Crystalline Curiosity

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Staring up at the darkened ceiling of his cabin, Cotan found himself regretfully unable to sleep.

It was his own fault, of course. Asha had convinced him to drop her off on Aurum with some supplies and a good transmitter to send a message along to Caedyn; even after making sure that she would contact him as soon as she'd met with her apprentice (or after a week had passed, whichever came first), he couldn't get himself to not worry over the girl. Still, he had his own apprentice to take care of and work with, and Asha had demonstrated numerous times in the past that she knew how to take care of herself, so he agreed that he'd leave.

He sighed and looked over at his chrono; 4:00 AM, Galactic Standard Time. Hopefully Rhia was at least sleeping well, even if he couldn't. He grunted, turning himself and standing up out of the bed. He'd been hoping for a full night's sleep, but waking up after only a few hours had guaranteed he wouldn't get such. Stretching—and quietly yawning, hoping the sound wouldn't carry down the corridor and wake up his slumbering apprentice—he exited his room, making his way to the cockpit.

The door to the cockpit slid shut quietly behind him as he entered, his droid quickly lighting up and returning to full activity as he passed. Thankfully, it chose to send all its messages to the computer screen on the navigation console, rather than verbalizing. ::Master!Status=Awake//Master!Status≠Standby//K1=Curious//If t=0400 Master!Status=Standby::

Cotan sighed, sitting down in the pilot's seat. "I know, Kiss," he muttered. "I just can't sleep. How much longer do we have in hyperspace before we hit our destination?" Cotan could tell his droid was grumpy with him, but K1-S5 let it slide, instead just answering the question. ::Time Remaining=2 Hours//ETA=0615:: Cotan nodded, grabbing the translation unit he'd left on the dashboard of the cockpit. He'd picked it up when they stopped on Kal'shebbol, and had been fiddling with it over the course of the trip to make sure it would work properly. Of course, Rhia didn't know about it or where they were going, as Cotan had seen fit to make it a surprise.

She knew they'd eventually be going to Orax. She didn't know eventually meant today. He started messing with the tuning on the translator again, which prompted K1 to give him a low, irritated whistle. "Oh, go back into standby mode yourself if you're going to be so grumpy," Cotan growled back at the droid. "I can't sleep, so I'm going to sit in here and waste time until morning. Then you'll land the ship while I go and make breakfast, and you'll just have to deal with it!"

::K1=Displeased.:: And with that, the lights on the droid shut off again.

​

​

Not long later, Cotan awoke with a small start as K1 started prodding him in the back of the neck.

::T=0550//Master!Status=Awake.:: Somehow, the binary beeps and whistles coming out of the droid sounded almost smug. ::If Master!Status=Awake, Master=Make breakfast.:: Cotan scowled at the droid, standing up. "Good thing you can't eat, Kiss," he said to the droid, his tone somewhat testy. "If you did, I might just slip something into your food to make you sick for the day." As soon as he stepped out of the cockpit, it seemed that the door shut a little too quickly and too hard for normal.

It didn't take but a few minutes for Cotan to cook up the small breakfast—some scrambled nuna eggs, some tailring bacon, and Mustafarian toast, with bantha butter to spread on it. He stepped over to the intercom microphone next to him, holding the button to activate it. "[member="Rhia Kesyk"], your presence is requested in the galley," he said, putting on his most joke-official joke possible. "Repeat: Rhia Kesyk, your presence is requested in the galley. If you don't come quick you don't get any breakfast, over." He lifted the button after the empty threat; there was no way he'd actually prevent his apprentice from being able to eat.

He wasn't a monster.

 

[Lief]

The excitement of the past few days had made for one exhausted Padawan.

Unlike her Master in the Captain's Suite, up in her bunk - because of course she chose the top bunk - Rhia had slept like a rock from the moment her head hit the pillow. Her dreams had been filled with visions of the future and of the past, the crystal forests of Crystalsong painted the backdrop, while the adorable Chollas they'd encountered on Kal'Shebbol ran through open plains in the mindground. Despite all of this, it was the Tsils and the Shards which took the most important spot, front and center, all of the wondrous things she had been researching about them drifting through her consciousness.

