Private Moving In

[Jalen Kai'el]

Moving In
Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Zak Dymo

​

Jalen would be moving into the Temple dorms today. He had tried to convince his brother to let him live on his ship, but the constant traveling Jasper did meant that he it wasn't really a viable living space for the young padawan. That only left the dorms for housing, which terrified him. Not only did he have to meet new people, but he would supposedly be living with this other person for an extended period of time, and that wasn't even the beginning of the issues that could come of it. They could do drugs, or throw constant parties, or maybe they made calls in the middle of the night. There were so many unknowns that he didn't know what to expect. All he could do was hope for the best.

The padawan finally managed to gather up his belongings and make his way to his new room. It took him a while to find on account of being blind. Force sight allowed him to see the general outline of doorways, but reading was a completely different story. Fortunately a nearby knight had been able to help him, much to Jalen's embarrassment. The room was small, with two bunks on either side separated by thin walls and a tiny living space in the center, complete with small sofa and fridge. Storage space was small and, aside from two tiny desks, study space was non existent. Still, it was better than the communal bunks the younglings used.

Jalen carried the duffle bag with his stuff into the room. It was, admittedly, not very much. Just some articles of clothing and gadgets to tinker with while he was bored. The young padawan hung his straw hat above his desk, with some struggle locating a spot to do so, before shambling onto his bunk and slipping on a pair of headphones. Tatooine blues was his favorite genre at the moment. Soft, calming, and with a gloomy undertone. It helped him sleep at night, especially on days where his mind wandered back to Lothal. The music was helpful in his current situation as well. The stress of not knowing who his roommate would be practically ate away at his insides. That was a level of stress that he didn't need to deal with. All Jalen needed to do was relax. He could listen to his music, forget about the galaxy, and find out that his roommate was completely normal and that everything would be fine.

How bad could it be?

 

[BB-4001A]

[ attire ] [ wristlink ] [ headphones ]

Headphones On [ love brand new ]​

Everyone was a critic.

The Nautolan had tried to meditate or relax or whatever. In a meditation garden no less! It was in the name!

Of course, by meditate, he meant music. How else did someone connect with the Force? Apparently, by just closing their eyes and totally pretending to not be asleep.

Well, that didn't work with Zak. Hence the large steampunk guitar-looking instrument that was slung across his back. It was known as a xantha and was actually considered a difficult instrument to play.

He hadn't even been playing anything obnoxious! He'd been strumming an arrangement of Patience of all things. That was totally Boomer Top 40! But did it matter? No, it did not. Jedi Master Old-Lawn Boomer came to chase the boy out of the garden complaining of that damn noise.

Eyes shut, Zak's head was bopping from side to side as he stepped down into the room. The music turned up in his headphones, he was lost in his own world, head-tails bouncing in the air behind his head...

...then he seemed to collide with someone.

Large, abyssal black eyes fluttered open, as the green-skinned boy looked look in surprise as he stepped back and saw a boy with blond hair in front of him.

"ASTRAL!"

No, that was not an inside voice. Springing forward, the Nautolan wrapped his arms around this stranger in a spontaneous hug. Then, taking another step back, reached up to pull the headphones off his head. "You must be the new roomie," he reasoned aloud.

"I'm Zak," the boy supplied as an introduction, before gesturing to the room around them. "It's not a lot, but there's a Switch over there if you wanna, like, play games or whatever."

Did the kid play holo-games? Zak hoped he played holo-games. It'd be so cool to have a Player Two. Especially for the cooperative multiplayer games.

Unslinging the instrument, the Nautolan moved to hang it back on its spot on the wall. "Do you play?" the boy inquired curiously, before turning back toward the stranger. Then, pointing at the instruments in the room in turn, Zak added, "I've got a xantha, halikset, and... uh... I think there's a... like, bass guitar. Somewhere."

He'd used the guitar when he'd played the concert on Kashyyyk. So it was totally possible it was still back in the Silver Rest's Room of a Thousand Speakers.

