Private Blood Trails

[Jasper Kai'el]

Blood Trails
Kai'el Estate, Sacorria
Tags: Marissa Shoda

​

Jasper had a home. A more then just the Jedi Temple home. Somewhere that his family actually hailed from, at least if the records he had found were anything to go off of. His creator, Jastile Kai'el, had owned a private estate on the Agri-world of Sacorria. According to the deed of the property, the home was to fall to the ownership of the last owner's closest blood relative. Suddenly, Jasper found himself scrambling to get to the location, bringing Marissa along with him. This was a lot more then just having a place to stay that wasn't his freighter. It was about his past, where he was from. He didn't want to face it alone, and there was really no other individual he wanted to be there with him in the Galaxy.

It wasn't long before they found the property, a modest red structure built into the side of a cliff, a stationary gondola parked in a a depot that ferried visitors to the ground, or at least seemed to have long ago. Jasper brought the Lonestar 1 down on the structure's landing platform and simply sat there, staring at the building in a bit of a daze.

It all seemed so unreal.

"I... guess this is it," the knight muttered. "My ancestors lived here... This is so weird."

Jasper slouched back in in the pilot's seat, his organic hand clasped on his forehead. He had grown up assuming that wherever his DNA had come from was something he simply would have never found. A myth, lost to the sands of time. Yet here he was, landed where those who had come before him had once made their home. It was overwhelming.

"Jeez," he sighed, "I think I'm gonna have a panic attack."

 

[Marissa Shoda]

The last thing Marissa expected while relaxing with Jasper on a day off was a hail about becoming the owner of a plot of land on a world she never heard of. For her, it wasn't all that much. Certainly good news, who wouldn't be ecstatic about becoming the brand new owner of a piece of property? Turned out that Jasper was rather shaken by the new information, which turned into a whole trip for the two oddballs to figure out the core of this mystery.

Marissa knew that Jasper was a clone. A copy of a person, the result of a donor experimenting to make a copy of himself. It seemed simple enough that neither of them wondered about anything more than that. This opened a whole new can of worms for the two of them.

Glancing at Jasper, a faint smile crept onto her features for a moment before she glanced back out of the viewport of the Lonestar 1. "Don't worry, with a view like this, I might just join you." She quipped as she nudged Jasper. Growing up on Denon, standing on the roof of a cloudcutter wasn't anything odd, but the sheer drop from the landing pad to the unseen surface below had her getting rather startled by heights.

She checked her pistol strapped to her thigh, adjusted her leather jacket and massaged her throat before getting up to make her way back outside, though she wrapped her arms around Jasper's frame and looked up at him for a moment. "Hey, if nothing else, if this turned into some bantha crap you couldn't care less about, at least you got a nice spread to come home to now and then." She muttered. By far not her best talk, or even encouragement, though it was the best she could do in the situation.

Her origins were never something she questioned as a kid. Her family were mod junkies believing in some sort of machine spirit the could connect to over the holonet, and the came from nothing. They were backstreet garbage on Denon, as simple as that. Now she had to help her boyfriend to keep a cool head while he dealt with an existential crisis.

"Hey, it'll be okay." She gently rubbed his arms before she let go to exit the ship. Her eyes quickly adjusted to the light as she looked around.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Sacorria
Tags: Marissa Shoda

​

"Hey, it'll be okay."

"Yeah..." Jasper nodded. She honestly didn't need to say anything. It was comfort enough that she was there. "Yeah. It's good. I'm good."

When Marissa let go and moved to the exit, Jasper took a moment to collect himself before following. It wasn't much as far as 'estates' went, a simple patio between the entrance and the landing pad, which featured old metal furnishings that appeared to have been welded by hand. The knight bent down and brushed dirt off of one of the legs, finding a set of ornate initials scratched into it...

DK

With a bit of a wander in his step, still getting a feel for the location, Jasper finally made his way to the front door. It had a fine layer of dust on it, but the door itself seemed to be in good shape. What took Jasper's attention more, however, was the emblem on the front of it.

He ran his organic fingers along the groves for a moment before opening the door, revealing a more well-kept living space than he had expected. Smokey redwood floors, polished stone countertops in the nearby kitchen space, and a rustic fireplace equipped with a cooking spit. It was very clear though that there had not been much cleaning done in some time now. Jastile must have not been to this place in some time, maybe even before he went into exile.

