Careful... she bites (Ezra)

[Jinsala Wayani]

Why was it that every time a girl laid her head somewhere, someone wanted more than that laid with it?

The redhead fumed out of the Tatooine cantina and growled. The man had had the nerve to try and recruit her for the bedrooms upstairs that were not already occupied. He even claimed she owed him because she had passed the night there. Only the fact she had already paid him the night before, in front of witnesses, had sputtered the man's speech long enough for her to swipe up her bag, toss credit on the counter for the ordered, but uneaten breakfast, and stalk out the door.

Sliding the small black satchel over her shoulder, Jins grabbed the leather strip from her pocket and quickly pulled her fiery tresses back into a half sloppy ponytail. She had places to get to and things to do. She had no desire to become some pleasure strumpet no matter what the cut was from the House.

Crystalline green eyes, the color of leaves on a Naboo fruit tree in summer, glanced up and down the streets of the city as she thought of what to do first. She had enough credits left to charter herself on one more short flight. But where to go? Anchorhead had been the easy choice. A place to lay low, hide and hope she wasn't followed. She wasn't in trouble, exactly, but she also didn't want to be sought out. Her parents had been well enough known that her ship was recognized nearly anywhere. It was a hard thing to hide when smiles and greetings by name plagued you at every port. Since her ship hadn't been logged into Anchorhead in nearly half a decade, she took a chance that the lowly fanfare wasn't going to be present when she arrived.

She had been right. While the ship's name and registry was well enough known that her name, added to the request for landing, left her little time to take a breath before she was cleared, she was amongst a fairly new group in the hangers who didn't recognize the ship enough to ask why she was the only one to disembark. Her parents' deaths had been hard enough, having to explain it all as well as trying to sell the ship... that was something she desperately wanted to avoid. And she had. While she found someone who had known of the ship and her folks, her tight lipped silence was met with a simple condolence and half again in credits what the old bucket was worth. She was in great shape, but Jins wanted a fresh start. She was tired of mapping stars for other people. It was her parents' life, and her grandparents' before that. But it wasn't for her. Something more tugged at her in a way that left her restless and shaking every time she awoke in the last several months since their passing.

That tug brought the young woman to Anchorhead. A major rough place on Tatooine. Why here, she couldn't have said. Only that once landing, she had almost felt like she was nearly to her destination. Last night's sleep, while restless as usual, seemed more like a message that wasn't being heard right. The jumbled dreams weren't so much chaos in her brain when she awoke this time, merely confusing.

So here she was, enough credit to make it somewhere, or stay here with enough to spare for a week of room and board while searching for... whatever it was.

So lost in thought was the compact little redhead that she almost bumped into a couple men exiting a saloon near the center of town. "Oh, sorry... lost in thought." She smiled and stepped to go around them.

"Whoa little trotter!" One of them smiled and grabbed her arm. It wasn't a harsh move, or even a mean one, merely meant to grab her attention. Well they certainly had it now.

"Let go." She jerked her arm free and reshifted the slipping bag back to her shoulder. "I apologized, I am leaving now. No harm was done." She glanced around unsure if raising the alarm was worth it here. Sometimes hollering for the law brought worse and more unsavory upon you. And if she planned on being here long, she couldn't afford that reputation this soon. She turned once more and had barely taken three steps when the men stepped beside her and one shoved her into the shadows of the side of the building. "HEY!" She cried out just as a fist cuffed the side of her head enough to stun her but not do more than rattle her teeth and make her fall silent.

"I said, hold on there. Are you so daft as to think yourself above a little cutesy and apologizing the proper way?" One of the men sneered, the other glanced onto the street to see they weren't followed, then stepped beside the first man. Their breadth of shoulder and body effectively blocked her exit to the street. "You would think a woman who apologized the way you did would back it up with more than just that smile. Surely you had that in mind, didn't you, little one?"

The other man nodded. "I am pretty sure the thought she was lost in was being with you, Danner." He laughed then as the other man nodded.

"I am sure it was. So, little trotter," the nickname began to fall from his tongue less like an insult and more like a term of endearment. "Let's see if you can apologize the proper way." He stepped towards her, and her backwards steps soon planted her firmly against a wall with a soft sound that made her bite her lip in concern. "See, no where to run. And no one to come fetch you." Danner laughed once more.

Jinsala slowly shook her head back and forth as worry filled her eyes. It wasn't her own safety she feared. "Please, don't. You don't want this, I assure you." She was gripping her bag tighter in the hopes the small thin strip of animal hide would protect her as Danner stepped forward, his unnamed companion shifting as if to stand guard to any wayward person who wanted to happen down the dead end space.

She felt rage build in her like it had the last time she had been cornered. It was nearly five years ago, but the outcome had been so severe, even her own family began to make sure they didn't anger her.

As Danner stepped closer, that same small sound fell from the woman's lips as the bag slipped off her shoulder as she resigned herself to what was about to happen. She would have to be quick this time. If they raised the alarm... and she had to let him mark her first. If she didn't, and they blamed her when they woke, she needed a reason to prove what she had done. It was sad she knew how to protect herself even from the inevitable outcome she knew would be the conclusion.

As Danner reached for her, she seemed to shrink against the wall. His arms grabbed her shoulders and she braced for his next move. Just like before, his lips pressed towards her and she bit her lip turning her head aside and moving so he nearly kissed the plascrete wall behind her. His growl made her look up just as he tried once more. This time as she tried to jerk from him, his right hand rose and slammed across her cheek in a blow that sent her to her knees. There... that was what she had wanted. She lifted her hand to feel the heat growing where she knew a nice purple and black bruise would rise in a few moments. And averted her gaze as the man did what all men did with a woman at their feet.

