Initiation - 10.032

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa stretched and rolled over in bed, the blankets sticking with static to her fur in the artificially dry air inside what she had been told was the "Padawan Building." Ossus was hot and humid, which was uncomfortable for many species, but a fellow Padawan had explained the night before that someone had tinkered with the climate controls for the prefab warren of living quarters and had gone too far in the other direction. She struggled with the suddenly constricting blankets, waking up as she fell off the side of the mattress and landed on her head.

"Nnngh!" She wiggled out of the cocoon, her fur standing on end as she emerged. People had quickly learned to avoid her in the morning, as apparently her body gave off quite a zap to the unprepared she passed by at the refreshers. They said the climate controls were being fixed today. One could only hope.

Ndonsa smoothed her body fur as much as she could and would have 'grounded' herself with a bit of metal but everything in her cube of a room was smooth plastics and synthetic fabric. The window lightened as she began moving, darkness mysteriously clearing from it and revealing the early morning view of a pit that was to be the foundation for a more permanent structure. The workers had not yet arrived to begin their constructions, which meant it was early indeed.

There was no use trying to sleep more, so she chose a pair of loose pants and a wrap-around tank top, and pulled them on before running to the refresher to make water. Before leaving the building she retrieved her spear from her room, and then hustled out for breakfast before the rush started.

She hadn't talked much after she emerged from the Jedi Council's prefabricated building, that first day. Master Serena Laran had been thorough in her questioning, that was all she would tell Loki, but she had been given permission to join, and a place to stay. It had been hard to tell if Loki was pleased or nonplussed that she was not leaving. In the week since then she had not seen him much, but had spent many mornings among the learners sitting quietly and meditating, and afternoons thumping people in the sparring circles with a staff. It was enjoyable.

Ndonsa accepted a bowl of breakfast goo from the kitchens with a murmur of thanks, and found a seat. A woman walked by with an infant in her arms, the circles under her eyes indicating she'd been up all night. She was a padawan also, something Ndonsa had learned was very unusual. In the past, only the young would be allowed to join the Jedi, but for some reason no one had explained yet the Jedi were accepting just about anyone who had the spark of the Force in them. The female, Anii, walked back toward Ndonsa's table with that familiar, rocking gait that parents used when they were holding a baby, and sat down across from the Nehantite. The infant immediate began to fuss again, stopping the mother from eating anything as she tried to soothe her.

Anii looked up at Ndonsa, apologetic. "I'm sorry, he's been fed, changed... I don't understand why he won't sleep." She stood up again, bouncing slightly to keep the baby in motion, and the cries faded into hiccups as tiny fists waved in the air. Ndonsa took another big bite of her 'nutritionally sound' slop, and stood as well.

"Let me?" She held out her hands, and Anii hesitated only a nanosecond before handing over the fussy baby. She collapsed gratefully to her bench, and began eating as Ndonsa rocked the newborn in her arms. The babe scrunched up his face as a wayward hand poked him in the eye and then grabbed at his own nose. Ndonsa walked to the table and lay out the blanket the baby was loosely wrapped in, folding over a corner and placing the baby in the middle of it. The infant immediately began wailing, and Anii watched nervously as the Nehantite deftly swaddled the baby, tucking the edges of the blanket in snugly around his flailing limbs. She scooped the tight bundle up quickly, holding the baby against her shoulder so the little one could look around or rest his head, and swayed back and forth a little. The cries of the newborn quieted, and Ndonsa could see Anii visibly relax.

"They like to feel safe, like in the womb," Ndonsa explained. Apparently no one in the area had any experience with babies, including the frazzled first time mother. She patted the back of the infant firmly, but gently, and was rewarded with a loud burp after a few moments. "Crying can give them more gas, because they swallow air, even if you burped him after feeding." Anii shoveled her food into her mouth quickly, but Ndonsa held out a hand toward her. "Take your time, we are fine." She walked around a bit, the baby starting to drool on the shoulder of her new clothes as he began falling asleep.