Jalen Kai'el​

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Zak Dymo

​

There was an overwhelming level of stimulation that Jalen hadn't been expecting. His roommate's entrance was quite loud, and already personal boundaries had been completely thrown out the window. It was a lot for the young padawan to process, especially because of his blindness. Eventually, Jalen was focused enough to see the aura of his roommate. A faint outline and sunken eyes. Was he Nautolan? It was hard to tell. He was still rather unskilled in force sight.

"Jalen," the boy introduced, still a little taken aback by how forward Zak was.

He offered the ability to play on his switch, which Jalen actually found to be rather altruistic. Most people were pretty sensitive with their things. But something else had caught Jalen's attention...

"Do you play?" the boy inquired curiously, before turning back toward the stranger. Then, pointing at the instruments in the room in turn, Zak added, "I've got a xantha, halikset, and... uh... I think there's a... like, bass guitar. Somewhere."

"A little," Jalen responded. "I'm not very good I'm afraid..."

Jalen locked his eyes on the outline of the hallikset, making his way over to the instrument and picking it up with a delicate hand. It felt used. His fingers moved along the surface of the instrument, sinking down into the various dents and divots in the wood. Before long, rather absentmindedly, he had begun to strum the cords of a song he had heard once before. Before long, however, slightly out of embarrassment, Jalen returned it to it's place.

"S-sorry," Jalen apologized, scratching the back of his head. "Probably should've asked."

 

[BB-4001A]

Zak's smile broadened as the other boy picked up the halikset.

Did he play?

He did play!

Hopping back so that he was sitting on the edge of his bed, the Nautolan listened carefully as the other boy strummed a melody, trying to pick out if he was familiar with it.

"S-sorry," Jalen apologized, scratching the back of his head. "Probably should've asked."

"No, that was great!" Zak enthused. Having a room mate who could play music was going to be amazing! They could totally rock this temple! They would totally rock this temple! Get ready Iris Arani , now that Jalen was here, the Jedi Academy School of Rock was gonna happen!

Tucking his legs in, so that he was sitting cross-legged on the bed, the Nautolan looked around. There didn't seem to be a lot of stuff. "Are these all your things? Or do you need help bringing more up from the hangar bay?" Zak asked curiously.

Granted, not every padawan was lugging around multiple instruments from Commenor to Kashyyyk to Coruscant.

"Oh, and I hope you're not bothered by the tentacles," the boy added, reaching his hands back to jostle the head-tails as he explained, "My last roomie apparently had this fear of squids or whatever. He, uh... he, uh, didn't react well when we met."

No, Zak hadn't picked up that he was blind.

"Have you already had the tour? Need help finding anything?"

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Zak Dymo

​

"No, that's all my things," Jalen informed him. "I... don't really have much."

Everything new he had gotten at the temple was from Jasper, who didn't exactly have much in the way either. If anything it was better this way. Less to get attached to if any of it was ever lost.

"Oh, and I hope you're not bothered by the tentacles," the boy added, reaching his hands back to jostle the head-tails as he explained, "My last roomie apparently had this fear of squids or whatever. He, uh... he, uh, didn't react well when we met."

"I didn't see them," Jalen admitted, though he was glad that his guess on Zak's aura had been correct. He gave a slight gesture to his eyes, which were still rather blank. Empty. A shell of what they were. "I... don't see much these days..."

He was gonna have to explain that eventually. At least Jalen had the chance to get it out of the way early. Zak offered to show him around, which would have certainly been helpful to a newcomer, but Jalen had been at the temple for a while now.

"I'm good," he assured. "My brother showed me around when I got here."

It felt like forever ago now.

 

[BB-4001A]

So, he traveled light?

"That's cool," the Nautolan chimed in reply. "If there's anything you need, just let me know!"

"I didn't see them," Jalen admitted, though he was glad that his guess on Zak's aura had been correct. He gave a slight gesture to his eyes, which were still rather blank. Empty. A shell of what they were. "I... don't see much these days..."