Without letting him get much further than mumbling that she was finally where she belonged, she pulled her rage in, not really knowing what she was doing, and her hand shot out towards his closest knee. Completely unaware what was happening as she jerked her hand back, the small wave of uncontrolled, untrained Force banded out from her like the debris of an exploding star. If anyone was passing the alley, or within a block or two of what occurred, and had Force sensitivity, they would know it had been called upon by an untrained wielder.

While most women her size would certainly make a man his size stumble from the blow, perhaps even set him off balance, none of them would shatter it as she had. The bones crackled like the glass windscreen of a small shuttle in an asteroid storm and she winced as she resigned herself to the fact that that was the only shot she would get. If she didn't run now, the adrenalin it had taken to make that breaking blow would leave her weak and at their mercy. She had no idea that adrenalin, while making her strong, hadn't given her the strength she had called on for the blow.

Grabbing her bag and rushing to get to her feet, she realized, too late, she had lingered on her knees too long. She wasn't quick enough to outrace the grasp of Danner or of his friend who had turned to grab her even as she rose. "Little beast!" Danner growled as he staggered and realized what had happened. "You messed up my leg!" The punch that rocked her this time not only took her to her knees, but to the ground completely. The flat of his hand had been replaced by knuckled made steel by her bravado. Ad she paid dearly for it. Her head smacked the wall where her back had been a moment ago and she closed her eyes a moment to fight passing out.

[Ezra Na'chtion]

Anchorhead. Why was he back here? He had no intention of visiting his parents, or coming to this planet at all, but his legs had carried him past the family shop five times now. Each time he stopped, hands in his pockets, his head covered by a hook, and look through the sand encrusted windows from across the street. He couldn't see anything, but that had not stopped him from trying to peer through the grimy glass each time he passed. Pa was probably in there, tinkering away with some project. That's what he had been good for. Fixing things. This city owed him a great debt for his ability to piece back together whatever they brought. Sure it was just a moisture vaporator here or a service droid, but to these people those things were a means to their livelihood and when they broke it was like their world had come crashing down.

Mother would be at home. Another location he had walked past several times. No. He didn't need to see them. Ezra had grown beyond the need for family, or anyone for that matter. He was now a parent of sorts within his own right. Still, he felt himself drawn back to his planet and a strange biological need to visit familiar ties that he could not explain. Surely he was in control of his own desires and motivations, and this was not even a speck within his machinations. Turning away again, he stuffed his hands deeper into his coat and walked away. The early morning air was already beginning to warm up and the layers needed to disguise himself from the men, women, and children he grew up around was becoming burdensome. His lodgings were not far, and it was about time he left.

There was a ripple. No. Not a ripple. Like a tsunami in the force that crashed through him, penetrating him, and passing through. Some ludicrous display of power had just transpired. Bold and unfettered. It was selfish in it's display. Not even an attempt to muffle or hide it. Like a piranha he followed the taste of blood in the water. It was close. The trail lead him around a corner and up to an alley between two buildings. Even from the entrance, with the rising sun framing his silhouette, he could see the dead end at the other side, and the pair of thugs standing over a woman who was clearly just knocked prone. The two men, one hobbling and holding a pant leg soaked in blood, turned to face the entrance. They made a universe gesture for go away and shouted "Fack off!"

Reaching out in the force, Ezra felt for the owner of the display. It was clearly not these two gentleman. They had about half a lick of sense between the two of them. Nothing remotely interesting or special about them. The galaxy would not even notice their passing. Opening up his coat revealed a lightsabre hanging from his hip. The hilt was delicately selected and raised. This was not his Academy blade, but his personal one. Salvaged from the Lightscythe given to him by Baralai Lotus and employing a sentient Shard as it's focusing gem. The blade literally screaming to life, the agony of the energized being within the circuitry allowed the yellow beam to spring to life. The Shard pain radiated in the force, fueling the darkside.

The two thugs looked very uncertain, and did not approach. They looked for weapons, for an escape. Anything. There was nowhere to go. They had trapped themselves here thinking they were the predators, but in the end they were but gizka. Ezra's sleeve bulged and from it emerged a long, snake-like creature. It wrapped around the outside of his arm, testing the air with a snip of it's tongue. It coiled. The thugs tensed, and then it shot forward, imbedding itself in the face of the one called Danner. Fangs sunk into flesh and the man screaming in agony as he fell to the ground clutching his face. The sudden movement sent the other man scurrying around the dead end as he tried to climb walls too tall and with too little handholds. Ezra walked calmly toward him. The man shrunk into a corner, made himself small, and begged for his life.

The promises of a dead man fell on deaf ears as Ezra drove his blade clumsily into his chest.

"Are you alive?" He asked as he bent over the woman. The snake and lightsabre were gone. Only corpses remained as evidence of their existence.

[Jinsala Wayani]

Half dazed and nearly on the brink of passing out, Jinsala never the less saw the men fall as their screams were swiftly silenced. She couldn't recall details, just images. There was yellow light, a serpent of some kind, and a man in a robe with...something... in his hands. The feeling of that man, who now loomed over her, was dark. But the emotions she felt were oddly not directed at her. Though she honestly couldn't have said how she knew that. And despite that, it was comforting. She bite back a smile as she realized how odd that seemed even to her addled mind.

She started to shake her head that she was fine when a wave rolled over her. Closing her eyes another moment, she pulled once more on what she mistook as adrenaline and managed to calm herself. It was as shaky as her attack had been, and by no means even close to an Initiate's ability to calm themselves. But in light of it being all she knew, she just knew it helped. What she didn't realize was that her own aura, so close to his, brushed him like a warm wave with edges as raw as new honed steel.

