Private Serious Jedi Business

[Ala Quin]

Ala Quin had, quite decisively, not chosen the dignified way to wait.

The appointed meeting place, a gently sloping bank overlooking one of Naboo's glassy, slow-moving waterways, offered a perfectly respectable flat stone clearly intended for meditation. It remained entirely unused. Instead, Ala was halfway up a wind bent tree, one booted foot hooked over a branch while she peered, utterly absorbed, into a carefully woven bird's nest.

"Oh, hello there," she whispered, as if the tiny, blinking hatchlings could understand her. One hand rested lightly on the trunk for balance, the other hovering nearby in case any of the little creatures decided to make a premature leap into the wider galaxy. "You're very brave, you know that? Or possibly very confused. Hard to tell at this stage."

A soft breeze stirred the leaves, dappling her face in shifting gold-green light. She tilted her head, listening, not just with her ears, but with the Force, which hummed here in a way she found endlessly delightful. Water burbled below. Insects zipped about. Somewhere in the distance, something large splashed.

Underwater, the Gungan city awaited, a world both alien and alive. Ala had already been once, and the memory of it still made her want to spin in slow circles just thinking about it.

Today's visit, however, was decidedly less about wonder and more about…well. Representation.

"The Grand Master should attend," they had said.

"It's an important cultural exchange," they had said.

They had not said it involved sitting politely through a multi-hour ceremonial recitation conducted entirely underwater.

Ala did not mind. Not really. She quite liked the Gungans, their enthusiasm, their grand gestures, their tendency to treat even small moments as something worth celebrating. And the ceremony itself, honoring a seasonal shift in the currents that sustained their city, was meaningful. The Jedi Order's presence was simply a sign of goodwill. No impending doom today. Just festivities.

Still, she suspected her soon-to-arrive Padawan might appreciate knowing that this was not a mission of peril.

"Well," Ala murmured to the nest, "we can't have them arriving to find me stuck in a tree, can we?"

A smile formed, mischievous and silly. "Actually, we absolutely can."

She shifted her weight slightly, utterly unconcerned, and let her gaze drift toward the path, very clearly looking forward to whoever would appear next.

| Tag: Warren of the Narrows |​

 

[Warren of the Narrows]

​

The cool waters of Naboo's many lakes and swamps made for a great exercise course for the Selonian. Warren often found himself keeping occupied in their waves, cooling off during the hot Naboo summers. This was one of those times he had found himself floating freely just under the surface of the water, his eyes and ears the only things breaking through. Below, his arms, legs, and tail worked in sync to keep him afloat. It was natural to him, something his body could do without much effort at all. No, all of his energy was spent overthinking things.

Warren's life had been an absolute whirlwind since Master Abarosis passed away. It was like all of the peace he had made a habit of showing Warren had disappeared, and in its place was chaos. He hadn't been able to find another Master yet, and the Padawan was starting to believe that he was the problem. He wasn't great at speaking Basic, some of the words leaving his mind when he was speaking, he wondered if that was the reason they hadn't trained him yet- but he tried his best. The thought of letting down the Jedi weighed heavy on him, which was why he liked to float in the water. He didn't have to feel the weight of the world, or the pressure of his anxiety.

A couple bubbles floated to the surface near Warren as a large fish passed by his tail, bringing the Selonian back to the present. He had taken this moment to meditate in the waters because he had been tasked with a big responsibility. He was to meet with the Grand Master, something he had never even thought possible a year ago. They were looking for someone to accompany the Jedi Grand Master to a formal Gungan event. Another sentence Warren would have never believed a year ago. He was happy to oblige, his sense of duty outweighing the pressure of going with Master Quin. Still, he needed to take a moment and ready himself for what was ahead.

Knowing where he was supposed to meet the Jedi, Warren had positioned himself in the waters nearby. He hoped it wouldn't spook the Grand Master if he came out of the water instead of approaching from the path. The weight of his thoughts began to build again as he lost the peace he had found beneath the surface. He blinked slowly, kicking his hind paws and tail a bit harder as he made his way back toward shore. He would dry off with a towel he had brought and change back into his formal Jedi robes. This was the first time he had worn them since he received them.

