Private Not Drunk, Still Disorderly

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Silas Westgard

Gatz might have been used to New Cov, if not for the jungle's humidity.

Even in Valery's Jedi Temple, he was damp and uncomfortable. For a boy who had grown up on Coruscant, and then on Naboo, it was a frustrating and stifling thing. Heat and cold he could deal with, but when the air was so thick with water it was like he couldn't breathe, then how was he supposed to train? It was why Gatz had abandoned running his usual obstacle course within the trees, and instead opted to meditate within the garden on the Temple grounds.

Frankly, he probably would have been better off staying in the Temple itself. It was empty, and if he asked, he was sure Valery would allow him use of one its small rooms. It wasn't like anyone else used them. Gatz could count the amount of Jedi he'd seen here on one hand—and that figure included Valery.

But there was no point in getting up now. Gatz was already comfortably seated on the ground, trying to retreat within his own mind. Of course, 'trying' was the operative word there. Meditation usually came quite easy to him, surprisingly, but today... today meditating was like squeezing credits out of a Hutt.

You just got a lot of slime. Or a bounty hunter on your tail.

Maybe that wasn't a great analogy. But point was: for the life of him, Gatz just wasn't capable of inner reflection today.

"Go figure. I'm the only one in an empty Jedi Temple, and somehow, I still can't find peace."

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: New Cov
Objective: Talk with the alcoholic
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

"That's almost correct, when it comes to meditation you must not only focus your mind but allow the force to flow through you like water in a stream. Without doing that, you will not truly be at peace" Silas said as he walked along with two initiates on either side of him. Listening closely, they both nodded in response and continued towards the end of the corridor where they were all going to conduct a class "Don't expect to get it straight away, it to-"

Stopping in the doorway, Silas suddenly fell silent and looked surprised to see Valery's alcoholic friend sitting down in the room trying to meditate himself "Who... who is he?" one of the kids asked while they looked the stranger up and down. Silas smiled slightly as he looked at Gatz with a smirk "A friend of the order. I'm surprised he's here in all honesty" the knight said openly before looking between the two learners "For now, I suggest you two recharge yourselves. We can pick up on this tomorrow after I've spoken with this gentleman"

Without question, the initiates gave a quick bow to their teacher and hurried away chatting among themselves. Silas on the other hand stayed and folded his arms, glaring at the man who hadn't made a good first impression "Well, I must admit I'm surprised you're here out of all places" Silas said first when he stepped into the room "What's the deal? Are you trying to meditate yourself out of a hangover?"
​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Silas Westgard

Gatz was almost finally withdrawn into his mind, when he heard the murmuring of voices. Gatz cracked open an eye to see, of all people, that one guy with the perfectly coifed hair from the spooky party. He had two learners with him, but Gatz didn't answer their question. He allowed the Jedi to do that for him, and it was only when his students were gone, that Gatz spoke.

"A friend of the order. I'm surprised he's here in all honesty."

"You know, I was raised in the Temple on Coruscant."

Gatz finally opened both eyes as the Jedi lambasted him. It was deserving, of course. He'd been disorderly, and drunk off his ass. Mostly because his last surviving family member had been murdered, but he could have practiced more self-control. Plus, this man and Thelma clearly had a storied past, and that night probably wasn't a fond one for the man to remember.

"You're awfully quick to judge, for a Jedi. But that's fair. I wasn't exactly at my best the night we met." Gatz closed his eyes again, "I spend most of my time here, with Valery's explicit permission. So if you're going to glare, could you find somewhere else? I'm trying to meditate on some pretty important decisions."

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: New Cov
Objective: Talk with the alcoholic
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

Did he just say he was raised in the temple on Coruscant? That was something he wasn't expecting the man to say by any means. It was certainly possible Gatz could have been a former Jedi as he could sense the force flowing through him, but that still remained to be seen. For now, Silas stared back at him with an emotionless expression and let off a smile when he said Valery had given him permission to stay here. He didn't know how they got so close, however with Valery there was always a reason behind her ways.