Her easy night of rest allowed her to wake earlier than might have been expected. She rose slowly, in no rush given that her alarm had yet to go off, and dropped down from the bunk onto the ground. After gathering up the single set of clothes she owned, more utilitarian in nature than a traditional Jedi robe, which was strange given her upbringing, she grabbed her little bag of toiletries and slipped out of her room into the silence beyond. Darkness ran through the corridor save for small lights built into the ground, illuminating the way as softly as possible. One of the trails led her to the refresher, and as she glanced further down the hall she saw a slight glow from around the cockpit door.

Perhaps Cotan had risen ahead of the birds, so to speak. Even earlier than she had.

While she pondered that, and tried to cling to the dream she'd had that night, Rhia threw herself into the refresher and cleared the fatigue from her body. She didn't take too long, most of the time was actually spent braiding her hair after the fact, though by the time she was finished she looked presentable and clean. One last glance in the mirror had her adjusting her grey-green tunic, before she stepped back into a hallway that was now alight.

Inside the room she'd taken to using, the girl could hear her alarm begin to sound. She hurried inside, turning it off once she reached the side table that it was built into, and picked up a datapad she had been studying from to get a head start on that morning's reading. Not two minutes into a fascinating article on the Kathol Sector, complete with interactive map, the sound of her Master's voice filled the air.

The totally believable threat had her on her feet in no time, datapad in hand, and soon enough she was stepping into the galley where the smell of breakfast permeated the air. Her stomach grumbled in response.

"Good morning, Master!" she practically sang, dropping herself into a seat and placing down the datapad just within sight but not close enough that it encroached upon her ability to eat. "You look terrible."

Had he even slept at all?

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan, in his still somewhat-tired state, took a moment to process just what Rhia said.

He blinked once. Twice.

"Really?"

Cotan cared more about his physical appearance than most people might think, given his status as a Jedi ex-Jedi Force User of Jedi DescentTM; so being told that he looked terrible was not something he was particularly inclined to hear. Still, Rhia was just a kid, so he wouldn't launch into quite as over-dramatic a rant like he might have with Asha. Rhia might actually take him seriously if he did such a thing. Instead, he sighed, dishing out the food between a pair of plates for himself and the girl, passing one down to her.

"Really, I wake up good and early to give you a nice breakfast and I don't even get a 'thank you, master!' for it. Hmmph." He sat down at the small table, doing his utmost best not to start smiling and making it too obvious that he was messing with the girl. Instead, he looked her over critically for a moment, and frowned. "Did I forget that we needed to pick you up some extra clothes while we were on Kal'shebbol? Hrmm. Good thing we should have an opportunity to later today." He started to spread butter on his toast, so that it would have a chance to melt into the bread by the time he got to it.

Then he set down the toast for a moment, reaching down next to his chair and picking up the translator from earlier. "By the way, you may want this today," he said semi-cryptically, holding the machine across the table for Rhia to grab it. He hadn't noticed that the articles he showed her earlier had any images of what some of the translators for the Shard looked like, so hopefully it wouldn't clue her into the surprise too quickly. "And make sure to eat everything—we're going to be getting some exercise today. There's muja juice in the conservator for you as well." The girl's love of the fruit drink hadn't gone unnoticed by her new master, despite his sometimes-lackadaisical seeming approach to being a master.

An appearance he kept up mainly because he was trying to look like he knew what he was doing and wasn't at-all concerned with the fact that he didn't feel qualified to train the girl.

He ate in silence for a few minutes, before thinking of another source of conversation. "Oh, you were studying that map of the Kathol Sector I got you, right?" he asked suddenly, looking back over at Rhia. "Pop quiz: What's the name of the space that the Galtea and Sebiris runs bridge?"

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

All of the colour drained from Rhia's face when she heard his incredulous response.

It was only in that moment, when he seemed to take genuine offense to her words, that she realized just how rude it sounded when said in so blunt a fashion. She stuttered, unable to actually form the words she wanted to say, eyes wide and body rigid where she sat.

After a short inhale to calm herself, similar to those used during meditation to clear the mind, she finally found that her brain had caught up with her.

"You look tired, I mean! And it makes me feel bad because I slept and you didn't..." Even with her brain cooperating the words still seemed a little rushed and disjointed in the way she spoke them, somewhat merging together in parts as she hurried to make amends. "And I really do appreciate the food, Master, honest!"

Her cheeks still pale, she looked down at her lap and chewed on the inside of her lip. Sometimes she really did have to slow down and think before she spoke, but it was easier said than done when your mind ran at a thousand miles per minute like hers did. Always something to look at and process, or some stray thought to ponder. "I'm sorry" she finally whispered, not at all concerned with the matter of her clothes at this point, despite the fact that Cotan had brokered the subject.

