The Day of Departure

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

The Knightess woke up early, as the first slivers of sunlight beamed through her window. She had recalled yesterday's events a few times, wondering if she explained it well enough. It wasn't the first time she had to explain to someone what she believed the Force to be, but this time she had been as objectively and neutral as possible. She hadn't even covered the tenets of her own Order, or the tenets of the Sith. There was still a lot of knowledge she could've shared, but she had decided against it. After all, it was important to give her guests the time to think and besides, she still had another matter to deal with.

After the Sephi got dressed she almost immediately headed out. Today was an important day for the group of younglings who Oddi and Funani had encountered. The masters on Ifrane had deemed them old and wise enough to go on a quest for their Kyber crystals. A quest that would take them to Jedha, under the guidance of the one and only Knight Sinvala. First however, she had to wake her two guests.

As she approached the guest quarters, Sakadi could sense the presence of the young Clawdite. The girl had potential, the potential to become a capable Light-side practitioner. Of course, the Knightess wouldn't push her to do anything she didn't want to do, but deep down she hoped that the Clawdite would join the Order. Only to learn the ropes, if necessary.

Sakadi knocked on the two closed doors, followed by a soft "Wake up." message. While she had little time to wait on them, she decided to stay patient and not enter any of the two rooms without permission.

@Zanna Black @Caught in Strangereal

 

[Funani Avanti]

It was cold and dark. A damp moldy sensation was caking the air all around him. He was in a tunnel one that had an unnatural darkness. His glowing eyes and flashlight now could only shine for a few meters before being engulfed by the darkness. He heard footsteps and a slimy withering behind him that seemed to get closer and closer yet no matter how many times the Jawa turned his back to see the source he could find nothing. There was one discernible fact though the footsteps were getting closer and seemed to be mirroring the footsteps of the Jawa exactly. If he stopped the steps would stop, if he took a step the sound would to, if he varied his walk wildly skipping initially then tiptoeing the steps would following repeating the exact second he made his step and yet they were getting closer. The tunnel seemed to go on and on and on, there was no end and no beginning only the tunnel.

Eventually they the steps were now right behind Funani like a presence was breathing down on him. The Jawa finally broke into a sprint and ran. He didn't know what he was running from just the he needed to escape. As the Jawa ran he would trip on something and go tumbling only for his tumble to be broken by something soft. He recollected himself in the dead silence finally feeling a moment of peace until he finally looked down at what had hit.

He saw Oddi her face contorted in horror and anguish eyes now rolled over into her head. Blood trickling from her throat, Funani screamed for a second backing from Oddi only to trip over something else and finding it was Sakadi. Appearing to have been bound and murdered in some ritual. The Jawa screamed as his echo reverberated and ricocheted chaotically around the tunnel and finally his cries were answered by a voice.

"What's wrong?" A sweet caring voice broke out from behind him. He turned around in a fast spin to meet the voice. It was a white haired girl with ruby rd eyes. Eithni. Covered in blood.

"You... you... killed them." The Jawa stammered in disbelief.

"They were mean, they wanted to hurt us, I had to do it." The words came back as Eithni seemed in that moment like a mother trying to comfort her distraught kid who saw monsters in the closet. The words though to Funani were laced with venom.

"Now we can be safe together, forever." Her eyes started to glow and she started to levitate towards Funani causing him to scream.

The Jawa woke up in a cold sweat barely registering some whisper. He couldn't control himself so when he woke up he continued to scream for a second before stopping upon realization that he wasn't in the tunnel anymore. He was on Ifrane in a Jedi temple. He was safe. Oddi was probably alive and Sakadi was likely the whisper. Everything was fine.

Everything is fine.

Everything is fine.

The Jawa collected himself, it was just a dream that was all.

@Powerfullhorus @Zanna Black

 

[Oddi Xon]

Blissfully unaware of her comrade’s nocturnal imaginings, Oddi sat up and stretched as she yawned widely. She blinked as she came to her senses, her brain adjusting to her current location. She felt quite safe here. It was not often that she had a secure place to rest, and although it was quite a relief, she couldn’t help but find it far removed from her usual reality.

