The Lion Sleeps Tonight (JA): *New post by HaiGan*

Okay, it's short, but it's what I have tonight. I'm sure I'll have more later.

*******

Five days befor Departure:



Krelo smiled happily to herself. She?d been on one mission after another for over a year, and now she was getting a much needed vacation. Her name was on the list of those going to Tildas. A sly smile played across her face. It payed to be on good terms with the person keeping the list.

//I?m so glad Dexie hasn?t found another girlfriend while I was gone, or at least, not a steady one.//

The red-haired knight pulled out one spare set of tunics and pants to take with her on vacation, and then filled the rest of her carisak with what Lilith referred to as her ?civies?. One long-sleeved blouse, two sleeveless blouses, two pair of fitted leather pants, a couple of vests in a variety of colors, and a bright blue bikini. She?d bought it right after her last mission had been completed successfully in the hopes of getting a chance to wear it for Dex.

Tildas seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Now all she had to do was wait the remaining five days until they were scheduled to leave.

//Force, give me patience, and give it to me now!//

 

LOL! Krelo's impatience is good. But I wonder about the comment 'at least not a steady one'. Interesting.

Great post, short, but good!

 

Yeah, a little on the short side, but definitely full of future possibilites! *grin*

I've learned never to underestimate Lilith...or Krelo for that matter.

 

I'm so sorry to ruin the mood...If this is too awful, please tell me privately and I will ask an admin to remove it.

*****
Flashback to ten days before departure


Quilibet Lyr stood unwillingly in the Temple courtyard. There was a sharp ache in her chest where her heart was, but her eyes were dry as she stared at the funeral pyre, refusing to believe what was happening. They?d told her again and again that her master was dead, and even though he wasn?t, they?d put him on the pyre anyway. One of the Councilmembers stepped forward and plunged a lightsaber deep into the specially treated wood. Flames appeared almost immediately, spreading to the right and left and working their way upwards towards the body. Master Radjedef lay there, more still than she had ever seen him sleep.

"No...?But Quilibet?s protest was so quiet that nobody heard it over the crackling of the fire. Keeping her head bowed slightly and moving only her eyes, she glanced around the solemn circle of Jedi, seeing everyone who had come out of respect for the Camaasi Master. They all believed that he was dead, they wouldn?t listen to her when she told them he wasn?t. It was just the deepest of all healing trances. None of them, not even one, expected the heat of the flames to wake him. Of course the entire Council was there. They came to every funeral. She knew that already. They?d been at the funeral of her first master only two years ago.

Her first master. She?d been a Camaasi, too, small and gentle, patient and loving. At first, Quilibet had thought she would survive the horrific injuries she?d received when they?d crashed on that planet. Master Nektanebos had been conscious enough to tell Quilibet how to activate the emergency signal, and had encouraged her to do things while they waited; build a shelter, look for water, start a fire. She?d spoken fondly of her first Padawan, Radjedef, but not as though she knew she?d never see him again. Rescue had come two days later. Quilibet still remembered the thrill she?d felt as she saw the ship coming in for a landing. And then she?d gone back to where Master Nektanebos was lying in the shelter. There had been a hint of a smile on her furry face, but no movement of her chest.

So many people had come for that funeral. Most of them were here again. It was all so senseless! They shouldn?t be here. This shouldn?t be happening. Radjedef and Quilibet had been on a peaceful mission, acting as ambassadors of the Senate to witness a wedding. A servant had brought a vase of fresh flowers to their room, and as Radjedef had never seen such blooms before, he?d reached out to draw one closer to his nose. He hadn?t noticed the tiny thorn until it pricked his finger, and there was no way he could have known that the sap was particularly toxic to Caamasi. Although he?d struggled, and Quilibet had poured all her strength into him, trying to support his healing trance, his breathing had stilled before sundown that day. Two days ago. Quilibet had piloted him back to the Temple as fast as she could, feverishly hoping that the Healers could do something to revive him. When they told her he had died, she didn?t believe them. He was only asleep, in a deep healing trance. He couldn?t be dead. He couldn?t have left her like that. He?d promised!

Although she knew that Healer Leona was there at her side, Quilibet did not turn her head to look at her face. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Leona?s hands crossed in front of her, the right one placed over the left, and then she glanced back to the funeral pyre.

