A test (Sejah)

[Helenias Evenstar]

Ahhh, how I had done the wrong thing by Sejah. Tonight however, I would do something make amends. A basket I had in my hand as I came to the Padawan's door. I knocked and waited for an answer.

[Sejah Haversh]

With much of his free time, Sejah had fed his desire to learn to read, and was currently engrossed in a classic book about a young boy and his life on a raft with an escaped slave. It was truly one of the best stories he had ever read, even thogh he did not understand many parts of it, and he turned page after page in eager anticipation of what would happen next.

He was just about to turn to page 234 when a knock came at the door. Marking his place with his thumb as he stood up, the brown-furred Nehantite paced to the door in his causual clothing and opened it, quite surprised to see Helenias standing there. "Oh," he said, stunned momentarily, "Uh, hello, Master Evenstar. What brings you by here today? Um, come on in, if you like. Place is a bit of a mess, though."

[Helenias Evenstar]

"Thank you" I replied, coming inside. "Please accept this gift from me"

The smell inside the basket was delicious.

[Sejah Haversh]

Finding a scap of paper, or somethign like it, Sejah marked his page and set the book down, taking the basket from his master, "Thank you, Master Evenstar," he said with a wide smile as he stepped back to let her in. Curiously he pulled back the cloth covering the basket and his smile became quite broad.

"Ooo, is that bananna nut bread?" he asked hopefully. With a deep smell, his susicions were confirmed and he looked up at Helenias with a beaming smile. "How did you know I liked it? And, wow, I haven't had fresh baked bananna nut bread in years. Last time was..." he trailed off thinking, not realizing he was rambling. "My nineteeth birthday, I think. My mom baked it. Thank you very much, Master Evenstar. I know that Dasquain has some fresh cream butter in the fridge, I can cut a few slices of this and we can have some now, if you'd like."

He was so wrapped up in the gift that he hadn't thought of how much better she looked now than last he saw her, or any possible reason for her stopping by with a gift for him at all. After all, their last meeting didn't exactly go over well at all.

[Helenias Evenstar]

"That's what I bought it for" I said. "Discussing and talking is done so much better over food, is it not?"

[Sejah Haversh]

"That depends," Sejah replied on his way into the kitchenette. "If it's Dasquain's cooking, I'd rather talk on an empty stomach."

Well, Dasquain's cooking wasn't that bad, but it just didn't seem to agree with Sejah's tastes or stomach. The rule also seemed to work in reverse, so Corin was usually encouraged to eb the cook between the three roomates.

Selecting a keen knife, Sejah cut a few slices of the warm bread and arranged them on a serving plate with the butter dish and kife next to them. Pouring two glasses of milk, the mongoose miraculously carried everything back out to where Helenias sat in one of the chairs he had picked up. Placing the tray on the small table between them, Sejah took a sip from his milk and said, "Thank you for stopping by, Master Evenstar. I'd, um, well, like to say I'm sorry for how our last visit went. I didn't mean to yell like that."

[Helenias Evenstar]

I shrugged. "Not like I've been particularly good. I really am more of a warroir than a teacher. Give me a line of enemies, that's where I'm more at home. This..... peace and calm thing just isn't me. Oh dont get me wrong, being a Jedi is good... but..." I again shrugged.

"I'd rather be active again"

[Sejah Haversh]

It would be hightly innappropriate for Sejah to word a choice remark at the moment, and since he was trying to patch things up with his master, he bit it back and simply smiled and nodded.

"I know the feeling," The brown-furred Nehantite said, then took a bite of the bread. It was soft, yet hearty, and just warm enough to melt the butter he had scraped over it. Savoring it for a moment, he chewed and swallowed before taking a drink from his milk and going on. "Though I don't crave too much action, especially fighting. In a fight, you can get hurt. I've learned that all too well." He was hearkening back to the tournament on Nehantish, and how he had barely escaped it alive.

