Crystalline Curiosity

[Cotan Sar'andor]

"It just means they'd have to get more stock in," Cotan replied around the box. "Stores are different than archives or libraries, Rhia. The main idea of a store is to exchange what they have inside for money. For more money than it costs them to get the stock in the first place, so that they turn a profit." He stepped into the store, looking around quickly. "Honestly, it's a very convoluted system if you start to really look at it."

The store the pair had just entered was full of racks of clothing from one end to the other, with various shoppers popping in and out from it all. It was a multi-species shop, too, so there was clothing that was made to fit different forms than the normal humanoid shape. Some of it all was in the average sort of style that beings throughout the galaxy wore, some of it was more colourful and cultural garb. But, just off to the side, Cotan could see the children's section. He spun on the ball of his foot, leading Rhia along to the section that would be full of clothing suitable for her size.

"Alright, boys, little...thos?" Cotan didn't expect this place to be quite that multi-species. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen a Fnessian, let alone one that was a member of their third sex. "Little...Exargan, yeah, okay, could just say gender neutral...ah, girls, there we go." Of course, to Cotan's eye, all the clothes generally looked the same, except for some of the more ridiculous designs and colourations. It wasn't hard for him to guess that those were meant to draw the eyes of the kids and try to force the parents into buying exorbitatnly-priced, strange-looking clothing just to keep their kids happy.

Hopefully Rhia is a little more sensible than that...she was raised Jedi, at least, so there's not much to worry about.

He glanced back down at the girl. "So, do you know your size at all?" he asked her, unsure whether or not she'd have had any reason to learn such back on Crystalsong. For all he knew, the masters there hand-tailored all the clothes for the learners. "If so, pick out anything you like. If not...pick out anything you like and we'll find a dressing room where you can see if it fits, I suppose." Looking down at his own shirt and trousers, Cotan realized it had been a fair while since he'd bought any new clothes. He'd just finished patching up what he wore to Coruscant a week or so ago. "Huh, I might need to do the same thing..."

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

What a strange notion that was.

"What about books that have only been written once? Do they get sold too? And, wait, if everything costs credits, and working gives you credits, where do the credits even come from? What started first, earning them or trading with them? Because how can you buy things to sell if you don't have the credits in the first place?"

Well and truly perplexed, the young Padawan rubbed her temples and decided that she did not like this system one bit. It was so odd to her, that something as simple as a piece of duraplast or metal could hold so much power. Who really wanted a bunch of credit chips anyway? You couldn't eat them, or stay warm with them.

Finally she looked around the store, and realized what they were there for. Clothes. That had her nibbling on the inside of her lip.

"You mean, I have to wear something different? But I've always worn these..." Between her day attire, her training attire, and her sleep attire, Rhia had all she'd ever needed, at least in her own eyes. The colours were bland, even more so than typical Jedi attire, but they were durable and didn't show dirt or stains. They also breathed well, which was helpful when exerting oneself.

Like a fish out of water she glanced over the options, overwhelmed. She wrinkled her nose at some of the crazier and more colourful styles, before glancing down at a line of cargo pants, shorts, and tank tops similar to the one she wore under her jumpsuit. Earthy colours, dark greens and browns and creams, colours which called to her.

She grabbed one of each that had caught her eye, holding them up to herself in order to check the rough size, before turning to look at Cotan.

"Would these be okay? If I have to get more..."

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan, for his part, had set the box full of books down, and was watching Rhia go along through the racks and pick out clothes that she liked. Thankfully, her tastes were far more sensible than the average child her age. Although, when she only picked out a single article of each piece of clothing, he started to feel somewhat exasperated. "Sure," he said encouragingly, not letting the minor exasperation show on his face. "You'll need more than just one extra set of clothes, though. Life out doing missions and training and all that is going to get dirty, you're going to get sweaty, all that stuff. And we can't do laundry every day just on the same few sets of clothes; that's why most people have far more than just one or two sets."

