Sweet dreams aren't made of this (open)

[Alex]

Alex let out a slight yawn, as the door to his quarters slid closed behind him. He looked around him at the room that was, for now at least, his. "Modest," they'd said. "Sorry about it being so spartan." His eyes grew wide. There were more things here than he had ever seen. Running water...heating...a proper bed...blankets...a computer terminal...this wasn't spartan. This was luxury.

He slid off his coat, letting it drop to the floor behind him, and pulled off his shirt, slinging it into a distant corner of the cavernous room. He dropped onto the bed, the energy fading from him. It had been a long day...it had been a long night. He wriggled happily into the bed. He'd never slept anywhere so comfortable before. As the blankets curled around him, he sighed with contentment. This was bliss. If this was Navaria's idea of difficult...

Navaria. The Jedi that had brought him here. It won't be easy, she had told him. Her words stuck in his mind. They echoed around, searching for a thought to connect with. He recognised the words from somewhere else, but he didn't know where from.

An image formed in his mind; an image that scared him. It was an image he'd been afraid of his whole life. A dream...one that visited him every night. But this was different. More intense. It surrounded him, consumed him.

The figure stood over him. He felt anger. He felt pain. But the anger and pain were not his...yet they became his. The image grew, and filled his mind. He was there. He lay, the figure staring down at him. He stared back upwards, into their cloaked face. The features were familiar, yet different. He knew who they were, yet any recognition escaped him. The face was there, in his mind, but it refused to be known.

He turned, and tried to run. He couldn;t move. He was trapped. A prisoner. Something gripped him tightly, pinning his arms to his sides. There was nothing beneath him, save for this imprisoning grip. He yelled out, calling for help. But the words that escaped his mouth were little more than muted wails.

A thunderous, distant voice filled his ears. The voice was fearsome. The figure spoke. Alex screamed. It won't be easy, it told him. He felt the grip on him loosen. He tumbled, falling. Darkness surrounded him...

The floor crashed into his head. His eyes flickered open. He looked around. He was lying on the floor, the sheets twisted around his body. His throat was dry. He'd been screaming. "Not again," he breathed.

* * *

Alex walked silently around the grounds of the Jedi Temple in the faint twilight of a Coruscant night. The air was peaceful out here; calm. The panic and tension of his nightmare was a distant memory...although not as distant as Alex would have liked.

He stared out across the city; the only home he had ever known. Our there, people would be sleeping. At yet he was not. The dream had been worse than before. And that scared him. What could it be? Was it a Jedi thing? Did all Jedi have nightmares? I'll ask Navaria in the morning, he decided, walking on a little further.

You're not a Jedi yet though, Alex. The subject would not leave him alone. It floated through his mind, images of the dream haunting him; the face he could not recognise, as hard as he tried. He could see it, looming before him. He knew who it was. And yet, the memory of who it was, and the memory of what they looked like refused to come together as one. He sighed.

Despite the lateness of the hour, Alex still met Jedi as he walked. But none of them stopped to say hello. Alex was merely another face. He was always just one of the crowd, regardless of whether he was in one or not. He didn't attract attention to himself, and people didn't notice him. It was symbiosis. He hated it.

He stopped at the edge of a balcony, and sat upon the wide banister that stood between him and the long drop below. Carefully, he swung his legs over, hanging them over the Coruscant depths. He looked down, and saw the Temple disappear beneath him. Heights didn't bother him; they never had. There was a spot, deep down near what he had called home all of his life. He'd sat there, a deathly drop below him. He liked it here, poised on the edge, knowing that all it would take to kill him was a simple push, or a gust of wind. Maybe he had a death wish. Maybe he really did hate himself enough to let himself die. But it hadn't happened yet.

He sighed again, swinging back to the pathway, and walked off, desperate to find another soul. There had to be someone else around who he could talk to. There had to be.

[imported_Jacali Danner]

"Breathe, sis." Jedi Padawan Jacali Danner smiled as her older sister, Kiera went through the breathing exercises as another pain hit. She was staying in Jacali's bedroom and had been ever since she was rescued from Lower Coruscant.

Kiera was nearly nine months pregnant and she was having some contractions, but they were still very far apart.

Twenty minutes later, the older of the two decided it had been another false alarm. "I'm going back to sleep, Jac."

