Newcomers

[Mason Raxsted]

​Well, that was a podwreck,​ Mason thought to himself. Unfortunately, not every training session with Master DragonsFlame was going as well as he'd hoped it would. His primary goal had been twofold: Learn something, and try not to look like a fool. He wasn't certain he was accomplishing either, at the moment. He took a deep breath, calming himself. After training he'd come outside the Silver Temple to get a bit of air. Voss certainly wasn't the type of planet he was used to. Most of his time on planets had been in war-torn areas working with refugees, not the comparative paradise of the temperate world. Part of him wasn't sure how to handle it, leaving him feeling extremely out of place. That surely had something to do with some of the setbacks he'd experienced, as did a few minor issues with his illness.

Looking around the finely manicured courtyard outside the Silver Temple, he spotted a tree that offered shade from the sun - which stood straight overhead - and decided that it looked as good a place as any to sit and study. Making his way to the spot, he leaned back against the rough trunk of the tree and slid to the ground, being careful to keep his simple Jedi training attire from getting caught up on the bark. Reaching into his pocket, he removed his datapad and pulled up holo articles on several planetary conflicts he'd been following, along with corresponding texts that gave insight into the species involved. He found diplomatic puzzles fascinating​ - figuring out how the people involved thought, and how to bring all sides together. These were the things Mason wanted to learn more about, not how to throw test dummies around the room. ​Patience​, he thought with a sigh as he focused his attention on his reading.

[member="Eenia Vahn"]

 

[Eenia Vahn]

Well, that had not at all been what Eenia had expected when she had been told she would be training today. She had honestly thought the hardest part would be attempting to perform tasks set out in front of her, because lets face it; she was the farthest thing from a fighter there could be. But no, the hardest and most intimidating part had been walking into a room where her older sister was not only sharing a training session, but was also helping to demonstrate said lesson. It had made Eenia both awe struck of her sister, and a little flustered to boot. Granted, she was aware that Anora had been here for some time, learning and training, but still. Seeing it first hand was something else entirely.

So, after the lesson was dismissed, Eenia had taken a moment to converse briefly with her sister, making plans to catch up later on, and then the younger Vahn made her way outside for some fresh air. She stepped out into the sunlight and closed her eyes, sighing as she soaked up the warmth for a moment. She stretched, sighed quite heavily for such a small thing, and then took a moment to survey her surroundings - and it seemed she wasn't the only one who had decided to step outside and take a break.

Spotting a fellow classmate was perfect really. Eenia didn't know anyone else aside from her sister, and that needed to change. Did it matter if this poor guy wanted company? Nope! The blond made her way towards the tree Mason was sat beneath, and when she reached it she stood just a bit in front of him. Her arms tucked behind her back and she leaned forward towards him a little, though surprisingly not invasively so.

"Is there room for me too, or have you laid solitary claim to the shade tree?" she questioned. Clearly she had no issues with shyness.


[member="Mason Raxsted"]

 

[Mason Raxsted]

"Is there room for me too, or have you laid solitary claim to the shade tree?"

Mason looked up from the datapad, startled out of his studies by the voice. He really wasn't very good at this whole Jedi thing. He blinked, unsure at first how to respond. He recognized the girl as one of his fellow students. In fact, she was the other student who had arrived late. He wondered at why she had been late to the class. Was this a common occurrence around here? Suddenly, he realized that he had yet to offer the girl an answer to her question. He looked down, laughing at his awkwardness.

"Uh, yeah," he started, before realizing how that sounded. "I mean, no, it's a free courtyard, right? Please, sit."

Smooth, Mason, ​he chided himself.

"I'm Mason," he said, extending his hand toward her.


[member="Eenia Vahn"]

 

[Eenia Vahn]

His first answer made Eenia straighten a bit and blink at him. It had been a little unnerving to start with that it had taken so long for him to answer. However, he seemed to correct himself, which made the blond smile and nod her head in response.

"It seems to be," she told him, looking around. "A free courtyard, I mean." Once sure she was sure it was alright for her to join him, she sat down right where she was standing, and sighed once she had shifted around enough to be comfortable. Her gaze then went back to him and her head tipped a bit to the side before she spoke again. "So I'm gathering from the fact that you were late this morning as well, you're new too?"

When he extended his hand and introduced herself, she didn't hesitate to reach out and accept the offer to shake his hand. "I'm Eenia - Nia, for those who find my name hard to pronounce."


