The Welcome Wagon

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Jedi Temple: Tython​

She seemed to be spending a lot of time on Tython, these days. Apart from Naboo, she felt the most serene here. True, it was still a hostile and dangerous environment if one ventured too far beyond the temple walls — which she and Master Syn had so she could learn about the White Current — but there was something deeper in it’s nexus. Something that allowed serenity to reign.

Behind her, she could hear the soft flutter of the golden tapestries that hung from the stone temple, behind the concrete statues of former Jedi Masters — eternally stoic guardians of the temple. For a moment, she paused at the bottom of the steps and looked back at the ovular structure behind her. She took this for granted, so often, that there were hands behind this impressive structure. People had worked together to build and establish this; put thought into each stone that was lay.

She’d only recently begun to acknowledge things like this after the initiative of Ahto City. Things that took years to build could be destroyed in a moment. To be entirely honest, that sort of reflectiveness could be directed at her own chemistry.
For years she had been conditioned in the light, grown and groomed by her Master Marclonus, and shortly afterwards by another. She’d not known anything else until she’d been infected by celestials three years ago.

Consciously, she looked down at her palms that faced the sky. They weren’t pure; she’d taken lives and allowed darkness to touch her when she was fifteen. Since then, and even with a prodigy of darkness pumping in her veins, she had staved it off. But, with her growing boredom of the consistency of her routine, it was getting dangerous.

Especially since she had been cautioned that only boring people get bored. And the cure for boredom was curiosity.

And we all know what curiosity kills.

The click of her boots’ soles resumed once more, and she continued toward the temple’s gardens. Once there, she took a seat by a shallowed out area of the ground, now home to water that quivered when the breeze touched it. Idly, her fingertips found the surface of the water and she focused on it’s molecular structure. It was a warm up exercise, something she was comfortable with and demanded that she focus on a single thing, rather than being overwhelmed by all of the life around her. She got down to the hydrogen and oxygen molecules’ level, and slowly began to draw clumps of them into a stasis. The surface result? Ice creeping from her fingertips along the perimeter where grass met water.

@[member="Ben Watts"]

 

[Ben Watts]

It had been far too long since he had been to the temple on Tython. The temple that he had helped build from scratch was right before him and he could not help but feel a tinge of accomplishment as he looked upon it. When he and Tef had first come to Tython for the first time it had been nothing more than a worn down shell of its former self. The amount of work they put in to build it back up and restore it to its former glory had been hard but more than worth it. Now the Jedi were thriving, had destroyed the Sith Empire, and now were living in a relative peace. It brought joy to his heart and he could not help but smile as he walked the halls.

He felt a pang of guilt, though, as he realized he barely recognized some of the Jedi who were walking around. It felt even worse when they did not even recognize him when he once could barely take two steps without someone running up to him and asking for a few lessons. He could not blame them, he looked nothing like he once did, sometimes he barely even recognized himself in the mirror. It felt like he was a Jedi Knight again, walking the halls with no real goal in mind, just waiting for something to do. He was waiting to convene with the Council and he had nothing else to do besides roam the planet of Tython and soak in the beauty of it.

He had been living on Ord Mantell, a dusty old planet, and he had not had a moment of peace in his stay there. He was always looking over his shoulder and he lived in a constant illusion, sometimes believing himself to be a different person, it was not until Kira found him that he decided it was time to come back. The Jedi were his home and he had never lost sight of that, he was just lead in a different direction, and now his understanding of the force was much clearer. Though he doubted many would understand him, the current views on the force were shaky at best, he never thought he would see the day the Jedi were so large they could barely keep themselves in check. Most of the Knights and Padawans running around where either wanna be war heroes or hippie pacifists. There was no middle ground and no one seemed to be willing to step up and set a definitive line that they should all strive towards.

He ran his fingers along the walls of the temple as he strolled outside and met the warmness caress his face. Reaching up, he pulled back his hood and revealed the freshly trimmed beard and shortened hair length, a smile showed on his face as he brightly looked around and soaked everything in. His appearance had gone through so many changes lately. From the clean cut Jedi Grandmaster, dirty and unkempt rogue, and now he was just a weary old Jedi Master who seemed way too happy to be back home. He took off in the direction of the Gardens, the place he had first met Sky Kerberos, he had not meditated there in quite some time and he decided that was what he was going to spend the afternoon doing.