Jacali nodded. "Alright, I'm going out for some air, I'll be back later. If you start having contractions again, comm me."

"Will do." Keira called as she turned off the light.

Jacali was dressed in a Jedi training uniform, it was the most handiest thing she could grab when her sister had begun having contractions. She barely got her braces changed over.

The Padawan sat down on the sofa and finished tighening up the metal brace that ran from her upper right thigh to her boot. She was normally a pro anymore at getting it fastened up in a hurry, but tonight with her sisters contractions, she was a bit flustered.

The endless clicking did seem to bother her as she left her quarter and headed towards the gardens for some fresh air. A few Jedi Padawan's greeted her in the usual way, high fiving her. She knew a lot of people here and was still up to meeting more as her time at the Temple continued.

As the Padawan rounded the corner, she sensed the presence of another and quickly moved out of the way, before the two of them collided. She stopped as he came around.

"Hello," She smiled, "we nearly had an impact here."

[Alex]

Alex returned from the far away place his mind had been visiting with a bump. He stopped, frozen in place, looking slightly brainless. Words...in Basic...answer, his mind encouraged. Alex smiled a little too broadly to be normal. And please, try not to look to idiotic.

Very slowly, his mind began to engage. "Oh...sorry..." he said, his smile shrinking so that the corners of his mouth were ever so slightly raised. "My mind was in a whole other place."

Alex had started getting used to the tingle that he got around the Jedi in the temple. Obviously, his Force sensitivity was trying to make itself known. A good thing, he supposed. But it did make him shiver invoulentarily every now and again. Like now.

Alex quickly looked at the person he was talking too. They were fairly young, and female, dressed in the robes that he'd seen many of the younger Jedi wearing. A part of Alex's brain kicked in...one that didn't get used very often; the part connected with being friendly.

"Hi," he said, as his mind finally stopped floating around, and began to do what it was supposed to. "I'm Alex."

[imported_Jacali Danner]

"Jacali Danner." She held out her hand in a friendly gesture and gave him a smile. "It's nice to meet you , Alex. I've not seen you around and I thought I knew everyone on this floor."

[Alex]

Alex looked at her hand curiously. Puzzled, he held his out to match. This is a weird custom...they didn't do this down below...

Alex shrugged slightly, and smiled again. "I'm new...I only just got here. I've been living out there for the last 17 years." He pointed to the city. "Well, actually," he said, lowering his arms, I've actually been living more down there for the last 17 years."

Alex felt the familiar sighing grip upon his heart. He'd been feeling it far too much lately...and he wasn't going to let it overcome him. His mind returned to what was going on, before it could be shunted elsewhere. "I couldn't sleep," he explained, kneeding the back of his neck with his fingers. "I'm not used to the luxury in my room...I needed to get away from it for a bit."

[imported_Jacali Danner]

"Oh, lower Coruscant. I just came from a visit from there a couple of weeks ago. It's pretty dark down there. I know, this place will take some time to get used too, but soon training will start and you'll be tired and will want that nice warm bed. I know, when I started my training, it was exhausting. I've come a long way from those days." Her hand rested on the hilt of her lightsabre, it was always a comfort to her.

[Alex]

"When you spend 17 years sleeping in a cardboard box, even having a blanket takes a lot of getting used to. I've already tied myself in a knot." He chuckled, but it was half-hearted. The memories of his nightmare surfaced in his mind again. He pushed them aside.

"I'm kinda here by accident," he explained. "Well, apparently there are no such things as accidents and coincidences, so guess my being here is preordained or something." He sighed. He'd been here a few hours. He hardly knew anything about the Order. Yet, he was already hopelessly confused.

"I'm here because I ran into a Jedi in the mall. Literally." The dull ache from the several times his head had slammed into the ground in the past 24 hours continued to be a vague annoyance.

"I guess you've been here a while..." he said, his eyes fixed on Jacali's saber.

[imported_Jacali Danner]

Jacali nodded. "Yes, nearly a year. But, I was out of training for about five months, after being in an accident." She motioned towards her right leg. "It took me a while to recover. So, not all my time here was spent on training."

She could sense his discomfort. "Are you alright?"

[Alex]

Alex shook his head. "No...not really. There's this dream I keep having. This nightmare. And..." He sighed, and slumped against the wall. "Its nothing.

