Back to Basics

[Cotan Sar'andor]

It had been a while since Cotan had last been on Ceto. Back then the construction of the Je'daii academy on the planet had only just started, and he spent most of the time standing around and arguing with a business owner with (in Cotan's mind) an over-inflated opinion of himself, hyperfocused on his own status of nobility. Thankfully, however, he still remembered the island that was the site of the build project, and could get himself there fairly easily, if the ship he'd been given from Jorus Merrill's private workshop would hold together. "Cut power to the thrusters by fifteen percent, Kiss!" he growled at his droid while fighting the controls. The K1 astromech quickly moved to comply, having noticed the rapidly-rising heat levels of the main thrusters.

The blockade runner ship slowed somewhat, and the main thrusters started to cool back down a bit, but the ship didn't stop bucking in the thin upper atmosphere of the planet. Karking Kathol couldn't just make an aerodynamic ship for once in their lives, could they? With a rather disconcerting sound somewhere in between a loud crunch and ripping cloth, a piece of the ship sheared off, landing somewhere in the ocean down below. K1-S5 started chirping and whirring in distress. "I know, Kiss, I know!" Cotan growled, lowering their speed more while he tried to descend further into the atmosphere. "Raise the front deflector shields by thirty-two percent, turn this thing into a flying bubble!" He gripped the yoke tightly, attempting to force the starship to move in a straight line. Just a little further...

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His efforts at not crashing managed to quickly pay off, when he came out of his cloud cover and could just see the high point of the temple, nestled in between a couple mountains on its little plateau. He decreased the ship's speed further, breathing a sigh of relief. "Kiss, send them our landing codes, and bring us in on repulsors. And make it a smooth landing, for once." He left the pilot's seat, off to try and wash off some of the sweat before meeting with the Je'daii.

​

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After thankfully managing to secure a landing (his droid had sent the wrong codes entirely when prompted, but thankfully Cotan was able to get everything straightened out, given that they at least knew who he was from when they built the temple and all), Cotan was quickly ushered into the main hall of the temple, where he could wait before getting an opportunity to meet with whoever was in charge. Now it was just to sit around for a bit, watch what other people were doing, and try not to go crazy.

"I guess 'high councils' never change, regardless of the group," he mused to himself, while he watched a class on basic telekinesis happening out in the courtyard. It must've been a reasonably advanced class - all the initates were about old enough that they couldn't be considered younglings anymore, and they were all doing rather well at their task - but there were still a few who were having trouble. Especially when Cotan decided to minorly interrupt, reaching out with the Force and pulling one of the learners' rocks a few feet off to one side, causing the newly-surprised initiate to drop it.

Which quickly got Cotan a disapproving glare from the person teaching them.

"Alright, well, what I wouldn't give for some tea or something..."

[member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Esis Nas]

"You are doing very well Mako, keep it up." She said, her tone sweet and calm and trying to inspire more confidence into the nervous Ithorian teenager. Just like herself in the past, he was not the best at manipulating Force alter powers and this settled a lack of enthusiasm in him when confronted with his telekinesis lessons. Each initiate was unique and she liked making sure to know each of them individually as much as she could. In the case of Mako, for example, he proved to be particularly adept at healing techniques and she would be sure to recommend him to one of the Master of Mahara Kesh when his time came.

Then there were the more balanced students, who didn't seem to display any notable weaknesses nor any notable strengths. These were often the most difficult to teach, not in a matter of skill but in learning from them. Discovering what they liked and what they were best at was not a task of simple observation, but of working alongside them to decipher it. She felt proud of all her students, and made sure to provide her attention and counsel to each of them.

Esis' attention was suddenly pulled into an inner feeling, a very slight disturbance in the Force that none of the force-sensitives around her managed to catch. Looking further into it, she could feel a presence among the shifting of the tides, and though there didn't seem to be any immediate danger, she made sure to be on alert. The Zelosian was gifted with a particular talent in Force sensing, so she could tell someone was making their way -with some difficulty- towards the Academy.

