Private Meeting in the Middle

[Zemira]

In the last three years since completing her training, Zemira had not considered taking on an apprentice of her own as she didn't believe herself to be ready to commit to such a responsibility but recently her ex-Master had been gently pushing her towards taking a Padawan of her own and she knew why. Not only because it would give the chance for a Padawan to have in-field training but because she knew what her Master thought of her and her lack of teamwork and communication so she knew he was hoping this would benefit her too.

Reluctantly, she accepted a Padawan of her own, a Padawan she had never met but took on at the suggestion of her Master so it was clear from the start that this was going to be a challenge. Still, she couldn't argue with her old Master, he knew what was best and if he believed she needed some personal development then she would accept his scrutiny - besides, she had missed the close bond of a Master & Apprentice relationship and hoped that her Padawan would be able to share the same bond as she once had.

The first meeting had been arranged at the garden of a Temple where Zemira sat on a bench, dressed in tan coloured Jedi robes. She wasn't nervous but slightly wary as she had no idea what to expect. Despite being witness to her own Master and Padawan relationship, that could never prepare anyone enough for when they had the responsibility of their own Padawan. She knew that she would have to be more careful from now on because it wasn't only her life at risk but her Apprentice's so she would need to ensure his safety too.

Zemira waited for her Padawan, questions racing through her mind about what to ask him but she supposed there would be good time for that. After all, her own pairing with her Master had lasted for nine years and she had no reason not to believe this would be similar. No doubt this would be a day neither of them forgot and it could prove to be the start of a wonderful relationship or a disastrous one - Only time would tell.

Fillion Orville

 

[Fillion Orville]

This would be...master number three for Fillion. The last two were just not his style, both old, both uncool, and not having a single nice thing to say about them; why were so many people in this order old? Anyways, that was besides the point. This was his last chance, that's what his 'parole officer' had told him. So, he was going to be the good little padawhatever and go see his master. Dropping down the ramp of Kingmaker, Fillion waltzed on down, giving his nod to the docking officer who was writing him up for illegal parking again. "Morning officer." He remarked, smiling at the old geezer, who was none too happy with him. "Fillion, this is the forth time. Next time I'm going to impound your ship. You hear me?" He kept on walking, chuckling to himself. "I'll bill it to the order sir, thank you!" He remarked, putting his hands in his pocket and letting the wind blow at his trench-coat. Thankfully his master was a woman, and going by the holopic he got off the archives, she was a real stunner; if they were trying to punish him, they were doing a poor job of it.

With both hands in his pockets, he could only muse about the mess his life a had turned into. He used to be respectable, a man with a plan, the boy who could cut across the galaxy drop off his load and come back in time for a good time on Zeltros; maybe with even a few lady friends in tow. Now here he was, the runt of the litter, a padawhat being told what to do, do all this touchy feel stuff and being taught that having four girlfriends at the same time was 'not the jedi way'. Yea, exactly, that was the Orville way and it had done him just fine up until recently. It was on his walk that he saw her, and how could he not? Hapan women were sights to behold, and looking towards her it was rather clear to him that this was his master. He pulled out his small hand held mirror, checking out his hair, making sure nothing was in his teeth, before sliding it back into his pocket and moving to meet her. He smiled at her, offering his hand towards her. "Well hello there madam. I'm Fill, and if I do say so myself, if my last two masters were as pretty as you, I don't think I'd have put in for a transfer." Which was a lie as Zemira would know, his last two masters had given up on him. She was literally the only thing keeping him from going to Republic jail.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

The limited information she had on her Padawan was somewhat concerning. She knew his name and the very essential basics but outside of that she knew nothing. What was rather concerning was his connections to crime and the fact that she was not his first master but she knew better than to judge before they had been acquainted and so she tried to put it from her mind and wait to see what information her Padawan would reveal to her through time and trust.