[imported_Jacali Danner]

Jacali understood and gently touched his shouder. "I know all about nightmares. I'm a seer and I have sight dreams often when I sleep. Most aren't the greatest in the world, but I've learned how to put them to use."

She removed her hand. "Sometimes, talking about dreams and nightmares give us insight to what they mean and what is behind it. I'd be glad to listen, if you'd like."

[Alex]

Alex rested a hand on top of where Jacali's had just been. It had happened again. Someone had touched him, without wanting to hurt him. It was...he didn't know. It wasn't what he was used to.

He looked up, and slowly nodded. In the dim light, his eyes shimmered. "Its hard to explain. I don't understand it myself. I just remember this figure...and I'm trapped...I can't run away. And I get dropped...and I here a voice and..." he sighed. "I've had the dream every night for as long as I remember. Its always been hazy. But tonight..."

His eyes looked straight into Jacali's, filling with sadness and fear. "I was there," he croaked, his voice failing him. "I was right there. In the dream. I could feel her touching me...I could see her face. I could hear her voice. I could sense myself falling."

He looked away and stared at the floor, forcing out a laugh. "Some Jedi I'll be, huh? I can't even cope with a dream."

[imported_Jacali Danner]

"Being a Jedi isn't always going to be easy, Alex. You've obviously come from a very hard life and there are many issues that will you may not even be aware of that will come back to haunt you. This one in particular, it could be a memory of when you were a child, a very young child. You were helpless, scared and feared this person. Do you have any memories of your family?" Jacali asked gently.

[Alex]

"I was left in a pile of garbage when I was only a few months old," Alex replied. "I don't want memories of my family. I don't need them."

He pushed off the wall, and stepped closer to Coruscant, eyes looking up at the stars. "Out there, somewhere, are two people that I share a few genes with. I don't know what they are, but they aren't my family. My family lives down there." His eyes fell to the deep, dark trenches of the streets and avenues of Coruscant city. Disgust overcame him. "I don't need them, either."

He turned round to face Jacali, hate and anger beginning to surface through the pain and sorrow in his eyes. "It might not be easy," he said slowly, fighting to keep his emotions in check, "But I'm sure I've done tougher things...like spending 17 years down there, rotting, without a single soul to care if I lived or died. 17 years having to steal just to have enough money to eat. 17 years when I did all kinds of things I'm not proud of, just because I was a kid, and I didn't know any better." He blinked back a few tears. "Is my training going to be harder than that?"

[imported_Jacali Danner]

"I believe, that while you are training your past will be brought up again, but that is why we have Master's. It is they who guide us down the path of the Jedi. We have questions and often more than not, they have answers. This past that has made you who you are is an important part of growing and you must never look down on it. Look how far you've come and look where you're at, Alex."

She placed her hand on his shoulder again to show him that she cared. "You are safe here and you've gained your first friend."

[Alex]

That's why we have Masters. Alex wondered where Navaria was. Sleeping, probably. Like he should be. She wasn't his master yet...they still had to go before the Council. But she was the closest thing to any kind of parent or relative he had...and he'd only known her for a few short hours.

You've gained your first friend. Alex looked up, and smiled weakly. "I've not had one of those before."

[imported_Jacali Danner]

"Well, now you do. Friends here are friends for life." She smiled. "Would you like to go back to the gardens?"

[Alex]

Alex nodded, and smiled a little more. "Yeah...I could probably use a bit more air."

[imported_Jacali Danner]

"Great." She said as the two of them began walking. "The transition period of coming will pass in a day or so. Once you start training you'll think of nothing else. But, the training is fun, it's hard, but it's well worth the effort."

They two entered the garden and Jacali walked over to the open balcony and looked out. "I came from Corellia, I had been a servant girl with my parents before they were killed. That's when I and my sister realized I was a seer and she brought me here."

[Alex]

Alex stood, a little uncomfortably, beside her. "Coruscant is all I know. I don't know where I came from."

He sighed a little at the comforting twinkle of the lights around him. "What was Corellia like? Is it different to here?"

[imported_Jacali Danner]

"It's Sith owned and I was lucky to have gotten out of there. Corellia is different, it's not all city, it has it's rural areas and farms. But, I served a very rich man, I always knew him as a king. Though, I didn't really know if he was a true king, but he was very good to my family. Gave us a place to stay and food to eat."