As an object was slid across the table in her direction, the girl looked up and tried to figure out where it was she'd seen it before. With so much information having passed through her brain in the past few days her mind was drawing blanks, so she simply slipped it down into her hand and turned it over, her bright mood rather sullen with remorse. She set it aside, next to the datapad, in order to begin eating her breakfast, conscious of the fact that she could grab a cool glass of muja juice when she was done. The fact that he'd got some in especially for her only made her feel worse, though she hazarded a quick glance in his direction with what she hoped was a look of gratitude.

Half way through her meal, her Master spoke up - this time initiating a spur of the moment quiz. Much to her dismay the screen which had just been showing that exact map had dimmed due to inactivity so she was forced to rely on her memory. She closed her eyes, setting down her fork, and visualized the map in her minds eye. For a moment it might have seemed as though she had fallen asleep, or that she was avoiding the question all together, but finally she looked across to him with a somewhat uncertain expression and answered.

"The... Marcol Void..?"

As she said it, a frown worked its way over her lips. Was that even right? She looked up to her right, trying to picture the interactive map she'd been studying ever since he'd presented her with it.

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan, who had been only joking, was probably even more dismayed than his apprentice.

Her quick and stammered apology left him feeling bad for even trying to make the joke in the first place, though by this point the interactions he was having with the girl were too comical—even if he felt bad—for him to avoid chuckling. "Rhia, I'm going to keep holding out hope that one of these days you'll recognize when I'm joking with you," he said gently to the girl, reaching out and patting her on the head. Potentially (intentionally) messing up the hair that she had spent time getting neatly braided.

"And yes, you're correct, it's the Marcol Void. Now for part two; what's the first governmental space past the Marcol Void in the Kathol Outback?" He was impressed with her memory, even if she didn't seem particularly sure on it. He doubted that he'd have been able to answer the question so well with just a couple day's worth of time to study the map. If anything, he probably would have spent the time reading something else entirely or playing games. So far, aside from her lack of humour, Rhia seemed to be making a much better apprentice than Cotan ever had.

Before he could respond, however, his droid's beeping and warbling came over the intercom, calling him to the cockpit. He stood, reaching out with a hand and calling the datapad over to him. "Just to be sure you won't cheat," he said with a wink, before heading up to the cockpit. "What's going on, Kiss?"

:: Dock Authority=Skeptical//Dock Authority=Speak with you,:: came the droid's reply, before a small hologram of the dockmaster came up. Cotan leaned back in the pilot's chair relaxedly. "Something wrong, dockmaster?" he asked calmly. "I'd really like to land, if it isn't too much trouble. Ship life gets a bit cramped after a while."

"Nothing to worry about," the dockmaster replied. "We've had trouble with some droids in the past trying to gain clearance to land, without their owners around to verify anything." K1 chirped angrily, with Cotan holding out a hand to shush the droid. "—Even if they say they've got a Judge onboard," the dockmaster finished, with a short glare over in K1's direction. Cotan spoke up quickly, before he had to deal with a fight over his holocomm.

"Well, it's a good thing I was here to clear up any confusion, then," he said quickly, giving the dockmaster a smile. "The occupants of this ship are significantly weighted in favor of organics, rather than droids. Now that that is solved, however, I'm going to let Kiss here bring us in for a landing while I go finish my breakfast." While the dockmaster raised an eyebrow in slight exasperation, Cotan switched off the holocommunicator.

::Master=Annoyed,:: his droid observed, the noises coming from it sounding almost like mechanical laughter. ::K1=Amused. K1=Fetch drink?:: Cotan rolled his eyes at the droid, patting the top of its frame. "No, Kiss, not with Rhia onboard," Cotan said, eleciting a roll of the droid's photoreceptors. A habit it picked up from Cotan himself. "Just take us on down to the planet, and if the dockmaster tries to cause you any more trouble, tell him that I told you to tell him to piss off." With that, Cotan went back to the galley, just in time to see Rhia finishing off her meal.

"Figured out the answer to the question yet?"

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

When the realization set in, it was all Rhia could do not to chuckle herself. The laughter it brokered came out with somewhat of an uncertain tone, mostly because she worried that she had still in some small way offended him, and because she had meant her apology most sincerely, but seeing the humour on his face made it impossible not to reciprocate it.