However, nothing could've prepared her for the moment her Padawan approached her and spoke to her. Zemira looked up at the man in complete shock, taking a few moments to realise he was holding his hand out to her before placing her hand in his to shake it. "Zemira." She replied plainly, still in shock over her Padawan. From the looks of him, he seemed to be at least her age, if not older. When she had been taken on as an apprentice, she had been fourteen and so expected her own Padawan to be of a similar age rather than a fully-grown man.

His following comment didn't phase her as she had received many similar comments before, it only prompted a sigh from the woman as she rose to her feet. "It's nice to finally meet you." She told him. Although she was keen to ask what had happened that had led to the end of his last two Apprenticeships, she didn't want to create tension between them too soon and hoped that in time he would tell her - or she would find out.

Already it seemed like this would be a difficult relationship at first and Zemira couldn't help but wonder what her Master's strategy was for selecting such a Padawan, an overgrown one at that. Still, she was determined to make this relationship work, she was aware that she was his last hope. "How long have you been training for?" She had been dying to ask, hoping it would shed some light into what kind of past her Padawan had.


Fillion Orville

 

[Fillion Orville]

Damn, not even a smile? Not a problem, hard to get girls were fun to crack on. Just a little poke and prod, and she'd come around; they all did. That wide eye look, the hint of 'did he really just say that?', and the fact she had to remember he was trying to shake her hand? Oh yea, she was falling for him alright; she just didn't know it yet. He gave her a nice and proper grip, the one a gentleman would give a lady. Retracting his hand, he stuffed it right into his coat pocket, as he gave the slightest of grins. "I was about to say the same thing. Took two tries to find a master who wasn't old enough to be my great grandfather. Guess hard work does pay off." Seriously, didn't any of these jedi people retire? If they were so wise, they'd probably understand the importance of a 401k; which brought up another point, where the heck did they get all their money from?

"Just long enough to run into you, oh mistress. That is what female masters are called right? Mistress? Or Madam Zemira would be more proper?" He grinned, as he looked down to the woman who was to mentor him. "Truth be told, running about....two years I think? The written exams and the first year of prison really did a number on me, let me tell you. But I can move rocks, read minds, and find my way to the bedroom even in pitch darkness." He chuckled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Trust me on that last part." Miraluka girls might be blind, but trying to surprise one in the bedchambers just didn't work; he made a fool of himself that night. "What about you Mistress Zemira? How long have you been with this merry band of cultists?" The order did remind him of a cult, a nice cult, but a cult none the less.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

This seemed like it was going to shape up to be an exhausting relationship as he was definitely far too talkative for her liking but hopefully he would learn when to shut up soon enough. "Well the older Jedi are more experienced so you would be lucky to have one as a Master." She replied, clearly displeased by his attitude. She expected that someone of his age would've matured enough to appreciate the reality of his situation. "Master is the universal term but you can just call me by my name." She told him, hoping to refrain from formalities where possible - this was as new to her as it was to him.

At the mention of prison, her eyebrows raised. Why had he been in prison? She wondered. The forgiveness of the Jedi knew no bounds so it was an unsurprising detail but an interesting one nonetheless. Zemira had the urge to roll her eyes every time her Padawan opened his mouth but refrained from doing so because it would look bad on her part. His comment about finding his way to the bedroom prompted a stern look from the Knight but she didn't follow up the matter.

Two years? He was only beginning his training which meant there would be a lot of work required from both parties and he was a long way from Knighthood so she was stuck with him for the next few years, great. "Fifteen years. I finished my training three years ago." She replied. Having spent far more time within the Order than with her parents, she had grown to view the Jedi as family and hoped her Padawan could do the same since he seemed to come from a troubled background.

With everything she had seen so far, she felt as though she had to ask the question that was most obvious to her. "Can I ask you something?" She asked before following up with her actual question. "Do you really want to be a Jedi?" She asked, looking concerned.


