trying again.

She'd been listening to the doctor explain things in the meantime, at the last part Cassidy nodded with a determined look on her face. A sign that despite her current nerves, the girl knew how critical this work was though there was clear relief when Doctor Ven mentioned the day being low key.

Cassidy offered another weak smile as she answered the question put to her. "Well, er, it's a bit of a dull answer but I just... want to help people." There was a pause as she once again moved her lips to the rim of the mug before deciding, nope, it was still too hot. "I mean, there's a boy in my class and he says it's because his father caught some unknown disease being bit by an insect in the jungles of Panatha and when I heard that story I just thought about how my reason isn't very interesting... But I hear about all the suffering people go through and just think.. maybe there's something I can do? I considered being a medic in the armed forces but I don't think I'd be good with battles or travelling a lot so I picked the best way to help from home." Again, Cassidy had spoken very rapidly in a hasty attempt to justify her answer.

Finally the teenager took a sip of the coffee. Her face immediately scrunched up and there was a small cough and splutter. "That was... more bitter than I expected."

 

[Kuzo]

As she listened, it became clear that Irajah had a very serious response to [member="Samka Derith"]'s explaination.... but it was interupted by a chuckle and a grimace.

"Sometimes I forget that it's a bit of an acquired taste. Some people take milk in it- I don't personally, but some people says it helps with that. But they didn't put any in with the set up," which struck her as a little odd for a moment. It wasn't like she talked about her caf preferences enough for management to know not to bother including what was, technically, a very common additive for most people. "I'll have to get some brought in to offer people."

Irajah paused, studying Cassidy for a moment.

"You don't need a big, life altering reason to want to be a doctor," she said finally. "In fact, I've found that people who go into it for those reasons often have to face their own demons far more quickly than they are comfortable doing so. It's only a matter of time before the situation that haunts them becomes too big of a monster to ignore. And it reaches a fracture point, where either they come to terms with it, or else leave the profession altogether. So, don't think of your reasons as.... boring. Think of them as grounded and that they reflect on you as being deeply decent. And realistic about your own strengths and views. You should feel proud of that, not as though your reasons for being here are in any way less than someone else's."

 

[Samka Derith]

"Yes," Cassidy continued spluttering for a moment, "milk would be... would be great to have around thank you."

There was a small snort of nervous laughter as Irajah finished speaking. "That's incredibly sweet of you to say, Doctor." Cassidy paused for a moment realising it would be on her to continue to conversation. "Um, what about you? Was this always what you wanted?"

"They reflect on you as being deeply decent," stuck out in Sam's mind. That was nowhere close to how people usually described her. While the doctor may have no idea of her true nature, it still felt... refreshing. Refreshing to be treated by someone in a completely friendly manner with no undertones of disrespect or fear towards her. It had been a long while since she last recalled it happening and even if the praise was directed at someone else, at Cassidy and not Samka, it made her smile. Just a bit. A reminder of what 'ordinary conversation' was.

[member="Irajah Ven"]

 

[Kuzo]

Irajah smiled, a bit ruefully.

"Actually, when I was younger, I wanted to be an artist. But. My father was a doctor, so I guess it was inevitable."

Despite the cheerful tone, there was weight behind that. A story untold. She wasn't very good at keeping her thoughts and face unreadable. It wasn't a skill she cultivated, in truth.

Changing the subject, she grinned, offering a hand to take the mug from [member="Samka Derith"].

"You don't have to suffer through that," she said with a laugh. "Come on, we'll head down to the clinic and get the day properly started."

Finishing her own mug with a long swig, she rinsed out both cups in the small sink, placing them carefully at the bottom before turning back to Cassidy.

"I'll give you a quick tour of the building on the way down. We'll take a swing by the OR and the teaching wing. They're both on the way.

 

[Samka Derith]

"Oh my father is in the military," Cassidy smiled at [member="Irajah Ven"]. Samka didn't need the Force to sense there was more to this than the doctor was letting on. She was good at reading people, she had to be given the role she played. So the Ren would have to gently coax what information she could from the woman. "I don't know exactly what he does though, he likes to joke that if he told me it would be high treason and we'd all end up dead." Cassidy paused for a moment. "I... think it's a joke anyway. I couldn't follow in his footsteps though, like I said, I'd... struggle to keep a cool head in a warzone. He must be a good man, your father I mean. "

Passing the coffee back to Doctor Ven, Cassidy nodded graciously, "I have a very sweet tooth, maybe I just need time to adapt." Her stance had begun to relax somewhat. At least her shoulders were no longer rigid.

However when the topic moved back to something more medical related, Cassidy's stance changed once more. "Yes doctor!" She said a little too firmly as though she was over compensating for nerves. "I'd be grateful for anything you can show me!"

