Beginnings

[Joza Perl]

Everything about this just didn’t seem right to her. Being a jedi mint becoming powerful and going on grand adventures, right? At least that’s what it seemed like to the young Zeltron. Then again, she didn’t know all that much about jedi outside of her encounter with the young man she had met several years back on her home planet.

Joza paced the halls of the Sullust Temple, momentarily at a loss of what to do with herself. Things hadn’t turned out the way she had expected after leaving Zeltros, then again she didn’t know exactly what to expect. She had spent most of her youth dreaming about leaving the comfort and luxury of her home planet for something more, but didn’t think that she would miss it this much. Only when she had journeyed away from home did she realize just how used she was to living in a sea of soothing pheromones. And this planet, Sullust…such a toxic, unpleasant place! How she longed for the fresh air, for the bright colors and vibrant life of Zeltros...

The pink toned girl’s fists balled in frustration, nails digging into her skin as she bit her lip to reign in her emotions. You’re already here now, so deal with it. You have to see this though! But the more she learned about the path of the jedi, the more unsure of herself she became. She was certain that the other padawans knew what they were getting themselves into, and that she was making a grave mistake. Then again, only time would tell.

Letting out a slow sigh, Joza uncurled her fists and leaned against the wall, willing herself to calm down. Her mind was a jumble of emotions, and she wasn’t sure how she should act outwardly. Briefly she mused on what a bad Zeltron she was, attributing her more uptight traits to her mixed blood. Slowly, the teen forced herself to relax, if only enough to stop working herself into a panic for the moment. Pheromone withdrawal was rough.

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

Sweat began to glisten from his forehead and his legs continued to push forward through the rough terrain. Having spent most of his life inside the confines of ships, Dovan Grey supposed that he was more appreciative of Sullust's lackluster scenery than most. Not that he hadn't seen a huge chunk of the galaxy. Most of his life was spent moving from spaceport to the next while his parents transported people through the stars. He had been able to touch down on almost every planet in the Core and even some more fringe planets, though he never got a chance to stay long. Until Hapes. Not that there was anything wrong with the world, but it wasn't the place Dovan had hoped to finally settled down on with his family. He had always wanted to eventually move to a busy, gigantic planet like Coruscant or one with an exciting group of settlers like Coreilla, maybe even somewhere exotic. Instead he was trapped on a planet filled with politics. All because his father got religious. The thought of that pushed him further up the rough hill he was jogging up, just like the spaceship he finally bought to get him off of Hapes.

Dovan started to make his way back towards the Sullust Temple, having spent the morning running and keeping himself occupied. He hadn't quite been able to find his place within the Jedi yet, helping with some of the ships, piloting some small missions, and looking for a master while he was trying to train. But he still didn't feel like one of them yet. He started to question if he was ever meant to join the ranks of Force users.

Only a few years ago he had found the Wraiths of the Redfall. Although he called it the Shadow, they wielded what the Jedi call the Force and it flowed through Dovan as well. He joined them and trained alongside them, but he was never one of them. He thought that it was likely his own fault. He had always been arrogant and reckless, traits likely from his father's Coreillian blood he thought. Even though he was the most skilled fighter in their order, they exiled him and sent him away. Lost and without a path. Even as he traveled with his family, or lived on Hapes, or even with the Wraiths - he had never felt like he truly had found his own way in the galaxy. He had only ever heard tales of the Jedi, but he had to find them and see if maybe this was his path. If this was where he was supposed to be.

He finally entered into the doors of the Temple, seeing it bristle with life. The Galactic Alliance was definitely moving their way to be a real contender within the galaxy, this meant that the New Jedi Order was growing alongside of it. Dovan wouldn't say that he stood out, but a large bulk of muscle moving through the corridors filled with Jedi and aliens did make him feel out of place. Especially because he still had not become used to the feeling of so many Force sensitives in one location. It felt like soothing waves continually crashing into him, making him uncomfortable sometimes, but typically made him feel more calm than he ever felt.

A red twi'lek female who looked a few years younger than Dovan kept the lift open for him as he hurried in, heading towards his room to wash and change. He had been trying to keep finding things during the day to keep himself busy, most days succeeding but not all of them. Once he arrived to the level his dormitory was, he started to move down the halls towards his room. A few doors down from the lift though, he saw a pink skinned woman leaned up against the wall. He recognized her as a zeltron, though he did not recognize her. She seemed lost in thought, though he supposed most Jedi spent their time that way.

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Even a bit of background noise was enough to pull Joza from her thoughts, as fragile as her nerves were at the moment. Her head snapped toward the source of the noise and her heart rate increased when she realized that it was another person. You were never this awkward on Zeltros. Get it together! Swallowing back her anxiety, Joza figured that it would be best if she at least tried to get to know her fellow Jedi—even if she felt inadequate next to them.