Her eyes were brown as they glanced up at the man. She hesitated to call him savior. And while brown was an accurate word for the color, it wasn't for the description. It wasn't the dull brown of the sand that surrounded them, but the rich brown of colored leaves in places where the leaves turned before falling dead for the winter. The vibrancy in them tempered only by the glazed look from the blow to her head. The man's fist had felt like a Mandalorian steel mallet to her skull and she had misjudged her ability to withstand it. “Yeth...” she took a breath and tried again. “Yes, I am. Thank you...” She left the words hanging hoping to at least get a name to go with the striking features over her.

She grabbed her bag in one hand, not wanting to bend over again once she managed to stand, and used the wall to pull herself to her feet. Once there, she thought of closing her eyes to steady herself again, but feared the consequences of feinting in front of the stranger. She would simply go to the nearest open door that offered strong liquor and she would be right as rain in a couple hours. The shock to her body from her fist blow was one she had grown used to and knew that time and calm would bring her back to herself.

“I am Jins...” She left her name abbreviated, again unsure what this man had to do with anything. But as she looked at him again, this time more eye to eye, her brow creased. “Do I know you?” There was a look of familiarity to him, but she wasn't sure from where. For all she knew, he could have come from a dream. She was probably passed out on the hard packed dirt with Danner hovering over her ready to strike again. The thought made her face relax as she bit her lip to keep from grinning.

[Ezra Na'chtion]

"No."

Reaching out he placed his hand on the crown of her head, turning her head from one side to the other; examining the wounds she had received from being hit and slammed into the wall. Mild injury. A little bleeding. Nothing serious, but they were visible injuries. No sense in attracting unwanted attention. The power of the darkside was still strong within him. The screams of the Shard still echoed in his mind. He reached inside her, into her very nervous system, using her pain as a beacon to find those injuries within. Channeling his power into her the pain intensified, growing white hot like fire burning her flesh for several seconds and then it was gone, and in it's place her wounds were healed. Not miraculously and completely, but rather the cuts were closed and already withdrawing into scars.

"I am Vice Cha- Ezra. My name is Ezra." He threw the hood of his coat back to reveal his blue eyes and sandy hair. His face was youthful and his height was not heroic by any means. If not for the situation he would not have stood out for even a moment in the streets of Anchorhead. Only his eyes set him apart, the narrow, apathetic way they looked out into the world, like there was no emotion inside him and nothing outside of him that could interest him.

"How did you do that?" He pointed to the corpse of the first man. His face was turned shades of green and flecked with black from the toxin. His shattered knee was hidden inside his paint leg, but the amount of blood that had soaked the cloth and was pooling into the filthy alley was considerable.

[Jinsala Wayani]

When Ezra reached for her, her initial reaction was to pull away. But having her back to the wall left little place for her to go. A moment later he was looking in her eyes and examining the wound on her head. A soft inhale of breath hissed through her teeth as he checked her out. It made her reach a hand up to see what had concerned him. Bringing her finger down smeared with crimson, she realized the hit had been harder than she had thought.

Without a word, he held her head and looked at her. It was as if he were trying to see straight through her. But suddenly a seering pain, worse than the blow itself, burst through her head. She instinctively dropped her bag and grabbed his wrists as if to stop it. “Wha...” She no sooner had the partial word out then the pain stopped. Releasing a breath she didn't realize she had gasped and held, she touched the wound once more. It was already closed and the blood she had wiped a moment ago was all that had remained. “How did you?” She realized one hand still gripped him and quickly let go.

When he threw back his hood, as he introduced himself, she noticed his hair and features, but it was his eyes that held her. She had seen the eyes of killers, and holy men, of workers and sloths. Everyone's eyes held something of their past. Like a dark pool you couldn't see the bottom of but still knew if it was worth plunging into or not.

But not him. His eyes were blank. It was as if a door behind them was shut, or a curtain pulled. Rather than make her want to shrink back, it made her more curious.

When he nodded to the man she had hurt, she shrugged and looked away. “I have a temper, father said. Sometimes I get an adrenaline rush that is deep enough that I can give one good solid blow that hurts someone more than it usually should. But it makes me dizzy afterwards, like everything in me went into the blow.” She growled knowing she should have struck him and run. If she hadn't faultered, shrunk back from him in fear, she could have escaped. “But I waited too long this time. By the time I moved, I was already getting fuzzy. It's the only reason he got the blow in.” She spat out the final sentence as if not only berating herself in it, but justifying how she had come out on the wrong end of his fist.

“I just need to rest and get a good stiff drink, I'll be fine.” She then realized the pain in her head had dulled as if she had already rested for quite some time. “I don't know what you did to me,” she touched the bruised are on her temple, “But thank you. Can I offer you credit for it? Or perhaps a drink?” It was the least she could do, she figured.

[Ezra Na'chtion]

It wasn't until his had expended his power and healed her wound, as the world came back into focus, that he realized she had grabbed his wrist. His hand was quickly withdrawn and held against his body, as if her touch had burned him. His other hand massaged the site for a moment before his hands fell back to his sides. It took a few additional moments before he spoke again. "I do not imbibe." He replied flatly. Reaching inside his jacket he produced a pair of gloves and slipped them on. It calmed the demons screaming inside his brain in the same way that petting a frightened animal soothed it's fright during a storm.

"I know a place where we can get food. We can talk more then." Ezra concluded as he flipped his hood back over his head.

He offered her his hand and helped her to his feet. Taking the lead they left the alley behind and set foot into the streets of Anchorhead once again. The suns were peeking over the tops of the buildings, and life in the street was picking up. Speeders went back and fourth noisily while market stalls began opening for the day. Down the street, across an intersection, and down another street took them to a greasy looking establishment. Gobblin' Gamorrean was a family restaurant famous for it's pancakes. They were alright if you liked a meal you needed a blowtorch to cut through and stuck to the insides of your stomach like a coat of molasses.

