Day One (Agden)

[Xazor Elessar]

A quiet figure clad in white robes entered Master Yoghurt's Bar and Grill. She passed by security, allowed to keep her weapons thanks to the status of Knight she held. Smiling as friends passed by, Xazor found an empty table in the front left corner of the establishment. The Garou Knight sat down in a chair and motioned for the man following her to do so as well. This day she would get to know him a little better, for he was her newest student. Smiling as she noticed the two menus upon the table, she handed one to Agden and then glanced over one for herself though she practically had it memorized.

"Everything is great here...you're welcome to have what you want, my treat."

She said softly, hoping to make him feel more welcome. He was an interesting being to her already....quiet and reserved...not to mention he did not look like anyone she had ever met. Indeed, it would be interesting when they got to training.

[Agden Ithrin]

When Agden had heard the word bar he had been expecting something a little more rough and ready. Admittedly his first thoughts about the Jedi and their appearance had been wrong, but he had been convinced that their planet-side alehouse would have been a little more rustic. It was a mish-mash of various cultures; modern day Coruscant, a little of Tatooine and some esuriently Yavin thrown in for good measure. All in all, the atmosphere was welcoming and the seats extremely comfortable.

“I’ll just have some noodles, if that’s alright,” the Zabrak replied to his new found Master, as he shifted about on his chair, sinking into the plush fabric.

Looking around, it was obvious this was a very popular place. When it came to meal times Agden imagined almost all of the Jedi must have frequented here – it looked as though a quarter of the Order was in at that very moment. He would have preferred somewhere a little less noisy, but then if his Master thought this was a good place to be there was no reason, or place, to argue.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor smiled gently and nodded.

"That is fine with me...."

She said softly and as she spoke, a service droid rolled up to the table with a few beeping noises to accompany it. Smiling, Xazor decided to order.

"I will have the chicken kiav with a large Namana Juice and an order of your noodles....anything to drink?"

The Jedi Knight questioned her Padawan as the droid awaited the rest of the order. She offered a friendly smile and a comforting nod to reassure her student that he could have whatever he like and that all was well at this place.

[Agden Ithrin]

Agden regarded the droid with a degree of uncertainty. Though they were common on Iridonia, the Zabrak favoured against using them. Whatever tasks a droid could perform, they could usually accomplish themselves two times better.

“L'lahsh,” he said, as the order for his drink. It was a rare spirit ground from the nectar of the t’ill plant. Knowing this, he added after a moment.

“And if not that, then corellian ale will suffice.”

The droid gave an achknowledging noise then wheeled off to deal with the orders, leaving Agden in silence with Xazor.

“… So…”

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor smiled gently before locking eyes with her Padawan.

"Tell me about yourself more. Did you leave a family to come here or did you leave nothing? What is your homeworld like?"

She questioned softly, curiosity shown in her eyes more so than normally. He was intriguing for she had never seen one like him before and his story was quite unique.

[Agden Ithrin]

“I left my mother and father behind, but they encouraged me to do so. My people, by nature, are inquisitive and we are expected to travel a lot in our lives. I chose Coruscant as my destination.”

Their drinks arrived and Agden took his, inspecting it with a small sniff. It was L’lash alright, but it wasn’t as pure as he had hoped it to be. None the less he took a draught before continuing speaking.

“Iridonia is an unusual place on the whole, being that no one seems to want to stay there although it’s a perfectly good planet. The weather is pleasant, accommodation is high quality… yet all anyone wants to do is travel.”

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor listened intently as her student spoke. Indeed, this place he came from sounded fascinating and she too began to ponder why people would seek to leave it for travel through the galaxy. Nonetheless, she knew that they had their own reasons just as much as the next man.

"Have you traveled far, or just to Coruscant? I have been to many places in my life as well, but mainly in the time of growing up. Sometimes, it is hard to remember everything."

The Jedi Knight realized how true this was as she spoke. Having her memory erased at one point, and then having it knocked out of wack again made it very difficult to remember a lot of things. Silently she sighed and took a sip of her drink before setting it back upon the table.

"And why Coruscant? Was it just for the Jedi Order being here?"

She questioned curiously, still wondering why anyone would leave a beautiful planet for something so commercialized and dirty. It was beyond her but her own reasons for coming here was the Jedi alone. Coruscant was beautiful in its own way, she knew, but as a whole -- many dark and dirty things lurked in the streets.

[Agden Ithrin]

“I was meant to carry on from Coruscant to Talus and Tralus after a few years, but I got sort of side-tracked… didn’t want to leave.”

Couldn’t was more like it. Coming to Coruscant was the worst decision he had ever made, as it plunged him into drug dependency. Hopefully, that aspect of his life would be voided soon.

“Coruscant’s a very resourceful place, for finding things… though I didn’t know about the Jedi Order until I walked past the temple on my way home one night.”

Another draught of his drink and he sighed, the thought of hypnocane between his fingertips stinging at his mind.

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor eyed her student for a moment, sensing something heavy upon his mind. She took a sip of her drink while pondering this strange feeling for a moment.

"Indeed, it is very resourceful. For some it is too resourceful -- I know first hand."

Pausing a moment, she decided that the deep secret she held at one time in her life was not worth keeping any longer and decided to continue speaking.

"I got mixed up with some drug deals early on and -- I was hooked on Spice for a while. Yes, I found out how resourceful this place really is."

