Private Caught in a Bird Snare

[Evelyn Shaw]

For the most part, Evelyn had kept to herself. If she wasn't sleeping, she was in a different room to everyone else and focusing on something or the other. Whether it was just silent contemplation or practicing her Echani katas. All to find something to distract her, albeit she was very often found just sitting over and watching her new charge as it rested within its new bacta tank.

But slowly and surely, she began to open up a little. Everyone had to eat at some point, and it had an innate way of getting someone to be social. In Evelyn's case, it led to her realizing she had not even introduced herself properly.

Evelyn rubbed the back of her head, the embarrassment clear as day in her face. "I uh...completely forgot. I'm Evelyn, Evelyn Shaw."

Their first port of call was to meet Anne's brother-in-law, or more specifically Anne's sister. With a new tank keeping the small creature stable, they had time to head their first. It was a very sombre encounter, once it became apparent why two women had randomly shown up at his home, one familiar, the other not, with the body of his sister-in-law. Anne's sister had been absent at the time, busy at her work, something Evelyn was clearly glad for.

It would not have been as peaceful of an encounter.

After that, they were back on the ship and a day later were finally arriving at the planet, where one of the supposed Jedi Enclaves was located. Somewhat isolated from the nearest town, but were always welcoming to those that required guidance in the Force.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

There was no mistaking the Echani katas. At least not to someone who had been through them once before. As the days on the ship transitioned into a week and introductions were had, the small crew of four would be right as rain. Or at least about as right as one could be given the circumstances of how they met. Evelyn was good people, and beside Amea she was in good hands. Not that Amea was bad with people by any real extension, but she most certainly didn’t favor having company all too much. She had her books, and when given the chance she usually stuck to those.

They had stopped to drop Anne with those that were closest to her. A somber mood had imprinted upon the crew as they left that quickly faded as they went off-world. For the last day they had been in transit between systems as they made carefully calculated jumps between stars to avoid the populated hyperlanes, just in case they had picked up a tail from Aleksandr’s crew.

With time they set down on a rather unremarkable planet. The ramp lowered and out stepped Amea with Evelyn in tow. Before them, a Jedi enclave, and with them the unusual specimen that the Echani woman seemed keen on protecting. Amea could respect it, even if it was admittedly something she probably wouldn’t have done herself.

Although, that probably said more about her than she cared to admit.

“We messaged ahead.” Amea said and wiped her hand against her forehead to stave off the warmth from the ship as it blended with the warmth of the planet. “They said something about a Master Qellus?”

Amea turned away to look towards the entrance to the enclave and then back at Evelyn.

“Hopefully they are decent people. I find that some Jedi have a tendency to be very…” Amea let in a deep breath before she exhaled and spoke under her breath. “Jedi-y.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

"I always heard it as they've got a stick up their ass." Evelyn glanced over at Amea, amusement in her eyes. Though that was with just the stories in mind, to this day she had somehow not managed to directly encounter a Jedi (or Sith for that matter). Sure, she had run-ins with folks that could use the Force, but in this day and age there weren't just the two banners to file them under.

"We'll just have to make sure to not tell them how I came to...care for the little one." Evelyn had yet to give it a name, to her it didn't feel right until she knew some more about what they even were, maybe it already had one.

The Echani glanced behind her, as the enclosed bacta tank slowly hovered down the ramp. Fortunately, the new one had that handy feature over the old one. No more needing to physically push it the whole way. And much like the previous, it had a protective shielding that kept the contents hidden from view, as well as protecting from the heat bearing down on them.

"Shall we?"

Evelyn took the first step, leading the way towards the entrance where they found two guards stationed at either side. One Human, the other Zabrak. Both were lightly armoured and armed. The first with a blaster, the other with a pistol. It was certainly an unusual sight to see, at least for Evelyn. Did Jedi Enclaves always have to have non-Jedi guard?

"Greetings, we've come to see a 'Master Qellus'? I believe he's expecting us." She watched as the Zabrak pulled out a datapad and idly pushed and swiped his fingers along it.