They also had beer, because the people of Tatooine needed something to make the heat bearable. It was served everywhere.

A hospitable, in your face older lady at the counter cooed a hello from behind the diner counter. At her instruction of "Aw just sit your buns wherever you want huns!" Ezra picked a clean booth and sat down. Menus were already on the tables. He didn't have to look at it. He knew what he wanted. It was the same thing he always ordered when he came in here, although he had to admit that it had been some time since he last set foot here. Not since his fourteenth birthday when Pa brought him in for their birthday breakfast ritual. Not long after that he outgrew such traditions, and his parents.

"You have a special power." He began, as she was looking over the menu. He had his hands clasped together on the tabletop. "It is unfocused and wild, only accessible through states of intense emotion. When your scared, or angry. It is the same power that I used to cure your wounds. You could do the same, with patience and instruction. There is a place for people like us. Have you ever heard of the planet Tanaab?" His hand dipped down a moment, digging into a pocket, before pulling out a crumpled brochure. The title on the front said Tanaab Force Academy; Institute for the Gifted. Within the glossy, fold out pages was images of the Academy Castle grounds, the inside of the refurbished classrooms, and images of Ezra himself standing beside a pale skinned woman. The caption said "Chancellor Frygt and Vice-Chancellor Na'chtion."

[Jinsala Wayani]

His jerk back from her touch made her wonder if there was something wrong with her. But as he slipped on the gloves, she merely guessed he wasn't one who liked being touched. When he reached down to help her grab her bag and head out, her mind shifted once more in its opinion to that he merely didn't like having his skin touched. Either way, she was soon following him out the alley.

His confession that he didn't drink was a shock to her. She had met very few who didn't enjoy a nice ale or whiskey at least once in a while. She wasn't sure whether to trust a man who didn't drink. Her father once told her men that didn't drink were too holy or too evil to include in her sphere of influence. But as he had saved her life, and healed her, she was considering throwing the advice to the winds and judge herself.

She tried to keep track of their meandering, but being unfamiliar with the place, she was soon lost and surrendered to being at his mercy for the time being. It wasn't long before they entered a small hole in the wall and a moment later they were seated at a table and he was talking again.

What he said made her shake her head and furrow her brow in disbelief. “A power? That makes no sense. I mean, not me. I just get all fired up and I can make someone hurt. How is that a power? I never healed anyone,” she managed a small forced laugh of disbelief, “and I certainly never healed myself.”

When he slid the small brochure her way and she saw him in the pic, her eyes snapped up at him in shock of the fact he wasn't lying. Or at least, she didn't think he was. “Wait.. you are the,” she read his title once more, “Vice-Chancellor of this place?” She looked inside and read a bit of what the place was. Closing it and pressing it back towards him, she shook her head. This time, though, it was in confusion. “A Force User...” She said the words as if tasting them. “I met a Jedi once. The man was travelling someplace my folks were going at the time and we gave him a ride. I was too young, and hadn't done anything of note. Maybe that's why he didn't tell me this beforehand.”

She leaned back and looked at his hooded visage. “What if it isn't a power and it's just adrenaline, like I've been told?” She thought that actually belonging somewhere would be nice. But what if it wasn't what he thought it was... what then?

[Ezra Na'chtion]

"I assure you that what you did in the alley was in fact a manifestation of what the galaxy collectively calls the Force." He was prepared to continue, his next word framed on his lips, but then the nice lady from behind the counter had come around to deliver them cups of water and take their order. "I'll have a triple stack with Goja berries." Order given and menus handed back, Ezra waited for Jinsala to give her own and then continued once the proprietor was out of earshot again. "The force can be manifested through those deep emotions, usually in wild and unexpected ways. I am not even entirely sure what it is you did to that man. It could have been a force assisted blow for increased strength and speed, or you may have even affected him on a cellular level and shattered the very bonds that bind his body. Such things are possible with the force. Creation and destruction. Healing and wounding. It is our responsibility as users of the Force to choose how we employ it."

Pausing a moment to take a sip of his water, he let the cool water wash down his throat. It had a strange taste to it that was all too familiar to him. Water drawn through moisture vaporators took on the flavor of the machinery that harvested it. He had been spoiled by water from other worlds, where it ran in rivers and fell from the sky. Tatooine had no such things save for the rare oasis.

"The Tanaab Academy can teach you how to control your force powers. Normally enrollment is quite expensive, but I make special exceptions for people of incredible potential, and what I felt in the force when you shattered that man's knee was impressive to say the least. I am willing to offer you full enrollment and lodging at the Academy. Do not feel rushed to make a decision now. It is a standing offer. Feel free to ask any questions. I'm sure you have many."

[Jinsala Wayani]

Jins couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had been about to ask when the waitress came back. Not knowing what to order, she simple made her request match his, though she did order a fruit drink in addition. The water troubled her pallet and she wanted something to quench her thirst, not irritate her throat further.

When he began speaking again, his words made her sit back and shake her head. “Creation... healing... I have no desire to become a Jedi.” She said almost as if the very word made her mouth feel foul. “I have no illusions about my temper and my drive. It does not involve putting on a white robe and asking people to please be nice. Violence happens. It has to happen, sometimes, for progress, and I have no wish to make the galaxy believe otherwise.”

When he offered her a fully paid enrollment, though, she paused. Even if she didn't graduate, didn't put the white robes on, maybe it could help her get stronger. After all, he said she had potential. Why shouldn't she try and see what that potential was?

