Private The End of the Line

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

Her relief at being back on solid ground was woefully short lived.​

​

She had emerged from the transport shuttle into a world of sensory overload, where a trillion lives flourished within the stacked cityscape which reached up toward Coruscant Prime. Bright artificial lights illuminated every nook and cranny of the upper levels, despite the majesty of day being upon them, and swathes of beings walked at a pace so hurried that it was dizzying to keep up with. If she had found Prosperity overwhelming then this was all together more incomprehensible.​

​

It had taken every ounce of her will and concentration to navigate the bustling ecumenopolis, even when directed by an assigned protocol droid. Innumerable species converged there, in the heart of the Galaxy, and though she had thought herself well informed on such things there were so many she did not recognize. It was all she could do not to stare, before the next new sight came along. And then the next. Meanwhile the aroma of a thousand different cuisines wafted through the air, forcing her stomach into a series of somersaults.​

​

By the time she arrived at the Jedi Temple, which was in truth just a small stones throw away from where she had landed, Auraya had a faraway look in her eye and a slight tremor which gripped her core. Every measure of her training over the years was being called to the front lines, to keep her mind as close to at peace as the circumstances could allow for, but as she scaled the steps and entered what was potentially her new home an all together different battle arose.​

​

The Initiate had seemingly exhausted all that the only enclave she'd ever known had to offer. This was it, Auraya was sure, the end of the line. And she couldn't help but wonder who the last Master she'd be disappointing was going to be.​

 

[Zaavik Perl]

CORUSCANT // JEDI TEMPLE
Auraya Irath-Ur

"A Padawan? Me? I mean, you want me to take an apprentice!?" Zaavik had been surprised to hear the decision, and also rather perturbed given the fact that he didn't have any say in it. Am I really fit to train someone, Zaavik wondered. Freshly Knighted, and with a rocky apprenticeship preceding it. He had his suspicions that his accolade as a 'war hero' after Korriban was the only reason he'd earned the rank. They were both bestowed upon him on the same day, after all. Truthfully, it felt like little more than a fluke. All the smiles and congratulations looked empty, hollow, ostensibly genuine.

He could have protested, as he usually did. Dogged refusal worked for Zaavik more frequently than it probably should have. His flavor of Jedi, the Shadow, was in high demand and low supply. It allowed him to get away with more than he should have, given how precious the order considered the skillset. The SIA connections didn't hurt either, though those were starting to become more of a danger than a benefit as of late.

In the end, he decided, this one probably wasn't worth fighting. While it was more than he preferred to have on his plate, he supposed it couldn't hurt. Probably. Hopefully. The presiding authority over the assignment also had a certain insistence about them. The energy to get past it just wasn't something he possessed at the moment. Korriban, Tepasi, Zeltros, Midvinter, between them all he'd been run absolutely ragged. This would either end well or go so badly they'd retract the assignment. He wasn't sure which of the two he preferred as 'best case'.

Zaavik waited just beyond the designated arrival spot at the temple. He'd been given the name and description of the would-be apprentice, and nothing more. The lack of information beyond that was a bit troubling. Zaavik Dagoth was a Shadow, and to a Shadow, information was the skeleton key to the lock of success. He couldn't imagine what they were keeping from him, or why for that matter. It was more than a little frustrating.

A tall, young-looking woman arrived through the entrance threshold. A quick look over, and she checked every box of the description he'd been given. A quiet sigh escaped his lungs. Well, here we go, he thought to himself. He pushed off the wall he'd been leaning on and began his approach, boots tapping with a clamor the echoed through the superfluous, acoustic spaces of the temple interior.

Nearly every facet of his appearance betrayed the traditional look of a Jedi. Leather jacket, an undershirt with an erratic graphic of some Wreckpunk band, Corellian cowboy boots, tight jeans, and all of them in similar uninteresting shades of black. The only indication of being a Jedi at all was the saber hilt coupled to his belt that peeked just beneath the brim of his jacket.