"Eh!?" the boy uttered, at first confused and then somewhat in awe as Jalen continued. "What? Really!?" Zak remarked. What was that like?

Then he mentioned a brother. That had already given him a tour? "Wait, so your brother is a Jedi?" Zak asked as the realization clicked.

Yes, he was a master of intuition like that.

"That's so cool. Having, like, family and stuff," the Nautolan mused aloud, somewhat whimsical. It was something he'd imagined for himself every now and again. "The Sith destroyed Glee Anselm when I... I was, like, still a tadpole. But, but these people, like, rescued a bunch of us and got us to Commenor, so... so I dunno what happened to my family, or if I even have one," he remarked, his tone going from whimsical to sad as he did.

Was that too much?

Probably too much.

"But then the Jedi found me, so I guess the Jedi are my family," he remarked, adopting a positive tone as he flashed the other boy a large smile.

Even if Jalen couldn't see it, hopefully he could still hear it in Zak's voice.

Jalen Kai'el​

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Zak Dymo

​

"Yeah," Jalen shrugged when Zak inquired about his blindness. "I-I've been working on force sight, but that's about it."

When Zak spoke about his past, Jalen was caught off guard. He knew what it was like to not have a family. Sure, he was taken care of on Lothal, but none of that lasted. When it was all said and done, Jasper wound up being the only thing he had left.

"I only have the one brother," he admitted. "I was alone for a good period of time before he found me. That's how I ended up here."

Jalen sighed when his mind wandered to his brother. He thought very highly of Jasper. He lived in his ship and set off for dangerous lands without a second thought for his own well being. The dude could very well die and be okay so long as he made some kind of impact. That scared Jalen, but there was a level of admiration that he had for the life his brother lived. It would take a lot of work to live up to that.

"But then the Jedi found me, so I guess the Jedi are my family,"

"That's a good way to think about it," Jalen nodded. "Most people are like that anyways."

Suddenly, an idea had popped into his head. Zak seemed like the type to be down for mischief. Jalen had enjoyed such things as well at some point, though his energy had very much drained in that department. Still, there was something he'd been meaning to do for a while now...

"Speaking of my brother," he segued, "Are you against to breaking onto ships?"

 

[BB-4001A]

"Are you against to breaking onto ships?"

The Nautolan just blinked.

"If this is about that Trandoshan shuttle, I can explain," the boy offered, with an utterly straight face.

Then there was a pause.

"Oh, you mean, like, in general am I against breaking onto ships," the Nautolan realized finally. "Officially, I would never do anything to break the laws of the Alliance," Zak remarked with a firm nod.

"Unofficially, I may have accidentally taken a wrong turn and wound up in the hangar bay a time or two. And had a misunderstanding about whose shuttle it was. Or misplaced some toilet paper on a starfighter." Iris Arani would have absolutely nothing to say on that last one.

"But also, if anyone asks, I was here yesterday at five pm," Zak remarked.

"For no particular reason."

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Zak Dymo

​

"Officially, I would never do anything to break the laws of the Alliance,"

"Right," Jalen nodded. "Of course."

That was all the confirmation he needed. If there was any time to secure some of Jasper's inventions for himself, now would be it. Theoretically, they could both sneak in, grab some stuff, and split the loot.

"So, theoretically," Jalen began, "There may be a YT-series freighter in the hangar. And, theoretically of course, the owner may be off on a mission. So, I might be able to hotwire the lift door and get us in. There should be a bunch of inventions inside that we can make use of."

A grin spread across his face. He was quiet and reserved, but Jalen was just as much trouble as anyone else. He only made sure that his trouble wasn't tracible. Besides, he needed to prove that being blind didn't hold him back. This was a great way to do just that.

"Theoretically of course."

 

[BB-4001A]

This kid had a plan.

And so far, Zak was liking what he...