"I'm glad you aren't mad," she said, with a sigh of relief, "though I really am sorry, Master."

She seemed to make quick work of her breakfast in the moments that followed, her appetite returning to her in one fell swoop, and when the next question was asked she moved the last bits of food around her plate in thought. A tougher question, to be sure, she'd been more interested in the routes and the systems than any sort of societal information. Noise from the intercom drew her from her focused state, and she looked up at Cotan with a semi-worried expression. It faded rather quickly as the girl drew upon her teachings, mentally trusting in the Force and her Master both. She doubted anything serious was wrong, usually she got a certain feeling in the pit of her stomach when such was the case.

When he left, datapad in hand, she finished off her plate and stood up, moving to clean it off. Try as she might, though, she really couldn't bring to mind the answer to his question. In fact, Rhia wasn't even sure if she'd read that yet.

"There was so much else to study" she mused, under her breath, just before Cotan reemerged into the galley. With a little bit of shame, she shook her head to his question. "I don't think I read that part yet, Master..."

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan raised an eyebrow in mild amusement, passing back the datapad. "The Pimbrellan League," he said, pointing to where it was on the screen. "Strange people. Pinacists. Still holding out hope that, at some point, some new calamity will befall the galaxy that'll be so terrible they'll be the only ones left to regain control of the place. Eight hundred and fifty years they've held onto that belief." He finished what was left on his plate fairly quickly, before getting up and moving to rinse it off and set it in the sink basin; shortly after he did so, the slight shock of landing caused what was in that basin to clatter fairly annoyingly.

That droid better not have broken any of my dishes.

He continued on into the main lounge space, waving a hand for Rhia to follow along behind him. He crossed over to the cockpit fairly quickly, patting his droid on top of its dome. "Make sure to watch the ship for us," he told the droid, which gave a sarcastic whistle in response. "Well, if he comes along, lock up the ship and tell him to leave. If he starts causing a problem, just take this thing up into orbit and tell me on the commlink." He patted K1 again, before grabbing his belt from where it was resting on top of the pilot's seat. "Alright, Rhia, time for us to go; make sure to say bye to K1." With that, he left the cockpit. Once he passed by his room he stretched out a hand, a pair of lightsabers flying through the air towards him.

At the boarding ramp, he clipped his normal lightsaber on his belt, still holding his training saber in hand. Hearing the patter of feet catching up with him he turned, seeing Rhia come around the corner. "Catch," he said quickly, before lightly tossing the training weapon at her—just off to the side, so that if she failed to catch it it wouldn't smack her in the face or the chest. "You never know what you'll run into on the Outer Rim, so it's best to be careful."

One press of a button later and the ramp started to descend, flooding bright sunlight into the space they were in. Cotan blinked a few times, his eyes adjusting quickly—only to see a pair of dock security agents standing outside of it. The knight's eyes widened incredulously, his good mood souring somewhat. By his estimation, something was significantly odd. "Anything I can help you with?" he asked cautiously, hands resting near his pistols. The two men started up the ramp, looking at him just as warily. "Security inspection," one of them growled back. "Gotta make sure you aren't some lyin' smuggler." Cotan's eyes narrowed for a moment in response.

"Cargo hold is just to the right," he said, nodding at the longer, main portion of his freighter. The guards started walking again, one of them quickly stowing what looked like a stun baton back in a pocket. "Stay here," the other one commanded, before they rounded the corner into the main cargo hold. For his part, Cotan just looked down at Rhia and shrugged. "Pretty odd welcome, don't you think?"

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

"Oh," she said, somewhat dumbfounded, "No, I do remember reading that..."

Of course, Rhia listened to every snippet of information her Master had on the subject, intrigued by those individuals who wished to wait for opportunity to strike. It seemed a little lazy to her, not that she thought people should be actively trying to take over the Galaxy... But at least some were willing to put in the effort. Sitting back and waiting for the Galaxy to implode on itself didn't seem like the best way to grasp control. But what did she know?

The girl was jolted with the bumpy landing, putting an end to any continuation of the conversation she might have wanted to broker. Instead she hurried after Cotan through the ship - pausing only to grab her backpack from just within the door to her bunk - before waiting in the hallway just by the boarding ramp. There was a knot of apprehension in her stomach, something felt off to her and it was a very discomforting feeling for a girl who had never really felt fluctuations in the Force before. At least, nothing quite so substantial.