"You know," he began, trying to ease his nerves a little, "I always thought I'd hate the idea of living somewhere that wasn't a ship. I guess I only had the youngling dorms at the Temple for reference. You had to share living space with a bunch of your classmates. It was the worst. I... suppose it also didn't help that I thought they all hated me."

Jasper managed a laugh. It was kind of funny in retrospect how in his own head he had been. Of course, he didn't have any stable adult relationship in that time. No mentor to give him advice on how to interact with people or how to process what he was feeling at any given point. Still, he really had been paranoid for no reason.

"The minute I could, I started living out of a beat up Z-95 I salvaged from the junk yards on Coruscant," Jasper continued. "It only ever went on two flights. One back to the hangar and another to Corellia, where I crashed it."

A grin spread across his face as he turned back to Shoda.

"I guess what I'm getting at is maybe houses aren't as bad as I thought they'd be."

 

[Marissa Shoda]

While Jasper slowly made his way to the front door, Marissa found herself standing close to the edge of the landing pad by the ship, her eyes taking in the sheer drop as well as the breath-taking view. She tried to draw a parallel with Denon, but comparing the two skylines was practically impossible. no buildings, no ships flying back and forth, just fresh air. She took a few steps back as she felt herself becoming a little light-headed, instead retreating back to join Jasper by the front door.

Her hand rested on her pistol as he entered, though no surprise waited for them on the other side. Just an abandoned home.

The former officer carefully moved through the space and studied her surroundings. She only paused to look at Jasper as the Knight began to speak.

"You know,"

"I always thought I'd hate the idea of living somewhere that wasn't a ship. I guess I only had the youngling dorms at the Temple for reference. You had to share living space with a bunch of your classmates. It was the worst. I... suppose it also didn't help that I thought they all hated me."

"Sounds like the police academy." She remarked with a slight smile. Her eyes flicked through various colours as she scanned the house for any sign of... anything. Something to do with Jasper's family, something odd and out of place, whatever stood out. It was only when she looked back to him that her eyes turned red, scanning Jasper to make sure he was alright. The smile he gave had her eyes revert to their normal setting as her gaze lingered on his. "Headhunter's at least a way out. Few years ago I would never have thought I'd see another world. And now..." She gestured to the house around them. "Kind of a polar opposite of Denon over here." She chuckled, continuing through the kitchen area.

"Houses are nice, though. Stationary. It's the people inside that make or break it, though. My place turned a little weird with the fam when I joined the force. Imagine becoming a cop with a hard family that hates cops. Probably something like a Jedi hooking up with a sith army or something." Not a stellar comparison, but it got the point across.

She came to a halt by a fireplace with a confused look for a moment before glancing at Jasper. "What's this for? Heating or something?" She asked with a shrug. "So this place belonged to your back-when fam... anything we need to keep an eye out for?" She wasn't sure if she was there as his girl or as a detective, or at least that was how she felt. She was rather lost on her role, aside from supporting Jasper.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Sacorria
Tags: Marissa Shoda

​

"Headhunter's at least a way out. Few years ago I would never have thought I'd see another world. And now..."

"Ways out can be deceiving," Jasper remarked. "Running from your problems can have a nasty tendency to make new ones. I wish I could say I look back on those travels fondly, but..."

That was far from the truth. He was a ball of depression in those days, drifting from shadowport to shadowport hoping that the force with take him. He had been just as trapped by his fears as she was by Denon. Nothing was ever as simple as it seemed.

Fortunately, the subject quickly changed.

"That's a fireplace," he explained. "It's common for heating and cooking where there isn't much power. Rural places out on empty planets. As for what we're looking for, I'm not really sure." A frown came to Jasper's face. "Went through some of my templates personal logs in preparation... He recorded taking all of his research material with him off world. I doubt we'll find any of that here... So I guess we're looking for anything, really."

Jasper opened another door, stepping into a nearby bedroom. It was small, with all the furniture covered in white sheets. As he pulled back the cover that had sheltered the bed, he found faded, but bright blue sheets covered in ornate clouds. A crudely made stuffed animal sat in the center, mimicking a creature he couldn't identify. It was clearly very old, given the wear and tear, but there was a strange level of affection that emanated from the item. Perhaps it had belonged to a little boy much like himself, one who lived their own life long, long ago.

He couldn't help but long for something like that. A simpler, happier childhood.

 

[Marissa Shoda]

Marissa wanted to keep going with how he took the trips for granted, but stopped herself from making the situation bad. In any case, Jasper was right. What was a dream for her was a nightmare for him. He had the freedom to go where he wanted, but he also had other problems. Different struggles from different worlds, as simple as that.

