Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Private Just a little bit of energy




ZARAVA

Location: Jutrand Academy
Tags: Kal-El Kal-El

The longer she spent on this planet, the more she wished she was somewhere else. Compared to some that were in the Academy, she had no reason to want to stay here. She was taken from her home thanks to the lives of her darling mother. Erlood at least had some nature to it. Jutrand? Nothing of the sort. It was all buildings as far as the eye could see, and just the sight of everything made her feel incredibly lonely. She enjoyed some things about nature, though she would be far from being an individual to be able to survive in nature. Cities were fine, but only to an extent when it came to the size of the place. Zarava didn't care if she returned to her home planet, as there was nothing for her there. Her father was dead, and she didn't exactly grow up knowing anyone as her mother had provided her with her education.

She was trying to avoid as many people as possible and had only come across a couple. Some of them had offered her some important information on what was to come in the test that they were supposed to take. The teenager planned on leaving the spotlight for the royalty and rich folks who would probably pay their way to the top. At least that was what the boy said when she had conversed with him. He had said there would even be a possibility of the students trying to kill each other, especially the rich. She had already seen the likes of that group walking through the halls. All of them seemed to have an aura around them. Besides, she doubted that they would want to interact with someone with the likes of her.

Zarava's family did not grow up poor, but they also weren't rich either. They managed with what they had and nothing more and nothing less. The mines her father worked in didn't pay all that much, but it was better than nothing. Regardless, while she was here she might as well learn something as there wasn't all that much else to do. The redhead was at least given a datapad when she arrived at the academy and had used it to bring up some examples of the fighting styles one used while wielding a lightsaber. Zarava had noticed some people training with the weapons when she had passed a couple of the rooms earlier. The weapon seemed to be common in the arsenal of the Sith, so that meant more than likely she would acquire one of her own at some point. Zarava had no doubt plenty of others were here who knew more than her, but she wasn't going to show weakness by asking anyone for help. She could take care of herself.

Zarava found herself in a fairly empty room and managed to snag a training saber. It was just a piece of wood, but it was more than enough to at least practice her form. She had never used any weapons other than knives before so it was a new learning experience. On the ground was her datapad, showing an image of the beginning of the form. She held the training saber at her side as she looked it over. In her mind, it didn't look all that difficult. Besides, she considered herself to be a quick learner, and she imagined surviving here, would need to be. Zarava positioned her feet in shoulders in position, looking down at the datapad at her feet, adjusting herself for several seconds. Once she thought she had it right, she swung with the training blade. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than nothing. She went back to looking down at her datapad as she flicked to the next image concentrating on what to do for the next form.
 
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JUTRAND - THE ROYAL ACADEMY - TRAINING ROOM
Zarava Dekki Zarava Dekki
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Quickly jogging down the hallway, Kal-El cast a quick look over his shoulder before turning around and slowing, taking a few back steps in the process. Amber eyes began scanning while his ears strained to listen for movement in the hallways. A few moments passed and there was silence. All clear for now. No one was chasing him.

Smirking to himself before turning around, Kal fished around in a small satchel hung over his shoulder before pulling out a small red fruit. An Almakian apple he managed to snag during his little escapade. Latching his hand onto one of the academy doors, Kal scrutinized his nearby surroundings before slipping himself quickly and quietly through the entrance with none the wiser as to his movements.

But he was wise to the swish through the air of a practice sword as soon he stepped foot inside the training room.

No sudden movements, Kal.

Casting a quick glance over his shoulder, one detail stuck out to Kal. Whoever was training had not noticed him yet, if their continued practice swinging was any indication. Which meant he could leave and the person would be none the wiser.

Or he could try and introduce himself. Maybe see what that earned him. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Walking as quietly as possible behind the trainee, Kal tossed the apple once into the air before stopping in his tracks. A little distance would be a good idea, considering he would rather not be clubbed on the head by the equivalent of a large stick.

Then, with direct eye contact on the trainee, Kal put those good old-fashioned chompers to use and took the largest, loudest bite out of the apple he could muster.

KA-CRUNCH!!