"Wait," the Nautolan uttered, as a dimly lit lightbulb seemed to go off over his head. YT-series ship? "The Corellian ship?" the boy remarked, able to imagine exactly what ship that Jalen was describing.

He'd been on that ship before.

...and this ship belonged to his brother?

"Your brother is the Dread Pirate Cyborg-Arm?" the Nautolan blurted aloud.

Yes, that was Jasper's legal name. And it was like A Tribe Called Quest, you had to say the whole thing.

Jalen Kai'el​

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Zak Dymo

​

"Your brother is the Dread Pirate Cyborg-Arm?"

"Pirate?" Jalen noted with a frown. "No, he's just an inventor. A dopey one at that."

Jalen said this, and he would have no doubt said it to Jasper's face, but he did really admire his brother. Just another reason to get their hands on some of his miscellaneous tech.

"How'd you end up thinking he was a pirate?" he asked out of curiosity. "Jasper fights pirates on the regular."

There were so many questions that he had, but Jalen was, to his own credit, smarter than the average fourteen year old. Zak seemed to be the imaginative type. Logically, he could have come to this conclusion if presented enough unanswered questions and have his imagination fill in the gaps. Jalen didn't care either way. In fact, it was probably funnier of he continued to believe Jasper was a pirate.

 

[BB-4001A]

"How'd you end up thinking he was a pirate?" he asked out of curiosity. "Jasper fights pirates on the regular."

Was this dude serious right now?

"Bruh," the Nautolan uttered flatly. Large, black eyes just blinked as the boy opened his mouth and tried to think of where to begin. And then just hung there, speechless, because Zak just could not even right now.

"Bruh, really?" Zak uttered. The new kid was totally karking with him right now. Right? "Are you, like, for real for real? To start with, its a Corellian ship. Like, that's not sus as hell. Second, he has a cybernetic arm. And, like, nobody talks about it. Ever. He is totes pirate."

It was simple math.

Jalen Kai'el​

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Zak Dymo

​

"Are you, like, for real for real? To start with, its a Corellian ship. Like, that's not sus as hell. Second, he has a cybernetic arm. And, like, nobody talks about it. Ever. He is totes pirate."

"Dude, I lived on that ship," Jalen told him. "Besides, that's my brother. I think I'd know if he was a pirate. All that storage is just filled with whatever junk he ends up turning into a new invention. I doubt he's good enough to get away with smuggling under the nose of the council anyways. He can't walk five feet without tripping over himself. And his arm..."

Jalen paused for a moment. How did Jasper lose his arm? Come to think of it, he had never asked why, or been told why. He had just always been missing it. There was no real explanation for it.

"I actually don't know how he lost it, but that's besides the point," he concluded. "Look, what's important is that Jasper has a bunch of gadgets in that ship that he isn't using, so I say we snag a few for ourselves."

 

[BB-4001A]

"Exactly!"

Jalen Kai'el was making his points for him. He was The Dread Pirate Cyborg-Arm's brother and even he couldn't say where that arm came from. And he'd even lived on that ship and he still didn't know.

"No one knows how he got that arm!" the Nautolan exclaimed, bouncing up and donw on the bed with the energy, arms outstretched overhead and he declared, "Brah totes has secret life vibes!"

That was that.

"Also, you had me at breaking into Jasper's ship."

Simple Nautolan is simple.

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Zak Dymo

​

Maybe his brother did have a second life. Come to think of it, there was all kind of places that he had been going lately. Like, why would anyone wanna go to Denon? It was suspicious. Still, that only managed to increase his respect for Jasper. His older brother was a badass Jedi and had a secret identity? That had to be the coolest thing ever. Which only meant that whatever he was hiding in his ship would be just as cool.

"Awesome," he nodded. "We'll need to make it quick. Curfew is in a few hours. We slip in, fill up a bag, try to keep from waking up any of his droids, and slip out with the goods."

It was simple, unsuspecting, and completely foolproof. The perfect heist.

That definately didn't completely fall apart if Jalen just asked his brother for some of his old inventions.