[member="Mason Raxsted"]

 

[Mason Raxsted]

"It's nice to meet you, Nia," he said with a kind smile. She was what he wished he could be - outgoing, friendly, seemingly without a care in the world. Mason had never been any of those things, instead deigning to hide in the background, avoiding meaningful interactions outside of objectives. He had always been socially awkward, but had decided on coming to the Silver Jedi that he would attempt to grow in that.

"Am I that obvious?" he asked in response to her query as to whether or not he was new to the Silver Temple. He let the datapad drop into his lap, focusing his attention on the newcomer for the moment. Head lolling back against the tree with eyes staring at the foliage above, his tone carried chagrined resignation. "Yeah, I arrived on Voss two days ago and I have ​absolutely no idea​ what I'm doing."

Turning his head slightly, he looked over at Eenia with a tired grin. "It's been a bit of a whirlwind lately. How about you? How long have you been here?"

[member="Eenia Vahn"]

 

[Eenia Vahn]

"Its nice to meet you too." And it really was. Having someone else around, who was new and didn't know which was was up? It really was nice. It made Eenia feel less out of place. "And no, not obvious. I just got lucky and wasn't the only one late to class." That fact made her grin. "However, I know exactly what you mean," she sighed and shook her head before looking around yet again for a moment. "I've just arrived as well, though my older sister has been here for a while, but she's too busy with her own training and such to show me the ropes."

She shrugged a shoulder as if this fact didn't really bother her, and in truth it didn't. Nia was fairly good at rolling with the punches, after all. "So, I suppose you've just gotten yourself stuck with me and we'll attempt to figure it all out and navigate together, hm?"


[member="Mason Raxsted"]

 

[Mason Raxsted]

Mason remembered Eenia's sister from the training session. She was well advanced in comparison to him, and made quite a better showing of herself. The memory brought with it a bit of the embarrassment he'd felt from before, causing his cheeks to redden slightly. What little skill in the Force he possessed was decidedly​ not in the area of telekinesis. His was more in line with the people-to-people aspects of the Force. Calming others, feeling and influencing their emotions, pushing them to act in ways that were right. He knew these could be dangerous things - manipulating others wasn't exactly the embodiment of the light side of the Force - but he'd always been careful to use these abilities to settle tensions and encourage harmony, and was never heavy-handed with them. His was a soothing presence when he exuded his Force abilities, not a dominating one.

Mason paused slightly after her last comment. It was a cruel irony that while his abilities lie in helping strangers, he'd always been terrible at relationships with non-strangers. "Yeah, I should probably warn you before you decide to be stuck with me that I'm not exactly the easiest person to be stuck with." Mason reached up and scratched the back of his head nervously, looking down at the datapad in his hand again. He'd always dove into research and study when he felt uncomfortable or out of place; it was familiar. "I'm kind of, uh," he paused slightly before he continued, "well, bad at friendships, I guess."

[member="Eenia Vahn"]

 

[Eenia Vahn]

Eenia squint at him, and she squint enough that the expression would look as if she were glaring at him - if not for the smile still present on her face. She continued to look at him this way for a long moment, and she considered the things he said carefully. Now, the blond Vahn sister typically didn't have a problem with easing herself through someone's personal socialization barriers. But this place was different, people here were different, and yet she still couldn't make herself just raise her hands in surrender and back away just because Mason said he was antisocial.

"That's alright," she finally let out, shifting so that she could sit cross legged. "I like a challenge." she added informatively, even bobbing her head a bit for emphasis.

Nia then leaned back and placed her hands behind her so that she could lean on her palms. Her head then tipped back and she looked up at the shade tree's branches and the leaves on them. "Though I suppose if that's the case, it really will be you who is stuck with me." She right her head so that she could look to him once more, and that seemingly trademark grin once again graced her features.


[member="Mason Raxsted"]

 

[Mason Raxsted]

Eenia was one of those types - the types that wouldn't give up for anything. The undaunted, unflappable personality that was going to accomplish their set goal no matter what; especially when it came to people. He usually avoided those types. But this time would be different. He was going to be different - and, there was something different about her. He grinned despite himself.

"I suppose there are​ worse things to be stuck with," he said, feigning resignation. He stopped for a moment, really and truly looking at the girl sitting across from him. She looked genuinely interested in him, not as if it was just some token effort to help the broken guy. Part of that was hard for him to believe, but he had to start somewhere.