After quickly getting ready, the Padawan ran his paws through the fur atop his head, making sure it was laying flat and not out of place. He continued over the hill, and when he reached the crest, he looked out to see where the Grand Master was. He didn't see her. He had been sure it was today, he had been hyper-focused on this for the last two days. The Padawan looked around again as he neared, the only thing he could see was a small figure in a tree, likely a child playing with the local animals or hiding.

Not until Warren got close enough to feel Master Quin in the Force did he realize who he was walking toward.

"Grand Master Quin-" His voice sounded like he had just been caught. "It is an honor to meet you."

Warren took a deep bow, and as he rose, he straightened to his full height of two meters out of respect. When he did, he realized just how small the Master truly was, having at least a foot, maybe a foot and a half on her. Warren wasn't sure what the proper proceedings were for accompanying the Grand Master, and he found himself wondering if he was supposed to bow again.

Tag: Ala Quin
Location: Naboo
Objective: Accompany the Grand Master?!

 

[Ala Quin]

"Soooo formal..." She cooed. The hatchlings cheeped in response to her aura as much as her tone.

To her dismay, she had to say goodbye to the little ones. "Good luck on the growing up...and flying...and all that. Try not to fall out before the flying part." She whispered, before closing her eyes and spending half a moment letting the Force flow about her and the chicks. Such young, frail lives, and hard coded to eat, grow, fly and reproduce. The circle of life was beauty, even in its harsher truths.

Pivoting, Ala dropped into a swing, held up only by her knees, before tumbling into a tight somersault and landing on the ground. She was diminutive in size compared to the Selonian. But she seemed not to notice, not even for a moment.

"Warren. Warr-en. Wa-rren. Hmmm," she said, mouth making all manner of contortions as she seemed to try the name out. "I like it! It is a fantastic name!"

Her shoulder nudged the taller Jedi playfully as she trundled leisurely past him, toward a waiting bongo, her gait more akin to a skip than an actual walk.

"You can call me Ala when we don't need to be so official. Come on!" She called back over her shoulder, hand beckoning the Padawan to join her.

| Tag: Warren of the Narrows |​

 

[Warren of the Narrows]

Usually, Jedi seemed to be tense, brooding, aloof, usually. Master Quin was the opposite, and Warren could already feel some of her cheery optimism rubbing off on him. The dread that had settled into his chest began to wash away like a low tide. He was still rattled to the core, but he wasn't as afraid of failing. That was all he could ask for at this point, until he became more comfortable with his abilities.

He noted her skipping posture, her shorter legs carrying her farther than walking alone. It was likely for both function and whimsy, but Warren couldn't help but also notice that his longer gait kept him nearly in step with her just by walking a bit faster. His Jedi robes swept across the lush grass behind him as they approached the bongo. The light nudge caught him off guard, his step faltering for half a beat before he recovered, posture straightening as if nothing had happened. Warren studied the unique construction of the craft, something he had seen before beneath the water while exercising, gliding past in the depths. It looked different now, resting at the surface, more exposed, more mechanical than the quiet silhouettes he was used to.

He turned his attention back to her, still adjusting to her more relaxed approach. It went against everything Master Abarosis had taught him about manners and titles.

"Ala," he whispered to himself, testing the name quietly. Through his thick accent, the vowels didn't quite land the way he wanted, the word feeling unfamiliar as it rolled off his tongue. It didn't sound right, not yet. "Master Quin" would do. He didn't want to sound foolish addressing the Grand Master.

As they reached the bongo, Warren hesitated only briefly before attempting to climb in. The craft was clearly not designed with a two-meter-tall, tailed Selonian in mind. One foot found purchase, then slipped slightly as he tried to adjust his balance. His tail shifted instinctively to counterweight him, which only seemed to make the angle more awkward. He paused, recalculated, and tried again, this time ducking his head lower than necessary as if that alone might solve the problem.

It did not.

He eventually managed to pull himself inside, though not without a moment of visible struggle, his robes catching slightly as he maneuvered through the opening. Warren straightened once inside, smoothing the fabric down as if nothing had happened, though the faint flick of his ears betrayed him.