"G'bye, Kiss!" she voiced toward the cockpit, though she doubted the droid would actually respond, her eyes darting away from where they were and instead to the ramp itself.

When her Master stepped over to the boarding ramp she hurried after him, wanting to remain close given her uncertainties, and when the lightsaber was thrown her way she managed to catch it last minute despite distraction. Something which surprised even her.

"I don't feel so good, Master," she whispered under her breath, as the ramp began to descend. The sight of one of the guards holding what was quite obviously a weapon had her shuffle even closer to Cotan, one hand - that which wasn't holding the lightsaber - even going so far as to reach up and grasp at a looser part of his shirt.

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

"Neither do I," Cotan replied. He shut his eyes for a moment, feeling out where the security men were via the Force. Walking through the cargo hold, careful not to damage the podracer, scanning to make sure there were no hidden compartments or anything like that. Satisfied that there wasn't anything particularly untoward going on, he opened his eyes again. "This certainly isn't a normal welcome, for anywhere in ORC space." A few seconds passed and the two security workers came out again, nodding at him.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, Judge," the leading one said, a bit less hostility in his voice, though it wasn't all gone. "You're free to go about your business." Cotan gave the man a respectful nod of the head, while the pair exited the ramp and left the little hangar they were in. Once they were out of sight, Cotan looked down to Rhia, noticing how she still clutched the training saber in her hands. "Hide that in your pack," he advised, gesturing to the hilt. "You're supposedly still a bit young to be openly carrying a lightsaber, and I don't want anybody questioning you too much about it—or trying to pick a fight with a kid with a lightsaber, either." Hooking his hands back in his belt, he walked down the ramp, which started to close as soon as Rhia left it.

The way out of the hangar—and the overall dock facility—didn't meet them with any more interruptions like their first attempt to disembark had. Soon enough, there was a city spread out before them, full of all sorts of beings—Human, Twi'lek, Sullustan, Duros, Cotan even thought he noticed a Wookiee or two walking around—who were all busy about some sort of business. "Anything you can think of that you might want to do here in the city?" he asked Rhia, looking back down at her. He had a few things in mind, himself; chief among them was finding the girl some more clothes. As well, if he could find a minor shipping job he could do, the extra credits could prove useful.

But, first, he waited for his Padawan's ideas.

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

Even when it appeared the danger warnings in the back of her mind were misplaced, Rhia still held on to part of Cotan's shirt and clung close to him.

Back on Crystalsong there hadn't been much in the way of danger, at least not any immediate threat to the children of the Academy. The only natives they interacted with were pleasant and welcoming, intrigued by the Younglings and always keeping an eye out for them if they strayed too far from the grounds. Most of their activities were monitored, and those that weren't often took place within their dorms, or classrooms. The Force had never alerted her in such a way before, and as a result it left a sickening feeling in her stomach. The fact that it seemed to be more paranoia than threat made her feel somewhat ashamed, also.

Aren't you supposed to trust your gut?

At any rate, soon enough they were ready to head out. When instructed to put away the lightsaber she complied without hesitation, slinging the backpack down from one shoulder and unzipping it in order to stow it away. Part of her wondered if they'd be able to train with it sometime; it wasn't that she was hungry for violence, far from it the very notion of engaging scared her, but she knew that her future duties within the Galaxy would sometimes call for it, in the protection of others and herself, and she didn't want to endanger anyone with her lack of knowledge.

Rhia caught up with Cotan in no time, and though she stood at his side this time she did not reach for his shirt. After a few steady breaths she was beginning to feel better, a little more level headed.

"What is there to do in a City?" she asked, peering up at him curiously, "I read about one, once, it sounded very busy!" For a second she paused, and then she added, "Is there a museum here? In the book I read there was a museum, and it seemed fun!"

Of course, if she knew the real reason they were there she wouldn't have wanted to waste even a second of their day...

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

"There's a lot to do in the city, Rhia!" Cotan said cheerily, while mentally filing away the bit about a museum. However, it'd be too risky to his surprise to take Rhia to a museum while they were on Orax—not until after he brought her out into the mountains to see a Shard in person. Any museums in this city were likely to make specific mention of the planet's native sentient lifeform, which would absolutely ruin his surprise. Not an option.

