First Reply These Aren't Pajamas

[Thalia Senn]

Coruscant was loud. Incessantly so. The skycars of the rich and powerful droned all through the night, starfighter and Coruscant Security dropships screamed throughout the day, people chittered and chattered, and even the air seemed to vibrate loud enough to hear it seemed. The one place she could find peace was within the meditation chambers of the Jedi Temple. With her previous Master she had been too excitable to meditate. She could hardly stand still, which in hindsight was probably why she abandoned her. Master Khefiir seemed to handle her better, but he was off in Sith Space fighting in the Imperial's Civil War with so many of the other Jedi Knights and Masters. He had left her in Silver Jedi Space but she'd made her way to Coruscant, hoping that now that the Stygian campaign was over he'd return...He hadn't. He was still fighting and so it felt all there was for her to do...Was meditate.

Its not that she couldn't spar and train, but most of those left behind in the war were...well, younglings. She couldn't beat on children, that'd be no fun. The other padawans and padawan candidates were alright but they whined when she hit them too hard. Kheffir never whined when she hit him in training. And so she spent a lot of her time, wandering through the different meditation halls.

Or at least she had.

Until she'd accidentally cut a statue of some bearded Jedi Master in half in frustration. The Master told her that if she couldn't focus without becoming frustrated she couldn't wander the halls alone. And so here she was, thinking the fresh air would clear her mind. A speeder flew past the walkway, blaring some sort of outer rim rock music. She really couldn't find peace here. She was restless. She wanted to just...Punch and kick something. She peered over the edge of the walkway and down to the lower levels of Coruscant. Wouldn't be hard to find something to kick down there.

 

[Aayla Shan]

What a month. She was frankly tuckered out, in between the downtime of fighting the Bryn'Adul, trying to attain the status of a Shadow, and having one of her friends frankly crippled by the Bryn'Adul, she didn't mind doing some things for herself. Not like she had a Master right now that was expecting her to be doing anything anyway. And as she had done pretty well to keep out of trouble, she also had no figurative leashes, or chains either. Aayla was no stranger to trouble, but had honestly been doing pretty good at avoiding it recently. Donning a fresh beauty mark across her face from the conflict a few weeks ago, one that could've probably been fixed up way better had it not been for her specifically just wanting the wound closed.

Something to remember her enemy by, and something to keep her humble. Death could touch them at any time. She only had about three truly personal sets of clothes, and today she wore a snug-fitting rogue like ensemble. Blue padded cloth, with patches of brown leather that served as little more than armor against falls and tumbles. Her hair cut short around her head, save for a padawan braid that hung at her right temple, just barely breaching the aforementioned even cut that went round'. She wasn't shy about her lightsaber with this outfit, as it prominently sat on her hip.

She fastened the elongated Gorraslug-Leather sheath around her person, turning and picking up her Flying Witchblade from the spot she had left it outside. Yep, she had just left it there; whoever thought of stealing it would've been in a rude awakening to be honest, unless they brought some sort of frequency jammer, and even then... She hoisted it over her shoulder, and onto her back, eyes searching the area immediately around her as a satisfying click was heard. She wriggled it a bit, and smirked as it seemed to work perfectly. Guess he wasn't joking when he said Master craftsman.

In any case, with her two free days to do as she wished, she had gotten one of the items off of her list. The next was to visit the temple on Corusc-...

She peered blankly at first, canting her head, and approaching the railing that Thalia Senn was currently looking over, she approached counter-clockwise from a distance, like she was trying to read fine print off the other, waiting until she got lateral with Thalia and the railing to shake her head in surprise.

"Uhm... Hey! I-... Y-.. You're Thalia right?" she asked, a look of amazement on her face. She had never met the other, but had certainly seen a picture of her in a not so nice announcement sent out to all allied Enclaves, and Concords 'what have you'. Aayla would've mentioned that, but also remembered very keenly exactly WHAT it was that announcement pertained too. As such, she kept a 'out of sabers reach' distance from the other. Regardless of her thoughts on her, her face didn't show any harshness; if anything Aayla could be mistaken as someone who had just seen a celebrity.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude... Its just, its so weird that I read ab-.. I err, know of you, and BAM there you are..." she shook her head then, ivory strands flicking about with the effort.

