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View Full Version : The Girl and the Goblin #1: A Perfect, Yet Unlikely Pairing



Hobgoblin
May 31st, 2015, 11:21:28 PM
Hob and Tak had a meeting with the Jedi Council today.

Hob had insisted, and Tak had insisted too, that they formally announce their decision to enter into a Master-Apprentice pairing to the Jedi. The conversation had gone thus:

"Tell the Council, we should!" said Hob.

"Definitely," said Tak.

"Very much definitely," added Hob. "Out of respect, if no other reason there is."

"But there are lots of reasons to," Tak had pointed out.

"Yes! Many reasons!" Hob agreed.

The two of them looked at each other with serious faces and nodded.

Or at least, that was how Hob remembered it.

The present time was certainly not a helpful time to have nervous second thoughts. Not second thoughts about taking on Tak as a Padawan; no, that was a decision Hob remained quite comfortable with. The second thoughts came from telling anyone else about it. Hob generally did the things he intended to do with little or no notice to anyone. There was something unsettling to him about offering any kind of forewarning.

Still, the time to unmake the decision was before they'd made the decision and not standing before the doors to the Council Chambers, graciously acknowledging the Jedi page who'd let them know that 'The Council was ready for them now if they were ready'.

"Ready, we are?" asked Hob, looking to his left at Tak.

"We are ready!" Tak confirmed.

The two of them looked at each other with serious faces and nodded.

Then, the Council Chamber doors opened and Hob led the way in.

Wei Wu Wei
Jun 2nd, 2015, 05:16:21 PM
Wei Wu Wei looked up from his datapad as the pair entered. The time between engagements offered him an opportunity to catch up on his correspondence. The Force Cripple had just confirmed the fabrication of a pair of hearing aids adjusted to transmit into his ears the tone that helped him so easily connect to the Force. Wei hoped they would be useful in overcoming his predicament: though he had no idea how to solve the problem permanently.

That problem had waited his whole life to be solved: It could wait a while longer.

"Greetings, Jedi. I understand you have something to discuss with us today?"

Serena Laran
Jun 5th, 2015, 11:44:06 AM
Serena looked from the girl to the diminutive alien Hob, and waited for them to present their reason for asking for an audience with the Council. She had a pretty good idea what it was about, but sat with her hands folded in her lap as the two moved a bit closer to the middle of the room.

Teagan s'Ilancy
Jun 7th, 2015, 12:22:34 PM
She was certainly not as enthusiastic as Hob seemed to be. In fact, she was more than a little bit intimidated. How often was it that she came here? Never! She never had any reason to be in the Council Chambers, and so she stayed well enough away. That Hob seemed so bubbly wasn't helping her mindset in any way, and her quiet answers were inexplicably met with excited looks from his features. It was confusing, and she had to wonder if he was seeing something other than her reserved state of mind.

Her gait as she walked wasn't exactly shuffling, but it wasn't far from it. With hands stuffed into the front pockets of her trousers, the young Lupine bit her lip, not really sure what the proper thing to do was. And so, she settled for staring at the wooden slats that made up the floor.

Zem Vymes
Jun 8th, 2015, 11:56:59 PM
Zem could see through Teagan even before she crossed the door. When she hadn't immediately responded to his offer, Zem wasn't sure what it meant. Whether Teagan would even remain with the order was in doubt. But now? Crossing this threshold in this way, and with a Jedi of no little experience? It took little divining of the force to understand the matters at stake here, and as Zem crossed an ankle over knee, he fixed the young Lupine with an expression her floor-glued eyes couldn't see.

Eyes up, miss.

She was going to do this right..

Hobgoblin
Jun 10th, 2015, 11:04:18 PM
"Insightful, as usual, Master Wei," Hob stated brightly, then tilted his head, a bit befuddled at his word choice. Insightful was maybe not the right word. Still, the sentiment was there, even if the specific words were not.

Basic was such a chore to speak at times!

"A long time, has Hob lived," he stated. "And though trained in the ways of the Force by the old Jedi Council, join with the old Jedi Hob did not. Disagree with the views of Yoda and other Jedi, Hob did."

"Disagree with Hob, other Jedi often do," he continued, peering at the Councilmembers intently. "Hob's views remain Hob's and he does not share them with other Jedi. Respect what you seek to build, Hob does. For this reason, Hob does not offer training to the Jedi or take apprentices."

Hob turned and gave Tak a quick hair tousle and a kind pat on the shoulder. "However, discuss the matter of apprenticeship, Hob and young Miss Tak did. About the Force, Hob knows much. About the galaxy, Hob knows much. When shared with Young Miss Tak, Hob's knowledge will help her grow. Or so Hob believes."