“What if I want to go and learn, but not graduate to wear the white robes? Can I still go? I mean, I gotta learn how to control this,” she struggled a moment for the word, “ability. Right?” She wouldn't lie to him and offer to be some grand healer and galactic peace keeper, that wasn't in her. But she also wanted to learn. Since the death of the only family she ever had, she had been searching for... well for something. Maybe this was it.

Leaning forward on her elbows, she narrowed her eyes a moment and looked at him. She wasn't strong enough to actually read his mind, but in her own naive, untrained way, her Force aura reached out as if trying to do just that. She wasn't consciously aware of it, though. “You aren't wearing white.” She said as if just realizing it for the first time. Her thumb jerked over her shoulder to the door they had come in. “And what happened in that alleyway was anything but diplomatic.” An eyebrow rose as her head tilted slightly, the oddness making her suddenly look like a curious bird. “Just what are you, Vice- Chancellor of the school for gifted children?” She was testing him. It was as if she already knew there was more to him than he had offered.

The sun, peaking through a nearby window, blazed for just a moment on her hair and face. For just a moment, the fire of the star above set the color of fire to her hair. The highlights of her tresses fairly danced, as if she had momentarily become some elemental creature. Her eyes, blinking a moment from the glare, gave off a strange shine like the emeralds of some dark cavern had been thrust into the light for the first time and were free to illuminate as brightly as they desired. A second later the sun arced and the image faded, but her eyes still bore into him as if trying to seek the answer with her feeble attempts to mind read him.

Though if you had asked her, she would have told you mind reading was impossible.

[Ezra Na'chtion]

She went on and on, as was expected. Her reality was being challenge with an entirely new set of ideas that conflicted with everything she had believed up until now. Before this she had merely been plagued with a bad temper that, when activated, gave her the ability to grievously injure other beings. Ezra found it laughable that she had ever suspected that there was more to this. She was either incredibly sheltered or was lying to herself. The tent she constructed for herself, a safe place in the scary woods of life, was starting to unravel. She could either accept the dark wood all around her or bury her head in the remains of her disbelief.

He bit his tongue for now, letting her get all her questions and exclamations out. He took the moment to take a long sip of his water and dab his moist lip with his napkin. His voice remained flat and steady as he spoke.

"I think you misunderstand. I am not with the Jedi. They have their own camp located on the Alliance shelter world of Ossus. We do not wear white at the Tanaab Academy. The Jedi do not even wear white. Nobody does. It stains so. As you saw on the brochure, we wear a charcoal gray uniform with gold and silver trim. It's very striking, very military. We like the strictness it brings. We are a school after all. Not a free spirited drum circle to share our ideals and dreams. Robes are lazy. A uniform is a responsibility. Clean, press, shine boots. It teaches a lesson about appearances and the importance of routine. If you want to make it at the Academy you have to put in the effort.

Your temper is welcome at the Academy. I said we could teach you control. We would never take away your personality. That little bit of something special that makes you unique. We are not brainwashing children into soldiers. It is an academic institution. No religious undertones. No high bantha morals. We do not intervene in wars or support any government but that of Tanaab, which has done nothing but support us every step of the way. We are not a military. I would not go so far as to say we are not good, but we are certainly not self righteous nor do we impose our views. We have none. We teach only the use and history of the force. We do not take sides. That is a choice for you and only you to make." He was going out of his way to draw every parallel but not outright say that they were everything the Jedi Order was not. That would be slander, and that was not the way to get his pitch across. Instead he spoke of only facts and left the dirt slinging to lesser men.

"Those men in the alley would have raped and killed you. A citizens defense is hardly illegal, although scrutinized. If I had let them leave than it would have been a different alley and a different woman tomorrow. A man clubbed and robbed. A child robbed of innocence. Make no mistake, I am not suggesting that I am allowed to determine who should live and who should die. Those men make a conscious choice to prey upon others, and they received the same in kind. Would you rather I let them live?" It was less a hollow question and more a threat. With enough time and materials he could no doubt bring those men back to life. Not a real life, but a cursed one of unlife. It would not be the first corpses he had animated.

[Jinsala Wayani]

Jinsala felt corrected. It didn't happen a lot and when it did, her pride stung more than anything. She listened as he said no one wore white and she realized in the pic before her, no one was in anything but what he described. When he said her temper and personality were welcome, she managed a half smile. No one had ever welcomed her anywhere before, much less her temper as well.

There was more to what he was offering than what he said. She was no fool, even if she didn't understand what it was he was offering.

“I apologize. I have been quick to judge and let my tongue run off once more. I would be grateful for your teaching.” When she thought about how she had misjudged other things, her mind came back to her using the Force. “As to the Force gift you say I have. I believe you. If it isn't really an adrenalin rush, than what else could it be? Just because no one else recognized it in me, doesn't mean anything, does it?” There was an edge of anger on the final statement. How in all the years she had been doing this, had no one thought to tell her it was a gift she could grow and enhance? True, those she had been raised by hated Force users and loathed all they did. But was that enough to make her ignorant of her own power?

She had a moment to wonder if they had been ignoring it because they hoped, in time, it would just go away.

When he asked if she wanted him to have left the men in the alley alive, she shook her head. “You saved my life in that alley. And it's not easy for me to say that. I want to learn about this power. I want to use to learn The Force for whatever it has in store for me.” While she had managed to swallow her pride and admit being the damsel in distress a while ago, she also felt her eyes fill with a dark yearning to pursue this in every direction it could possibly take her.

As their food arrived, she cast her eyes down lest anyone else see the measure of sheer desire that suddenly tickled her spine and glowed in her eyes. What she wouldn't say out loud, or even admit silently to herself, was that she didn't want to depart from Ezra's company. There was something about him that drew her to him. Be it his looks or abilities, she wasn't sure. But she only knew shewanted to know.