[Kyle Krogen]

Blankets and pillows exploded from the bed, flying in all directions as the occupant woke with a start, sitting upright in the bed, chest heaving. The darkness of the sleeping quarters was equally terrifying as the dreamscape he had only just escaped. It took several moments for his racing mind to realize that the dark room was his new home on Ossus and not the confining cell that held him prisoner for several years of his life. The needles and uncaring faces faded away to reveal prefabricated walls of a room full of bunks and sleeping occupants. Some were disturbed by the commotion, while others had gotten used to the near daily night terrors of the young Jedi Knight.

Moving to the edge of the bed Kyle rubbed his eyes and tried to banish the vivid memories. He had been on Ossus for quite some time now, since his rescue from the Inquisition prison ship by the Rebel Alliance, and yet he still could not let go what had happened to him in their hands. Years of being poked, prodded, told he was nothing, beaten until he was broken, healed until he could stand, and then tossed into a anechoic chamber to dwell in the absolute silence that drove him mad. Every day he survived, only to do it again the next. He could remember it all, could still recite the verses of the Imperial propaganda they whispered in his ears even as they broke fingers and cut into his body.

Ejected bed dressings were collected an replaced, and pulling on his coat he stumbled out into a brand new day, as the sun began to peak over the peaks and hills of Ossus, threatening the cool morning with the coming heat of the day. Kyle was aware his blonde hair was a mess, the product of a nightmare sweat and the tossing and turning that accompanied it. The sonics were open, ready to turn him into a bright and shiny being, but showers were for people, and he didn't feel the part. Rather he felt like an animal; one allowed into the camp of people because they pitied him and fed him scraps to foster the illusion of belonging. No amount of meditation or therapy at the hands of his fellow Jedi had yet to shake the feeling that he was without value.

The mess hall was not overly busy at this time. More people would be arriving over the next hour. Kyle preferred getting breakfast earlier, that way he didn't have to deal with the bright eyes and shining faces of the newly awoken padawans as they rushed to get their breakfast over with so they could continue the rest of their day; training, learning, growing. Kyle did none of those things, instead kept mostly to himself or the company of others like him; the damaged, but also the understanding few like Wei Wu Wei, who had helped him overcome his complete isolationism with comforting words and a friendly spar.

With a bowl of nutritional paste in hand he scanned the hall, and out of all the tables he selected the one that seemed the least likely to attract more occupants; choosing the one with the furry humanoid and a mother complete with crying baby. Plopping down at the end of the table he began digging into his meal without a word, watching over the top of his spoon as the furry alien began swaddling the child. Somewhere in the back of his mind he looked at it and thought such comfort would make the child soft, but he had to force himself to realize that not everyone had to grow up the way he did. Not every child was an orphan fighting for survival in the depths of Coruscant.

"You have a kind touch. Maybe some day you'll be a great Jedi healer." Kyle offered, not really sure what to say but feeling that he owed the table something in return to sitting with them. He leisurely spooned another mouthful of paste, running the flavorless goo around in his mouth a moment before swallowing. To a man who spent years eating whatever the Inquisition scraped up just to keep him alive, the paste was the most delicious thing in the galaxy.

[Ndonsa]

"I doubt it," Ndonsa replied absently. She handed the babe back to it's mother, who retreated from the early morning heat of Ossus back into the modular living quarters. Eating outside was normal to Ndonsa, but many of the Jedi found it unnatural. Some didn't seem to care, like this man, who appeared to be lost in his own little world the few times she had seen him around. She returned to the bench, shoveling the goo into her mouth with a grimace.

