A Midget in a Cloak (Open)

[Iziz]

The little Jawa had spent most of the past hour exploring the complex, and to say he was impressed would be an understatement. Ryla had suggested he find a place to stay somewhere on the grounds. It hadn't been easy, but he'd been able to do it. His outlandish accent hadn't helped much.

The man he had been directed to hadn't understood what he was talking about for the first five minutes, and then he had finally given up and brought in a protocol droid. It was the first conversation Iziz had had in his own tongue for a month, and he had come out of it with a new appreciation for droids. Through the protocol droid, he had been able to communicate with the man and it had taken another ten minutes for him to find an appropriate place for him.

As Iziz opened the door to his new apartment, he sighed. It was far too modern, but it would have to do. He unslung the small pack that he had strapped upon his back, and set it down in a corner. The hubba gourd in it had gone bad and he doubted the kitchen unit would have ever heard of it. After a brief check he found himself to be right.

Iziz decided that he might have better luck at that place the Jedi Master Relvinian had told him about. What was it again? Mister Yonburt's Bistro and Goods? That didn't sound right. He'd ask around. The Jawa moved toward the door to leave.

[Jubei SaDherat Vader]

Times of late had been peaceful for Jubei. With an absence of students to train, he had devoted time to his own training, furthering his knowledge in the Force by spending many an hour in the Jedi Archives. Today, he had been doing just that, and was returning to his quarters within the Jedi grounds to drop off the datapad’s worth of information he had extracted. It was mostly on the heroes of the days of the Old Republic and various campaigns which they underwent.

Arriving at his chambers, he smiled briefly to the small being emerging from the doorway across the hall before pacing into his own quarters. The door remained open, revealing the minimalist design within – a simple futon, book shelf and little else could be seen. Moments after disappearing within, Jubei reappeared once more, without the satchel he had been carrying. Again, he smiled to the being – whom he was surprised to discern was a Jawa – before turning and beginning to walk away down the hallway…

[Iziz]

Iziz stepped out from his apartment and looked around. The grounds were unusually empty compared to how it had been when he had walked in. There were only a few Jedi scattered about. The Jawa could pick up faint trails of their presence with his limited abilities, which was much more than he could have picked up back on Tatooine. He looked around, searching for someone who might be able to help him find this restaraunt that Ryla had told him about.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught someone staring at him with surprised interest. He couldn't blame the man. As far as Iziz knew, he was the only Jawa to become a Jedi. He'd have to check it out in the Library he had heard about to make sure. The man was walking away from him now, but at a slow pace. Patience was one of the things Iziz had noticed the most in the Temple. Compared to the bustling streets of Anchorhead, it seemed that everyone here had an unlimited supply of time.

Deciding that this man would be as good as any to ask for directions, the Jawa trotted off after him. Despite the Jedi's slow pace, it took Iziz a while to catch up to him. He wasn't the fastest of runners, owed mostly to his lack of height.

[Wait! Wait!] Iziz finally said through his translator when he judged he was close enough. Muttering in his own language, he still sounded almost exactly like a protocol droid. He trotted briskly the last few steps to fully catch up to the man, [Iziz want to ask for directions. Place called Master Yonburt's Bistro and Goods, Iziz thinks. Not sure.]

Actually, Iziz was almost positive that it wasn't the correct name, but hopefully it was close enough for the Jedi to guess what he was actually talking about.

[Jubei SaDherat Vader]

Jubei looked down at the Jawa for a moment in silence. It wasn’t often that one saw this species in the Core Worlds, let alone the grounds of the Jedi Order. “You must be thinking of Master Yoghurts Bar and Grill. It’s not far from here. I was just going there myself. I can show you the way,” he said, motioning a hand ahead, as though to ask if Iziz would walk with him.

[Iziz]

[Yes yes,] Iziz smiled, though Jubei couldn't see it within the shadows of his hood, and nodded vigorously,

As they walked, Iziz struggled to piece together what he wanted to say. There were different ways of saying the same thing in the Jawa language, and his translator obviously wasn't advanced enough to know all of the ways. As he strained to think, he could feel Jubei's presence in the Force. [i]So he is a Jedi, Iziz thought to himself. Of course he's a Jedi! He's in the Jedi Temple!

[You Jedi, yes?] Iziz asked just before he remembered he had answered that already to himself, [Iziz feels your presence. You been Jedi long time?]

[Jubei SaDherat Vader]

Jubei smiled, giving a slight nod.

“Yes, I have. Quite some time… but you, I believe, have just joined? I wasn’t aware that Jawa’s were able to feel the Force.”

[Iziz]

[Common mistake, yes yes. Common mistake,] Iziz replied, grinning at the other Jedi, [Uncommon? Yes yes. Impossible? No no. Iziz is very...very lucky.]

His voice faltered as he once again remembered why he was here. Remembered the threat of the Sand Raiders. Iziz had no way of knowing whether his entire scavenging colony had already been wiped out or not, but he couldn't leave. Not if he wanted to do any good. But that realization did nothing to relieve the fear. He quickly covered it up, hoping Jubei hadn't noticed. Fear was definitely not a Jedi quality.

But was he really a Jedi? Of course he was. He had to be...but did he really have what it takes? If he didn't...then his family and friends were as good as dead.

[S-so...how far to Master Yoghurt's?]

[Jubei SaDherat Vader]

Jubei looked down at the Jawa and shook his head, yet the slight smile he showed remained, “There is no such thing as luck, my friend – only the Force. If you have been blessed with this ability, while most of your species have not, this must signify something – that you have some greater purpose to play.”

He allowed a moments silence, for these words to sink in, before continuing.

“We will reach Master Yoghurts soon. No doubt you will be able to hear and smell it before you see it.”