Private Master and Apprentice

[Jasper Kai'el]

Dawnbreaker
Tags: Braze

Lightsaber
​

"Of course I'm not mad," Jasper assured, patting him on the head. "I care about who you are as you come. Flaws and all. That's never going to change. I'm worried that you feel out of it, but I'm overwhelmingly proud of what you achieved at Coruscant."

Jasper tilted Braze's head up so that he could see the warm smile being sent his way. It shone with many things... Pride, love, concern... Yet no anger or disappointment. And if the young Jedi could feel anything through the Force at all it would be overwhelmingly positive, even if Jasper's presence had never been that strong to begin with.

"A Jedi isn't a being of power," he stated. "They're a being of action. You acted, and lives were saved. It doesn't matter how strong you were when you did it."

He gave Braze a firm squeeze on the shoulder with his organic hand.

"We're in this together, you and I..." the man muttered. "I'm not going anywhere."

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Jasper Kai'el

Braze seemed to believe him and hugged him back tightly. "Okay," he stated softly, reassured by Jasper's words and actions. He was starting to see the world with new eyes now that he had woken up and everything was different. Perhaps he was amidst a paradigm shift, reevaluating what was important before and what mattered now. He relaxed a little more, adding, "Thank you... for caring."

And with that, it seemed Braze didn't need any further prompting or reassurances for the time being. Jasper had earned something rare and very precious, something Braze didn't give out readily: trust.

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Dawnbreaker
Tags: Braze

Lightsaber
​

"Yeah," Jasper nodded, giving Braze a warm smile. "Any time you need it."

He couldn't be more proud of Braze. So long as he could, Jasper would continue to foster the growth he had seen in the young Echani, with mininal Force abilities or an entire arsenal. The most important part of all of this was the depth of character, and Braze was well on his way to being a proper Jedi.

And now to the matter at hand.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked. "Sularen isn't going anywhere, and Alliance gave us the all clear to take him to Corellia."

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Jasper Kai'el

Braze agreed with Jasper's plan, and they set off to Corellia to take care of their necessary tasks. With their mission on Corellia completed, they then established their base of operations and refurbished the temple on Hurikane. Following the successful restoration of the temple, a period of calm ensued. Aboard the Lonestar-1, Braze settled into a small cabin, tending to a few precious possessions.

---

One night, Braze awoke early from a nightmare. Unable to return to sleep, he decided to search for supplies to prepare breakfast. Eventually, he went to wake Jasper, inviting him to join for breakfast.

He had set out juice and some cheesey scrambled eggs and some oat based protein pancakes. Little did Braze know the rules Jasper had in mind to gift him today.

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Hurikane
Tags: Braze

Lightsaber
​

"Alright, kid."

Jasper walked into the Lonestar-1's kitchen area, placing a sheet of paper on the counter. After bashing his head into a wall to think of anything, he had finally managed to think of the things he had put in place for himself to follow as a padawan to give Braze what he had requested.

"Here's your structure," Jasper told him. "I got you a set of rules to follow that give you an expectation directly from me. So, uh, go ahead and give that a read."

And hopefully it wasn't a total disaster.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Jasper Kai'el

Braze took the page and sat down, reading it over curiously.

"So... what... are the consequences for breaking them?" he asked lightly. Noting there was nothing listed, he wondered if Jasper had a set idea in mind for consequences or if they would change depending on unknown factors. He moved to fold the paper up carefully and tucked it into a pocket on the inside of his robe's top. He partially didn't want to bring it up so he could later claim ignorance to any sort of consequences but he knew better by now... It was likely a better idea to know what to expect so they were on the same page. Things were changing so that might even change depending one where they were stationed.

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Lonestar-1
Tags: Braze

Lightsaber
​

"I would say it depends on how much you push it," Jasper relayed. "Losing rights to certain luxuries, extra service missions, prolonged reflection. Expect punishment to be variable and scale to the importance of the rule. And I will be doing my best to hold you accountable to keeping up this regiment as well as hold myself to providing clearer expectations to keep you on track."

Jasper sighed, still not fully awake yet. He took a moment to run a hand through his hair, tying it back up into a messy bun, something that he had neglected to do as he rolled out of bed.

"At the very least it should help keep your schedual in track without the structure of the temple," he stated. "Hopefully they all seem logical."

And with that out of the way...

"What are you making?" the blonde asked. "Smells pretty good."

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Jasper Kai'el

Braze had further questions but decided perhaps they could wait for when they would be more relevant.

"I made something simple today. You like carbs, I like protein. We get both with this: scrambled eggs with cheddar and mozzarella, a touch of salt, a bit of pepper, and some butter and bacon grease for flavoring. The pancakes are made with protein and oats, so they might be a bit thick. I have some homemade syrups you can try that are in the fridge. I've been making a boysenberry one," he offered lightly. "Do you want some juice, water, or tea to drink?" Braze asked as he turned the stovetop off and moved to finish plating the meal and set it on the table.

He cleaned as he worked, slipping a frying pan and spatula into the empty sink and pouring a drop of soap and water over them, watching them bubble up. They could soak while they ate, so by the time they were done, he could clean the dishes and utensils and put them away.

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Lonestar-1
Tags: Braze

Lightsaber
​

"Works for me," Jasper nodded. "Uh, I'll just grab myself some water."