[Kyle Krogen]

"It's not that bad." Kyle replied after spotting the grimace on her face. Spooning another mouthful himself. It really was tasteless, but at least the texture was consistent and smooth. It did lack that fulfillment of real food, along with aroma and texture. He very much doubted that the Jedi could afford real food at this point, relying on whatever government aid the Alliance was giving them. Maybe some day they could grow their own crops. Kyle was not so familiar with the planet and it's vegetation to know what the planet had to offer naturally, or understand the climate enough to know what could be brought over from other planets. My brain didn't work in those circles. He was a child of the duracrete planet, Coruscant. His mind worked in sharp corners and long tunnels. Nooks and Crannies, ventilation shafts and turbolifts. The natural world was something he avoided.

"All the nutrition your body needs, even if it lacks a certain... excitement. Better than roasted Duracrete slugs, which taste like socks."

[Ndonsa]

"I will take your word for it," she said scraping the last bit of breakfast into her mouth. "I am Ndonsa." She didn't reach out to shake hands as Loki had tried to tell her was the custom, but instead just stared openly at the man waiting for him to label himself.

"Kyle Krogen," he said after a moment, continuing to eat. He didn't seem to like making eye contact.

Ndonsa tried smiling pleasantly, but eventually gave up, looking around for Loki. He was supposed to be meeting her here.

[Tevit Ramastan]

Everything was behind schedule. Everything needed work. Nothing was complete, and half his parts shipments were delayed yet again. In other words, it was a typical day for Tevit Ramastan. His datapad beeped angrily at him, a constant reminder of how many projects he'd been assigned to that couldn't be finished, but the yellow-furred Nehantite paid it little mind, merely smacking the pocket of his well-worn cargo pants to shut it up as he headed off to his next job.

Though he'd hit the showers long before most of the Ossus population was up, his fur, like his tee shirt, was already dirty with grease, grime and oil from the various systems he'd been hauling himself in and out of all morning. Booted footpaws thumped heavily upon the earth, a far cry from his normal barefooted nature, but it would be foolhardy to go barefoot in a construction site, and he was a technician. And mechanic, and engineer, and practically any other name that fit a man who turned a wrench or could fix electrical systems. Tevit Ramastan, overqualified and underpaid, and far, far from home. But at least it was a job, and at least he got to sleep in his own ship.

And eat his own food, he thanked Garfife as he passed near the mess hall. Well, more like mess area, or just plain mess, as most of the tables didn't fit under the awning. Nutrition paste, the daily special, as always. Everyone in the compound stank of it, and so he smiled as he withdrew a nectarine from his pocket and took a bite. The juices squirted out over his fangs as their peirced the fruit's skin and dug into it's semi-firm flesh. As always, there was that slight metallic twinge to the flavor, but that was to be expected from the carbon freezing process it took to transport them fresh. He could feel the jealous eyes upon him as he pulled forth another bite, the fruit squelching as he bit into it on his way to pick up a bottle of water. Sure, he had his own food, but if he didn't have to tax his water filtration system, it would save him time repairing it later. All in all, it was a normal morning, except for the Kufu Nehantite across the table.

Tevit immediately jerked to a halt. Kufu? Nehantite? Across the table? Apricot still held halfway in his mouth, the red-eyed mongoose turned to look at Ndonsa. Ringed tail, spear, yep, she was Kufu alright, but the better question was, why was she on Ossus?

[Ndonsa]

Of course Ndonsa noticed the yellowfur who had sauntered into the dining area. He was different from the other one she'd met, and she couldn't help but wonder how many other Nehantites were secreted around the Jedi camp. Their eyes met, and she narrowed hers. He was eating fruit. Her mouth started watering at the sight of it, so she looked away. There were fields planted with fresh food, but nothing except some vegetables were ready for eating yet. Or so she'd been told.

Supplementing their food stores with fresh meat was something she could, and was planning to do.

[Tevit Ramastan]

It was only after a few seconds of remaining very still that Tevit realized he still had a mouth full of apricot. Slowly slicing off his next bite, the mechanic pulled the fruit away from his muzzle and chewed it slowly before swallowing, never once taking his red eyes off of Ndonsa.

Once swallowed, he managed to square up his stance to better face her, and he looked her up and down, still in a state of disbelif.