Fillion Orville

 

[Fillion Orville]

Oh yea, that was going to be a wonderful relationship. He could just tell. She was already starting to give. "Well, like I said, neither of them was on your level. Besides, that whole generational gap and what not? Yea, not my thing. I'd much rather be paired up with you." Which was the truth, if he was going to have to learn this garbage, at least he could pay attention to his instructor. The stern look she gave him regarding the bedroom incident made it pretty clear to him that she was jealous; what woman wouldn't be?

She'd been here since she was a kid then, which must have sucked for her. Least she seemed to have adapted well to it. "I mean, if I want to push it I could probably make knight in the next five years. But maybe with a little inspiration on your part I can make it in two." He did not want to spend the next fifteen years dealing with these people. Hell, two was more than enough, and that was between stents of doing 'long distance missions' between training. The question she followed up with however gave him pause, as he knew well enough the answer, but risked being sent back to prison if he dared speak it. Then again, she was a jedi, so she'd be able to tell when he was lying. He sighed, looking off in the distance, as his 'cool guy' persona was shattered now. "Truth be told, no. They're making me do this training, else I'll be in jail for the next twenty years and my ship will be melted down for scrap." He mused, his face wound up in an expression of confliction. "None of this stuff makes sense to me. You people all want to detach from the world, act like everything is just meant to crumble away and die, and that should just be fine with me." He shook his head, pulling out his small mirror, and began passing it back and forth between his hands with the force. He looked back to Zemira, a reluctant smirk was now stretched across his face. "So, yea. Here I am. So, you still want to do this or am I heading to jail?" He fully expected her to say yes. No one in their right mind would want to deal with him, especially jedi types.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

Zemira's expression didn't shift when Fillion mentioned achieving Knighthood relatively quickly, though she thought such a notion was ridiculous and highly doubted he would get that far with the attitude he seemed to have. It had taken her twelve years to complete training and although he was likely to progress more quickly as an adult, two years was definitely pushing it - but still, she showed no sign of her doubt.

At the revelation of the real reason for his presence within the Order, Zemira listened to him intently and once he finished, she paused for a moment before speaking. "Well... I appreciate your honesty." She told him. He had earned some respect from her for that, though it didn't quite outweigh the respect he had lost for his inappropriately timed jesting. "You people?" She repeated with a frown. "Whether you like it or not, you are one of these people so start acting like it." She warned him. It was starting to become clear why she was his third Master now.

"You are my Padawan and that isn't something to be taken lightly. I'm not going to abandon you because of hardships but... you need to find motivation to succeed other than self-preservation if this is going to work in the long-term because the Jedi are not about self-preservation." She offered another warning. This was to be a two-way relationship and he needed to ensure that he played his role in it.


Fillion Orville

 

[Fillion Orville]

She might have been beautiful, but man had she drank the space kool-aid. He was going to try and break this down as nice as he could, and hopefully she wouldn't beat him for it. "Zemira, I'm not one of you. Our life experiences, totally different from each other. I'm not a jedi, I'm being converted into one. That's how that works. You've been with this group since you were...what ten? I'm twenty eight. I knew who I was before I showed up here, they told you how to live and shaped you into what worked." He sighed, pocketing his mirror as it seemed like they would be butting heads on this for a bit. "Listen, I'm not trying to offend you. I get this is your life, but it's not mine. If I kidnapped you and put you on a smuggling ship, taught you the spacers creed and threatened to space you if it didn't pan out, you'd have some bones to pick wouldn't you?" Hopefully she took his meaning. It really wasn't anything personal, he just thought this whole situation was ridiculous.