"Ah, the Squealing Shrieker?"

"That's us."

"I'll go and inform Master Qellus." And just like that, the guard disappeared into the enclave itself, leaving the three remaining to their own devices, and curiosity in Evelyn's case.

"Do all Jedi enclaves use non-Jedi for guards?" She asked, earning a raised eyebrow from the Human guard.

"What gave it away?" He stretched out his arms slightly, the blaster at his hip shaking. "It's part of a coordinated effort between the Jedi, and the nearby town of Willowdale. According to them, they've found a number of their items stolen across the past month or so." The man seemed particularly...open about discussing what was probably a more sensitive matter. But at the same time, there was the feeling of something more going on.

Like how does one even steal from a Jedi or all people, let alone a whole enclave of them.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

Amea’s brown locks swayed back and forth as she gave Evelyn a small nod. This wasn’t her mission and it would have felt wrong to speak for the person who was the reason that they were even here. Amea kept her eye on the tank as the creature came down the ramp, and as Evelyn started talking to the personnel she put herself between them and the tank. It got a look from the guards, but hell, it was understandable. They had mentioned stolen items after all.

“Stolen items?” Amea asked and looked to Evelyn before looking back at the guard. “What kind of items?”

The guard turned to look at her with continued suspicion. “Technically I’ve already said too much.”

Amea rolled her eyes.

“So we’re expected to hand off something that may potentially be stolen?” Amea asked. “That makes sense to you somehow?”

Never let it be said she was afraid to go on the offensive on these things.

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

The guard shrugged. "I dunno, Jedi things I guess? Stuff they haven't been too pleased in losing. We're just here to guard, that's it. Haven't told us a thing, but must've been quite something if they formally requested assistance from Mayor Hughes." Not taking a step away from his position at the door, the guard leaned heavily to one side to try and peered around Amea to the tank she was standing in front of. "Ehh, I wouldn't worry too much. From what I've heard, it's all been smaller items, anything that can be easily carried."

As he spoke, the Zabrak finally returned.

"Master Qellus will see you now, I've been told to escort you through." But before they could do so, the fellow guard interrupted.

"Hey Kal, don't you know more about what was stolen from the Jedi?"

"What I know is that it shouldn't be something we discuss with strangers, Corbin." He glared over at the human, clearly showing just who out of the two was the more stricter one.

"Aww come on, they're literally here to 'hand off something', why not ease their worries?" That, and it seemed even he was curious to learn more, nosy even.

Corbin sighed, looking back over at Amea and Evelyn. "From what I've heard from the younger Jedi, a few of them have had personal belongings stolen, right from their dorms. I've caught one conversation with a couple of the older Jedi, over the fact some of their stored resources have gone missing. So you likely have nothing to worry about, whomever is stealing is doing it for a quick profit. They're not about to try and take a large bacta tank." Which wasn't entirely too relieving to hear.

"Well, we'll take that into consideration when speaking with Master Qellus."

"Fine by me, follow me." Corbin turned on his heel and led the way into the Enclave itself. Evelyn took the front, while keeping Amea and the tank close by. The interior was nothing too particularly strange, looking very much like any other enclave that housed Jedi. Catching the attention of any the duo passed by along the way. The place had a distinctive sense of calm and peace, a sensation that grew more prominent the further they neared the complex' central point.

An open-roofed courtyard, with a large Uneti tree at its center. Its white bark standing out amongst the greenery surrounding it. Standing before it was a short, grey-haired Bothan; Master Qellus. He turned around to face them, a small smile on his face.

"Welcome to our Enclave."

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

Jedi things, right. Amea squinted for a second as she tried to ascertain who this was. A guard that didn’t know what he was guarding? Maybe it was a thief’s intuition, or maybe it was just something in the air, but something didn’t feel right. Then again, Amea was never truly not on her guard. She had slipped up once and it had cost her everything. There was a big hole in her mind where memories of slipping in and out of her home as a teenager should have been. If someone can steal something as abstract as a memory from you, then they damn well could also steal a tank of this size as well.

