Private The Trial of Two

[Braze]

TAGS: Leos

Braze perked up at that and paused, crossing his arms, head tilting as though he were turning the idea over from several angles.

"Ah… I didn't think of it as demeaning... you have my apologies." Braze offered simply. "My point was that we could pretend to be anything we need to be in order to avoid suspicion. In general, considering we're essentially hunting criminals or working to foil their operations and plans, it benefits us to appear as though we belong wherever we are or to portray the typical look of someone who would be found associating with in those circles..."

He shifted his weight, from one foot to another. "The role I tend to take is designed to be flashy, and attention-grabby; it encourages danger to look my way first. I prefer to be the obvious presence, the one people watch, so others can move more freely around me and be less threatened... but we don't really supper need a disguise or fake identity... but it does help to have a cover story that's juuuust close enough to the truth, but altered it's easy to play along. If you have thoughts on changing things from our current predicament I'm curious to hear what vision do you have?"

 

[Leos]

Mud Duck
Tags: Braze

Epo-1, YT-1760 small transport
​

"I don't know," Leos admitted with a sigh. "Maybe we can decide on something another time. We don't really look like those fancy guys on Naboo anyways, right? We can probably pass for regular old people. Are there that many people on Dantooine?"

 

[Braze]

Leos

Braze laughed. “No, not really… it’s gonna be mostly grass lands; you’ll see.” Braze said simply. “Come sit up front with me.”

Braze took out an initiation fob from on his person. “Think fast.” He tossed it to Leos, seemingly full expecting him to catch it. “You can pilot us. It will be a formative experience for you. You should learn how to pilot all sizes and kinds of ships, if you can.”

Braze continued on without looking back, a faint smirk lingering at the corner of his mouth… trust offered as easily as breath. Ahead, the cockpit waited. He lifted a hand in idle summons as he walked, behind, follow.

 

[Leos]

Mud Duck
Tags: Braze

Epo-1, YT-1760 small transport
​

"Oh... uh..."

Leos stepped cautiously into the cockpit, looking around at the far more extensive controls. This was a lot more than he was used to with his little YT-1760. A nervous frown came to his face as he took it all in.

"Aren't ships this big supposed to be flown with co-pilots?" he asked. "Y'know, to manage all the systems and stuff..."

 

[Braze]

Leos

“Yup.” Braze said, settling down in the copilot seat and adjusting it to lean back just a little as he perched a foot on the dash. “I’m here in case you need any help,” Braze said gently. “Or, if you’d prefer, I can get Gidgit or Gizmo to help you.”

He eased into the posture as though he had done it a hundred times before. Braze was confident that his student can handle this task.

 

[Leos]

Mud Duck
Tags: Braze

Epo-1, YT-1760 small transport
​

"Okay... I just need to... set navi-computer coordinates..." Leos muttered, mostly talking to himself.

He sat down and began to cycle through the directory, finding the coordinates for Dantooine. It helped that most ships were loaded with that sort of navigational data. There was, of course, exceptions. Places like Veridia were certainly not on any database that was preloaded onto most vessels. He'd probably have a hell of a time getting there without Braze.

Leos sat himself down and hesitantly reached out to the controls of the ship, easing the hyperdrive lever up. Blue light began to swirl ahead of the viewport and the jump was made. The young Themian took an anxious breath, though tried to stay cool.

He had never driven anything like this before.

"This... thing drops out of hyperspace automatically, right?" he asked.

Most ships were programmed to do that when you finally got to your destination, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Leos

"Yes she does. " Braze offered softly as he looked aside at the youth. He moved to buckle his seat belt and squinted at the youth with a judgmental look. Braze then proceeded to cough in to his hand as if trying to draw attention to some small detail. "You ready?" Braze asked lightly.

 

[Leos]

Mud Duck
Tags: Braze

Epo-1, YT-1760 small transport
​

"You ready?"

"What?" Leos frowned, turning back with a pout.

Nothing had happened. Was it about him scrambling to put on a seat belt? Leos had been on plenty of ships jumping to hyperspace while standing up.

It was the coughing that really got him though. Could he not be bothered to use his words? It was a stupid thing to get huffy about, but he could at least say it out loud. It wasn't like Braze wasn't talkative. Leos sighed, slumping back in his seat and crossing his arms. His long ears drooped down a little.

"Whatever," he muttered. "Thing says we're an hour out..."

He wasn't fond of this exercise.

 

[Braze]

Braze had sat up correctly and watched how Leo did helping here and there. He gave Leos a smile in an approving manner. "You're doing good." He offered. "Something wong?" Braze asked curiously seeing Leos get huffs. "You know you can just talk to me right?"

Leos

 

[Leos]

Mud Duck
Tags: Braze

Epo-1, YT-1760 small transport
​

"You thought something I did was wrong," Leos huffed. "But then you didn't say it out loud. I didn't like that."

He didn't look back, his ears remaining pointed downward. It took a moment before he spoke again.

"Can't you just communicate in, like, a normal way?" he sighed. "You say like a thousand things or nothing at all. It's frustrating. And then you want me to talk to you about things."

 

[Braze]

"Well... I think you should wear a seat belt for safety. But I'm not going to force the matter with you... I just wanted to convey mild disapproval.... I....Didn't have many close friends growing up.I don't really know how to communicate perfectly..." Braze offered. " But I can try to be more direct if that will help." Braze offered softly. Leos

 

[Leos]

Mud Duck
Tags: Braze

Epo-1, YT-1760 small transport
​

Leos didn't look back, but his ears drooped down a little further. There was a moment before he spoke again, his tone far less frustrated.