Before steadily chewing on his snack and waiting for the surprise to unfold. A smug grin immediately grew on his face in the process that he made zero point to hide.

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ZARAVA

Location: Jutrand Academy
Tags: Kal-El Kal-El

Keeping out of trouble had been her main means of survival since she had arrived at the Academy around a month ago. She didn't have an official teacher just yet, because she wouldn't be an official student until she went through the trials. Her arrival hadn't been exactly planned by those who picked her up, as they all seemed in a rush to get her off of her home planet. Maybe they were worried that the likes of the Jedi would somehow pick her up instead, though with being so far into Sith Order territory, she wasn't sure how likely that would be. Zarava was adamant about keeping her head down while she could, keeping out of the way of those who were considered to be royalty in a place like this. Even now, she had no idea what the Sith were capable of and how powerful they were.

To keep herself busy, Zarava worked on gathering up as much information as possible. This came in many different forms, but her first task on arriving here had been to get the lay of the land of the Academy. By now, she could almost walk the halls of the Academy with her eyes closed with how often she had walked through the corridors. Of course, there were some areas that she didn't dare go, to because they were either off-limits or simply struck fear into her body as she neared them.

It was a clear sign that she shouldn't be in those areas, so she left them alone. Zarava was certain she had heard stories of students simply disappearing when they walked down a dark hallway. The redhead had no intention of disappearing in such a manner. After mapping out the building in her mind, she stood in populated areas, acting like she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. While, in actuality, she was eavesdropping on conversations from those that passed her by.

Zarava was able to hear about current news and what others were up to from listening to their conversations. It seemed like everyone was none the wiser to her, and kept going about their business. As of late, she had spent most of her time in the archival room accessing their computers. She had met a couple of her classmates doing the same while she was there. She still didn't consider any of them to be allies despite the conversations that they had.

While at the computers, she researched more about the Force and what it truly meant. Zarava also looked into what went into making a lightsaber and the mechanics behind them. She knew how dangerous the weapons were, and if she were to go up against them, she would need her own. Researching lightsabers led her to learn about the different forms of fighting with one. There was no one to teach her till after the trials, so she decided to attempt to teach herself on the topic. With varying degrees of success.

Training to use a lightsaber had looked a lot easier on paper. Even after just a couple of hours, she could feel the soreness starting to seep into her muscles. From the components that she had learned that made up a lightsaber, they were significantly heavier than this piece of wood. Zarava wasn't exhausted yet and swung again with her arm raised. As soon as she took a step forward to follow through with her swing, she heard something loud crunching behind her. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and her entire body whirled around, his blue eyes growing wide.

Her spin had been quick, and the practice saber leveled itself in front of the boy, the tip of it pointed directly at his neck. The shock on her face only lasted a second, as she realized the boy had snuck up on her on purpose. Her eyes darted to the fruit that he had taken a bite out of, the source of the crunching sound. The shock was replaced with an angry scowl, her nose scrunching up as she took a step forward moving the tip even closer to his throat. It was just a piece of wood, but that didn't mean it wouldn't hurt if she decided to use it as a weapon.

"What the hell are you playing at?" Zarava said in almost a growl as she looked up at the other teenager. Of course, the anger that she felt was partially herself, as she should have noticed when someone had snuck up behind her. The boy was easily taller than she was, and the more that she looked at him, she realized that half of his face was scarred, in the back of her mind she wondered how he had acquired such a wound. But, right now her mind was on trying to figure out if the boy in front of her was a threat.
 
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JUTRAND - THE ROYAL ACADEMY - TRAINING ROOM
Zarava Dekki Zarava Dekki
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Immediately, Kal-El raised both of his hands. One hand simply held an open palm while the other held the bitten apple. Not a single step back followed as the wood practice sword crept closer to his neck.

"Apples to apples," Kal kept grinning as his eyes briefly glanced at the apple he held.

He thought it was a funny remark. Then again, he was not sure how many acolytes here had the luxury of playing board games. Well, if anything, maybe his remark would at least confuse the girl for a few moments for him to get another word in.

