"Hello, old friend" the voice continued. A figure stepped out from behind a nearby tree, hood drawn over his face despite the warm temperature and darkening sky. It was the same figure that Aria had encountered earlier, although he was hardly a stranger to Tabrett.
"'Old friend'?" Tabrett queried, her eyebrows rising fractionally before she continued. "I was under the impression that you no longer considered me a friend." The figure scoffed and continued towards Tabrett, who instead chose to circle the figure. Momentarily confused by Tabrett's actions, the Jedi stopped before choosing to circle Tabrett in kind. As they circled, each examining the other, Tabrett continued.
"If I am to believe the stories told by the younglings in the temple, there is a man who lurks in the forests of Tython. Every beast of the forest is afraid of him, although the younglings insist that he only kills those who threaten the defenseless. They say he does so in order to atone for sins committed against the Jedi order—they say he feels responsible for the young padawans who thoughtlessly wander the forests without a means of defending themselves. What say you to this?" The stranger snorted derisively, his lips pulled into a frown. "Foolishness," he muttered, throwing back his hood, "my sins can never be atoned for."
The figure's face was scarred from lightsaber combat. Though time had indeed healed his physical wounds, the burns remained as a testament to the horrors he had suffered. His eyes, however, were his most unsettling feature. Naturally dark eyes flecked with veins of orange, which would otherwise have been considered unique, lent him a dangerous look. Paired with the darkened skin around his eyes and mouth, charcoal gray veins only just visible under the surface of his pale skin, his appearance spoke of the dark energies which had so violently altered his form. Though her lack of true "sight" limited her to sensing only vague outlines of the Jedi's features, Tabrett had heard enough stories from fellow Jedi to allow her imagination to fill in the rest. Sith corruption, she thought despondently, the Dark side is unforgiving indeed.
Tabrett stopped. "Kezrin," she greeted the man formally, hands behind her back, head inclined slightly. Kezrin paused as well. "Tabby," he said finally, mimicking Tabrett's motions. "Tabrett," she asserted stiffly, her gaze fixed on him in a manner that indicated she did not necessarily trust him, "you may address me as Tabrett."
Kezrin's eyebrow quirked upward as he evaluated the Jedi standing before him. Her white robes were elaborate and indicated her high standing in the Republic—so different from the last time he had seen her. "Tabrett?" he replied in a nearly mocking tone, "so formal. Have you so ascribed yourself to the stuffy practices of the Jedi Order that you refuse to let yourself be known by a nickname?" Tabrett bristled, her lips pursing at Kezrin's jab. "Tabby is the nickname of a young padawan foolish enough to let attachment get the better of her. I have since let go of such trivialities." Her voice rose as she turned to stalk away from him. "Moreover, nicknames are the fodder of young friendship. You lost the right to such things many years ago."
"Tabby," Kezrin whispered softly, taking a step in her direction. Suddenly, Tabrett was no longer a Jedi Master addressing an acquaintance in a darkened forest. She was suddenly a padawan again, looking forward to facing her trials and seeking out the wisdom of an old friend.
AN: Hello my darling readers! Short chapter this week—I have been very busy as of late preparing for midterms. Originally I intended for this chapter to be longer, but breaking it off where I did seemed to make more sense when I finally got to typing everything out. As you can see, there is more than one storyline crossing Aria's at this point, chiefly Tabrett and (by extension) Kezrin's. I will delve into their history more next week. Don't worry, though—I haven't forgotten about Aria! And as per suggestions from my lovely readers, I will include various oneshots depicting Aria's childhood and teenage years on Tython, pausing shortly before she leaves the planet for good. As for the catastrophe that causes her to leave, well… you'll just have to follow everything and find out! AND AS ALWAYS: Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome! Cookies to Zrye13 and GreyJedi1 for their kind words in the review section :)