"I wouldn't know about a museum, but there are all sorts of other fun places. Libraries, book stores, clothing stores...lots of stores..." It had been a while since he thought about how the main sources of enjoyment in many cities were all the stores or restaurants. The thought was mildly sobering. "There's almost always some music to hear, lots of different foods to try, stuff like that." He pulled out his datapad deftly, searching up the location of a nearby bookstore. That seemed like the perfect sort of place to take his inquisitive young apprentice to start.

And, according to his map, there was one only a few blocks away.

"How about that bookstore idea?" he asked, looking back down at Rhia. "They might even have actual books, rather than electronic ones. Seem like a fun place to you?" Hopefully, if there were any books on the Shard at such a store, Rhia might just assume that they were just what was in stock, rather than anything specific to the planet. It was a bit of a stretch, but Cotan couldn't put off everything that the girl might find interesting. And, hopefully, it would ensure the dockmaster and his cronies didn't have any reason to keep watch on Cotan and Rhia—something that, if the ex-Jedi had to guess based on the uncomfortable sense he was getting through the Force, they were doing right now. Force help me, that man seems to be inclined to make himself annoying.

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

Rhia thought on it for a moment.

While going to a museum did seem like a fun and quick way to learn about the world they were visiting - which, come to think of it, she still didn't know what world that was - a bookstore? That was the epitome of shared knowledge. It wouldn't just be information on this world that was found within, but on almost anything imaginable, and that excited her.

Some might have wanted to go explore the shops, to get new clothes, but she didn't care about such things. Possessions were few and far between in the Academy, and even then they were technically owned by the Order, and not each person.

"Okay!" she finally said, with a jump in her stride, "I think a bookstore could be a lot of fun, yes! Thank you, Master."

Her head tilted to one side though, a few moments after, as she contemplated on something else he'd said.

"But, what's music?"

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan was, as usual, surprised by his apprentice's complete and total innocence in nearly every matter of life common to the rest of the galaxy.

"You know noises that sound nice, and have rhythm and stuff? That's music. It's like birdsong, but made by people." He sincerely hoped they had birds on Crystalsong. Wait a minute...

That was a useful explanation opportunity, right?

"Like, you know how you're from Crystal-song?" he asked, overemphasizing the second part of the word. "A song is a specific piece of music. Lots and lots of individual songs in the overall body of what is music." He stopped explaining then, becoming rapidly aware of just how circular the logic was about to become. "You know what, you'll know it when you hear it."

He turned his head about, making sure the street they were about to pass was free of landspeeders. It wouldn't do well for his Padawan to be turned into a random smear on somebody's windshield on her first real training trip. Finding it clear, he quickly ushered Rhia across, before turning and continuing in the direction of the book store. I wonder if I can mark down any expenses incurred by training Rhia to the central Judge coffers. After all, we're still expected to train others, just like Jedi are.

With that thought preoccupying his mind—alongside wondering how he might have to explain it to Jorus or some other high-ranking Judge if they should notice any odd dips in the funds—he found the walk to the bookstore passed relatively quickly. Hopefully Rhia didn't have any questions for me. He glanced in rather quickly, and not noticing anything that had the word Shard emblazoned across it, he breathed a sigh of relief. He waved a hand, commanding the doors to open well ahead of when he and Rhia would just trigger the automatic sensors for them.

"Ladies first," he said pseudo-gentlemanly, gesturing Rhia forwards into the shop.

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

As he patiently explained, Rhia did her best to at least appear as though she understood what he was talking about. Of course she had heard the chittering of birds before, but she didn't see how that could transfer over to something that people did. Almost absentmindedly she tried, making a series of strange noises under her breath that reminded her of the Crystalsong birds, but it was pretty silly in her eyes. Didn't sound very nice at all.

"Do you think that there'll be some for me to hear, here?" she inquired, once she had truly given up on trying to make the noises herself, "After the bookstore, of course."

She knew what a bookstore was. And now that the suggestion had been made, she also knew that it was where she wanted to go. Together with Cotan, when the way was clear, she ventured across the street and stuck close to him, hearing a landspeeder zip behind them just a few moments after their feet hit the pavement once more.

Her Master was acting a little strange when they actually approached the store, glancing in ahead of himself as though genuinely searching for something.

"Are you looking for a book, Master?" she inquired, curiously, moments before he opened the door and gestured her inside. "Maybe I can help you find it?" Stepping up into the store she was met with the sight of countless rows of shelves, each holding both digital and traditional forms of media.

"Wow..."