Aayla would side-glance at that speeder, smirking at the music emanating before returning her full focus to the other.

 

[Maou]

RIP

 

[Thalia Senn]

Why did everyone know her name? First that Arkanian Jedi at the Silver Rest and now...Thalia looked the woman up and down incredulously and when she spotted the padawan braid she began to wonder who was managing the New Jedi Order. The second adult she'd met that still held the braid? She wanted to shake her head in disappointment but that would have been a little too rude and obvious.

"Uhhm, yes? Can I help you Padawan err...." she twirled her right hand as if grasping for information that was on the tip of her tongue but gave up and gave the Jedi a sheepish smile. "Sorry, you have me at a disadvantage Padawan-" she let the sentence drag out allowing the woman to fill in with her name.

Aayla Shan

 

[Aayla Shan]

RIP

( Maou I take your spot? I can post out if you wish. I just really wanted these two to meet).

Aayla suddenly breached that aforementioned saber range, offering a hand on queue as the other seemed to struggle to add a name to her. "Yeah! Sorry, I'm not En-Jay-Oh... I'm Ess-Jay-Cee" if Thalia took it, she would shake the others briefly, stating her name then. "My name is Aayla-Senn Shan... Sorry, I'm kind of a nerd. I used to read a lot." she laughed then, honestly there was only one main thing she had engaged Thalia for in the first place. She wanted to know why, but now that the other was right in front of her, she wondered if it was even her business why. In a way, the other felt like a stark contrast to herself; brash at times, and prone to trouble.

Something Aayla should've been avoiding at the moment...

She would mope a bit, glancing at that railing, and lightly leaning over. She had never been down there, but had been told explicitly to not head in that direction unless she had good reason. The hell was Thalia's interest in it? Again, probably none of her business. It was at that point she noted maybe it wasn't a good idea to approach the woman in the first place, a bit of red finding her cheeks, she would suddenly glance away, then step back from the railing.

"Anyway, you seem busy! I'll leave you to it, it was good to meet you" she said, turning and flicking her left arm out in the others general direction. Unless stopped, she would indeed leave Thalia to it. She wasn't dense enough to miss when someone wanted to be left alone, regardless of whether they said it or not. Plus, if she was here on Coruscant, no doubt they might run into each other at the temple shortly.

For now she would pull that Witch-blade from her back, and rest the shaft of it on her shoulder as she looked at the Temple off in the distance.

 

[Thalia Senn]

"Aayla Shann," she said, trying the name out on her tongue as she took the Jedi's hand and gave it a warry shake. She had met quite a few Jedi from the Silver Jedi Order. Mostly just padawans like herself though. Why did they all seem so meek? She sighed frustratedly as the Padawan began to slink away and ran a hand through the curly side of her head.

"Wait Aayla," she said. She was going to regret this. She knew it.

"What did you come here to ask me? Its a little weird to just say hi and dip. I've gotta find a lift. Walk with me to one?"
Aayla Shan

 

[Aayla Shan]

The sudden calling of her name caused her to stop and look back, still gripping the Witchblade in her right hand, she listened to what Thalia had to say, then glanced at the ground. It was a good thing she was at least a little bit patient, she didn't wanna just blurt it out, but when Thalia mentioned needing to find a lift, she would grin at the invitation.

"Sure!" she said, pressing the staff against her back until it was slotted again into its custom sheath. With that, she stepped back towards the other and nodded in a direction; her excitement causing her to trust in the Force as if it was leading her. She could've been wrong, but she felt that the direction she had nodded in was the correct one on instinct.

With that, she started walking; only glancing back once to see if the other kept pace with her own usually pretty accelerated gait. After a few steps, she would say it, and hope the other didn't take offense.

