Shimmy shimmy cocoa pop!

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie gave a quick nod of the head before turning back to Kaile, only to see that the girl wasn't following as well. Her face contorted slightly to the right, brows scrunching downwards, partially wondering why she wasn't tagging along. She hesitated but only a moment though, as Jacen began to make his way to wherever it was he was leading her. Quickly she made her way back to his side, listened to his question and passed her gaze between others as they wandered through the halls.

"Well, Kaile insisted we come here. I hadn't much thought about any Jedi orders, really. I had no idea where any were, and I still only have a vague idea." Blue eyes looked up to the towering ceiling above, the masterful stonework and architecture that made up the temple. "I think maybe the Silvers?" She gave a shrug. "My own teacher doesn't belong to any particular order either. She just goes where she's needed, where she can do the most good."

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] | [member="Kaileann Vera"]

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Jamie Pyne"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Kaile caught sight of Jamie’s hesitation, and before the younger blonde turned away, Kaile encouraged her to continue on with a wave of her hand. It wasn’t a dismissal, it was more now that the medic was hovering over the Lorrdian and asking her all sorts of questions.

“I’ll be fine… I’ll catch up!” brown eyes went tracing up her would be medic savior. Not as hunky as she liked, but he had a nice smile. So she smiled right back at him.

“Oh just a bump on the noggin’... uhh… four fingers.” she answered to the question of how many digits she saw wiggling in front of her.

Then her eyes grew wide at the fact the guy had SIX fingers. Oh now that could be interesting….

Oh what a floozy she could be! A chuckle and a shake of her head, and before she knew it, the Medic and Initiate Rohim were looking her over.

“So... been at the Order long?” Kaile asked the two with the sunniest of flirty smiles.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"We're just a group who come together the train and learn here. And for those of us who chose that path, to fight when we need to. Some Orders believe that an individual can call on the dark side of the Force for good. We believe the evidence is quite against that. The dark side corrupts. It draws on your fears, your hatred, your anger. A Jedi has power and an obligation to do the right thing. Giving in to your base emotions when you're tapping into that power is not conducive to doing the right thing."

He walked through one of the more peaceful gardens on the temple. There were padawans quietly meditating, some of them holding wooden staves and practising their forms alone. "Would you like something to eat or drink Jamie?" he asked.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

That was something Jamie hadn't quite encountered yet. Nobody had passed so much judgement on the light and dark sides of the Force. Keira for all she knew was entirely light sided. She'd never to date expressed any kind of hostility, corruption of whatever variety, or evil. The blonde had no real frame of reference to compare those of the dark side of the Force. She was aware that the Sith utilized the dark side, though that she felt was simply the nature of the Sith, not specifically the dark side. The Sith were evil, everyone knew that. They murdered, conquered, and enslaved. A trail of pain followed in their wake. It was that type of disregard for life and power that Jamie wanted to learn to protect those she cared for from.

"Emotion is what makes us who we are though, does it not? Joy and celebration, sadness and sorrow, frustration and anger, fear and anxiety. These are all things that help to determine the type of person we all are. How can you be whole yet repress what makes you who you are at the same time? It seems counter-intuitive."

To Jamie, it sounded like Jacen was essentially telling her that unless she repressed her most basic instincts as a human, becoming an emotionless void was the only way to become a Jedi, the only way to not become corrupt. It sounded...extreme.

The blonde gave a nod at the mention of food, though her eyes watched intently to the group of students practicing with staves in the grass. A lot of the foot work and reactions were quite similar to fencing. A small smile widened on her face when she acknowledged that she was actually more technically proficient than a majority of them, even if they had a firmer grasp of the Force.

[member="Kaileann Vera"] | [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] and [member="Jamie Pyne"] - YOU DO LOVE ME <3


With the way Kaileann was warmly staring up at Initiate Rohn, it was enough to make the poor Jedi hopeful blush.

“Two years, Miss…” he stammered out.