"Auraya?" The accostation was sudden. A distant, aloof intonation that inflected little excitement or geniunie curiosity.

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

The protocol droid left her just within the entrance of the Temple, shrilling on about how she was to stay put and wait for further instruction in a tone that was both formal and detached. She wondered for a moment just where exactly she might have been able to wander off to if left to her own devices, which corners of the Temple could she unearth if given enough time. These fleeting thoughts were swiftly overshadowed by an impending sense of dread that wracked her gut, discomforted by the uncertainty of what lay ahead.​

​

In the end the girl did as she was bid, though the urge to flee was paramount she knew nothing outside of this life. Last chance or not at least there was something to be had here, if only for a time. She wasn't quite ready to discover what lay outside of their Order just yet. What could she possibly offer the Galaxy that she hadn't already proven terrible at?​

​

She forced herself to focus upon her breathing. If nothing else she knew how to do that one simple task. To quieten her mind, batten down the hatches against such intrusive thoughts and remind herself of why it was that she was even here. The Force flowed through her, just as it flowed through all who called these halls home. Even a gnawing sense of imposter syndrome could not wholly overshadow that.​

​

Her attire was somewhere between traditional and New Jedi Order, simple in styling, lightweight and functional, to look upon her you would have no doubt of her cloistered existence though there was a distinct lack of robes. Her hair was pulled back from her face in a series of braids that formed a greater one down her back. No sign of a Padawan braid was present, though those who expected such a tradition to be adhered to were few and far between. Still, one extra braid wouldn't look amiss surely?​

​

She had minimal belongings upon her person. A simple satchel flung over her shoulder housed a change of clothes as well as a simple datapad crammed with notes. There was a lightsaber upon her belt but anyone who knew more than just the bare minimum about them would note that the intensity settings were down, making it little more than a training hilt.​

​

So sure, all in all the girl looked as though she was supposed to be there... And yet she had never felt so out of place in all her life. In fact when the voice did finally accost her she jumped slightly, the way one might when snooping around somewhere they shouldn't have been. If even noticed, she was quick to recover and turned to face the man who had spoken.​

​

"I, uh. Yep. That's me." She offered him a smile, perhaps to detract from her racing heartbeat which had yet to recover from the fright, and hastily lowered her head into a bow. It wasn't immediately obvious whether he was a fellow Jedi or not, after all she hadn't observed the hilt he carried just yet, but he was here within the Temple. Surely that afforded him respect, no?​

​

Zaavik Perl ​

 

[Zaavik Perl]

CORUSCANT // JEDI TEMPLE
Auraya Irath-Ur

"Zaav- Er, Knight Dagoth," he offered flatly. His face suddenly contorted curiously as if he was having a disagreement with no one in particular. "But Zaavik is fine," he finally added.

A small, purse-lipped smile was manifested afterward. He didn't return the bowing gesture, indifferent cerulean mirrors simply surveilling the motion. He'd inherited a smooth apathy for the formal customs and indications from his former master. Much to the displeasure of a significant swath of his colleagues, but his perceived merits tended to afford him some leeway in that regard.

Something chiseled away at his initially stoic facade, a rhythmic pulsing emanating out of the force much like- A heartbeat. Zaavik raised a brow, visage dropping into an inquisitive configuration. She was nervous, he sensed. That, or she'd caught a sizeable whiff of his rather vexing pheromonal excretions. He hoped it was the former. He made mental note to get her a regulation shot to avoid that becoming an issue in the future.

"Never been to the Temple before, huh? That, or it's been a while?" He smirked, a humorous scoff escaping his thinly parted lips like a whisper. "Don't get used to it. I'm almost never here," he explained, alluding to the fact that he was the 'master' who was the icon of her dread. Calling Zaavik a master of anything was being generous, but apparently, the contingent of people with actual experience thought he was good enough for this.

Somehow.

