The Doctor is in.

[Sha'so]

Sha'do hadn't gone far, just as far as the ramp at the rear of the ship where she found a supply crate to sit on. She drew her knees to her chest and her tail curled neatly around her with a sigh. She probably shouldn't have gotten mad at Valkren or Travot, she knew they didn't mean any harm, but she couldn't help how she felt. She didn't like being pitied, didn't like the way it made her felt, like she was somehow inferior to them because of her situation. Add to that, she was still nervous that her Master had survived the attack and that he might still come after her, and after the long trip from Nar Shadda she was hungry and tired, she just couldn't take the pity right now!

Tears burned in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She was not weak, tears were for the weak! Or so she had been told by her Master. She found it strange that she would call to mind her training under her cruel Master when she was so terrified of him finding her, but at least he had acknowledged her strength... Valkren had acknowledged her strength too, but seeing the sickened expression on his face when he saw she had no tongue made her wonder if she had made the right choice to leave with him.

[member="Valkren Calderon"] | [member="Travot Ravenna"]

 

[Travot Ravenna]

Travot nodded as he listened to [member="Valkren Calderon"]. That's a tough life, to put it mildly...but it can be overcome. Many of us have all stories of regret and sadness in our past, but it's a matter of if we choose to dwell upon them, or acknowledge them and move on into the future. Travot briefly closed his eyes and reached out to feel for [member="Sha'do"]'s presence in the Force. She's not far away...that's something of a relief. He turned his gaze to the soldier.

"She's still inside the ship," informed Travot, "at least for the moment."

The jedi quickly strolled through the ship to find [member="Sha'do"] near the ship's ramp. He slapped a button on the side of the walkway. A low-pitched whine flooded the cabin as the ramp began to lower, but Travot did not look outside. Instead, he looked straight into the cathar's eyes.

"I'm sorry if I offended you earlier. Would you like to take a walk outside for a bit, maybe to help clear out our minds?" offered the jedi, "I imagine you've been cooped up in a ship for quite some time now..."

 

[Sha'so]

Sha'do peeked over her knees at Travot, considering his offer for a moment before finally nodding. She lowered her paws back to the floor and rose from the supply crate to follow after him, eventually walking by his side. There was still a hesitation in her gait and she kept her distance from him, but they were still in range of each other that she could hear him easily. She knew he probably wouldn't understand, but she made the hand gesture she had been taught to indicate that she was sorry, and she was. None of this had been Valkren's or Travot's fault, she was just tense and she wasn't dealing with all this change very well.

[member="Valkren Calderon"] | [member="Travot Ravenna"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren would begin to follow Travot, before stopping and letting the jedi take several more steps forward. The commando turned to the table and picked up the bottle that was gifted to him by the long neck, carrying it over toward where his friend disappeared to.

Too good to waste..

He'd follow after them and stand directly behind Travot as he spoke. Valkren sighed, looking to the ground beneath them. He felt horrible for putting Sha'do on the spot like that, and he didn't know what he could do to make it up to her. As the pair walked out of the ship to stroll around and give Sha'do some air, the Sergeant sighed, sitting back against the ramp and eventually laying down. Yeah, that was nice..So many people take advantage of the idea of resting. To just sit back and watch the universe go to work and change itself. That's all he wanted to do in the end, but he didn't have the time for 'rest.' He'd tilt the bottle back, holding it by the long neck. The mouth of the smoky bottle touched his lips, letting him take a quick sip.

He felt bad for Sha'do, he wanted this to be a good thing for her, to help her actually start her life. Maybe he shouldn't have brought her..

[member="Sha'do"]| [member="Travot Ravenna"]

 

[Travot Ravenna]

Travot led them out of the reaches of civilization into the kingwood forest that surrounded the jedi academy. The trees's broad leaves came down to shade the trio from the evening sun as they followed a partially overgrown dirt path. Travot spared a glance at [member="Sha'do"] and [member="Valkren Calderon"].

"I like to spend a lot of my time here," mused the large man, "enjoying the solace of the wilderness...The Force permeates this world in stronger than most, and I find it peaceful to dwell in it here...but there comes a time when you have to leave it."

They quickly passed through a clearing to reveal the Academy itself, rising up among the mountains towards the sky. Travot turned to face the pair.