“We should talk to those younger Jedi, then.” Amea said and looked at Evelyn. “Get an idea of what the have lost.”

They were led through the yard and up to the Master Qellus. Amea kept her signature hidden as she looked at him, tried to get a good idea of who he was and what he was doing before she let Evelyn speak to the man. After all, it was her errand that had brought them here.

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

"Hello," Evelyn showed a small smile as she held out a hand for the Bothan to shake. "We don't mean to intrude for long, but felt you lot; um...Jedi were better suited for...well the charge that's fallen into our-my hands." Master Qellus returned the gesture, a single smooth movement and then his arm was returned behind his back.

"Worry not, young one. We're open to helping any and all issues, be they of the Force or not." The Bothan's gaze landed on Amea as he spoke, but only briefly before it returned to Evelyn. "In your message, you said your charge was of a race you didn't recognize?"

"I-well yes, I mean I haven't exactly been around the galaxy enough to see everything." Evelyn paused for a few moments, realizing she was starting to ramble. "What I mean to say, is that over the years I've been alive, and the stories I've been told. I've never heard of a creature like this."

The Jedi Master hmm'd quietly. He walked forwards, towards the tank that was passively hovering just behind the two women. Evelyn stepped aside as she quickly input the code and let the protective shielding open. Qellus said nothing nor showed anything in his expression as he peered into the tank, at the creature that was residing within. He placed his hand against the glass, closing his eyes as he focused on the Force. A white, dim glowing light began to form around his hand, before seemingly disappearing. A second later, the creature glowed in response.

"Fascinating..." Master Qellus spoke with pure wonder in his voice, eyes glued to tank's occupant, before looking back at Amea and Evelyn. "I do not recognize the creature's origin either. But it is very much tied to the Light Side of the Force. You were correct in bringing the little one to us."

"Oh, it wasn't my idea. I hadn't any idea it was Force sensitive to begin with. Amea here enlightened me to that fact, plus suggested we find an Enclave to help."

"Is that so?" Now the Bothan's attention was fully on the other woman. "Any thoughts? You have been particular quiet since stepping further into the Enclave."

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

The other waved, Amea scratched her nose and looked away to take in the surroundings. Open ceiling, easy access for someone who had the means to get in and out undetected. Given that it was a Jedi enclave made such a strategy very risky, but with the help of the right people it could always be made to be the easier one. There was always the door they had come from, and the guards didn’t exactly seem the brightest. Bribes, maybe? It worked in poorer areas, but Amea had no real concept of just exactly how well-off these people were.

As the master checked the tank Amea found herself sizing him up. He acted like a Jedi, looked like a Jedi. Was he a Jedi? Probably. She let her eyes divert from him to continue look around them and find potential security weak spots. They did have a metaphysical cover she wouldn’t explore, but clearly that had already eluded them several times before.

Her attention was pried away from the assessment by the sound of her own name. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Evelyn and then Quellus who had become acutely aware of the force sensitivity she hid. Letting up now would expose too much, and as such Amea kept the facade up.

The look in his eyes was enough to understand he found the situation curious as well.

“Don’t give me that look, Master Jedi.” Amea muttered. “They showed me a trick or two as a kid on Dantooine. You know, before the enclave was massacred and destroyed by the Primeval?”

The master seemed taken aback.

“The creature is in need of your help. I am just a messenger, nothing more.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

Evelyn almost thought she had spoken out of the turn, seeing Amea suddenly swing her head around after she had spoken. A look of surprise in her eyes before the attention was turned to the Jedi Master. It hadn't really occurred to the Echani, until that moment anyway, that the woman might've been keeping her Force abilities to herself.

She didn't really know why though. But then again, Force or not, there just some groups you just didn't want to interact with. No matter if you shared the same kind of power.

Master Quellus stepped back, taken aback for a moment until his expression fell back into a neutral curiosity.