Soon enough, a man came in walking through the Temple's main hall. If he had been given free entrance she assumed he was a friend of the Order and so returned her attention to her class. What she had not expected was for the Knight to interrupt Mako's concentration, causing him to lose his grip on the rock and send it falling towards the ground. The Steward of the Academy was quick to twitch her hand and catch the boulder with the Force before it harmed any of the other padawans. Her bright green eyes then returned to the newly arrived [member="Cotan Sar'andor"], features crossed in disapproval.

Esis closed her eyes for a second, reaching out telepathically to one of the Temple's teacher to come take over her class for a moment. "You'll have to excuse me for a second. Journeyer Ithra will be here to help you until I return." As if on cue, a woman came out into the garden and greeted the padawans. Now with someone to aid her students while they continued their exercise, Esis walked into the main hall, eyes trained on the young man who was apparently her age.

"Greetings. My name is Esis Nas, Steward of the Silent Academy. Can I hep you with anything, Mister?" The smooth voice of the young woman was polite though it certainly lacked the usual friendliness of her tone. She had been away from the Order for far too long, and that meant she had not previously had the chance to formally meet this man whom, without a doubt, must have held ties to the Je'daii if he was allowed into Padawan Kesh so freely.

 

[Lief]

Asha had not been back to Ceto since the Academy was finalized and first opened its doors to an influx of new students, but with [member="Arekk"] and [member="Jyn Lorr"] having brought down a corrupt orphanage back in Kaas City there had been plenty of Force Sensitive children looking for a home and the young Hex girl had offered her services in bringing those who were mentally ready for such a change over to Padawan Kesh. Some of them were still in a state of undernourishment or trauma, or in some cases both, and as such they were to remain on Aurum until their state improved.

Yet the handful she brought with her today? They were shining beacons of hope for the rest. A mixture of human and alien species, they looked upon the tropical world in awe. Then again, anything was an improvement on the dreary rain-ridden lands of Dromund Kaas.

They were settling in, already tended to this morning by [member="Esis Nas"] before lessons started, and while her little group were not yet participating she knew that most were eager. A few had their reservations, but that was to be expected. Thankfully this was a place which encouraged personal growth and flourishment, they would not be pushed faster than they could handle, or forced in one direction or another. No, their strengths, their passions, would be built upon as they presented themselves.

Much in the way [member="Jericho"] had done with her during her youth.

As Asha ventured toward the exit of the Academy, she sensed a flicker of familiarity through the Force. She was getting good at drawing faces to presences and as such when [member="Cotan Sar'andor"] turned the corner she had already guessed it was he who approached. A broad grin pulled upon her lips at the sight of the Judge, though they had only been in one another's company a couple of times she'd be lying if she said she hadn't found the man a welcome breath of fresh air. He was very easy to talk to and be around, for Asha at least.

"Look what the vornskr dragged in," she remarked, once he was in hearing range, "Never thought I'd see your old face again, my friend. It was the tea, wasn't it? You came back for more? I knew it."

She winked for a moment, before picking up on a somewhat more frustrated - yet keeping-it-together - presence in the form of the Temple Steward, who was making her way right over to Cotan.

"What did you do, Sar'andor?"

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Uh oh, was the thought that crossed Cotan's mind as the woman who'd been teaching the class came walking up towards him. He had long since, however, grown adept at disguising his thoughts and feelings (at least visually), so instead he fixed the woman with a pleasant smile, before a more familiar presence made itself known, a matching voice coming soon afterwards. "Can't find that tea anywhere else, can I?" he asked in response, though by the time he'd finished the instructor had caught up to him and Asha joined in on the accusatory tone of the proceedings. There goes my get-out-of-jail-free card.

He instead put on his best impression of a Loth-wolf puppy, turning towards Asha first. "What, are we no longer on a first-name basis?" he asked, almost sounding hurt. "And here I was, hoping you would introduce me to all of your friends." He switched back to the pleasant smile, looking over at Esis, and giving her a short bow. "I'm Cotan Sar'andor, somewhere-between-current-and-ex-Jedi Knight, and Judge in the ORC. Nice to see they got this place finished so quickly since the last time I was here." He unconsciously scratched at some of the healed wounds from when he was fighting on Utapau while contemplating how to phrase the next part of his introduction; while the cuts and scrapes themselves didn't really mean much, the people he had been faced with during the battle meant something far more.