He managed a smile as she told him he needed more motivation, because he was looking at it. "Well like I said, my last two masters weren't you. I got more motivation for going forward with this whole thing. Firstly, I dont want to go to jail, so there's that. Secondly, I have made a habit to not disappoint beautiful women. So you're in luck." Which was true. They were going to have a working partnership if this was going to work. Maybe instead of letting his Master lay out the ground rules, he should try instead. "So let's try this, I'll tell you a little bit about myself, and you tell me some things about you. Does that sound fair? I'll buy you a coffee, or tea if that's your thing, we can even go for a walk. Team building and all that. The last two never wanted to do that sort of thing." Hopefully she'd be okay with that, if not well....this was going to be a struggle.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

Zemira shook her head and smiled, seemingly bemused at his response. "No one is born a Jedi. I chose to accept the ideals and values of the Jedi for myself, otherwise I wouldn't still be here. The Jedi aren't captives, they are always free to leave." From what he had told her, it didn't seem as though he had a very positive opinion of the Jedi which was alarming. "You don't know anything about me. You don't know why I'm here or what I came from so you need to stop feeling so sorry for yourself and appreciate that the Order is full of people who come from desperate and unfortunate circumstances." She told him, annoyance spiking for a moment.

Perhaps this was why her Master had wanted her to take this particular Padawan, as a way of challenging her own beliefs to strengthen them since she tended to get very blindsided as a Padawan due to her focus on her hatred of the Sith above all else. Maybe a Padawan could offer a way to keep her grounded and level-headed, especially this one. However, being of a similar age to her Padawan seemed like it could create a conflict of authority which would add an extra challenge to the relationship.

"Save it." She held a hand up and rolled her eyes. "I've heard every compliment in the book and flattery will get you nowhere." As a Hapan, she had grown tired of the superficial compliments given by those who wished to earn her affections. If someone really wanted to compliment her then they ought to find a more meaningful way of doing so. "Okay..." She replied hesitantly, hoping this wasn't some guise for he Padawan to make a move on her. His last two Masters didn't sound very forthcoming, although with Fillion as a Padawan, who could blame them?

Fillion Orville

 

[Fillion Orville]

Oh there was a bit of a paradox. They were free to leave, but he wasn't. "I'm a captive, I can't leave." He said, with a dash of humor as he pointed to himself. "I'm mostly kidding. I know why I'm here. Just....I'm out of my element, and I don't like it. You try changing the way your whole life has been up til this point and see how it is. It's not easy, that's all I'm saying." He knew why he couldn't be free, this was his 'parole' after all. "Exactly my point, so let's get to know each other, I'll figure out where you come from, you can see where I come from." He decided not to take offense at what she said, after all, she had a point, and he wasn't exactly the most gracious in this aspect.

He should have known better, Hapan women preferred actions over words. She'd been showered with every compliment in the book. "Fair enough, my apologies Zemira. I meant no offense." Still, she was willing to hear him out, let him speak his mind, and get to know her; and this was probably as close to a date as he was going to get. He walked past her a tad, motioning for her to follow, as he would lead her on. "Right, so about me." He began, rubbing his chin as he pondered his life story. "I was born on Kessel, parents brought me up into a life of crime. Spice dealers, smugglers, and sadly they even did some slaving. My parents weren't the best of folk, but they were just trying to get by. I was a hired hand for them at the age of six." He never agreed with the habits her family had gotten into. They were into their own spice more often then they were selling it, probably why things ended up the way they did. "Anyways, they ran afoul one too many crime bosses, got themselves kill, so by the time I was ten years old I was an orphan. Fun times let me tell you." The pair would reach a corridor which would take them over the ocean below the city, as Fill would continue his talk, the pair eventually ending up in a more populated section of the town. "So, kinda just got stuck in smuggling. But, I never dealt in weapons or slaves. That sort of stuff just don't sit well with me. Anyways, your jedi buddies caught me unloading cargo on Onderon, and threw me into jail. Thought I was screwed, but my blood tests showed something they liked, and eventually they pulled me out and gave me this deal." He threw his hands up, as if he had planned it, as the pair came up to a cafe. "You want anything by the way? I'm buying." Which he certainly would, as he withdrew his credit chip and hoped she didn't try and rack up a heavenly amount of credit on him. "If you got questions, I might have the answers." He commented, waiting for her order so he could pay.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

Zemira listened politely to Fillion and gave him the benefit of the doubt. She knew better than to judge him for his past as she knew she wouldn't want anyone judging her for hers. However, she thought it fair to judge him based on how he acted now and so that was what she did. His attitude so far had not impressed her but she was willing to accept that first impressions were not always correct. "Yes, I can understand that." She agreed that it was difficult adapting to a new way of life, she had done so twice, so she could understand his difficulties. "That sounds like a good idea." She replied, hoping to learn more about her Padawan and vice versa so they could try and understand each other better.

