*flashback*
Tayno Esoor slowly strolled down the paved street, the bricks making chalky noises as he walked. He took notice of a strong smell, and realized it was coming from a dilapidated food shack. His stomach growling for food, he decided to give the shack a visit.
"Excuse me, can I help you, sir?" Benzi questioned, taking notice of the man observing the menu. His thick, black hair stuck up all over the place, a huge part hanging over his eyes.
"Yes, actually you can. I'm looking for a small snack to eat, for I'm only stopping by on Alderaan for a quick stretch of my legs before I get out of here." The graying man explained, stroking the wisps of a brown-gray beard.
"Where are you heading?"
"To Kashyyyk for a brief meeting before I go back to Coruscant."
Benzi's eyes squinted as he observed the man. "A Jedi, by the looks of you." He said, almost in disgust.
"Why, yes, is something wrong with that?"
"My parents always talk about how great you guys are. I don't see why, personally. You just flash a lightsaber around and move a chair with your mind. It's not a big deal, anyone can do that."
Master Esoor couldn't have helped but smile at the arrogance of the child. "Well, not everyone."
"I thought everyone could. I can." Benzi stated abruptly.
Tayno raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything, Benzi stepped away from the counter and poked his head in the steaming kitchen, "One ale and one kebroot!" There was an inaudible response, and then Benzi turned back to the confused Jedi. "It'll be another six minutes. You in a rush?"
"I suppose not. Where are your parents?"
"Cooking the food you wanted. I'm not an orphan, before you start reporting me to your high and mighty Council."
"It's not that. I would like to speak to them. May I come in?" Benzi looked at the Jedi Master strangely, debating on unlocking the door into the little shack. Finally, he clicked the door open and let the man inside.
"Just go down the hall, you'll see 'em." Master Esoor awkwardly strolled down the hallway until he was met with the hot steam of the kitchen.
Perspiration pouring out already, he called out, "Excuse me?" The man and woman both cooking turned to him, looking rather startled. The man had thick, shaggy brown hair and a clean shaven face, and the woman had jet black hair and estranged green eyes.
"Did you have a complaint about the food, sir?" The man huffed, setting a towel on the counter.
Tayno let out a hearty laugh, shaking his head. "No, of course not. You both seem like much too hard of workers to let bad food get to someone. You see, my name is Tayno Esoor, and I am a Jedi Master. I-"
"A Jedi Master?" The woman exclaimed, perking up. It seemed almost to be music to her ears. "You could help us then!" The lady squealed, dropping her spatula in the sizzling pan.
"That's not exactly what I came for." Tayno muttered, but the woman quickly embraced him, looking up at him pleadingly.
"We've been experiencing robbery every night in our kitchen, and we've tried everything we could to stop them. Being poor folk, it's quite hard to get assistance. If you could please just stay for one night, we'll give you a whole bundle of food, free of charge, for your travels." The offer seemed tempting enough, giving him enough time to possibly learn some more information about the boy and whether his head was full of fantasies or if there was some truth to his mischief.
*end of flashback*
"Benzi!" He heard someone shout. There was banging on his door, causing him to reluctantly get up. When the door swung, he was nearly tackled in Haveera's embrace. "Are you okay?" Haveera inquired, inspecting his face carefully. She took notice of his tear-stained cheeks and red eyes. The past night had been tough on him, knowing that his Master would not be returning to him.
"That's a dumb question. Of course I'm not." He grumbled, looking away from her.
"May I come in?" She asked politely, trying not to provoke his short temper.
"You've already barged right in, so it's not like it matters.
" "Listen, Benzi, I'm terribly sorry about what happened to-"
"Yeah, yeah, everyone is. I've heard it from at least twenty other people, so no need to add another to my list."
"I understand that you are upset, but if you would at least give me an ounce of respect, I would greatly appreciate it." Haveera commanded, stiffening her posture. Benzi collapsed on his couch, staring out the giant windows that overlooked Coruscant.
"Respect? There is no respect for Padawans, Haveera. Wake up." Benzi mumbled, his hands fidgeting with the end of his shirt.
"Don't talk like that. That is your suffering speaking. You must allow yourself to detach from it, and accept the loss." Haveera suggested, placing a hand on his shoulder. He tensed up, the touch of someone causing his nerves to overload. He had forgotten the feel of other skin besides his own.
"Get your hand off me." He demanded, looking up and glaring at the girl. She faltered back, not used to her kindness receiving such negative feedback. Benzi was taking Master Esoor's death way worse than she had suspected.
"Benzi, please, just listen to me-"
"No, you listen to me!" Benzi shouted, bursting from his spot on the couch and spinning around to face the younger Padawan. "You have no idea how I feel! None of you have any idea how I feel! You all pity me, and try to be kind to me, out of fear, not out of sympathy!" Benzi bellowed, lifting his hand viciously, causing a lamp to smash against the wall.
"Benzi, please stop!" Haveera pleaded, hoping his rage would subside.
"I know you all talk behind my back about how I cannot be trusted! About how I'm too powerful for my own good! You're just, you're just scared that you've met someone who can rival your own power, and you fear the possibility of losing to me!" Another flick of his hand, and the couch flipped over, crushing a table into splinters.