"As for whether or not you can help me with anything, well, I figured I was overdue for some extra training - getting into a fight with a bunch of Sith seems to have a habit of making me think that." He suppressed a shudder at the thought of his time when he was a Sith captive, before becoming a Jedi Knight. If it hadn't been for the fact that one of the three Sith he fought on Utapau was more inclined to an agreement of non-aggression, he might've found himself a captive again; doubly so if he'd ended up directly fighting Carnifex, rather than the apprentice. "So - and I'm sure Asha here will be thrilled to hear this -" fitting with his usual demeanour, he winked at the younger of the two Je'daii cornering him - "I thought I might come join the group." He looked between both of their faces for any hint of surprise, joy, or any other emotion that would be better than the mild glares he had just been on the receiving end of.

"Is there a sign-up sheet somewhere, or is there a whole interview process? It's been a few years since I joined anything more strict than the Oh-Ar-See."

[member="Asha Hex"] [member="Esis Nas"]

 

[Esis Nas]

As soon as she saw Asha appear and interact with the man, Esis was quick pull a sort of knowing smile and shake her head a bit, letting go of that initial annoyance at the interruption of her class. She had to refrain herself from laughing a bit at the internal tea-joke going on between the two, and she found it incredibly hard to star mad after finding something funny. Her pose relaxed as she allowed them to exchange words, the severity of her previous disposition replaced with a calmer and definitely more approachable stance.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Cotan." A small smile stretched her lips, bright eyes traveling from the Jedi Knight back to Asha. "It's good to see you again, Asha. Hope you are fairing well." Esis hadn't seen the young woman since their first meeting in Aurum's Jungles, when they set out to find those wonderful creatures. She knew Asha was here today because she had accompanied the newly arrived younglings, whom Esis had spent the morning seeing to. Normally she was joyful to receive new students, but the state in which some of them were made anger bubble inside her. Anyways, the past was the past and thanks to the two Je'daii that liberated the orphanage, whom she had yet to meet, these kids now had a much brighter future.

Esis was certainly not expecting a Jedi Knight to come in search of training, and a surprised raised brow was testament of it. It was good news, though. The Je'daii could always receive more people, and it never hurt to have another pair of able hands around. Her expression of surprise was quickly replaced by a friendly smile, denoting her approval of the man's intention. "Well, as a member of Padawan Kesh I am usually in charge of orienting infant newcomers." She answered, chuckling a bit. "I'm sure Asha will be of more help than me on this." Esis added, turning her attention on the young woman.

[member="Asha Hex"] [member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Lief]

She just continued to grin at him, even when Esis approached and poor Cotan looked like a dear in headlights, backed into a corner by two women ready to put him in his place. Not that Asha was even remotely going to do so, she simply enjoyed teasing him. It was... Too easy.

"Well you missed a fine pot of tea the day you and Lord Itash disappeared on Lothar and I. And sandwiches, too... Such a shame. If the two of you had wanted some alone time, you need only have said as much."

Her eyes glistened with mischief and amusement at the thought of [member="Itash Mecetti"] and Cotan scurrying off like school children hoping not to get noticed. In fact she had amused herself so much that she giggled, before lifting a hand to cover her mouth. That was not the sort of sound Asha usually made, she was known for being rather serious for her age.

Speaking of school children... She looked to Esis and bowed low to the woman. By now she had realized of course that Esis ought to have been a Ranger years prior, she knew her stuff, was a very competent teacher, yet she had - for whatever reason - allowed herself to lag behind. Asha had yet to ask for the specific details, of course, and she wouldn't press unless the woman wished to share.

"Infant? That's a little harsh, Essie, I'd say he's at least Youngling material."

Her eyes shifted back to Cotan however, since he had made a legitimate request, and for a moment she glanced him up and down. Her expression had relaxed back into a more normal state to reflect the moment, before she merely shrugged.