"Please, mercy. Anything but a splinter," Kal-El glanced at the blade before directing his eye contact to the woman, "Those take ages to remove, and I'd rather spend the time talking about how clean your spin was right there. Not bad, but your follow-up thrust could use some work."

Not a single inch of muscle moved. All that was on his person was his robes, not the acolyte uniform, and the satchel hung over his shoulder and around his waist. His amber eyes simply held curiosity as to what his fellow acolyte would choose to do next.

But he had no intention of hurting her or lying to her. How she figured that out for herself was out of his hands.

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ZARAVA

Location: Jutrand training room
Tags: Kal-El Kal-El

When it came to socializing with those of her age, well, she didn't have a whole lot of experience in that department. Zarava was starting to realize that she didn't have a whole lot of experience in general. There was only maybe one kid around her age that she had met, but it didn't last long as they were simply a tourist who would only be staying for a couple of days. Zarava had learned to be content on relying on herself after her father had perished in a mining operation. With the lack of experience on Jutrand, put her at a disadvantage compared to some of the other peers that she had met so far. While on Elrood, it was simply the fact that she was allowed to be a child and enjoy a sense of normalcy. Since having been taken from her home, the redhead wasn't sure what was considered normal anymore. Zarava had never asked to be force-sensitive and had only wanted to live a normal life. So much for that.

As she stared at her fellow classmate in front of her, Zarava was deciding whether or not he was a threat. He immediately raised both of his hands, the universal signal that one wasn't a threat to another. She had seen that plenty of times on Elrood when someone was getting arrested for smuggling or drug dealing when they were caught. The expression on his face made it seem like he wasn't at all concerned about the situation he was in. It wasn't like Zarava would try to kill him, as that wasn't her style. Hell, she had never killed anyone before in the first place. As his eyes moved to the apple, her eyes moved as well. Her eyes would narrow as he spoke. What was he talking about? That didn't satisfy her though, as it still seemed like he was mocking her in some way. Was he looking down at her? How long had he been watching her sneak up on her in the first place? There was no telling any of this, as this was the first time that she had ever met him.

It was only two of them in the room. The gold-skinned boy that she had met a couple of weeks ago mentioned that he wouldn't be surprised if the rich tried to kill the competition. Was this one of them? She needed to be cautious, because as far as she knew everyone was a potential threat in this place. Especially those who wanted to be here. If it ever got out what her future plans were, she was certain that it wouldn't be taken well in the Sith Order. Zarava didn't move the practice blade and kept it there, hoping the other would catch the hint that she needed an explanation. The next sentence he spoke caused her to falter, and her eyes blinked a couple of times before his words actually registered. Zarava huffed a puff of air out of her nose as she slowly lowered the practice blade. So, he was a jokester then. That didn't mean he was any less dangerous.

Even though she lowered the practice weapon, she kept her grip firm ready to use it in case she needed to. It would at least be strong enough to stun if she wanted to run away, as she doubted she would win in a physical match against him. Zarava did seem to perk up a little bit at his praise, and she couldn't stop the swell of pride that she felt. It was the first compliment that she had been given since she arrived on the planet. Most comments had been talking about how inexperienced and far behind she was. There would be a small glimmer in her eyes, but it only lasted for a split second as he started to offer his advice. The paranoia that she had adapted since she was pulled from her home returned and reared its head again. Her body language immediately began to close off as her eyes began to narrow.

"Why are you trying to help me?" Zarava questioned, distrust in her tone. No one had really helped her since she had arrived, though she was able to get some information out of people about this place there was still so much she didn't know. "What would you get out of it by helping me?" Zarava questioned again as she tilted her head. When it came to this place, everyone seemed to be concerned for themselves. The person in front of her was an anomaly, something that she had never encountered since she had arrived. It immediately put her on edge as she waited for the other to show their true colors. Another part of her so badly wanted to believe that he just wanted to help because he could, and it would be incredibly useful to have some training down before the trials. It might even save her life, but, was it worth the risk?
 
