An Alien and a Cyborg Walk Into a Hospital...

[Zavii]

The midmorning sun shone through the windows of the Silver Rest as the two young Jedi arrived at the Hospital Wing. The younger of the pair, a dark-skinned Zabrak who was only just beginning to grow comfortable with her adult form, lead the way, keeping a relaxed pace for the slightly taller and considerably broader Human who had injured his foot, most recently.

"So, here we are," she found an open room with a medical droid sitting inside. The droid, which consisted of a humanoid torso on repulsorlifts, turned it's attention to the pair as they entered and droned "Describe ailments."

Zavii jammed her thumb in Ar'ekk's direction and said "This guy cut his foot. I think he needs stitches."

"Please remain still for examination." The black and silver droid instructed.

As the man prepared for his treatment, Zavii looked at his good eye, a blue jewel nearly engulfed by the mask over most of his face. "So," she ventured, unfamiliar nerves creeping into her mind now that she found herself effectively alone with this person who had fascinated her from afar, "How long have you been with the Order?"

 

[Arekk]

Dangling from one of the young Zabrak's shoulders, Ar'ekk was carried to the medical wing of the Silver Rest. The sun shun its rays powerfully through the windows of the infirmary and as soon as they entered one of the many rooms, they were greeted by a medical droid.

Getting on top of the bed and placing his injured bare (and injured) foot on top for the droid to check-up on it, the half masked man diverted his attention towards the young lady that accompanied him.

"I joined the Silver Jedi Order when I was eighteen. Unfortunately, I left shortly after the war on Malachor V and once the Sith took over. Seeked refuge in the most recondite planet you could imagine. Fast forward ten years, I'm back yet not entirely..."

Aching from the pain as he received treatment, he was finally patched up and fixed. Raising his foot and holding it near Zavii's face, Ar'ekk wiggled his toes happily.

"How does that look?"

[member="Zavii"]

 

[Zavii]

Before she could ask more about his story, specifically the cryptic line at the end (though she thought she knew what he meant) Zavii found herself face-to-foot with the freshly sterilized and stitched wound. She didn't flinch back, instead she actually looked and nodded before turning to look at Ar'ekk's mask again. "Looks good to me. Now let's go get some lunch. I was up all night and forgot to eat this morning. Do you still need help to walk?"

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

Putting his shoe back on and feeling the relief of not being injured anymore, the masked Jedi stepped off from the bed and took small steps to test things out. It didn't hurt anymore, which was perfect.

"I can walk, yes. You lead the way, I'll follow."

Once they made their way out of the room, Zavii would be in charge of directing the two of them through the Silver Rest. He made eye contact with the several wounded individuals inside each room and couldn't help but relate to them, once in the same position.

"How hungry are you?"

[member="Zavii"]

 

[Zavii]

"Good," she chimed and started to head for the dining hall, where members and friends of the Order could always get a proper meal, a light snack, a full-on buffet or just a simple drink. Before the pair had actually left the infirmary though, [member="Arekk"] asked how hungry she was.

"I mean, I could probably go a week without food if i didn't do anything too crazy, but I'd rather not. One of the Rangers said i have skinny arms for a Zabrak." To illustrate her point, Zavii raised her left hand straight up and pulled her sleeve down, baring most of her arm. "Why, do you need to do something else first?"

 

[Arekk]

"Oh, no. I don't. I was just wondering, that's all."

The scent coming from the kitchen drew him over towards the dining hall and his stomach started to growl in an aggravated manner, clearly hungry after a good day's training. Hopefully he would be able to enjoy a contundent meal with his new friend, the young Zabrak who helped him reach the infirmary.

Casually taking over a two-seated table for them to enjoy a private chat, Ar'ekk sat on one end and watched the girl for a moment to see if she would wait. The smell emanating from the kitchen made him get hungrier by the minute.

"Guess we can order about anything, right?"

[member="Zavii"]

 

[Zavii]

Zavii barely acknowledged Ar'ekk's answer, as the scents from the kitchen were making her mouth water as a pang of hunger washed over her. "Oh wow, yep, i'm starving," she chuckled as she sat opposite the human. "Um, yeah, basically," she answered, then without even looking at the standard menu she got up again and walked up to the window to the kitchen. Hardly anyone else was in the dining hall at the time and there wasn't any big event that Zavii knew of so the servers weren't on patrol. The young woman called an order of steak and ale to the chefs in the kitchen, and a minute later a droid came out to pour her drink and approach the table to take Ar'ekk's order.

Zavii sat down again with a tall mug of Corelian ale and sipped at it while she waited on her food. After a couple of minutes a question occurred to her; "[member="Arekk"], what's your standing with the Silver Order? Are you like a Knight or...?"