"No sign up sheet, no interviews..." She held out her hand for a moment, fully intent on pulling it back at the last minute if he went to shake it, "Welcome to the club, Cotan, good to finally have you onboard."

There were of course protocols in place for such things, but that she could handle. It wasn't as though he was a stranger, the Je'daii knew of him and had been grateful for his assistance in the past.

"I suppose this means finally giving you more insight on how we work, and what we do, huh?" She rubbed her hands together, glancing between the pair of them, "But first I daresay a spot of tea is in order. I even brought my teapot... You'll like what I did to the old thing, I hope, Cotie... Care to join us Esis?"

Who was Asha kidding. Of course she did... It was tea!

[member="Esis Nas"] [member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Asha thought Cotan was gullible and would fall for such an old trick. How cute.

Even with a lack of focus on the more sense-oriented aspects of the Force, he wasn't so imperceptive as to miss the obvious, unhidden intention behind Asha's false handshake. He simply raised one eyebrow in a sort of "Did you really think that would work?" expression, before turning back to Esis. "I agree with her. I might look a bit older, but I'm actually twelve years old." A moment passed, in which he continued to look on with a completely straight expression. "Or at least that's what she might want you to think, anyways...while she insists on calling me pet names and teasing me. Why, she even giggled just a moment ago!" By now, his tone and expression had shifted, appearing completely aghast.

Asha had already learned that Cotan was very good at teasing people and making jokes. He was also good at taking some light ribbing, which is why he didn't respond to her comment about him and Lord Itash; in actuality, they had just stood around and continued arguing. But doing it all in front of somebody completely new? Most importantly, calling him Cotie, something he hadn't been called since he was a youngling in the NJO? That all meant one thing.

It meant it was time for all out war.

"I'm almost certain she's infatuated with me, Miss Nas."

[member="Asha Hex"] [member="Esis Nas"]

 

[Esis Nas]

The Zelosian glided her emerald eyes from one to the other, arms crossed, brow arched high and a smirk. Esis had a completely different way of being humorous, but that did not mean she wasn't having a lot of fun watching these two interact. Asha was a teenager but normally acted with a maturity rarely seen in people her age. Cotan 'was an adult'. And all this was tremendously amusing to the Steward of Padawan Kesh.

"That would explain why he broke poor Mako's concentration. He must've felt intimidated by the competition." She said, looking at Asha with a mischievous shine in her eyes -something incredibly rare in her- as she referenced the ongoing jest of Cotan being an oversized child. The theatrical seriousness she had put up for her response was broken when Cotan proceeded to expose his "conspiracy theory", the aghast tone definitely getting the best out of Esis' sense of humor.

The Zelosian was about to respond to the ex Jedi Knight's last comment when a fourth voice interrupted her. She immediately turned around, it was the first time in a very long time she had been entertained enough as to not notice a presence approaching her. In front of them all, a small class of younglings ranging from years 6 to 7 stood. A small boy with tousled brown hair looked at them with big eyes, which ended up landing on Asha, a heart-broken expression on his face. "Asha has a boyfriend?" He asked, voice barely over a whisper. His peers, oblivious to their classmate first heartbreak proceeded to scurry around them throwing questions here and there. "Teacher Esis! Is he Asha's new boyfriend?" A little girl asked. Esis was trying very hard not to fall to the floor laughing. "I don't now, little one. You'll have to ask her yourselves." She said, and as if on command all the little heads erily turned to look at Asha like answer-hungry little minions.

[member="Asha Hex"] [member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Lief]

Things took a turn all at once, and for a moment Asha appeared to be aghast with the accusations thrust her way by dear Cotie. She was about to say something, anything, to protest the comments, a deep blush beginning to work along the tips of her ears and threatening to spill over onto her cheeks, when out of nowhere the voice of a distraught young boy, pained with heartbreak, rose through the silence without intending to be quite so loud.

She glanced over to him, and the little girl who spoke, and then the other children staring at her like hungry vultures, and then back to Cotan.

An odd thing happened, then.

She grinned.