The mood shifted luckily as he explained the fireplace to her. Cricket knelt down to study it a little better with a hint of curiosity on her features. "Huh. They're usually a lot more improvised back home. Lower levels gotta get crafty around limited power." She commented idly as she stuck her head in to look up. "Smart, though. Way better setup. Probably nice to snuggle up next to one of these." She stood up and followed Jasper into a second room, all the while studying the house. An odd shelf filled with strange, rectangular objects drew her attention as well, though she let it slide for the moment. She could ask Jasper about that later.

Entering the new room, Marissa took note of the thick layer of dust over everything. Jasper didn't waste a second to yank one of the sheets off, revealing the bed along with a stuffed toy. A warm smile crept onto the girl's features as she picked it up. "Had one of these as a kid, actually. Mom got it at a garage sale for me. Looked different, of course, but still... it was cute. Said if I heard loud bangs at night I should hold on tight, it'll protect me." She glanced at Jasper as a chuckle escaped her. "Kinda messed up if you think about it. But hey, thing helps you sleep like a log sometimes." She set it down and carefully pulled the other sheets off to reveal some more furniture.

"The other room didn't have its furniture covered. You think this room's special or did they maybe not think to cover the rest?" She commented, looking around the room.

Her gaze lingered on Jasper for a moment as a thought crept up in her head, but she decided against voicing it. Moment was probably not exactly right for it. "Imagine growing up here, though. Karkin' amazing view. Going to school would likely be a chore, though." She carefully sat down on a nearby chair with her hands resting in her lap. "On the flipside, fear of heights will be ou-" She grimaced as her voice faltered once again, her hand coming up to massage her throat as her eyes clenched shut. She knew that Jasper didn't think anything of it, but it was still not nice to have it happen around him.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Sacorria
Tags: Marissa Shoda

​

"Had one of these as a kid, actually. Mom got it at a garage sale for me. Looked different, of course, but still... it was cute. Said if I heard loud bangs at night I should hold on tight, it'll protect me." She glanced at Jasper as a chuckle escaped her. "Kinda messed up if you think about it. But hey, thing helps you sleep like a log sometimes."

"It's something, at least," he shrugged, trying to be positive. "I mean, not really, but the thought is worth something."

He understood the reality of homes being unsafe. For years, he had lived under the very real threat of a full scale military assault on the Jedi Temple. When he finally went into exile, that truth was only confirmed. It was different now, though. He had been a helpless boy then, running from his own fears. Now he was a member of the Jedi Council. Still a Knight, and certainly still learning, but a figure that was supposed to provide leadership.

"This room seems... special..." Jasper noted. "I don't think my template was using it for anything, that's for sure..."

Jasper crouched down, looking at a name crudely carved into the foot of the bed. "Leo Ray Kai'el." An ancestor, clearly, one who had very clearly grown up here.

"On the flipside, fear of heights will be ou-"

Jasper gave Marissa a moment to sooth her throat before making his way over and wrapping his arms around her.

"It's alright, M," he assured. "There's no one here but me..."

After a moment or two he looked down at her, the smile returning to his face.

"You're afraid of heights?"

 

[Marissa Shoda]

Marissa turned her head away from Jasper as he pulled her into him, but didn't resist leaning into him for comfort. An arm wrapped around him as she hid her face against him for a moment. "You're still here." Her voice perked up as she looked up at him. "I'm tired of this, Jas." She admitted softly. She didn't want to talk about it, not with something this important already going on.

Luckily Jasper did her the favour of switching topics entirely, quite effectively on top of that. Her face turned blood red as her eyes widened. "Hey, no... that's... that's not what I said." She immediately argued, raising a finger at him. "I had to work on cloudcutters and everything, this ain't nothing. Just... yeah.' She got up and walked over to the window, almost trying to prove a point. "Just different from Denon, that's all!" This was probably what suspects felt like on the receiving end of an interrogation.

"Come on, you can't tell me you don't get woozy, staring down the side like this!" She ushered him over and pointed out of the window to the sheer drop just on the other side. "Alright, moving on." She picked up a pillow and chucked it at his head as she made her way out of the room, back to the living space to investigate further. A soft chuckle escaped her as she lightly shook her head. No way in hell was she admitting to anything as silly as that.