"For this and other reasons, Hob would take Young Miss Tak as his apprentice, in life and in the Force. Make such a decision lightly, Hob does not. Hob has asked the Council's time today to discuss apprenticeship of Young Miss Tak and come to accord on any issues raised."

Serena Laran
Jul 7th, 2015, 12:29:51 PM
"I see." Serena looked at the girl. "And is this indeed your wish, Teagan s'Ilancy?"

Teagan s'Ilancy
Jul 22nd, 2015, 12:21:42 AM
Master Laran saying her name aloud was enough to cause her eyes to raise up, and she let a flitting gaze meet the red-headed Jedi Master before hurriedly looking away. The woman was intimidating in her own right, but not exactly because she was a Master; it seemed more that Teagan felt... a coldness from her. It was a strange sort of curt and icy feeling. Or at least, in her mind that's how it felt. And what was worse, she knew why. She knew exactly why.

The girl blinked slowly before lifting her eyes back up. Only, instead of looking at any of the Masters (and especially not Zem), she focused on one of the massive kingwood pillars behind them, fixating upon a sanded down knot in the richly stained wood.

She breathed in through her nose, picking apart the strangely clean aroma of the Council Chambers that held whispers of nature and life; and even of the Force that bound everything together.

And even then, when she finally spoke, her voice seemed a bare shadow of what it normally was; a mere level above a whisper.

"I wish it."

Hobgoblin
Jul 25th, 2015, 09:29:38 AM
Hob's left ear twitched.

Planting his walking stick in front of him, Hob spun around it to face Tak. In mid spin, the goblin hopped atop the stick, balancing unsteadily on one foot. Though wobbly, his gaze neatly intercepted her own. "Much fear, I sense in you."

"Hob believes he has much to offer you," said the goblin gently. "And that you have much to offer him. If agree, you do? Then, of this decision, honest you must be."

It was at that moment that Hob's precarious balance dissolved. The goblin tumbled to the ground, the walking stick rolling to a stop a few feet away.

The goblin frowned at the stick. Usually, it stood straighter than that.

Teagan s'Ilancy
Aug 2nd, 2015, 08:54:01 PM
Slightly taken aback, Teagan watched with wide eyes as Hob tipped groundward. She was mindful of his question at least, giving a slow and deliberate nod.

Still her voice was quiet, but there was at least a vein of iron that laced her words.

"I am being honest."

Wei Wu Wei
Aug 7th, 2015, 07:25:23 PM
Wei did not know Teagan. He did not even really know Hob. The exchange before him was unusual, but it seemed that Hob was already intent on instructing the young woman.

Still, he needed to know more.

"Master Hobgoblin, I know little more of you than your tendency to fling food in the mess hall. How exactly do you plan to teach young Teagan?"

Zem Vymes
Aug 8th, 2015, 12:03:40 AM
Wei's question was prudent, and Zem remained content to lean back in his seat and await the elder Jedi's answer. He propped his chin down upon a raised knuckle, diverting his gaze to the floor as senses beyond eyesight went to work. There were familiar pauses and trepidations from Teagan. There was something less than fear and more than shame still lurking in the background. Some of this feeling was bound in his presence before her, and the greater balance felt tied to another. They were familiar and deep-running trepidations, and they troubled Zem. Hopefully it wasn't just Zem's perspective that made him privy to her shortcomings. If Hob was to become her master, the first thing he had to do was to find these troubles and guide Teagan into confronting them.

It was the only way the young girl would ever become a Jedi. And if it didn't happen, the less delusion the better.

Hobgoblin
Aug 15th, 2015, 11:01:20 PM
Hob clambered to his feet and shuffled over to his walking stick. He peered at it, looking for imperfections. Finding none, he retrieved it from the floor and once again set to the task of balancing himself atop it.

This time, instead of on one leg facing Teagan, he was upside down on one hand facing Wei.

"The wrong question, that is!" he asserted.

"Be not concerned with 'how'," he smiled at Wei. "A better question is 'where'. Where will Hob teach Miss Tak? The answer is: everywhere! Many places, has Hob been. He will Show Miss Tak these places, teach her to See. The Jedi she is to become, Hob will allow her to choose."

The stick's balance suddenly gave way again, but this time Hob was ready for it. He landed in a cartwheel fashion, coming up on two feet with an arm outstretched. The stick stopped the process of rolling away and hopped into Hob's hand.

He rapped it twice on the floor. It sounded as solid as ever.

Hob suddenly wheeled on Tak. "Great kindness, Hob sees in Miss Tak," he said gently. "A strong Jedi, she will become. Powerful, yes. But that power will be tempered with a great love and appreciation of the universe."

With that said, Hob beamed in Tak's direction with a smile big enough to squish his eyes shut and reveal some pointed teeth.