He was somewhat thankful that there weren't any other shoppers close enough to hear the odd-sounding discussion.

Then he glanced with a somewhat more critical eye at the top Rhia had picked out. "Although, I think that top might be a bit tight around the neck," he advised. "Up to you, of course; some people prefer a tighter fit. Personally, I'd just as soon not have to feel my shirt constantly rubbing against my throat." He glanced around a bit, quickly noticing a sign that said 'Dressing Rooms'; just below it were the stalls in question. Then, a little bit off to the side of that, he saw a rack full of 'Travellers' Clothes.'

Also known as "Generic Jedi Attire" to most current and ex-Jedi. Perfect.

Cotan stepped over to Rhia, lifting more examples of clothing out from among where the girl had picked hers out, careful to make sure they were all roughly the same size. "How about you go try some of these on, and make sure the fit is comfortable?" he suggested, gesturing over to the dressing rooms. "I'll be out here waiting for you once you've figured out what to keep and what to put back." And, he decided, he'd probably pick out a robe or two and some similar items from the other rack he'd seen. It was time to get the girl to look the part of a Jedi Padawan, not just act like it.

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

"Okay, Master, I can do that!"

With Cotan's suggestions in mind, she grabbed a few more of each from the rack and even went so far as to get one slightly-colourful shirt. Just for testing purposes. It was green, so still earthly like the rest of what she had picked up, but it was a somewhat more vibrant hue. With a decent amount of outfits now in hand she ventured over to the dressing room and hung them up on the hangars inside.

She was starting to understand the reason why she needed more clothes. It was true, they couldn't do laundry all the time and she did get all worked up and sweaty. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad an idea to mix it up, then.

Slipping off the jumpsuit, revealing the tank top underneath, she tried on a series of pants and shorts, and once she discovered the better size she grabbed the ones that corresponded to it. Next was the shirts, some tank tops, some tshirts, and some feminine button-downs. The shirt Cotan had slightly disapproved of was as bad as he said, and she took it off mere seconds after putting it on.

Eventually, though, she was done. The jumpsuit was back on, and two stacks of clothes remained. She carried them out, one in each hand, and upon seeing a "rejects" basket she placed the ones she did not want inside.

Cotan, it seemed, was looking at some other rack, so she ventured over to him with her pile in hand. There wasn't necessarily a lot of clothes there, but certainly a couple of extra outfits.

Plus, now she had her sizes.

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan glanced down at Rhia, nodding in approval. She had a fair amount of clothes to choose from now, not just what she came to him with. She at least had enough to go an entire week without having to do laundry. His eyes quickly passed over the top piece of clothing she'd chosen, finding her specific size, before jumping back to the rack he was looking at. "Good!" he said cheerfully, before plucking off a cloak and some other clothes from the one he was looking at.

Traditional-ish Jedi-looking attire. Perfect for the young Padawan who otherwise didn't look the part!

This way if I take her to those folks on Eira Pechal that Coren told me about they shouldn't judge me too much.

He layered what he'd picked over his arm. "Alright, time to play the commerce game again," he said somewhat wrly, leading Rhia over to the clerks. Soon enough, they were outside again, Cotan carrying the box full of books and Rhia with a couple bags of clothing. Thankfully, the ship wasn't too far away; otherwise Cotan might get annoyed at the amount of books that the pair had bought.

"So, Rhia," he said, striking conversation back up between them. "You remembered to pack that thing I handed you at breakfast along, right?" Given where they were going, it wouldn't make too much difference; it'd just matter between whether or not they could hand the items to K1 and let him drag them inside or if they'd have to do it themselves. "Because after we're done with this stuff, you're going to want it."

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

With Cotan's need for her to have more clothes satisfied, the pair soon found themselves back outside. Admittedly after yet more incredulous questions from the girl about payment and the barter system, because Force knows she hadn't wrapped her head around so alien a subject yet.