After tidying herself up and completing several morning stretches she decided to glance out of the window. It overlooked the gardened area where, the night before, Oddi had met five of the young padawans who were, thankfully, music lovers. She contemplated the path laid out before them, and her slowly growing desire to follow that path herself. But if she were to do this, what would happen with her partnership with Funani? They were such a good team and had already been through so much together, having saved each other’s lives more than once. The last thing she wanted was to make him feel abandoned. If she chose this path, would they have to “break up the band”?

Her senses came alive when she could feel a Force presence approaching the guest quarters (aside from all of the other Force presences in this compound). She recognized it as Sakadi immediately. Wake up… whispered a soft, gentle voice that resonated in her grey matter. She smiled a little. Sakadi seemed like a gentle soul, and if Oddi were to choose anyone to teach her, it would be the sephi. From what Funi had told her, Sakadi was quite capable, and the two of them had saved the lives of countless people on Alderaan. She was a true hero, and Oddi couldn’t help but admire that. She only hoped that, if Sakadi chose to take her on as a student, that she would not disappoint.

“I’m awake!” she replied. She didn’t dare try to send Sakadi any mental messages yet. True, she seemed to do a better job with it on Corellia than on Coruscant… but of course, her abilities always seemed to click when she was under duress, and this was not one of those times. Oddi chalked that up to having one hell of a drive to survive. But they certainly could not be relied on at the moment. She sincerely hoped to change all of that, especially if given the opportunity to do so.

Her thoughts were disrupted by the screams of a jawa from next door. “What th’ hell???” she muttered as a sense of urgency rose up within her. She scurried her little legs over to the door and threw it open, seeing Sakadi looking at the door with quite a bewildered look.

“What happened???” She ran to Funani’s door and knocked rapidly. “Funi??? What’s goin’ on???”

@Caught in Strangereal, @Powerfulhorus

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Sakadi smiled as she heard the voice of the girl coming from behind the door. Of course she's awake. But when a scream erupted from the room to her right, Sakadi's mood instantly changed. The previously so kind pacifist made place for the veteran warrior within her, as she instinctively reached for her lightsaber. The door to her left bursted open, as the short statured Clawdite immediately came to Funani's aid.

Without any further delay, Sakadi summoned the Force to her aid. She swiftly placed her free hand against the door lock, allowing the Force to flow through the lock and do her bidding. A soft click could be heard as she unlocked the door, barging into the room just as Funani stopped screaming.

Everything seemed alright. The room was still tidy, no furniture was out of place and Funani was still in bed. Sakadi scanned the room once more, grasping the unfamilliar hilt of her recently acquired purple lightsaber. The crystal was still reluctant to work with her, which was the only reason why she hadn't immediately ignited the blade upon entering. And luckily she hadn't, because there was no danger. None at all.

Sakadi tilted her head slightly while she dropped her guard. "Are you alright Funani?" the voice would resonate through his head. The high-pitched scream of the Jawa worried her. Even if nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, the scream had not been an illusion. Which meant that something else was going on. Did he stub his toe? No, that would be a foolish explanation. A nightmare, that was more likely. Especially now that she had taken the liberty to superficially probe the Jawa's mind, only to find that he tried to calm down, convincing himself that everything was alright. It would be inappropriate to delve deeper. She was tempted to do so, but decided against it.

"If there's something troubling you, please do tell us." The Knightess conveyed with a worried expression.

@Caught in Strangereal @Zanna Black

 

[Funani Avanti]

Funani stared at the two figures standing by the door. His mind locked into a pathaway of flight or fight indecision. There was thoughts and emotions that were flowing in his mind but translating that into spoken word seemed almost impossible. What was wrong? It was hard to answer such a question as in the Jawa's head it seemed so clear yet so invisible and hard to define as paradoxical as that sounded. A tight hand had clench around his throat making almost impossible to just say even a single syllable. Funani also knew that he wasn't in a position where he could stay silent. They were his friends, they cared for him and were probably the only people in the universe that he could have this talk with.

"I-... uh..." The Jawa initially tried to sprout but his throat was just closing on him and he felt like he was on the brink of bursting into tears. He needed to get something out, anything that could help convey just what kind of maelstrom was going on.

"c-c-cor... correllia."The Jawa finally forced as some uncontrolled whimpering followed and he just cried for the first time in... well he had no idea.