"It's okay, just... be mindful of your words." She offered some advice and he would be wise to take it. Zemira allowed him to take the lead and walked beside him as he conveyed his life story to her. She was pleased that he was sharing this information with her as she hoped it would build a real bond between the pair and she respected his open honesty. "Thank you for sharing that with me." She said sincerely once he had finished, a look of sympathy on her face. Now she was even more determined to make their pairing work because he was more than his past and she wanted to prove it.

"I'll have a tea please." She replied with a thankful smile. Once the pair had received their drinks and were seated, she knew she was expected to share her story. "Right... So I was born on Hapes, that much you know." She started. "My parents both used to be Jedi but left the Order for whatever reason and my father went missing for almost five years after I was born then when he came back it became apparent that he had fallen to the Dark side and so he tried to take me to be trained by the Sith. My mother wouldn't allow it so she put me on a smuggler's ship where I lived with the crew for the next five years or so before being found by the Jedi." She finished with a sip of tea. "Yeah I have a question... How long are you planning on staying with the Jedi for, or rather how long do you have to stay?" She asked.


Fillion Orville

 

[Fillion Orville]

He was rather perturbed that she didn't ask anything about his family, about him, or anything that he had just said. Then again, she probably didn't care, most people thought he made most of his life story up; which was only partly true, but everything he had told he was almost entirely true. He just left out the years in between, because truth be told he didn't want to talk about them. There were only a handful of people who knew about his 'lost years', and even fewer knew the truth about it. Maybe in time he'd tell Zemira here about it, but that was going to take alot of time and trust. Laying out the payment for her drink of choice, Fill just grabbed a water, and joined Zemira at a table while she had her tea and dropped her backstory on him.

He held a rather solemn expression as she disclosed her own personal life, and it was about as cheerful as a planetary bombardment. 'Falling to the Dark Side' was basically jedi lingo for going absolutely nuts, so that much sorta sucked for her. So, he dad ran away, joined a cult came back for her and her mother threw her onto the first cargo ship she could find; honestly he wasn't sure who had the worse parents here. "Jeeze, and I thought my parents were bad with children." He muttered, rubbing his chin, as that outburst was probably not going to get any points from his new 'master'.

Then she asked him about staying with the order, something he hadn't even thought of, mostly because he felt he had no choice in the matter. "I don't know. Your people told me I had to join and stay within the order. Didn't tell me a time period, but I'm guessing I'm bound for life now. But I've been here two years and I still don't have a membership card. Talk about lousy service." He joked, which probably only served to irritate his master. She had think skin, so maybe she could roll with his jokes; probably not, which made him suspect she was in desperate need of a boyfriend. "I have no clue what I'm planning on doing. I had a plan to retire by the time I was forty, but now? I have no clue. You tell me that the order lets people go whenever they want, but clearly I'm an exception to that rule. I don't think they will ever let me go, they want to 'convert' me I think. So...I guess whenever you're done converting me, then I might be allowed to leave." He took a sip of his water and shrugged his shoulders, honestly not knowing what the truth was.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

It was a lot to take in but having been given the bare bones of his past, she felt as though she could begin to understand him better. It certainly explained why he was here and potentially explained why her ex-Master had pushed for her to take him on as a Padawan. It seemed the union would benefit them both as maybe having the responsibility of his Master and the people the Jedi sought to protect would coax Fillion out of his self-preserving attitude and likewise for Zemira, having the responsibility of a Padawan would remind her not to be too independent otherwise it could come at a cost.