[Ezra Na'chtion]

Ezra nodded his head. At last, he had broken through. Even more she might have just learned a lesson in humility. Looking back he had been very much the same when he left Tatooine as a teenager. He was the brightest, most intelligent person in this whole city. Growing up he had no peers, no one in school who could hold a torch to his intelligence. He had read everything he could get his hands on, spent countless hours on the holonet studying. When he ran out of resources and avenues to gain knowledge, he left. Becoming an understudy to a professor had been like running his face into a wall. Suddenly he wasn't the smartest person in the room anymore. It had been hard to admit at first after a short lifetime of constant superiority. Once he found some humility he found he learned better, accepting knowledge from others instead of despising them for being smarter.

That was a long time ago. Now he knew he was the smartest.

"There is no shame in error, if we learn from it. Like a proper experiment we must keep trying until we get it right, using failure as the catalyst that drives us toward success." Professor Markus has said something like that once. It seemed apt advice at the time, and in this moment. Normally he was one to lord people's mistakes over them, but this hardly seemed the moment for that. There was nothing for him to prove.

Their food came, and Ezra immediately plucked a goja berry off the top and popped it into his mouth. It as not nearly as sweet as he remembered. The flavor was flat. No doubt dehydrated and shipped from the other side of the galaxy to save a few credits. He had been spoiled on the fresh food available at the Academy. Tanaab was an agricultural world and full of fresh produce; fruit, vegetables, not to mention all the dairy and meat that came with it. The entire planet was a giant farm. It was not without it's flaws, however. It was preyed upon by bandits and raiders from the stars. The Academy had intervened on a few occasions in which the Tanaab militia was not capable of responding to. They had such a small army, and it was a big planet.

"Very good." He said as he bit into a cut of the pancakes, smothered in syrup of an unknown origin and flavor. It was Goja berry flavor, it turned out. Naturally. "I will not impose any sort of time frame upon you, but the sooner you get to the Academy the sooner you can begin your studies. If you are capable, you could accompany me on my ship when I depart Tatooine later today."

[Jinsala Wayani]

Jinsala nodded. She knew she could learn from her mistakes. Her father had drilled that into her head time and again. It was fairly humbling to have a stranger have to remind her of it again.

When the food came, she set into it as well. She wasn't as hesitant as he was, not having anything to compare it to. "This is amazing. I've never had it before. Will have to remember it if given the chance." It surprised her when he said the sooner the better. But what made her pause, fork halfway to mouth, was his invitation to accompany him when he departed this very day. She looked down at her plate as her mind worked out what her options were. It didn't take more than half a heartbeat to realize that she had none. She finished her forkful of food and looked back up at him. "I don't have anything else to stay here for. I can be ready when you want me to." She smiled and gave a half shrug before nodding to the floor. "I have all my stuff with me, anyway."

[Ezra Na'chtion]

"The Gobblin' Gamorrean is an Anchorhead institution; or at least it was." he remarked as he looked around the diner and noticed it was mostly empty. He remembered it being a bustling business with a line waiting to get in. Now it was gloomy and dark, it's tables empty. Everything polished and clean, just waiting for more customers. Unfortunate. He turned back around and continued eating, take huge bites of his pancakes.

"I will be departing at..." he checked his chrono, which was set to the local time on Tanaab, and then looked out the window at the suns. They were not even at their height yet. It was still morning. He wanted to give Jinsala time to get ready and not be rushed but at the same time he did not want to stay around on this planet a minute longer than he had to. There were too many ghosts and memories that he would rather not delve into. "Two o'clock. I'm docked at the city starport. Bay B-17. Don't be late." He said between bites. Already his plate was almost empty.

[Jinsala Wayani]

Jins followed his gaze a bit. She could almost read his memories, though it was mostly facial expressions she got. There had been something about this place in the past, that was now severely lacking. Unable to help with explanations, since she had never been here before today, she remained silent.

The young woman nodded her head as he spoke of a departure time. "No rush on my behest, but I will probably head there now and wait. I have nothing else to do. And something tells me if I keep wandering around, I will end up in more trouble." She laughed softly and tried to make light of what she knew would probably happen. Heading to the hanger and waiting for the Vice Chancellor was probably the best bet for her. She winked at him and set to finishing her own food. She wasn't that far behind him.

[Ezra Na'chtion]

Ezra grew quiet, contemplative, as he considered his options. Was there any thing he wanted to do, or see, before he left? His family, old school, the rest of the city? No. There wasn't. He had thought some deep sense of longing, of homesickness, had lead him here, but in the end, deep in his heart, he realized that he had no interest in seeing his family. They were anchors, dragging him down and slowing down his progress. He had no need for such obstacles in his life. No. It was time to leave them behind for good, just as he had done several times before.

Perhaps it was the force that lead him here, if you could believe that sort of thing. He certainly didn't, and this was not going to make him a believer. This was a chance encounter. Ezra was sure he could travel to any world and if he waited long enough he would pick up on a similar force outburst that would lead him to a potential student. Perhaps not one with such draw power as this one, but a student nonetheless. The galaxy was full of those with force potential that went their entire lives without ever realizing. Those that did became Jedi or were scooped up by the Empire. He could assume there were many sith out there in the galaxy, individuals like himself and Sianna, who kept to themselves and did not threaten the galaxy at large.

"In that case we can set out at once." He said as he stuffed the last bite of his pancake into his mouth and chewed it slowly while he wiped his hands off on a napkin before reaching into his pocket and fishing out a credit chit to set down on the edge of the table. "Just as soon as you are finished."

