Faction [NJO + Jedi] A New Journey

[Ara Sheridan]

Still holding her position, Ara heaved a few heavy breaths as she tried to regain her composure. She didn't even realize how much the fight pushed her... and even then, she wanted to keep going. With fatigue and all, she felt like she could still go. But Iris thought differently, declaring Ara as the winner. She was rather taken back by that, blinking as she extinguished her blade and looked down to see if Iris had even gotten to her. "Wait, you serious?" She asked with a hint of disbelief as a beaming grin crept up.

She giggled like an idiot as she stepped back and looked around. Nobody seemed to catch it, but she didn't care about that. She beat Iris! "Kark yes..." She whispered to herself with a fist pump before turning to face Iris. "But hot damn, you're karkin' good, though! You gotta show me some moves sometime, you're super clean." She spoke up as she wrapped an arm around the girl for a quick hug. "You think Master Valery got space for one more in the saber classes?" She joked. Though beyond the excitement of winning, her own performance nagged in the back of her head.

"How, uh... how'd I do?" She asked as her grin wavered, concerned about her form. She knew that there were numerous mistakes somewhere, even if she couldn't see it herself. She was rather disappointed that they didn't have a Master overseeing the fight.

Iris Arani

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris let her shoulder relax once the saber was extinguished. Her own shut down as she almost slumped. Whether Ara knew it or not the hug kept her on her feet for a bit longer. Fighting was always exhausting. She flashed a grin, amused at the almost childlike reaction the Zabrak had. Though, why was she so excited? There was no way people thought beating her was that impressive. .. Right?

Just how high up were people holding her? Suddenly self aware she glanced around. Curious if people were actually watching.

"I- I think you did great! You're really well trained in Shii-Cho. By all accounts I should've won, at least on paper. You did that other thing too. Like.. Hmm.. The colors around you stopped swirling and were focused more uh.. Inside? What was that? You got faster and stronger with it. It was really cool!"

Ara Sheridan

 

[Silas Westgard]

Kirie and Hana? well, it's finally great to meet you both. I'm sure your talk with Master Valery Noble has kept you intrigued" he said back with a small smile, his slowly bowing to both of them "My name is Silas Westgard, I currently have the honor of being Valery's padawan alongside three others" he mentioned to the both of them, his attention turning to his master for a moment offer a smile "I hope you two have enjoyed yourselves today, there will probably be more events like this to jump in on if you two are eager for a challenge"

Then, a familiar face came up to them. Jasper Kai'el put in a good word for Silas, almost as if it was a receipt for the kind words he had to say about him. Nodding to the boy, he briefly put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it "Thanks friend, it wouldn't have been good without you putting in the effort" Silas said, another reassuring smile appearing across his lips. He could tell the boy was a bit on the awkward side, but that didn't seem to bother Silas in the slightest. Jasper was a good kid, no matter how he was.

His gaze soon rested on Amani Serys who spoke praise on his duel, or what she saw of it anyway. He gave her a quick nod and bowed once more "Thank you, miss. Thankfully the two trouble makers didn't interrupt our duel. If they did, I probably would have grabbed them and thrown them out myself" Silas stated sternly, looking to Amani with a burning question "You know, me and you should have a duel one of the days. Since our first meeting I've been quite fascinated by your style" he asked with a sparkle in his eye. It was no secret Silas loved to go against styles that made him curious, Amani's being one of them.

Last but not least, Master Valery spoke to him with praise of her own. One way or another Silas loved getting feedback from his teachers, especially his master. At least it seemed like he was doing something right "Thanks Master, but I fear I still have a lot to work on" the teen said, not wanting to give himself too much credit "And I'll most certainly be there. If it's to face a padawan, or even you Master" Silas joked, lightly nudging her on the arm in a competitive manner.