Bags in hand, and eyes set up at Cotan who struggled with a box of books and had to constantly look around it to see where he was going - a picture which was both hilarious and worrisome to the girl - they ventured back in the direction of the ship. Yet again having to do battle with the speeder-ways.

"Yep, I have it, Master," she told him, still not entirely sure what they were going to need it for. Were there many aliens where they were going? "I don't understand, though," she confessed, still keeping up a pace with Cotan, "Everyone we've met so far has spoken Basic..."

She paused after saying that, frowning to herself.

"Though, I suppose that's narrow minded of me. This does look like a big place... And just because some speak Basic doesn't mean all will."

Those last few statements were muttered under her breath, directed at herself more so than at her Master. Didn't make sense just to presume. It wasn't as though she'd been to a City before, after all, for all she knew there were thousands of different species dotted throughout, each with their own languages.

What a wonderful thought that was.

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan was somewhat surprised the girl had figured out that it was a translator so quickly.

Thankfully, she quickly passed on to talking about other, more conventional species, not having realized that the translator wasn't meant to work based on two-way verbal communication. He nearly breathed a sigh of relief, stifling it only because he didn't need Rhia wondering just what he was so relieved about. After all, it wasn't like Cotan to be that worried over whether or not the girl forgot something simple. "You'll see," he replied somewhat enigmatically, continuing along with the box in hand. Just a short ways away from the spaceport they were approaching, he noticed a speeder rental. Good.

The trip back inside the spaceport was uneventful, although the feeling of being watched again raised an uneasy feeling back up in Cotan's gut. Still, he got back to his ship quickly, with K1 dropping the loading ramp for them. The box full of books was unceremoniously set a ways up on it, with the bags of clothing stacked atop. "Alright, Kiss, think you can pull those up in there for me?" he 'asked' the droid. "Just move them into my cabin for now, and I can sort everything out later. Thanks!" Then, without waiting to hear the droid's protests, he quickly turned around and made his way back out, Rhia in tow.

Within a few short minutes, they were then in a speeder outside of the city, blasting off towards a mountain trail Cotan had managed to pick out earlier. Supposedly, there were some hot springs that the Shard liked to coalesce around only a short distance from the trailhead. However—given that this excursion wasn't just for seeing the crystalline lifeforms—he'd also brought along a few training remotes and a blindfold hidden in his own little trekking pack. "So, Rhia," he began, taking his eyes off the open expanse in front of them for a moment. "Ready to get some real training in?"

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

By this point Rhia was becoming decidedly suspicious of her Master.

Talking around the situation, keeping secrets, just what was he hiding from her? Rhia honestly couldn't figure it out. In fact she spent the entirety of their trip back to the ship trying to figure it out, before losing that same train of thought upon seeing Kiss at the top of the ramp.

She beamed a smile up at the droid, waved one hand, and said a very chirpy "Thank you!" He always seemed so helpful to her, though it helped that she didn't really know how to understand his binary beeps. They just sounded like funny noises to her.

Soon enough they were bundled in a speeder. Rhia, who had never been in a speeder before, was thoroughly enjoying the experience, her eyes took in every square inch of it before she glanced at the world around them. It was breathtaking. Rhia wished she could see every beautiful thing in the Galaxy, but then... Beauty was subjective. That would take a very long time.

"Real training?" she reiterated, with a grin, "I like the sound of that, Master!"

Though just exactly what that might entail, the girl had no clue. Perhaps that was intentional. Perhaps that was what he was keeping from her.

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Oh, you poor, poor child.

Cotan chuckled at Rhia's anticipatory glee, knowing exactly what she was going to be dealing with fairly soon. "Good thing you do," he said after a moment, as the speeder started to rapidly slow. "Because we're right at our trailhead!" The speeder came to stop, with Cotan jumping out and activating the security locks on it. His pack dangled loosely from his shoulder, some of the items in it jangling around. Hopefully the girl wouldn't be too questioning of that.