Zemira frowned at his comment and spoke in defence of her Mother's actions. "My Mother did what she could to protect me. The last thing I remember seeing of her was a blue lightsaber." She replied, her mind briefly returning to the vague memory. "But my Father... yeah, I won't argue with that." She shrugged and leaned back in the chair, casually. Aside from the rocky start, her life had been a loving and happy one. After leaving her parents, she gained acceptance with a new family in the crew and through a Hapan smuggler she maintained a connection to her culture and language.

When Fillion referred to the Jedi as your people again, Zemira sighed. Soon he would have to accept that he was a Jedi now and he needed to embrace it in order to succeed. "Convert?" She repeated with a raised eyebrow. He was certainly giving her an insight into what his view of the Jedi were and it wasn't a positive one. "Whoever found you clearly saw potential in you. You aren't any different to the rest of us, we all have to start from nothing." She told him. Sure, he was a lot older than most when they started and so his experience would be different but he wasn't any less of a Jedi.

She hesitated for a moment before asking a question she assumed would be a little more uncomfortable for him to answer but she wasn't going to judge him for his response, he would soon learn that. "Why did your last two Masters stop training you?" She asked carefully. It was more so that she could be aware if he were to repeat the actions that led to his training under them ending then she would be prepared and hopefully avoid a similar outcome.


Fillion Orville

 

[Fillion Orville]

He winced as he realized that she had taken his words full force, and felt the need to apologize. "I'm sure your mom did the best she could. I'm sorry. That was wrong of me." He looked away from her, then gripped his chin in quiet frustration for a moment. He was doing a great job of burning bridges now wasn't he? He snapped out of it, looking to her as she remarked about him having potential. "Well I wish he would have told me what he saw exactly, cause I sure as hell don't know." He shrugged, crossing his arms as he threw a glance up to the ceiling of the cafe.

"I'm not like the rest of you. I might be part of your 'order', but I'm not a jedi. I know what the order is all about, and it's got very little of me in it." He bit lightly on his lip, his thoughts shifting to a special someone in particular. Talitha. She saw something in him too at one point, and it do her any damn good in the end. He shook his head, a hint of sadness coming over him before he reigned it back in; no need to get the Master up in arms after all. "I just know I'm not up to your ideals, and it'd rub alot robes the wrong way the moment I start calling myself that. I've been a pilot my whole life, and a part time jedi for the last two years. I just...don't see myself as the jediy sorta guy." She was persistent, he would give her that, but he was stubborn; only time would tell who'd win out in the end. She inquired about his last two masters, which brought a chuckle from his lips. "Well, to put it mildly, they didn't like me. I got on their nerves, they felt I lacked the capacity to learn, and I refused to build a lightsaber with them. That one really got them upset. 'This is the sacred tradition of the order, my great grandfather died for this' and all this other prattling nonsense. I told them my reasons and they told me it," He paused, holding up his fingers for the emphasis. " 'Unbecoming for a man of your station.' " He crossed his arms, looking to Zimira rather intently. He mustered up a decent lie, mixed it with the truth, and served it as his answer. "I just dont like the idea of carrying a weapon that can bisect a human in half like that. My blaster I can set to stun, or go for a knee cap. A lightsaber though? That amount of power just...makes me uncomfortable." There was another reason that he kept buried down deep, the true reason for why he didn't want one; because he knew just how much 'she' would have hated it.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

At his second apology, Zemira relaxed and thought for a moment that maybe she had been overreacting to what he said, especially since he clearly didn't mean any harm. She supposed it would be something she would have to get used to; this was all just a learning curve for them both. "It's fine." She replied with a sigh. No doubt she would press his buttons in time as well, though so far he had seemed fairly easy going so then again, perhaps not. "Just because you don't know, doesn't mean there isn't something there." She told him, curious as to why he seemed to have such an attitude towards the whole situation. It was almost as though he had low self-esteem.