"Why yes, yes he is..." she said, glancing sideways at him then back to the children, smoothly continuing on without skipping a beat, "See he is being much more of a boy than a man right now, and he is my friend. Hence, boy friend."

She gave the little boy with brown hair a gentle pat on the head before turning right back to Cotan and flashing him a smile and somewhat of a wink of her own.

It wasn't as though she had anything to hide... Right?

Still, there was still that slight amount of blush present which she couldn't for the life of her banish from existence.

Damn him.

[member="Esis Nas"] [member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan momentarily felt bad for the younger kid, having been in the same spot fourteen years ago. But by the same token, he'd forgotten about it by the time dinner came on, so he didn't feel quite so bad. But, there was always an opportunity to lift his heart a little. "Hear that, kid? You still have a chance. I think you should focus on somebody your own age, though. Because it seems to me that she - " and he pointed at a random younger girl in the class, as he was intent on still causing mischief among them, " - Has eyes for you. Don't let her know I said that, though." He finished off with a conspiratorial whisper as he knelt down to the youngling, before patting him on the back.

A moment later - just before all the children's voices threatened to burst out again in a chorus of teasing the two kids Cotan had pointed out, or arguing between those two and their friends - the instructor who had previously been trying to lead the class managed to regain control of them, ushering them away from the group of three standing in the entrance hall. Cotan almost looked proud as they went away, rather than simply amused. Mischief managed. He turned back to his current conversation partners, though not without a smile and another wink at the still-blushing Asha; rather than pressing that joke any further, though, he decided to have some mercy on her soul and move back to business.

"Anyways, yeah, I see this place is full of younglings. Asha never told me where to find the main temple, though, she just wrote her number down on a piece of flimsi and handed it to me when we first met. Just told me to call her later and disappeared off into the woods." That was only a slight exaggeration of the truth. "So I figured this would be the best place to come if I wanted to join. And no stuffy Lords around this time, either." He smiled a bit, thinking back to his mild arguing with Itash Mecetti. He was slightly miffed to know he missed out on tea due to it, though.

"As for that tea you mentioned, I would love some...assuming I'm still allowed to have any."

[member="Asha Hex"] [member="Esis Nas"]

 

[Esis Nas]

Esis' eyes were fixed onto Asha, she swore she could almost feel how the blood rushed to her face thanks to Cotan's teasing and couldn't refrain herself from laughing this time. The Zelosian knew this was her chance to add fuel to the fire, but decided to keep to herself. The tease war was between her and Sar'andor, and since she clearly had a milder sense of humor than these two, it wouldn't have been wise of her to join in.

Her sensitivity picked up on the little youngling's pain, his name was Knut. She offered a sweet smile at him, inspiring calmness and hope into him through the force as Cotan addressed him. However, when the man conveyed to him that one of the girls was infatuated with Knut, what had initially been a pleased look from the teacher became a slightly disapproving scowl. Well, one way or the other Knut spirits had been lifted, right?

"I see we have match-maker among our ranks now." Esis said, a smile back on her face as she directed the joke at Cotan. Then the conversation took a turn into a much more 'serious' subject: tea. Tea was sacred to the Zelosian, and she was happy to be among people who appreciated it just as much. Her green eyes placed swiftly glided between Asha and Cotan, "Oh, please. I wouldn't deny a cup of tea not even to my greatest enemies." She said, and proceeded to start walking towards a corridor that would take them to one of the smaller rooms that sat slightly over the garden. The main hall wasn't the most comfortable of places to have tea after all.

[member="Asha Hex"] [member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Lief]

"In my defense," she said, honestly just grateful that the conversation had turned away from her supposed affections and had returned to the matter at hand, "You didn't ask for the location, either."

And he knew that was the truth of the matter. He had been the one who was so quick to leave, if she hadn't given him her frequency they likely wouldn't have met back up on Ceto, or here again for that matter, so at least one of them had the initiative to do so. She smiled at him, before turning her sights back to Esis at the continued mention of tea.

