Aran's given space in the Werda was silent at the moment, as he simply meditated as before. Seated, legs crossed, eyes closed, and arms on his knees as he simply thought on the events of the day. He'd been permitted to stay in one of the small cabins, which suited his needs just fine...he hadn't even moved since they came back and he took to meditating in the middle of the floor.

Sighing, Marin quietly made her way back aboard the Werda, her steps silent as she wound her way down the corridor to her own quarters. Her talk with Master Karrde had taken longer than she'd thought, and she was quite hungry. Taking a quick detour to the galley, she grabbed a pack or two of gihaal and brewed up a pot of behot, which she then poured into two mugs. Stuffing the gihaal packets into a pouch at her belt, she picked up the two mugs and wandered towards Aran's quarters. A soft knock announced her presence at his door.

There were several moments of silence before her knock was acknowledged. But, Aran's eyes did open as he slowly pulled back out of his own thoughts. This being done, he shifted to a bit more relaxed seated position before calling out just loud enough to be heard. "Enter." He was, once again, seated in the exact center of the room, though it was harder to tell in the space.

Taking a breath, Marin stepped into the small cabin, and gave the room a quick once over. It was a habit she'd gotten into from a young age, and even here, on Ethan's ship, she still did it. "Su'cuy, Aran..." she said quietly. Her voice was calm... and yet if one was adept at picking up such things, they might notice a new depth to her voice... as if there was some new dimension there. "I brought some food if you're hungry..?"

Offering a slight nod, his response was soft. The slight difference in her voice was noted, but like most things, he chose not to pry. "Su cuy'gar, Marin." He thought on the offer of food for a moment, and chuckled softly before continuing. He honestly hadn't even thought about it before she brought it up. "I suppose I am a bit hungry, now that you mention it..."

"I thought you might be.." Sinking carefully to a seated position, she tucked her legs beneath her and set one of the steaming mugs in front of him before she passed him a packet of gihaal with her free hand. "It's not much.." she offered with a shrug. "But I'm used to it with all the traveling I do."

He shrugged slightly, accepting the packet and turning it over in his hands absently as he responded to that. "No worries, I've been basically living on the stuff lately anyway." Sighing softly, he set the gihaal packet on his left leg for a moment as he picked up the mug of behot and took a small sip. "Don't recall if I mentioned it earlier, but your behot is excellent...definitely beats my attempts at making it."

Marin grinned slightly. "Developed a taste for it when I was little and made my own blend, adding a bit of ground cinnabark to it. I always carry some with me when I can. I find it works better than caf at helping me stay alert, in most cases."

Aran chuckled softly at this, taking another sip before setting the mug back down. He started turning the packet of gihaal over in his hands once again as he responded, this time inspecting it to make sure he had the opening procedure correct. "I see...well, kandosii would be a good word for it, I do believe." By the time he finished this statement, he'd definitively determined how the packet opened and did so carefully. The scent that wafted out was it's usual pungent self, but as stated earlier, he was more than used to it.

Marin smiled again and leaned forward slightly. "Do you and Ethan know each other...? I've never been to Manda'yaim myself. I just get the feeling that you did... and I was curious..."

A slight nod, and he broke off a small chunk of gihaal before popping it into his mouth and chewing carefully for a few moments. Once finished, however, he responded calmly. "Aye, we met several times years ago...dar'buir introduced us on Manda'yaim. I honestly liked Ethan, and I'm rather glad he's with you and not tied in with Kyr'tsad."

Marin shuddered slightly at that thought. "Me too..." she said quietly. "Was Beviin already involved in Kyr'tsad dealings by the time you were adopted in..?"

Sighing softly, Aran thought on that for a moment before he responded quietly. "I...think he was. He didn't directly include me until about two years ago, but I always had the feeling he was involved with something he wasn't telling me about. And even when he did tell me, I honestly didn't know enough about them to think anything of it." A heavy sigh before he muttered almost silently "Manda...I should have known better..."

She flinched slightly at his tone. "I had no idea he was involved until I started putting the pieces together on Coruscant..." She sighed. "This... is bigger than you and I. I've given Cataani Intelligence a copy of the information you gave me, since it concerns them as well. Beyond that, I'm not sure there's much else I can do to help."