"How..." he started. "How did you get here? I thought Hal was the only other Nehantite in the complex." His tone may have come off accusatory, but it was pure confusion and curiosity that drove his request for information. He'd met Hal. Oh yes, he'd met that one, but Hal hadn't mentioned a female around, and that caused a smirk to play up Tevit's muzzle. If Hal hadn't mentioned her, that probably meant the letch had struck out. Tevit liked this Kufu already, if that was the case.

[Ndonsa]

"I came in a starship," Ndonsa said slowly. She looked at the fruit in his hand and raised one of her eyebrows, but didn't mention it. "Or do you mean to this table?" She smiled, showing her teeth.

[Tevit Ramastan]

One ear twitching, Tevit glanced around before his eyes settled back on Ndonsa. "I meant, like, here, in general," he said. "I've only seen one Kufu off-world, before. No offense, but... your kind doesn't really get out much. Are you here with some of the refugees or something? Or.... as security?" he glanced once more at that spear, his tail vey still - a stark contrast to Hal's reaction to the female Nehantite.

[Kyle Krogen]

The exchanged between the two furballs was watched with extremely mild interest from the end of the table. Kyle had no idea what was going on, and was just paying enough attention to pick up a name for the species and a realization that there were two of them now. He continued to eat his goop, but could not deny that the fruit in the male's hand had grabbed his attention. While he was not a big fruit eater, since fruit was hard to come by in the slums of Coruscant, he had to admit that duracrete slugs excluded just about anything would taste better than the goop. For a moment he almost intervened, told the male to take a hike and leave the lady alone, but he kept to himself. She didn't seem to mind too much. His chin settled against his propped fist while his other hand laddled more goop into his mouth; all the while watching the pair like some kind of holodrama fresh from the produces of Hours of our Eternity.

On a planet like Ossus you had to get your entertainment where you could.

[Ndonsa]

"Ah," Ndonsa nodded, "No, I am...learning to funnel my emotion to stillness and stop being such a savage." The description was one she'd heard from a fellow Padawan during a frustrating meditation session. Ndonsa was not offended. It was an accurate statement. "I came here by accident, but I am not a refugee." She sat up straighter, if it were possible, radiating independence and pride.

She saw the male's gaze on the spear and grinned again. "Do not worry, your head is safe."

[Draiya Naaianeya]

The air near Ndonsa shimmered but for half an instant, and in it's place a precocious young girl appeared, snapping out of her illusion of invisibility as she so-often did when greeting other Jedi. It often resulted in a scolding, but she could hardly resist turning nearly every social interaction into a game of 'tag'. When Draiya saw Ndonsa, her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as she ogled the Nehantite's spear.

"Is that a rreal spearr? Did you make it? How did you make it? Can you thrrow it farr? Can I thrrow it?"

Breathless, Draiya reached out in awe to touch the shaman's impressive weapon.

[Ndonsa]

She didn't blink as the girl appeared from nowhere, but gently slapped her hand away as the child reached for the spear. "It is not for infants," Ndonsa said. Regardless of the girl's age, she did not know how to give a weapon respect, which made her less aware than the children of Ndonsa's tribe.

[Tevit Ramastan]

"Wasn't too worried about my head, Miss," Tevit chuckled. He took another bite from his apricot, somewhat enjoying all the stares of envy he was getting, but he wasn't about to share. At least not for free.

Then Draiya appeared out of nowhere and caused the yellow Nehantite to jump. "Gar! Don't do that!" he exclaimed around his mouthful. Bloody Jedi and their tricks. In any case, he wasn't there for company, he just wanted to get a free bottle of water and then get back to his day's work schedule.

Snatching a bottle from one of the buckets, it was easy enough to overhear the conversation about Ndonsa's spear, but Tevit only smirked. "Don't worry, you won't need to use that spear for long. I've got the parts in for that batch of sabers your bosses want made. Should have them assembled and working in a few days."

