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 Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 9:46 am
((For Griselda Banks))
As she walked through a corridor in the Jedi Temple, Mori Kalvensis checked to make sure that the cloth wrapped around her hair was straight. She took a deep breath as she considered what she was doing. After all, she herself was not what she would call an experienced jedi, even though she had been going on missions by herself for quite some time now.
But it only made sense for her to choose a padawan. Everyone else her age had already done so. But then again, when did she ever pay attention to what the majority of her peers did? And besides, after observing Arra, she was certain that she had found an excellent student.
But Arra was not the problem. Afraid that she would not be the best master, Mori sighed. Her confidence in herself was split in two. Well, she would just have to go with the side that believed she could do this. Knocking on the door in front of her, she composed herself.
"May I come in?" she asked, opening the door and entering, the question a formality. "Arra...if, er," she began, "Well, I would like to take you as my padawan learner, if that's okay with you."
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Posted: Sat Nov 26, 2005 7:37 pm
Arra Ventara dropped the towl she had been vigorously applying to her shoulder-length white-blonde hair and gaped openly at the towering - or so she seemed - Jedi Knight in her doorway. Then she remembered herself and hastily dipped into a low bow. "Master, it is an honor," she said, forcing her voice to remain calm. "I would be...most honored, Master...that is to say, I...I accept!" Despite her embarrassing fumbles, Arra couldn't help but grin. At last, the anxiety was past! She would turn thirteen in two days, and had feared that she would not be chosen before then. But now she was a Padawan, and could continue on to become a Jedi Knight, and one day, a Master.
Then Arra wondered what her new Master was like. Was she strict? She didn't seem so; after all, she had come in looking at least half as nervous and awkward as Arra herself. But still, she mustn't judge by the first glance. Arra let her ice-blue eyes slowly travel up to meet her Master's, and she wondered what her life would be like now.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 2:56 pm
As Arra's eyes met Mori's deep green ones, Mori quietly let out a sigh, and smiled back at her new padawan. They could both get through this; she could sense it. She now could feel that this was right. But Mori's normally pale face was currently pink; she was never able to get used to having little people bow so low to her and address her as 'Master.'
"Erm...Arra, my Padawan, you really don't have to bow in private situations such as this, at least, not so low." she said, leading into more official matters, "Yoda said that he may have a mission for us tomorrow, but that there also may be other important things to do. We'll just have to wait and see. But for now, here's this." She held out a slip of paper and a comlink.
"Here's the number of the room I'm staying at in the temple, and a comlink, for whenever you need me, or when I need to contact you." she informed, her face now pale white once again. She nodded for Arra to take the items and carefully watched to see what her reaction to all this was.
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Posted: Sun Nov 27, 2005 6:46 pm
Arra took the items offered to her and examined the slip of paper, the stern, pointy look coming over her features as it always did when she was concentrating on something. She looked over the numbers several times so that she would remember them: 703. Then Arra looked back up at her Master, wishing she had Master Yoda or Master Windu's ability to look into others' minds. Oh, how she longed to know what the future held in store for her!
"Thank you, Master..." Suddenly, she realized that she had no idea who this woman was. "I'm sorry. I don't believe I know your name." She let slip an apologetic grin, her stern look evaporating instantly. It was a rather humorous position, she decided. Accepting a request after having only had a fleeting glimpse of the woman when her gaze whipped across the spectators during her lessons! Naturally, no one ever refused a request to become a Padawan, not if they cared at all about the Jedi, but Arra had always been able to find humor in all the formalities. Even bowing to Master Yoda had its funny side, especially when Yoda was particularly pleased and his long, hairy ears began to wiggle slightly.
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Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2005 3:04 pm
Mori covered her mouth with her hand, stifling giggles at her predicament. She had, for no apparent reason, assumed the Padawans-to-be were going to remember all the names of the masters who had come in to observe. This was silly, of course, she thought, as she recalled how nervous most of them had been when being observed. They, most likely, were worried about their performance rather than their judges.
"I'm sorry," she said, trying to keep a straight face and clasping her hands together, "I am Mori Kalvensis. You may call me Mori. So, um, any other questions?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 4:51 pm
Arra absently pocketed the comlink. "What planet are you from?" she asked curiously. Now that she saw her Master didn't seem to be strict at all, she felt her tense muscles loosening up. "I'm a Sorrusian, from the planet Sorrus." She fiddled her little finger through a hole in her tunic, wondering if she should continue. She decided against it, though; either Mori already knew about the physical quality that made Sorrusians different from other humanoids, or she would find out in due time. Besides, Arra reasoned, she wouldn't want to seem boastful, or in any way eager to tell about her advantage. She must give a good impression.
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Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2005 6:27 pm
Mori blinked, trying to think of the best way to explain where she came from. "I don't know exactly what planet I'm from. All I know is that I'm humanoid." She took a breath, wondering if she was about to go too far. No, she thought, we are a team, and we need to know each other.
"I was born on the Silver Eagle." she continued, "My mother died during childbirth, but there were Jedi on the ship who felt I was Force-sensitive and took me to the temple." She said all this without any look of dismay, not the slightest flinch, nothing. Her origin was not important to her. The Jedi were her family, the only one she'd ever known, and had nothing to compare it to.
"So, um, tell me about how you came to be at the temple." Mori said, maintaining her relaxed mood and hoping to change the subject to something where most people didn't give her those slight looks of pity that she felt were unnecessary.
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2005 1:32 pm
Arra hesitated. Up to this point, she hadn't told anyone - other than Master Yoda, one late-night meditation session - about her family or anything she could remember from before she had come to the Temple. She had been sure that no one would believe her. But her new Master appeared to be an honest, believing sort of person, and she had a strange feeling that she could actually trust this woman. All right, then. She would tell.