"Quick to judge? Have you ever heard of the phrase first impressions mean everything?" he said with a slight shake of his head as he walked over to the wall behind him and leaned against it. Gatz urged him to move on if all he was going to was stare, Silas on the other hand had no plans to do that just yet. If anything, he wanted to see if the alcoholic could redeem himself and show why Valery took him in as a close ally

"I'm curious, what are you thinking so hard about if you don't mind me asking?" the knight asked, his gaze looking down to the sitting man with curiosity "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I may not be Valery, but I've learned enough from her to know it's always right to offer a hand to those in need of finding the straight path again"
​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Silas Westgard

"Yeah, I never was any good at first impressions." Gatz smiled, eyes still closed, "Gatz Derrevar. I'm a friend of the Nobles', but I think you've probably already guessed that. Considering Valery had to drag my dumb ass out of the bar, so that I didn't consume more poison."

Gatz heard Nice Hair Guy shift, ever so slightly. It seemed that the Jedi didn't have any intentions of going anywhere. Which... well, it wasn't like Gatz could make him. Even if he did possess the right and the capability, it'd be kind of a jerk move for him, a Jedi dropout, to tell an actual Jedi to move along. A shame then: it seemed that peace would elude him for now.

Still, Gatz wasn't going to give up on meditation just yet.

The Jedi asked after him, which frankly surprised him. It wasn't that he expected a Jedi not to show compassion, but it was pretty clear to Gatz that he had annoyed Nice Hair Guy. He figured that if he looked nonthreatening, and clearly stated his neutral intentions, that the man would leave him be. Gatz hadn't expected an offer of help.

Only Valery and Briana showed him that level of kindness.

"I don't know where to start," Gatz let out a heavy sigh, "I guess... I haven't always made the best choices. I've spent the last year jumping in front of knives and blasters for others, all in an attempt to just... do better.. But I—I feel like I'm not doing enough good. No matter what I do, no matter how much Valery expands on my limited training, I feel like I can never do enough."

Finally, Gatz opened his eyes, and look up at the man.

"Men like me don't live very long. We don't deserve to. Even if we did, death has a way of catching up with us. I just want to put some good into this galaxy before it does. I guess I'm trying to figure out the best way to go about that."

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: New Cov
Objective: Talk with the alcoholic
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

"Introducing yourself properly is a good start at least" he said with a smirk "My name is Silas, Silas Westgard. I used to be a padawan of Valery's not too long ago" he mentioned before walking over to Gatz and sitting himself next to him with a cross of his legs. Staring ahead of him, he couldn't help but have the image of Valery Noble grabbing him by the ear and dragging him out of the bar. In all honesty, it wouldn't surprise him if she actually did that "It's good having that stuff every now and then, making it a regular pass time on the other hand will only cause you more problems in the future"

Even Silas loved his drink. Although, compared to Gatz there were ways he could regulate and pace himself to the point it wouldn't affect him mentally and physically.

Staying silent after requesting to know his troubles, he seemed to unexpectedly open up to him as if he were a close friend. Silas nodded and listened closely until he finished, to which there was a short silence between the pair. Soon enough, the knight shut his eyes momentarily and sighed "Believe it or not I was like you. It wasn't by choice, but for a good three years of my life I was dragged into a life full of blasters and knives" he explained with a flicker of emotion. Silas had gotten used to his past now and only thought of the future, an option that was the only way in his eyes "If it wasn't for the order, maybe I would have settled for a life of crime. Thankfully, my will lasted longer than those thugs"

Finally turning to Gatz, he finally looked him in the eyes once more "In terms of teachers, you probably have one of the most patient and understanding Jedi you could meet by your side. Take your time and make the most of her guidance, before long you'll become someone you never knew you could be." Silas said caringly with a brief pat on his shoulder.

"Everyone with a decent heart deserves to have a second chance at living their life. If Valery considers you a friend as she does, you certainly must be one of them"
​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Silas Westgard

Oh good, a name. Now Gatz could refer to the man as something other than 'Nice Hair Guy.'

The reveal that Silas had been Valery's Padawan once was oddly unsurprising. The smirk on his face was all Valery's, the jump to judging before having all the information was very Valery. And then, throttling back down as he heard a proper explanation... that was also very Valery. Stubborn and rash, quick to conclude, yet also wise and accepting. And forgiving.

The man had both her blessings, and her curses. Not unlike Gatz himself did. Gatz wondered if they'd have gotten along well as he and Valery did, if not for his bungling of Silas' first impression of him.

"Valery is very patient," Gatz agreed, "more patient than I deserve, really. I'm not sure many other Jedi would have believed in scum like me, not like she did. Does."

And, apparently, she had given Silas that same belief. That was a soothing thing to hear. In his lowest moments, Gatz had wondered if he was something of a pet project to Valery; wondered if she was trying to redeem some shitty smuggler, just for the sake of proving that she could. Because why else would the Jedi Grandmaster waste her time on someone like him?