 

[Arekk]

The servant droid joted down the masked man's order which was the same as the Zabrak's, a large steak and a Besh-Leth-Trill sandwich with Corellian ale as the drink of choice. Already having a drooly mouth and almost imagining the taste of the food, Ar'ekk glanced over to the girl sitting in front of her.

She liked to ask a bunch of questions and although this didn't bother the young Jedi much, they were too many for his own likeness. Personal too.

"I stopped being a Silver Jedi a long time ago. I no longer am one. But yes, I'm a Jedi Knight."

He would reveal that much to the young Zabrak, it'd take a little more than a casual conversation to get him to reveal something much more personal.

[member="Zavii"]

 

[Zavii]

Zavii's eyes locked with that of [member="Arekk"] and she sat back in her seat, visibly pondering his answer to no avail. A long moment passed before she lifted her drink again and took a mouthful, swished it around on her tongue and swallowed. "Hmm," she frowned softly, still deep in thought. She gently replaced the glass exactly where it had been before; meeting base to moisture-rim on the tablecloth. Every movement was calculated. She looked like someone debating a life-altering choice.

"I guess I only asked," she started, taking time to shape each word before they passed her lips, "because i'm getting restless. I want so much to go out and see what the Galaxy is really like, outside of the safety of Enclaves and Temples. But nobody's going to let a Padawan go out by herself; especially one who's been here as long as i have. I guess they've grown attached."

Zavii grabbed her drink and sipped it again before the droid came out with both their steaks. She immediately started cutting into hers while hoping desperately that Ar'ekk wouldn't forget what she'd said.

 

[Arekk]

His plate came directly from the kitchen in less than five minutes, an impressing record considering he had spent the last year in Nar Shaddaa and the food he ordered would reach his table in just a minute or so. It smelled and looked good too, his mouth beginning to drool over the steak. Grabbing his glass of Corellian Ale and moving it towards Zavii's, he made a toast.

"An apprentice has to be patient and learn that there's many things out there that require the utmost peace of mind. If the Padawan cannot control that, it'll take a slightly more time to get out of the enclave. Be mindful of your thoughts, Zavii. You've got a promising future, I can sense it."

Sharing his words of wisdom, Ar'ekk concealed a smile behind his drink. He knew that Zavii was too eager to leave the Silver Rest and the young Jedi Knight was her only ticket out to meet the wonders of the galaxy.

"There's space in the Ebon Hawk though, now that I think about it."

[member="Zavii"]

 

[Zavii]

The young woman cut her steak into bites without actually eating yet while they waited for the other steak to arrive, somehow managing to finish just as the droid presented [member="Arekk"] with his plate. She looked up and raised her glass to meet his as he spoke. When he finished she took a sip of her ale, slightly disappointed to hear the same answer she had been given by the resident Masters coming from this Jedi's lips. She knew that some things took patience, but also knew that there was no substitute for experience in certain matters; especially the ones that she cared about. She felt that she had done enough training in the safety of the Temple.

Taking her first bite to stop from saying any of this, she thought about what she might do tonight to work off her frustration at being held back. Before any train of thought could reach it's destination, though, Ar'ekk spoke again. Her eyes bugged and she rushed to finish chewing and swallow the meat before whispering conspiratorially as though she were afraid of the answer; "Ebon Hawk... Is that... A ship?"

 

[Arekk]

His steak was cut into little pieces for maximum enjoyment, the Corellian ale refreshing his throat as he ate. Looking up to the Zabrak and understanding her disappointment, Ar'ekk reached out to gently prod her arm and give her some words of courage.

"You're a strong person, Zavii. I can just tell by looking at you and the way you carry yourself."

He took a brief moment before continuing,

"You never heard about the Ebon Hawk? It's the ship that took Darth Revan, Bastila and the rest of his friends through many adventures and battles. Legendary one, that is."

Ar'ekk probably told this story a thousand times to multiple people throughout his life but the thrill of telling such thing was exciting every single moment, each one of them different as every person had a different reaction.

[member="Zavii"]

 

[Zavii]

The sound of those legendary names made Zavii's eyes go even wider for a moment of pure wonder, then she suddenly snorted and her face shifted into a bemused smirk. She pierced a chunk of meat on her fork and said "So you named your ship after the legendary one. Is Revan one of your heros or something?" She took a sip before sliding the steak between her teeth and spearing the next bite.

[member="Arekk"]

 

[Arekk]

A solemn exhale escaped from his nostrils. There was a big part of him that was proud of his ship - proud of all the adventures accomplished. His plate was empty by the time he commenced explaining Zavii all the stories regarding the legendary Ebon Hawk.