"I'd like that..." he muttered.

After a moment, Leos reached over and put on his seat belt.

 

[Braze]

Braze perked up at seeing that action and smiled more genuinely. "Thank you I appreciate that... it sets my mind at ease. " He offered softly.


Once they reached their destination Braze was careful to help give Leos short simple and concise directions about where to land the mud duck in the tall grasses.

Leos

 

[Leos]

Mud Duck
Tags: Braze

Epo-1, YT-1760 small transport
​

"...So... I should probably start calling you Master instead of.... y'know, less formal titles, right?"

Leos felt less closed off now that they had gotten that over with. He had been thinking about such a topic.

"Formalities are... tough for me," he admitted. "My father is very formal... he likes titles. But they're more dictatorial... y'know, expressing power over others. So it might take me a little effort to actually start addressing you properly. If... that makes sense."

Cause for a Jedi Padawan, Leos hadn't called his teacher 'Master' once.

"That something you ever struggled with?" the Themian boy asked.

 

[Braze]

Leos

Braze nodded lightly. “Well… it’s likely better suited to formal gatherings, or when one is conducting Jedi business or missions… but I won’t press you. My Master didn’t seem to mind much what I called him. Still, it’s considered respectful.”

“Not entirely… I grew up in the crèche with other students; it’s what we call our elders and betters, typically. I had many Masters in the temple. My father gave me to the New Jedi Order when I was very young… for a long while, I felt abandoned because of it. The Jedi became my new home and family. Different homes and families have different rules. If I didn’t do it, it was considered disrespectful. Disrespect isn’t really tolerated, especially in an Order like that…”
He thought briefly before sighed. "I'd rather work hard to do my best at the job and be honored by earning that moniker... I don’t want to ask for it outright."

 

[Leos]

Mud Duck
Tags: Braze

Epo-1, YT-1760 small transport
​

"I suppose that makes sense..." Leos murmured.

Surely he would be a Master eventually though, right? That seemed reasonable to Leos. Then again, that was dependent on him becoming a knight too, wasn't it? That was something about the Jedi he had only recently learned. It was weird, then, that most regular folks called all Jedi they met 'Master Jedi.' Where did that even come from?

"What even causes people to get chosen by a master in a place like that?" he asked. "With so many other students didn't you, y'know, have to fight for someone's attention so you could be trained for real?"

A creche kinda sounded like a nightmare.

 

[Braze]

Leos

“In some cases, yes… I dislike the idea of only focusing on one student at a time, but I can understand the rationale. I think Ko Vuto might be jealous that he didn’t get picked by Jasper over me. Usually it’s the Master or Knight that decides who they want to teach and why… sometimes the Council might encourage a specific pairing, but that doesn’t always work out. Traditionally, lots of young hopefuls would have saber tourneys once a year to try and show off their skills to attract an interested Master or Knight. Some teachers might audit classes and watch for students with particular skills or traits they want to help enhance… not everyone gets picked to become a Knight of the Order; there are other paths one can follow to serve,” Braze offered.

“I think my Master holds a great deal of fondness for me… sometimes I think he’s very biased in my favor too, and I feel like that was because he wanted me to like him, so he ended up being nicer to me when he probably should have been more firm… but what can I really say? I’m not really an experienced teacher or parent myself, so who am I to judge him?” Braze offered.

 

[Leos]

Mud Duck
Tags: Braze

Epo-1, YT-1760 small transport
​

"Maybe he was just afraid of something," Leos reasoned. "Most people are, aren't they..?"

Fear of loss? Fear of screwing up, or letting someone down? Maybe that sort of thing would make someone soft at times. Leos wasn't sure. The most he had seen of this Jasper guy was him leaping through space and punching through a window. That didn't seem particularly soft.

"Are you afraid of something?"

 

[Braze]

Braze exhaled softly. "Maybe…" A small shrug followed, "Everyone's afraid of something."

He fell quiet at Leo's next question; Braze turned, meeting his gaze fully now, eyes steady and unguarded.

"Well… sure." The word lingered as memory stirred, his earlier conversation with Tannor Grene resurfacing in fragments. "I'm afraid of a lot of things… terrified, even....Mostly what people think of me… whether I'm good enough. Whether I have any value if I'm not pushing myself to be the best all the time. Weather any one will stay by my side if I am not offering anything of value..."

His fingers brushed absently against his sleeve, smoothing a crease that wasn't there. "I feel like I have to be useful… or...necessary. If I'm not… then what am I?" A breath slipped past in a sigh, "I don't ever want to be cast aside or Forsaken.... I don't want to be hurt like that again."

His thoughts drifted, unbidden, to Valor the Forsaken to how he might be holding up with Ko Vuto .

 

[Leos]

Mud Duck
Tags: Braze

Epo-1, YT-1760 small transport
​

"I don't ever want to be cast aside or Forsaken.... I don't want to be hurt like that again."

"Maybe that's what your Master was afraid of too..." he mused. "Y'know... making someone else's mistake."

Leos let out an exhale before he spoke again.

"I don't think I care if I get cast aside," the boy stated. "I... maybe I still have to figure that out. I just... don't wanna become my father. That's what scares me. And maybe people would have a good reason to leave me, like if I start to be like him. Maybe that's... an unreasonable train of thought..."

It didn't exactly give himself much leniency.