"We are in agreeance there, Esis, how else can we explain my offering some to dear Cotie here?" With a shake of her head and a tiny grin she followed after the woman who knew these halls better than she, her eyes drifting back to Cotan as the three of them ventured off to prepare tea, "Don't worry, I'll never deny you tea. If you wander off with Lord Itash again, though, I can't promise there'll be any left."

As they walked she reached back to the pack she had shouldered and began to detach the teapot which hung from it. One might think it was odd to keep something that was clearly ceramic in such a precarious position, but Asha had seen the thing fall from a great height onto duracrete and not even chip. Thing was resilient.

"Aurum, by the way... That's our main hub, the location of our version of Kaleth. It's where the Je'daii convene for meetings and the like, and it's where most begin their Journey. I'll explain it more over the tea, though, if you're serious about joining us."

[member="Esis Nas"] [member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

As Asha called him "Cotie" again, Cotan was almost entirely sure he heard some of the younglings that were lagging behind the main group, as they started jogging to catch up with their fellows, say something about "She called him Cotie!" "Cootie Cotie!" Younglings never change, do they? And then, lastly, he heard "Ashie and Cotie!" as they fully disappeared down a hallway. Cotan was no longer sure if escalating the banter to war level was the best decision, given that the younglings had all managed to seemingly turn it against him and Asha both. In fact, he was no longer sure if he'd even specifically won this battle, or if he'd just guaranteed some sort of mutually assured destruction between himself and Asha while the Youngling EmpireTM came in to finish off any survivors.

"Good thing his Lordship isn't here for me to get into an argument with, then, eh?" was his reply to Asha's continued light teasing, resisting the opportunity to tease her over the fact that she still had the hints of a blush. Too many younglings. Too many ways it could go wrong. He just followed along, letting his eyes wander over the architecture of the academy. "Looks like I'll have to make a stop at Aurum some time soon, then. Also - in my defense - I was still technically on the job when I had to leave you on Aaris III. They did end up finding that pirate, by the way." While they walked, his ears and other senses continued to adjust to the academy, and in a room close by he could hear the sounds of a training lightsaber hum and the odd ping-whoosh of a remote flying around.

And, less than a moment later, the unmistakable crackle of a low-powered blaster bolt colliding with the the lightsaber's wielder, not the lightsaber.

"Poor kid." Cotan had always hated training against remotes as well. His trouble deflecting blaster bolts was part of the reason he decided to start studying Soresu a bit, rather than completely focusing on Makashi. "Hope they pick up on the whole 'sensing where you're about to get hit' bit faster than I did, or they're going to have a really annoying couple weeks in that room."

[member="Esis Nas"] [member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Esis Nas]

"Annoyance can be, surprisingly, a great motivation." She responded almost unconsciously, her eyes locked into the frame of the youngling. Her first priority then had been to reach through the Force and make sure he was okay, which of course he was. Those blaster bolts were low powered and the new robes that had been designed by her for them did quick work of diminishing the damage completely. Shell-spider silk could take fully-powered blaster bolts. These were no challenge to the material, and the testament of it came when the youngling quickly stood up again. Frustrated, yes, but perfectly fine. "Luckily for them, Cotan, the new robes take most of the hit. Of course dealing with physical pain must be a part of their training, but adding that to frustration tends to be too much to be good."

A small, proud smile decorated the Zelosian's lips. Esis loved her chosen path and overall, she felt proud of every child undergoing his or her training in the Silent Academy. Teaching had always been her passion and that was easily noticeable by the way in which she spoke about it. Though she would have thoroughly enjoyed retelling the many aspects of the Youngling's training to the pair, she new that tea was a more pressing matter right now and also feared the subject might have bored Sar'andor too much.

Once they had reached the room, from where they could oversee some of the training going on below them in the garden, Esis prepared the small table settled in the middle of the chamber. She placed three individual tablecloths plus a fourth one for Asha to place the teapot in. A smaller table waited in the corner of the room and from its drawer the Steward of Padawan Kesh produced a small metallic box and a set of empty silk bags and strings. "This is the tea I mentioned you," She said, opening the metal case and causing a wonderful, fresh smell to waft through the air. "I was planning on showing it to you soon, Asha. Might as well do it now." In truth, Esis planned on gifting the young woman a couple of the flower's from which this blend had been made: Lefay flowers, but telling her that right now would ruin the surprise. With specific utensils, Esis started preparing teabags, filling the silk-treaded cloths with the dried herb and tying them with the strings.