"Hmm, very well." He brought a hand up to his chin, fingers brushing against his beard. He looked at Amea for a few more moments, before nodding at them both. "You're quite right, we'll be able to heal whatever unseen injuries the young creature has. I'll also speak to our resident Historian, she might be able to find something to shed light on their origin."

The Bothan walked over to the tank again, peering down to look at the small creature. "It may take some time to fully examine and heal. You're welcome to remain at the enclave in the meantime, although I imagine that might become boring." He looked over at Amea. "In which case, I'd advise going over to the nearby town; Willowdale."

With that, Master Quellus took control of the tank and began guiding it away. For now, Evelyn's 'unintended charge' was in the hands of the Jedi. She was concerned, but there wasn't much more she could do right now. Although, there was another matter she knew Amea was still very curious about.

"Soooo..." Evelyn whirled about on the spot, turning until she was standing directly in front of Amea. "We're gonna ignore the latter for now, and immediately go and question the younger Jedi about the recent thefts, right?"

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

It was an old trick. Shock the other into silence, or in Amea’s case cause a quick change of subject. While she was distrustful of Quellus, his reaction was nonetheless a good insight into who he might have been. Either a good actor, or genuinely taken aback by the off-key mention of a pillaged and massacred Jedi enclave. Things that were generally speaking not very good or fortunate no matter the angle you took it for. Unless, you looked at it from the Primeval’s perspective, of course. Amea watched as the man looked at the device and began to take it away.

Evelyn turned back towards Amea and Amea turned back towards Evelyn much the same. Their eyes met and Amea quickly glanced away with an uncomfortable glance at the floor. All things considered, Evelyn was someone that under other circumstances Amea would have had a way harder time speaking to. It was perhaps simple luck that had brought them together for a mission such as this, then again perhaps not. To call the circumstance lucky did it far too much credit. It was fortunate, maybe. Lucky, it was most certainly not.

Her attention set on the tree as she spoke to avoid further eye contact. At least for the time being.

“I’d argue we’re certainly going to find something more entertaining to do by doing that, yes.” She said and finally looked back at Evelyn, her attention now set firmly on the Echani woman’s nose bridge. “Do you want the honors?” Amea began to walk. “Of doing the talking, that is. As much as I love giving religious cults a good what-for… You might just have a bit more… Subtlety to you.”

Amea’s head quickly tilted from side to side as she uttered those words.

“Not that I ain’t subtle, but words just aren’t my ideal weapon.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

The Echani's head shifted to the side a little, immediately noticing Amea's sudden look away the moment their eyes met. Now, Evelyn felt like she had a decent enough grasp on reading people. But right now she couldn't discern why the woman before her seemed so...shy? Withdrawn maybe?

Was it because of the Jedi around them? Or just the general public setting? Evelyn internally frowned, no it wasn't the latter. Maybe it was a little mix of everything? It was when Amea finally looked back at her, only to deliberately avoid looking at her eyes, that it finally clicked. Or at least what Evelyn thought was going on.

Oh. Ohhhhh.

Evelyn's inner mischievous streak practically grinned, like the cat that caught the canary. But while that side might've wanted to play, Evelyn was genuinely curious about learning more of the mystery enclave thief.

She flashed Amea a smile. "Sounds good to me!" Before walking on ahead, out of the central courtyard and into the enclave's halls. The building itself was circular in shape, clearly having been built to surround the Uneti tree. With the entrance and courtyard, and then everything else built around those two. As they walked, Evelyn took a mental note of the layout. Now that her focus wasn't solely on helping her charge, she could focus on taking in the details

Eventually, they found a small group of Jedi Padawans, four in total. A male Arkanian, a female Togruta, a female Twi'lek and finally a male Rodian. All looked to be in their teens, give or take a year or two difference between a couple of them.

"Hello there, I was wondering if we could ask a few questions?" She stopped short of them, glancing back slightly to make sure Amea was still with her.

"I uh, don't think you're supposed to be her-"

"Is this about the thefts?" The Togruta interrupted her fellow Padawan, a hopeful spark in her eyes.

"We don't even know if that's what they're going to ask!" The Twi'lek was less than enthused.