Driting around the room, she inspected another door that lead to a short hallway, granting access to more dusty rooms, however she investigated a little closer in what seemed to be a study. More of those odd rectangles. This time she pulled one of the shelf and dusted of the cover to reveal a name. "Moby Dick?" She read the title aloud, carefully opening the item to reveal paragraphs upon paragraphs along each page inside. "Huh..." She lingered for a few long minutes as she ran through the pages at record time, yellow eyes scanning each page to blast through the book at a ludicrous pace.

After a few more minutes, She closed the book and gently put it back before turning around to look for Jasper with wide eyes. "What the kriff is that?"

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Sacorria
Tags: Marissa Shoda

​

"You're still here." Her voice perked up as she looked up at him. "I'm tired of this, Jas."

Jasper didn't respond to this, just continued to hold Marissa. There wasn't really anything he could say, not without making things worse. He understood why she was so bothered by it, even if he wasn't. Thankfully she seemed to latch onto the new topic with some enthusiasm. She dragged him over to the window, pointing out the sheer drop below and insisting that he had to feel some uneasiness about it.

"Not really woozy, no," he shrugged. "I've been working on and flying ships for as long as I can remember..." He turned, gazing out at the open sky beyond the glass pain in front of them. "I don't know," Jasper frowned. "Maybe I'm just crazy."

His thoughts were cut off by a pillow bouncing off his head. Marissa had already gone off to assess the bookshelf, reading through a book she randomly picked out...

"Moby Dick?"

"That's an unfortunate title," the knight noted.

She scanned through the book incredibly fast, her mechanical eyes enhancing her reading capabilities. It wasn't long before she had returned the book and was asking about... What it was? Jasper felt rather silly for a moment. He forgot that books had largely fallen out of use in the core.

"Oh, it's a book," he explained. "Like the physical version of holobooks. Y'know, the old-fashioned way of doing it. Not really common in the core, but you can find them used more where technology isn't as advanced. My Order has a collection of really old ones with knowledge from gods know when. They're probably stories that whatever kid grew up here used to read..."

A soft redness swept over Jasper's face. The topic had brought something to his mind.

"Hey M," he began, "I've been thinking... With the war over and all... maybe circumstances are right to... y'know, settle down a little..."

His face was flush red now. There was clearly something more that Jasper was trying to get at, but he was very much struggling to do so. It was like asking her out all over again.

 

[Shai Maji]

Oops

 

[Marissa Shoda]

Staring at Jasper, Marissa paid close attention to his explanation. He seemed far more used to the archaic technology, though it made sense given his order. As he said, they had stuff that were likely thousands of years old. "That explains it... Although, I hope whoever lived here didn't let their kid read that story. It's karkin' weird." She commented as she glanced back at the case full of books.

Jasper's hesitant words drew her attention back to him. With curious eyes, she crossed her arms and listened to what he had to say. He was clearly embarrassed by the thought, something Marissa always enjoyed seeing in a rather twisted way. Jasper blushing always got a smile out of her.

But his suggestion puzzled her for a bit. "Settle down?" She asked. "Like here? Not a bad idea. I mean, let's be honest, we're practically living together already, moving into a proper house probably isn't such a bad idea." She commented as she looked around. "Something more stable to come back to after a mission." She looked back at him with a smile.

"Yeah... Why not?" She closed the distance and wrapped her arms around his waist in a gentle embrace. "Don't see anything wrong with that idea."

It was her turn to turn a little red as a thought crept up again. "Jas... I know it probably isn't the best time to say it... but I think it needs to be said. I love you. I know we ain't really that type of duo you could make a movie out of, but the time we've spent together has really been worth it." She let it all out, wanting to get it off her chest. As sappy as it sounded, she felt that it was needed to be spoken aloud.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Sacorria
Tags: Marissa Shoda

​

"I love you. I know we ain't really that type of duo you could make a movie out of, but the time we've spent together has really been worth it."

"I wouldn't trade that for anything in the universe," he stated, wrapping his arms around Marissa. "I don't care where the hell I'm from. You being happy is all I need."

There was more though, something else he wanted to get out there. It was more than just the two of them hunkering down in an actual home. Jasper wanted to go the extra mile. He wanted with every fiber of his being to take the next step in all of this...

He just needed to find the words.

"Marissa I've..." he began, momentarily trailing off before continuing. "I've been thinking a lot about something. I just... I don't know how to say it without loosing the words."

And awkward smile came to his face.

"I've never been that great at talking."