"There is a side entrance a kilometer away...it shouldn't be too busy right now...but that whiskey is probably going to attract some attention. Once we're inside, maybe we can see if there is a place for you, [member="Sha'do"]. What do you guys say?"

 

[Sha'so]

Sha'do nodded distractedly, but she wasn't really looking at the Academy, but the rather the forest around them. She didn't really get the sense that Travot was really talking to her, more at her, so she sort of tuned him out by the time he started talking about the Academy. She didn't really care about the Academy right now...

Sometimes when it was late at night and Sha'do lay beside the man who had violated her or she was in her cage all beaten and bloody after he had taken his frustrations out on her, she would recede into the depths of her mind and find her light. She didn't know it was the Force, she didn't really have any understanding of what the Force was, all she knew was she had this light within her and it was warm and when she held it she didn't feel so alone or scared. the light had been so weak while she was collared, but it still gave her comfort. In the long nights when she was afraid to sleep, she would talk to it, even though she couldn't speak, but it would listen and even though she heard no words she could feel it responding. After a while, she just got to the point where she was always touching this light, she was afraid that if she let it go it would disappear...

Now that her collar had been removed and her light burned brightly in her, she could hear and feel things she could have never dreamed of! This forest was... alive! She wandered over to a large tree and pressed herself against it, pressing an ear to the giant, gnarled trunk. It was so happy to be alive, soaking up the rays of the sun and providing shade to the people who walked underneath, provided homes for animals... Nothing could make this tree any happier!

I hear you...

And the tree could hear her and told her as much, even though it didn't use words like she did. Sha'do smiled. So much light around her, it took her breath away!

I've never seen a tree before... you're more beautiful than I imagined.

She could feel the forest laugh, feel its appreciation. Yes, she could be happy here... But then she looked to Travot and then to the Academy. She didn't know about that place... But then she got the sense that the forest was laughing at her again, urging her to give the temple people a chance. She was still so wary, so unsure of what to do, though suddenly she realized that she must have looked quite silly hugging a tree, so she quickly stepped away and tried to act like no one had seen her, returning to Travot's side as if she hadn't done anything.

[member="Travot Ravenna"]

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren remained there, tilting the bottle into the air once more to take another gulp.

I'll just wait here, maybe by the time Travot gets back..I'll ask him.

He'd smirk to himself, looking down at the bottle and shrugging. "That's not half bad.."

(Short post for just sitting around, sorry!)

[member="Sha'do"] | [member="Travot Ravenna"]

 

[Travot Ravenna]

Travot turned his gaze onto [member="Sha'do"] and reached out with the Force to gently brush up against her aura. He blinked. She seems happier here...but it is a new world, perhaps...a new start? The jedi briefly shook his head. I shouldn't speculate like that...as much as I hope it is true. Travot glanced at [member="Valkren Calderon"] and his new kissing partner, the whiskey bottle.

"We'll be back shortly, hopefully. Try not to get too hammered while we're away," smirked the man, "and remember, drink water."

Travot turned his attention to [member="Sha'do"], "The academy has a lot of people from all over the galaxy. Try not to take their first impressions too hard. There's more than one jedi master around who sometimes likes to act as if he's five..."

Someone who is far too much of a fan of the late Master Yoda...Travot began to walk towards the academy. Hopefully we will not run into him today...

 

[Sha'so]

Sha'do eyed Travot warily when she felt his aura brush up against hers, but it did not diminish the happy buzz she felt from the forest. She still felt a little silly for doing that, but in her defense she had really never seen a tree before! Although seeing Valkren drinking again was killing her happy mood, but she suppressed a growl and managed to continue on with Travot without blowing up the whiskey bottle.

As she walked with Travot, she really started to take in the grand structure that was the Academy. She was still nervous about this place, but she nodded to Travot that she would give this place and the people a chance. After all, the forest seemed to like these people so they couldn't be all that bad...