A cortosis-lined cybernetic raised to scratch at his chin. He shot a half-grimaced glare at two of his traditionally robed colleagues who happened to pass by just then. Servos in the finger joints whirred audibly with every stroke. Weathered metallic grays had a dull gleam against the chamber's artificial lighting. Not a single fiber of synthflesh to be found anywhere. Zaavik wore that particular failure like a dunce cap, a willing display of self-deprecation to discourage a second slip-up.

A sideways nod of his head gestured somewhere elsewhere as the hand dropped to his side. "Walk with me," he said. A quick turn on his heels heralded a stride opposite where she'd entered.

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

Never had she been so glad to have erred on the side of caution as in that moment, as the man revealed himself as not only a fellow Jedi but a Jedi Knight. Those, she had learned, were few and far between these days. At least in this sector of space. She caught wind of his contentious expression when returning her gaze to his face, and added to his peculiar choice in attire was quick to conclude that he was not at all a traditionalist.​

​

Still, Auraya would not be swift in the dismissal of her earlier teachings. Respect was owed to those above her, regardless of whether or not they particularly adhered to it themselves. By now, with a handful of slow and steady breaths taken, her heart had slowed to a more steady thump. Though she stood before a pheromone laden Zeltron, now that the adrenaline caused by the scare was over she showed no further signs of being distracted by it. Blades and Force she might not have mastered, but self-control? Well, she had to start somewhere.​

​

"No, never," she responded, biting back the first signs of a frown which threatened to leap upon her lips. Was she really so easy to read? Perhaps all who stumbled upon such a cityscape for the first time bore the same shell-shocked expression. Perhaps he had mistaken it for awe, after all the Temple was quite the inspiring sight... if admittedly vacuous. It took her brain a moment to catch up with the remainder of what had been said, to fully comprehend the connotations of his words, and then everything clicked into place.​

​

This was to be the one who trained her, then? She had faced Jedi as old as time itself, or writhe with experience, been taught by all manner of beings who believed their teaching styles would break through to her. But this... This was certainly different. He didn't seem all that much older than she, and if appearances were to believed he was much less of a stickler for traditions than those of the Enclave. Was that for the best?​

​

She supposed she had no right to question it. No leg to stand on, so to speak. Either the Jedi knew what they were doing with this assignment, or they really had given up on her. Time would surely tell. Still, it was interesting that he had not already been informed of her rather insular life before now, that he was unsure of whether she had even visited Coruscant ahead of today. One look at her file should have shown she'd been rather stuck in place. One Enclave for as long as she could recall.​

​

Unless they hadn't given him her files.​

​

Oh, Force, had they not given him her files?​

​

Was this her chance at a fresh start, without the burdens of her past failures held over her head? Once more she felt her heart racing.​

​

His words brought her out of her panic, and without missing a step she hastily followed after him, deeper into the Temple. She should say something, she knew, something more than just the handful of words she'd managed to utter, but though a thousand options flitted about her mind she could not quite bring herself to push them into existence. So she remained silent, afraid that any stray word might reveal the hopelessness of the cause he'd been given.​

 

[Zaavik Perl]

CORUSCANT // JEDI TEMPLE
Auraya Irath-Ur

"Well, take it all in," he began. "Because if you're stuck with me, you're not going to be seeing this place as much as you might have hoped or expected." Zaavik had decided as soon as he'd resigned himself to this fate how he was going to teach. The same way Allyson Locke had taught him: Hands-on, in the field, little room for error. Criticisms of the method were far from uncommon, but he had made it this far, hadn't he? Close calls aside, it'd molded him into the Shadow he was today. Zaavik didn't undervalue the occasional trip to the Temple for classes or study though, but it'd be a rare occasion rather than the norm.

His eyes followed one of the monolithic pillars up toward the sprawling canopy. Something about the esoteric shapes and edges of the reliefs and curves within did admittedly spark awe in him to this day. "It is something to behold though, ain't it?"

He led her out of the foyer and into one of the main corridors. As they trekked deeper, foot traffic picked up to a near-crowd of Jedi of all peoples, sizes, ages, and ranks going about their daily routines.