The trip was short but a surprise awaited him once he arrived. Sitting on the ground was Jedi Master @[member="Kiskla Grayson"], one of the few Jedi who actually knew he was alive during his exile. The last time they had met she had quizzed him about why he had left, among other things, but he cut the conversation short. "Kiskla," His voice was cheery and he acted as if he had known her his entire life. He felt that once he had met someone for the first time they were friends from then on, a trait that not everyone enjoyed, but he was just a friendly guy. Give him a break! "Good to see you again, under better circumstances this time no less, much less sneaking around on my part." He chuckled and then looked down at the water she was, well it looked liked, freezing.

"Impressive," He muttered with fascination as he dropped to one knee and touched the ice she had was creating before him. His interest in the force had never subsided and he was always entertained by watching something he had never seen done before. He wasn't certain, but he knew that manipulating elements was a difficult feat, he had never taken the time to learn how to do it though he wished he had. "Is there a particular reason you are sitting there and freezing things?"

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Focus was different from meditation. At least for her. Kiskla wasn't one to sit and meditate-- being alone with her thoughts was dangerous, and often pulled her Beyond Shadows or..worse. She had a curious and questioning mind, one that contradicted itself far too much when she allowed it to wander. When she was focusing, as with her Art of the Small technique, on something so molecularly sized she had no choice but to keep her thoughts on a single thing. At first, she was deaf to the former Grandmaster's salutations. Slowly though, the speed of sound caught up with her distant realm and she blinked a few times, letting her light eyes clear and she withdrew her hand. Lingering bits of liquid stuck to her fingertips, and dripped a path across the grass to her knees.

"Master Watts!" She exhaled with surprise, almost recoiling at the sight. Ben? Master Watts? And she was someone who knew he was alive. Imagine how the others would react! Quickly, she peered behind his legs as if to see a band of groupies trailing at his heels, but thankfully there were none. Especially no younglings. Thank the galaxies for that, younglings were such a pain. What was he doing here, anyways? Not sneaking around, that much had been voiced and evidenced.

"What--" she was going to ask what he was doing here, but she'd been told before not to look a gift horse in the mouth. She was a quick learner, when it was convenient. "--a compliment." Smooth adjustment "It helps me focus -- being alone with my thoughts can be more dangerous than not meditating altogether." A knavish simper graced her pouted lips as if it were a common thing to admit. Being greeted like a friend put her at ease, which was usually difficult for most who spoke to her. She was a highly guarded individual, unlike @[member="Ben Watts"].

"Speaking of being alone--- how was death?"

 

[Ben Watts]

He smirked as she quickly pulled herself from her thoughts, the thousand yard stare etched on her face, and then she slowly slipped back into reality and grasped the situation. He looked behind himself as she looked between his legs, wondering if there was someone behind him, but he saw no one and he turned back to face her. "A Jedi Master who has trouble being alone with her thoughts?" He quirked a brow as he sat down across from her, making himself comfortable, he crossed his legs and he reached down into the grass and began to pull tufts of it up. A habit he could not, or would not, break. He started it when he was young to try and ease himself and now it was programmed into him. "Must have quite a few loose memories up there."

He knew all about the troubles of the past, he had once had a very hard time meditating, the only things he could ever see where visions of a past life that he no longer lived. His fathers shame, his Masters death, losing Tef, so many things took a toll on him but he had learned to cope. The force had plans, plans that he could not begin to understand, and he had no intention of trying to understand them. He took them for what they were, lessons, and he moved on. Not everyone was as, well, good at letting things go.

"Death grew old to me, I missed being here, I missed the Jedi. I told you that my loyalties always lay here, maybe not everyone believes that, but it is true. Plus they named a starship after me, I feel like I owe the Republic one." He chuckled at his own joke as he stared up at the sky. He felt like laying down, and he was not one to stop himself from enjoying the day, he quickly laid back with his hands behind his head and looked up into the sky. "Never gets old you know? So many days I wondered if I would be able to just relax and not have any worries. Until they start sending me out again, that is exactly what I am going to do, relax."

"So what exactly would happen if, lets say, I left you alone with your thoughts?" Ben casually asked her as he continued to look at the clouds in the sky. He wondered if she would be willing to answer, probably not, but he always believed if you asked in the most nonchalant manor possible they may just open up to you. Worked about a quarter of the time anyways.