[member="Travot Ravenna"]

 

[Travot Ravenna]

The two strolled onto the academy grounds, with Travot waving to several padawans whom he knew from either his classes or his other pursuits. Several of them gave brief but curious gazes at [member="Sha'do"], but none of them asked. It wasn't unusual for padawans to bring representatives from their home worlds or their pasts lives before the Order to show people around the Academy. The deeper they went on the academy grounds, the stronger its presence became. The school had become light side force nexus from all of the jedi who had trained on the world over the thousands of years the academy had been open. It was reassuring and familiar presence to the man, yet it was one that he was not sure how the feline-like alien would react to. They took several flights of stairs to stand before a plain counter where a well-worn but highly maintained protocol droid stood. It offered a curt half-bow as the large man neared the counter.

"Master Ravenna, I see that you have a guest today. Will you be wanting a guest room for her?"

"Yes."

"Very well Master Ravenna," said the droid pulling out a datapad, "please sign here, and here..."

Travot began to sign the areas where the droid had indicated while the droid fetched an old-fashioned keycard that he quickly pawned off to [member="Sha'do"]. In truth, the keycard wouldn't be able to keep out a determined force-user, like many of the jedi in the academy, from accessing anyone's room. But it did make sure that honest mistakes didn't happen; which was a particular problem among some of the younglings and younger padawans. Travot turned to face [member="Sha'do"] as he finished signing the scandocs.

"Do you have any questions, or anything we need to go grab?" asked Travot, "oh, before I forget, we do have a supply issue point if you need any personal items...shampoo, conditioner...that sort of thing..."

 

[Sha'so]

Sha'do blinked at Travot. Was... he trying to tell her that she smelled? She was wearing a new tunic but... A cautious sniff at herself confirmed that she was in need of a decent rinse. She could still smell blood and sweat from the skirmish on Nar Shadda, all marinating under the 'fresh from the factory' scent of her tunic. Uhg, how had she not noticed it before now? Probably too tired, not to mention distracted with everything that had been going on. Once she worked out a shudder, she nodded at his offer, then looked to the droid, reaching for the datapad it was holding. She made a writing gesture to show that she needed it. The droid cleared the information off the datapad now that is was done registering her as a guest, then handed the datapad to her.

'I do need some basic hygiene supplies, and new clothes, this tunic is itching me terribly. And can I have a datapad to keep with me?' she wrote, then handed it to Travot. Though she quickly grabbed it back and added, 'Oh, and I am very, very hungry.'

[member="Travot Ravenna"]

 

[Travot Ravenna]

Travot's eyes scrawled over the datapad's surface before focusing in on her eyes.

"By all means," said Travot, "feel free to keep it."

"Master Ravenna," suggested the droid, "I might suggest you that when you talk to my logistics counterpart, that you request the patron package. It should have everything the lady has listed, and a couple of extras."

"Ah, thanks H3, I appreciate it," said Travot, "let's go grab that package, shall we?"

The duo left the office and moved down a hallway to the guest services desk, where a droid that looked almost identical to H3 stood. Travot could only physically distinguish the two from a slightly different glint on K5's right shoulder pauldron, which was an aftermarket replacement part installed after a crate had fallen on the old protocol droid some twenty years ago. Travot offered a polite smile to the droid.

"Hello K5," said Travot, gesturing at [member="Sha'do"], "I have a guest with me today. H3 suggested that I request the patron package for her..."

K5 briefly glanced at her before shuffling to the back shelves, "An excellent recommendation if I do say so myself. I don't know how you jedi manage to bring anyone back here. After all of your adventures, constantly ruining your guest's clothing after rambling around in the forest or doing whatever it is you people do these days...back in my time, jedi were much more...civilized, some would say...not myself...mind you...but other organics....and droids..."

I really hope I didn't get him too started...The droid returned carrying a small duraplast crate which he promptly set down before the newcomer. But the droid's photoreceptors quickly turned to burn into Travot's gaze.

"Now, as a proper gentleman, Master Ravenna," started the droid, "I expect you to keep me informed about any needs that the lady might have. Is that understood?"

"Yes, thank you K5," said the jedi, turning his attention to [member="Sha'do"], "Better check the contents, if there's anything else you need that's not in there, we can grab it now..."

 

[Sha'so]

The droid was chatty, but it made Sha'do smile. A proper gentleman? How cute!