[Draiya Naaianeya]

Sullen eyes cast up at the rebuke from Ndonsa, and she held her stinging hand as she muttered.

"Dai kora'de nasii, I'm not an infant, rrou'a."

She didn't need to sulk for long, as the words of the other Nehantite caused her eyes to widen to the size of saucers.

"Lightsaberrs?!"

She barreled at him, pulling at his belt as she gushed.

"You'rre making lightsaberrs can I help I'm grreat with helping I helped mama build a speederr well not rreally but we fixed one and sold it and I helped!"

[Tevit Ramastan]

Tevit looked down to the young, human child grabbing at his belt. His tool belt. His very important, personal tool belt. The belt with the tools on it he never lent to anyone. Ever.

"Let go," he grumbled, prying those smooth little fingers off of its leather pouches, making sure nothing had gone missing. "I'm sure your mother appreciated the help, but I'm on a deadline. Don't need anyone slowing me down, kid. Besides, wouldn't want you accidentally killing yourself by connecting the feedback circuit leads backwards on one of those saber hilts. I've got enough paperwork to do as it is."

Behind him, Tevit's tail flicked with extreme annoyance, a gesture that couldn't possibly be lost on another Nehantite - even a backwater, savage Kufu one.

[Ndonsa]

Ndonsa watched the young Jedi trainee with a mildly curious expression. The girl's enthusiasm for...everything... was strange. Not that a Jedi would be happy, but that one would be so out of control as to paw at other people as if she had no self control whatsoever. Tevit's tail flicked and Ndonsa stood abruptly, her scraped clean bowl in her paw.

"Your name?" She took the child by the shoulder, separating her from the increasingly annoyed yellowfur.

"Draiya," the girl started, opening her mouth again to continue, but the Kufu cut her off.

"I am Ndonsa. I will show you the spear later, if you do return this bowl to the kitchens for me." Redirecting energy was part of the Jedi training, but redirecting people was something that she had learned long ago. It was, she supposed, very close to the same thing.

[Kyle Krogen]

Kyle's chin slipped off his palm as the energetic child appeared out of nothing, but he quickly recovered, using the motion to sit back in his chair and pretending like he hadn't been surprised. The final scoop of goop was successfully mined from the bowl and then the spoon was unceremoniously dropped into the empty container with all the clatter and attention grabbing one would expect.

"Are lightsabres being prefabricated?" he asked to the squirrel thing that was desperately trying to paw off the little one and make an escape to whatever hollow tree he came from. He had mentioned that he had parts for a new batch. Maybe things were not like his own upbringing, with his master throwing a pile of scraps at him and challenging him to build a working unit from it. The only real parts provided were the necessary inner components, salvaged from the master's own run down lightsabre. The result was functional but not pretty, and it's outer shell and many inner components had been replaced over time. Perhaps times had changed, maybe his master's ways were different, but he fondly remembered the creation ceremony, and the challenge it presented.

[Tevit Ramastan]

Tevit straightened his belt, checking once again that he wasn't missing a batch of Alan keys or anything, before Kyle's question caused his ears to prick up. Easing himself over toward the... human? the Nehantite shook his head. "Not completely prefab, no," he answered.

Taking a seat, he peeled off another bite from his nectarine and squeezed the juices from it, pressing it between his tongue and the roof of his mouth before chewing and swallowing. So, so much better than nutritional paste, he reminded himself.

"I've fixed 'em before, and apparently not many people can do that, so as long as you all have a surplus of crystals from that Ilum debacle, they want me to use some old hilts, as well as manufacture some needed bits to make some working units," he said. "Bout a dozen or so are gonna be trainers, so I'm using the low-grade crystals for those. They want a few really good ones, too, so that's gonna keep me busy for a few nights. I think some are going to replace the worn-out or busted ones some of the knights have. I dunno, I just get given a worklist. Don't doubt I'll probably get tasked with tuning up some of the working ones, too, eventually." The mongoose shrugged before getting at what would be the second to last bite he could get out of that nectarine.