Ask Chandrila The Last Day

[Jacata Lurel]

Vacations were great, and Jacata had enjoyed meeting other Padawans in their varying states of weirdness but tomorrow it would be back to assignments, lessons, and who else knew what. One more day of vacation, he had to make it count. He had woke early, and wondered just outside the small camp of Jedi to a near by cliffside that over looked the beach below.

He had spent sometime meditating, spent a bit more time running through forms with a staff but now he just sat, feet dangling over the cliffside. He patted some sweat off of his face from the morning workout. Maybe he should have taken the opportunity to sleep in but the habit of waking up early was so engrained he had been up before the sun.

The Chandrilian Sun was just peaking out over the ocean, casting the water in pink and orange lights. No, this made waking up worth it. Besides, who wanted to spend their last vacation day sleeping, seemed like a waste but some likely needed the rest. He had seen his fair share, but had not seen the conflict some of the others had. He was glad for that, but also felt somewhat guilty.

For the moment, he didn't dwell on those thoughts, instead letting his mind wonder about the possibilities of the day.

@Sreeya

 

[Zana Ari]

The little padawan outing turned out to be several kinds of bizarre. However, Zana took it in stride. No matter how strange circumstances got, she always reminded herself of the terrible life she narrowly avoided. Anything amidst the Jedi was better than the alternative.

Zana was up bright and early, dressed in a tanktop and form fitting athletic pants. She decided to explore some of the paths and trails around the campsite. She woke up before the others and went for a run. Having a change of scenery was very much needed after being cooped up at all times in the temple. While padawans were restricted before, the lockdown was even more oppressive since Dantooine.

She initially whizzed right past Jacata at first, but she slowed down and came to a pause. Glancing over her shoulder, she quietly walked back towards him. Zana was still catching her breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly from the long run. Nevertheless, she caught her breath a bit before coming to a stop near him.

“Morning,” She said simply before looking over at the sunrise. For a moment Zana simply stared, marveling at the brilliant colors. Her days in the temple began early with meditation and training. She never had the chance to just take in sight of the world around her. The twi’lek said nothing more, preparing to continue her run if Jacata had nothing to say. She was social by nature, but she wouldn’t linger if he simply wanted some peace and quiet.

@Raydo

 

[Jacata Lurel]

He heard the light footsteps kick up rocks as she ran up the path. He wasn't the only one who couldn't break early morning habits. Jacata let a breath out as the figure passed by behind him but glanced over his shoulder when the running stopped and footsteps walked back towards him.

"Good Morning!" he said, shifting somewhat to face her, legs still hanging over the edge. "Sleep well?" He asked as she approached. He would offer her his canteen with water in it. "There is some old, ancient Jedi Master out there who is just thrilled that we decided to wake up early even on our day off." he joked. "You are free to join me if you want" he offered, sliding over to give her a space on the ledge if she wanted it.

He would sit in silence for the next moment, waves crashing below them. It was an intensely peaceful scene. He leaned back on his hands, the stone ledge cool to the touch. "So, got any big plans before we are all dragged back?" he said, glancing over at the Twi'lek.

@Sreeya

 

[Zana Ari]

Zana smiled as he greeted her and moved to the side to allow her to join him.

“I would’ve slept better if one of the padawans didn’t snore up a storm,” She grumbled as she took a seat next to him, “Couldn’t tell if it was Ruz or…” She quirked a brow, “May even have been you, actually,” She began to chuckle at that, recalling a distinct snore that made her put her pillow over her head in frustration.

She took the proffered water, tilting her head back to pour some of it to drink it before handing it back, “Thanks,” Zana nodded before looking back at the sky again.

“Well,” She began quietly, “I still suck at surfing,” A grin broke out across her face, “So we may still have to fix that,” Zana’s mind briefly wandered back to the other day, her smile fading slightly. Her golden eyes remained on the sun as her thoughts raced.

“Do you have a Master, Jacata?” She asked abruptly. She wasn’t sure why she asked it. She was suddenly reminded of how directionless she felt at times. There was a shortage of dedicated Masters. It felt as if everyone else had one, and she was repeatedly passed over. Zana sighed, quelling her spiral of thoughts.

“Never mind,” She cleared her throat before looking back at him, “How about you? What are you going to do?”


@Raydo

 

[Jacata Lurel]

She sat and he was glad for the company. He looked down as she mentioned someone snoring. He, in fact, had not heard any snoring the night before which made him a likely source. This had not been the first time he had heard reports of such things around him. He still raised a hand to his chest in mock surprise. "Me?! I don't snore...well...maybe a little." he said with a smile.

"Besides, I have been told the rhythmic sounds of me sleeping is quite calming. Some people even want recordings they can play while they sleep. You'll see..." he said. None of was true, but he tucked the idea of his snoring white noise playlist. There were a bunch of weird people in the galaxy, he could be rich.