[member="Asha Hex"] [member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Lief]

At the tittering sound of the Younglings, Asha felt her cheeks once again begin to deepen in colour.

This time she remained silent, as opposed to further fanning the flames, and chose to listen instead as Cotan and Esis discussed the child in the next room who had no doubt suffered a slight sting from the training probe. Apparently the robes which had been worked on lessened the impact, that was good to know. A solid addition to the Youngling's arsenal, it would aid them if they ever got into trouble... Which knowing some of the Younglings in the Order was bound to happen.

Stepping into the room they had been led to, Asha busied herself with settling down the teapot and sorting out some water to heat up while Esis grabbed the tea. For years now she had been using the same blend, one infused with the Force that induced a certain calmness over the drinker. The flavours would adapt to the tastebuds of those who drank from it... No doubt the cause of Cotan's apparent addiction to it.

And yet trying Blaidd's own blend, that of his people, had been a welcome experience. She wasn't going to turn down another blend to satiate her desire for tea!

"Thank you," she said, with a genuine smile, "I'm sure it will be delicious."

Pulling out three teacups made from the same ceramic as the teapot itself, Asha carefully placed one before each of them and allowed Esis to add the teabags once they were filled and tied. All that was left to do in the end was to add the piping hot water - and whatever extras each individual preferred, though Asha was fine without sugar or milk - though she did not know who was supposed to finish off the cups. This was not her ship, nor was it her gathering, so she felt a little odd performing her more traditional ritualistic methods where pouring the tea was concerned.

Perhaps that was best saved for Esis... After all it was her blend they were about to drink.

[member="Esis Nas"] [member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

"Special new energy-absorbing robes? Where I was taught that would be called cheating, they wouldn't just be handed out to the learners." He heard the remote start flying around again as they walked off, the sound gradually fading. "I definitely should've joined you guys sooner." It wasn't long after that before Esis found the room they were going to use, and Cotan was gifted with a view of the grounds below, including looking down at the class that earlier he had interrupted. Unfortunately, with both Asha and Esis there to witness it, he was distinctly unable to mess with any of the learners down below. He wouldn't have been surprised in the least if Esis had planned the location that way, tempting him with the opportunity to prank the students and tormenting him with the knowledge that he couldn't.

Absolutely evil.

Shortly after they sat, the tea was brought out, though contrary to his initial expectation, it wasn't Asha's tea. Interesting development. It still smelled nice to him, though when he looked closely at it he found that, rather than being the usual tea leaves and/or other herbs he was used to, he found it to be composed of numerous petals of some flower he wasn't acquainted with. "Seems like I'm out of the loop here," he said in response to the exchange between the two. "Just what is this tea made out of?"

[member="Esis Nas"] [member="Asha Hex"]

 

[Esis Nas]

Esis chuckled at his first comment, "Yeah, we are all very envious of them. I would have really appreciated that extra protection when I was a youngling." She said, the memories shining in her mind. Her lack of a talent for Force altering made all the physical part of learning quite hard for her. She could sense were hits were coming from faster than any other kid, but her body simply wouldn't react fast enough or her the powers she used to try and deviate them would often fail. That meant she took hits pretty often as an apprentice. She still remembered those days with happiness, some of her best memories were made as a youngling, most inspired by the wonderful woman that guided her.

She prepared the water, making sure it was at the correct temperature that would make all that delicious flavor of the petals fuse into it. Soon enough, she returned to towards them with everything ready and as she started to pour into the cups, each containing a tea bag, she couldn't help but admire the beautiful tea set Asha had brought. "These are very beautiful, Asha!" She said, a happy, honest smile on her lips. That brilliant smell, the one that so easily made a relaxing joy expand through her started filling the room as the water became infused with the glorious flavor of the blend.