Truth be told the Jawa was in desperate need of some comfort. He had gone for years all by himself just burying everything and while he was able to do that rather successfully for years, it had a limit. Especially since that single day had years worth of stress baked into it. He wanted to forget everything but that just refused to happen. Funani could feel his cheeks get wet and any further talking felt impossible for the next 10 seconds as he just had to let all that built up pain out. Even if it felt utterly pathetic of him to break down like this. He was supposed to be encouraging Oddi into learning about the Jedi and helping Sakadi not hold everything up with this.

"Just... some of the things I saw... sorry I'm wasting..." The Jawa managed to get out and then he felt the need to apologize to them. This seemed like a bummer to kill all the wonder of last night with this. The Jawa was a wreck and now he felt like that was what he was turning today into.

@Powerfullhorus @Zanna Black

 

[Oddi Xon]

Oddi placed her hand over her heart and let out a sigh of relief. “Well dang it, Funi!” she exclaimed. “An’ here I thought I was gonna have kittens I was so worked up!” Her tone changed, however, when she heard him whimper so. She had never heard him utter such a sound. Then she had to remind herself… Funani wasn’t used to the horrors that the criminal underworld can deliver. He hadn’t lived it like she had. Not to mention that he seemed to act a little weird every time Oddi started to talk about Eithni the witch-girl after the fact. Had something happened there?

She made her way over and embraced him. She could feel him shaking and deep down it concerned her. This was the guy that went charging in on the dianoga on the garbage level on Coruscant! What did he witness that was so jarring? “I know you saw some things that I missed when I was out of it on Corellia, she told him softly. “Yer traumatized. Don’t ever apologize for that. Ain’t no time wasted here, ya understand?” She placed her hands on both of his shoulders. “You don’t hafta tell me now what happened, but when yer ready, I’m willin’ t’ listen.”

Oddi backed away from the jawa and looked at Sakadi. “You mentioned yesterday that today was an important day for th’ younglin’s. What’s special ‘bout today?”

@Caught in Strangereal, @Powerfulhorus

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

Nothing seemed to be wrong. Atleast, not on a physical level. While she wasn't the most compassionate Jedi around, she could certainly sense the fear and guilt emitted by the Jawa. Although comforting him, well that was something she wasn't exactly good at. Perhaps it had to do with her own childhood, but she had never learned to be kind and comforting towards others. All she could do for him, is try her best to speak some kind words.

"There is no need to apologize for anything. It is through accepting your emotions, your deepest and darkest fears, that you'll eventually be able to let go of them."

Yeah, that was about the best she could do. Throw some Jedi philosophy at the Jawa. She reattached her unfamiliar lightsaber to her belt, there was no need for her to utilize the weapon here. Despite it's change of ownership, she could still feel the bloodlust of the kyber crystal.

Sakadi snapped out of her thoughts when Oddi asked her a question. It took her a minute to come up with an answer, as her gaze shifted between Oddi and the Jawa.

"The younglings are going to Jedha to construct their lightsabers today. They'll have to find their own Kyber crystals on Jedha. To clarify, a Kyber crystal is the heart of the lightsaber. No lightsaber can be constructed without one." She kept her answer short. Lightsaber technology was something restricted to the Jedi only, there was little she could tell the duo about the process. While she trusted them, the information could lead to some very disastrous results if someone with bad intentions would hear of it.

"I'll be joining the younglings on their journey as mentor, guide and protector, until they have constructed their weapons."

 

[Funani Avanti]

How did he exist for so long without friends? Funani was now wondering about himself. It was odd. When he was alone it was just him and the desert, go off think for a bit maybe shove feelings down because you knew the desert didn't give a kark about whether you were down or not. You just kept walking in this solitary uncaring wasteland where everyone was only in it for themselves. Yet here he was being comforted by 2 one person. Ok to be honest Sakadi sounded like she was having a "I don't know how to person" moment. It was kinda evident in the almost tensed and confused tone of her thoughts. The words just felt hollow, like they were recited from a text rather than being in the moment. Still he had plenty of those moments himself and in this situation if he was in Sakadi's shoes he would be just as clueless. Oddi well once again how the kark did he function without her?