"Oh no, we're here about the thefts. In fact we're here to investigate it."

"Really?"

"[I do not sense any deceit in the Echani.]" The Rodian finally spoke up, speaking in his native tongue. Which fortunately Evelyn understood enough to decipher.

"Would introductions help? My name is Evelyn, this is Amea." She said, nodding her head over at the woman in question.

"My name's Reece." "I'm Myria!" "Tekla." "[Chordo.]"

"All lovely names, now...I believe a number of items have been stolen since. Do you know when this started?"

"Um well, the Masters haven't confirmed anything. But a number of us have been speculating it started with the plant."

...Okay, that wasn't quite the answer Evelyn was expecting. Who on earth would want to steal a plant?!

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

Well then, they established the brawns and the brain — and Amea was more than happy to be the brawn for this one. That was not to say she would have a hard time being the brain, she was plenty smart on her own but as far as having the patience for others went, Amea was well-aware that she could find herself lacking. In part because she seldom found the words she wanted to use, but mostly because she more often than not found herself talking to people who had no intention of truly listening to her. People like, for example, Aleksandr who was more insistent on ending her existence than truly listening to her.

Or well, maybe he would have if she gave him the chance. Though in fairness she knew his type from plenty of previous experiences with it. Loud, domineering, and absolutely looking for the chance to catch Amea off-guard if ever granted the chance. In short, someone that words would be wasted on.

As they approached the four children, Amea held her breath for a second. More often than not missions were made more complicated whenever they were involved, offering a form of collateral that no-one wanted to risk being faced with. Not only because of the loss of an innocent life, but because there were few things as vicious as that of a mourning parent. Still, that didn’t mean they couldn’t approach them. They were, after all, the victims in all of this. It only made sense, right?

… Right?

Amea squirmed a bit as she kept her distance without breaking off from the crowd. She gave Evelyn a queasy smile as the woman looked over her shoulder and crossed her arms. At least she had a good way with children. Amea wasn’t even sure she could have said the same.

“Plant?” Amea asked and squatted down to the children’s height. “Tell us what you know.”

“We’ll fix this, probably. We fix things. That’s… What we do. Fix… Stuff. And things.”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

"Well, it's less of a plant and more of a...terrarium, I think that's what they're called?" Myria tapped at her chin, thinking on it. "Nope, that's right! There's a number of them placed all throughout the enclave, the one that went missing was by the entrance. There's one on each side, and the right was the one that disappeared."

Evelyn frowned as she recalled back a little, as she and Amea had entered the building. She had looked around and was certain both sides were occupied with said terrariums. "But both are there now?"

The Arkanian boy nodded. "Yeah, it went missing then within twenty-four hours it was suddenly back. Master Quellus thought it had been one of the students, and we certainly got lectured about it..."

"But it wasn't none of you, or any of the other students?"

"Not as far as we know, not like it would make sense to begin with. Who would steal a terrarium of all things?"

It was a good question, who would steal something like that, only to return it shortly after. Evelyn glanced over at Amea but the result was just a simple shrug. "What else has been stolen since?"

"Some stuff from storage went missing, but apparently the Masters were confused ov-" "[Wait, you've skipped ahead! Didn't some tools from the workshop go missing?]" And just like that the group of four started to bicker amongst themselves. Evelyn sighed, before letting out a short but sharp whistle.

"Let's get back on track, shall we? Right now we need to know what exactly has been stolen." Evelyn looked between the four teenagers, until Tekla seemed to finally step forwards.

"Beyond the terrarium, some tools from the Workshop were stolen. One of the Master's books has gone missing, from the courtyard. Some supplies from Storage were also taken, then the most recent is another student's lightsaber components were stolen."

Now the latter, that made a lot of sense to the Echani. There were particular parts of a lightsaber that sold for a nice sum of credits, the crystals most especially. But she was still scratching her head over the other items. What purpose did it serve to steal those? The supplies she could understand, but a book?