Her green eyes returned to Sar'andor when he asked about the tea. That calm, modest and friendly look that usually held Esis' features made itself present. "It is made out of Lefay flowers. I created them, during my years as a scientist. They have many uses, a lot of which I'm sure I haven't yet discovered, but the tea is the best one up to now." A playful smile stretched her lips. "The flowers are force-sensitive and force-dependent, I've discovered that each part of them creates a different blend, with different effects when prepared correctly. This one here is made out of the petals of flowers grown imbued with neutral force energy, so it does not have any of the effects of the other blends, but the taste is just as wonderful." She explained. Lefay flowers were Esis' dear companions. She had a special room for them in the greenhouse here at the Silent Academy, and spent most of her free time there with them. They were delicate but fantastic things, and growing them had always helped her connect to the Force and keep her inner balance even better than meditation did.

[member="Asha Hex"] [member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Lief]

The somewhat clueless expression on Cotan's face made her grin, though she did her best to hide her amusement. Her eyes followed Esis across the room as the Steward of Padawan Kesh set about prepping the silken teabags with the tea formed from the petals of the Lefay flower.

The warmth of the boiled water seemed to permeate the room, the majority of the Temple being air conditioned due to the tropical weather outside its windows, and while some might have found the steamy heat oppressive to Asha it was simply a natural aspect of her life, a comfort. Even onboard her or her Father's ship, with air filters to recycle the humidity, she had often felt the warmth from the teapot, it was something she had experienced multiple times a day especially when pouring for guests. Refreshing was the word for it she supposed, and it seemed as though Esis' blend was no different, just as welcoming to the young Hex.

Instinct bade her to bring the teacup closer once it was filled with first the teabag and then the boiling hot water, but for once she refrained from doing so at least until everyone had their cup filled. The bags themselves seemed to intrigue her, Asha almost always brewed within the teapot itself, loose leaf with the filter on the spout itself rather than encasing the leaves. They seemed to be reusable, of course so too was her teapot yet these seemed a little more... Practical? Yes, that was it. Smaller to bring along on excursions than her tea set.

Though, best I bring the set along with me anyway, in case it is needed... After all the recent changes she made to it would prove useful in a pinch.

"How are you finding your newfound duties, Esis?" she said, once the conversation began to comfortably wane, "I do hope you're settling in. The Academy is very fortunate to have you." Then her gaze shifted over to Cotan, and for a second there she merely shook her head and refrained from another grin. "You know, next time you need help finding somewhere... You can ask. I gave you my frequency codes for a reason. It's lucky that you did not have to resort to returning to Aaris III. All joking aside, it is a pleasant surprise to have you here. If you have any questions then please do not hesitate to ask. Now is as good a time as any, wouldn't you agree Es'?"

Tea and a good catch up.

What more could they ask for.

[member="Esis Nas"] [member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

"I thought you just gave me the frequency codes because you liked me," Cotan replied to Asha with a shrug, letting his tea steep. "Certainly seems like it, how often I keep noticing you looking at me and making funny expressions." Talking about expressions, Cotan had managed to make his entirely neutral - it could be called innocent looking, even. He leaned back a bit, leaving Asha to squirm over where she sat - That's for calling me Cotie in front of younglings! - and made himself a bit more comfortable. "Can't really come up with any questions, though. Just so long as I don't have to sign a contract in blood to join the group, or anything like that, I should be good." He inhaled quietly, catching the scent of the brewing tea. He'd been well acquainted with tea before he even met Asha, and he'd gotten pretty good at telling when various brews were properly drinkable just via scent.

He gave the tea a bit longer - giving both Asha and Esis time to respond to him - before grabbing his cup and taking a short sip. Weird. Force sensitive flowers. For tea. He couldn't say he disliked the taste, though. "Pretty good tea," he pronounced, taking another sip after delivering his verdict. "Now I'm not entirely sure which I like more." He glanced at Asha, then back to his cup, then back to Asha, with a somewhat sly glint to his eyes. "I think this'll require a lot more testing."

[member="Esis Nas"] [member="Asha Hex"]