“Kaile,” she flashed him a winning smile. Oh he looked young, but not too young. Granted, this was her just being a flirty tease for humor's sake. He certainly appeared young enough to be more than seven years younger than her. That was a no no. The formula of halving your age and adding seven had worked well for her before. She wasn’t about to prowl the Jedi Order for would be hopefuls.

But Mistah Spulunker… A small chuckle and a “heh,” sighed out. Maybe.

“You like it fine?” she asked him, feeling the Medic carefully look over her hair for that laceration. Jamie had done a good job at patching her up, but the medic might be able to seal it some if it was too deep. She’ll get a scar for sure right there, none the less.

“I’m learning much with Master Voidstalker.”

Eyebrows perked.

“Master Voidstalker, eh?” chuckling to herself, she went leaning back, bracing upon the palms of her hands.

I wonder how Jamie is doing?

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Jamie Pyne"] [member="Kaileann Vera"]

"Emotions are a part of who we are," Jacen replied. There was just the hint of a smile as he considered where to eat. "They do the best steak here," he murmured as he picked a direction. He sat at a small table that overlooked the gardens. Jamie seemed quite intend on watching the novices practising their footwork. Jacen waved in the direction of a waiter. He was more than a little interested to know who her teacher had been to date, but that could wait.

"There are times when you need to put emotion aside. Consider a judge presiding over a case, she can't let herself be distracted by emotion when calling the verdict. A Jedi faces a thousand such little moments. Cut someone down in anger, no matter your reasons for doing so, and you open the window to the dark side. It corrupts the mind...and the body. Yellow eyes, grey skin. It's easy to take those first steps, to find how readily the power comes when you fuel it with an emotion."

Jacen pulled a menu closer to himself and took a quick looks. He already knew what he'd be ordering anyway. Steak and and alcohol-free beer. The patron of the restaurant knew all too well that a request for alcohol-free beer was for his preferred IPA.

"You don't have to be a drone," he said with a low chuckle, "but you do need to learn control when calling on the Force. So what have you noticed that Padawan Riker is doing wrong then?" he added suddenly, nodding towards one of the white-robed duellists he caught her appraising.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The blonde took up a seat across from Jacen and turned back momentarily, offering a smile to acknowledge that she heard his words and not to be rude by seemingly ignoring the conversation at hand. There was just something exciting about watching others practice similar techniques to what she was familiar with, especially when so far from home, and away from more or less everyone she knew. Here, everything was alien to her. "Forgive me, Jacen. But isn't killing someone for all practical sake the same, regardless of what emotion you feel while doing it, so long as it is justified? And even then, justification is really subjective to the person, right?" Jamie tucked her hands underneath her arms as she pondered the theory.

"I mean, say a man killed someone you loved. You would want justice, would you not? Say you catch up and find that man, only to find out that he killed a dozen more people, but that he killed them because his family was held as hostages and collateral until those targets were slain. At the point of which you find him, he still has twenty people left on that list to kill. What do you do? He won't surrender himself. He's already killed many, but to him, he has no alternative, no other out. Is he evil? Subjectively. If you kill him out of anger for what he'd done or just to protect others, does either avenue offer any real different path?" Jamie rolled her head from side to side, as if contemplating some great internal battle.

"I don't know, really. Everyone believes in their own heart that they are good. Is it not corruption that spreads corruption? How can anyone be so certain that the dark side is essentially a catalyst for it? Perhaps it is the person to blame, and not the energy behind the Force. I don't know much about this Force stuff and the Jedi and Sith, but I do understand politicians, and they're actually a lot more connected than I ever imagined."

Jamie was one of those people who saw both sides of the fence. The good in the bad, and the bad in the good. She was the two sides of the same coin. She wasn't even certain that her bit of rambling even made sense to Jacen. Back home politicians had made a lot of really terrible decisions in the past, but to them, it was out of necessity, not malice. It seemed like all things in life mirrored itself in one way or another.

"As for...Riker? His feet are loose, incorrectly positioned, and unstable. He'd be knocked off balance in a matter of seconds. His grip on the weapon is too tight, rigid. A hard counter against his blow could break his wrist or make him lose hold of the weapon. He's also made himself too much of a target posturing the way he is."

