Coruscant - Level 4709
Heavy rain was pouring down from the artificially controlled sky and some of it even made its way down to the entrance of the Spider Arms Hostel and onto Katooni's jet black hair. She would certainly have preferred the protection of her headgear, but nowadays it was better if people mistook her for a human girl and dying her hair was one of the easiest steps on the way to achieve this goal. Out of reflex she brushed the small pouch on her belt, containing the remaining credits she still had from the temple.
As much as a Jedi was discouraged to dwell in personal enrichment, there had never been shortage of money when they needed it. Now though the pouch became lighter with every week and soon she would have no choice but to leave the safety of her tiny room. Katooni looked at her surroundings and despite the bad weather the streets of Coruscant's infinite underworld were still filled with more people than the temple had ever seen. This meant she had to be careful not to reveal her force powers and simultaneously the cover of the crowd would allow for her to maybe snatch a wallet or two and disappear unnoticed.
With a swipe through her hair she loosened the dark wisps, knowing they would be enough to keep people from remembering her face and began following an older man who looked as though he had tried to conceal his wealth. However he had forgotten to remove his belt or maybe he didn't have one that wasn't made from finer leather. Neither option really mattered to Katooni now and she made certain to keep a healthy distance to her target. When he stopped at one of the turbolifts and pressed the button for up the girl dared to reach out in the force and search his mind for the level he was headed for. After a second she felt a number in the upper district come into her mind. That would be hard, but in the end she would most likely be on the benefiting end of this involuntary exchange.
For the second time she looked at her surroundings and then decided to go into an alley before using the force to jump as high as she could in order to stay ahead of the cabin. Once she reached the next open station Katooni pushed the button for the man's turbolift and then entered the one next to it in order to arrive at his destination first. To her surprise it was a small speeder port. No security, but the cars were magnetically sealed in their spots so no way stealing one of those. After a quick intake of the situation Katooni jumped to a small ledge and pressed her body against the cold metal wall, her dull coloured clothes blending into the background.
The cabin arrived and the man left with a detail of two he must have picked up on the way up. Not really a problem for Katooni, at least not usually, but now it was dangerous if her target identified her as a Jedi. Hence she took he bo staff from her back and used it along with her body weight to crush the two followers' heads into the ground. There was no way they would get up any time soon and Katooni was already back on her feet holding the long part of her staff beneath the man's chin. "Scream and I will have you over that ledge before anyone is even able to hear you," she threatened and pushed her staff up a bit. Panicked, the man rose his hands and took a step back. "I don't want no trouble, girl", the man said. He seemed to be genuinely afraid of Katooni, despite the fact that she was a considerable bit smaller than he was. "Give me your credits and anything of value and I will be gone", Katooni said and closed the gap between them again.
With one of his hands still above his head he opened his Jacked and demonstrated that there was nothing but further clothes beneath. "I don't have any money on me, the only thing valuable is my M-31 but that's got biometric controls". The Force told Katooni that he wasn't lying. "Then give me a reason not to push you". Not that Katooni would have done that, but there was no way for the man to know that. "I'm a Senator I can give whatever you want, just please don't kill me", he was earnestly begging for his life now, afraid of what might happen next. "Get me of Planet", it was a silly demand, but if he really was a senator there was a chance he could deliver. "Done, just let me live," he said and dared to take down his hands to reach out one to her. "Well that was easy", Katooni silently said to herself and shook the offered hand.
To her surprise he didn't try to throw her over the railing, just as she had threatened to do. Instead he took her over to the airspeeder and motioned her to take the passenger seat. For a moment Katooni considered to put her staff into the provided clasp on the speeder's hull but then she rather unhooked it from her back and took it with her into the passenger cabin. "I won't attack you," the senator on the drivers seat, "I don't think I could if I wanted to". He was most likely right about that, but Katooni wouldn't want him to feel too much at ease. They raced through the invisible streets of the Galactic City until the speeder was headed for 500 Republica. Katooni disliked the idea of entering such a well secured building, no matter how comfortable she felt in her cover identity.