Sejah found his eyes heading back down to the bread, and finally forced them up to Helenias once more, "Master Evenstar, I don't know how to say this, but, I am not sure that the Jedi Order is the right place for me. I used to think it was, but... things have happened, and, I feel as if I am getting nowhere here, as if I have been all but stagnant this last year. Though I have worked very hard, I have not been able to grow in the Force as many of my friends have, and I feel that perhaps it is time I cut my losses and no longer be a strain on the Order, and on your limited time. I hope you understand, I mean you no disrespect."

His words were well-spoken, but there was a pain hehind them. He had lost everything he ever knew by coming to the Jedi, and had recieved very little in return, only the ability to read, a safe place to live, and a few slight powers he had great difficulty controlling, and could not depend on by any means.

[Helenias Evenstar]

"Pain can be controlled - it's an occupational hazard. Pain is also temporary. Physical pain that is"

Now why had I added that last bit for?

"If you wish to leave the Jedi, that is up to you. It's not my decision, it is solely yours. I will not stop you and why should I? It's not like I'm the best Jedi around here. All I can really do is see the future clearer than others can. I might be pretty good in a fight, but that's it. Some Jedi I am"

A thought came to my mind. An interesting thought indeed.

"Tell you what. Make an agreement with me. Humour a dying woman, if you will. Stay with the Jedi and with me until I am gone, then decide again. After that, you are free to do as you will. If that doesn't suit you, I will need a bodyguard for when I am weakening"

I could see this frankness was surprising Sejah. He was not expecting that!

"Pay's good" I said. "So's the food"

[Sejah Haversh]

Sejah put serious thought to the words his master spoke, and mulled them over in his mind.

Finally, he gave his answer. "I will stay, for now. And I assure you that if I can ever help you, I will. Don't be afraid to ask, Master Evenstar."

[Helenias Evenstar]

"Excellent" I said, the smile on my face growing. "Now. Feel like doing something that a proper Jedi should do? It may get us into a bit of trouble with the authorities, but nothing too bad. I think you might like it"

[Sejah Haversh]

"Since when do Jedi have trouble with authorities?" Sejah asked, actually curious, then he continued on rather cautiously, "And, what is it that I'd be doing?"

[Helenias Evenstar]

"Since always, Sejah. Since always. A Jedi does not limit - or even at times - concern themselves with what the authorities think. A Jedi does what is right. I've learned that from the Senate - the Authorities are not interested in what we are interested in"

"Allright, this is what it is" I said, taking out a datachip from my pocket. "We're going to a place where a group of Sith used to hang out. I have a bit of a hint the local governors are still complicit with the group's remains. We're going to do some spying and find out what's really going on"

[Sejah Haversh]

"Sith?" Sejah asked, visibly nervous. "And... and spying?" The knot in his throat grew larger.

"Master Evenstar, if it's a spy you want, don't take me, take J'ktal. He's the guy you want for this kind of job, not me. I mean, I'm not even a good paw with a pair of binoculars, what makes you think I can do.... this?" He pointed at the datapad incredulously.

[Helenias Evenstar]

"Oh, just a hunch" I said. "Besides, this will be more fun than dangerous. Get out, see the Galaxy, do a report on the trip at the end. Truly, there won't be any Sith in the way and any trouble, I'll deal with it. This, I will tell you, is how the Padawans of the old times learnt - they went with their Masters on missions and lernt by experience. This I feel will help you greatly."

[Sejah Haversh]

Scratching the back of his neck with a worried grin on his face, Sejah nidded and replied, "Well, okay, if you say so, Master Evenstar. Guess I can't really argue with master's orders, now can I? So, um, when is this mission thing?"