Another nod, and he shrugged almost absently. "Lek, we'll have to see what comes of this and what our given roles are, if anything. I just hope what little I had helps." He sighed yet again before taking to chewing on a larger chunk of gihaal.

"It will.." she said with conviction before she fell silent and looked away, thinking. As much as she was trying to keep her mind on the events at hand, she couldn't stop thinking about what Andrea might say regarding her Trials.

Aran went silent for a time as well, finishing off his gihaal and most of the behot before he finally spoke once again. He wasn't sure of a good topic, so he just said the first thing that popped into his head that was relevant. "The others seem...nice, if nothing else."

That got her to smile a bit. "I grew up around Master Karrde, and Ethan... I trained at the praxeum here. The students... they became like a family to me. And that's something I would never wish taken from another person. I didn't choose my circumstances in life, but it seems my... extended family chose me."

He laughed softly at that, finally managing a bit of a smile himself. "Aliit ori'shya tal'din, aye? Sometimes it's the people that find you that are the best things for you. Not always accurate, but...it's a good saying nonetheless."

"Apt, at least..." she said with a smile as she brushed a few strands of hair from her face. She took a few seconds to just study him, both visually and in the Force, trying to get a better sense of him.

Shrugging slightly, he offered a slight nod before he went back to sipping his behot. He never was great with conversations, so he was visibly uncomfortable to an extent...but he was nonetheless more or less relaxed. In terms of his presence in the force, it was the same barely there thing it had been when Marin first encountered him. He wasn't hiding, exactly, but he wasn't giving anything off either. He was just there...nothing more, nothing less. It was about impossible to tell what he was feeling at the moment, as it had always been outside of the only outburst of emotion he'd shown.

She sighed softly, and unclipped her saber from her belt, pulling it around to her lap to look it over carefully as she recited the words of the Remembrance in Mando'a and then again in Cataani.

Aran was silent through this, not daring to interrupt her. The first set of words he knew...and he knew them well. The second was a language he'd never heard before, so he assumed it was Cataani, but he had no way to be sure. He did, however, reach down and slide a small object from a concealed space in the sole of his right boot. It was a small, unremarkable appearing stone, but the manner in which he held it as he slowly turned it over in his fingers hinted at a deeper meaning behind it. For a short time, he almost seemed to forget she was there.

Her eyebrow quirked slightly as she watched him. For now, she didn't say anything, but lifted her thumb to trace Jarius' tags. After a moment. She reached out to gently touch his hand, hoping not to startle him.

He started slightly, and his eyes went wide as he remembered where he was. An ever so subtle shift of his hand, and the stone abruptly vanished without a trace. If there was one thing he seemed good at, it was hiding things. A few stammered statements were attempted, but eventually he only managed to get out a single coherent word. "Ceta..."

Flushing, Marin pulled her hand away and broke eye contact. She wasn't sure what had just happened, but she got the distinct feeling it was important.

Frowning, he flexed his wrist ever so slightly and the stone made a reappearance for a moment before it vanished once again into the sole of his boot where it came from. Sighing a bit, he continued softly. "Ni ceta, it's...rather personal..." Shaking his head for a moment, as if to clear it, he seemed to visibly perk up a bit as he spoke once again. "Was there anything else you wish to ask or discuss at the moment?"

She shrugged slightly. "Not really.." she whispered. "You?"

There were several moments of silence before Aran spoke again. And when he did, it seemed almost hesitant...as if he was possibly afraid of the answer he might receive. "I suppose I need to ask...what exactly happens now? It's just...I did what I felt was needed, and now I have no kriffing idea what I should be doing. Or where I should be staying, or, or...anything, really..." He trailed off here, and offered a weak shrug but couldn't figure out something else to say. Most of his life up to this point had been directed and guided, so now that it wasn't, he was rather at a loss.

Marin bit her lip, feeling the abrupt jolt of emotion. "I... I'm not sure. And I don't know if it's my place... but, if it's allowed, I would offer you a place here... maybe with Ethan and I..."