[Alex]

Alex nodded slowly. He understood...sort of. The criminals he'd lived with had given him everything he had...and despite how he'd been used and mistreated, he was still thankful to them for that. They'd kept him alive, even if it was only in the barest possible sense.

He stared out towards the starscrapers in the distance. His eyes followed the tallest one upwards, and settled on the skies. "You get a great view of the stars from up here," he said softly, his mind connecting the pinpricks of light into an infinate number of patterns. "Down in the lower levels, there was too much pollution to see them clearly." He smiled, and glanced towards Jacali. "They're beautiful, aren't they?" he continued, eyes returning to the heavens. "Same as everything else up here."

He sighed faintly, and turned, leaning against the balcony for support. "You know, until I was 12, I didn't even know there was such a thing as a sun. I just thought that the sky glowed." He chuckled softly. "And until yesterday, I'd never even heard of a Bantha. Looks like I have a lot to learn about the universe."

[imported_Jacali Danner]

"I can help you, I'd be glad to." Jacali smiled softly. "Life here is a wonderful thing really. Once you learn your way around and get to know people things kinda just fall into place."

[Alex]

"I think is gonna take me quite a while to learn my way around...I spent an hour earlier wandering around the living quarters...it wasn't until I got back to my room again that I realised I'd been walking in circles." He grinned, and pushed himself forward onto his feet. "Speaking of living quarters...where abouts are yours? Seeing as I've made myself a friend, it'd be nice if I could find them again."

[imported_Jacali Danner]

"Well, it's right down the hall. Room 3211. I've got two roommates and I'm sure they'd be glad to meet you...oh, and my sister is there for a bit." She looked out at the city. "I do love this place, its just who I am now. I've spent a lot of time here in this garden, these halls. It nearly feels like a lifetime has passed since I walked through the doors of the recruitment center."

[Alex]

3211...3211...3211... Alex repeated the number over and over in his head, trying to make sure he didn't forget it. He had a good memory...it just took a lot of effort to remember stuff his brain didn't want to remember.

This city is who you are too, Alex. Alex hated the part of his brain that was talking. It was the one that made him hate himself. But, it was right. His brain was right. He was just like Coruscant...deep, dark, mysterious, and with a lot of bad stuff hiding just beneath the surface. He sighed.

Pushing his other thoughts aside, Alex concentrated on what Jacali was saying. He shrugged, and smiled. "A lifetime has passed since I walked through the doors of the recruitment center. I got really really lost."

[imported_Jacali Danner]

"Well, consider yourself not lost anymore. I'd be glad to show you around, if you'd like. There are lots of places to study and meditate in a tranquil atmosphere." She offered kindly.

[Alex]

"That'd be great, thanks." A large growl eminated from Alex's stomach. He stared down at it, and raised an eyebrow. "I guess that means I'm hungry." He grinned lopsidedly at Jacali. "Where abouts do I get food?"

[Lady Mylia]

Mylia laid awake in her bed starring at the stary sky from her window. It had been awhile since she had woken up to the sound of Jacali and her sister. She assumed everything was okay when she heard Jacali leaving the room.

She rolled over, nothing was going to put her back to sleep. With a sigh she got up pulled on her robe. She threw up her hair quickly and a few stray strands fell losely. She left the room as quietly as possible in order not to wake up Jacali's sister. She left the room and went in search for Jacali. If she could not sleep, she had to have something to do and since Jacali was already up Mylia figured she would go out and look for her, maybe they could talk or something.

Mylia closed her eyes and felt for Jacali. She let the force lead her to her bestfriend. Another presence could be felt. She shrugged, someone else to talk to, she thought. With a smile she came upon them. A handsome young man was with Jacali. Something familar about him. His eyes, something about his eyes. She shrugged it off for now. "Jacali. It's good to see you." She embraced her friend and turned to the other person. "Hello, I'm Mylia. Jacali's roommate." She said holding out her hand.

[Alex]

Alex froze. His eyes looked at Mylia, then at Jacali, then Mylia again. "You...roomies?" His eyes dropped, and fixed on an oxygen molecule a few inches in front of his face. Jacali. And this new person...Mylia. Living in the same room. So this is where all the good looking women on Coruscant hang out...

His attention snapped back to the present, and he gently shook Mylia's hand, smiling. "I'm Alex. Pleased to meet you."