He took the canteen back when she was finished. "Well, to be fair, the last lesson was derailed pretty quick. I suppose we could finish that lesson." he said "I won't even charge you extra for it!" he joked.

Her next words caught him off guard a bit. In the Order's glory days, every Padawan was trained by an older Jedi. He had heard that a bond between Master and Apprentice was unlike anything else but it was not uncommon for Padawans to go without a Master now, instead being sent on assignments and learning under a lot of different Jedi. It didn't bother Jacata too much but there were times he wondered. He opened his mouth the answer, realizing he had been lost in thought for a second when she changed the topic.

"Well." he said, shifting to the side to pull a folded map out of his pocket. "I got this from someone in the village." he said, unfolding it and holding it up so she could see. The map had several locations highlighted in the water off the coast. "There are apparently some caves and shipwrecks can dive down and explore with a re-breather." he said. "I had planned on going to do explore those. That Padawan with the waiver forms found out about my plans though and informed that it was "Against policy to go out unattended." he said with a laugh.

"....But if I had someone else...I wouldn't be unattended now would I?" he said, the offer obvious in the question. He doubted that's what Kar'en had meant but no one had told him he couldn't have another Padawan as a "Chaperone".

"We should probably start with surfing. Early mornings is the best time to surf! Shall we?" he said pushing himself up, offering her a hand up.

@Sreeya

 

[Zana Ari]

Zana was glad Jacata didn’t probe after she changed topics. She knew she was sometimes guilty of pushing when someone said never mind, and this moment made her realize how much of a relief it was when someone didn’t do that. The twi’lek looked down at the map, curiosity clear on her face. She hadn’t planned any activities beyond simply lounging around, but this map revealed a lot more to the island than she had guessed.

The mention of Kar’en brought out a grimace. By the time Jacata finished making his suggestion, Zana stared at him, both brows raised. She couldn’t help but grin, “Wow, that was very smooth, Jacata,” She chuckled softly, “I’m genuinely impressed,” Zana idly fiddled with a lekku, “Yeah, I’d love to go!” She took his hand when he offered it, rising up to stand. She was once again reminded of how diminutive she was next to him, even though this was quite common for her.

She walked with him down to the water again, the waves much calmer now. Zana got back on the board and focused this time, paddling out. As she felt the wave rise, she quickly sprang to her feet, her eyes wide as she successfully balanced on the board.

“Oh my god I did it!” She screeched, looking up at Jacata with a huge smile. Of course, her little moment of victory cost her as she lost focus. The Mirialan would see the board slide out from under her as she toppled backwards and went under again.

@Raydo

 

[Jacata Lurel]

"Its a gift." he said with a playful shrug. He smiled as she accepted the offer. He would have gone alone but it was an adventure that seemed like it would be better shared and she seemed like one of only Padawans who would be open to the idea. They fetched his board and were able to find Zana her own board and made their way down to the glassy water only disturbed by small waves that rolled in.

The water was downright chilly as they stepped in, Zana already had his board and started paddling out to where the waves were. Jacata watched as the first wave came. Jacata was shocked when she actually started being carried by the wave but his surprise doubled when she actually stood up. It had taken Jacata a week, and she had got it (Well, almost) on her second try.

The ride was short lived as she leaned back in her excitement and board shot out from under her feet and into the air, sending her crashing backwards into the water. When she finally emerged, Jacata clapped. "That was awesome! It took me forever to get standing on the board!" he said excitedly, holding out his hand for a high five. "Told you that you are a natural!" he continued.

"Keep your balance on the board this time and you have it! After a few more tries we can paddle out to where the larger waves break outside the bay!" he said. He offered her a few more pointers and how to balance herself and how to steer the board when she was ready. He caught the next wave and gave examples of the pointers he had gave before turning board off of the wave before it carried him too far away and swam back towards Zana.

@Sreeya

 

[Zana Ari]

Though it took her a while, it was clear Zana was getting more and more comfortable with the water. She managed to pop up on the board a few times in a row and actually appeared to stay on. Admittedly, she called on some of her Jedi training to steady herself, but what use was being one if she didn’t apply it every now and then?

As they went deeper in, Zana paused for a moment to watch Jacata as he surfed, sitting on her board with a smile. The sun was high up in the sky and the weather was perfect. Thoughts of the drama from the days prior began to leave her mind, though she knew it would take a while before she was truly over it.

Zana attempted a larger wave, but in the end she toppled over again. Unlike before, she came out of the water with some lighthearted giggles, “Did you see me just eat it?” She burst out laughing, thinking back to her very unceremonious fall.

“Wanna go try diving?” She asked excitedly. Swimming and diving was included as part of the Jedi academy training, so she knew at least the basics. Zana paused for a moment, blinking a few times, "There..aren't sharks in the water, are there?"