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Kiskla was, unfortunately, that other seventy-five per cent. She would be coy to a fault.

She wasn't different. Everyone had their stories, it was just a matter of continuing hers that egged her on. She thought about how to expand her knowledge. Perhaps intercept the Mandalorians, attempting to foil them from the inside. It'd be insightful to their culture if nothing else. She also considered how she would finally smother the celestials she was warden to -- or if the dark one would come in useful to the impending danger of The Sith Vilox Pazaela had referred to. There was much to think about, much that would strip away her cool varnish.

"I'd probably end up bored." The blonde admitted falsely, wiping her hand on her thigh as he leaned back. Again. @[member="Ben Watts"] had done that on her sofa last time. Did he have a bad back? Would laying back help a bad back? Pray she'd never have to discover that for herself. "But then again, only boring people get bored." The last tid-bit was something her mother had left her with, and she had taken to it quite well. Melosa had known her daughter was quick, and curious, and playful but strong.

"Or, if you did leave, I'd wonder what you got up to in the afterlife."

 

[Ben Watts]

"Bored huh?" He let it go, he was not one to pry into other peoples lives, if she wanted to tell him what was really bothering her then she would have told him. Everyone had their own problems to deal with and the only person who could fix the issues was themselves and no amount of prodding would help. Maybe just having someone who didn't ask a million questions was enough to help out in some small way. "You're far from boring. A Jedi Master on the Jedi High Council is hardly considered a boring person. But, then again, I could be wrong."

Was she asking what he had been up to while he was gone? He wasn't sure, human contact was not something he did very often while he was away, his social skills weren't exactly up to par. "The afterlife isn't all it's cracked up to be. Lots of free time, no one to talk to, and the food is awful. On top of that I am pretty sure my joints aged about ten years but I guess that comes with getting older." He was forty-five years old now, he had just celebrated a birthday, and by celebrated he actually remembered it was his birthday. "Mostly I tried to understand what I am supposed to be doing and why I am doing it. The answer to the question never came to me unfortunately. "

Though he wondered if he should tell her about his meeting with Ashin, stopping the three Jedi from capturing Tracyn, or entering the Tournament of the Cauldron just so he could get close to the two queens of Rattatak. Nah, that stuff was boring anyways.

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

"I'd like to keep it that way." The blonde admitted in reference to him considering that her status meant she was not a boring person. She was fiery, but unfortunately had to be a little more reasonable these days considering all the..tension that hung around The Order. Frankly, it was unavoidable. Light eyes managed to peel away from the person she probably would have thought was an illusion if he wasn't so animated, and at the perimeter of where the water met grass. It was beginning to ebb once more, as she'd only made a frozen film rather than a thick coating.
She wasn't Elsa, after all.

"The food is awful?" She repeated, as if horrified by the information. @[member="Ben Watts"] might have been a lot of things, to a lot of people but he was definitely good at lightening a mood. Her hands lifted and she shook her head, as if withdrawing from signing a contract. "I'm out then. I'll make sure it doesn't happen for a while. Or at least until my taste buds are burnt out." Not..literally. Hopefully. After saying that, she clicked the roof of her mouth with her tongue, as if reassuring her body that she meant no ill-will toward it.

"That seems to be a question of ultimatum." She said finally, settling her gaze once more on her afternoon companion. "Maybe you'll find it here, since you missed The Jedi and came back. That says a whole lot I think."

She paused.

"And thank goodness your back. I have a feeling your return is going to give a lot of people some more peace of mind. Things have been a little," she glanced wayward, as if ashamed although it had been beyond her control. And, it hadn't been directed at her. She'd just received compliments all the while, which was nice. Being The Republic's sweetheart and all, but their public image? On the verge of being shredded, no matter how much damage control she, or others followed up with. "Chaotic."

 

[Ben Watts]

Peace of mind.

Hm, that was something he had been searching for since he was but a boy, but he knew he would never find it in this life. Sure, his mind was always clear and focused, and he was a peaceful person, but complete peace only came once: in death. At one time he thought it was time for him to move on, to become one with the force, but someone had stopped him. It was not his time to go and he still had work to do for the Jedi while he was still alive. He could not argue with the force even if he wanted to, he had come back for a reason, that reason he had still not figured out yet. As these things often went he was sure he would discover the meaning at the most convenient of times.