Cotan started to stretch a bit, just to limber himself up. "First part of it, one mile jog," he told his apprentice. "But, just to make it a bit more fun, I've decided that it'll be a bit of a race, not just a run." He reached back, grabbing a water bottle from the side of his pack and tossing it to Rhia. "Stick that in a pocket on your own backpack. You'll want it, trust me." He looked out over the trail before them, pleased with just how clear and well-kept it appeared to be.

"Stick to the trail, and you'll know you're done once you come to the fork in the trail," he told her, before cinching down the straps on his pack so it wouldn't dangle so problematically while he ran. "And, just because I'm nice, I'll give you a one minute head start." True to his word, he pulled out his datapad, accessing a small timer program on it. "Whenever you're ready, kid."

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

They arrived at their destination so suddenly that Rhia wasn't even able to fully comprehend that the ride was over. She sat there for a solid moment, staring at him, and then the landscape around them, before pouting ever so slightly, quite out of character for the child. Needless to say, she had quite enjoyed her first trip in a speeder.

Finally though she did remove herself from the speeder and stepped over to where Cotan was. In the same motion she slung her significantly lighter pack over her shoulder, and glanced down the trail they were at the start of. She looked up, listening as he explained the plan of action, and when he set up a more competitive edge to it her expression was both a mixture of excitement and nerves. She had never been good at races.

Catching the water bottle out of the air before it could smash her in the face, she placed it into the compartment on the side meant specifically for such before giving him a short nod.

"One mile," she stated, getting that into her head, I have to run a full mile? Rhia was used to walking a lot, but she had yet to build up the endurance for a good old fashioned run. Those times that they had back on Crystalsong, it had more often than not been a simple matter of laps around the Temple, on completely even ground.

This?

Well, she could already see from where she was standing that it was uneven and rocky. Even on the path itself.

"See you on the other end, Master!" she said, with more confidence in her tone than she was actually experiencing within. Then, and only then, did she set off. What little wisdom the girl had bade her not to spend all of her energy at once, so rather than sprinting on ahead as many children might have she began at a slightly more leisurely pace, a jog as had been intended. It was difficult not to power on ahead, though, especially knowing that only a minute separated her from the obviously longer and faster stride of her Master.

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan started the timer once Rhia started jogging down the trail. "Make sure to stay focused!" he called out in a teasing sort of tone, although it was more a warning than any simple reminder.

It wouldn't be much by way of actual training if there weren't some obstacles to deal with, after all.

He leaned against the speeder, contemplating just what sorts of distractions he'd throw up for Rhia to test her a bit. Blasting rocks up in the air would be too much, of course, and too likely to possibly hurt her. A little sand in the air just to surprise her couldn't hurt, though, and a lot of the trees had vines wrapped around them that could always be tossed out in the girl's way...

He was interrupted by his contemplations when the timer went off; turning off the program, he started off down the trail. Unlike Rhia, however, he didn't pace himself quite as much as he otherwise would have—he had a Padawan to catch, after all. So he took off at a full run, bouncing off of the balls of his feet at a quick pace. Nearly sprinting as he was, it wasn't long before he started to see Rhia in the distance.

He quickly slowed down to a jog, reaching out with one hand. A short distance in front of Rhia, a vine started to unravel from around a tree; Cotan pulled his hand sharply to the left, and the vine shot out into the path just in front of Rhia, aiming to ensnare her and waste her time.

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

Stay focused? Now that Rhia could do.

With a soft exhale, as she began to regulate her breathing much in the way that she did during her daily meditation sessions, she reached out into the Force and allowed it to widen her senses, to focus on the trail ahead, on her Master behind her, and anything else that might hinder her advancement.

That first minute seemed to drag. While she gained quite a bit of ground the road ahead of her seemed to remain just as long, each step seemingly bringing five more with it. And when she finally heard swifter footfalls at her back she knew that her time was up.