Funani could now quiet down and relax as the feelings of terror, shame and helplessness faded away like a dream. His body was still changing from cry mode to be a functioning member of society mode, but it was happening. The sunlight he finally noticed was gently beaming into the temple in radiant god rays. He could even make out all the fine dust particles that floated in the air. It was nice and grounding to just look at that. What a pretty morning.

He then finally registered that Sakadi was going to take the younglings to go build lightsabers which was just about the coolest thing he had ever heard in his entire life. Now his mind had something to think about and while he was pretty confident no Jedi would ever ever trust him with a lightsaber (Funani would probably spend 20 minutes just waving it around making whooshing noises) his thoughts had come to Oddi again and well he was ok with her going down the way of the Jedi and would support her in her endeavors (someone needed to ship her around after all). Funani really didn't see it as that big of a deal, when he still had parents it was normal to divvy up time to focus on tasks, that was just normal. Ma runs the storefront, Dad goes out on a expedition and Funi stays in the shop breaking things and occasionally making stuff work, the usual day.

"Could Oddi go?" Funani asked with a bit of zeal and childlike glee pursing his voice. Having two friends with custom lightsabers sounded even cooler and well he didn't want to see Oddi live in that awful regret fueled state of "What if I said yes" being unsatisfied that she turned down a opportunity. Maybe he was being pushy about it but it was his way of caring. He wanted Oddi to succeed, and nothing would make him happier now than seeing his best friend happy.
@Zanna Black @Powerfullhorus

 

[Oddi Xon]

Oddi’s eyes twinkled with wonder when Sakadi explained where the children we’re going that morning. They were going to make lightsabers??? Were those the laser-sword things that she had heard about… that could slice through a tree as if it were paper??? It had to be that, especially if it involved crystals… and she could only imagine that the crystals themselves would have to have a lot of clarity to produce that sort of lens effect. She had never heard of a Kyber crystal before, though. Why so specific a gem? Immediately her mind began to mentally dissect the anatomy of such a weapon. Surely it would require a diatium power cell… and an energy channel and modulation circuits… not to mention cycling field energizers. Excitement washed over Oddi’s face just thinking about the possibilities!

Then she realized that she was getting lost in her brain and brought herself back to the physical world of attentiveness. Still, the thought of building such a device lingered within her grey matter, tantalizing her with circuitry and equations. However, she was in the middle of a conversation. “That sounds amazin’! I hope they find exactly what they need.” Although she envied the fortunes of these younglings a little, she was genuinely happy that they were going to be given such an opportunity. She truly hoped for a bright future for them. And gosh, they were so cute! But then, Funani piped up with something that Oddi didn’t quite expect him to say.

“Could Oddi go?”

Oddi felt her heart skip a beat. Did he really ask that??? She looked at him wide-eyed, then gave Sakadi the same look. She couldn’t tell if he was overstepping an unspoken boundary line in asking such a thing. At the same time, she was awash with gratitude for him. He was really sticking his neck out for her. It was as if her worries that tormented her earlier had been addressed without her having to say a word. But what would Sakadi say??? This was supposed to be a trip for those already on the path, wasn’t it?

She cleared her throat in an attempt to keep her voice at an even keel. “Oh… well, honestly that would be fantastic, but I wouldn’t wanna impose or nothin’. This trip is fer students only, I reckon?” She bit her lip, trying like hell not to burst out with Please take meeeee!!! “Though I will say… I do think that this is a path that I feel drawn to. I… *deep breath* I want this. I want to be a Jedi.”

She found it hard to exhale. She said it! But… how would Sakadi respond???

@Caught in Strangereal, @Powerfulhorus

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

her explanation had been very superficial, but it seemed to be enough to catch the attention of her two guests. It surprised her a little, but it was the question that followed which made Sakadi uneasy.

"Could Oddi go?..." It was a simple, honest, straightforward question. A question Sakadi didn't want to answer with yes or no because following the path of the Jedi, the path of the Light, was easier said than done. The Light side was unrewarding compared to the Dark side and in the end, the Dark side would always win. If she would set Oddi upon this path, everything the girl would endure from her on out... the Knightess would be responsible for it. But then again, she could basically sense the excitement of the girl. The mind of the Knightess was conflicted, but her heart had already made the decision.