Something told her to allow him to speak -- perhaps she had said too much but she did not want him to think badly of her. Sharing her own experiences with others seemed to be a good way to get them to talk to her sometimes.

"I've never told that to anyone before."

[Agden Ithrin]

A Jedi Knight mixed up in drug dealings? Agden made no visible reaction, though he was mentally working over this thought in his head. It would make confessing his own addictions much easier, when the time came.

“I’ve heard there’s a lot of Spice trafficking goes on in Coruscant. I suppose with it being such a busy place, it’s hardly surprising.”

The Zabrak looked around the bar, chewing the skin on the inside of his lower lip to occupy himself.

“What would the rest of the Jedi think of you if you were still doing dust now?”

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor shrugged at the question as it crossed her mind for but a moment.

"The Jedi are a people of forgiveness -- they would not be happy with me, but they would not hold it against me. I'm clean now and that's all that matters."

'And I don't really agree with what the Council says anyway.' she thought to herself as she took another sip of her drink. Setting it back on the table, she nodded slowly.

"It was a very stressful time and the Dust made me forget a lot of things. It took the pressure off of me for a while -- it made me fly pretty high. For those reasons alone it was hard to quite -- but I did it and I'll never go back."

Xazor was confident in that statement. Indeed, it had been a few years now that she had stopped and through the time, only one person knew of her struggle, yet he did not interfere with her choices. Soon enough, she realized what she was doing and defeated it.

"I have yet to meet another who knows of that battle or has had family in such a struggle -- and it's odd because I've met a lot of people. Then again, it's not something one likes to talk about."

Her words were soft and comforting, possessing a motherly tone to them. She was wise on this subject -- Spice was one of the hardest addictions to overcome but she did. There was more to the reason they were on this topic than she realized at the moment, but she kept the topic open for discussion, not afraid of being completely honest with her student.

[Agden Ithrin]

“I know how you feel,”

Agden’s eyes fell, as his hand slipped into his pocket. There in was a small sealed packet, containing a thin stick of brown. Even when it was covered in plastic, Agden still got a small pleasure out of thumbing it back and forth between his fingertips.

The Zabrak could feel a pulse of pain beginning to spawn in the back of his head. He was going to need to take a little ‘cane soon, otherwise the pain would become too great to handle – but he couldn’t do that now, since he would degenerate into a babbling fool.

“… Well, I had a family member who was addicted to that… I knew a lot of drug dealers too, a while back. Went to a few dens.”

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor lofted a brow as she watched the color fade from her Padawan's cheeks. He began speaking of his past experiences with the dealers and dens -- and it made the Jedi Knight even more curious about him than before, but she would not press the issue.

"I hope whoever was involved was able to defeat the problem, or at least find rest from it."

She said softly, taking a sip of her drink as her eyes searched those of Agden. He was hiding something, and she knew it -- but refrained from questioning him.

[Agden Ithrin]

“I don’t-..”

Agden could feel something pressing against his mind, and frowned, physically shaking his head slightly to try and rid himself off the feeling. It was a mixture of familiar and unfamiliar things, of pain and intrusion.

“… think he did, no. He still has the problem, hasn’t ever been able to kick it since he started.”

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor's eyes rested on his with a serious expression for a moment before she sighed to herself.

"I'm sorry -- I wish there was more I could do. The pain is not something so easily erased though, not for the user -- not for the family -- or the friends and everyone else involved. It's a secret always discovered no matter how hard one tries to keep it -- always does someone find out."

She recalled her situation once again and shook her head as the memories flooded in.

"If there is ever anything I can do for you -- let me know, I'm here."

[Agden Ithrin]

“Thanks.”

And that was the end of that topic of conversation. Agden refused to say anymore on the matter, mentally, and instead replied:

“… So do you have family here, Master?”

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor nodded and smiled gently.

"Oh yes -- my adoptive mother is here as is her husband who just took me into his family though we have been very close friends. My real Father -- I don't know where he is right now. Even when he was here, he was -- distant. He and my real brother are gone. My daughter was once here but then she left for a different path. My blood brother is here as well. I am to have a child soon and --"

She paused slightly and thought of the confusing situation this was. Dasquian was her friend, but she could hardly remember him. She could hardly remember anyone after her run in with Alana. Sighing, she continued.

"The Father of my child is here as is the man I am engaged to. The Order in whole is my family though."

She said with a smile and confidence in her words.

[Agden Ithrin]

“Sounds like you have a big family,”

Agden sipped his drink and smirked to himself. He couldn’t imagine himself like that, with parents and siblings here, and even children. It would just be selfish of him to get anything like that, with his condition.

“My father left when I was quite small, to do his exploring, but my mother was always around.”

His eyes travelled down to his glass as he swirled the liquid around – his mother always made a good L’lash.

“She used to fuss over me a lot… because of the Quannots.”

[Xazor Elessar]

Xazor nodded as he spoke and a hollow set over her heart once again.

"I can't remember my Mother -- she was killed when I was four and I was taken away from my family. My memory was erased and I could not remember my Father. It's a lucky shot we found each other now."

She smiled and thanked Gaia for allowing her some family, though the absence of her biological mother made things difficult at times.

"I'm sure your mother was a wonderful person. Do you miss her?"

[Agden Ithrin]

He shook his head somewhat.

“No. I don’t miss anyone there. I would rather not … plague them with my presence. It only hurts her to see me.”

Agden looked up to see the sadness in Xazor’s eyes.

“… I write to her sometimes.”