"I'd probably get dismantled, but it would be beneficial no matter how hard I lose"

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara listened with the focus of a hawk to whatever Iris had to say about their fight as she walked to a more secluded spot for them to talk. She glanced around for a moment as she wiped some sweat off her brow, wanting to make sure they were alone. "I... I don't know." She answered truthfully at Iris' question. "I... I was worried I'd hurt one of my best friends. But after that first jab of yours, I realized that I should think about it like that. It ain't a sparring session, it's training for the day we might actually meet someone who wants to kill us, or hurt the people we're supposed to help." She glanced around again as she leaned against a wall.

"But other than that... I've been training a lot. I mean, I haven't touched my podracer in a while, I haven't been ditching lessons. After Master Sol'yan... passed away... I've been wanting to do better. Not feel like I was just wasting his time. I've been working hard on trying to get better at the Force as well as my saber skills, but I haven't had a chance to actually use it. By the way, you're good, right? That kick and stuff didn't do any serious damage, right?" She asked with a hint of concern as she looked Iris over. At least she seemed okay.

"But yeah... I... I ain't as good as you. You're, like... a perfect Jedi or something. Seeing that I wasn't doing too bad against you was helping out a ton. Though I wish Master Valery or someone was watching. I know I messed up or did something wrong, I just don't know what. Kicking and fighting like a grease monkey ain't how Jedi are supposed to fight, but it's kept me alive in the past. I just... wanna know what else I did wrong." As embarrassing as it was to admit all of that aloud, she felt a million times lighter. She looked around again for a while, her gaze resting on Master Valery and the group of Jedi around her. "I wanna go again."

She looked at Iris with a mix of disappointment and determination. "Could you maybe keep an eye out, if you're able to? See where I'm messing up? You're super good at all of this, I'm sure you'll be able to spot a bunch of mistakes super easily." She practically begged Iris as she stood close to the girl. She didn't want other people listening in on her situation.

Iris Arani

 

[Iris Arani]

"Master Noble notices more than you'd think. I'm sure she was watching." Valery was always watching. Not creepily, though, at least to Iris. She nodded. Yeah, she was fine. But she did look a little overwhelmed. Not much for her to be able to say between everything Ara was. But.. Perfect Jedi? Iris was far from anything perfect. Not even close. But going again, that she could do. Try and point out problems.

"I'm really not that good at fighting, but I can try to give you some feedback I guess? I mean, what I can I'll do."

She took another breath, trying to get that under control. Running around as much as they had wasn't something she could just recover from. After another deep breath to slow her breathing, she nodded once.

"Okay. Let's do it."

Ara Sheridan

 

[Hollis Orenn]

A NEW JOURNEY

Location: Coruscant Temple​

Tag: Judah Lesan / Open​

​

Hollis' smile remained when Judah said she could find a way to get Justice to confess his feelings. She just gave a small shrug. After all, she didn't even know for sure if there were any feelings for him to confess. She'd like to think there were, but it was something that couldn't be forced.

Her eyes snapped back to Judah when he asked if she wanted to learn more about saber work, and her gaze then followed to the open mat that he indicated. It took a moment for all the pieces to come together before Hollis realized what he meant.

"N-now?" She stammered. "Here? Really?"

The Jedi master was smiling. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Justice would know...

"Yes, please," she said, remembering her manners as she tried to recover. "I have some of the basics and a little Soresu practice under my belt." Hollis stood and tucked her Mindharp back into its case. As she walked to the empty mat with Judah, she glanced up at him. "It's... it's knowing what to do when facing an opponent that I find really difficult. Like, I freeze up... I can't think. I'm slow to react or I get frustrated and make mistakes..."

She gave him a hopeful look. Could he truly help her or was she a lost cause?

 

[Ara Sheridan]

Ara took the reassurance of Master Valery to heart, hoping that it was true. The more she could learn from her mistakes, the better it would be for her. Without her Master guiding her and watching over her, she felt lost when it came to learning what it meant to be a proper Jedi. All she could work with was what she read in the archives and what the other Masters could tell her. But none of that felt like it was enough.

"Okay. Let's do it."