Master Radjedef?s hands were placed that way, too, the right one over the left. She remembered how soft and downy they?d felt against her own smooth, human skin. Master Radjedef had often stroked her cheek with the backs of his fingers, but when she looked for them now, they were obscured by the orange flames. As Quilibet watched in silent protest, something caught her eye. There--something blue! A moment later, she saw Master Radjedef--or rather--his spirit, s

 

Oh Wow, Jane!! That was a really powerful post! The details about how Healer Leona's hands were crossed like Radjedef's were really touching, excellent POV!!!

And Quilibet's tears and emotional turmoil at the end was so sad...I'm sure many of us can relate to having those kinds of feelings at one time or another.

Great work!!

 

That was an incredible post Jane! It was really sad. You portrayed her grief very well.

I wonder what's in store for Quilibet on this trip?

 

That was truly wonderful, Leona! Poor Qui-Gon...now he's suffering the same thing as his padawan. Temporary rejection and frustration!

I hope Leona's going to make it up to him at some point, he he!

 

man.. i still haven't finished reading LT&P yet, but i wanna keep up with this one...

 

It's started! And a great start it is too! And I'm at work and I haven't got time to write any more than that.

 

O.K. I'm impatient. Here's an impromptu post I just threw together.

Coruscant, 5 days before departure - Late afternoon:

* * * * *

"Hello? Master, are you home?" Called an accented female voice into the entryway of the apartment.

No answer.

Kylenn Imri pushed open the door further and trudged her weary, sweat-soaked body inside. She and padawan Ocen-Bai Talz had spent the latter part of the afternoon sabre sparring and practicing tumbling drills in the gym. Obi-Wan was well into his own practice when she and Bai arrived and invited him to join them for a few rounds. He declined, mumbling something about wanting to be alone.

//Poor Guy. He and Jemmy must be going through a rough patch again. I'll call both of them later to make sure they're alright.//

But first, she had a date with a bubblebath to soak her tired and aching muscles. She pulled off her boots and unhooked her belt, leaving them in a neat pile just inside the common room and shook out her wet tunics letting them fall shapelessly over her thin frame. Kylenn began the trek to the fresher when her olive-green eyes spied a flimsy with some writing on it sitting on the kitchen counter.

Imri plucked it up and read through the hand-scawled markings, amused at the series of smilies circled at the bottom : "Going out, I am. Wait up for me, you do not need to. In the fridge, dinner is. See you in the morning, I will."

A mischievious grin crawled slowly across her exercise-flushed face.

//Ah, so Master is out with her new boyfriend again!//

Under normal circumstances, a Jedi is not supposed to seek revenge, however after all the years of Master Yaddle coaching her about being a "good" girl and staying out of trouble she found it deliciously fun to turn the tables and feed her words right back to her. She had even offered to let her borrow the burlap sack with arm and head holes cut into to it that Yaddle had given her just over a year ago before administering one of her "Beware of Boys" speeches.

Imri mentally rubbed her hands. She couldn't wait until tomorrow morning.

She finished her now seemingly epic journey to the fresher, peeled off her clothes and began drawing a bath.

An hour later, the door to the steam-filled room opened and out stepped a well-scrubbed and much less sore padawan with a towel tied around her chest and her water-wrung, medium-length hair falling free over her shoulders. She padded into her room, dropping the sweaty workout tunics into the hamper and put on a fresh set of clothes.

Standing before the dresser mirror, she grabbed a comb and pulled it through her light auburn hair a few times before tieing it back into her customary low ponytail. Kylenn was secretly glad Yaddle was one of the Masters who didn't require female apprentices to wear the traditional padawan buzzcut.

Many of the girls were able to get away with sporting that type of hairstyle. She knew she wasn't one of them. Someone had once described her as being "one of those girls who is pretty, but you have to look at her for a while before you figured that out." For the longest time, she felt she needed all the help she could get and being allowed to have longer hair was definitely a blessing.

Imri turned her attention away from her reflected image and reached for the Alderaanian cherrywood box sitting in the back corner next to the mirror. She creaked open the hinged top and carefully lifted out a silver necklace, a get-well gift Kryztan Harkley had given her after she was seriously injured in an accident some months before. It was her very favorite piece of jewelry and she wore it almost everywhere.