She'd seen archives and libraries before, but there was something different about this. More life and colour jutted through the room, when compared with the aged tomes she'd come to know back on Crystalsong, and the smell was crisp rather than musky.

Looking up at Cotan, as though waiting for permission to explore, the girl was practically bursting at the seams.

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan followed in behind Rhia, his eyes scanning the shop more after they entered. Informational books off to the right, kid/young adult fiction off in the back, cookbooks and home life off to the left. His eyes narrowed for a moment when he thought he saw the word 'Zelosian' on something. He'd never fully read through the documents that Rhia came with, but he did remember they said something about her being a Zelosian. He looked down at the expectant girl, patting her on the back. "Go crazy, don't break anything, and remember that I'm the one with the credits before you try to go up to the counter," he said.

While she would head off in whichever direction took her fancy, Cotan made a sharp left, heading for the books he'd seen moments ago. It quickly turned out that there were quite a few cookbooks on Zelosian cuisine or dietary needs; Cotan skimmed through a few, while starting to carry a stack of them that was growing larger, book by book by book. One book, however, looked a bit odd to his eye. "Special drinks for the Zelosian palate?" Cotan's tone was very skeptical. He flipped open the book, paging through the sheets of flimsiplast. He very quickly decided that the book was a waste of money.

"Nothing but sugar water and flavourings," he grumbled, putting it back where he'd found it. Having decided he'd found enough special cookbooks to cater to Rhia's needs, though, he moved on to other sections. In one, he found a map for the planet; albeit, it was nothing more than a chip with all the data on it that he could stick into his datapad, but it was better than nothing. In the history section, he managed to find a book about the Iron Knights and what they had done for the Republic centuries ago; worried about Rhia finding him and noticing it before he could hide it under the other books, or noticing other books about the Shard around him, he quickly bustled on past.

It wasn't long before he managed to find Rhia again, with a well-sized stack of book-books, holobooks, and a few datacards in his hands covering everything from Zelosian cooking to various different types and blends of tea throughout the galaxy. He had decided, by that point, that he should have grabbed a basket, although he was too committed to carrying them all by hand to go and find one now. "Find anything interesting?" he asked Rhia, glancing down at her.

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

The time between them entering the store and Cotan giving his blessing seemed to drag on for an eternity. When the moment came, however, she spent an extra second or two jumping up and down in excitement, hastily blurting out a series of "Thank you, thank you, thank you" 's.

As much as she wanted to rush off and explore the entire store, all things considered Rhia was rather cordial in the way she interacted with it. She didn't run, instead she took a moment to turn on the spot and glance over the various hanging signs which dictated each area, and then she ventured toward the one which seemed the most interesting to her.

The non-Fiction section.

Rhia hadn't read a storybook since she'd first been learning how to read. The Academy back on Crystalsong hadn't had the best of selections, mostly carrying storybooks catered toward those who barely knew their phonics, so from the moment she was old enough to avoid those she'd soaked in as much knowledge as she'd been able to get her hands on. Books on the Force, and various sects, and training techniques. On wildlife, and scientific theories, and random philosophical musings.

That wasn't to say she understood it all. In fact, more often than not the true meanings went right over her head... But it was something she found comfort in. Knowing it was true, and real, and empirical. By comparison, stories were mostly made up and often illogical.

A couple of different encyclopedias catered around different sectors of the Galaxy stole her attention to begin with, and as she continued to browse she stacked them in her arms until they became much too heavy. At which point she did the logical thing, and picked up a basket to carry them with. Next she spied One Thousand, One Hundred and Thirty-Eight Wonders of the Ancient Galaxy, and just the name alone was enough to convince her that she simply had to read it.

In fact, she sat down on the edge of the aisle, providing enough space for someone to walk past her if needs be, and thumbed through it curiously. Images cut through plenty of text, livening up the page and giving her a visual representation of the contents that no doubt could not hold a candle to the real thing.

One day, she decided, I'll see each of these places for myself.

By the time that Cotan found her she had quite the pile of books scattered around her, though it may have looked chaotic from an outsiders perspective for Rhia they were categorized perfectly and several were open and were apparently being read.

"There is so much to learn, Master," she whispered to him, as though it was some great secret, "I feel like my head is going to explode!"

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan looked curiously at the fort of books that Rhia had at least laid the foundations for around herself, noticing that, down to the last, they were all physical books. Sheafs of flimsiplast bound between two covers. No holobooks or datacards for that girl.

He was almost proud.