 

[Kuzo]

Irajah made a sound in the back of her throat, knees bending slightly as she tilted her head at [member="Samka Derith"].

"I have the worst sweet tooth," she said with a joking groan. "The cafeteria has these little chocolate filled pastries, but there's a café between here and my place that makes them even better. So good. I think they're a local thing. I'll pick some up on the way in tomorrow for us."

It was an easier thing to respond to than the other. Her smile softened a bit, growing a touch wistful.

"He was a good man," she said finally, as the two walked through the halls. Her heels clicked against the white marble, punctuating their passage. "At least, to his family. Sometimes I'm discovering.... people can be good on one side, but hiding shadows on the other. I'm working on making my peace with the father I knew and...... some other things."

She seemed to realize belatedly that she was going into more detail than she normally might with a stranger, especially a student, and she grinned brightly over at Cassidy. If the brilliance of the smile was a little false, well, that couldn't be helped.

"So! This is the OR prep, we won't be going in, because they have a patient in there but-"

Irajah filled the next half hour with tour, chatting nonstop about the hospital, their work here, where to find this and that. Her tone was friendly, but professional for the most part. The other doctors waved or nodded, but it was the nursing staff that seemed to respond to them the most, many coming up to say hello as they made their way through the building. She was obviously popular with the nurses, and she greeted each by name.

"Aaaaand this is the lab we use for running tests the portable scanners can't handle," she said as the doors slid open to admit the pair. "I don't know how much lab time you've gotten, how familiar you are with the equipment in here?"

 

[Samka Derith]

"Chocolate?" Samka's ears pricked up. The Bastion of Ren didn't exactly have an ample supply of sweet treats so they were a rare pleasure for the girl. "I'd like chocolate. That would be just amazing if you could get some!" She said with an unusually bright smile on her face.

However the conversation turned more grim as the two walked down the corridors. "It sounds like a... complicated relationship then," Sam didn't try to aggressively push any further, being too persistent for private information could have the opposite effect and make the other person suspicious and guarded. Instead she left the topic open if the doctor wished to continue but did not deliberately lead the conversation. There was still plenty of time to learn the secrets of [member="Irajah Ven"]. It seemed the doctor even realised she may have overshared with a stranger and offered a smile that was just a bit too happy, one Cassidy returned nonetheless.

The young Knight spent the next part of the tour listening intently to Doctor Ven's explanations as she was guided around the clinic. She nodded and smiled when appropriate and continued to play her role, shying away from new faces of other doctors, nurses and patients.

"Hm. Um. Well," her fingers hovered over the controls of X-Ray machine. "Some of it is familiar," she said slowly. She paused for a moment upon seeing one of the machines. The Ren had missed it before but there in the corner of the room was something that was indeed very familiar. She's been inside one of them before when she was just a little girl, it brought back bad memories of that place. She shook the memories from her head and returned her attention to Doctor Ven, realising she'd been quiet for a while.

"That," she pointed at the troubling machine in the corner, "is a brain scanner. Which should really be in a place of its own, is it an older model?" She asked as a distraction. "I was told most of these were operated by droids these days so I haven't had much practical training. It's reassuring to know some places aren't entirely run by AI though."

 

[Kuzo]

"Good eye," Irajah confirmed with a nod. "It is an older model, but they moved it in here instead of getting rid of it."

She walked around the lab, trying to view it through the eyes of someone other than herself. It was challenging.

"Most places do- for that matter, a lot of the testing is done automatically here as well. I'm from a place where there aren't a lot of droids to do that grunt work though, so where I trained we were taught to do our own testing. I'm a little bit of an anachronism I guess. There are a couple of other doctors here who also use this facility, but most of them rely on the automated systems."

She said it all.... almost apologetically. Not expanding on the small detail of 'definitely not from around here,' she hooked a rolling stool with one ankle and pulled it over before perching on it.

"That said, if you intend to do any field work, we'll spend some time in here, learning how to run tests that the portable med kits can't handle. If you plan on always being a hospital doctor, then it's probably not necessary."

The look on her face was expectant, wanting to know- after all, she wasn't about to waste the young woman's time. Of course, it was obvious that Irajah didn't consider it a waste of time, but that she keenly aware of how so many in her profession viewed it.

[member="Samka Derith"]

 

[Samka Derith]

"No, no, field work sounds fantastic," Sam offered a smile to the woman. "I'd much rather explore the galaxy than be stuck in one place, you know? Besides not everyone who needs our help can make it to a place like this. We owe them our care as much as anyone else." The apparent sincerity of her tone surprised even the Ren herself.