 

[Marissa Shoda]

As his arms wrapped around her, Marissa leaned into Jasper with a smile etching along her features. His words were comforting, but it didn't take much for her to tell that there was more to say. Jasper admitted as much, although it went as smoothly as Marissa expected it to.

"Oh, I'm quite aware of that." She quipped with a snicker. "Luckily we ain't in a rush. You'll figure it out." She planted a kiss on his lips and left his embrace to continue with their investigation, only now it turned into a more personal endeavour. They were not only looking at Jasper's family estate, they were looking at a potential home for themselves as well. She wasn't sure how she felt about that, moving into a place with so much history. But at the same time, it was now Jasper's.

"This is a big step, you know. Living together is one thing... but a proper home. It's... different, in a way." She trailed off in thought, reaching the conclusion that things were getting a lot more serious between them now. It wasn't just a casual thing anymore, not that it had been to begin with. But as she said, it was a big step.

"Hey, you think there's any food here that might still be edible?" She quipped with a smirk, glancing at the kitchen. Seeing one of this size wasn't very common for her. A typical kitchen on Denon was a lot more quaint than this in the lower levels. "So... I wanna know ... if we don't find anything about where you came from... do we just leave it? I don't see anything that's gonna explain the family tree, so to speak. Any idea on where to go from here?" She asked Jasper as she turned to face him.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Sacorria
Tags: Marissa Shoda

​

"Oh, I'm quite aware of that." She quipped with a snicker. "Luckily we ain't in a rush. You'll figure it out."

"Yeah," he finally nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "You're right."

He had time, and it was pretty clear that what they had going was the real deal. Marissa wasn't going anywhere, not metaphorically anyways. Jasper would have time to find the words. What she said afterwards did worm into his mind though. Something different about a proper home... He hadn't really though of it, but there did seem to be something special about such a living arrangement. Jasper didn't visit the Nobles often, mainly because he saw them so much at the temple, but whenever he did he had taken note about the atmosphere of their abode. There was something different about it, even if he didn't fully understand it.

"I... I know," Jasper responded. "But I think things have started to be different already... In a good way, I mean."

Jasper followed her into the kitchen, where she asked if there was any edible food around. It rose a rather notable laugh out of the knight. It was hard for him not to. Marissa's sly grin was intoxicating. He simply couldn't help but grin himself.

"That would be wild," he chuckled, "But a part of me hopes nothing in the kitchen is left over from the previous residents. I think I saw a self sustaining farm they had set up. Maybe some of that is still good."

They'd have to head back out onto the balcony to assess that.

"So... I wanna know ... if we don't find anything about where you came from... do we just leave it? I don't see anything that's gonna explain the family tree, so to speak. Any idea on where to go from here?"

"I'm... not sure," he admitted. "Some of where I'm from has probably been lost to time. I... think that's okay though. Coming here has put a lot of things to rest, I think. It's hard to explain, but I feel like it all isn't as stressful as I thought."

No weird science experiments or cloning vats of any kind, and not a single data log t9o be found. It was reassuring to think that his creator had been one bad egg out of a frankly normal family unit, albeit one that has seemingly faded away over the years. To that end, perhaps it was just better to focus on who he was in the moment.

"I don't know where to go from here," the knight shrugged. "But I kinda like that, y'know? I've been chasing ghosts for so long... maybe it's more exciting to not know where I'm going."

Marissa had always been so enamored by how much he traveled, but Jasper hadn't really been able to explore just to do so. It was always running from or chasing down something. Now everything was so strange, but also thrilling. It all swirled around in his chest and captured his mind like nothing had before.

Maybe this was the feeling she had always talked about.

 

[Marissa Shoda]

Marissa couldn't deny that she was curious about what he was thinking about that could make him squirm so much. In their time together, it was only matters that concerned them that made him stop like that. It was already surprising that he suggested them officially moving into a proper home. Not just her bunking in his ship because she needed a place to stay... although it went on for longer than she asked or anticipated.

Not that she was complaining for a moment.

"Hey, between you and me, I think a hundred year old sandwich would slap." She joked with a glance towards him as she continued with her search through the kitchen. Thankfully nothing but pots, utensils and other kitchen accessories were left. If they wanted to move in, they simply needed to clean the place out with the amount of useful items that were left behind.

"I'm... not sure,"

"Some of where I'm from has probably been lost to time. I... think that's okay though. Coming here has put a lot of things to rest, I think. It's hard to explain, but I feel like it all isn't as stressful as I thought."