"You should see for yourself, the actual ship's in the docking bay."

Pointing behind the Zabrak in what you could assume was the hangar's direction, Ar'ekk sipped from his Corellian ale with a big smile upon his face. He owned the real thing.

[member="Zavii"]

 

[Zavii]

Zavii just lifted a brow and shook her head with an incredulous smile as she continued to eat. Three bites later, she took a long gulp of ale and said "So, if you're really going to be my Master, is there like, a form you have to fill out or something? Who do we talk to about that? Because I'm not sure weather Grandmaster Kitra is even on Kashyyyk today."

 

[Arekk]

"I didn't say I would be your master, Zavii. That takes time and planning. I'd have to speak with the grandmaster first and see what could be done, of course. I'm technically new here and I don't want to step on anyone's toes, you see?"

He was right. After serving the Silver Jedi Order for years and casually showing up after years of absence and taking one of their Padawans would look extremely bad on his part.

Chewing on his steak and eating the last piece, Ar'ekk chugged down the Corellian ale too to finally conclude lunch time. The day had passed considerably and his foot semed to have healed alright but it continued to ache just slightly.

"You really can't wait to get out of here, are you?"

[member="Zavii"]

 

[Zavii]

"R-right, of course," the girl looked down at her plate and took another chunk of meat, offering [member="Arekk"] a sheepish grin as she chewed. Once again she had let her eagerness get the better of her. At least this time she hadn't rushed right into a painful lesson... not yet, anyway. She finished the meal in silence and sat back to nurse her drink as she stared past the Human's face and daydreamed of distant worlds.

The sound of the older man's voice snapped her back to the present and she blinked her violet eyes to focus on him once again. Her small, razor-toothed smile belied her ambition even before she replied. "I've never been fond of waiting around, especially when I know how much good I can do if I could just get out of this system. And I get that there will always be something new to learn if I stay here but... I can't bear the thought of spending my whole life behind the scenes." She giggled to herself and took on a throaty, gravely tone of voice, like that of a Mandalorian in an action holo. "The blood of my ancestors drives me ever forward: to Glory!" The Zabrak giggled again and sipped at her ale, then set the mostly-empty cup on the table. "So... shall we go and find a Master to consult?

 

[Arekk]

"If you want to. However, I don't plan to depart Kashyyk anytime soon."

If he were to take a new apprentice and teach her the ways of the Force, Zavii would need to learn patience and how to be collected. These were necessary traits to succeed in the trials and if she couldn't control herself it would only mean the road would slow down even more.

Releasing a short laugh, Ar'ekk finished drinking his Corellian ale with one large sip before setting the glass on the table and grimacing at the taste. The Zabrak's voice resembled one of a Mandalorian warrior and that made him smile only so briefly.

"Come on, show me the Silver Rest. It's certainly not like the one in Voss."

[member="Zavii"]

 

[Zavii]

"I understand," Zavii said when [member="Arekk"] mentioned that he didn't intend to leave in any hurry. "Just knowing that the gears are turning would be enough for me. Plus we'll need time to get to know each other better, right?"

She finished her drink at the same time as the Human and jumped up when he asked for a tour. "Sure thing! So you've already seen the physical training rooms and Silver Landing, since you have your own ship. Let's see..." the Zabrak tapped her chin with the first finger on her right hand and put the left on her hip as she thought about the layout of the Rest. "If we go back that way," she pointed toward the direction they had come from, "there's a turbolift that will take us up to the meditation rooms. The first level up is what i like to call 'Active Meditation' areas, where we practice the more tangible Force techniques when we don't feel like going outside. Above that we have the 'Quiet Rooms', which are exactly what they sound like."

Turning about to face Ar'ekk again, she cast a gesture toward the opposite corridor. "That way goes to the Archives and study rooms, and above that there's a bunch of meeting rooms and guest lodging, then the Grandmaster's office, and up on the top are most of the living quarters. That's the basic layout of the inside, anyways. Do you feel like walking to any of those places? Or maybe go see the Gardens out past the outdoor training grounds?"

 

[Arekk]

Puzzling over regarding the next step to take around the Silver Rest, Ar'ekk clashed glances with the young Zavii. Her eyes seeked out to have a thousand stories and he kept present that he could be her only way out of here to finally experience life. Not from a Jedi perspective but of a 'human' one, if that's would be an appropiate term.

"The gardens. So full of life, a perfect place."

Moving his hand for Zavii to take charge, the half masked Jedi Knight would follow her along suit. His hands interlocked behind his back as they walked as he casually inspected the entirety of the Silver Rest, its people, its valuable knowledge, everything.

[member="Zavii"]