"Zaavik!" A lispy voice called out, originating from an Arkanian youngling. "You see the Limmie game last night? Zeltros got totally smashed!"

A humorous scoff escaped Zaavik's lungs. He turned slightly to acknowledge, not stopping his forward march. "Yeah, only took Arkania one-hundred years to figure out how to win away from home, huh? History in the making."

The youngling's jaw dropped, making a face as if he'd never been so offended in his life as Zaavik continued walking.

"Oh! Knight Zaavk!" A feminine voice called out from somewhere beyond the menagerie of Jedi around.

Zaavik groaned a clear inflection that he recognized the voice. Both of his hands slid into his jacket pockets in a similar gesture to a tortoise retreating into its shell. A Lethan Twi'lek waded through the crowd to walk next to the pair. Her robes and vestments just as robotically conformist as everyone else around.

"I was wondering if you wanted t-"

"No."

"But-"

"I said no, Kata."

The Twi'lek's pace slowed, and the dogged pace of Zaavik left her behind to disappear into the crowd. His lip had curled along with a flare of his nostrils. A displeased expression he kept pointed toward the floor. "Foitan banas," For fuck's sake, he uttered quietly in his native speech. A sigh of relief came when they rounded a corner to a much less populated passage. Barren, almost.

"Sorry," he offered flatly. "This is the fastest way," he then explained vaguely. A brow raised as he turned to look his new apprentice over. "So, what's your deal? They refused to tell me anything besides your name and a description so I'd see you coming. What, you got some kind of expunged history? I don't get what all the omittance is for."

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

The idea that she would soon enough be seeing more of the Galaxy than she had ever before anticipated brought butterflies to life within her stomach, excitement mixed with anxiety bubbling up within her. Even now, treading deeper into the Temple as they were, she could feel the countless lifeforms around them, the chaos of Coruscant beyond their doors ever on the edge of her senses. It was overwhelming to say the least... And if she could not find a way to take it in her stride, to handle this sudden change in environment, how could she ever adjust to other planets?​

​

"I look forward to it, Master," was all she managed to respond, not exactly a lie but certainly far from the complete truth. It would be wonderful to be able to explore new cultures and climates, to get out there and actually be a Jedi. Maybe it would serve to toughen her up, make her think on her toes, to trust her instinct when there was no real safety net to fall back upon.​

​

Or maybe it would spell the end of her journey, both as a Jedi and as Auraya the living.​

​

No, she would not think on that.​

​

The next few minutes were spent feeling like a relative fly on the wall, accompanying the Jedi who walked just ahead of her yet well and truly out of the loop. Youngsters approached him with a gleam in their eye, casual in their discussions, then a woman tried to borrow more of his time than Knight Zaavik was willing to give. In fact, she seemed rather incessant.​

​

Throughout it all Auraya more or less kept her head down, though she happily observed the architecture of the place. The further in they got the more crowded the Temple became, until it was as though she was standing outside amidst the busy streets of Coruscant once more. She wanted to cover her ears, close her eyes, find some corner to crawl into until night fell and the place was still once more.... Instead she inhaled a shaky breath and focused on her teachings. Breathe in, breathe out, keep it slow. Remove thoughts from the mind... Rinse and repeat.​

​

Auraya had never quite understood the practice of movement meditation until right that very moment, when it was all that kept her from crumpling to the ground in a pathetic pile. It was enough to hold her together until they evaded the Twi'lek and rounded into a quieter corridor. But what solace she might have drawn from it was almost immediately shattered as her apparent Master began to verbally poke and prod at her.​

​

She swallowed, like some cartoon gulp where the character knows they're done for, and set her gaze to anywhere but his face as he turned toward her.​

​

"I'm not sure why you haven't received my files, Master..." A true enough statement to be sure, though she knew that that alone would never do. This was it, the time to shatter any illusions he might have had about the worth of his Padawan. No doubt he'd be finding the one responsible for this assignment before the day was over, requesting a change.​