Now that, Aran was not expecting...and there were several seconds of stunned silence before he spoke softly. "I...would like that, I think." He honestly couldn't quite fathom why she would consider doing that, but he wasn't going to turn the offer down. His emotions settled down again after a few seconds, and he went back to his usual barely-there self. He did have to ask, though. "Why would you...?"

She shrugged. "Not sure, honestly... feels right. You were honest with me, in spite of the fact you could have just as easily killed me the other day..."

Nodding slightly, he thought this over for a few seconds. "That...makes sense, I guess. I could have, aye, but...it wouldn't have felt right to me. You were willing to hear me out, so I responded accordingly...conflict without a point is just that, pointless. So, I allowed you to take me."

She flushed and fidgeted for a moment. "That young man you met last night? His name is Ryneas. he's one of Master Karrde's children. I don't think he meant to startle you, but I can understand Master Karrde's precaution.."

Aran gave a slight nod at this, and sighed softly. He wasn't really put off by that little trick, after all he had to acknowledge it's usefulness. "Aye, always try to have an advantage when dealing with unknowns. The more known variables are in your favor as possible, the better."

Marin nodded in agreement. "So, uhm... " she fidgeted a bit. "I wanted to talk to you about a few things, if that's ok?"

Chuckling softly, he acknowledged this with another nod. "Sure, I see no reason for it not to be okay."

Sighing, Marin wandered over and sat on the edge of the bunk, tucking her feet up. "I well... I'm trying to figure out what it was that made me trust you so quickly, especially given my past experiences with Kyr'tsad.."

A slight shrug was offered at this, and he frowned a bit as he thought it over. He was honestly confused about that himself, however, so he couldn't be sure. "I...really don't know, to be honest. I was as least as confused about that as you are."

Her frown deepened a bit, and she twisted the chain to Jarius' tags in her fingers. "I can't figure it out... and yet, the fact that Beviin could start on a crusade similar to J'oran's worries me a great deal.."

Aran froze for several moments at that, and then visibly winced before he spoke. "Aye...that's about the last thing you need. J'oran's methods were effective, yes, but dar'buir does things...differently. Definitely no less effective, however. Just have to hope he doesn't make the connection of whom you are."

Her next words were spoken quietly. "Is it bad that I trusted you so quickly? Some might think so. It took me months to trust Ethan... and even Buir.."

Another shrug at this. "It...well, It this case it turned out working smoothly. But it is definitely something I would refrain from doing in the future, just to be safe..."

She flinched as if he'd hit her. "I should know better, I suppose..." She looked away from a moment, her thoughts turning to Jarod... and the tight control he'd had on his emotions during the meeting. With a sigh, she drew her knees up.

Sighing softly, Aran turned towards her directly as he shifted up to a crouch. He spoke softly, then. "What's on your mind, Marin...?"

She hesitated to look at him for a moment. "I think... someone I care about is a bit.. jealous of how quickly I trusted you... it worried my teacher, as well.."

Aran frowned deeply, and he slumped ever so slightly as he responded to that. His voice was quiet. "I...see, ni ceta, then." He really had no idea what had caused that...but he nonetheless felt responsible for it. And the last thing he wanted to do was cause problems for her. Or anyone in that group, really.

Marin frowned still and fidgeted. "Do you... need anything...? More clothes...? Food..?"

Shrugging at that, he responded softly after a moment's thought. "Nayc, I think I'm set for the moment. I really don't need much to get by."

"Alright..." she said quietly, brushing a few strands of hair from her face. "I uh... had one other thing I wanted to ask you.."

Nodding slightly, he shifted his weight back a bit so he was still crouched, but it was close to being seated. "Okay, ask away then."

For a moment, she chewed on her lower lip in thought. "What ...exactly is your relationship to Ethan? I get the impression there is more to it than either of you are letting on.."

Frowning a bit at that, Aran debated back and forth on what exactly to disclose for over a minute. When he finally did respond, it was particularly quiet, and thus fairly hard to make out. "Well...if you want to be technical, he is ner vod. He helped out with some, though not nearly all, of my training. And...during that I may have let on that I wasn't entirely certain of what the kriff Beviin was involved with. Though I didn't have any specifics, so...nothing ever came of it until now."