Turning to face him, she scanned the man for a few moments and tried to figure out if she knew him or not. She vaguely recognized him, recalling seeing his large build in passing. With slow, deliberate movements, the Zeltron slowly approached [member="Dovan Grey"]. When she was within comfortable speaking distance, she offered him a small, awkward smile and addressed him. “Excuse me, but I don’t believe we’ve met before. I’m Joza Perl. You’re a Padawan too, correct?”

 

[Dovan Grey]

His hand had reached down in his pocket, retrieving a passkey installed to secure his room. He was startled by the woman's voice, but it didn't show. Unless he was fighting, Dovan was often rather slow moving. He was startled, but not surprised. Since he had joined the New Jedi Order, everyone had been very kind and seemed to go out of their way to make him feel welcome - though their attempts had yet to succeed. He slowly moved his head over, looking at the zeltron. His gaze was often considered intense, though that was not his intention. He was a very inquisitive person and spent most of his time examining and analyzing everything he could.

She was young, at least younger than him. He could tell that much. She looked stronger than most of the zeltron women he had seen before. He had always been fascinated by different alien races, though many races like the zeltron naturally held intrigue. He realized that he was still covered in sweat and his clothes were dirty and now quite form fitting, but he supposed if she wanted to talk he would oblige. He had taken every opportunity that he could to talk to other Jedi. He thought it would likely be the best way to help him proceed in his path as a Jedi.

"Something like that." He said. His accent sometimes could surprise people. Some aliens found it easier to understand than normal Core accents, some found it more difficult. He had spent his entire life traveling across the entire galaxy and had been confined to ships with so many different types of aliens that he couldn't remember them all. So, his own accents sounded like a multitude of accents pushed together. Like the words mumbled together in his mouth and fell out. "I'm Dovan Grey."

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza hesitated for a moment, her emerald gaze taking in the scene of the man before her for a moment. To her embarrassment, she realized that all he probably wanted to do was go into his room before she had ambushed him. “It’s nice to meet you, Dovan.” She paused, gesturing toward his door. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that you were heading to your room. Would you like to talk later?” The Zeltron kept a respectable few paces back, holding up a hand in apology as she spoke.

[member="Dovan Grey"]

 

[Dovan Grey]

"Sorry." He said, keeping his gaze on the woman. "I just came from a run and need to shower." He really did want to continue his conversation with the zeltron, he just knew he was in no state to pretend things were normal. "Perhaps we can meet in the main hall in an hour?" His day was like most of the days he had in the New Jedi Order so far, clear and without any plans. So, he thought that maybe spending it with Joza may be fun or interesting. He wasn't quite sure what they would get into. Maybe she could give him a tour of the Temple since there was still quite a lot he had not explored, combat training, just talking. Maybe she had met other interesting people within the Order that he could become acquainted with. He wasn't sure, but either way they agreed to meet within the main hall and Dovan slipped into his room to clean up.

The room was very modest, though Dovan expecting as much. It suited him quite well, in fact. He had spent most of his life within the confines of ships and after that had spent time with a Force group that placed even more emphasis on the lack of material possessions than the Jedi did. He was rather meticulous when it came to the state of his room, so everything was placed carefully away and organized properly. He got out some clothes from the drawer closest to his bed and set them on his bed before disrobing and heading towards his shower. The steam of it still stung the scar he had on his side, a reminder of his ship crashing and the injuries he sustained, but he hoped it would fully heal soon even if his scar remained. Once he was clean, he put on his new set of clothes and clipped his brand new lightsaber to his belt before starting to move towards the main hall, hoping to find Joza.

[member="Joza Perl"]

 

[Joza Perl]

Joza nodded in understanding, half-turning to indicate that she would leave him be and give him space. “Of course. Take your time.” She gave him a short wave before disappearing down the hall, mentally chiding herself for interrupting the man on the way to his room. Regardless, he didn’t brush her off and still seemed to be interested in talking, so she didn’t feel too bad.

At a loss for what to do, Joza simply settled on wandering the halls of the temple while she waited. She had thought about going back to her room, but she was really only there in the mornings and evenings. One would not learn to become a proper Jedi by staying in bed all day, so she tried to keep herself busy. An hour didn’t give her much time to study the archives or train lightsaber forms, so she took to her thoughts.

After roughly fourty-five minutes, the young Zeltron headed towards the main hall. She settled into some of the seating on the side, crossing her legs and folding her hands in her lap as she waited. After a while, she caught sight of the bearded man once more. Standing, she offered him a small smile, trying to make a good impression without trying too hard.

[member="Dovan Grey"]