​

Unable to find something to settle her gaze upon, she instead dropped her eyes to her feet and stood rather sheepishly before him. New leaf turned? Hardly.​

​

"P-Perhaps they didn't want you to say no to the assignment," she finally uttered, voice far more hushed and reserved than it had been prior, "You would not be the first Master they've assigned me to..." She shuffled in place, unsure of how much she wanted to divulge. Would he assume she was simply a trouble maker? There had been others in recent years who had thought as much until they saw her pristine record where behavior was concerned. Some of them she could have sworn would almost have preferred that. Behaviour could be readily adjusted, after all, with patience and the right hand.​

​

Auraya's problems, however, were far more deeply ingrained than that.​

 

[Zaavik Perl]

CORUSCANT // JEDI TEMPLE
Auraya Irath-Ur

"I'm not sure why you haven't received my files, Master..."​

Zaavik winced at that particular combination of syllables: Master. Something about it made him uncomfortable. Maybe he didn't feel worthy of it? Perhaps it carried the weighty implications of responsibility that he'd done his best so far not the think about? Fear of failure creeping in on verbal cue? It was hard to pinpoint, but whatever it was, his perturbation was visibly apparent.

In truth, Zaavik wanted to say no before he had even the first of the sparse details given. He was unworthy, unready, and unprepared for a student, but here she was anyway. It was too late to turn her away now. Besides, she had already come all this way, she at least deserved a shot, right? Or at least, that's how Zaavik kept justifying this to himself. He would have loved nothing more to dump this responsibility altogether.

But what kind of Jedi would he be then?

Fuck me, he lamented internally. Another sigh of many pushed out of his lungs, this time laden with a feeling of defeat. Not the first master they'd assigned her to? Zaavik figured that could only mean they kept dying, or she kept disappointing. Which was worse: an omen, or a failure?

His features tightened with a conflicted sense of empathy. If they've left her to him, she could very well be at the end of her rope, right? Where would he be if someone didn't bet on him when he was in a similar position? The Streets of Zeltros still? Dead? "Fuck me," he lamented again, this time beneath a hushed breath rather than in his head. She needed a chance, even if he didn't like it.

Do unto others, right?

"Don't worry about it," he said. They hooked a left turn and emerged through two large sliding doors onto the Temple's landing platform. Coruscanti skyline stretched in all directions, air-traffic littered around, along with incoming and outgoing ships. A few steps put him ahead before he spun around, walking backwards to face Auraya. "Whatever the reason, doesn't change anything now. We're stuck together, no point dwelling what came before."

His left hand slipped out of his pocket, a keyfob clenched between his prosthetic fingers. Metallic thumb clicked a button and a parked rent-a-speeder chimed loudly. The transpisteel bubbled over the top retracted and the doors raised upward at ninety-degree angles. "Hope you got a good look," he mentioned in regards to the Temple. "Time to show you your new digs."

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

If Auraya heard the under-the-breath cursing uttered by her would-be Master, she did not show it. ​

​

As quickly as he had turned to face her he continued their journey, and the girl lifted her head once more in order to keep up with him. Until this point she had been doing a fairly good job of coping with the stressors in her surroundings, but the moment that they stepped out onto the landing platform that thin veneer seemed to shatter. She crawled to a halt even before he came to a stop of his own, barely hearing a word he said as the full magnitude of Coruscant swarmed her every sense.​

​

For a moment there it was as though she was locked within her mind; she fought to move, to brush it off, to do anything she might to alleviate the situation and keep Zaavik from realizing anything was even remotely amiss. A moment turned into several, as she stood just outside of the sliding doors.​

​

Stop it, she begged herself, Stop it, stop it, stop it.​

​

When the speeder chimed she let out a shuddery breath, and felt the resistance in her feet melt away. She nodded once, though what she was answering she did not even know, and hastily moved toward the speeder without addressing it.​