Cotan had gained on her all at once, and she knew that if he kept up his current pace he would easily outrun the girl.

So focused on that fact was she that she didn't notice the vine right away, and when she did she sidestepped to the left and watched - rather helplessly - as the damn thing grasped her around the wrist and forced her to a screeching halt. She tugged at it, trying her best to untangle herself without actually doing the plant any harm, all too aware of how close Cotan was at that point.

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan slowed his jog further, as he approached Rhia. "You have to stay focused on the right things," he reminded the girl in a sing-song tone, lazily jogging past her with a light wave. He wasn't going particularly quickly—barely more than a walk—but Rhia would still have to get herself untangled quickly if she didn't want to have a sprint on her hands to beat her master in the race. Even going easy on the girl, he was still in great shape, well-conditioned for exercise, and his longer legs would carry him quite a bit further more easily than his apprentice's comparitively short pair.

"Are you coming?" he called back behind him, somewhat teasingly. "You can't take a break during a race, Rhia!"

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

______________________________________________________________​

​

Orax, The Outer Rim Territories // Some Random Trail​

Racing... While Fighting With A Vine! // With [member="Cotan Sar'andor"]​

♫ // Run To The Hills; Run For Your Life!​

______________________________________________________________​

While she detangled herself from the vine, Cotan passed her by.

The way he spoke had her glaring suspiciously at the back of his head, curious as to whether he'd some how had a part to play in the whole fiasco. After all, no sentient vine reached out at him! He was correct, of course, she had been focusing on the wrong thing. On his position, rather than her own, and the things around her, something to learn from going forward.

Once free, and the vine left uninjured, she set off at the same pace she had previously been jogging at, which was just a smidge faster than Cotan's present pace. Not that she was necessarily trying to get ahead of him, though she knew she ought to since this was a race. She just didn't want to go too slow, or too fast.

"No break needed!" she yelled up to him, with a shake of her head, pushing herself just a tiny bit in order to try and cover the ground she had lost. She managed to keep her breathing even, and returned her focus to the trail at large rather than the man she was catching back up with.

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan smiled, hearing Rhia catching up with him. And yelling out at him. "Well then, you'd better hurry up!" he said, turning and calling back at her over his shoulder. "Don't want to let an old man like me beat you in a race, do you?" Not that Cotan was particularly old, though there had been a few so far who thought he had at least ten more years to him than he actually did. As for why, he didn't have the faintest clue. He didn't think he looked very much older than his actual age, but his experience was somewhat limited to his own self-perception anyways.

Must be the beard.

Cotan shut his eyes for a moment while he jogged, focusing his sense on where Rhia was in relation to him. Just as it looked like she was coming close enough to get past him, he drew on the Force for a moment; out of thin air, a shimmering, translucent barrier formed a short distance in front of the girl. With quick reactions, she could get around it—potentially even jump over it—or she might run into it if she wasn't careful. Regardless, Cotan started to jog a bit faster, after giving Rhia a new distraction to deal with.

This is too fun.

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

______________________________________________________________​

​

Orax, The Outer Rim Territories // Some Random Trail​

Racing! // With [member="Cotan Sar'andor"]​

♫ // Run To The Hills; Run For Your Life!​

______________________________________________________________​

"Old man?"

Rhia scoffed at that, she knew old men and Cotan was nothing like them, yet the self-depreciation had her chuckling a little as she powered on down the trail. Her pace picked up just a touch, into a more steady jog that seemed to hold a rhythm, and her focus extended just a little bit further.

So much so that this time she knew that something was amiss. She could feel the barrier before she could see it shimmering, and as such she altered her path in order to move around it.

Up ahead she could see Cotan picking up the pace and tried not to let it skew her focus any more than it already had, though she did want to make up for lost time so she allowed herself a momentary burst of extra energy and pushed on.

No more words said, no more distractions, all of a sudden she was hellbent on passing him.