Serena Laran
Aug 17th, 2015, 10:49:02 AM
"I think we are all in agreement with that assessment of Miss s'Ilancy. However, I believe Master Wei's question was not about the suitability of your choice of student, but rather about her choice of master."

Serena looked at Teagan. "Why do you wish to train with Master Hob? He is... non-traditional to say the least. Going by rumors around camp, some even doubt he is a Jedi, and not just a trickster who has attached himself to the Order and been allowed to stay because he has been judged harmless."

She spared a glance for the old Jedi Master, of whom she had heard other rumors, even when she had been a child herself at the Jedi Temple.

Teagan s'Ilancy
Aug 17th, 2015, 11:11:15 AM
There was a moment that she stood rooted like a spotted flutter deer in the headlights of a speeder, but it was a fleeting moment. It passed almost as quickly as it had come upon her, and Teagan hitched her shoulder back just a little bit as her eyes locked on Hob for a few short moments. She thought on Master Laran's words, rolling them around in her mind as she tried to think of the best way to answer.

"Well, I... "

A sharp scowl then, as words seemed to fail her, yet her gaze never wavered from Hob, and involuntarily she reverted to Bast'yr.

"A'nant'adek-"

The scowl vanished, and she snapped her eyes up to lock firmly with Master Laran's.

"A'nant'adek. Trust." The girl nodded as if to herself; a small, almost unseen motion as her lips seemed to show the ghostly beginnings of a contented smile.

"I trust him."

Zem Vymes
Sep 19th, 2015, 11:35:18 AM
The trust of a child. What was it worth? Zem was not so easily dismissive of that notion. He knew Teagan, and knew the world she'd grown up around. She'd been betrayed far too often in her few years. Her father. Her mother. Indeed, what transcended that betrayal and led Teagan to a profession of trust?

Zem's eyes moved to Hob. His senses revealed no duplicity, but he too had been betrayed. It was less a question of whether Zem trusted Hob, and more the question of if he trusted himself. There was something familiar in the diminutive Jedi's ways that reminded him of an old teacher who had also been deemed something of a trickster. That trickster had taught uncountable Jedi, counseled them on matters of deep wisdom and understanding that transcended whimsy and seeming irreverence.

While Vymes understood Serena's trepidation more than most might, he understood the weight of what Teagan had just stated. The threshold that must be met to overcome the resistance to utter those words. Eyes fixed on Teagan, Zem nodded.

"And I trust you."

Hobgoblin
Sep 19th, 2015, 05:33:07 PM
Trust: a powerful thing.

So fragile. So delicate to build. So simple to tear down.

And yet, trust could also be the rock that begins an avalanche, or the wave that comes from large, heavy stones thrown into a pond.

Also like good stones, sometimes trust required a powerful effort to start moving.

Hob strode to the middle of the Council chamber and sat. His walking stick he lay across his lap.

"Master Laran, a good question you raise," Hob began. "Of the Force, what knows Hob? Of the Jedi way, what knows Hob? Of harm, and of harmlessness, what knows Hob?"

The room darkened gently as Hob concentrated some of the ambient light into a ball that floated before him. The ball grew and grew, taking shape and form as a sun. Other tiny globes of color - planets - also sprang into existence. The mini-solar system lifted into the air above Hob's head, attracting all eyes to it.

"A long time ago, over 120 years by Hob's reckoning, born he was on the planet of his people. For 30 years, Hob lived among them. Their culture, their wisdom: these things they passed on to Hob. Even the Force, did Hob learn, for Hob's people are strong in the Force. Although at this time, Hob learned the Force only in small ways."

"And then Hob left home."

A spark of green barely of any size against the existing light globes leapt off one of the planets. The other globes shrank to pinpoints and were joined by many more; before their eyes, the galactic star cluster took shape.

"For five years, did Hob wander among the larger galaxy, seeing the stars and their peoples. During that time, Hob learned of the Jedi, and of Yaddle and Yoda, and of Coruscant. Intrigued, was Hob, and Hob set out to find them. Succeeded, he did."

The green spark ping-ponged between several other pinpoints, eventually navigating its way to the galactic core. The stars floated together into an image of the Jedi Temple that shone, proud and noble.

"Found his way to the temple, Hob did, and there did he meet those others of his species who were far more famous than he. Agree to share knowledge with him, they did, though never a formal apprentice, was Hob. In this way, Hob spent many years on Coruscant, learning and growing. His understanding of the galaxy, and of the Force, deepened and became strong."

With a light shift, the chair of each Councilmember floated upwards, coming to rest at a new height roughly a foot off the ground.

"Invite Hob to join the Jedi Order, did Yaddle. Promise to support his induction as a Jedi Master, did Yoda. And yet, Hob disagreed with the Jedi. On some things more than others, they argued, but most of all, on this: the Jedi would permit themselves to kill."