"Things have always been chaotic, since I was but a boy, the only thing we can hope to do is put a leash around the chaos." Celebration was prominent in the Republic, the Empire destroyed, they were free from the tyranny! He knew it not to be true, they were building power, and it was only a matter of time before they struck again and the Republic would be completely caught off guard. "Unfortunately, I am afraid the Jedi High Council will not like the things I have learned. The peace of mind may not last very long, I have a feeling the darkside of the force will make a rather big reappearance soon, and I am afraid the Jedi are too stuck in their ways to begin planning for it." He stopped when he realized he was talking to a member of the Council.

"I do not mean to speak out of line, apologies."

[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Kiskla chuckled slightly, for she was not offended -- The council was filled with dynamic personalities. Some were comfortable, some more aggressive. Kiskla herself had run into a few Sith here and there, and even in her dreams she could feel that darkness was approaching. When she had brought up the concerns of former Jedi, Ben's included, to the Council, she had no hesitations with considering that the Sith would rise with more vengeance than ever. Heck, she'd simply been attacked out of Sithly spite while on Katarr; they would come back in droves. And then when Velox told the council of the Sith Council? There were definitely many speculations to be brewed. Ignorance had no place.

"The Sith have never been truly conquered." Kiskla replied placidly "-Like the Jedi, knock them down and they will rebuild. Although this time, they're likely angrier than ever.

The Republic is the only government that does not welcome practitioners of the darkside, and that will likely put us at a disadvantage. The Fringe boasts darksiders, as does The Confederacy and multiple other organizations throughout the galaxy. It's only my speculation that these darkskiders will all be convinced at once to turn." She stopped her thinking out loud and frowned slightly. [member="Ben Watts"] had learned things.

Of course he had!

"What did you learn? And am I the first person you've spoken to since your...death?" A brow quirked slightly, and she cocked her head before correcting her speech "I mean to say, have you brought these learnings up to anyone else?"

 

[Ben Watts]

As long as they did not bother the Fringe they would not attack the Republic. At least that was the promise he had been given by Ashin. Though she was a Jedi she had clearly stated that the Fringe was where he loyalties would always remain, and in a way, it was a good thing. As long as she was a Jedi the Fringe would not be a problem for them unless they went around claiming manifest destiny again. Hopefully his words would avoid such altercations, but the Fringe was the least of his worries, the Sith would be back again.

"Even if they do begin to work together it will not last long. It's humorous to watch the power struggle unfold, they will worry more about who has the title of leader than destroying us, its like clockwork." He hoped so at least. He did not know who was in charge or how it was going to work, he feared the worst.

"Just some new tricks mostly...." His aura changed quickly, she would feel it, their was a darkside aura emitting from him now. It was not real, a trick Ashin had taught to him so that he could fit in with some darksiders, but it worked none the less. Quickly he reverted back to his normal self, he always felt dirty after he did it. "I also learned that the Sith are spread out and building power in different places. I was not able to get in close with them, I failed that task, but I know it is happening. Two darksiders are governing the planet of Ratattak and I tried to get in with them. They held a tournament, and I was surely going to win, but I refused to raise my blade and kill so my cover was blown. I have a feeling they are part of the.... revolution."

"I spoke with Kira, she convinced me to come back, but other than that yes you are the first person. I don't think bringing it up matters all that much. It will only raise questions and speculations, I do not have definitive proof, right now I need to focus on becoming a Jedi again and doing whatever it takes to help us all."

[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

The change in the metaphysical was similar to how she had changed the water to ice. It was on a molecular level, and it was sudden but such an adjustment of state that she was initially shocked. Her brows furrowed as nothing about Ben physically changed, and that the shadow he exerted was only temporary.

Whenever Kiskla released her darkness for some exercise, there were definitely physical affects and it wasn’t so controlled as Ben. What he had done was different. Very different. Then, he turned back to the familiar and calming aura that she knew.

“Yes, we had a Darth Vazalea approach us and let the Council know about a group that calls themselves the Sith Council. Not sure how organized they are. These ladies of the cauldron, they were under Republic custody for some time.” She touched her lower lip thoughtfully and rested her elbows on her knees. A revolution, and The Republic would be weed they’d all want to uproot.