He had long since grown used to the occasional laughter. It didn't bother him. If anything, it meant people were comfortable enough to laugh, rather than be afraid.

Tag: Ala Quin
Location: Tiny little bongo
Objective: Try not to scare the Grand Master?

 

[Ala Quin]

By all outward appearances, Ala was blissfully unaware of the Selonian's undignified scramble into the bongo. She occupied herself with her own seat harness, tugging at the straps with an air of complete nonchalance.

"Tricky things, these bongos. Far too much 'form' and not quite enough 'function' for someone of your impressive stature, wouldn't you say, Warren?" she remarked, her tone light and conversational, as if he hadn't just nearly upended the craft.

Once secured, she cast a sidelong glance at the Padawan. A tiny, mischievous wrinkle of her nose was the only confession that she'd seen his struggle. She turned to the console, her fingers dancing over the controls with a confidence that she hoped hid the truth - this was only the second time she'd ever sat in a pilot's seat like this. No need to worry the dear boy, she thought, a spark of secret amusement flickering in her mind.

She pressed a button...beep. She flicked a toggle....boop. Finally, she gave a dial a decisive twist, and the rhythmic hum of the kinetic shields began to thrum through the floorboards.

"Mind your ears and elbows," she cautioned, looking at him with a gaze full of unearned pride. "It's going to be a bit of a squeeze, and these shields are much less forgiving than a Grandmaster if you lean against them."

The engines transitioned from a whir to a throaty purr. The bongo pulled away from the muddy bank, hovering for a heartbeat before the nose dipped, plunging them into the cool, emerald embrace of the river.

"Gosh. You must be quite used to this view, being a creature of the waters," she murmured, her eyes widening as the surface world shattered into shimmering ribbons of light above them. "But the Naboo depths...they never quite lose their magic, do they? Just look at that..."

She let her hands drift lazily near the controls, allowing the Force to feel out the path ahead so she could focus entirely on her companion. She turned her seat toward him, her expression turning warm and inquisitive.

"Tell me, Warren...what is it a 'tiny' fellow like yourself hopes to achieve within the Order? When you look at the galaxy, what part of it do you want to help heal?"

| Tag: Warren of the Narrows |​

 

[Warren of the Narrows]

Warren shifted in his seat as the bongo descended, his shoulders pulling back enough to avoid brushing against the humming barrier. He was suddenly very aware of his elbows, and his tail, and his whole body that now felt like it took up too much space. He trusted in the Force, and in Master Quin, and he allowed himself to relax enough not to panic.

"A little, yes," he answered at first, glancing out at the water as it closed around them. His voice steadied as his eyes followed the movement of the current, the familiar rhythm easing something in him. "It is…different from the Narrows. But it is still…home, I think." He thought back to the vast caves the Selonian people lived in, buried beneath the ocean above. He thought fondly of his memories back home, of his life before.

Warren gazed off for a moment before he felt Master Quin look at him, her question taking a second to land fully. "I..." He trailed off as he looked out the side of the water craft, trying to find the words in Basic, "I do not know if I have...a part yet." The words were slower, more deliberate this time. He wanted to make sure he fully expressed himself to the Grand Master. It was an honor to escort her, and he wouldn't sully that opportunity by being short, even if he wanted to curl into a ball.

"My people, Selonians, we do not have tribes like you do." Warren wasn't able to recall the word 'families'. "We act in favor of the Den, not ourselves." He looked down at the vehicle as it steered itself, guided by the Grand Master. "When I first came, I wanted to help my den, my people." His voice got a bit softer, "Then I saw the galaxy, and my den became much...smaller...in my mind." He still needed to make sure his people were safe, but he understood the gravity of the entire galaxy versus his planet alone. "I want to help."

"There is much that is broken." The Selonian said finally, his voice a bit more pointed now. He thought back to all the teachings he had learned so far, landing on one message, "I think...I would like to go where I am needed." He took a pause, "Not where it is important or...visible...just where it matters." He was proud of himself for remembering the word, 'v' words were hard for Warren.

He looked over to Master Quin, a warmth in his eyes as he reflected, "My Master used to say Jedi are not supposed to be loud." A smile formed at his lips, "That grandstanding would be the death of the Order." That was one word he never had a problem remembering, it was one of the first ones Master Abarosis taught him.