After a short silence, Sakadi answered. "You are too old to start the Jedi training like the other students." She paused again. "But there is another path. You could become a Padawan learner." she carefully stated. Realizing that her guests likely weren't familliar with the term 'padawan', Sakadi followed up with an explanation. "A Padawan is much like an apprentice. He or she will be paired to a more experienced Jedi, who will train him or her in the ways of our Order." The voice echoed through their minds in a most serious tone. After all, this decision would impact her as well. "I could take you as my Padawan, if you wish."

@Caught in Strangereal @Zanna Black

 

[Funani Avanti]

Funani was doing all he could to stop from jumping up and down and giving a few attack hugs in the process. If he heard things correctly then Sakadi practically opened the door for Oddi he was so happy for all of this he couldn't believe it!
"By the force if you do get to go you need to tell me EVERYTHING! Oh and I want to see that Lightsaber. What are they made how do they work, can I make one and on and on. When you get back I'll need to take you out for drinks... wait how old are you again? That might actually be a bad idea. Still dinner at the very least. We should get a reservation at the fanciest place we can find just so we can piss off all those uppercrust pieces of Ra'ti."

The Jawa was almost shouting with excitement as his little heart melted. This was wonderful, still a new thought would come to his mind. Becoming a Jedi sounded like it would be intense... and Oddi would need to spend time under Sakadi. He wasn't mad just sad because that might mean that his new best friend would have to spend significant time away from. He would need to find new friends as well. Yeah still Oddi wouldn't need to stay attached to Sakadi forever she would probably pick up on all this force stuff real quick. That reminded him. The Jawa walked over to sakadi and grabbed her hand.

"I Just want to say one thing if Oddi decides to go with you. Look after her, she's a good person, sometimes puts herself at risk for no good reason." Funani quickly turned back to look at Oddi with a rather judgmental look even with his face hidden the squint alone could dig it's way into one's soul and would communicate "I don't want a karking repeat of Corellia dammit"."Oh oh oh, and another thing one of the first things you should teach her is how to mind talk without giving the other person ear shattering tinnitus that would be totes appreciated."

The Jawa then happily skipped over to Oddi and asked her.

"So what do you think?"

@Zanna Black @Powerfullhorus

 

[Oddi Xon]

Oddi was a touch overwhelmed. Was this for real? Did Sakadi just offer to train her???

She stood there, momentarily stunned like a falumpaset caught in headlights, as Funani danced around her like an overjoyed child. He suggested a celebration at a swanky eatery upon her return… Wait, did he forget her age? As Sakadi’s offer finally sank in, she found it impossible to stay cool and collected.

“I’D LOVE THAT!!!” burst out of her mouth as she clasped her hands over her trap. “Um… I mean… I’d love t’ be yer padawan!” she said as calmly as she could, which was very, very difficult. True, she had no idea what she was getting into, but she really felt good about this. “An’ I promise that I’m gonna work my little tush off an’ listen t’ every word that you project into my head. An’ for th’ record, it wasn’t fer no good reason.” And here she shot a narrow-eyed look at Funani that was accompanied with a sly smirk. “Buuuuut… he might be right ‘bout th’ tinnitus thing.”

Oddi couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness when she looked at Funi. She never thought that she would get so darn attached to a jawa, but stranger things have happened, right? She knew that now they’d be spending more time apart. She knew that she sorely needed this training. Her connection to the Force had only been strengthening and she was in desperate need for control. That didn’t change the fact that she was sorely going to miss her best friend.

Tears of mixed emotions brimmed in her eyes as she released a squeal of delight. She wasn’t about to hold back… and she gave Funani the strongest hug that she could manage. “This is th’ best thing you’ve ever done fer me… other than carryin’ me away from them slavers when they shot me. That should probably come first.”

@Caught in Strangereal, @Powerfulhorus

 

[Sakadi Marathi Sinvala]

"Then it's decided. Welcome to the Jedi Order." Sakadi exclaimed with a nod of approval. The excitement of both the Jawa and the Clawdite was something to behold. Especially the promise that followed amused her once again. It was so different from what she was used to. But the excited claims of the two wasn't the only thing that crossed Sakadi's mind. She had actually done it. She had taken a Padawan.

It scared her a little. Many months ago, she had discussed it with a fellow Jedi Knight, that they would have to take Padawans some day. Back then, she wasn't ready for it. She had doubted herself at every step, knew very little and preferred to stay at a distance. That feeling, the burden of responsibility, was something that still made her feel a little uneasy. Could she really do this? Train her to become a proper Jedi? Well, there was only one way to find out. She just had to do it.

