Why is the Rum gone!?

[Marcello Matteo]

Iziz, Onderon

Marcello hadn't so much as taken one sip of his drink since ordering it some thirty minutes ago. Instead, he'd been idly shifting the glass around in his hands as his eyes scanned the crowd of the cantina. It was something of a game that he liked to play, attempting to memorize as many details about a stranger in as little time as possible. He'd then move on to someone else in the complete opposite direction, do the same, and attempt to accurately describe the people he'd previously evaluated.

No doubt it looked...somewhat awkward for a large, long-haired individual seated in the corner to keep their eyes randomly darting all over the establishment. However, it was a cantina, so he tended to go mostly unnoticed after a while. Were it not for a...past interaction with [member="Iella E'ron"], he might have actually just partaken in his alcoholic beverage. Fortunately, he'd been able to keep things from getting too out of hand in that...interesting meeting.

The Jedi Master had received a communique from one of the Academy Instructors asking him to consider taking on a third Padawan. Freaking...three... The Jedi Master's propensity for absorbing new minds to mold was certainly chiseling away at what little free time he ever had...time which he used almost exclusively to spend with [member="Kiskla Grayson"] (hah, four posts in a row). They each had their...necessities, however. [member="Travot Ravenna"] would be meeting him in the most casual of locations of any of his other apprentices. The reality was that...perhaps one or two might be passed off to a budding Knight that Marcello deemed satisfactory in due time.

 

[Travot Ravenna]

Travot wandered through the cantina doors and briefly paused. His eyes wandered over the bar counter, picked out the brands of alcohol served, and got a rough idea of the clientele. It almost made him feel nostalgic for working at the Grinning Rancor back on Susevfi. But I'm not here to drink or serve tables. An overpowering scent of rum wafted into his nose. He quickly removed himself from the doorway just in time for a pair of inebriated patrons still reeking of their drinks to stumble out the establishment.

His emerald eyes darted around the table, looking for his contact. Finally they settled on another set of eyes that also appeared to be looking for someone. That's him. Ravenna strode over to the man and briefly considered bowing. But that might draw more attention to us than what's needed in a place like this...His face briefly flushed crimson from his perception of the awkwardness of the situation. The padawan offered an extended hand to [member="Marcello Matteo"].

"I would bow out of respect for you, master," said Travot quietly, "but I figured that you might not want to draw any...extra attention to our meeting here. I am Travot Ravenna; the one the Academy sent."

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Marcello's glacier-blue eyes tracked to [member="Travot Ravenna"] before he'd even come within earshot. This was less the reality because he was looking for the young man as it was because Marcello's innately registered it as the most likely threat to his person. When the Padawan stopped and awkwardly extended a hand, the Jedi Master arched a curious brow before indicating the seat across from him with a nod of the head.

Before the man could even take his seat, Marcello began speaking in an even, deep voice. "Two things. Just call me Marcello, and I despise being bowed to. Do it for other Masters as you see fit." Once the young man had found his seat, Marcello would begin in earnest. "Why do you wish to continue being a Jedi? We're routinely attacked, insulted, or otherwise ignored. The population of the galaxy that actually wants our help is almost infinitesimal and shrinking by the second. There is neither glory nor fame to be had in this lifestyle. In fact, the only thing I can promise you is that you will practically kill yourself all for it to be rendered useless the next day by...a single word or thought of the right person. Why would you want that to be your life?"

There was no sarcasm. Everything Marcello had said...was completely true. This was not a life for everyone.

 

[Travot Ravenna]

Travot pondered [member="Marcello Matteo"]'s words carefully. While it hadn't exactly been the greeting he had expected, it certainly had some hard truths to consider. But he didn't know if he truly had a good answer to it. Or perhaps that was the point of the question? Ravenna turned his emerald eyes to make an eye contact with the man in front of him.

"My life has already been set down on the path," replied Ravenna, "and even if I were given the chance to turn back down it, or if I were somehow able to give up my connection to the Force, I would not. I've wasted more of my life on the mundane...Heck, I spent over a year working in a place like this full-time, and several years part-time before this. I don't have much to lose materially, Marcello, and what I do, isn't really mine. It's come to me from the dead, my mother, my old master. I live now for them and the ideals they passed down to me. I've made them mine own. My part in this galaxy is to make it better place for those around me.

I look at that old barkeeper over there and see my old boss. He was a good man, but I say to myself, what would happen if the Sith took over this place? What if they were his patrons? How long would he last under them? Would they one day use him as a toy in one of their games? Would they destroy his livelihood, hurt him or his workers, would they warp him mentally physically or mentally into a completely new person? All things they can do on a whim? How could I live with myself if I had the power to help prevent that from happening to others, and just threw it away? What would my mother, my father say to me?