[member="Kaileann Vera"] | [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Jacen smiled faintly. The veteran wasn't really one for words, but he was enjoying this particular exchange. "Two questions for you then, no three questions. First of all clearly you have me there. When your choice is between the right thing for the wrong reason and the right thing for the right reason, what does it really matter?" he said, tone making it clear this was rhetorical and not one of the three.

"Of course, you're choosing a specific example there. Who if following your rage and your hate takes you towards the wrong decision? Your anger may cloud you to fail to see that mercy is the way forwards. If your young boy had no one else on his list perhaps vengeance would lead you to cut him down, when he needed to be locked away for his actions. The dark side corrupts. This has been shown throughout history time and time again. I'll call on historical evidence for this matter, not specific examples."

"Anyway, on the second subject. What would you fix with Riker first?"

As if on cue, a waiter appeared at the table. He held a compact datapad to add their orders. "Would you like to order some drinks and starters?" he asked.

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Jamie Pyne"]

"Nothing that a few bacta injections and a synthflesh sealent won't help." the doc piped out to the Lorrdian with a friendly smile. Granted her clean bill of health -along with a pain stim for her headache - Kaile was fit for duty. At least, for the present time.

"Thanks doc," she smiled out, wiggling her nose and then flashing a wink towards Initiate Rohn; who immediately flushed a bright red much to Kaile's amusement. Chuckling, she came to her feet. Stretching her arms wide and up, she was like a cat coming out of sunning herself on a warm window sill. Made all the more tempting by the fact that her tiny little shirt stretched to a degree across her chest that had the Initiate and the medic averting their eyes.

"If you like, Miss Kaile," Rohn began, trying to get a hold of himself. "I would be happy to take you back to --"

"Nah, you got any mechs around?" the Lorrdian would interupt him. The surprise and confusion that would sweep across Rohn's countenance was even more amusing. Jamie told her to not trouble herself, but Kaile wasn't one to let the younger woman fly out of her without making sure things were set right.

"Pardon?"

"You know. Mechanics?" she stabbed a thumb back to the J-Type "Got into some sort of trouble on the way here, and seein' as it would be right kindly of me to at the very least ensure that hyperdrive ain't gonna bust -- on account on it was me inviting Miss Jamie -- I'm gonna need some tools and such if you have 'em handy."

Rohn blinked.

Kaile sighed.

Right hip went cocking out and her hand came to perch upon its delectable curve. A flash of skin peek-a-boo'd in between the space of her shorts and the shirt she wore. "Where's your ship shop?"

 

[Jamie Pyne]

Jamie thought on Jacen's rhetoric for a minute, pondering over the hard stance he held on the dark side. Sure, evidence did point to very specific, heinous examples of violent acts. That much she certainly couldn't argue against, nor would she think to. That was evil incarnate. But surely there had to be some examples of good coming from the dark side, no? Nothing could be so black and white. If there were grey areas of good and evil then there had to be a grey area within the Force. It was nature.

"What you're speaking of though is a loss of control over your emotions. Vengeance isn't justice. But preventing a monster from taking more lives? I would argue to say that is justice. It's a question of moral and mental capacity more so than a trait inherent in the Force, isn't it? There will always be extremists that hide behind the visage of their own twisted views."

The blonde couldn't see the world as simple as good versus evil like Jacen. She hadn't a frame of reference to follow. There was simply a disconnect there where it didn't make sense that a side of nature could be so twisted that it would turn someone from who they are into something much, much worse.

"But speaking of Ryker, he needs to separate his hands further apart and loosen his grip so that it's more fluid and reactive. The way he's handling the weapon he is, without knowing, assuming that he is always in control of the fight and that he will never be outmaneuvered. That, coupled with his oppositely loose posture and stance would cost him dearly. He should position himself more towards the side to make less of a target of himself, and to naturally fortify his stance while at the same time allowing him to move from side to side or front to back quickly and efficiently."

All hard lessons that she had been taught when she was training herself, though obviously not with lightsabers and magical Force powers to aide her. Still, the premise was close.

