Private Feeling Out Wings

[Tala Vale]

As she felt the rush of wind from the various Jedi Craft through her long red hair as she walked along a pathway between various landing pads. Going exploring in search of something to do that wasn't just hitting a punching bag, Tala had made her way to mini-spaceport with a little game in mind. She only hoped that the pilots of these would mind her being touchy-feely with their "babies".

She carefully walked over to one of the landing pads, she started to touch the craft that had been parked on it. Sliding her hands around its flanks and wings, she tried to guess the ship class. She could fit her hands around the nose so it was probably a snub fighter. Given the four engines to the rear and split wing design, the blind Jedi guessed it was one of those X-02s the Jedi kept in reserve for strike missions. Moving on to another pad that housed a ship of triangle design. It took her a few minutes to guess this one but she decided on it being a Ferret II Class Recon Probe being tending to before it went out in the unknown again.

As the Jedi Padawan kept poking around, she dipped inside an open hanger. The ship inside must have been a large one since the only lifeform inside was sitting down on a couch inside. Well... they shouldn't mind me checking the ship out. If anything they should take it as a compliment.

Lief

 

[Lief]

By now, the Bright Knight had more or less cemented itself as Eliphas' home. Most noble men or women might have been disappointed if that was where their life had led, to be away from the lap of luxury they had grown to expect, but this particular boy had always been drawn to space. He was in many ways more comfortable on a ship than on solid ground.​

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Of course, it probably helped that his home was currently in ruins. Something to remedy in time. Right now his focus was on Annalis' recovery, it mattered more than their ancestral seat. His sister mattered more than anything to Eliphas right now.​

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All of a sudden Mirar began to bark. It was a cute little sound, given that the Warghest was still so tiny, but it spoke to her being on high alert. "What is it girl?" he asked, shifting in his seat as he turned to look at her. She was down the corridor, by the boarding ramp. Apparently she heard something he didn't. Setting down the embroidery project he'd been working on, Eliphas shakily rose to his feet and took tentative steps toward the entrance of the ship, one hand reaching out to the wall for support.​

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Every day his legs were getting stronger, but that didn't make it any less difficult given that he was going from literally nothing. Maybe he ought to have got his hoverchair, but he didn't. Instead as he reached the door he leaned down to pluck the pup up and then punched the activation panel. A fresh wave of air, rather stagnant given they were in a hangar, struck him. It was almost enough to knock the atrophied Padawan on his butt.​

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"Hello?" he called out, as Mirar once again began to bark. "Is someone there?"​

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Tala Vale ​

 

[Tala Vale]

Eliphas would come down the ramp to the sight of a large woman sliding her hands about where the start of where the ship's wings connected to the body as she muttered to herself "Is this a saloon pod? Ok, it has to be a Consular Class then... Funny, I thought they would have been all scrapped by now. Must have a Jedi ship collector that kept her safe all those years." The pup's barking forced the red-haired Padawan to look up and notice two lifeforms merged together, both staring straight at her. Well, I'm in a lot of trouble now...

Tala defensively held her hands up as her voice started up shakily with the miniature killer's barking putting her on edge. "Sorry... I didn't think you would bother to come out. I was just admiring your ship. For something so old, it feels like it just came out of the founder. I'll just be on my way." With that, Tala made to brush past the ship's owner and slip her way out of the hanger. She wasn't in the mood to suffer a triad of an angry ship captain and was even less so to experience what biting power the dog had and if it could break a humanoid bone. It was time for her to move on.

Lief

 

[Lief]

Eliphas frowned.​

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"Wait," he called out, as the girl turned to leave. He'd barely noticed the cloth covering her eyes, she had been quick to retreat after all, "It's okay, no harm done. Feel free to admire... It's my Master's starship, a beauty really." She spoke of it seeming like it had just come from the foundry, and Eliphas could not help but chuckle in response. "I'm sure my Master would be happy to hear that, though Bright Knight has definitely been through the ringer a few times."​

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Being that the girl was here, in the Jedi Temple's hangar bay, he was left deducing that she had to be a fellow Jedi. Tall as she was, it was hard to tell if she was a Padawan or a Knight, though the way in which she tried to hurry away at his approach, and he was most obviously just a Padawan, had him leaning toward the former.​

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"Are you thirsty? You can keep looking at the starship, if you'd like, and I can fetch you something to drink." He would not have it said that he was a poor host, after all. Mother would be most unhappy with him if he turned her away like that so dismissively.​

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Tala Vale ​

 

[Tala Vale]

Tala took a breath to compose herself before turning back to the young man and nodding, a shy smile on her face. "It really is a beauty. I bet if I could see that it would be like it came right out of the Clone Wars." If the ship was really from that era, then it definitely had a story to tell. She only hoped that she got the chance to hear it.