​

Her mind back-peddled some, recalling the snippets of conversation she'd zoned out. She wasn't a damn mute. He didn't want a mute as a Padawan. She had to give him something of substance in response. She began to block out the cityscape, one sense at a time, until all that she could see was the man before her and the speeder at his back. That was all she needed to be aware of right now. The rest of it was irrelevant.​

​

"Thank you," she finally said, though she wasn't so certain he was doing it to be nice. Perhaps he simply did not want to know her shortcomings just yet. Maybe he too was hoping that she could use the opportunity to begin anew, without added pressures. Would that work? This was a fresh start, after all. New planet, new surroundings... "I appreciate the opportunity. I'm sorry if I'm not what you were expecting, but I do promise to work hard."​

​

That was something she knew how to do, after all. It's all she'd ever done. Even if it hadn't gotten her very far.​

 

[Zaavik Perl]

CORUSCANT // JEDI TEMPLE
Auraya Irath-Ur

"I appreciate the opportunity. I'm sorry if I'm not what you were expecting, but I do promise to work hard."​

Zaavik walked around to the driver's side of the rent-a-speeder. He looked over the top towards his new learner, silent, blank regard lingering for a moment. "Don't worry about it," he said again. "You'll do fine." No insincerity could be felt in his intentions, but his tone didn't exactly play to sincerity either. The door popped open as he moved down to get in the seat. "C'mon."

The speeder's interior was clean, bland, and still reeked of newness. They floated slowly through congested skylanes for several minutes before speeding to an easy cruise once alternate routes were taken as an alternative. Zaavik's impatience didn't sit well in Coruscanti traffic. He didn't go out of his way to initiate any semblance of a conversation on the ride. The slightly-louder-than-necessary Heavy Isotope that played over the comm radio was deliberate for that very purpose.

Half an album had played by the time they arrived at the apartment sky tower. A turbolift took them from the parking complex to the appropriate floor. Floor One-hundred thirty-eight, block three, apartment XR4. From an inside pocket, he removed a remote key and held it up to the door control. The panel chimed twice with a pleasing note and the door slid open. With a deft flourish, he rolled the key between his fingers has he handed it out to her. Once she'd retrieved it, he'd head inside.

It was identical to his in layout, although mirrored. A small living room opened up into a kitchen at the left corner. A bathroom door around the corner, and a bedroom door on the far right. It was furnished with the basic suite of amenities that came standard with the apartment itself. Nothing special, but not totally devoid of any character, either. Dull, utilitarian character, but not barren, at least. Allyson Locke hadn't made him stay in the Padawan Dorms at the Temple, and leading by her example, he wasn't going to make Auraya either.

Although, Allyson had been a Master. A second apartment was affordable. For a Knight, though, well... He'd convinced the council for a stipend but there was no telling how sustainable it was going to be. "It ain't much, but it's yours. I'm across the hall, in case you need anything." Another mark from his old Master's book. Her apartment was empty now. Truthfully, he'd miss her always being close by. The occasional rhythmic bumping in the night, though? Not so much.

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

The lengthy periods of time between conversation were unnerving given the short time they'd known one another; there was no reason yet for her to feel comfortable within it, instead it seemed to speak a thousand responses he had not uttered, left her with a billion things to mull over.​

​

As she slipped into the passenger seat of the speeder alongside him, and the loud music started up, she fell into such a silence. There wasn't room to talk beneath the Heavy Isotope, and she got the distinct feeling that even if there had been he would not have filled it.​

​

At first she found it difficult to not dwell upon it, it consumed her for the first part of their journey as they drifted and waited to merge with the faster lanes, but eventually she found solace within it. She turned her gaze away from the front visor and instead watched Coruscant zip by her window. Here, suspended among it, it was almost beautiful.​

​

Perhaps he was as taken aback by this situation as she was. Usually older Jedi she spent periods of time around tried to fill the silence, unless they were meditating or something to that effect, asking her all sorts of things from basic trivia to probing questions about herself. But there was none of that here. Nobody trying to catch her off guard, or test her knowledge, or figure out if she was even fit to be a Jedi.​