"… your Name you will certainly have one, right?" the senator asked as they came closer and shook the Tholothian out of her thoughts. "Kylia," Katooni told him and hesitated before she gave him the name she had given the guy at the Spider Arms, "Kylia Obrinn" "Very Well Kyla Obrinn, my Name is Kenth Alden and you will have to leave your weapon in the Speeder or give it to me while we pass the guards on the way to my apartment," the senator said to her. With a look of distrust for him Katooni collapsed her staff and hid it beneath the longer part of her asymmetrical coat. "That might just be enough", Alden said and parked his speeder in the designated spot.
He left the car and made no indications to help Katooni out. Her coat had no hood, basically the only flaw she saw in the wonderful article of clothing, and hence she had only her hair to hide her face after she began to follow the senator. Luckily the guardsmen didn't cast a second glance at her slender figure and with a few bantering lines from the senator they were inside Coruscant's most desired apartment building. A minute later Katooni found herself in the most overly luxurious home she had ever laid eyes on. It was ridiculous how beautiful and clean everything was in comparison to her place several hundred levels below. It might take a day or two until said room was re-rented but until then Katooni planned to be long gone. Now, with literally all her valuable possessions on her body, Katooni marvelled at the Apartment that outshone the Jedi Temple in even its best days.
"I told you never to bring them back to our place again, certainly not when your daughter is home," the voice Katooni heard definitely belonged to a woman, more however was impossible for Katooni to make out. "Keep calm Ayyn, she isn't one of them," Alden made certain to stress his last word and lowered his voice as the young Twi'lek woman came into view. She might have been twice the age of Katooni and still was half of that of Alden. "This little hero saved me from two rather unkind men down there," the senator said and it seemed as though he deliberately kept it vague and diverted the attention from his reason to be down there.
The teal coloured woman crouched down in front of Katooni and placed her long fingers on the girl's left shoulder, "Is that true my dear?" Katooni nodded slightly and slipped perfectly into her persona of Kylia the tough but frightened girl from the Coruscanti underworld. She reached for the Twi'lek's hand and closed her finger around hers hoping it would be enough for the woman to allow her to stay the night.
As it turned out it was and Katooni was lead to what Alden called a small bedroom, which offered more space than anything in the Temple ever had. Katooni almost bowed when senator left her alone and only in the last moment could she suppress the treacherous gesture. When the doors finally closed Katooni was alone and left to wonder why senator Alden was helping her. Sure the two men apparently hadn't been his security detail, but the senator was still extraordinarily kind.
Satisfying her suspicions Katooni entered a pin into the keypad next to the door and went for the adjoint refresher. The shower alone was bigger than her entire refresher had been. The Girl smelled her own hair and the clothes she was wearing and then decided it maybe was time for her to make use of the new found luxuries. She took of her Coat and the thin grey sweater she was wearing beneath, which were soon followed by her leather trousers and the reinforced boots. The water sprinklers coated her in a rain of warm water the moment she stepped into the booth. A small moan of happiness escaped her as the smell of staleness and grime truly left her skin. It was soon replaced by the sweet smell of artificial Shuura fruit that nested into her dark wisps. Luckily Katooni had chosen to use chromomites for her hair as there was no chance for the colour to wash out or leave her with a different coloured hairline.
With a wave of her hand Katooni deactivated the shower and wrapped a towel around her body and another around her hair, before she left the refresher and sat down in front on the desk on the opposite wall. She activated the screen and opened the HoloNet searching through the news for any new information about caught Jedi. Sadly or to her relief there were none, nothing about new victims of the destruction of the order nothing new about force users caught in the aftermath and nothing about any of Katooni's former friends.
When the door suddenly slid open Katooni immediately deactivated the screen and dodged behind the chair he had been sitting on. She was ready to kill whomever was coming for her and prepared her muscles to launch herself forward. Since the person entering the room turned out to be a girl and no clone trooper, she relaxed herself a bit. The girl looked at Katooni in her position of cover and averted her gaze when she saw how the towel had loosened from its original position. With a look downwards Katooni fixed the flaw in her attire and headed for her sonic cleaned clothes.
"Who are you?" the girl asked and sat down in one of the heavy armchairs. The lack of respect for her personal space strived Katooni as rather odd, especially when the girl didn't stop talking as she walked over behind the shoulder height room divider. "I presume you're not one of his acquaintances, so who are you?" the girl specified her inquiry. She presumed that she wouldn't be left alone until she answered the questions asked and hence Katooni decided to do just that, "I asked your father to get me of planet and he agreed". This earned her a raised eyebrow from the Alden girl. "And he agreed? Well that's odd" "I apparently saved him from an unpleasant situation," Katooni added to her explanation. "Still odd," the girl noted and finally decided to introduce herself, "I'm Amara by the way".