She folded her arms and listened to him say what he had to but she wasn't taking a lot of it seriously. If he thought he could just waltz on through his time in the Order without taking on the full responsibility of being a Jedi then he needed to think again. "You don't see yourself as a Jediy sorta guy... yet." She corrected him, unwilling to drop the matter so easily. "People in the Order come from all sorts of backgrounds. You aren't the first person to start training in his late twenties and you won't be the last." She tried to reason with him. Granted, it was uncommon but people who joined the Order later in life were no less Jedi than those who joined earlier. It would be their own feelings of not belonging that they would have to wrestle with rather than actually not belonging.

"You don't have a lightsaber?" She seemed surprised but not annoyed. His attitude was still concerning, especially regarding his old Masters, but that would be something they could work on. After he finished his side of the story, Zemira nodded to convey her understanding and simply concluded with "I'll make a Jedi out of you yet." She was determined for her Padawan to succeed not just within the Order but in personal development too and she would not give up on him so easily.


Fillion Orville

 

[Fillion Orville]

"I mean, I know what I'm good at, but I just don't see how I fit into this whole jedi business." He explained, before she got into the whole 'you can do it buddy' thing. He didn't need a pep talk, he needed her to let him outta the order, but that wasn't going to happen.


He grinned as Zemira attempted to correct his statement about not being jedi material, and shrugged his shoulders at her words. "Well, unless you plan to do a mind trick on me, I don't think it'll take that easily." He held his grin, though it faltered as he wasn't sure if she would do such a thing or not. "Please don't do the mind trick thing, I have an overly sensitive mind, it just won't do either of us any good." He was partly joking, he didn't think jedi would actually do such a thing; though they very well could have.

"Yep, no glow stick of destiny for me." He confirmed, finishing his cup of water in the process. He only looked to Zemira as the woman stated she'd turn him into a jedi, and wasn't sure what to make of all of that. "Well Zemmy, I'll work with you, but I don't think this'll be your typical padawanship or whatever it's called. I'll just brake it down like this, alright." He point to himself and Zemira as he spoke. "You and me? We are part of a crew now. That means we don't lie, we don't screw each other over, and we will do our best to play nice with one another. Who knows we might actually be friends." He smiled, hoping she'd be willing to agree to what he was insinuating. He still thought she was attractive and all, but given she was a Hapan girl, maybe she was looking for a special kind of girl rather than a guy; he'd have to shop around on her behalf in that case.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

"We'll find out." She shrugged, not bothered by his apparent unwillingness to engage in the task before him. She meant what she said and she would make a Jedi out of him yet, that would be her role in the coming years. So far, they seemed rather at odds and part of her wished for someone who was better suited to her but it seemed they were past the point of no return.

Zemira smiled and shook her head. "I'm not going to mind trick you, don't worry. We don't mind trick each other, it's only in desperate situations." She told him, adding some advice in case he thought it ever were appropriate to mind trick another Jedi. His knowledge of the Jedi Order didn't seem to be very extensive so there would be a lot to learn and she wasn't sure she was the best person for it... perhaps a more experienced Jedi would've sufficed.

To not have a lightsaber was unusual to say the least so it was no wonder it didn't bode well with his previous Masters. Although she wouldn't press the matter now, she believed that in time she could convince him to make a lightsaber. "Well yeah... that's the idea. It would be really nice if you didn't screw me over and vice versa." She replied. "But yeah, we'll see..." She concluded. He hadn't had the best first impression but she was willing to bet that in time his true self would show and hopefully they would have a good bond as they were expected to.

She thought for a moment before asking as she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer but she felt that she needed to know to understand him better and know where to go with his training. "Fillion... What do you think of the Jedi?" She asked since it wasn't exactly his choice to be here or stay as it was hers or most others.