"So tell me about yourself, Nia?" he said, tucking his datapad away into his robes and folding his hands behind his head.

[member="Eenia Vahn"]

 

[Eenia Vahn]

Having him respond in such a way first made Eenia's smile broaden more, and then she even laughed softly before nodding. "There are most definitely worse things, I can assure you. Not to sound big on myself or anything." she stated.

It was definitely nice to have someone to talk to. After Anora had left home to come here, Nia hadn't spent much time with anyone; she hadn't wanted to. Now however, she knew her sister was well and doing good here, so it made the younger of the pair feel better as well. Receiving a message from her sister saying she was fine was a lot different than seeing it in person, after all.

Her gaze shift so that she could get an actual look at the guy seated across from her. She wasn't sure why he was antisocial, maybe she would get to know him well enough eventually to ask. But right now, she focused on his question and she made a noise in her throat at first in response before actually answering. "Well, I'm one of two girls." she started with, "And honestly I've been caught up in my own whirlwind of things lately. When my sister left, it changed everything at home, and I'm not even really sure what happened still."

She couldn't remember displaying any sort of abilities or anything of the sort, she and her folks had merely been told that Eenia and Anora shared a common trait and it needed to be trained. And now here she was. "But that's the boring stuff," she was quick to add. "I'm probably one of the most easy going people you can find. I'm go-with-the-flow, and that include coming here I guess." She shrugged a shoulder, then once again tipped her head at him. "Kind of a crummy answer, I know. So what about you?"


[member="Mason Raxsted"]

 

[Mason Raxsted]

Mason couldn't help but smile, Nia's laughter was contagious. It was nice to have a care free moment. He needed to find more of those. He listened as she talked a bit about herself and her family. It was clear she was close with her sister, though that was something that Mason had difficulty relating to. He'd grown up with no siblings, and had lost his parents before adolescence. He didn't begrudge her of her family life; actually, it was nice to know that there were still good things that went on in the galaxy.

"Me?" he said, picking up a stick off the ground and fiddling with it idly. "I'm the son of migrant shipyard workers who never set foot on a planet until I was a teenager." A breeze picked up, rustling the leaves overhead. Mason tossed the stick away as he looked down with a sigh. "Nothing too exciting or interesting, I'm afraid. I've never been good with long term relationships. I tend to like strangers better - and they tend to agree." He paused, considering talking about his illness, but opted instead for humor. "That's why I joined an Ewok village for the last two years - never understood a word they said ... "


[member="Eenia Vahn"]

 

[Eenia Vahn]

She seemed rather surprised by that first bit of information. "Never?" she replied, asking of course about his comment of never being planet side until his teen years. That was hard for her to imagine. Of course, going anywhere but home had been hard for her to imagine as well. But she drew quiet again, and listened as she was spoken to, and her brow creased ever so slightly as he went on to talk about his relationships - or lack there of, really.

"Well, unfortunately for you, I'm no longer a stranger. So as of this moment?" she regained her smile, and even looked playfully haughty for a moment. "I've completely and totally demolished your antisocial new guy persona. And I like to think I've done it with flare." Not that she's done anything particularly flashy of course. She had merely made a decision to speak with someone she recognized from class, and so far it turned out to be a fairly good decision.

"As for the Ewoks," she sighed over dramatically and shook her head, "Bunch of gossips from what I hear. Can't trust what they say anyhow. So I suppose you were better off." Oh yes, the two of them were going to get along just fine.


[member="Mason Raxsted"]

 

[Mason Raxsted]

He grinned at her comment about Ewoks, although he wasn't sure that one somewhat awkward conversation ended his streak as antisocial new guy. But he'd try. Besdies, she was easier to speak to than probably anyone he'd ever known. Glancing up at her, he saw the sun back behind her in the sky. They had a few hours yet of light before evening would fall. An idea struck him. Not necessarily a good one, but an idea all the same.

"Ok, so crazy idea," he said, rubbing his hands together in a somewhat miniacal way. "Before I came to Voss, I spent time studying up on the planet. Hard to believe, I know - it required me to set aside my rigorous social calendar for a time. Anyway, I saw that Voss is a planet full​ of ruins, many of them haven't even been explored yet." He paused for a moment, making sure she was still listening to him. He was speaking faster now, pretty excitedly. This kind of stuff was his hobby, after all. "Yesterday in Master DragonsFlame's office I noticed a map that had ruins marked on it. There was a set of ruins just about two klicks away that no one from the Silver Jedi have set foot in yet." He paused, making an expectant face with a slight grin. "Want to go exploring?"