Gatz had long since moved past those doubts, but it was nice to have confirmation that pulling people out of the muck was just something Valery did. Not that he really needed confirmation at this point. He'd seen enough to know that for himself.

"Everyone with a decent heart deserves to have a second chance at living their life. If Valery considers you a friend as she does, you certainly must be one of them."

"I..." Gatz stopped, frowned, and continued, "I'm trying to be."

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: New Cov
Objective: Talk with the alcoholic
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

"Trying to be? even the worst of us all can be kind, no matter how far they have fallen"

There were many people in the order who were the total opposite of themselves. Valery's husband Kahlil Noble used to be the Sith and son of one of the most menacing Siths in the galaxy. Yet, he was still able to see the error of his ways and become the person he is today, a man of honor and a loving father who'd do anything for his family. Gatz wasn't as bad as Kahil used to be but it served as a good example of how anyone with a heart could change.

"Meditation is a good start, has Valery mentioned anything about sparring or any sort of physical training?" he asked curiously "Working toward something such as the improvement of your hand to hand skills could be a good replacement for drinking. Heck, it could do wonders for your mind"

Not only that, it may save his ass one day. ​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Silas Westgard

"I know," Gatz said, "that's why I'm doing the best I can."

If Gatz was capable of being objective about himself, he'd have realized that he'd become 'better' a long time ago. He no longer smuggled. No longer cheated. His blasters were always set to stun, even when he was helping Briana fight The New Way., He jumped in front of bullets for others. Extended a helping hand to literally everyone who needed it, including a Mandalorian who was now determined to kill him. Had spent months freeing slaves from a crime lords slaving empire.

But Gatz was not capable of being objective about himself. All he was capable of seeing were his past mistakes. The things he couldn't undo.

"Valery's been refreshing my original training," Gatz clarified, "and she's been expanding on it. Sparring has been a focus of her lessons for awhile now. Probably because every time we work together, I get fatally wounded, and she has to find a healer for me before I bleed out."

Gatz shrugged.

"She's given me a lot more than just the odd lesson or two. I asked her once if men like me could return to the Order. I think she's trying to prepare me in case I make that decision. And also so I, you know, don't die."

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: New Cov
Objective: Talk with the alcoholic
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

"Hm... if Valery is taking the time to train you then she must see great things in you" he said with a shrug of his own "I haven't seen you fight, not yet anyway. Although, if you've lasted this long you must be doing something right. If you were stupid, you would have been long gone in a galaxy like this" Silas said with positive encouragement considering the amount of close shaves Gatz has gone through during his adventures in the galaxy.

Thinking to himself for a few moments, he thought of something that may help the reckless man when it came to larger and stronger opponents. When he was a padawan and facing those of opponents it certainly helped him take them by surprise. Even though Gatz looked well built, there was always going to be someone bigger and taller in the galaxy itching at the bone to fight him.

"Has Valery ever taught a way of dealing with individuals who could overpower you?" he asked curiously while getting up to his feet and stretching out his arms "I can show you a few things if you've got time. You never know, it could help you out of a rough situation. Especially when the odds don't look in your favor"

Extending a hand, he offered to get him up to his feet.

"If it helped me as a kid, it will certainly help you"​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Silas Westgard

"I've survived off of quick thinking, and a lot of luck," Gatz admitted, "and the few times that's failed me... well, that's usually when Valery has to carry my bleeding corpse out of danger. Of course, I only ever get hurt that bad when she's around, so..."

There was a correlation there, to be sure.

"Outside of getting drunk one night out of the year, and trying to drink poison, I'm not really that stupid. But that is a pretty low bar to compare to."

Gatz had never considered himself an alcoholic, but when he thought about it, he often had at least one drink a night during his scoundrel days. Sitting in a cantina, waiting for someone to come looking to hire him. Getting drunk had never been a hobby, but one drink a night was still consistently drinking. Now add poison to the mix, and the fact that he'd kept trying to drink even though the drinks were poisoned...

Maybe he was a little stupid.

"She hasn't really taught me combat other than a refresher course on Shii-Cho, and then diving into the basics of Soresu," Gatz clarified, "but I spent six years in Hutt space. I know how to fight dirty. Bigger guys are easier to handle than most think."

Even so, Gatz accepted Silas' hand, and was pulled to his feet.