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

A terrarium? Someone stole a fething terrarium, and Amea just told Evelyn to hand over a fething tank to this ‘Master Quellus’? A worried look shot out at the echani once Amea rose to her feet again and promptly began to throw glances all around. The enclave wasn’t exactly riddled with reasonable escape or entry points. The windows were too tall and even then too small to be worth the effort. Doubly so with a goddamned terrarium.

Could Quellus have been the thief? Amea didn’t rule it out. The guards, maybe? Perfect cover for it. The kids could have been the ones and simply needed a good out as well. She looked each of them over, but from the looks of it they seemed far too open about it for doubt to really fall upon them. The body language of a liar just wasn’t there, just innocent truths from a crowd of perhaps too excited kids.

“Lightsaber parts?” Amea asked and gave Evelyn a worried look. “That’s not good.”

“When did these items get lost? Who reported them missing, and when? Who would you think is behind it, and why?”

Blunt as ever, Amea expected the kids to deliver on all inquiries.

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

"Umm..." Reece spoke up, but paused as he tried to think, tapping a finger against his chin. Mimicking Myria's previous action. "They started going missing about a month ago, I think? Once a week, roughly the same day each time."

"That's at least the times we know of, according to when the victim of the theft reported it missing." Tekla chimed in, causing Reece to frown in thought. "And the initial terrarium disappearance was a good bit before that, I think there was a good two weeks before the recurring thefts began?"

"Which I'm guessing the Masters never reported on being stolen?" Evelyn threw the question out there, and the teenagers all nodded in agreement. The Echani looked over at Amea. "It adds up, the guard we spoke to said that it was all just smaller items that had been stolen." But it still raised the question of the culprit. "Okay, as Amea asked. Who reported on what, and around what time?"

"Well, Master Dystra reported her book being missing, she's the Historian here. Mister Berik for the tools, 'cause well...they were his tools. And I think it was Crix whose lightsaber parts were stolen. All were reported to the Masters in the morning." Which to Evelyn made it plainly obvious their thief was using the cover of night to sneak into the Enclave, if they weren't already there anyway.

"And your suspicions?"

"[I first thought about the guards, but started to doubt it over time. They're don't strike me was malicious, just very...]" "Lazy?" "[Yes, lazy. That, and why would they want to jeopardize this? Both the Enclave and Willowdale have spent years trying to reach an accord.]"

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

A month ago, and nobody had solved it yet? Amea frowned. For something to happen for that long without a proper investigation was not right. She could have an understanding for maybe a week or two, but a month? They were jedi, they should have had someone wandering the grounds in an irregular pattern to spot whoever it was that could have done this. The whole thing reeked of something suspicious.

“Lazy is the easiest role to play.” Amea said as she cupped her chin with her hand. “We shouldn’t count them out. If anything I’d place them at the top, followed by someone from the village or even the enclave with access to these things. It’s not entirely impossible that someone from both sides are causing this.”

The part-time burglar let her hand fall from her chin and rest against her arm before she crossed them.

“How many are homesick around here? Has anyone in the enclave transferred from somewhere else? Are everyone local?”

Evelyn Shaw

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

Evelyn had similar thoughts to Amea, her suspicion on the stationed guards hadn't lessened. She knew just how well someone could play a part, to a point of even fooling themselves. But it still didn't help narrow the potential suspects down. They needed to find out more, then step away for a bit and collect everything together and figure something out, a plan maybe.

As Amea got more comfortable questioning the teenagers, Evelyn stood up and began looking around a bit. She didn't stray too far, but it was evident the Echani was up to something. Looking around at the walls and doorways, peeking around corners.

"None of us students are local, Willowdale has been strict on not allowing it. Practically all of us have come from some other planet, all brought here to be taught the ways of the Force."

"Willowdale has never been exactly thrilled to have a Jedi Enclave so close by. They feel it's just going to bring war to the planet one day. They've been at odds for years now, even during a time when Master Quellus was young." There was a slight shift in the mood, when Myria spoke of war. Even Evelyn had paused in what she was doing, glancing back over to them. "I can't speak for anyone feeling homesick, if there are any students they haven't openly talked about it."