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JUTRAND - ROYAL ACADEMY - TRAINING ROOM
Zarava Dekki Zarava Dekki
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It did not take much to realize where the girl's distrust stemmed from. A single compliment--one that was honest and well-earned--had given Kal-El enough perspective to know there was not a paranoid nor proud person under that fierce defense. Just a careful one. Not like he could necessarily blame her.

"Help you?"

There was a momentary pause of faux-confusion before he smiled and shook his head. While all he had done was given a piece of advice, there was a part of him that did want to help. Her form could use work and the Sith would construct tests requiring physical might as much as mental or emotional. Luckily, he could provide all three with his method of training.

"Hm. Do I need a reason?" Kal-El took a bite out of his apple, chewing on the fruit while giving the question some thought, "I guess because . . . "

He had his reasons to help, in general, beyond wishing to assist her. But to speak of them here, that would perhaps not be the best course of action. He can commit compassionate action, but to speak of it would spell a certain amount of trouble. After all, others could misinterpret his actions. Maybe he spared a soul because they were beneath him, so much so that they were not worth killing. Or perhaps he avoided fights because he was a coward. Any number of reasons could be drawn.

But to speak of the real reason would put a context around his actions that could be used against him here. Not by the girl in front of him, but the elders and instructors of this academy.

"Why wouldn't I?"

Tossing the apple to his other hand and taking a bite, Kal-El answered her question with another question. Was there a reason he should not help her? Perhaps she would speak of a few, and he knew already what his answers would be. This was not him being untruthful or trying to misdirect with his answer. But rather, an attempt to answer her question clearly without answering it directly.

"If you want a selfish Sith-y reason, well then," Kal-El added before noting, "Everyone needs a friend. A hand to hold when things get tough. And no one wants to die alone, me included."

One last bite before finishing the apple, Kal-El tossed the remains behind him into the nearest wastebox in the room. If there was one thing the Academy had, it was money and the ability to afford proper amenities.

"My name is Kal-El by the way. If it's not too much trouble, I'm curious as to who you are."

Dusting his hands off, Kal-El simply shrugged before letting his head lower and tilt in curiosity. With a simple nonchalance, his eyes watched to see what her response would be.

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ZARAVA

Location: Jutrand Academy
Tags: Kal-El Kal-El

Everything had a price. It was something that she had to learn once her father had been killed in a mining accident on Elrood. Only months passed before her mother started giving 'donations' to the causes that she followed. Leaving almost nothing in terms of money for anything else. Her mother was using it to gain her favor in the ranks. She had seen instances in the streets where someone asked for information but asked for credits in return for their service. Nothing ever came for free. Zarava did have to steal money from tourists, pickpocketing them to be able to afford a meal that day. A meal that her mother didn't provide because she was too obsessed with the Sith.

Even when she first arrived at the academy, when she first interacted with the gold-skinned boy, it was obvious during their exchange that they didn't trust each other. There was something about his smile that didn't quite reach his eyes that made her comfortable. Not to mention that he had a creature with him that she knew nothing about. He was dangerous, that much was certain, and she only made sure to give him information that wasn't important for her own survival. Both of them went back and forth, trying to get as much as possible, and even forming a truce for when the trials started. Zarava wasn't sure if the other would keep his word, especially after he explained what the Sith would likely do to those with a weaker status than the rich or well-connected individuals.

His initial reaction made the young redhead narrow her eyes, her nose scrunching up. It seemed like he wasn't going to give her a straight answer. She shouldn't be surprised considering how the other didn't either when it came to answering questions. Zarava had debated on answering his question if he needed a reason but wasn't able to as he continued speaking. This seemed like it was going to take a minute to finally get his answer out. The entire time he was speaking and eating the apple that he had brought, Zarava did not take her eyes off of him, watching the movements of his hands and the emotions etched on his face. Searching for any sign of deceit, or movement to draw a hidden weapon of some kind. But, it didn't make sense. Why would he wait to reveal a weapon now, and not having done it when her back was turned?

"Why wouldn't I?"