With her clothes back on Katooni stepped out from behind the divider and sat down in one of the other armchairs and crossed her legs out of habit. "How did you get inside?" Katooni asked, when she remembered how she had locked the door. "There is a master code for every lock in our Apartment, just don't tell my father that I know it," Amara answered with a shrug. That was an unsettling thought, but most of all Katooni blamed herself for not thinking of this option in the first place. In the future she would have to use the force to lock her door to keep the Alden girl out of the guest room. "I would like to go to bed now," Katooni said in a soothing voice and yawned ostentatiously. Amara was about to disagree, but then stood up with an understanding smile and a brief wish of a good night's sleep.
Once the young blonde had left the room, Katooni rose as well and used her abilities to make sure there would be no further disturbances tonight. She lit a few of the unscented candles that she had found in the refresher earlier and sat down in the middle of the square shaped double bed. The almost wall length window behind her could be darkened and even if a slow riding air taxi's passenger saw her they wouldn't see anything but a girl sitting on her bed. With deep and regular breaths Katooni cleansed her mind of such thoughts and focused back on the force itself. It was dark, empty and cold. It had always been dark as in the lack of a light-source and empty like stepping into a new room at least in the first moments, but before it had never been cold and in a matter of seconds there used to be embrace of all the other spirits in the temple and later the ones scattered around the planet. Those were gone now too. There was only faint darkness that unsettled Katooni every time it crept into her meditation. When Katooni opened her eyes again it was the middle of the night and she decided that it might be time to rest in a true sleep now.
Coruscant - 500 Republica - Alden's Apartment
She was awoken by the sound of someone trying to open the door and a series of repeated knocking after nothing happened. "Kylia, we're having breakfast", the voice was that of a girl or maybe a young woman, however the durasteel made it hard to distinguish any details. Katooni dressed herself in everything but her coat and opened the door. Amara was still pushing buttons when Katooni stood in the frame. "How did you…?" she asked and pointed at the keypad. "When you're a girl in the lower levels you either learn how to lock your door or live with the consequences," Katooni replied drily. "Oh, I didn't know," Amara said in almost a whisper, visibly distressed by the Tholothian's statement. "I'm so sorry, I didn't want to startle you," Katooni apologized. Amara shook her head as though she tried to shake the words out of her brain. "It is alright, I should have known better," she said and reached for Katooni's hand.
After being basically dragged to breakfast room and the table inside it, Katooni sat down on the long side of the glass plate. "Good morning Kylia," Alden's Twi'lek wife greeted her. "Good morning," Katooni greeted back and poured Amara and herself a serving of Muja-Fruit juice. There was a selection of food on the table including tip-yip eggs, a treat Katooni had learned to love on training mission with her clan to the medical station EnH-16. It was like a tiny stinger in her side when she sensed the lemony taste on her tongue.
"Is everything alright with you darling?" Ayyn wanted to know, her voice filled with genuine worry. "Yeah, it's just," Katooni paused for a moment, taking the time to construct a good lie, "It's just a good friend of mine and I had these once and I lost him recently". Just as before the news sufficed to keep them from asking further questions, while also creating an aura of awkward silence for most of the remaining breakfast. The girls were almost finished when Alden spoke for the first time, "Ayyn and I had a talk about your trip last night" He looked at his daughter "And we decided it might be a good idea for you to have a detail of your own age, one that concurrently is capable of taking care of bigger problems". Katooni didn't like where the conversation or rather declaration was headed, yet when the result was getting out of Coruscant she wouldn't argue with it. "Hence we would like for Kylia to accompany you back to Andara".
His daughter's glance changed from Alden to Katooni and back to her father. "Sure why not, I like her," she finally said and left the room, leaving it at that. "Ayyn would you mind giving us the room?" the senator requested of his wife. "Of course, I have a spa appointment now anyway". With that she rose from the table and left.