"My father is the senator of Sorrus, the only one. Sorrusians...they tend to keep to themselves, and don't like outsiders too much. So my father is rich, since he's the only contact with Sorrus anyone ever has. He...he wouldn't let me come to the Temple until I was almost three. To tell you the truth, I'm almost surprised they even let me in at that age."
Arra shuffled her feet nervously, refusing to meet Mori's gaze. She knew, as did the Masters, that that was the reason she had problems with her lightsaber duels. It was a source of shame, but none of the Masters ever mentioned the cause of her weakness, and so she hadn't spoken of it for years. No one needed to know, so no one did. But Mori was her Master, and a Padawan should not keep secrets from her Master.
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Posted: Sat Dec 03, 2005 2:44 pm
Mori stared at Arra, as if willing her to move her head up so that their eyes could meet. "Think about it, Arra. They wouldn't have let you in at that age if they believed you couldn't finish your training and become a Jedi. Because they let you in at such an age proves that you have such great potential that they just couldn't let you slip away." Mori smiled. "Besides, why would I have chosen you if I thought that you couldn't overcome your weaknesses? We can always improve; to do so is to grow, and you should never stop growing." She nodded her head for extra confirmation of that last part.
She knew that even now, her old master's words still followed her and demanded that their significance be learned. Arra was vastly different from how Mori was at that age, and there would be different lessons to be learned. But that was probably a good thing, in Mori's opinion.
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2005 5:26 am
((sorry for not being able to reply last time we were on...))
Arra looked up at Mori in surprise, almost in confusion. "P-Potential? You really think that I...of all people..." Suddenly her cheeks flushed and she grinned widely. Bowing low, she murmured, "Thank you, Master!"
She surreptitiously touched her sheathed lightsaber that hung on its hook in the wall behind her. From now on, she would wear it as a reminder to try her very hardest to become just as skilled as everyone else with the blade. Yes, she thought resolutely. I'll do it for her. For my Master, Mori.
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2005 12:04 pm
((s'okay...and sorry for the short post))
Mori grinned. Arra seemed so determined to improve that it was inspiring. Mori would enjoy the training that would soon come. "Well, then. I think I'm going off to my room for some meditation, unless, of course, you have any more questions." She waited to see if there were any.
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Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2005 5:55 am
Arra shook her head. "No, Master. I...I look forward to our missions together." She bowed low and watched as her Master left the room. A great wave of happiness swept over her, and she nearly ran to the lake room. She knew Arun would be here at this time of day, and she simply had to tell him the good news!
Sure enough, Arun was floating face-up on the lake surface, watching the mimicked sunset in the light banks overhead. Arra called out to him, hastily kicking off her boots and leaping into the water. She splashed noisily over to her Mon Calamarian friend, who laughed at her clumsy swimming, and gasped out, "Guess what, Arun? Guess what?"
"You've been given an extra ration of food?" Arun guessed before she could continue.
"No, Arun!" Arra laughed. "I've been chosen as a Padawan!"
Arra expected Arun to smile and congratulate her, but he merely said, "Oh. Should've figured," and ducked under the water. Arra felt her heart sinking. Arun was the only friend she had ever had, and if he was angry with her, she didn't know what she'd do.
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 6:47 am
The next morning, before dawn, Mori woke up refreshed and ready for whatever the day held. She was making her way to the conference room to meet Master Yoda, when she was stopped by some nameless peer from her past.
"Mori? Is that you?" he asked, almost sneering, "What are you doing up at such an early hour?"
"Ah, yes. It's me, Mori. And you are...?"
"Master Thromav..." he said, flaunting his title, "Don't you remember me? Hey, is your hair still-?"
"Oh...Thromav..." Mori said disgustedly. Thromav was an awful bully back when they were all younglings. Hopefully he had matured a bit.
"No, it's not." she replied, reaching up to make sure that the cloth on her head completely covered her hair. "Well, it was nice seeing you, but I've got a meeting with Master Yoda, and I really shouldn't keep him waiting." She sidestepped Thromav and continued on to the conference room with a brisk pace.
Mori eventually made her way into the conference room, met Master Yoda, and discovered what her first mission with Arra was to be. More annoying than important, she thought, but still a necessary task that someone would have to handle.
She went back to her room, grabbed her comlink from her belt, and spoke into it clearly. "Arra, this is your master, Mori. If you're not awake already, get up now. Master Yoda has assigned us a mission, and the sooner we get there the better." She paused, waiting to hear if a voice would respond; if not, she was prepared to go to Arra's room.
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 7:10 am
Arra blinked sleepily, hearing a muffled voice coming from her belt. She groaned and pulled out the comlink Mori had given her. "Yes, Master," she mumbled groggily into it. "I'll come to your room, then?" She shook her head to wake herself up, excitement creeping over her. She was finally going to leave the Temple! She had barely set foot outside it since she had come here as a small child, and she knew that strange and wonderful places waited out in the starry night sky. She pushed herself briskly off her sleepcouch, buckled her lightsaber onto her belt, and hurried out the door. She kept her comlink in her hand, though, in case her Master decided to give her any more instructions. Pride sang through her ears. She knew she would become a good apprentice!
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2005 12:29 pm
"Yes, " Mori said into the comlink.
She smiled, mildly surprised that the girl had woken up, and greatly amused at how tired she sounded. Tired people in a hurry were always greatly amusing. She grabbed a small brown sack and threw in a few food supplements, in case Arra didn't grab anything to eat. She glanced around her room to see if she had anything else that would help, saw nothing, and stood outside her door to wait for Arra.
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