"That being said, I'm never adverse to learning how to defend myself. And a lesson is better than sitting here, brooding."

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: New Cov
Objective: Talk with the alcoholic
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

"Only hurt when Valery Noble is around? it does certainly sound like her" Silas joked as he looked down at him with a raised brow "If you're surviving off quick thinking and luck you'll never when that may run out. Everyone only has a limited supply, don't waste it on things like barfights" some had more luck than other, but sooner or later they'd get into a situation that no person could get out of.

"It may not be a lot when you first learn it, but you'll soon realise how useful it can be" he said just before Gatz took his hands to learn more. Silas was happy he chose to listen and give it a try, even the littlest things could prove useful in the near future "Fighting dirty does have a use, yet it can be a good way to anger your opponent if you don't make the most of it. I've done it back in the day and it left me more blood than I wanted to be" Thankfully he'd never have to resort to that again.

"Okay, we can both agree you're taller and probably weigh more right?" Silas explained while taking a few steps back with his arms by his side "I want you to swing at my face as hard as you can."​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Silas Westgard

"Well when you spend as much time with Valery Noble as I do... you end up facing Valery-sized problems. And I am definitely not Valery-sized. I'm not quite sure if she's figured that out yet." Gatz smiled.

Gatz had been in plenty of scraps in his life. Hell, he'd shot so many people that his body count was in the dozens. He wasn't even sure how many of Kragan's bounty hunters he'd killed during those terrible few months of his life. So, he knew how to fight. He knew how to survive. But all his knowledge came from getting his ass beat, and getting back up.

He had no actual training, outside the little bit he'd gotten during his days as a Jedi Youngling, and the lightsaber training Valery had started putting him through. Silas did. He might have been younger, but that didn't mean the man didn't have wisdom or knowledge to impart.

So when Silas asked him, the physically larger of the two of them, to take a swing, Gatz shrugged.

"Sure. Just try not to break my arm. That wouldn't be very productive for either of us."

And then Gatz did as the Jedi Knight bid of him, and swung at the man.

 

[Silas Westgard]

Location: New Cov
Objective: Talk with the alcoholic
Tags: Gatz Derrevar

Valery sized problems wasn't a term he had heard before, but it certainly sounded too good not to be true. You had to expect opposition going against her to be powerful foes, and that was why you needed to be your best when teaming up with a Jedi like Valery. If anyone ever considers doing such a thing, they'd need to be ready for things that they'd never imagine seeing when conflict arose Gatz was one of them, although the man was yet to reach his true potential.

Smiling slightly, he nodded lightly to the request "I won't go as far as that, don't worry" the knight promised just before Gatz swung a punch right at his head. Taking a small step back, Silas suddenly rotated his body to the right and grabbed hold of the man's arm with a strong grip. Using the momentum of the bigger man he pulled his arm down to flip Gatz over his shoulder in a swift movement before suddenly shooting his fist down until it was inches away from his face.

For a few moments, Silas stayed silent until his clenched fist became an open hand to help him up "You see what I mean? Use your opponent's advantage such as their weight for your gain. Even if you can't beat them, it may give you a quick moment to retreat" the man explained as he stepped away again.

"Now, are you ready to give it a shot?"​

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Silas Westgard

Well, at least his arm would remain intact. For now.

At Silas' request, Gatz threw a punch at the smaller man. The former smuggler already suspected that he was about to be thrown to the ground, but admittedly, he wasn't sure how. Turned out, the how came from his own forward momentum. Silas practically tucked under him, throwing Gatz's arm over his shoulder, and using his own body as an anchor to turn Gatz himself into pendulum.

A pendulum that smacked into the stone paved ground below.

A grunt of pain escaped Gatz's lips, forced out in an airy breath. Getting thrown to the ground had a way of knocking the wind out of a man. It wasn't exactly Gatz's first time being tossed around, but the shock of being upright, and then suddenly on his ass, wasn't something he was sure he'd ever get used to.

With a groan, Gatz sat up. He was definitely going to have a few new bruises in the morning.

"Alright. Flipping people over me definitely isn't a trick I've pulled off before."

But he could see how it could be useful. Throw someone down, and make an escape. No need to continue the conflict, just put a halt to it, and exit stage right. Gatz liked that. Really, anything that didn't require him to take a life was something that he liked these days.

"Sure," Gatz said after he'd stood, "might take me a couple of tries, but let's see if I can't replicate that."