"I didn't want to surprise you like this Kylia, but I think it's one of the easiest ways to get you of planet without raising suspicion". The explanation was logical and Katooni could even somewhat understand why he hadn't talked to her first. "What is the other reason?" Alden raised his eyebrow in surprise. "There has to be another reason, otherwise there is nothing that should cause you to help me," Katooni elaborated her thoughts. The casual appearance of Alden's posture vanished from one second to the other. "When you were trying to mug me, you followed me for quite the distance and it was only in hindsight that I noticed, so I would like for you to do just that to a few of my so called friends on Andara". Katooni gifted him a questioning look. "The following and not being seen part I'm talking about. I need to know whom I can trust these days". That was something Katooni understood all to well.
"I'll do it, but make sure to never mention me," she accepted the offer. "I would never, you're not the first spy I'm hiring". That was a reassuring thought or at least Katooni wanted to keep it like that for a moment. "I need a new comlink and I'm keeping my weapon," she stated further. "You will get the comlink and a blaster, if you want to keep your staff that's your thing, anything else?" For the moment there was nothing Katooni could think of, so she shook her head. "Nice, than you're dismissed". Interestingly the rough tone had a soothing effect on Katooni, it strangely reminded her of her upbringing in the temple.
Without another word spoken Katooni pushed her chair back and headed back to her guest room. On her way past the downstairs veranda she saw Amara sitting on one of the bays. In a rapid train of thoughts Katooni decided to go and sit with the girl. For a while they sat together in silence, a condition that made the Tholothian enjoy the girl's company for the first time. "Are you really okay with me coming along?" Katooni finally broke the silence. Amara nodded, "I think so, I don't have any real friends here anyway so having you as my showpiece Coruscanti might actually help me with those back home". Katooni laughed a little about this statement and after a moment Amara joined her.
"Don't you have to pack or should I tell my droids to help you?" Amara asked after another short while of silence. "I only have to go and get my coat and my weapon. I don't own anything else". After that it was silence again as the two watched the rising sun as it was distorted by the smog above CoCo-Town. When the sky's colours had turned from shades of reddish pink to the light blue of the day Katooni rose and headed back to her original destination. The now black again coat still hung over the desk chair were the girl had left it earlier. Her collapsed staff was still securely lodged into its right inner pocket as well and Katooni was truly relieved when she felt the weapon pressing against her waist again.
Coruscant - Republica 500 - Baudo Star Yacht
The ship Katooni had in mind was more of a simple transporter and certainly not the Baudo class yacht the droids were now loading countless crates into. She wondered how much luggage a single person could need on a voyage to her home planet, especially since the entire Apartment had been rather bare of the little things usual people kept laying around in their home. Amara had already boarded the yacht and Katooni was only waiting for the tools she had requested before she would follow the human. "Kylia Obrinn?" a man with slightly grey hair approached her, his uniform giving him away as one of the high guards of Andara. "Yes," Katooni responded to her new name. "These are the items you wanted, don't loose them," he said and handed her the wrist bound comlink and a Relby-k23 blaster pistol. "Much appreciated," Katooni said politely and walked up the yacht's ramp.
When she reached the lounge in the back of the ship, Amara was already lazing out on the couch. "Would you mind if I went to the passenger quarters for a moment?" Katooni asked of her new person of interest. The girl just waved slightly, what Katooni understood as a yes. She walked up the hallway and entered the first quarter on the left side, where she sat down on the bed and crossed her legs, before slipping into meditation. Unlike the last time Katooni didn't focus on the force itself though, instead she tried one of the rituals master Sinube had taught them and began to single out the distinct path of the ship in the near future. The force wouldn't allow her so see details or anything too specific, but when no harm seemed to be in their way Katooni was relieved and headed back to the lounge again.
Her providence proved to be correct when the ship was about to leave hyperspace again. Katooni had made an effort to get to know Alden's daughter better and over the past hours she believed to have succeeded in this task. She even dared to assume that the girl might turn out to become a friend and useful ally in the future, something one could never have too many of.
The pilot informed them of their impending landing at the Alden family's lake-house in the senatorial district. "I understand your friends here are also children of senators," Katooni deduced from the name of their destination. "Not quite," Amara corrected her, "Our district is just named that way, but they all are of wealthy and influential heritage". This might make her secret assignment easier, hoping that they would be invited to the homes of what Alden liked to call friends. "Are you close them?" Katooni asked further. "Some of them, but I was on Coruscant for almost the entire war so I had little chance to meet with them during those dreadful times".