Ara nodded, though it was obvious that Iris was burnt out from that fight. She pushed her a lot harder than she initially thought. "You know what? What if I took on one of those peeps." She commented, nodding to the group around Master Valery. "You've probably been running around all day with this, you look like you could use a break." She quipped with a gentle nudge against the girl's shoulder. "By the way, after this we gotta get some lunch." She smirked, hoping to lift the girl's mood.

With one last reassuring glance at Iris, the Zabrak walked over to the group around Master Valery Noble with a mix of confidence and worry. Once she reached the group, she came to a halt and gave a respectful nod. "Master Valery." She greeted loud enough to draw her attention as she looked at the rest of the group. "Um... sorry for just dropping in like this, but would anyone here be up to throw down for a round or two?" She asked them all as she turned to face them, her hands awkwardly folding over her chest as she looked at the group.

Silas Westgard Valery Noble Jasper Kai'el Amani Serys Kirie

 

[Iris Arani]

Iris blinked, but she smiled regardless. Nodded in agreement. It wouldn't hurt to get more of a break. A couple spars back to back was a lot for the scarred up Padawan. She let out a relieved sigh as she plopped onto the ground. "Yesss. A break. And yes! Lunch! I'll bring you to my favorite spot around here. Hope you like spicy food." She gave an all too eager grin as she huddled up, pulling her knees to her chest. Then closed her eyes.

She could see everything. The spars around them, the conversations. In the colors, she could see all the emotions from them all. It was hectic, stressful. But.. Peaceful. For once, peaceful.

There was nothing that made Iris happier. The temple had come a long way. Just needed a couple more layers of paint.

Ara Sheridan

 

[Addison Porte]

Location: Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Area: Training Hall
Outfit: XXX
________________________
​

Addison sat down on the mat, placing her long legs out in front of her, then laid her torso flat over them, grabbing onto her booted toes for a good stretch of her hamstrings. The brunette was still griping to herself about being tardy when she sensed a presence nearby, like really nearby, one that had been on her six at a respectable distance when walking into the training hall, also late like her.

​

"Hello," she said in a light voice when she came to stand in front of Addison, punctuating the greeting with a bow that was more Atrisian than Jedi; being this close, she was getting a clearer pickup on what Addison might have been feeling in that moment, and this prompted a soft smile at the common thread of their tardiness, "would you mind if I joined you?"

Raising back up at the waist, Addy's hazel brown orbs took in the young female standing before her with pink-hued skin and silky-looking, long white tresses. Oh to have such luxurious hair! She gave a return cant of her dark head in greeting.

"Hello there... Of course, please do," she smiled back and motioned to the mat with her hand as an open invitation.

"I'm Addison by the way or just plain Addy. I arrived on-planet less than two hours ago from Kattada where I was training previously. I barely had enough time to check in and get my quarters squared away before being told to report here pronto... which turned into fashionably late I'm afraid on my part. I got lost! I must have an old map. Can you believe that?!"

A soft chuckle and a roll of her dark eyes followed before bringing one knee up and pushing in an opposite direction with her elbow for a side stretch. "How about you? Are you new here too?" she inquired of the Zeltron, admiring the katana as it was rather unique. Not your typical Jedi weapon of choice, but neither were her brother's stinky socks - a story for another time.

Ichika Masudo

​

 

[Ichika Masudo]

♪ Between Worlds - Tenno ♪​

“Thanks!” she replied, her expression beaming, and began to unburden herself of her katana, setting it down, and then her outer tunic, folding it neatly and setting it down on the floor alongside the empty end of the mat, and lastly the hilt of a practise lightsaber that was her father’s when he was a boy, while Addison began to talk and introduce herself. The older padawan’s hair was dark, almost as dark as that of Daisy’s own father, but her eyes were brighter. Minato’s eyes were of such a dark brown that you’d think they were black, and she’d noticed that the occasional person found that unnerving… which worried her and made her sad as a child.

“Mm-mm!” she shook her head, “I still get a little lost, and I’ve been here three days! I’m Ichika, but everyone calls me Daisy. It’s lovely to meet you, Addy.”