"I guess it isn't really my business.. So I realized I didn't wanna' ask, but... Is it true you tried to kill a Jedi Master?" Aayla asked, frowning at Thalia lightly. Her eyes still seemed alight with interest however, her facial features only mimicking the somber tone of what she was referencing. "I think it was Jend-Ro Quill... That's what they said"

 

[Thalia Senn]

Thalia took a look at the deep pit and mass of speeders one last time and jogged to catch up with Aayla. The older Jedi walked fast, like she had someplace to be, as if this wasn't just a casual strole through City Center. Aayla was quiet for a while, which Thalia wasn't too worried about. She just enjoyed the walk, her hands laced lazily behind her head. Then the question came.

Had she tried to kill Master Quill.

She stopped walking, her hands falling to her sides.

"I don't wanna talk about that." She said quietly before storming off in the direction they were headed. Now she really needed to punch something. "You coming or what?" She shouted, not stopping or turning around to see if Aayla was still following.

Aayla Shan

 

[Aayla Shan]

As fast as she walked, the second Thalia stopped walking, Aayla broke stride and glanced back. Taking her form into question, dropped hands that she was sure were just resting behind the head, the sudden drop in tone... Feth, she shouldn't have asked. Aayla's own features softened as she prepared to apologize for bringing it up, but luckily Thalia showed she was again very much alike Aayla herself, shrugging it off and storming past her. Aayla was slow at first, wondering if she had ruined a potential friendship for a second, when Thalia turned around and asked if she was coming.

The young Jedi smirked, tugging on the lace that kept the leather pauldings taught over her regular clothing, and ran to catch up with the other. In fact, that quickly she had forgotten she was only supposed to be escorting her Jedi 'sister' to a lift, and not actually going anywhere with her. Well, that thought had left her mind pretty much as soon as she saw Thalia looking sorry for herself. Maybe, even without talking about it, she had said enough.

A few steps taken, and Aayla pointed across the way, it was straight down, and a left (from the visible path). The Lift was currently surrounded by a group of good for nothing looking types. Even from where they stood, the smell of Cigaro was in the air, and it seemed lace with a hint of spice.

Don't ask why Aayla knows what spice smells like.

"There it is... Gosh, those things they're smoking still like Bantha Poo... Don't know how anyone can suck on cigaros, much less spice..." she mumbled, boots lightly clinking against the metallic grate they walked along. Again, she adopted that voyager speed gait, walking like this usually made it hard for people to pull her away from what she was doing, and gave the impression she was busy. Of course this was less effective the deeper you went into the dregs of society. As evidenced from a single hoot that came from a group to their right.

'Where you Jedi mama's headed? a sudden chuckle came from that group in unison, to which Aayla just glanced over and offered a smile in response. Not slowing, not stopping; simply taking that left and heading straight to where the lift was.

'Temple's the other way ain't it...' another voice could be heard, egging on the last commentator. Instead of engaging them, she would only glance over to Thalia to make sure she was in tow.

Immediately, she didn't feel right leaving the other in an area like this, even though Thalia herself was snooping around well before Aayla spotted her.

Thalia Senn

 

[Thalia Senn]

'Where you Jedi mama's headed? a sudden chuckle came from that group in unison, to which Aayla just glanced over and offered a smile in response. Not slowing, not stopping; simply taking that left and heading straight to where the lift was.

Aayla didn't stop, Thalia did. She turned around sharply, her lip twisting into a snarl.

"I'm fifteen you karking creep." Her hand balled into a fist and she threw a devilish right hook into the air. The man was laughing at the display until he felt pressure from the Force impact him right below the cheek, sending him off his feet and spinning in the air, sending the other men scattering. Satisfied with her own brand of justice and feeling a little bit better, she continued on towards the lift. She felt like Kaska Arden would have been proud.

"So what is a Silver Jedi doing this deep in the Core?" She asked as she pressed the button for the lift. The silvery tube dinged and the doors hissed open, beckoning the two to step in.

Aayla Shan

 

[Aayla Shan]

The sudden raised voice caused Aayla to stop, and spin on a dime. She caught the raised hand and felt the Force amassing from Thalia, and the resulting impact of the Force on the other individual. Her face winced, and she just put her hands behind her back, filling the role of enforcer if they wanted to press the issue. Instead, the group scattered, and rightfully so. As far as her actions, well... She had done worse; and would've had she cared to give the filth that dotted this area any of her time. Once Thalia had rejoined her, she gave a light nod of approval, and stepped onto the lift with her.