​

Just... silence.​

​

And Heavy Isotope.​

​

She breathed a soft sigh that was washed out by the music, and visibly relaxed for the first time since landing on Coruscant. She rested her head against the window and let it all drift away around her, and in that moment the fatigue she'd built up inside herself came crashing down.​

​

Auraya didn't even realize she'd fallen asleep until the speeder came to a crawl and it was time to disembark.​

​

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she exited the vehicle and shouldered her backpack once more. Then it was up through countless levels upon a turbolift, to a floor that had to overlook much of Coruscant proper. Down the hall she followed him, still silent of course, until they reached a door which was swiftly opened.​

​

The keycard to which was offered out to her. After a moment of hesitation she took it, and followed him inside. The apartment beyond was spacious by her standards, having known only her cramped dormitory since the beginning of forever. It was small enough that she could see it all at a glance, but there was room to breathe... ​

​

And a few moments after she'd taken the main living space in, Zaavik informed her that it was hers. He had his own, just across the hall... She blinked, and glanced at it all again. Already she could see spots perfect for some plants, to liven the place up, but that would come later. For now she turned to face him, a small nod her initial response.​

​

"Thank you," she said, for what felt like the fiftieth time that day, both excited by the prospect of having space to herself and terrified of the responsibility it brought. Still, for once her excitement seemed to win out.​

​

The only real question on her mind was now what? She had arrived on Coruscant, met with her Master, but she had no idea what lay ahead.​

​

Zaavik Perl ​

 

[Zaavik Perl]

CORUSCANT // JEDI TEMPLE
Auraya Irath-Ur

A lackadaisical shrug regarded Auraya when she expressed thanks. "It's nothing," he insisted. It wasn't nothing. It was far more than that. He knew it, she probably knew it too, but he betrayed the gesture as such. "Really, don't sweat it." Zaavik scratched the back of his head tellingly.

He looked around the main room of the apartment. Given the state of his own, it was hard to believe this was one was structurally identical. Something about the fluorescent-lit minimalism here made his own dimly lit chaotic materialism seem like a world of its own.

Zaavik turned, pressing an activator on the wall near the door. The far, barren wall gave way into shutters, retracting upward to reveal a thick transparisteel window. Coruscant's endless cityscape lay beyond, skytraffic streaming through skyscrapers and hover platforms. It was a surprisingly scenic view for such an otherwise unremarkable abode.

"Well kid, I uh-" The Knight pushed a breath through tight lips. "I've got a lot on the agenda for the foreseeable future so, we won't be getting started right away. Kinda got me at a bad time. Temple resources are always open to you if you aren't a fan of waiting around. As soon as I take care of everything, though, we'll get right to it."

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

Whatever she might have responded was stopped within her throat as the wall of blinds gave way to an intense view over Coruscant City. Her eyes tore away from the man without much thought, and she peered out over the urban sprawl with quickly-widening eyes. At least from here she could come to terms with the scale of this planet, its inhabitants, and its busyness, without having to be so immersed within it. Perhaps it would be the way for her to adjust to the chaos which lingered all around.​

​

It was unnerving to behold, though. That much she knew for sure. Dizzying. She would not be looking down from the edge, she could only imagine the vertigo such would induce.​

​

When he spoke once more she forced herself to look away from it, like some wreckage happening before her eyes it was difficult not to look upon, and glanced up at him. No formal training for the foreseeable future. Stuck on some strange world she didn't know how to handle. Without anything or anyone she had come to know and rely upon. The girl gulped back her reservations. The harrowing thoughts which rose within her mind.​

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The Temple would be her bastion, then, until they could begin. The only question was, how did she get there from here?​

​

"And, to get to the Temple, I uh... Take one of the flying speeder thingies?"​

​

She knew they had a name, but she couldn't for the life of her recall what exactly it was. Hopefully there was something or someone which could help her get back and forth, were there droid-controlled thingies? And would they know where to tale her if she asked? She didn't exactly know binary to understand if something went awry...​