"I want to be...a good Jedi."

Tag: Ala Quin
Location: Bingo Bongo
Objective: That's a big word for Warren

 

[Ala Quin]

Her face contorted as she listened, running the gamut from awe, to aw-shucks, to dawww, to a deeply suspicious hmmmm. She clearly had a lot to say about all the words, but instead she bit her tongue. Probably for the best too, because good Jedi should not be loud.

OOPS.

The entire time she listened, Ala paid almost no attention to where they were going, at least not visually, and the bongo guided itself gently into deeper and deeper waters.

"Ok...so...let's run this race real fast..."

She took a deep breath.

"First off...a den sounds kinda like a synonym for a tribe...and I don't have a tribe...just the family I adopt along the way...so be careful about assumptions, lil' fella..."

She took another breath.

"Second...if you mean loud as in volume...then I am totally hosed. Definitely failed upward into where I am today. But if you mean the Jedi Order should not be dominating and all...you know...in people's faces about their power..."

She pointed at him dramatically. "Then I could not agree more."

Ala gasped for air like someone breaching the surface after a long dive.

"Thirdly...being a good Jedi? My stars, Warren...that is just about the cutest thing a lil' cutie like you could ever say..." A grin spread slowly across her face. "...and also the right answer."

Only then did she finally turn to look where they were going, casually nudging the controls to the right mere seconds before the bongo clipped a rock face.

"I don't think I am a very good Jedi...personally..." She tilted her head slightly. "...but I am a good me. And that is way better than being a bad me...don't you think?"

She side-eyed the Selonian curiously, waiting to see what he would make of that.

| Warren of the Narrows |​

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[Warren of the Narrows]

​

If Warren had cheeks like Ala, they would have been bright red. He realized he may have caused offense with his comment about tribes. Great, now he's insulting the Grand Master. He hated his struggle with Basic. He figured explaining what he meant would only get him in more trouble, so he kept quiet as she continued. He would do better to make sure his words were precise next time. The language was very nuanced, with words meaning different things depending on context.

Warren's ears flattened slightly at the rapid string of words, his posture tightening as he tried to keep pace with everything she was saying. He wasn't entirely sure where to look, especially after being called "cute," so his gaze drifted instead toward the viewport, following the shifting currents outside. His tail gave a small, uncertain movement behind him.

The sudden adjustment of the controls pulled his attention back sharply, his body tensing as the bongo veered just clear of the rock face. His claws flexed lightly against the seat before he forced himself to relax again, exhaling slowly through his nose. He trusted her. He had to.

The Padawan couldn't help but smile a bit as the Grand Master continued, the awkwardness easing slightly as she went on about what kind of loud she was. He thought of the conversations she would have had with Master Abarosis when they likely crossed paths in the Jedi Temple. He was of the belief that fewer words were better. Even as a diplomat across different Jedi Orders, his Master had been quick to use the word verbose.

"I believe you would have met my Master, Master Abarosis." Warren paused to see her reaction before continuing. "He served with many Jedi Orders over the years. I was his last Padawan." There was a pain in Warren's voice that he couldn't quite hide. Professionalism aside, the Selonian missed his former Master. He would move on, in time, but right now he was feeling it like a fifteen-year-old would feel it.

He did half-smile again at Master Quin when she complimented his answer. It felt good to know that his instincts were correct, and that his calling to help the galaxy, no matter the cost, was a good one. It didn't do anything to ease the pressure he felt as a Padawan to perform, but it at least reminded him that all the training was for something important. This look quickly faded into a puzzled furrow of his brow at the Grand Master's follow-up.

"You have to be a good Jedi, you're the Grand Master." His voice was flat, like he was stating a fact. Why would the Grand Master be a bad Jedi? "Your accomplishments are printed in the Archives. All the Padawans know what you have done for our Order." His voice lowered slightly, more focused now, as if he were working through the thought in real time. "What makes a good Jedi?"