And the question came.

"Well, up until recently I was training for... Well, a thing. The Jedi Master that was doing so seems to have gone missing. I'm on my way back home actually, just came to get a sheath for my new toy"

her right hand went up, lightly grasping the shaft of the Witchblade across her back, glancing over at Thalia in the same instance. She then remembered, she had never really been down here before. She felt like a tourist that had gotten off of the tour path, and as such, would turn and look out the lifts viewports for as long as the sights were visible. Reaching out into the Force, she could tell that while there wasn't necessarily a Sith presence in the lower levels, it was... Dark. There was suffering, and deceit... Overall, a resounding not good feeling came from the direction they were headed.

"I was going to stop by the Temple here on Coruscant, see if I could learn a thing or too... Watch some of the sparring, then head back to Kashyyyk... Maybe, I don't actually get much time to myself, so other than surfing the holo-net, I don't really have any... Hobbies?"

She offered, hoping that answer would suffice enough. She thought back then, to Thalia's age, and would turn, placing her back against the viewports as they entered an area where there was not much to see out of them.

"Better question, is why are we heading down to the lower levels of Coruscant? Mind you, I've never been down here, but... I'm drawing a blank on what the heck it can offer two Jedi Padawan.."

Aayla said, honestly having an idea that the other was looking for trouble, but not wanting to call her out so plainly. Instead, she would feign ignorance, and play dumb, tagging along until they found some. After all, Aayla was troublemaker too.

Thalia Senn

 

[Thalia Senn]

New toy? Thalia looked at the weapon on the woman's back and realized that she hadn't actually noticed it before. She had assumed it was some long-staffed lightsaber but she could tell from the workmanship that it was more than that. She shrugged the thought away and started to answer the older Jedi's question. She had lots of hobbies actually but...

Why here?

Thalia's gaze turned out to the viewport as the turbolift hummed down level after level. The purple haze from the upper levels' factories that seemed as natural to the city-planet as clouds faded and darkened as they descended, becoming thick and heavy with ash and smoke. She realized then that they were trash fires and that they were almost at their destination.

"Because," she started as the lift dinged.

"Welcome to level 1995" The door opened revealing an alley set aglow by neon lights in a myriad of different languages. Thalia wasn't sure what most of these stores offered, but either way it didn't look like they were getting much business. The streets were empty save for a couple of dredge slinking through the filth of the alleyway. She heard groaning somewhere in the distance and the low drone of a far off speeder, its engine muted by layers and layers of durasteel and permacrete.

"It's quiet." And if she needed to, she could find someone that would be willing to let her beat up. Usually some low-level gangster.

Aayla Shan

 

[Aayla Shan]

The older Jedi smirked at the response, eyes focusing on that alleyway; it was a response she herself had given for her machinations in the past. The why is because why not, that's why. She stepped from the elevator slowly, She looked around, glancing over to Thalia with a smirk.

"I only look like an idiot Thalia Senn... If you're looking for a fight, I might be a better option than any of the filth we'll find down here. All the same, I suppose with the Bryn'Adul using the back-shute on everyone's doorstep, it doesn't make sense to injure your soon to be linesmen. Lead the way, and remember... No killing."

She said that, and offered the other a grim nod. Aayla would ride with her this time, punishing the evil, as if they were comic book heroes or something, but she knew that if it came to killing these people she wouldn't go that far. Aayla herself had some stuff to work out, and understood fully why the other had came here. Sometimes you just wanted to...

You just wanted to break something, to feel alive. It wasn't beyond Aayla's understanding. That being said, the last thing she needed was the Council of Silver Rest finding out about this. As far as Thalia, it wasn't her problem per say.

Aayla knew better than to do dirt where she slept.

"Come on, lets go see what the inner working of Coruscant have to offer us" she said, readopting that previous gait and walking like she owned the place.