Zarava's eyebrow raised in an unimpressed look. Did she need to spell it out for him as to why a fellow student wouldn't help another when they were going to compete against each other? When he spoke again, that was when the redhead became slightly more interested. Sith-y huh? Did that mean the person in front of her didn't align with the Sith just she did not? She wasn't about to get friendly just yet. He was still a stranger after all, and this was the first time she had ever met him. There was still so much she didn't know, and if he was anything like the other boy she had met, he could just be playing games.

"Everything has a price. Even in a place like this. Most wouldn't want to help another considering we will be going against each other in the trials to come." Zarava pointed out carefully. To her, it still didn't make all that much sense why he would want to help someone he might be forced to fight against later on.

The redhead's eyes followed the apple that he threw, the remains landing in the wastebox directly behind him. Well, that was slightly impressive that he made the blind shot at all. A neutral expression spread across her face as he introduced himself by name. Kal-El. A name she would try and make sure to remember, as he was the only name she caught so far since she arrived at this damned academy. Her eyes flickered across his face, trying to find any hidden motive. Zarava usually believed that she was a good judge of character, but being at the academy showed how out-of-depth she was.

"Zarava." She answered curtly, no emotion readable on her face as she remained standing there. He wasn't the only one with questions either. "You don't sound like you speak so highly of the Sith. Where did they get you from?" An eyebrow raised as the question was asked. Zarava fully expected not to get a truthful answer. She rarely ever did when she asked questions of her own. Was he in a similar boat where he was stolen from his home world? It certainly piqued her curiosity, but she was going to make sure not to reveal too much about herself for her own safety. Even though she was on a planet that was controlled by the Sith Order, she had never given them all that much thought. The longer she stayed here, the more she had distaste for them.
 
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JUTRAND - THE ROYAL ACADEMY - TRAINING ROOM
Zarava Dekki Zarava Dekki
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"Not everything," Kal-El briefly countered, choosing to not elaborate any further. He could see there was still a measure of skepticism within her expression.

"Besides, I'm not most people."

Again, he did not elaborate further. Not that he needed to. Perhaps, most people would look out for themselves and themselves alone. Everyone had a degree of selfishness, even him. Fight it as he may, there was a part of him that wished to help her for his own benefit as much as hers, but--unlike their fellow applicants--that benefit was not along the lines of sabotage or hurting her chances to pass the trials. No betrayal involved at all.

His reason was a little more personal than that.

His eyes widened a little in small surprise and much more so in excitement as he finally learned the girl's name. Zarava. And just as quickly, his face returned to a more neutral expression, although a slight smirk tilted at the edge of his lip as he nonchalantly placed his hands behind his head.

"I don't speak highly of the Sith because I have yet to see anything to speak highly about," the smirk grew a little larger, "Except you, of course."

A little flattery snuck into the conversation never hurt anyone. Besides, it had been too easy.

As for her question, Kal-El could answer it truthfully enough. Not much to hide there, even from prying eyes. Besides, maybe it would get her to trust him a little more.

"Can't a guy keep a few secrets about himself? It adds to the mystery," Kal-El joked before answering, "Nar Shaddaa. I got recruited out of Nar Shaddaa."

Reaching into his bag once more, Kal-El began rummaging through the different fruit he collected. Bananas, apples, dragon fruit. Finally, a singular ripe mango found its way into his hand as he raised it up to be appraised.

"Ugh, no peaches. Guess this will have to do," Kal-El muttered to himself.

Casting a quick glance towards Zarava, Kal-El extended the fruit out towards her. Shaking the fruit in his hands a little before lightly tossing it to her, Kal-El's playful gesture meant to encourage her a little to partake with him. That and perhaps take this conversation away from such serious topics, at least for a little while.

"How about we share a mid-training snack?" Kal-El grinned before turning and motioning towards a few of the nearby seats. Kal-El began walking, back completely turned to her, except for a brief moment where he looked over his shoulder to motion with his head for her to follow along.

"After all, when you finally agree to let me help you, you're going to need the extra energy to keep up."

Kal-El smiled, this time showing off a little of fanged teeth, before facing away and continuing to walk forward. Perhaps there was a hint of a challenge to his words, hidden under that easygoing playfulness.

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