The Temple elongated, shifting into the blue blade of a lightsaber. The lightsaber swung against an imaginary enemy, finally defeating them. But, in the victory, the lightsaber drew a shower of blood, which stained the blade red.

"For in the violent taking of life, especially sentient life, Hob saw the root of all harm. Hob believes, and still does, that no possession or relationship or bond is worth such ultimate corruption. Hob shall not kill, and many times has Hob fled from a fight rather than take lives."

The green spark appeared before the red blade and the blade swung at it. The spark dipped and danced, neatly evading the blade. After a short time, the blade tired and its red bled away. When it finally returned to blue, it vanished.

"But, after living through the Darkness of the Imperial Midnight, a change of heart, Hob has had. Where Darkness is, stand, will Hob. Fight, will Hob. But Hob shall take the Darkness' power only, not its life. For in all life, there is good. And Hob believes that once the fear is gone, the good shall grow great things."

A brief series of images (http://theholo.net/forum/showthread.php?55807-Seha-ra-ss-ad-Seh-ana&p=1036198&viewfull=1#post1036198) flashed before the Council: of a man, hollow and vicious, seeking to claim Hob's life and of Hob sparing his foe, but leaving him powerless in the Force. Once it had completed, the light show vanished.

"Once, Hob heard it said that fear is the hobgoblin of little minds. Hob took fear's name for his own, and every day lives in defiance of it."

At this, the goblin suddenly sprang to his feet in the still-dim room. He landed, as tall and straight as a three-foot-two being could, both hands gripping a series of grooves in his walking stick. With a twist, Hob ignited a green blade from the top end of the stick, turning the weapon into a half-sized spear.

Hob transferred the stick to one hand and rapped it into the floor, eliciting a loud clack that echoed through the room.

"Hobgoblin, I am," proclaimed the goblin. "What I know, that is."

The room returned to normal lighting and the chairs of the Councilmembers gently floated to the floor. As Master Laran's chair landed, it tilted oh-so-slightly lopsided and issued an unexpected squeak.

Now squished beneath the corner of her chair and the floor was a small cat toy.

Serena Laran
Sep 27th, 2015, 08:03:23 PM
Serena cleared her throat and got up from her chair, moving it slightly with the Force and removing the offending toy that had somehow made it into the Council Chamber. She squeaked it a few times in her hand as she sat back down. The idea that Hob had the power and ability to strip the Force from someone was...unsettling. For all his words, his deeds around camp confirmed that he was anything but predictable.

"I am going to move that we accept this partnership, master and padawan, of Hobgoblin and Teagan s'Ilancy, for a probationary period of three months. After which time this Council will reconvene and the apprenticeship will be solidified - or not. What say you?" She looked to her right and left, at Zem and then Solomon and Wei.

Zem Vymes
Sep 27th, 2015, 08:55:10 PM
Zem weighed the sum of Hob's explanations carefully. He'd explained his philosophy, which was certainly a maverick point of view in the traditional dogma of the order. Yet, the more he considered this, he weighed Teagan's trust with her own precarious position in the path of her life. Why couldn't there be room for such a view? If one must be extreme, what better cause than the utter sanctity of life and the goodness of all the galaxy's beings.

Master Vymes met Serena's eyes, and nodded.

Wei Wu Wei
Oct 3rd, 2015, 04:33:19 PM
Wei nodded. "I think this will be a good fit. By all means, you may take Teagan as your apprentice, Master Hob."

Hobgoblin
Oct 31st, 2015, 12:08:52 PM
(ooc note: since Solomon is taking an RP break, I'm going to move this to a conclusion in a very Hob-appropriate fashion)

"Excellent!" Hob commended, not paying attention to whether Solomon had an objection or not. "Pleased, Hob is, that the Council permits us this opportunity. Take our leave, Hob and Tak shall."

With a level of appreciative bowing that strode the border between appropriate and ridiculous, Hob backed away from the seated Councilmembers. During the process of leaving in this fashion, Hob accidentally backed into Teagan's leg at which point he spun around in surprise, yelped "Hob is sorry!", and repeated the routine of bowing and backstepping in the opposite direction. The goblin had almost backed into Serena's chair through this process, but she alerted him that "The door is that way, Hobgoblin" before he could. Once again bowing and offering profuse thanks, Hob reversed course and moved in the direction of the exit. This time, he accomplished the task of leaving successfully thanks in large part to Teagan holding the door open for her Master, thus preventing him from backing into it and repeating the process.

Once the two of them were outside and the doors had all closed, Hob looked at his Padawan. "Though a formal apprentice, you now are," he said. "Hob will still call you Tak."

And with that, the goblin beamed a proud smile at his new Apprentice, for he knew Teagan's trust in him had overcome her other fears that day. And, as strange a pair as the girl and the goblin might make, Hob had great faith that they would do great things together.