"Well... you already know where you came from. That's answer enough. I mean... my family is a bunch of mod junkies worshipping a machine god floating in the holonet. Doesn't have to be more complicated than that." She cringed internally at the way she worded it. How she got so far in the force was beyond her. "Means you got a point of reference and open possibilities to shape your own future. Hell, wasn't some Jedi screw-up's son on a backwater supposedly the guy the saved a whole galaxy or something?"

It was probably better to stop talking.

"I don't know where to go from here,"

"But I kinda like that, y'know? I've been chasing ghosts for so long... maybe it's more exciting to not know where I'm going."

Marissa rose to face the Jedi with a gentle smile. "One day at a time, Jas. Things get more exciting that way." She spoke with a gentle voice, resting her hands on his chest as she looked up at him. It was a rather interesting thing to observe. Not good or bad, simply something that stood out to her. A Jedi Knight, a hero to the galaxy, a lone orphan that carved his own path all the way to the top of his Order... yet he still didn't feel anchored.

While it didn't necessarily bother her, it was a rather sobering thought when she compared herself to him.

"It's worked great for you so far." She quipped as she sneakily unclipped his lightsaber from his hip to inspect as she paced around. "Hey, what's this button do?" She quipped as she fiddled with the device. Just something to get their minds off everything.

Jasper Kai'el

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Sacorria
Tags: Marissa Shoda

​

"Hell, wasn't some Jedi screw-up's son on a backwater supposedly the guy the saved a whole galaxy or something?"

"I'm not all that," Jasper laughed. "But I love the enthusiasm."

He gave a slight smile. She was right. He had a point of reference where to go. His curiosity peaked when she mentioned her family. Marissa had brought them up before, but it seemed to be a sensitive topic. Judging by the look on her face she wasn't ready to talk about them just yet. That was okay. They had plenty of time to work all of that out together.

"Yeah," he nodded. "One step at a time."

Then something unexpected happened. She had his lightsaber. When had that happened? He had just done so much thinking that he hadn't been paying attention to the world around him. It wasn't long before she was asking him about how it worked, which caused the knight to grin.

"That's the on button, M," he explained. "Y'know, the part that makes it cut through stuff."

Marissa would feel a tug at her hand as the weapon slipped out of her loose hold, gliding back to his hand.

"It isn't super complicated," the knight shrugged.

Jasper let the device drift into the air, where it slowly began to disassemble. All of the components came apart one by one, lining up neatly in the air. Most notable was the deep blue gemstone in the center, but there were other key components as well.

"Power from the gem is sent through the main power cell to the emitter matrix at the end here," Jasper continued, pointing to the end of the line. "There's a dial on the end of the hilt that regulates the flow of plasma that creates the blade. A bit of magnet work to give it form and all that."

Then, without warning, the components slowly wove themselves back together. The complete weapon landed back in Jasper's hand, which he then extended back to Marissa.

"I can teach you how to use it if you want," he grinned.

 

[Marissa Shoda]

"I'm not all that," Jasper laughed. "But I love the enthusiasm."

"Not with that attitude, you ain't" Marissa quipped back without a skip of a beat as she flashed him a smirk. However she didn't get to say much more as Jasper reclaimed his weapon from her grasp, leaving Marissa stunned for a second as she watched the hilt drift through the air towards its master. She could only watch with curiosity as the grip dismantled and drifted above Jasper's hand in formation. At the centre of it all was a glowing gem. The heart of the Jedi's sword.

"That's nova." She muttered as she watched the spectacle with undivided attention. Once the hilt reassembled, a laugh escaped Marissa's lips. "Teach me?" She repeated with a raised brow. "Oh please, can't be that much harder than a nightstick." She closed the distance as she gripped his collar, pulling him closer. "I'll have you know, Master Jedi, that I was second best in my class with martial arts." She bragged with a smug grin. "A fact I think you're well aware of if our escapades in your ship is any indication." She continued, just to get under his skin.

Regardless, the gesture was a heart-warming one, and Marissa was quick to take him up on the offer. Once the house was fully inspected and plans for it was discussed, she ushered him outside for the first crash course on how to use a lightsaber.

Not exactly the same as a nightstick. At least she would have her revenge in her own way. If there was one thing she knew that would work, it was moving items around in his ship. But for the moment, she had to blunder along with him trying to show her how to use the fabled weapon of the Jedi.

Jasper Kai'el