Fillion Orville

 

[Fillion Orville]

She seemed rather confident about being able to turn him, and he found himself unwilling to think that she would. Yes, she was beautiful, but there was some high level mental screwery that they were talking about here. He smirked and pointed a finger at her upon her own admittance. "Ah-ha, so if you were desperate enough you would mind trick me! I knew it was too good to be true." He joked, knowing she was probably going to get annoyed, but he was the padawan and he was teaching her how to speak more carefully. Surprisingly she didn't gawk at him not owning a lightsaber, so maybe she was gong to be different from his last two masters after all. She seemed to be good with his idea of being part of a team, which was already an improvement over the last two idiots he had been partnered with. "Listen, I have the best record of not screwing people over. People screw me over more than I screw them over. Now if we are just talking about actually screwing well...that's another story." He chuckled, expecting a sigh to come from Zemira, wondering where she would draw the line with him on the topic. Hopefully they could be open with each other, though that was going to take time.

Silence fell over the pair, and then she asked her question. He already knew his answer, and while he didn't think the jedi were bad people, they weren't to his liking. "I think your folks are fairly arrogant at times. You think you know what's best, want everyone to march to your cadence, and think you know what's best for people without knowing them. You do mean well, but you are so focused on the end product you over look the struggle to get there." He sat back in his chair, arms crossed as he studied Zemira's expression. "The order means well, but it's so damn narrow sighted it can't see it's way out of a paper bag. They think the force lets them see everything, save for what's right infront of them. That's what I think of the order." He nodded, waiting to see what his maser was going to say about that.

Zemira

 

[Zemira]

The Padawan was challenging, that much she knew, so she would certainly have her work cut out for her in the coming years but no one claimed being a Jedi was an easy life and with any hope Fillion would get a difficult Padawan of his own in time and he would be able to understand what he had seemed like to her. She frowned slightly for a moment in thought, wait - was this all because this was what her old Master thought of her? She wondered. After all, he was very much the definitive factor in the pairing of Master and Apprentice. She hadn't believed herself to be a difficult Padawan but now she was having doubts.

"Well we'll wait and see, won't we?" She replied, not indulging his jesting. The only situations in which it was acceptable to attempt a mind trick on a fellow Jedi in her mind were limited to extreme disobedience and betrayal, neither of which were paths she would allow her Padawan to follow so he had no reason to worry. Others might disagree, as they often did, but she was yet to resort to such extreme measures. Besides, it seemed unlikely to work on fully-trained Jedi as it was limited to the weak-minded, which she hoped her Padawan was not.

Zemira sighed and rolled her eyes at his comment; it was going to take a lot for him to fit in with the Jedi. First lesson would be how to hold his tongue, a sorely needed lesson it seemed, after all he was no longer representing himself but the Jedi Order as a whole and so he needed to be mindful of his words and actions. She remained expressionless as Fillion explained his feelings on the Jedi Order and when he concluded she took a moment to respond but still showed no hint of emotion. "I respect your honesty." She told him, expecting that it hadn't been easy to admit. "Maybe you can make a change in the Order and be a force for good where you see there are shortcomings." She suggested, hoping to put a positive spin on his rather negative opinion.


Fillion Orville

 

[Fillion Orville]

She was certainly something, that much Fill could say. She had a rough outer shell and about as much enthusiasm as a Hutt marathon runner, but he'd win her over yet; he always did after all. She saw something in him, but whatever that might possibly be he had no idea; maybe he reminded her of herself, or maybe she just thought he was cute and didn't want to let him go just yet. Anything was possible. She seemed to open herself up for further torment, but he held back, didn't want to upset her and risk being smacked in the face; he had that happen way too many times in the past.


The sigh and eye-roll caused him to smile, knowing he was working his words on his master, she'd come to love him the next month or so; or at the very least tolerate him. At least she was listening to him, which was more than he could say about his last two masters. Maybe he should back down, ease off, give her a break. Then she mentioned changing his 'shortcomings' and didn't like the way that sounded. "And I appreciate you listening to me, but what shortcomings are you referring to here? Usually quirks are the strength of ones character, and I'd rather not lose some of those things. I mean my good looks and quick wit are tied to my very being, so hopefully your not going to use jedi mind surgery and get rid of that." He wasn't sure what she had in mind, maybe she just wanted him to talk less, or maybe she just wanted him to get in step with other jedi.

Zemira