That is why I have chosen to join the Jedi Order."

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Marcello's blue gaze never moved from [member="Travot Ravenna"]'s face. The young man's response was somehow both original and expected at the same time. The Jedi Master presumed it was the infusion of past experiences to force current actions that he'd expected to here. However, the last few rhetorical questions regarding the Sith did pique Marcello's curiosity. As he'd come to expect, most of the viewpoints were...laced with an underlying element of hatred or outright lack of respect. Marcello was perhaps a bit different in that regard, he could respect the Sith for attempting to build what they viewed to be the society they desired. After all, as a Jedi he was taught to respect all traditions and societal inclinations was he not? Yes but with shades of gray... There were many that merely said their duty was to protect and enforce the code, Marcello didn't particularly like the idea of enforcing their own beliefs on others.

He would, however, defend those that needed it to the very end.

"Have you spoken to individuals currently or formerly under the control of the Sith?" A loaded question if ever there were one.

 

[Travot Ravenna]

Travot considered the question carefully. Sometimes what appeared to be the simplest question was not. And this was one of those cases, despite its simplicity, but it was not because of any duplicity on Travot's part. He hadn't known any force-users for most of his life, aside from his mother. But his mother, seeking to remain hidden in plain sight, had never really talked to him about the Force, how to use it, or what its other users were like. He would be ashamed to admit to Marcello that for most of his life, he hadn't known about the Sith except through popular culture. And he was almost certain that not all of that was true.

His brief time with old Master Wurth had been his true introduction into the nature of the Force and its users. But as far as Travot knew, Wurth had never been a Sith, even if he had been somewhat disillusioned with the mainstream Jedi Order at the time. He thought back to their associates on the fringe and even to acquintances he had met on those hardscrabble worlds, yet he could not think of one of them who was a Sith. At least that he knew of with certainty. Travot slowly shook his head and made eye contact again with [member="Marcello Matteo"].

"Not that I know of," replied Travot, "though there's always a possibility that I could have, but I never knew that they were a Sith."

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Marcello smirked slightly at [member="Travot Ravenna"]'s response. "That is most certainly possible, but I'm not sure how probable it is in today's galaxy. Truth be told...most Sith seem almost entirely incapable of not flouting their allegiances." On the flip side of that coin...the ones that could exercise some amount of discretion were the ones to truly worry about. How did one hunt a shadow?

You didn't. You could only do your level best to shine a light on said shadow at very specific moments...lest your overt efforts alert your foe in advance.

"My point, however, was not to be quick to jump to conclusions. You might be surprised to learn that a great many of the people currently subject to the rule and whims of the Sith...are very much happy with their station." Waving a dismissive hand, Marcello came to hsi feet. "It makes our job that much more difficult. Come with me."

Silence followed the simple command for only long enough to exit the crowded cantina. Once they'd emerged back out on the street, the Jedi Master spoke once more. "What do you hope to accomplish in this life, Travot, and I do not merely mean your goals as a Jedi. You are a person first and foremost. Do you have ambitions, desires?" Another seemingly innocuous question with a much deeper purpose and meaning.

 

[Travot Ravenna]

This sounds like a Master Wurth question: another question that is not necessarily what it seems to be. Ambition was a funny thing. Too much of it could bring out the worst in people. Despite his isolation from the Order, Travot had heard tales from Wurth of overly ambitious padawans falling to their dark side as they. Their ambition to become more powerful to protect other people became their downfall. Power corrupts. Yet not having ambition was a sin of itself as well, as without it, he would have no drive to become better or truly competent as a jedi. The Force was not something easily mastered in Travot's limited experience, not without a will and desire to learn. Maybe I'm over-thinking this...

"At one point, and I'm not saying now or anytime soon, I would like to return to live in the Unknown Regions," answered Ravenna, "I have never found myself more in peace then when I was on some untouched piece of nature. But I feel that first I have duty to uphold to protect others before I can follow that path in life. I think that I would like to try and become a better defender of those that I want to protect. To that end, I've been studying holos and texts on Soresu, but I know that I have much more to learn before I should find myself on the battlefield."

[member="Marcello Matteo"]

 

[Marcello Matteo]

Marcello glanced at [member="Travot Ravenna"] out the corner of his eye briefly as they continued along their current path. There were no official Jedi structures or even much of a presence on Onderon...making it, of course, an ideal location to train. Ahead of them was one of the many gates that provided a point of exit to the sprawling jungles of Onderon. "I see. The desire to live out a quiet, simple life one day is admirable. I hope that you might yet see that day." That was all Marcello could really say on the matter. "As for becoming a better defender... You know the greatest quality of any warrior is not what he can do with a blade or his fists. The strength of one's mind is the key to a warrior's prowess. Soresu...the Resilience Form."