​

The colour had all drained from her face as her mind raced with it all. So many changes, so much to adjust to, and on a world such as this.​

​

You can do this, Raya, she assured herself. One way or another, she would have to adjust.​

​

Zaavik Perl ​

 

[Zaavik Perl]

CORUSCANT // JEDI TEMPLE
Auraya Irath-Ur

"Or a cab," he replied with a shrug. A quick hand fished a credstick out of his pocket and sent it through the air toward her with an underhand toss. "Should be enough there that you don't starve, and to cover a cab fee or two, but don't hope for any real spending money. That's the best I can do right now," he added. If wallets could express, his would weep right about now.

Zaavik was no empath, but even he could feel her unease, mind racing, uncertainty. He stopped in the open doorway, turning to face his learner. "Maybe take it easy?" he suggested, sounding concerned only out of obligation rather than sincerity. "Courscant can be overwhelming, trust me, I'm aware." He'd only arrived a number of years ago still countable on his fingers, the impact hadn't yet faded from memory.

Forearm on the metallic threshold, he leaned leisurely, crossing one leg around the other. "We're not in any real hurry, so, you know, settle in. Take some time. Do... whatever it is you like to do, I dunno."

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

A lot of what was said by her Master was obligatory, clinical even, and Auraya tried her best not to take it too personally. This was a life altering change for the both of them, in fact in regards to the Apprenticeship itself in many ways she was more familiar with it than he. He was not her first, after all, and the awkwardness which came with figuring one another out was universal. The biggest change for her was location, and the loss of the Enclave she'd come to rely upon.​

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But it seemed she wasn't the only one who found the planet to be overwhelming. He might not have intended it to be so, but she found it very comforting to know that she was not alone in that. It wasn't just something that was wrong with her, but a universal difficulty to adjust to such no matter one's background.​

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One small mercy, to be sure.​

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She caught the credstick from the air with reflexes that surprised even her, she hadn't even really been paying attention enough to his actions so much as his face as he spoke. It felt strange in her hand, foreign, though that was unsurprising to say the least. She had never before held any form of currency. It simply hadn't been a thing she'd ever had to deal with before.​

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Add that to the daunting experiences she'd have to adjust to. Maybe she'd simply eat at the Temple, that was allowed, right? Then it would only have to be used for travel, and she could find out if she was being taken for a fool or not by speaking with her fellows. She let out a soft sigh, and dismissed half of her worries concerning it.​

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"I don't expect anything of the sort," she assured him. In fact, even what he had given her already was much more than she could ever have fathomed. She did not know what to do with it. But travel was a necessity... That much she knew for sure. She pondered in that moment whether or not a Jedi could have a side job. Especially if their training was not to begin for some time. Maybe she could help foot the bill for this sort of thing, give back to her Master and the community at large with any excess she might acquire.​

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She rubbed the back of her neck as she contemplated that, not even bothering to hide the thought from her expression. She'd find someone to ask. Perhaps that someone ought to have been Zaavik, but he was a busy man as he'd already addressed. She would give him enough reasons to be frustrated with her in the near future, holding him longer than necessary didn't have to make that list.​

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Still he paused anyway, lingering on the threshold as he turned to her and spoke more insincere words.​

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"Yes, Master," she responded, though in truth she had no idea what she liked to do. Most of her life had been amidst structure and training, there hadn't been much room to breathe between it save for meditation. Did that count? Well, she did enjoy it. Maybe now was the time to discover a hobby. Or maybe she really would get herself a little job. Find a cafe or cantina? She had heard you could learn a lot about a new city by interacting with the locals, after all.​

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"I'll, uh, get to settling in then," she babbled, discomforted by the knowledge that he likely wished to be anywhere but here in that moment. A way to free him from the responsibility of watching over her. "I'll be fine, promise."​

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After all, she reckoned she had to be.​

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Zaavik Perl ​