Jasper sat down, letting out a sigh as he let the sleep fully leave his system. A couple more massages of his temple helped his eyes wake fully, and the Master let his arms rest on the table as he turned back to his student.

"How are you feeling, by the way?" he asked. "Things have been changing a lot, so I haven't had a chance to ask. You... feeling any better?"

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Jasper Kai'el

Braze settled down at the table, picking up a fork after drizzling syrup and cutting his pancake into a triangle. He paused, listening to Jasper's question, before taking a bite. As he ate, he idly pushed his food around with his fork, his gaze flicking briefly to Jasper before returning to his plate.

"Well... uhh... I've been having trouble with some of my practicing," Braze admitted. "I just can't seem to do things as easily as I used to..." he trailed off.

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Lonestar-1
Tags: Braze

Lightsaber
​

"Unusual..."

Jasper scratched the scruff on his chin, pondering what may be the cause. As far as any evaluation had indicated, every last trace of that nasty virus had been purged from his system. Had they missed something? Surely not, as untreated effects were all but fatal. Something else had to be at play. Perhaps his body hadn't fully recovered yet.

"Well, I suppose now is a better time then any to train your other senses," Jasper decided. "After all, relying on your greatest ally presents a great weakness as well. It is important for every Jedi to learn how to operate skillfully without the Force, especially should they be presented with extreme circumstances."

Though a concerned expression did cross his face for a moment. Something felt wrong.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Jasper Kai'el

​

"Other senses? Like blindfolded stuff again?" Braze asked, not entirely sure what Jasper meant. "I could work on martial arts and techniques more, I suppose." He offered. "I was learning some Teräs Käsi from Cyran Vaas. I was teaching myself the Jedi martial art as well, from researching old holocrons." Braze added. "I don't think I can really do Matukai stuff very much at the moment," he admitted.

"But I guess self-defense overall is pretty important, right?"

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Lonestar-1
Tags: Braze

Lightsaber
​

"But I guess self-defense overall is pretty important, right?"

"That's the spirit," Jasper nodded. "So, lets begin with a hypothetical."

He let a gentle smile return to his face.

"You're in a trapped room. Ysalamiri have been incorporated into the walls and you have no access to the force. A combatant approaches armed with a vibro-axe. What do you do?"

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Jasper Kai'el

"I don't think I'd like that," Braze chirped simply. "Uh... Try to avoid the axe and wait for him to attack, then try to disarm him swiftly. It depends on how much stronger he is than I. If that's not possible, I'd be looking and thinking of ways to blind or deafen him or take out his mode of mobility, so knees are fair game," Braze offered.​

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Lonestar-1
Tags: Braze

Lightsaber
​

"Good start, but let's think a little deeper," Jasper nodded.

He had whits about him, which was a good start. Still, there was more at one's disposal than they likely realized. It was simply a matter of realizing what these tools were and putting them into action. That was one of the most important skills for one to learn.

"You're covered in weapons right now," he stated. "Tools you can use in a fight. Tell me what they are."

Now he could see what Braze's head jumped to first.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Jasper Kai'el

"Weapons... well, I have lightsabers, but I don't think that's what you mean," Braze said thoughtfully. "I have these." He held up his hands, showing his fingernails, which he had been carefully growing out and sharpening. They were painted black.

"I could have them tipped with poison," Braze offered. "I have teeth, and I can punch, kick, elbow, and knee. Using my head isn't a good idea, though—it can cause a concussion."

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Lonestar-1
Tags: Braze

Lightsaber
​

"Well, that's a good line of thought, but let's poke at a little bit more."

Jasper stepped forward, lightly tapping on his shoulder.

"What do you have on you right now?" he asked. "If you had to turn anything on your person into a tool, how would you do it? And I mean anything. Nothing off the table."

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Jasper Kai'el

Braze reached up, his movements deliberate, as he withdrew the simple hair tie from his dark locks. He held it between his fingers for a moment, feeling the slight tension in the elastic. Then, with a wry smile, he wrapped it around his fingers, forming a makeshift slingshot. With a quick flick of his wrist, he aimed and fired the hair tie, sending it flying toward Jasper's face.

"How's that for turning anything into a tool?" Braze quipped..

 

[Jasper Kai'el]

Lonestar-1
Tags: Braze

Lightsaber
​

Jasper bobbed his head up slightly, catching Braze's hair-tie in his teeth. He grinned a little, letting the elastic accessory drop to his hand.

"Hey, not bad," the Master noted. "Looks like you've got the right headspace about you."

He returned the hair-tie and pat Braze on the head.

"Here, I got something for you," Jasper noted. "This is the most important thing to have in your arsenal. I think you'll figure out what to do with this one. Check it out."

Jasper withdrew an item from his jumpsuit pocket, presenting it to Braze.

"Behold, the humble screwdriver," he chuckled.

 

[Braze]

TAGS: Jasper Kai'el

Braze smirked, impressed by how Jasper managed to catch the hair tie. As he moved to return it to his hair, his gaze shifted curiously to the screwdriver in Jasper's hand. He tilted his head, examining the metal spike protruding from the weighted handle. It was easy to see how such an ordinary tool could be turned into a weapon.

"Oh... yeah, that makes sense. Either everything is a weapon or nothing is... literally anything," he remarked, extending his hand to accept the screwdriver. "Anything longer than three inches can be pretty nasty too," Braze added, feeling the weight of the tool as he toyed with it, getting a sense of its potential as a makeshift weapon.