She sat herself down on the mat, and stretched out her legs in front of her, then folded over, putting her hands past her toes, thereafter holding on to her feet. Daisy turned her head, and looked at her new acquaintance.

“I could hardly sleep before I got here, and I have been trying to make up for that since I arrived…” a light frown marked her face for a moment, “...even when I don’t mean to! I fell asleep reading, with my datapad glued to my face, and next thing I knew, I was late!”

Her eyes squeezed shut, her nose wrinkled, and she gave her head a little shake.

“I don’t like being late, at all.”

Then she came out of the stretch, sitting up and bending one leg, parking the foot against the opposite thigh, then holding one arm across her chest.

“I’m from the Masudo Clan of Atrisia,” she continued after a few moments, while switching to the other arm, “My father trained me a little, but he insisted it would be good for me to learn from other Jedi. Expand my horizons, gain other perspectives,” she shrugged, “it’s exciting, and I’m looking forward to my Jedi training, but…”

She put one arm behind her head, and reached the other up her back to grasp its hand.

“...Coruscant is too much city, not enough dirt. There's too many people.”

It could be loud in ways that most might not grasp. She’d long learned to handle the weight of so many beings of emotion in one place, even shut it out if needs be, but it was a thing she had to live with.

Addison Porte | Open

​

​

 

[Kai Bamarri]

Kai groaned. <We just tried to beat the crap out of each other, and now you want to put us in a kitchen together, where we'll be surrounded by sharp objects?>

But it was whatever at this point. Kai trudged along as Master Tafo led them out of the training rooms, headed for the kitchens.

Aaran Tafo Corin Trenor​

 

[Aaran Tafo]

<We just tried to beat the crap out of each other, and now you want to put us in a kitchen together, where we'll be surrounded by sharp objects?>

"Are you to imply that you'll resort to violent assault when sufficiently angered?" He asked sparing Kai a glance as he continued to walk through the halls. Leaving the telepath to ponder that. As to if they're actually callous enough or have such poor self control that they'd pull a knife on their fellow Padawan if things got heated enough. That neither of them were mature enough to back down and de-escalation the situation if they needed to.

"And if you're going to speak when others are present, I would recommend using words. It is basic politeness. Many do not appreciate having their minds intruded without permission." Kai was unlikely to do well in terms of diplomacy if they simply brazenly barged into the mind of another.

This kind of behaviour could be expected from young men five years their junior. Younglings argued all the time, not Padawans. If they were to become Jedi, they needed to hold themselves to better standards.

The walk to the kitchens took a few minutes. But when they arrived, Aaran gave a nod to the Page droid who was busy putting the ingredients on one of the nearby counters. "Both of you, wash your hands." He instructed, making his way over to one of the sinks to do the same himself. Giving his mitts a good cleansing rinse before turning his attention back to the two misbehaving children.

"Now, a question. How much cooking experience do either of you have?"

Corin Trenor Kai Bamarri

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani couldn’t help but chuckle even in the face of Silas’ sternness. Not out of any sense of disrespect, merely in response to his bluntness regarding the two troublemakers. Then to her surprise, he suggested a duel between himself and the knight sometime. She blinked, and looked over her shoulder instinctively, to where her staff would normally be slung. “Afraid I didn’t bring it with me today, otherwise I’d be happy to take you up on that now.” Amani hadn’t prepared to be the one doing any fighting, but just as Silas had proposed, they could save it for a nebulous ‘one of these days’.

“We’ll set aside some time for a session if you want. As long as Valery doesn’t mind me thrashing her padawan around for a bit.” She laughed, obviously joking about that last part. Any opportunity to share some experience with the other students was a welcome one, especially without a pupil of her own to pass it on to.

Just then another padawan, Ara, joined the group, issuing a challenge for another sparring partner. “You get Iris all tuckered out already?” Amani smirked, and nudged the back of Silas’ shoulder, “I think this one’s still eager for a fight.” She gave the boy a wink but added, “No pressure.” Obviously he didn’t have to if he didn’t want to, but given just a moment a go it seemed he still had some energy left in the tank.