[Helenias Evenstar]

"Give me a few days and meet me in the Bar and Grill. Cassual clothes of course. Pack a blaster or something else like that, plus a sense of adventure. Ahhh, you know, it will be good to kick some <smallfont color={hovercolor}>-Censored-</smallfont> rather than sit here and oooom ooom withthe other peace loving hippies. Probably will be the last time for some time!" I said, touching my stomach. Not that anything was noticible, but there was an awareness that something was there.

"What I would love is to tell Marcus myself, if he was still alive. But I guess he perished at Harrvii, so I will never be able to. I miss him dreadfully"

[imported_J'ktal Anajii]

"You mean he didn't talk to you yesterday?" Sejah asked, puzzled, "After he left here last night, he said he was going to find you."

[Helenias Evenstar]

The look on my face would have been classic. It portrayed the stunned disbelief and shock.

I also think I had a bruise from my jaw hitting the ground.

"He.... was here???? In this room????"

I'd have accused him of lying but I knew Sejah was honest. "TELL ME EVERYTHING! WHAT WAS HE DOING HERE?? HOW IS HE??" I nearly screamed. And promptly fainted from the shock and the emotion of it all.

[Sejah Haversh]

From the tone of Helenias' voice, Sejah cringed and pulled his arms back in defense as if he were about to be hit or something. But when she fainted, his scared cringing quickly turned into scared gawking. Looking at her, passed out in her chair, the mongoose looked around the room as if it should give him advice of some sort.

Of course, it didn't, and so he tried to think abck to what he did to wake students that occasionally passed out from exhaustion, or extreme heat. He usually had smelling salts in the dsk drawer back in his fencing school, but he didn't have anything that smelled quite that pungent with him now. One of Marcus' socks would do the trick for sure, but there was no way Sejah would even think about touching one even if he had one. The only other thing he could think of was Dasquain's tea.

Whenever the knight made it, the whole apartment reeked of pungent herbs, and it drove Sejah's sensitive nose crazy, making him sick. Deciding that would be the best thing to use, the Nehantite quickly went to the kitchen and procured the tin of tea leaves and brought it back to open it and hold it under Helenias' nose until she woke up. Hopefully it would be soon, because the smell was allready offending his own nostrils.

[Helenias Evenstar]

There was a smell in the fog. A smell of home. I smiled gently, then blinked my eyes, expecting to be back home at Imdralis.

Oh drat.

"Where did you get that wonderful smelling stuff?" I asked dreamily."And why did you wake me? I was having this wonderful dream you were telling Marcus was alive and you had seen him"

[Sejah Haversh]

"Wonderful smelling?" Sejah wrinkled up his face as he slammed the lid back on the can and tried to clear the air with his paw. "You've got to be kidding me. This stuff has a pong so bad it can almost peel paint off the walls. How can you...." he stopped hismelf from going too far, and instead tossed the can back into the kitchen and took a seat, munching on another slice of bananna nut bread to clear the foul stench from his mouth.

Swallowing, he then said, "And, it wasn't a dream, Marcus really did stop by yesterday. We even went for a spin in my car."

[Helenias Evenstar]

The joke about the leaves went straight over my head, for I really had something bigger to wonder at. I could feel his emotion of honesty. There was no doubt he was telling the truth - he also had no reason to lie.

"By the Most High.... he lives?!?"

I was getting so excited, I could wet myself.

"Tell me, is he okay? Is he still around?????"

[Sejah Haversh]

Scratching his head, Sejah shrugged, "Well, unless he was shaken up worse than I thougth after that car ride, he should be just fine. Beats me wehre he's at, though."

[Helenias Evenstar]

"Oh" I said, deflated. "Well.... okay I guess. Tell me, how long have you known his name wasn't Q'Dunn, but was in fact Elessar?"

[Sejah Haversh]

Sejah wasn't sure why that was a terribly important question, but he answered it truthfully anyhow, "Um, since yesterday, I think. He's the one who told me. Though, Pierce gave me some interesting information a while ago, but I never have had the time, or the reading skill, to go through it all. But, if you need to find him, I might have an idea of how to do so."