The Jedi Master permitted himself a slight laugh as they passed underneath the arches separating the city of Iziz from the wilderness. "Another key trait of a warrior is to always be adaptive. We will, of course, start with the known forms as a basis for instruction, but I assure you that improvisation will be the only technique you really need master. Oh and Travot? You will be in battle much sooner than you likely expect...and potentially before you feel yourself ready, so we haven't a moment to waste."

Without uttering another word, Marcello took off at a pace that was relatively ninety percent of his maximum speed without the use of the Force. From continuous training, he knew that he could maintain the pace for upwards of sixty minutes before fatigue would begin to take firm hold of the lactic acids in his muscles.

They wouldn't be running for sixty minutes.

 

[Travot Ravenna]

His jaw dropped as he watched the other man start running away from him. What have I gotten myself into now? With a quiet moan, Travot started chasing after [member="Marcello Matteo"]. He exercised pretty regularly, but it was mainly lifting weights and building up muscle mass. Sure, he sprinted from time to time, often with weights as part of a shuttle run, but he hadn't done any regular long distance running since sophomore year of secondary school.

That had been years ago.

With his eyes glued on the jedi master's back, he focused on his breathing and his form. He kept his head up straight, watched his gait, and began to fall into a regular breathing cycle. He accelerated towards the Marcello, though he wasn't sure how long he'd be able to keep the man's pace. I wonder what he has in store for me. Is this really the start of his training...my training towards becoming a Jedi? His emerald eyes turned ever so briefly from the man's back to get a glimpse of the world's wilderness. Judging from the automated warnings he had picked up from the space port, he hadn't even considered leaving the city's walls, yet here he was, doing just that.

 

[Marcello Matteo]

((OOC: Sorry - totally didn't get the notification for this.))

Marcello guided his newest apprentice through the jungles of Onderon for roughly twenty-five minutes at a fairly considerable pace. Eventually, the pair of Jedi came to a point where sunlight filtered more intensely through the dense canopy. Slowing to a stop, Marcello placed his hands on his hips and stood up straight. After taking a few labored breaths, he turned his glacier-blue gaze in the direction of [member="Travot Ravenna"]. "Survival."

A brief pause to further catch his breath.

"A principle concept that you should come to understand. All of the force abilities and fancy lightsaber tricks in the world will not spare you if you are mentally and physically weak. The Force can only do so much, but it does not turn an otherwise hopeless individual into some type of divine warrior."

Another pause.

"I brought you here because it's arguably a dangerous environment. Even know, you can undoubtedly feel the stirring sensation that we are being watched, stalked even. The reality? It is not merely the indigenous animals of Onderon that we need concern ourselves with. Whether or not the Republic chose Onderon as its capital is irrelevant to the many Beastrider Clans that have been here since the beginning of time...and tend not to want anything to do with any government. Iziz is a walled city for a reason. That feeling of keeping your senses alert...pushing yourself to the point of near exhaustion just to survive? Remember it, learn to love it. If you want to survive, that must become the reality of your life."

Cracking his neck slightly, Marcello spread his feet slightly such that they were roughly shoulder width apart. "We begin with a test of your martial abilities." Settling into an adaptive combat stance, the Jedi Master motioned for the Padawan to initiate his strike.

If Travot delayed or otherwise erred, Marcello would act accordingly.

 

[Travot Ravenna]

Catching his breath, Travot nodded in understanding. He had seen his fair share of dangerous animals exploring the fringes of the galaxy with old master Wurth. But now he was beginning to wonder if Wurth's presence during some those journeys had been a crutch all along. Thankfully for Travot, he wasn't entirely lost when it came to basic martial arts, though he doubted that he would beat [member="Marcello Matteo"] in any demonstration of martial prowess.

He could only give it his best, and he would.

Ravenna dropped into a basic stance of Broken Gate that he had learned on Ossus, pointing his dominant right forward towards the jedi master while staging his left foot some centimeters behind and slightly angled to point away from his centerline. The man from Susevfi balled up his hands into fist and raised them in a standard boxer's pose, taking care to position his arms to block or deflect any shots to his abdomen. But that was the easy part.

He began to relax his breathing and focus on the currents of the Force. He felt part of his spirit submerge in its currents, letting it guide him. His torso rotated on his hip as his right fist surged forward in a straight punch at the Jedi master.