The mood shifted again, but this time solely from Evelyn. Likely missed by the not fully trained Padawans, but potentially noticed by someone like Amea. Evelyn's thoughts turned to her home, her grandparents.

"[Fairly certain every student here came from a less than great life before. There wasn't ever any giving up on family for most of us.]"

"We're orphans," Tekla spoke up a bit too bluntly. If the sharp looks from her fellow teenagers was anything to go on. "At least amongst the four of us anyway. All because of one war or another."

Orphans.

War.

Evelyn's mood dropped like a rock at the mention of both. She turned around to ensure her face couldn't be seen, memories she wished to remain buried, trying to resurface in that moment.

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

It was curious to say the least. No doubt it could be seen as an attempt at inflaming discontent between the two. While it was a bit of a reach to assume so, Amea couldn’t help but wonder. Were there maybe townsfolk involved? The enclave was in a good place, most likely generated more traffic than the town alone did. Jealousy and envy were powerful motivators. Hell, it was practically what kept Amea in business most of the time. Part of the local populace could be acting out of spite for the jedi, stealing to incite something?

It was the only motive Amea had for the moment. This required more sleuthing.

“Yes, uh, sorry to hear that.” She said to Tekla with a scratch at her neck before she turned back towards Evelyn who seemed… Distant. Amea let her attention set on the kids again with a long sigh. “How have the locals treated you in all of this? Have they been made aware? Are you on good terms?”

Amea looked over her shoulder and back at Evelyn to ensure she was alright before she looked over at the kids yet again. “Have you heard anything about outsiders?”

 

[Evelyn Shaw]

"Well...more often than not we're usually in Willowdale with one of the Masters, so we're usually given looks and snide remarks. But...some of us have snuck off some evenings and nights to explore the town." Myria spoke with a sheepish look to her face, a slight flush of embarrasment spreading across her cheeks. "In the latter's case, we've never really got the same looks or comments."

"Because we can blend in, unlike the Masters who always walk around in their robes." Tekla spoke up with a little bit of snark, and a roll of her eyes.

Chordo sighed. "[Point being, is that kind of stuff is directed at the Masters, not us. It appears the townsfolk don't mind us, provided we don't cause any trouble.]" He gave Myria a pointed look, or whatever the equilavent was for a Rodian glare.

"I've at time suspected they know we're orphans. Not like it's very difficult conclusion to make, with all the wars that keep cropping up. Far as I know, us students are on good terms with them, unless you end up 'prancing around in your fancy robes'."

Evelyn slowly walked back over, having seemingly calmed herself. But as she drew closer, she kept her eyes towards the ground, not looking at any of the Padawans. The Echani crouched down next to Amea, but when Evelyn looked back up she immediately flinched. The moment she laid eyes on them, she saw mini versions of herself, around the same age.

"Sorry, had a cramp in my leg." She murmured, trying to cover up the involuntary twitch. Of which seemed to have gone over the Padawans' heads as they talked amongst one another mostly.

"Don't really know much about outsiders, we haven't really remained in WIllowdale often enough to keep up to date on that kind of thing."

Amea Virou​

 

[Amea Virou]

Evelyn Shaw

So there was not a single kid who was from here, and yet unlike the masters they did not catch the ire of the locals. Amea frowned for a moment as she tried to piece the clues together. Ultimately she had nothing, but the start of something was certainly there. She gave Evelyn a skeptical look as she mentioned her cramp but made little more of it than just that. As her eyes set on the kids again, Amea couldn’t really think of anything more that she needed to ask.

“I think that’s most of it.” Amea said and slowly began to nod as she stood up. “There are good guesses to be had.”

They didn’t need to know what those were, and as such Amea would naturally turn away and not say anything more. With a gentle pat on Evelyn’s shoulder she urged them to take a step aside.

“I am thinking we should investigate the town.” She whispered and looked over to ensure the kids weren’t listening. “I think we’ll find the answer there.”

“... This all smells of someone trying to instigate something.”