Upon Travot's recommendation, she looked inside the crate. Goodness, she got a whole crate of stuff? Granted, it was just a small crate, but it was still more than she'd ever owned in her life! Her eyes went wide when she saw the contents. So much stuff, she didn't know what to do with it all! All she needed was a change of clothing and a bar of soap, but what she was given felt like too much! And she knew it couldn't be cheap. Was she to pay for this? No, they were offering it to her, not asking for compensation. They even asked if she needed more. How could she need more?! Eventually, she closed the crate and nodded. This was all fine, she didn't need anything more than this.

[member="Travot Ravenna"]

 

[Travot Ravenna]

Travot began to escort [member="Sha'do"] down the hallway to the guest quarters area. His green eyes flitted around the aurebesh characters stenciled at the intersections of the hallways and near the large rooms. He had never spent much time in this particular part of the Academy, in large part because he had never brought a guest to it before. His immediate family was dead, and it was likely that the more distant relatives were members of the Jensaarai Sect; not against the jedi per se, but not entirely at ease with them either. Travot couldn't imagine taking some of his fringe contacts to the academy either: most of them were far too rough and morally gray for Travot to even consider it an option. But he wondered if [member="Sha'do"] might bring someone here eventually.

They rounded several bends and walked up a staircase before they had reached her room.

"I think I will leave you here for a little bit to get settled in, shower, change, that sort of thing," said Travot, "I'm going to head back to see the sergeant and finish up the meal I started there. Oh, but if you're hungry, you're welcome to join me back on my ship for food, or to call up for food from the academy kitchen staff: there is room service in this portion of the academy...maybe because it's more of a hotel for visitors rather than a permanent apartment..."

With that said, the jedi padawan briefly bowed and took his leave of the feline-like alien. The wanderer navigated his way through the rest of the Academy complex before entering the grounds of the school. His eyes briefly rose up to glance at the fading sun. It'll be getting dark soon...He approached [member="Valkren Calderon"] and smiled.

"You didn't finish the whole bottle, did you?"

 

[Sha'so]

Sha'do stood in the doorway for a long while just starting at her room. It was small, but cozy, had a nice view of the grounds and the forest beyond. She rather liked it. She entered the room and set her supply crate on the modest but comfortable bed. It was warmed by the afternoon sun pouring through the window. Yeah, she could get used to this!

As Sha'do took a seat on the bed and began to unpack the supplies she had been given, she thought about how much was changing for her. It was all so much much so fast and she didn't know if she could handle it all. And she was still so wary of these strangers, she didn't know if she could trust them. But they were doing so much for her... She would give these people a chance, right after a bath!

 

[Valkren Calderon]

Valkren looked up from the ramp of Travot's ship, a grin across his face from ear to ear as he was catching a slight buzz. Unfortunately, the Jedi wasn't gone long enough to let him finish the bottle.

"You wish, don't ya'? So you wouldn't to be tempted to drink this great bottle of.." He'd lift the bottle and squint at the label, honestly never hearing about it before his comrade told him about it. "Whatever it is."

"So, How's [member="Sha'do"] doing?"

[member="Travot Ravenna"]

 

[Travot Ravenna]

Travot ruefully grinned as [member="Valkren Calderon"]'s spoke about the alcohol. The truth was that Travot was something of a packrat. While wasn't sure what would have happened to it if the soldier didn't get to it, he was certain that at least one jedi knight was glad that it was gone. After all, some of the younglings and younger padawans that hopped aboard his ship for a ride anywhere could be tempted by that bottle, yet the man couldn't bear to throw away something that was still good. Perhaps that was a part of a throwback to his days on the hardscrabble outer rim.

"I feel that [member="Sha'do"] can make it here if she wants to," said the jedi, leaning up against a nearby tree, "she seems to me to be feeling more at ease. I'm guessing that she's going to be getting settled in for a bit. Would you like to finish our meal on the ship, or perhaps play a game of sabacc and catch up on things?"

 

[Valkren Calderon]

"Whatever you would like, friend. Maybe find something else nice to drink? We really do need to catch up." The commando would lift a hand up, trying to get a helping hand off of the ramp.

He was buzzed, one of the only times he was actually calmed and happy when he wasn't with his fellow squadmates. However, now that he got to know [member="Travot Ravenna"] alittle better, maybe he'd be able to find comfort with his new-found friend here.