The delicate chain was adorned with a trio of charms connected into the links. All were roses of intricate design carved in silver, one larger flanked by two smaller, and each had a deep crimson gemstone set in the center. She regarded it fondly for a moment as she shifted it gently in her fingers, allowing the gems to catch and play the light.

Kylenn carefully tuned over the center charm

 

Good one Kylenn!! You opened up all kinds of possibilitis with that post. I'm looking forward to following how things work out.

 

I agree, there are so many posibilities. Excellent post Kylenn, very intriguing. I wonder what happened and what's going to happen!

 

Just a few posts in and already things and angsting up!

Jem - great into! So Kurtas Kizzen gets his first mention. Yay! Toms is showing himself to be a mini-Dex. Hehe! I bet Mace is going to regret verbalizing his wish about padawans. Poor Jem - is she feeling morbid again or is there more going on?

Leona - Aw, poor Qui, Leona and Obi-Wan they never get a break, do they?

Lilith - LOL! I have to agree, the bikini is a great touch.

Jane - Ruin the mood? Are you kidding?! Quilibet's expression of grief was utterly stunning.

Wonderful everyone!

 

Okay, after reading the last few posts, Leona's Darth Self-Doubt has crept into my house! All I can say is WOW! This is going to be soooooo good!

Quick note: I've got a couple more posts for 4 days prior, but I'll be posting them a bit later.

******************

UPDATE: 4 days prior to departure

Rela stared at the ceiling, just like she had been doing for the last few hours. She desperately wanted sleep to overtake her, but she dreaded the dreams that always threatened to come. A quick glance out the window told her that dawn was creeping closer and any effort to try and sleep would be wasted. With a groan Rela rolled out of bed and started to shuffle out of her room, ignoring her wild morning curls. She was quickly greeted by the mess of datapads and flimsyplasts she left scattered in the main room the night before. With a disgusted look Rela made her way through the self made obstacle course and headed for the kitchen. She proceeded to make some very strong, very black caff, and then she slowly returned to her mess. She turned on the HoloNet, and after a few moments of hearing about nothing but debates and what was now bad for you Rela quickly turned it off and turned on some Jizz. As the music softly played, Rela sat down with a heavy sigh in the middle of her floor.

?What am I doing?? she quietly asked herself. ?I can?t concentrate on anything anymore. Why even bother? Why even bother to get out of bed??

Rela picked up a flimsy and just stared at it.

?Why do I insist on torturing myself? What in the galaxy could I have been thinking??

In a sudden fit of anger she crumpled the piece of flimsy into a tiny ball and started to throw it. She quickly stopped herself and began to slowly unfold it and smooth it back to its original shape.

?Why? Because you know in your heart that everything that was said was true.?

Rela turned her head away in a desperate attempt to blink back the tears. Suddenly she felt a tickling on her arm and it caused her to jump.

?Tube-Rat! You scared me. What are you doing here??

The ferret just looked up at her.

?Mrs. K will be awfully upset if she catches you crawling out on the ledge. Most likely what she?ll do is keep you locked up inside, and then you?ll never get to come and visit.? She told him sadly.
?Squeak?? the ferret asked as he batted her with his paw.
?Am I sad? Well, yeah I guess a little.?
?Squeak?!?
?Okay, yes a lot, but there?s not much I can do about it. Except maybe leave, and I can?t do that just yet.?
?Squeaky-squeak??
?I don?t know Tuffy. I guess? Have you ever been so alone that you have to talk to a ferret for company??
?Squeak.?
?I guess not. You?ve always got Mrs. K to watch over you.? Rela said with a self-mocking laugh.

Tuffy proceeded to crawl up in Rela?s lap and she absentmindedly began to pet him. The tears threatened to come again, but Rela was determined that not even her neighbor?s pet ferret would see her cry. She looked up to begin to blink back the tears again and caught sight of the chrono.

?SITH! Is that the time? I?m going to be late again!? Rela cursed to herself as she scrambled to her room.

She quickly got dressed and made for the door.

?Squeak??
?I?m sorry Tube-Rat, but I?ve got to go. Why today of all days do I have to have another damn appointment at the temple healers??

 

Intriguing! Why is Rela so upset? What was on the flimsi?? Excellent post Mouse!

 

Whoo-Hoo!! Rela's here...and tube-rat is too. Great post Mouse, another bit with endless possibilites!!