[Jinsala Wayani]

Jins watched the man grow quiet. There was an almost 'otherworldliness' to him that made her wonder just what kinds of thoughts he contemplated. Something told her they weren't pleasant. But, oddly, it merely made her more curious. She guessed, deep down inside, she wanted to know more... more about the power he offered to teach her to control, the power he had shown in the alley, and mostly, just more about him.

She finished a couple more bites and pushed the plate away. It was more than half gone, but still some left. Before he asked, she merely shrugged. “I don't eat much.” She wasn't going to admit she was stuffed already. She was used to rations and lesser fare. This had been so rich for her it was almost a dessert. She would have to build up a slow tolerance if this was what she had to look forward to in the school he was taking her to.

Jins watched him set the credit chip down and realized it was enough for both meals. “Thank you...” she managed to half mutter. She wasn't sure if he would appreciate the graciousness or not, but it was habit. She certainly hadn't expected him to pick up her tab as well. Taking one final draw of her drink, she nodded. “I guess we can set off.” She smiled to him but there was still something she was holding back. A part of her was guarded. She wasn't a fool, at least, she didn't think she was. Sure, she was running off with a guy cause he had saved her life, offered her a place and a bed and three meals, even if she couldn't eat them all yet. And sure, he was good looking, in more ways that one.

So why wasn't every danger sensor in her mind screaming at her? If her conscious was a feline, she was sure it was purring now, rolling over to stretch out towards the stranger in some odd offering of thanks and comfort. She mentally shook herself, her rapid blink or two the only tell she had been lost in a moment, and the half smile reappeared as she hoisted her bag and rose. “So... to the hanger then?”

[Ezra Na'chtion]

"Indeed." He made one final attempt to wipe his hands of the sticky syrup before abandoning the idea of clean hands. He had antibacterial wipes on the ship that would handle this better than some flimsy napkin made of recycled materials. Standing up, he dusted the front of his coat and headed out the door. The hostess yelled a goodbye and thank you. Ezra only nodded in her direction.

Back in the streets the air was warming up. It was getting too warm under his coat, but he still did not dare take it off. He flipped his hood back up again to disguise his face lest he run into a ghost from his past, or god forbid one of his parents. That was a reunion he did not have the time for. Not now. It was imperative that he got Jinsala back to Tanaab as soon as possible. There was paperwork to fill out, tours to give, and an education that should be started as soon as possible. He adopted a quick walking pace as he moved through the streets. In the distance, over the tops of the buildings, one could see the mighty spaceport. Like a giant disc dropped from the heavens. It was the lifeline of this shithole of a city; of every city on the planet. Each one had a spaceport like this one. Tatooine was a place nobody wanted to stay for long.

"I sense a hesitation in you." He said as they plodded along. Ezra was normally not one for picking up on the feelings of those around him. It was not that he was not so attuned to the force but rather that he simply did not care. "Did you have any other questions, or are you simply anxious of the trip?"

[Jinsala Wayani]

Jins followed him out and fell into step a little to the side of him. He was a bit more than half a pace in front of her. While she wouldn't trail behind him like a servant, she knew she wasn't strong enough to walk beside him. Her mother had taught her that. If you can't join a battle, negotiation or confrontation on equal footing as the man to your left, then you have no business walking on his right. She had always trailed father and at first it made no sense. Then one time in a space port, someone had confronted her father in a heated exchange. Had her mother been beside him, the swing that came at her father would have hit her mother first. And her father's draw of his blade would have been halted by mother's closeness as well.

So Jins fell into step just far enough to the side and behind that if Ezra had to draw his saber, her proximity wouldn't hinder him.

When he asked about her hesitation, she piped up quickly. "No, not at all." But then she bit her lip. He wasn't accusing her, he was asking. And she sighed and shook her head. "No, that's not right either. I don't know, to be honest." She tried to laugh but the small hitch in her breath wasn't quite enough to convince even herself. "I guess I'm trying to figure out why I am following you like I've always known you. That's not like me. And I'm also trying to puzzle out why it's not bothering me that I am."

She wasn't going to tell him that there was something inside her reaching out to him. Like the animal analogy in her mind earlier, this time the image that came to mind was a hand reaching for knowledge or power. That if she followed him, learned from him, stayed close to him, everything would make sense and be fine. Better than fine, in fact. She would find a piece of herself she wasn't even aware she was missing.

The idea made her brow furrow slightly and she shrugged and readjusted her bag once more. "Guess I'm just curious what's going to happen, that's all. I mean, not exactly the classroom kinda girl. If you get my meaning." She had been around other kids growing up. But it was sporadic and usually only at the stations they docked, fueled and got more supplies from. The places they delivered to weren't always kid friendly, so she learned to occupy herself on the ship. Looking back, she had a solitary existence. She was a bit worried the school would be overwhelming. But she had to try.

[Ezra Na'chtion]

Ezra considered her words, musing them over for a moment before he already had his reply. It was an often rehearsed creed within the Sith Order. He spoke without so much as a look over his shoulder.

"People are drawn to symbols, or people, of power. It is only natural. A symptom of tribal patterns during the early stages of evolution where the early sentients flocked to those with the most power to be their leaders or chieftains. The objects of power could be physical brawn or a keen intellect. I lack the former and match the latter, but I am sure it is my ability to wield the force that has drawn you. Through the force we are connected on a level in you could never connect with a mundane individual. Perhaps that is the connection that you are feeling."

He had felt similar in the presence of select individuals throughout his life. Once upon a time that had been the professors and scholars he had studied under, but eventually he surpassed them. Within the old Sith Order there many powerful beings. Zereth, Jorshal, Je'gan, and, especially, Baralai. His former master had been an incredible beacon of what it meant to be a force user. Sophisticated, well learned in the art of Alchemy, ambitious, and a little crazy. If that many had not suddenly disappeared into the void Ezra had no doubt that he would still be following him and that together they would have created sithspawn that far surpassed what Ezra had made on his own.