Something was peculiar about the way the girl had just said that and hadn't it been for the former Jedi's own history and intricate play of secrecy, there would have been no way she would have noticed the tiny mistakes in the intonation. For now though the task of keeping her own identity secure was the more important on at hand. "You know that your father expects of me to accompany you on every excursion you plan to make," Katooni said in a calm voice, interested in making her lie sound as matter of factly as possible. Amara sighed, but seemed to understand the concern her father harboured for her safety in these precarious times.
Andara - Senatorial District - Alden Residence
The yacht entered the planet's atmosphere and soon the Landing gear touched the pad in front of a beautiful architectural masterpiece. "It was fashioned after the royal palace on Alderaan," Amara revealed as the two of them came closer to the entrance. Several guards framed the way directly in front of the permaglass archway. They bowed slightly as the girls entered, though this courtesy was certainly meant to greet Amara Alden. The inside of the lake-house was just as meticulously designed as it could have been expected of such a noble home.
"If you could rely on your guards for a moment, I might have drunken a little too much of the Black Spire Brew and I think I might need to visit the refresher," Katooni tried to excuse herself. "Certainly, I need to freshen up as well," Amara said and vanished around the next corner before the Tholothian could ask for directions. Instead she had to rely on instructions provided by the house's computer system.
Once she reached the room, illuminated by the sun's rays pouring in through the circular skylight, Katooni turned on the shower and used the sound of the pattering water to drown out the noise made by the homing beacon she pulled from her belt and placed beneath the arch the bathtub was standing on. It would emit a small dilation in the radiation signature of the cosmic background noise, missed by most but somebody truly knowing what he or she was looking for should most definitely be able to find it. With the needle in her trail placed, Katooni undressed and stepped beneath the water before nearly immediately activating the sonic function. The vibrations rid her body of the small droplets and gave her dark hair a wavy texture. It was a telltale feature of the cleaning unit and one that would have been suspicious if missing from Kylia's freshly showered form. She put her clothes back on, save for the coat, and placed her collapsed staff along with the blaster on the belt around her hip.
When she left the refresher she went for one of the many servants working in the house. "Excuse me?" she addressed the first one that came across her path. "Yes Ma'am?" he said and stopped to listen to her inquiry. "I have never been here and have been newly assigned to Ms. Alden's detail. Therefore I am afraid I don't know where my quarters are". She had decided that having possible loose threads underestimate her role was most likely the best strategy to pursue. The man scanned her ID pass and then said, "Certainly Ms. Obrinn, if you would like to follow me". With a kind and hopefully cute smile Katooni did as she was asked.
"If I may ask, aren't you a little young to be working in security?" The new Identity Katooni had created for herself, claimed for the girl to be fifteen yet even that had to draw attention to her person. "I am, but there are younger recruits in the agency I was trained by," she said truthfully. The servant sighed scornfully, "I always heard Coruscant had it's dark sides, but child soldiers? That's just cruel" "I guess you're right," Katooni agreed and thanked the man as they arrived at the door to the room she had been assigned. It had to be right next to that of Amara, since the girl's presence was already palpable in the force.
When she opened the door though it was more than just the single bedroom she had expected. There were several different functions assigned to parts of the open architecture that stretched out over more than just one story. "Well this is far from simplistic," Katooni noted and walked over to a long stretched aquarium filled with fluorescent fish. She even had access to private balcony overlooking the lake and more importantly close enough to that of Amara for even teh human to make the jump. For the moment though Katooni had time to let her view wander over the luscious green scenery, so different to what Coruscanti environment consisted of.
"You're still wearing the same clothes?" Amara rather noted than asked. "It's the only outfit I have," Katooni returned and subconsciously began to rub the fabric of her dark turtle-neck. "Come over you can have some of my old stuff," Amara offered. The girl was a few years older and definitely taller than Katooni, at least for the time being. Nevertheless the offer was welcome and Katooni would have been foolish not to accept it. She swiftly leapt over the balustrade and safely landed next to the human girl. "Well I actually meant for you to use the door connecting our living rooms, but I guess you solution works as well," Amara said, a little startled by the immediate action of her new bodyguard. "I will adapt my manners in the future," Katooni said in an understanding voice. "No, no, don't," Amara intervened, "You are supposed to fit in with me, so a bit of rashness every now and then is just fine". Katooni giggled at this statement and assured that she would try her best to do so.