@Raydo

 

[Jacata Lurel]

The morning was filled with plenty of falls but huge successes. With each wave, Zana became more and more competent. She was doing great, and was actually a total blast to be around. By little fault of their own, the a lot of the other Padawans were a little glower. Out here, there was no Galactic war, life threatening disasters, mysterious puzzles to uncover. It just...was.

Jacata caught one last wave, and waited for Zana to catch up. As she rode the wave it, it thrashed her pretty good. Jacata wince as she saw flashes of board, lekku, and feet tumble through the water until she finally emerged laughing which caused him to join in. "That was great. A solid 10/10 fall!" he said. The tumble had tangled her lekku together. "You got a little..." he said, gesturing to his head.


"Yeah! Sounds great!" he said turning his board back towards shore. Zana lingered back and asked a completely logical question. He turned back, grin growing on his face again. "Its the ocean, Zana. Of course there are sharks." he said. "I read somewhere that they prefer the taste of Twi'leks over Mirialan. Im like 40% itsn't true though!" he said warmly.

He finally re-assured her. "It will be fine! I heard you yell down the other Padawans the first day we were here, if we see any you can just get really angry and it will scare them off." he said with a wink as he returned to his paddling. Maybe it wasn't best to joke about the other day, but Jacata really wasn't sure how else to handle it.

They loaded up on the Jet ski he had rented to take himself out there. "Sorry, would have got two if I would have known you were coming!" he said only somewhat apologetically. The next twenty minutes was spent bouncing over the water until they finally reached the coordinates he had been given. He shut the vehicle down and they bobbed peacefully in the open ocean. "It should be just below us!" he said, handing Zana one of the re-breathers. They were the kind ever Jedi learned how to use, so he knew she would have no issues.

"Watch out for the sharks!" he joked again, giving her a slight push, just hard enough to throw her in the water. A second later he jumped in behind her. The water was crystal clear, rays of sunlight dancing in the water as a large school of fish swam below them.

 

[Zana Ari]

Zana blinked at him when he gestured to his head, taking a moment before realizing her lekku were tangled. A blush returned to her face as she awkwardly separated them. She followed him for a bit until he mentioned sharks. The twi’lek abruptly paused.

“Wait what?” She asked with mild panic before she caught the grin on Jacata’s face, “You jerk!” She cried out with a smile on her face. Zana followed this up by playfully splashing some water his way.

Zana was on her board and paddling when he made the quip about her yelling the other day. The smile faded from her face as she thought about that day. Truthfully she had been going out of her way to avoid thinking about Thelian. The pained and shattered look on his face flashed across her mind all over again. Zana quickly pushed the thoughts from her mind, pretending there wasn’t a very visceral reaction to the memory.

She looked at the jet ski, quirking a brow as Jacata remarked about not having two, “I’m sure you’re heartbroken,” The twi’lek said with a coy grin. She climbed on the jetski, wrapping her arms around him. Her face turned a few different shades as she felt some very defined muscles under her touch. Clearly this dude hit the gym every day.

The wind slapped against her skin as they jetted towards their destination. Zana looked over to the side, smiling wide as she tasted the salty breeze. There was something very liberating about being on a jetski as they soared through the waves. Every now and then he would go over a wave and it would draw out a yelp from Zana and her grip on him would tighten. Though somewhat terrifying, the jumps were exhilarating.

She took the rebreather, barely getting it on before Jacata lightly nudged her off. Zana promptly gave him an impolite gesture with her finger a moment before she disappeared underwater. The twi’lek adjusted quickly enough, swimming down and spotting a wide variety of coral and marine life.

Zana kept swimming down until she began to notice the entrance to a cave. She pointed to the entrance before she swam deeper, creeping into what was a tunnel underwater. Zana had no idea where it led, but she could see bioluminescent organisms lining the length of the floor ahead of her. Her eyes widened at the sight as she kept swimming, spotting different species of fish she had never seen before.

@Raydo

 

[Jacata Lurel]

He laughed, waving in response to the Twi'lek girl as she toppled backwards. He popped the rebreather in before He leapt over, diving in after. Air bubbles swirled as he oriented himself. Above the ocean seemed like an endless thing with very little in it, but below the surface the waters teemed with life.

A school of brightly multicolored fish swarmed underneath them, breaking as the two Padawans swam through. He nodded when she pointed towards the cave entrance. He followed reaching the ocean floor and the cave entrance that went further underground. The cave was dimly lit by some sort of ocean plant life. He ran a hand offer that plant, it had a mossy texture and pulsed with light as he touched it. He looked to Zana excitedly. He had never seen anything quite like it before.

They continued deeper into the cave occasionally being met with various odd sea creatures. Long eels peeked out of hiding spots as they passed and different crustaceans crawled along the mossy cave floor. Jacata's hand got just a little too close to one such creature. The small grab latched on to his finger, air bubbles escaping from Jacata has yelled in surprised pain. He shook his hand trying to get the beast to let go, but it was persistant.

He next tried pulling the creature free with his other hand, wincing at the pain.

@Sreeya