 

Four days prior to departure: Early morning.

********

Glimmering rays from the newly risen sun perceptibly brightened the living quarters of the Jedi Master and her seventeen-year-old student.

Despite the fact that their journey was not to begin for several days yet, their preparation had already begun. Charsa was well known throughout the temple for her pre-traveling routine, and after all their years together Kason knew better than to protest too much. They had risen early to finish up with some packing before double-checking their respective lists and Charsa was secretly beginning to wish that she had stayed up late the night before and just done it all on her own.

//I keep telling myself that he?ll outgrow his aversion to group activities,// she thought as she ignored yet another mournful sigh from her Padawan, //he?s going to try to wriggle out of this one, I can feel it in my bones. Might as well squash that idea before he gets too comfortable with it.//

*sigh*

Charsa straightened from her packing and turned to face her Padawan with hands on both hips, her silver faceted eyes glittering dangerously in the dim light of the common room of their quarters.

?What?? she asked shortly in her best ?Master? voice.

Startled by the abrupt question, Kason straightened as well and turned to face his Master.

?What?? he asked in his quiet voice. Emerald cat eyes shining with feigned innocence.

?What?? Chasa repeated her question, refusing to fall for Kason?s innocent act. She loved her Padawan like a son, but even she had to admit that he had an almost criminally devious mind when there was something he wanted?or wanted to get out of.

?What, what?? Kason kept his eyes wide and was projecting kindness and sincerity through the Force for all he was worth. Charsa wasn?t fooled for an instant, she had known him long enough to tell the difference when the shining innocence in his emerald eyes made the minute change to a gleaming feline calculation. They?d had this same type of conversation a hundred times before, and most likely would again, but today Charsa wasn?t in the mood for all of the usual rigmarole. ?You?re going on the retreat,? she said with a hint of steel in her voice.

Kason released his pent up breath explosively and collapsed bonelessly backward onto the overstuffed sofa behind him, landing with a muffled ?whumph? of impact. ?Dammit,? he groaned with slightly over-dramatized despair, ?why me??

?Same reason as always,? Charsa replied briskly as she turned back to her interrupted packing, ?and watch your language. Honestly, I don?t know where you Padawans learn to talk like that.?

?I hate going on these things,? Kason said softly, wisely choosing to ignore his Master?s last statement, ?I just don?t understand why we have to go.?

?We?re going to unwind and relax,? Charsa replied, still busy with her packing, ?to spend some time with our friends and let our nerves unfrazzle for a little while.?

Kason mumbled something unintelligible and Charsa turned to fix her Padawan with an inquisitive gaze. ?What was that?? she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her?this wasn?t part of Kason?s standard act, //maybe I?ll finally get to the bottom of this.//

?I said everyone else will unfrazzle,? Kason said with a hint of sarcasm in his quiet voice, ?I?ll be the only nervous wreck left in the whole bunch when we get back.?

?Why do you say that?? Charsa asked, more than a little puzzled, ?you get along well with everyone in the temple, and you work great together with others in your classes??

?That?s just it,? her Padawan interrupted, ?in class, everyone has a common goal, but on a retreat like this we?ll just be?there?just hanging out and?talking.?

Charsa almost laughed aloud at the mournful expression on her student?s face. Then her mood sobered abruptly, Kason was opening up a part of himself that she had never been privy to in all their years together.

?Talking?? she asked tentatively.

?Well?yeah,? Kason answered from his spot where he still lounged i

 

Hmmmm? Methinks that the 'what?' conversation is suspiciously familiar! Tee-Hee!

Very cool post Gryph! Can't wait to see what else you have in store for us.

 

Fabulous posts, everyone! I'd complement individual authors, but I'm running out of time here.

 

Yeah, what is it with Rela? What's going on? I can't wait to find out more!

Gryph, you've established aspects of Kason's and Charsa's characters that we haven't necessarily seen before. Great job! I could really relate to him not knowing what to say to the others when they're out of the classroom situation.

 

Gryph, Jane, Mouse, those were excellent.

Gryph, I loved the 'what's and the lecture on swearing. That is -so- familiar.

Jane, I feel so sorry for Quilibet. I hope she comes to some sort of peace about all this.

Mouse, Why is Rela so upset? Why should going to the Healers upset her? -Why- is she going to the Healers?

This story is off to a roaring start!