Together the girls went to the older one's dressing room, were one of the wardrobes was filled with dresses, shoes and other outfit parts she no longer wore. "Just pick whatever you like and I will have it delivered to you," Amara said and sat down on a low shelf in order to judge the outfits chosen by Katooni. The Tholothian went through a series of different dresses and comfortable trousers and tops she could wear in her free time, some of them getting higher approval than others.
For her work clothes Katooni finally chose to go for a formfitting, sleeveless top, which went down until right above her knees, along with a pair of trousers made from a tough but elegant fabric. Together with a pair of bracelets, not unlike the ones Ahsoka used to wear, the outfit was meant to allow Katooni to fulfil her role as a bodyguard, while still being fashionable enough to not stand out like a uniform might do. "Why no dress?" Amara wondered and pointed at the sea blue one she was currently wearing. Katooni made a demonstrative stretch, while still keeping up her perfect balance on the high heeled boots she wore, before she answered the question, "Because a dress would probably hinder me when running" "But you had to keep the heels," Amara added in sarcastic tone. "Believe it or not, but I was actually trained in combat wearing heels," Katooni countered. This earned her a shrug from Amara, ere she called one of her servants to bring the gifted clothes into the adjacent chambers.
"By the way, my friends have invited me to a little get together this evening and I told them you will come as well," Amara informed her about her plans. "I'm afraid I've never been to a get together before," Katooni admitted, "What am I to expect of it?". After shaking her surprise at this seemingly outrageous statement, Amara caught her train of thoughts and began her explanation, "We will go to my friend Garlem's house and hang out on his water garden". Despite having no idea what a water garden was supposed to be, Katooni opted for the simpler question, "Should I dress up?" Amara made an obvious glance over the girl and then shook her head, "You should be fine, just borrow some of my make-up" "I will, don't worry," with that Katooni followed the service staff carrying her new clothes.
Andara - Senatorial District - Danag Water Gardens
Katooni was actually applying some berry coloured lipstick when Amara eventually came to her in order to pick her up for the reunion gathering. "Is my appearance acceptable?" she asked and turned away from the floor to ceiling mirror. She had brushed on a neat amount of eyeshadow in a matching colour and was still wearing her earlier approved work clothes, if one could call them so. Amara cocked her head and eyed the changes hear bodyguard had made to her outward appearance until she came to a conclusion. "Eh, I don't know," she said and let her statement dominate the room for a while before relieving the girl, "With this you might need that staff to keep the boys away from you". Katooni responded with an appropriate yet still somewhat posh laugh on the quiet.
"I have faced worse opponents," Katooni reassured and had to think of the more indirect duel they had fought with Grievous. "Well, then we're good to go". Amara offered Katooni her left arm and after a moment's thought the Tholothian accepted the offer. Together the two left the lake-house and walked down a short path of light gravel until it divided in another one, which ended in front of a tall wooden gate overgrown with a species of roses Katooni couldn't identify. Until this day Katooni still thanked the force she didn't end up in the agricultural core, not least because she would certainly have ended every plant she touched.
What she saw behind the gate, once it opened up for them, however made her rethink her relationship with nature. The water garden was quite literally what the name promised, a series of hydroponic plants dwelling in wooden frames built upon the surface of the lake. "This is beautiful," Katooni noted and brushed over one the many green ranking trees. "I know," Amara responded and squeezed her arm, "It's one of the things I missed most when I was on Coruscant". That Katooni understood, she had been raised by the Jedi in a quite sterile temple and was hence used to the constant sight of the infinite city, but for someone coming from a place like this the Coruscanti botanical gardens must have felt like a drop in the otherwise metallic ocean. "Come on, the others are probably already waiting for us," Amara said when Katooni stopped to marvel at a tub of blue lotus. After another minute of gazing upon the lovely flowers, Katooni gave in to the human.
"Amara! It's so good to finally see you again," Garlem greeted the blonde and then looked at Katooni, "And who's the fair looking new girl?" "I'm Kylia Obrinn," Katooni introduced herself and reached out to shake the boy's offered hand. "She is my new bodyguard," Amara added with a smirk. This earned Katooni respectful looks from the other teens still sitting around the circular fireplace. "So you're gonna stop me if I tried to kill Amara?" Garlem wanted to know and offered them a seat on the settee as well.