 

[Thalia Senn]

Thalia's brow knitted together at that.

"Hopefully some food. I forgot to grab lunch at the temple."

What the older Jedi said earlier bothered her. Sure she came down here knowing that the likelihood of her getting jumped was higher, but she wasn't lying when she said it was quiet here. It was easy to meditate, especially near the docks. It might not have been the ocean, but the gently lapping of the upper levels' sewage waste reminded her of Selkath. There was almost no wind this low, even on designated storm days, and so the sewage water was always calm.

"There's this place that sells fried Vong Crawler, almost tastes like Eerie from back home."

Aayla Shan

 

[Aayla Shan]

Aayla remained silent as the other spoke, not the type to go back on words spoken. Though, hell... She reminded her so much of herself at that age. Aayla had calmed down a lot from her days as a rampant hot head...

"Never had Vong Crawler, or Eerie, so this oughta' be interesting."

She would respond to the other. In any case, within that, she had been listening out and indeed saw what she meant. Again, it was her first time down here, and in her mind this area had to be the loudest right? Coruscant was a huge planet, and she always assumed the denizens of the depths were always making noise, and ruckus... Perhaps you find what you're looking for though.

"I ate already, but I'll try some new foods... "

She responded, using her left hand which was on the opposite side of Thalia to rub in between the scars that lined her face. They were still itching like crazy every now and then. After she had rubbed at the skin in between to her content, she glanced over again at the other.

She really did want insight as to what happened with the other, but had a feeling Thalia was prone to confrontation when pushed. She had no proof of that of course, but... She just felt it, that warrior spirit rolled off the other, and was the kind of thing one felt before she could even open her mouth...

In any case, maybe she shouldn't be so stuck up on the past, right?

"Where's home?" Aayla asked, gray hues tracking over to rest on the other.

 

[Thalia Senn]

"Home?" She smiled before answering. "Pamarthe," she said wistfully. "What about you?" The street was darkening and the smell of rotting sewage and saline solution assaulted her nostrils. Yep, they were near the docks.

"And that's when I told him, 'I would agree with you, but then we would both be wrong'" A burst of laughter came from one of the dark buildings before a door hissed open and two men dressed in black armor and a large, red, four-armed creature entered the street. The creature didn't look exactly natural, with cables and wires running up and down its back and its torso mostly covered in what looked like droid parts or armor. Its two huge legs were entirely prosthetic and one of its hands didn't even bother to use synthflesh over its mechanical frame. A single, red photoreceptor glowed dimly in the dark.

One of the men in the black armor who wasn't wearing a helmet glanced over at the pair.

"And look at these gals, waltzing around our turf...IN THEIR PAJAMS!" The group started laughing again. The smell of spice and booze was thick on the group.

Aayla Shan

 

[Aayla Shan]

She had never heard of Pamarthe before Thalia said it, but would nod along, smirking in response... When the question was posed to her however, it caused her fist to clench slightly. She didn't have an answer to that question, as much as she wished she did. In this galaxy at war, she was truly displaced; with no knowledge of lineage, or self... Aayla blinked twice, mouth opening to answer the best she could when there was a brash interruption from dead ahead. Her eyes narrowed on the group, making special note of the muscle bound Twon Ketee. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled in turn.

"I'm happy you can see that, I regret you couldn't tell we were also having a conversation... On your turf..."

She started, leaning back with her hands in the small of her back until a light pop emanated from her form. She rolled her head about, then let her fists rest at her sides. Something about these types; the ones that perceived bigger than, for better than, or able to throw their weight around..

That pissed her off.

"I'm willing to let you leave without incident, if you apologize to me and my young friend here..."

Aayla said flatly. Thalia had taken care of the last situation, and as such she felt it was only natural for her to respond in turn. Not to mention, she didn't want Thalia tangling with this hulking beast. Before he had a chance to respond, or laugh, she was already plotting out a path in her head; realizing that the fellows to the right and left would be the first to feel it if he didn't swallow his pride and leave them alone.

A single glance was given to Thalia, as if to gauge where the other was mentally, otherwise, she waited for the response he would have.

Thalia Senn