"Benzi, listen to me!" Haveera screamed over the sound of crashing objects. The fury in Benzi's eyes dimmed, and his hands collapsed to his side, breathing heavily. "We do not speak behind your back. We do not pity you out of fear. We pity you out of the compassion we have established for you, because we care about your well-being. The Jedi want the best for you, which is why they want you to relax and not become so consumed in rage. You could hurt someone, or yourself." Benzi slightly nodded, and then drifted forward, falling onto Haveera. "Benzi? Benzi…wake up. Benzi? Benzi!" She screeched, attempting to awaken him before he completely faded into darkness.
*flashback*
"We must be leaving for the night, Master Jedi. We shall return in the morning. The best of you to you, my friend." The man who introduced himself as Eli Dalian said, departing from the shack. Quonasa Dalian, the wife of Eli, had left with her son about a half an hour earlier. Eli and Tayno both had cleaned up together, and had made a cozy sitting spot for Tayno in case he grew tiresome. Tayno gave the man a wave, then strolled back into the shack. He almost had a heart attack when he saw the boy sitting on the table in the middle of the room.
"Boy! What are you doing here?"
"I figured I could help you out, since you probably couldn't handle this by yourself."
"You must not hear the countless stories of the Jedi then, if you think a mere robbery is difficult."
"No, I just don't believe the stories about your 'Jedi'. It seems very magical and fake, if you ask me." The boy snapped, his misplaced grudge with the Jedi causing him to become quite sarcastic with Tayno.
"Well, if you are to stay here tonight, I must learn your name." Tayno ordered, crossing his arms. The boy rolled his eyes, hopping off the table.
"Benzi Dalian, 12 years old, becoming 13 in less than a few months."
"Tayno Esoor of Lorrd." Tayno said, bowing his head to the boy. The boy let out a deep sigh and scrounged around for some leftover food to munch on.
"How long are you staying here?"
"Just for the night, so I can catch your parents' bandit."
"So, you can basically leave now." Benzi muttered, finding some sort of tropical fruit and sinking his teeth into it. Tayno raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"You caught me. The bandit. I've been stealin' there stuff so I can sell it and buy parts."
"Parts to what?"
"A lightsaber. I've already sold enough to make a hilt to it."
"You can't just make a lightsaber from junkyard scrapes, boy."
"I'm managing just fine with them, so obviously you can." Benzi retorted. The boy raised a finger, and a metal fork flew out the drawer and into his hand. Tayno stared in shock at the child.
"How did you just do that?" Benzi shrugged, stuffing the fork in the bottom of his deep pockets.
"I told you before, it's easy. I thought everyone could do it if they wanted."
Tayno smirked, "Not everyone. Only Force-sensitive people, and I believe you're one of those select few."
*end of flashback*
"Benzi…Benzi, get up." A boy's voice whispered. The Padawan's eyes slightly opened to see another Padawan by the name of Yuno, a Rodian. "I was sent to deliver message from Jedi Council. Funeral for Master Esoor is in tomorrow at home planet of Lorrd, and departure for Lorrd takes place in one hour, at landing strip station." Yuno carefully articulating, his English still slightly rusty. Benzi thanked him and watched his walk out the front door.
"How did he get in he-"
"I let him in." Haveera's voice interrupted as she walked out from the kitchen.
"Why are you in my apartment?" Benzi hissed, staring intently at the Hapan. Her robes were loose, her face showing immense signs of fatigue.
"You are the one that fainted, Dalian. Should I have just leave you on the floor?"
"You took care of me?"
"What else was I to do?"
"Call someone with more medical experience, perhaps, as a start."
"You seem to have fared fine." She stated abruptly, giving him a disdainful look.
"Well, you can leave now that I'm conscious." Haveera crossed her arms, stepping closer to him, her delicate facial features reddening.
"You know, a 'thank you' would be great."
"What am I to thank you for? You're the one that provoked me, if you had just-"
"If I had just what? Not stopped by to check on your well-being? Is that what you would have preferred?" She said, her voice gradually heightening. Benzi threw his arms up in the air, feeling hot with anger also.
"I don't know? Maybe, yes! It was obvious I was not okay, and was recovering, yet you and everyone else fail to realize that constantly reopening the wound of his loss just makes it hurt more!"
"So you would like me to leave you alone? That's it, isn't it?" Haveera shouted, pushing him backwards. He stumbled a bit, then stomped up to her, awfully close, glaring down at her.
"That's exactly what I'm saying. I don't need anyone's assistance." A small tear escaped her eye, streaming down her cheek.
"This is your anger saying all these harsh words. I will remember this, and I hope you do also. Consider me as only a peer, and not your friend." She murmured, whipping her hair into his face as she turned and stormed out of the apartment. Benzi clenched his fist, kicking the wall. Maybe Haveera was right, Maybe everything we was saying out of his fear of getting hurt more. He had never felt so angry at the world before, and he had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time. But one thing was for certain, he had to learn to control it, before he lost everyone close to him.
So I hope you guys liked this chapter. I wanted to do flashbacks so you guys could kinda start to see the being of why Benzi was so attached to Tayno and possibly get you guys attached to him also. So tell me what you guys think, did you love it? Not really? Everything is appreciated. Thanks, and stay awesome, Gotham. -April