[member="Eenia Vahn"]

 

[Eenia Vahn]

"Uh oh." Eenia spoke the words before as soon as he had proposed that he had a crazy idea. But rather than interrupt or protest, she quietened down and leaned forward as if he were about to tell her some sort of hushed secret. Which wasn't far from the truth; not the hushed part, but the very idea in and of itself was risky. While not secretive, it could get them into trouble, which only served to broaden the grin on her face.

"You want to set off and go exploring inside of ancient ruins that have not been sifted through yet? With no telling what's within, what sort of shape the interior is in, or what we'd find once we got down in there?" Her grin turned into a bold smirk, "Sounds like a brilliant idea to me." she told him.

Nia then worked to push herself to her feet and she dusted her backside off. While it was a not-so-known fact about her, the younger Vahn sister tended to put far too much faith into people whether they deserved it or not. And while Mason of course had done nothing to earn a lack of faith, it didn't change the fact that this attribute made Eenia naive, and her naivety from time to time steered her in the direction of trouble - knowingly or not.

Not that she cared. She simply wanted to get today's class out of her head space, and what better way to do that then to venture into some ancient ruins with a new-found friend?


[member="Mason Raxsted"]

 

[Mason Raxsted]

When she put it that​ way, it sounded like a terrible idea. His face fell slightly as he realized the extent of just how crazy that idea sounded. Academically it was a great idea - practical? Maybe not so much. He thought she would laugh at him, tell him he was an idiot - instead, she said it sounded brilliant. An incredulous laugh escaped him as he watched her smile.

"Really?" he asked, his face recovering from the slight flush of initial embarrassment. "Uh, ok, let's do it then!"

Mason didn't have a copy of the map he had seen, but then, he didn't need one. One of the things that he had been blessed with - or cursed with, depending on one's point of view - was an eidetic memory. Seeing a picture or a page of text one time would allow him to perfectly recall it at will. It was a useful trait for a scholar to have. He'd trade it in an instant if he could be free from sickness. He stood, reaching over to the side of the tree and grabbing a knapsack that he'd brought with him. He'd considered exploring the ruins this afternoon, and so had packed a few useful things ahead of time before deciding against it. Looked like the plan was back on the schedule, however. In his bag he had a few datapads containing various information regarding the Voss ruins, as well as a flashlight, a flare gun, and a vibroblade.

Mason gestured as he began to walk a path away from the pristine gardens outside the Silver Temple. The path led into the surrounding forests, though fortunately not too overgrown.

"So do you do this kind of thing often?" he asked with a chuckle as they made their way toward the place the ruins had been marked on his map.


[member="Eenia Vahn"]

 

[Eenia Vahn]

It was somewhat wicked of Eenia to find amusement in her tease. He had looked so crestfallen when she had begun her explanation of the situation and how it could be dangerous, and to see his face had nearly made her giggle. Luckily, she had good self control over such things, and managed to get away with a too-broad smile that was easily covered with the back of her hand. She was on board, and so was he, and once he was on his feet? She followed suit.

When he set about leading the way, she followed him, not quiet behind him, but not exactly side by side either. His question earned a shake of the blonde's head, and she tucked her arms behind her back as she walked along with him easily enough. "I like to explore, but not alone. It was easy to get away with when I was younger, and my sister was young, but once she got older and wanted to protect me?" she rolled her eyes. "That was the end of it."

But her smile did not ebb, and she picked up the pace to be more side-by-side now. "So, this is a nice change of pace." she mused. "And it gives us something to take our minds off training today, hm?"


[member="Mason Raxsted"]

 

[Mason Raxsted]

"Training ... don't remind me," Mason said, ducking his head in mock shame. "It seems like everyone else has this natural propensity for this, and I'm barely holding things together. At this rate, I'm going to end up as the Jedi librarian or something."

The path they walked along had clearly been traveled before, but not recently and not often. Mason found himself having to step over vines and various fallen saplings that criss-crossed the worn trail. The foliage around them was rich, vibrantly green with various other colors splashed around for good measure. The sounds of nature surrounded them, a cacophony of untamed life.

"Nia, why do you want to be a Jedi?" the question was almost blurted out, something that Mason had been considering and thinking through. Possibly to some extent because of the lousy training session earlier, but still.

[member="Eenia Vahn"]