As the Young Man offered to let her look around, her grin extended as she said with glee. "I would love that. Please lead the way." She would never in the lifespan of the ship bet she would ever "see" one of these Cruiser's interiors and she would have to stick to technical manuals. Now she would get the chance to feel out the real thing.

Lief

 

[Lief]

The last thing Eliphas was expecting was to find a Miraluka in his wake. He knew of them, of course, but he'd never actually, well, seen one before. He tried not to gawp, he did so hate it when he was gawped at for being in his hoverchair, and proceeded on as though everything was normal. Because it was.​

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"Oh, well, I have no clue if it's the real deal... Though I wouldn't put it past Starlin to have found one somewhere and had it refurbed."​

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He seemed the sort for having niche tastes.​

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Eliphas waited for her to make her way up the boarding ramp before turning, one hand still fixed upon the inner hull of the ship, and leading the way down the hall. "Are you a Padawan too?" he asked, as Mirar yipped in his arms, trying to wriggle free so that she could get a good sniff of the newcomer, "Have you been with the Jedi long, then?"​

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Tala Vale ​

 

[Tala Vale]

Tala tried to move past the social anxiety between the two of them as they walked up the ramp. It was clear that she was not the usual visitor that Eliphas had if the Padawan even had any visitors. "Well, if I meet him maybe I'll ask." She had heard of the name before in passing before. Starlin Rand had his name etched into the galaxy as one of the most famous or infamous Jedi Knights. She recognized the name after reading of his arrest on Ukatian and the hubbub surrounding the event. That day had only been good for soiling the Order's image that it tried so hard to create. But she had to admit, fooling with a sexist Prince's accounts must have been hilarious. "It's funny though... For a guy named Jokerman, his ship doesn't exactly have exotic creepy clown vibes."

As they walked down the hall, Tala wearily kept one eye on the yipping puppy to make sure she was secured properly as she replied to her Jedi companion's questions. "Umm, yeah... I've been with the Order for about... a month. It's probably more like two by now though. What about you? How long have you been in the order?"

Lief

 

[Lief]

If she met him. Yeah, Starlin wasn't home right now was he? Probably off training one of his more competent - nay, capable - Padawan's. Ones not confined to a chair the majority of the time. All the more reason for him to try and stay on his feet, even when his legs ached and turned numb. Especially then.​

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"Yeah, he'd probably like it if someone asked. I never thought to, really." He'd taken quite a lot for granted where his Master was concerned, especially as of late. Perhaps it came with the territory of them having been friends first and foremost. They'd had wacky adventures even before the Apprenticeship started.​

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When she spoke of clowns, and Jokermen, Eliphas chuckled. "He's less clown, and more... Optimist. Ever cheerful." Well, almost. Eliphas had seen more serious sides of him as of late, but then with all that had happened, both insularly and in the Galaxy at large it was easy to see why. "He's a wonderful person, truly. I hope you do get to meet him."​

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Continuing to fuss Mirar as they came upon the lounge, he took a moment and paused to catch his breath. "Are," a soft huff, walking wiped him out, "Are you thirsty?" What was this, 20 questions? At least she answered though, so maybe she wasn't totally put off by it.​

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"I'm not sure exactly," he confessed, "I was in a coma for most of it. A while, though." He'd been just shy of 16 when they'd formally begun the Apprenticeship. He'd just turned 18... though he hadn't mentioned that to Starlin. Eliphas wasn't exactly in the celebrating mood. "Two years, technically. Though only half of one was spent in active training."​

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Eliphas offered her a smile, before remembering that, well, she couldn't see it. He'd heard some about how Miraluka could see, and it was more vague shapes and colours, through the Force. Most didn't even have eyes...​

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He tried not to think about that.​

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"Who's your Master? If you don't mind my asking, of course."​

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Tala Vale ​

 

[Tala Vale]

Tala was disappointed that the famous Jedi Knight wasn't onboard but she shrugged it off easily. The galaxy probably always called to him in strange ways and he probably has to jump out of the bathroom window with his pants around his ankles when it did. "Well, he did prank a masculinist prince by draining his bank account so he has got my vote for chancellor. As they continued down the hallway, Tala noticed her new friend limping along the hallway and wondered where those injuries were from and why he was trying to hide them from her. The eyeless giant did quirk an eyebrow as her companion asked if she was thirsty and she couldn't resist but comment "I mean... I can get pretty thirsty at times but I have my girlfriend for that. Some caf will do for now."

Tala nodded in response to Elias's answer about how long he had been in the order, thinking about how many adventures he had been on. He had probably had so much more experience than she did going on adventures in the wild black yonder even if half of his time was probably spent in a bacta tank. As she sat down, she answered Eliphas's last question. "My Master is Caden Evesa. He's... new and inexperienced but he has a good heart and attitude. Hopefully, I can learn a lot from him. I and one other Padawan are his first official test batch.

Lief