As fascinating as listening to the Doctor speak of her medical jargon was, it wasn't furthering her mission. She had to do something, something to make [member="Irajah Ven"] do something.

"Um, may I be excused for a moment?" Her thighs squeezed together. "I never actually found the ladies room," she said easing her way to the door. "I'll be right back!"

Having excused herself, Samka took a brisk march in the opposite direction. There was one thing guaranteed to get a reaction from the doctor. She returned to a corridor she'd passed through earlier, noting there had been another coffee machine in the hallway. She wondered if all doctors were as addicted to the product as Irajah but it wasn't a question worth dwelling on for now.

A nurse had just finished pouring herself a piping hot cup from the machine and was gently bringing the liquid to her lips. Samka checked over her shoulder to make certain she was alone then made her move. A subtle hand gesture reaching out with the Force to shift the balance in a sudden jerk. The cup which was filled to the brim was thrown suddenly across the woman's chest, the scolding coffee splashing across her face, neck and arms. There was an ear-piercing screech of pain.

"D-Doctor Ven?! Come quick!" Cassidly called out back down the corridor and ran to assist the poor woman caught in such a terrible accident.

 

[Kuzo]

"Oh- Oh! Of course! By all means!"

Irajah smiled to herself as [member="Samka Derith"] hurried out. What could she say? She liked the kid. Polite and earnest, eager to please but also sure of what she wanted for herself, attentive. She couldn't ask for a better student shadow, in truth. She'd take a dozen medical students like Cassidy in a heartbeat-

"D-Doctor Ven?! Come quick!"

She was up off of the stool and out the door in a flash. Dashing around the corner, hazel eyes scanned the scene, taking it in in a blink.

"Mari, what happened?" She nodded to Cassidy, a grateful gesture before turning her attention to the injured woman.

"I don't- I don't know- the coffee- it just-"

"Alright, let's get you into one of the rooms here. It's okay Mari, we'll take care of you."

She guided the woman gently by her elbow, motioning for Cassidy to get the door to the room next to them. Getting Mari comfortable in a chair, she started to assess the damage. It was a specific, clinical process, but she was patient and spoke gently, explaining to both of them not only what she found, but what she could do before doing it. It was clear that Doctor Ven had an excellent bedside manner..... but there was no trace of anything Force related for Samka to scrutinize.

 

[Samka Derith]

Cassidy was talking animatedly as she held the door open for [member="Irajah Ven"] and her unfortunate colleague. "I-was-just-walking-down-the-hallway-and-and-and-then-it-kinda-slipped-from-her-hand-and-oh-oh-no. How-can-I-help? What-can-I-do?"

She continued in this fashion for a while, hovering over the commotion until eventually taking a few calming breaths. She listened to Irajah's explanations, nodding and asking tentative questions, still eager to learn. All the while Samka was feeling out with the Force, growing more bold about prodding and exploring the doctor's own sensitivity. Or apparent lack of it.

Irajah Ven was indeed a skilled doctor but there was no sign of any healing techniques utilising the Force nor any attempt to sooth her patient's emotions with a small mind trick.

----------------------------------

A few hours later

"Thank you for today, Doctor. This was... eventful but I learned a lot because of it." Cassidy's eyes flickered around nervously before settling on Irajah. The student's face broke into an earnest smile. "I'm, um, I'm glad I was placed with you. You've been lovely and I hope we get to spend more time together."

"I'll... see you tomorrow then," Cassidy bowed her head respectfully to the doctor and made her way home.

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"There's something there but it's minuscule. It seems like an above average sensitivity but nothing atypical. To dedicate further time to this seems like a waste of my time and abilities."

Samka stood opposite a flickering hologram of a masked Ren Master. She still resembled her Cassidy persona, her hair remained blonde and make-up well done and she remained in her student's uniform. However her posture and facial expressions were radically different than they had been when around the clinic. Her arms were crossed and posture so rigid it could rival the most disciplined officers in the military. The make-up applied that morning could not hide the corruption of the Dark Side on her face, no blush could convincingly recolour her face now she cared not for concealing herself with the Force.

"A day is not enough to get a true understanding of someone. The doctor holds many secrets close to her chest," the mysterious figure was saying. "You are to stay the course. Arrangements have been made that you need not be around her constantly, as war beckons you are needed elsewhere. But do not grow overconfident in your abilities, Derith. It is a path that leads many to ruin."

"Of course," Samka nodded. "I'll never underestimate the foe and I'll keep monitoring Doctor Ven if that is what you so desire."

"There was never any doubt. You'll spend the next few days continuing to be Ven's understudy. Return to the Bastion to give a full debrief at the end of the week." The signal was cut without another word, leaving the young Ren to ponder on the woman she met that day.