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] | [member="Kaileann Vera"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

"The dark side of the Force corrupts the body and the mind," Jacen replied with a shrug. He was politician or lawyer, there was a limit to how far he could take a discussion. "I've known people who felt they used it to do good. They did, at first. It very slowly crept up on them until they weren't doing good for anyone but themselves."

Jacen looked over at the trainees. "Very good, that and that the damn fool keeps crossing his legs when he moves no matter how many times I show him to shuffle. Anyway, you had question three still to answer.

"I'd like a glass of that pressed juice please," he said to the waiter that was still standing beside their table patiently.

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"Just water please." She said to the waiter before turning back to Jacen. "I see." She could tell he was strongly opposed to the dark side of the Force, and that he wasn't entirely keen on those who traveled along that path. Still, she was curious, and without knowing all of the answers it was hard for her to let a subject go, especially one as monumental as this. "Has any credible research ever been performed on dark siders to prove that it is truly the Force that has corrupted them, and not their own immorality?"

Jamie gave a small smile, though withheld the bit of laughter she felt tickling her face when the Jedi mentioned the Padawan's technique. "I'm sorry," the blonde started, "what was your third question? I seem to have forgotten." Her face reddened slightly, trying to recall what exactly he had asked of her...

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] | [member="Kaileann Vera"]

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] [member="Jamie Pyne"]

In no time, Kaile borrowed the tools she required from the mech shop Rohn had directed to. With a little pushcart, she hummed a little diddy on her way back to the J-Type. Jamie and Mister cave diver were likely going to be a while. The entire area was pretty large, and one day wasn’t enough to get a good look at the place, much the less, ask questions regarding the Force.

Rohn followed her, due to some strange notion that it would be rude to simply leave. He had not been given real direction from Master Voidstalker, so that meant he was stuck with the strawberry blonde for now.

“So where are you from Rohn?” Kaile asked, entering the J-Type with the stiff Rohn in tow.

“Shouldn’t you be resting, Miss Kaile?”

At that the Lorrdian gave a chuckle.

“Not on your life!”

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Jamie Pyne"] [member="Kaileann Vera"]

“Credible research?” Jacen replied, he was just a soldier not a scholar. “I don’t think so. I don’t imagine there have been that many cases. Certainly not willing to be test subjects anyway. And my third question was what did you want for lunch? I was trying to be clever by timing it so the waiter would ask…oh never mind,” he said, looking slightly abashed now.

He turned to his menu, looking for something to order when the waiter returned. They did good toasted sandwiches here.

“I’ve spoken to number of people on the topic. Those who have been on both sides. No one does anything dreadful not of their own volition, but once you stray down that dark path it becomes harder and harder to return. The dark side corrupts. Physically too. If you’d like beady yellow eyes and pallid skin that hangs off your bones you should give it a go.”

 

[Jamie Pyne]

"I suppose that's fair." Realizing the impracticality of her suggestion was rather silly she decided it was time to let go any further pursuit. That, coupled with Jacen's suggestion that the corruption of the dark side was not only a psychological effect, but also a physical one in the form of disfigured skin and a shift to inhuman irises made Jamie shiver slightly at the thought. "That happens?" The girl shook her head to try and will away the creeps she had given herself by imagining what it looked like.

"I think I will pass, on that note." She quite enjoyed her skin the way it was, and her eye color as well.

Quickly shifting subjects the blonde snapped her fingers, remembering that he had asked her what she wanted to eat. After all, that was why they had even come here anyway. How could she have forgotten!? "Oh! Right! Food. Duh! I'm sorry, sometimes I space out." Scooping up the menu she quickly cast her eyes over a number of options. Thankfully Jamie was quite a formidable speed reader so it took but a second to identify something she was interested in. "I'll have a cup of the Chef's Soup Of The Day and the Juna Berry Salad and house dressing."

With a smile the girl placed the menu down and closed it again.

"So then, what exactly do you lot do here? Train, read books, and hunt down dark siders? Is that really it?"