Silas Westgard | Ara Sheridan | Valery Noble | Kirie | Jasper Kai'el​

 

[Kai Bamarri]

"Are you to imply that you'll resort to violent assault when sufficiently angered?"

<No, but I can't guarantee he won't.>

"And if you're going to speak when others are present, I would recommend using words. It is basic politeness. Many do not appreciate having their minds intruded without permission."

Kai pursed his lips, his temper fouling even more. It was always the same with these people. They didn't bother to ask why he used telepathy or assume that he had a reason for it, they just jumped straight to thinking he was being deliberately rude.

Behind the master's back, Kai made an obscene gesture with his hand, before going to the sink to wash.

At the question of how much cooking experience he had, he signed zero.

Corin Trenor Aaran Tafo​

 

[Fiyak]

Coruscant was so big and busy; the worst thing about it was that there were no trees. These were the first impressions of the young Wookiee, who had been raised in a very, very different environment. Everything here was so...-Hard and dry. Where was the soil beneath his feet, the moisture of the forest air and the trees to ascend all heights and listen to the wildlife sing? It was all gone...-And now so was the Jedi who Fiyak had thought was to be his Master, Jax Thio .

Fiyak didn't know the details of what had happened to Jax, only that he had been around a lot, and then he just wasn't anymore. When the young Wookiee asked some of the senior Jedi back on Kashyyyk, he found few answers and was instead told to be patient and focus on his lessons. Then, unbeknownst to Fiyak, he was transferred to the New Jedi Order, leaving the Wookiee Pup feeling more confused.

Today, the towering carpet of loose, shaggy fur and wide-eyed uncertainty wandered into the training hall, unaware of what he might find. So far, he had been late for all his classes, gotten lost more times than he could count on one paw, and struggled to keep up with the traffic of people coming and going. To add insult to injury, he was far taller and hairier than anyone in his age group. This often made him an easy target for ridicule among students, especially the younger ones. Some were more accepting of him...-But he had struggled to make friends with anyone so far, and his constant struggle to be expedient hadn't helped him at all.

"Kourasaa aaaaahnr muh arri yo ah gah hah" Fiyak grumbled and growled under his breath, only to have the Universal Translator worn around his neck translate his words into basic; "Coruscant gives me a strong headache". Fiyak stopped in his tracks, not more than a single pace into the room and realizing he had forgotten that the device was still active.

What followed was an unintelligible and defeated-sounding groan, huffing his breath in a forced exhale as he looked at those around the room. Once at home and confident on Kashyyyk, it was safe to say that his transition so far hadn't been going all so well at all.

Silas Westgard | Ara Sheridan | Valery Noble | Kirie | Jasper Kai'el | Ariana Du Couteau | Kai Bamarri | Aaran Tafo | Ichika Masudo | Iris Arani | Addison Porte | +Others?

 

[Corin Trenor]

Corin opted out.

Tafo and Bamarri, able to have as much back and forth as the two wished. He instead followed and hardly listened. Hardly. Some few comments made their way in, and his brow narrowed in some bout of confused. The Jedi Master had continued in a conversation without so much as a word from the other, and the Padawan could not resist but wonder what was said to earn those responses.

"Some," Corin offered an unsure answer as he washed his hands.

He looked back to see the gesture from Kai and couldn't help but smirk.

Aaran Tafo Kai Bamarri

 

[Aaran Tafo]

Behind the master's back, Kai made an obscene gesture with his hand.

He wondered how long it would take Kai to catch on that the Jedi Master could see in three hundred and sixty degree vision around him? He was tempted to let it continue, if only so Kai and Corin could bond.over their mutual loathing of any and all authority figures. Because clearly, as teenage boys, their wisdom far outstripped their elders who had been in similar situations to themselves.

If Kai wondered why Dagon didn't take him, the rude gesture was a prime example. Corin might be surly and abrasive, but so far he hadn't actually insulted his elders.