Once they were sitting among the others Katooni answered the question, "If you were to try and harm Amara I would have you on the ground before you even came close to her" "You have to show us that," a Cerean boy, whose name Katooni didn't know yet, suggested. "Maybe later, now we drink upon the return of an old friend and the arrival of a new one," a Mon Calamari boy, whose name Katooni didn't know yet either, intervened and produced a bottle of Algarine from which he poured them each a glass of.
Not wanting to be the killjoy Katooni accepted the slightly alcoholic beverage and participated in the clinking of glasses, as well as in the following toast. To her surprise the cool, wine like drink didn't burn when she swallowed and actually tasted quite good. Hence she didn't object when the second round was poured. "I think it's time for namesies for the newbie," a Catharian girl said and nodded at Katooni, "You're Kylia, we already know that so I'll start: I'm Cedilla" When no one felt obligated to continue, the Mon Calamari took the opportunity, "For me it's Miy" "Jalif," the Cerean added to the round and finished off the introductions, "Now let's have another one and make sure we all have to ask again next time". This earned the boy a volley of laughs from the others, along with a mutual raising of their drinks.
As soon as the second round was finished Miy decided to take the floor again, "So what encouraged your father to put a bodyguard at your side?" Amara chose to let Katooni answer for herself, among other reasons due to her not knowing all the details. "I came across Mr. Alden when some guys wanted to mug him and after disposing of them he offered me the position," Katooni told them a version close enough to reality to be true, "I think he didn't feel comfortable leaving Amara vulnerable during all this turmoil in the galaxy". The reasoning came across as sound, at least enough to convince her audience.
"I've got to tell you, it's so cool that you have a bodyguard now," Miy noted and made an admiring glance at the former Jedi. "I don't know, I don't think you should need one here," Cedilla stated, her tone somewhat dulled by the gravitas behind their words. "Come on, let's not kill the mood," Jalif tried to change the topic. "I just think it's important to remember why Kylia is here and how we might not be safe in our homes or at school any more," Cedilla retorted. "And I agree with you," Jalif said, "We shouldn't brush this off lightly, but we also should remember that tonight is meant to be a welcome party and that we can talk about this in class tomorrow".
It seemed as though Cedilla still wanted to say something, but then chose not to. Instead it was Garlem who spoke next, "You're right, now let's celebrate and dance". He made a few inputs on a small device and music sounded out of several speakers. The fire pit along with the surrounding sofa was built on the biggest platform over the lake, leaving them still enough room to move even with the furniture bolted to the floor in the middle. Being that it was his suggestion Garlem was the first on his feet as he asked Katooni for a dance. She was hesitant whether to accept the invitation, then Amara poked her side encouraging her to go.
"You do know how to dance, don't you?" Garlem asked her playfully. In fact she did not. "I'm willing to try my best," Katooni said when she rose from the sofa at last. The boy smile sheepishly at her and lead her over to the open part of the platform. "Why don't we start with a simple Calenada?" Garlem whispered into Katooni's ear once they were in basic stance. "Just follow my steps". It startled her a bit when the boy clasped her right hand with his left and put his right hand in the middle of her back, in between her shoulder blades. He pulled her close to him until their chests were almost touching and began the dance with a step backwards followed by one to the side, both of which mirrored by Katooni. It was remarkable how much her lightsaber training helped her when it came to deducing the boy's next move and making the right step herself. In fact the two looked quite good for her being a first timer and when they finished in a figure Katooni allowed herself to fall into the position in Garlem's arms.
Applause sounded from the teenagers still sitting on the sofa. "You have to have danced before," Amara said with a smirk when the two sat back down again. "I once worked in a circus for a while, maybe that helped," Katooni stated. "Oh you definitely have great body control," Garlem remarked, still a bit breathless from their dance. "Thanks," Katooni accepted the compliment and filled her glass with water this time. Garlem accepted the refreshment just as gladly and together they downed their drinks.
"I think it's now time for us to judge your moves," Garlem said and put down his glass before he pointed at his friend and motioned for them to go to the dance floor. That was actually all it took for Cedilla and Miy to get up and start their own slower version of the Spig. "May I?" Jalif invited Amara and together they made up the second couple on the platform. After a few minutes of watching the two couples Garlem asked, "Are you ready for round two?" "Mhm, maybe," Katooni answered, playing her natural charm. She didn't resist when he pulled her to her feet and the picked up where they had left the last time.