[imported_Jacali Danner]

Jacali cringed. "My sister and I woke you up, didn't we? Sorry." She apologized.

"I was just getting ready to show Alex around, he's a bit hungry so I thought I'd take him to the dining hall to get some food."

She looked at him with a smile. "Either there or the B&G across the street. Take your pick, both are very good."

[Alex]

"I think," Alex said, very slowly, thinking about his words carefully, "I've spent enough of my life in bar for me to afford giving it a miss tonight." He smiled. "Dining hall sounds good...if thats ok with you."

[Lady Mylia]

Mylia took Alex's hand. She smiled to him. "Same here, Alex. Turing away from Alex, she shook her head to Jacali.[/i] "It's okay, Jacali. Really. I haven't been sleeping well anyways, so I would have woken up either way. I didn't know you were with someone though. I guess I'll leave you to our late night tour." She look slightly disappointed, though she tried not to show it. She really had nothing else to do. She looked at Alex again, something about him. What was it? Oh well, she thought, maybe it'll come to her.

[Alex]

"I don't mind the extra company," Alex said quickly. A little too quickly, in fact, and more loudly than he normally would. Several parts of his brain were shouting at him to say the same thing, all at once. For example, the part of his brain that realised he was alone with two attractive women. And the part of his brain that told him he was standing alone with a friend, and a potential new friend. He smiled sheepishly. "I don't mind the extra company," he repeated, more normally.

[imported_Jacali Danner]

"Yes, come with us. Maybe they have some of that homemade cherry pie left over. Besides, it's been a while since we've been on a midnight tour."

[Lady Mylia]

Mylia smiled, it didn't take much to twist her arm. She smiled at Alex. "Thanks." As Jacali mentioned cherry pie she perked up even more. "Yummy. Cherry pie! Let's hope so."

[Alex]

Alex raised his eyebrow. "I have absolutely no idea what a cherry is. Do you have it in burgers, like that beast of burden thing...you know...an...um...Bantha?" His eyebrow dropped, and he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry...I didn't get much of an education where I used to live."

[Lady Mylia]

Mylia tried to cover her laughter. "No. Ew. Cherry burgers! A cherry is a yummy fruit. It's very sweet fruit and it tastes very good. It's served best as a dessert."

[imported_Jacali Danner]

Jacali piped in. "She's right, if you like sweet things, you'll love cherries. Especially cherry pie."

[Alex]

Alex blinked, and nodded slowly, storing the new information in his head. He was about to open his mouth and speak, but thought the better of it. Better to say nothing, and let people think you're a fool, than open it and dispell any doubt. He stared at the ground, and thought "Hmm".

[Lady Mylia]

Mylia laughed again. "You'll love it, I'm sure. Who doesn't like cherry pie?"

[imported_Jacali Danner]

Jacali nodded. "Let's get him down there and let him try it for himself."

She led him to the lifts and the three of them got in. "The dining hall is on the second floor." She pressed the button.

[Alex]

"Second floor, second floor, if you want food, second floor," Alex muttered to himself, as his insides shot up through his head, turning the words into a little song as he comitted them to memory. He'd gotten as far as developing an acapello acompanyment and a little dance before he realised he wasn't alone, and stopped. "Sorry...I don't get out much," he said sheepishly.

[imported_Jacali Danner]

Jacali smiled and gave a little laugh. She liked Alex, he seemed very fun-loving for all he'd been through. "That's quite alright, my friend. It seems that we could use some more like you around. This place gets far too serious at times, it could use a bit of jubilance here and there."

[Alex]

Alex smiled. They could use some more like me around. I can fit in. I can help. I'm wanted.

His smile broadened into a lopsided grin, the one he'd been practicing in the mirror a few hours before. Despite the usual darkness that he felt inside, the happiness he felt overwhelmed it. He hadn't felt this good in...he hadn't felt this good. He was wanted. And he had friends. It seemed like, at last, the universe was starting to make up for his youth.

"Then colour me pink, and call me Mr Jubilance."

[Lady Mylia]

Mylia laughed and shook her head. "Come on, silly Alex. Let's go get something to eat."

[imported_Jacali Danner]

Jacali laughed as the lift doors opened. "Yes, this way."

She led them to the large dining hall and they walked in. "Plates are over here and it's all buffet style."