But he was hardly going to hold it against them, whenever it was they finally decided to shed their immaturity, they'd find themselves growing exponentially, with Knighthood following soon after.

"Cooking isn't as complicated as you think. And we're making pizza which is pretty easy. Especially when I already sent a droid to go get dough." He said, absently gesturing to the droid who had just unloaded a rather large amount of pre-purchased dough onto a lightly floured counter.

"Kai. You're on kneading duty. Then divide it up and roll it out to a few squares. Maybe about twelve or fourteen inches. I'll let you decide."

It would probably be best if it was bigger rather than smaller, Padawans were rarely not hungry, teenage growth along with heavy exercise meant a voracious appetite.

Making his way over to one of the nearby fridges, he began to extricate other ingredients, jars of sauce, cheese, vegetables and meats.

"Corin, you're on topping duty. You can start by shredding enough cheese for Kai."

He'd leave it to them to coordinate with each other. Let them argue over toppings and what to make and see if they'll catch on and understand just how petty their scuffle before actually was.

Kai Bamarri Corin Trenor

 

[Ariana Du Couteau]

Ariana Du Couteau, Jedi Padawan
Location: Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Action: Sparring Continues
Outfit (Minus the right arm)

Ariana narrowed her focus, she hadn’t intended to retreat so soon but necessity outweighed pride. She placed her right foot back down, shifting her weight fully onto it and with immense concentration with the Force she saw her next attack. There was hardly a moment she could spare to even respond to Master Caedyn’s response, instead she inhaled deeply and drove herself forward with a single step forward.

Ducking as low as possible, dipping hopefully below the Master Jedi’s sight-line as she allowed herself to drop even lower. Collapsing onto her right knee, Ariana continued her momentum as her body twisted along with her left leg swiping across directly at Caedyn’s legs. She intended to force the Jedi into the ground, but even if her leg swipe failed she readied herself once again to spring forward and tackle the legs with her body and left arm.

It wasn’ the cleanest of the take-down ideas, but Ariana couldn’t worry about the no doubt disapproving head-shakes of her once Teachers and Instructors. I’ll apologize to them afterwards. . . maybe.
​

|| Caedyn Arenais | Valery Noble | Iris Arani | Jasper Kai'el | Caltin Vanagor | Titi Rokari | Aaran Tafo | Silas Westgard | Corin Trenor | Kirie | Kat Decoria | Dagon Kaze | Korvan Toldreyn | Amani Serys | Jem Fossk | Sōla Taan | Dhalinar Greystar | Elias Edo | Hollis Orenn ||​

 

[Kai Bamarri]

Kai's elders didn't normally push him this far, and besides, he already had his reasons for disliking Tafo in particular. Still, the boy was lucky the master kept his crueler thoughts to himself, and was willing to let the obscene gesture slide as if he hadn't seen it.

Assigned the tedious but simple task of kneading dough, the choice of toppings wasn't Kai's problem. Corin would have to figure out what everyone wanted on their pizzas. Kai wasn't getting involved in that boosh.

Aaran Tafo Corin Trenor​

 

[Silas Westgard]

Another padawan soon joined their small chatting group, a girl who he had watched fight Iris Arani in a tough duel. Ara Sheridan seemed like a skilled opponent, one that would surely give him a challenge if he dared to put himself forward. She seemed to have the confidence to back it up, it was only a matter of if she was still energised to keep going. Silas felt a bit tired himself now only after a good duel and personal exercise. Even so, the padawan felt like he had more than enough energy for another fight.

Just when he was going to open his mouth and accept, Amani Serys answered for him and pushed him forwards for the challenge. Silas simply smirked at the knight and looked back to Ara "Well, you heard the lady. I'd be more than happy to take you on" he said gladly with a roll of his shoulder and short bow to everyone he had been speaking to "If you would excuse me..." he said politely just before beginning to walk over to the mat.

"Still eager for the challange Ara? the duel with Iris didn't wear you down did it?"