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] | [member="Kaileann Vera"]

 

[Kaile Vera]

[member="Jamie Pyne"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Well it wasn’t like Jamie did much on keeping the J-Type locked.

Well she did, but Kaile had a knack of getting into places she was keen on getting into. Initiate Rohn was not too pleased, vacillating in between chiding her and bumbling through audible reasonings why this was a bad idea.

All Kaileann could do was simply smile.

“What? You ever wanted to help out a friend there Rohn?” she asked hypothetically. “Ain’t a Jedi ‘sposed to help out when they can?”

That made the poor teenager pause, mouth dropping only to shut as he struggled how to answer it. If he said no, well that would put him in a bad situation. If he said yes.. Well… clearly Miss Kaile wasn’t going to be deterred and figure she was able to do what she wanted in order to ‘help.’

The sunny smile which she flashed over her shoulder at him while she sliced into the Jtype told him all he needed to know.

The woman knew she had him.

“Just gonna fix the hyperdrive that’s all…” a hiss and a pop, and the ramp on the J-Type slowly decended. Kaile didn’t have the decency to wipe the smirk off her face.

“Come on.. Grab them tools they ain’t gonna walk themselves!”

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Jamie Pyne"] [member="Kaileann Vera"]

“I always look at this menu as if I’m not going to have the toasted cheese sandwich. It’s always a delusion. Oh well,” Jacen bemoaned, before placing his menu back down on the table. He could see the waiter with their drinks heading back over.

“And we generally hope not to be hunting down darksiders here specifically. But training and teaching is mostly what we do. I run my own enclave within the New Jedi Order. We work with local law enforcement at times and we also fight beside the Alliance when it goes to war. There is a Circle of Healers as well that well…” Jacen shrugged. “…study the practise of healing and…do healing.”

There was a sharp raise of the brows and a small shake of the head. “Honestly they need to find someone else to do these things.”

He looked across the table at Jamie, appraising her more carefully. “What is it you want to do with your gift? Obviously you want to train them, but then what?”

 

[Jamie Pyne]

For just a moment Jamie considered teasing Jacen by telling him that she planned to train, get stronger, and then destroy the Jedi. Fortunately for the two of them she thought better of that decision, and instead answered honestly, rather than give him a heart attack before lunch. "I want to protect Naboo from harm. It's my home. Everything I've ever known is there. Protecting it seems worthwhile."

Once the waiter approached their table again and placed their drinks before them the two relayed their order, after which the man smiled and strode away. "I'm not looking for some grand life of saving the galaxy from itself, or to storm off into wars simply to inevitably provoke more in the future." She shrugged. "Keira took me in on her own and treats me like a sister. She trains me as best she can and I'm very appreciative for that."

Jamie took a sip from the glass of water before finishing her thought. "If it wasn't for her I'd be entirely alone in this, and who knows where I'd end up."

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"] | [member="Kaileann Vera"]

 

[Kaile Vera]

Over all the J-Typee wasn’t too shabby. She just needed some fixing for what the hyperengine had to go through. Honestly that was as much as she was able to do. Any more time spent, and Kurt would be wondering where the hell she was. He was supposed to pick her up on Bespin. Now she’ll have to shuttle back so he wouldn’t get all confused.

“ You ever fix a hyperdrive, Rohn?” Kaile sang over her shoulder, inquring on his mechanical expertise. The flush and thinning of his lips answered it for her, but it amused Kaile none the less.

“Eyy… everyone should know a bit of mechanical know how.” she told him, leading the initiate over towards the engine room.

“Never know when you’ll need to fix something up in a scrape.” she told him, “This is a good ship. A pretty endowed girl.” she plucked out her hydrospanner and spun it in between her fingers. “Gonna guide you through her "ample nacelles," if you pardon the engineering parlance.”

[member="Jamie Pyne"] [member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Jamie Pyne"]

Jacen fell silent for a few seconds once more. He cast his eyes over the young woman before looking down at hands clasped before him in contemplation.

"Is Naboo all you would defend? What of the people here?" he asked with a wave of his arm to encompass the civilians around them. "Do they deserve your aid if they require it?"