Neither of them felt like doing any more overly brave figures and hence when the first song ended they stopped and went to the edge of the platform to watch the stars appear one after another in the reflection of the evening sky. "Is your father a senator as well?" Katooni asked after a while and noticed how she didn't feel bothered by the hand still resting above her waist. Garlem turned his head towards her and replied, "No, he works for the government. However it mostly is based in the system".
Katooni would have asked further questions, but in he corner of her eye she could see a fast movement. Within seconds she pushed Garlem out of harm's way and dodged below her attacker, ere using a series of pushes to send him into the lake. Jalif was spluttering when his head resurfaced. "I told you it was a stupid idea," Amara commented, yet she still knelt down to help her friend out of the water. "Oh, I'm so sorry," Katooni apologized and reached her hand out for the boy. In a joint effort the girls lifted Jalif back onto the wood. "You don't need to apologize," Amara reassured her calmly, "It was his stupid idea to test you and therefore he suffers the consequences"
"If you ask me," Miy raised his hand, "the idea of a swim is essentially a rather good one". Five heads turned towards the Mon Calamari, none of them surprised by the suggestion. "We should still have some of our old swimwear in the beach house," Garlem added, visibly intrigued by the idea. Unlike Coruscant Andara had real seasons and as it was currently in its summer phase the temperatures where even in the evening hours still higher than the average on the city planet. This caused both of the new arrivals to be just as open for the suggestion. "Alright, since I already am wet I say we turn this into a pool party," Jalif said. Now everyone was looking at Cedilla for her ruling. "What I love swimming," she stated, "You shouldn't trust every rumour you hear on the HoloNet".
Katooni had put on the bikini given to her by Amara. It was a fashionable two piece with layered fabric in a geometrical cut, while the bottom part was made to resemble a skirt. She looked at her image in the mirror next to the entrance and let her fingers trace over the scar her jump had left. The Bacta stick she had used on the fresh wound had done its part in healing the tissue, however Katooni could still see the fair lines contrasting against her brown skin.
"You're coming?" Garlem asked and then noticed the healed cut. "You can have a different swimsuit if you want," he offered, trying not to stare downwards. "No, it's alright I have gotten used to it," Katooni declined and opened the door for them. She and Garlem were the last to arrive back at the platform, resulting in a series of whispers among the teenagers most of which hushed when they saw Katooni. In contrast to to Garlem's reaction none of them dared to stress the topic further.
This left it to them to loosen the situation by being the first to jump back into the lake. The water was pleasantly cool and a welcome change to the muggy heat. Like all future Padawan Katooni had been through an intense training for underwater combat, which came in handy as the girl had a pretty easy time keeping herself above the surface. Miy was the next one to join them in the water, jumping in with a trained looking dive. He was also the on to suggest the water fight once all six of them were in the lake. It wasn't entirely fair considering the teams consisted of Katooni, Garlem and Miy versus Cedilla, Amara and Jalif. The Tholothian refrained from using the force to win, but her years of relentless combat training were still a clear advantage which lead to their opponents' inevitable surrender.
Andara - Senatorial District - Alden Residence
Afterwards they had enjoyed the warmth of the fire and talked up until late in the night, ere Amara had declared how she was tired and Katooni had chosen to stay at the girl's side. The human had teased her all the way back about how she had immediately hit off with Garlem and it wasn't until she had vanished into her private chambers that the taunting little questions and comments had stopped.
Right now Katooni was absorbed in the depth of her pre sleeping meditation ritual. Like in so many nights before there was nothing to find in the vastness of the force. "Maybe it is time to stop looking," Katooni tried to advise herself, knowing that it would be harder than a bit of self counsel to break with old habits. On the other hand her good start with Garlem was most likely the easiest way to get close with the Danag family and at least symbolically cross the first name off the list Alden had given her to memorize. Ending on somewhat of a high note was the best Katooni could think of before she closed her eyes and put her head down on the burgundy pillow.
Thank you dear reader for making it to the end and I sincerely hope you like what you read. Just as every other writer I would love to get feedback and hear your thoughts on my story, so don't hold back with anything you would like to say. With the basics covered, I look forward to continuing this work should you be interested.