With those thoughts crossing her mind, Sakadi continued after the two had calmed down a little.

"We'll be leaving soon. I suggest you pack your stuff and get ready. We'll start your training aboard the ship, you need to know some of the basics before I can allow you to enter the crystal caves." she then turned to Funani. "If you want to, you can stay here for a couple of nights. Take your time to recover from what haunts your dreams. You can also follow us to Jedha with your own ship, and meet up with us again there. Although I cannot allow you to enter the cave."

Of course, the Jawa was free to do whatever he wanted to do. But Sakadi still wanted to gave him the options, show the possibilities.

@Caught in Strangereal @Zanna Black

 

[Funani Avanti]

The Jawa was happy that Sakadi said yes. He had a good feeling the knight would lead her on the straight and narrow. Though his mind now drifted to what to do now. He was offered to follow them on Jedha though, truth be told he was unsure if that was best. He noticed how dependent Oddi had become on him, and while he liked having her as a best friend, and would fling himself into the maw of a Krayt Dragon if Oddi were to be swallowed whole by one, he was uncomfortable with the fact that other than him and Carthus she was alone in the Galaxy. While he was aloof and had his moments of being utterly clueless he felt that he was becoming really protective with the Clawdite. He was worried that he would become overbearing and would smother her if she didn't get the chance to be with other people and have the freedom to do her own thing.

This wasn't to say he wanted to leave or abandon the Clawdite quite the opposite in fact just that he would feel better knowing that if something came along like a murder witch and killed him that Oddi wouldn't be as devastated as he was that fateful day he lost his parents... Funani stopped for a moment noticing that this probably the most morbid his thoughts ever got... he might need a drink. Well first he needed to tell Oddi that he intended to stay then drinks

"I need a few days to get my bearings... I've been through a lot. Now that don't mean we'll never see each other again. I'll keep in touch AND I want pictures of that bad ass Lightsaber that I know you'll make dammit. Oh and don't forget dinner when you're done." The Jawa gave a final hug. As he did he muttered something to the newly minted padawan.

"Stay safe, and may the force be with you." The Jawa said softly. There was something about the final part of the sentence the way it reverberated inside Funani. When he first said it to Sakadi it was both out of awe at the Jedi and to be pleasant. This time though it felt like he truly meant it. Like a prayer of good travels, Funani felt at ease when he muttered those words he just felt like no matter what things would work for him and Oddi

@Zanna Black @Powerfullhorus

 

[Oddi Xon]

“Welcome to the Jedi Order.”

Oddi was silent for a second, then let out a childlike squeak as she bounced excitedly. “I’ll do my best! Thank you for th’ chance!!! An’ I don’t own much… I’m practically packed already!”

She listened to Sakadi’s instructions to both her and Funani. But when Funani gave her his decision about staying back, she felt a touch of sadness. Okay… more than a touch, for she had become quite attached to her jawa friend. However, she understood his need for solitude. They had both been through a lot. But unlike Funani, Oddi didn’t want anything to do with solitude. She had been alone most of her life. What she needed now was connection… with other folk, with the Force, and with the universe that she was a part of. “Funi… I better see you again! An’ someday soon yer gonna see that saber first hand! I promise!” She returned his embrace with as strong of a hug as she could muster. As she did so, he whispered, “May the Force be with you.”

This was the first time she had ever heard this phrase… but she liked it. She liked it very much. “May the Force be with you, Funi,” she whispered back. She pulled away and looked him in the eye with a smirk. “An’ stay safe??? When has that ever happened?” she chuckled.

She backed away as she swallowed down the lump in her throat. “Well… I better go an’ make sure I got everythin’ in my pack…” she told them. “I’ll…see you soon, Funi.” With that, she hurried out into the corridor.

As Oddi checked everything in her room, she couldn’t help but smile, despite the tear running down her face. She was going to miss Funani with every fiber of her being, but she knew that she was making the right decision. It was everything she needed: Education, control, connection, life experience… this was it. This was her time.

She was going to be a Jedi.

//End Thread

@Caught in Strangereal, @Powerfulhorus