“To become a Jedi again.” Kiskla mumbled, looking at the water to see the ice slowly receding. “That needs some re-definition, I’m afraid. I’m worried about all these murmurs, especially seeing the fickleness of nature.” Her fingers ran through her loose tresses, pausing briefly at the back of her head, before running to the tips "I’m not sure if you heard or not, but Dragonsflame was Grandmaster for a time.

A brief time.

There was a vote of no confidence against him. Since then, he’s near since exiled himself from The Order. He still holds his position on The Council, but he is a bitter soul.” She shook her head, and rested her elbow on her knees, drumming her fingers against her chin.

“He loved The Order. Fought for the Jedi. I hope he’ll continue to do so.” She pinched between her eyes, and recited something her Master told her. He was constantly insisting about a bright future, and being a pinnacle in the darkness. “What’s to keep iron pure, if even gold rusts?”

She looked at the Jedi Master near her. He was hard pressed, and didn’t need to hear all of her thoughts. But he was here, so the unfortunate sould would hear more from her.

“Rust is an oxidizing process. Any metal that is exposed to air long enough begins to rust. Oxygen is omnipresent. As Jedi, we are constantly exposed to scrutiny. Scrutinizers are omnipresent."
She made the correlation in her analogy, although she doubted [member="Ben Watts"] was unable to follow. You don’t get to be Grandmaster and live to be 45 while being daft. “I think our rust is beginning to show. People are starting to have their doubts in The Order. And contrary to what you think, I believe that you being back does matter. You have experience, knowledge and respect. Three things that are very, very necessary when so many are pointing fingers — and that might be what it takes to help us.”

Her mind was churning again, working through all the angles of politics. As much as Jedi were supposed to avoid them, they were invading their order these days.

“Our council is a few members short. I think it’s time you get a re-introduction and start spreading influence again.” Haste, rash? Perhaps — but Kiskla was an impatient soul.

 

[Ben Watts]

Darth Vazalea, now that was a name he had not heard in awhile. The last time he had heard anything about this particular Darth was in his very last battle, he had not been too fond of her, which was saying a lot because it took a lot to get under his skin. Though it was good news that she had been captured, she was one who he believed relished chaos even more than power, the thought of her roaming the Galaxy was a wee bit unsettling to say the least.

Hearing about Josh pained him a bit. Ben had believed in the boy, trained him, watched him grow into a Jedi Master. When he had heard of his Grandmaster status been had been terribly proud of him. Josh reminded Ben a lot of himself when he was younger, hot headed, but good intentioned. Ben believed that, with the right guidance, he could become an even greater Jedi than himself but it would take time and patience. It was not easy keeping a cool headed demeanor in all situations, much trial and error, and more heartbreak than he would ever wish on another person. Though his benevolence was inspiring, most people did not know the pain he suffered on the inside, and they more than likely never would.

"Josh will not abandon the Order, he will come around, he is much stronger than he looks." Ben believed those words and he hoped that he would look deep into himself and discover that sacrifice was one of the most important aspects of being a Jedi.

"You are right, we have grown much too quickly for my liking, and now the target on our backs is bigger than ever. I never would have guessed that we would topple the Empire and yet still be reeling when we rebuilt the first temple on Tython. It was all a dream back then, an accomplishment I was sure I would never see in my lifetime, and now that it is accomplished we are realizing that the Empire was the least of our worries. Despite my pleas, my efforts, the Republics innate desire to topple anything they stand against fall upon deaf ears. Before the Sith were right before our eyes, we knew exactly what they were doing, but now.... Well, I fear they are becoming even more dangerous than before."

It humbled him to hear that he was appreciated, and while he was only a man, he did believe that he had done some good during his time as the Grandmaster. She was right and he needed to get back into doing some good instead of sitting around and looking at the sky. "Not like I have anything better to do," He smirked as he sat up and he pushed himself to his feet, offering his hand to Kiskla. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get back into the action."

[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Invigorated, Kiskla took his hand and unfolded her long legs to rise. Once she stood, the young woman nodded at [member="Ben Watts"] definitively.
"Just in time too, there's something I've been meaning to investigate. You'd be good company."

TO BE CONTINUEEEDDDDDDD...​