Tag: Ala Quin
Location: Bongo
Objective: Break the language barrier

 

[Ala Quin]

Face lighting up even more, somehow it was possible, Ala mouthed Abarosis' name, before moving the control stick to deftly avoid another rocky outcropping. "Oh yes, we did meet when I first arrived on Naboo," Ala said thoughtfully. The truth of the matter was that Ala was not a founding member of the Order that became what was now the fledgling rebuild of the Jedi Order. Instead, she came to that proto-Jedi Order fairly late in its existence, and helped with its transition to the full Jedi Order, before stepping into the role of its Grand Master.

The title still did not sit comfortably on her shoulders. The struggle had been real, that of discerning what she brought to the role. She was certainly not the sort of Jedi that anyone would describe as bad-ass or powerful. She was simply Ala.

"A very classical Jedi...if I remember rightly," she said, reaching over to pat his hand, a small attempt to assuage his grief that she understood all too well. "A very hard man to replace."

She waved off the accolades with a floppy handed dismissal, before nudging the controls again to push down a tunnel. They were not far from their destination now, and Ala could feel the ripples in the Force of the busy Gungan city ahead.

"Least read entries no doubt," she said with a roll of her eyes, "as for being a good Jedi...I can only speak to what my experience has been...really."

The Bongo was forced into a deep dive, spiralling and spinning through tunnels, leading towards a growing light at the end of the network of tunnels.

Ala pulled up on the controls, leaving them out and easing off on the g-forces they had just experienced.

"Having died...three times? Yes...three...and had my back broken to the point of paralysis...I can say...that a good Jedi is someone that does not let the darkness dictate terms. With purpose...and intent...we must embrace the light."

| Warren of the Narrows |​

 

[Warren of the Narrows]

Warren listened carefully as Master Quin spoke about Abarosis, her remembering his Master brought a complicated warmth to his chest. He nodded slightly when she described him as classical. That sounded right. He was structured and disciplined, everything had its place. Warren could almost hear the old Jedi correcting his posture somewhere in the back of his mind.

The gentle pat against his paw caught him more off guard than the spiraling bongo had this time. He still was not used to casual affection. Not from Jedi, not from really anyone. It caused him to nod slightly and glance down at her hand before looking back at her, the uneasiness flashed across his face.

The Padawan braced himself as the bongo dipped deeper into the tunnels. Warren was far more comfortable once they were fully submerged beneath the water. The flowing currents and twisting passageways felt natural to him, even with the speed the Grand Master insisted on. The growing light ahead reflected across his fur while he listened to her continue.

Then she mentioned dying. Three times.

Warren stared at her for a moment longer than was probably socially acceptable to most people. "You died?" The words left him before he could stop them. His voice was not meant to be disrespectful, only stunned in the straightforward way a fifteen year old could be. He tried to picture it, the Grand Master broken and dying, but his mind refused to let him. The thought made him sad. He really liked Master Quin, even if she terrified him.

His gaze lowered slightly to his paws again as he thought over her answer. The darkness dictating terms. He rolled the phrase around carefully in his head, trying to understand exactly what she meant by it. He hadn't seen much death yet in his life, only through natural causes and reports from off Naboo of Jedi dying in battle.

"My Master used to say fear makes people lose pieces of themselves," Warren said quietly after a moment. "Not all at once. Just...small pieces, until they become someone else." He paused as he looked back out toward the tunnels ahead of them. "Is that what you mean?"

The younger Jedi shifted slightly in his seat again, relaxing more now that they were deeper beneath the water and engaged in conversation. "I do not understand everything about the Force yet," he admitted, his voice more thoughtful now than uncertain. "But I think I understand that." He paused, thinking of all the times he had been too scared to ask questions, or to stand up for himself. "Fear, I mean."

He looked back over toward Ala, studying her for a moment. She did not seem larger than life anymore. Not like the invincible Grand Master he had known from his Archives and Temple studies. She was, in that moment, someone who had suffered greatly and kept choosing to help people anyway. Warren could understand that, he could empathize with it.

"I do not think a bad Jedi could survive all of that and still choose to help people." His tone was soft, careful. He didn't want to sound like he was telling the Grand Master she was wrong. He just wanted her to know that bad things did not make bad people.

Tag: Ala Quin
Location: Approaching the Gungans
Objective: Don't be sad =(