Ahead the entrance to the docking bay was open, inviting. Turning around he looked up into Jinsala's face. "Are you sure you are ready?"

[Jinsala Wayani]

As he spoke of people being drawn together, she hoped it was more of a case of 'like being drawn to like' rather than 'need being drawn to have'. But even in that aspect, she had to admit that while she did feel a connection to him, she would never admit, at least out loud, that he already knew what she wanted to know. If he could teach her those things, then yes, she understood the draw.

It didn't help that she liked him. That was an uncommon enough thing as well.

"I guess that makes sense. I mean, there is something here... at least, I think there is. I can't see any other reason I would blindly follow you." She laughed slightly. In her mind it made sense, but rationalizing it out loud made her seem like a groupie and that troubled her. She gave a slight smile as she thought of his description of himself. "I wouldn't knock yourself off too hard in the field of physical brawn." Admiration filled her voice but not in a tone of over the top flattery. "You didn't just think those thuds to death, I am sure. Even if I did miss most of what actually happened."

When he asked if she was sure, she met his eyes, knowing where they were in his cowl because of the slight glint, and nodded with a sly smile of desire and want. "Oh yes... most assuredly."

[Ezra Na'chtion]

Already she was showing signs of having a much higher opinion of him that he deserved. Such blind devotion, or hero worship, would prove useful when converting her into the Order. While most of the flock would be made up of those who wanted to be there, those with violent, dark tendencies, there was also those who saw it as a club, and still those who had to be bent to fit. He had not yet figured which of the three archetypes Jinsala fell into. She stood at a crossroad that could lead her down any of those paths. If she had to be forced than she was already in a place where his influence could win her over.

"You would be surprised how easy it is to dispatch the mediocre denizens of this universe. I have no brawn, but I have intelligently designed weapons. The result may be the same, but the means are worlds apart. You will learn that soon, at the Academy. The force provides us with just as many weapons as it does tools. It's a Chiss Army Knife with many facets and uses. Come, will will depart at once."

Stepping into the starport Ezra lead the way once again with Jinsala hot on his flank. They traveled around the circular structure, passing many bays and landing pads along the way, until they finally arrived at B-17. Passing through the door revealed a modest shuttle with the Academy logo on it; a rising star above a castle. The inside of the shuttle was more luxurious than the outside, with comfortable seats and a large holovid display. "Make yourself comfortable." He instructed as he took the pilots seat; a plush, swiveling affair of rich leather. His fingers moved slowly over the controls, the act of a man not entirely sure of what he was doing. He knew how to fly the shuttle, and had on many occasions, but a crack pilot he was not. The engines whirled to life and sub-lights raised from from the deck and out into the sizzling air of Tatooine.

It took only a few minutes to clear orbit, plot navigation, and slip into hyperspace.

"It will take awhile to get to Tanaab. You may make sure of the holovid. There is food and drink in the cooler. I apologize, this shuttle is not designed or equipped for such long trips." He said as he swiveled his chair around to face her. Standing up he pulled his warm coat free and tossed it into one of the empty seats. The sleeve of his tunic bulged and moved, and the sithspawn serpent emerged. It slithered from his sleeve and on to the floor, where it retreated into a corner at the back of the shuttle where the engines warmth could be felt. Sitting back down, he grabbed a book from where it had been left on the control panel and opened it to the page he remembered leaving off on. The book was worn at the edges and it's title was as unreadable as it's spine was damaged.

[Jinsala Wayani]

Jins admired the ship as they approached she smiled. "Nice shuttle." She rattled off its nomenclature with a half murmured shrug as if impressed. "Never been in anything this nice before." As he told her to make herself comfortable, she stowed her gear and followed him into the cockpit and took one of the unoccupied seats there.

She strapped in and watched him take off in silence. Though he had said it a bit ago, she finally responded to his comment as they entered hyperspace. "I wouldn't mind learning, ya know." She paused a moment to see if he heard her. "Learning to dispose of mediocre denizens, I meant." She laughed and settled into her chair for the trip. The smile on her face was nearly a look of madness. The idea of giving back ten fold to a few who had been worthy of such things wasn't such a bad idea. There were a couple hands she had broken that probably could use a matching skull to go with it.

Once they were settled and he swiveled around, she nodded once more. "You're pretty good with her." She gave a brief thumb point at the console. "She's a bit lopsided heavy, these are. My suggestion is a couple kilo of cargo in the right spot to help balance her. May make take off and landings a bit easier." She grinned and winked. "Otherwise, it's like flying a banthas. Great to steer but the back end sometimes refuses to cooperate."

It was a much nicer ship than she had even grown up in, much less just finished selling. She guessed that had she had a shuttle of this caliber, she may still be flitting around somewhere instead of wandering with some stranger to a school she'd never heard or known of till today.

As he picked up the book, opened it and told her to avail herself of the holovids, she took it as a sign he wanted privacy. She nodded and smiled with a mock salute. "Yes, Sir." The smile that went with it was anything but submissive or demure, though. She clicked off her buckle and rose to go into the other section just past the door. Not interested in a holo, she moved to a comfortable chair and leaned back, ankles stretched out and crossed, and folded her hands on her stomach. She then merely looked around wondering if she would doze off, or learn every detail of the ship she could from this vantage, before they arrived.

[Ezra Na'chtion]

COMPLETE - CONTINUED HERE: https://theholo.net/forum/showthread.php?57295-Your-New-Forever-Home&p=1054898#post1054898