"Well, I'd certainly hope not," he replied, as seriously as possible, to the young girl's statement. "That'd be quite the mess to clean up, and I don't think the janitorial staff here would like it." He walked up, glanced down at the book that Rhia was currently reading, and shook his head ominously, with a quiet tsk, tsk, tsk coming from his mouth as he did so. "Oh, no. Exploding heads, no good at all. No, no, no. No good. Not a good business, that." He shook his head for a moment more, before sighing resignedly.

"Exploding heads. Hmmph. Well, gather up the books. After all, we need to pay for them, before we can really read them front to cover." He started to turn in the direction of the store clerks, giving another glance down at Rhia. "Then you can go explode your brain later on board my ship, where we can make Kiss clean it up. Sound like a good deal?" He turned fully, and started walking towards the clerks, fully expecting to hear the sounds of two feet coming up close at his heels.

After all, this joke was too ridiculous even for the highly-sheltered Rhia to take it seriously.

At least, Cotan hoped it was such.

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

For a moment there, Rhia almost fell for her Master's fear-mongering.

And then her little eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Her head wasn't going to literally explode, and of course she knew that, but he had almost had her. "I'd clean it up!" she informed him, with a sudden grin that completely wiped the distrustful expression from her face, "Though I may need your help, 'cause I wouldn't be able to see."

Though it was a bit of a lame joke, the girl giggled all the same. It wasn't often that she was able to mess around like that, and her inexperience showed, but she was proud of it and more than glad to be able to around Cotan.

Rising up from the ground she bundled together the various books and looked between them.

"How many can I get, Master?" she asked, with uncertainty, knowing that she held quite the hefty pile within the basket, and that there was no way she had the credits to pay for it. It posed quite the conundrum within her mind, after all she had only recently been introduced to the concept of currency. Did she have to do something special to trade for it? Maybe work for a couple of hours?

Were children even allowed to work?

So many questions, and she looked to Cotan expecting he could answer at least one of them.

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]

 

[Cotan Sar'andor]

Cotan's glee at the fact that Rhia was finally starting to understand jokes was nearly immeasurable.

Of course, she quickly brought up the question of just how many of the books they could get. Between the stack in his own arms and the books Rhia was carrying, Cotan knew that it would bring quite a hefty sum. Probably more than he could personally afford.

"Just bring them all," he replied airily, quickly deciding that he would use his access to Judge funds for expenses incurred in training the girl. After all, making sure Rhia was learning well was an important part of training her. Just like the old days with the Jedi. He crossed the distance over to the clerks quickly, setting all of his books up on the counter and helping Rhia with hers. The person ringing them all up looked fairly wild-eyed with just how much money in reading materials was sitting just in front of them.

"Don't even tell me how much they cost," Cotan said quickly, pulling out a credit chip that had access to the Judges' accounts. Soon enough, the books were all rung up and paid for, and Cotan was carrying a box full of all of them out of the store. He glanced around, noticing a clothing store nearby. Hopefully they carry kids' clothes, right? He turned, and started walking resolutely over to it.

"Alright, Rhia, let's stop at this shop, then we can take anything we have, drop it off at the ship, and we can head out into the mountains and get some exercise," he grunted, shifting the weight of the box in his hands. As if I'm not already getting exercise. He could always have just carried it with the Force, but that would've been a bit too conspicuous. Besides that, it wasn't hard for him to imagine Asha rolling her eyes at his 'overuse' of the Force. "You'll have to get the door this time, though."

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

All of them?

Rhia blinked, and looked to the selection in her basket. She counted half a dozen, if not more, books, and Cotan had a hefty sum too. Were they really able to buy that many? Wouldn't the shopkeeper be annoyed that they were losing so many precious books?

She didn't fight it of course. Instead she carried them all the way over to the counter and - with Cotan's assistance - began to stack them up in front of the cashier. The poor woman looked in shock, just as Rhia had imagined, and the girl braced herself for being told they had to put some back.

That didn't happen, though.

It wasn't until they exited that she voiced her confusion.

"So, you can buy as many things as you want?" Her brows furrowed together, as she looked quizzically up at him, "What if they ended up selling everything? Wouldn't that make them sad?"

Rushing on ahead in order to open the door to another store, one which Rhia had been too preoccupied to look into, she held it open for him and waited patiently for an answer.

This was a pressing issue in her mind, after all.

[member="Cotan Sar'andor"]