For a few moments, Marin was utterly silent. That... actually made sense when she thought about Ethan's reaction to seeing Aran. "He... trained me a great deal as well. He and Master Karrde helped my buir... after J'oran killed his family..." this last was barely loud enough to be heard. She'd not shared that detail with anyone.

He winced slightly at this, and walked over before dropping back into a somewhat-crouched position in front of her. He rested his hands on her shoulders, and gave a slight nod. He got the distinct impression she'd just mentioned something not commonly brought up, but he wasn't going to discuss it further unless she wanted to. "He's a good man...you're lucky to have him around."

"He...can be rough. But I know he does care. He...lets his weapons and his fists talk more than he does at times, but I know he means well. When buir was killed, I just.. lost it. If it hadn't been for him and Master Karrde... I wouldn't be here right now."

Smiling slightly at that, he nodded once again. "Aye, that sounds about right for Ethan. And we've all lost it at some point or another, methinks...it's those that come through that are strongest." A moment's pause, then he spoke again almost hesitantly. "Actually have something to ask, myself, if you don't mind. Well...more of a request, I guess, really..."

Her eyebrow quirked slightly, and she lifted her blue eyes to look at him for a moment. "Elek?"

Shrugging a bit, he continued as hesitantly as before. "I...well...I was wondering if it would be possible for me to spend the night outside, actually. I know I'd probably need to be watched or some osik...but I'm not exactly very comfortable indoors, to be perfectly honest."

She frowned ever so slightly. "May I ask why...?"

"I've been outside for so much of my life that being in an enclosed space for extended periods of time tends to cause...panic, for lack of a better word. So I try to avoid it if possible. Larger areas such as buildings are fine for quite a while, but ships...doesn't really take long to set in."

She thought for a moment. "I... don't see a problem with it. But, you'd have to ask Ethan... he knows more about how the others might react."

The following morning dawned cool and clear. Marin rose and dressed in a deep blue tunic and a black skirt, with no embroidery. Her belt was simple, and held nothing save for her saber. She brushed her dark hair out and braided it quickly, slipping out of her cabin quietly... but not silently. It didn't take long for Marin to make her way to the Karrde's stables and saddle her customary mount. The mare was well-used to Marin by now, and stood patiently as Marin arranged her skirts before gently urging the mare forward. The trip to the palace passed quickly, and soon Marin drew the mare to a stop near the palace gates.

She was known to most of the guards that were at the palace, but after the events of the past few weeks, they were a bit more on edge and challenged her after she approached the gates slowly. It wasn't out of disrespect, but until things had settled more, they were under orders.

Andrea hadn't expected company at all and was still in her morning dressing attire when the comm in hers and Edward's quarters beeped and told her that Marin was waiting. Curious, she gave her permission to the men and started towards the closet to change for the impromptu meeting.

"You may pass," the guard said to Marin with a nod as he stood aside. "I'm sure you remember where the stables are." He nodded and held up his comlink towards the watchroom. "Open the western gate."

Blushing slightly, Marin nodded, and murmured a polite thank you in Cataani as she passed. The gate rumbled upwards just enough for her to pass beneath, and she carefully guided the mare in the direction of the stables, where she passed the reins to a stable hand, and accepted his assistance from the saddle. She knew it was unusual for her to show up unannounced, but she couldn't shake the feeling she had. She hoped Andrea would understand.

Andrea opted for a simpler version of her normal attire, a loose skirt with the inner and outer kimonos of her Jedi robes tucked in and her belt with lightsaber attached wrapped around her waist. Ian was still asleep and she left him that way as she started down the hall, he was old enough now for her not to worry if he woke up while she was out of the room.

Marin felt Andrea coming, and she smiled, quickening her pace just a bit. She paused, and waited by the door where she knew Andrea would enter the courtyard, and took a breath, trying to calm her nerves a bit.

Andrea entered the courtyard and looked around to see Marin seeing there waiting for her. "You'll have to forgive me," she said as she finished putting her hair up since she hadn't had time to brush it out. "I wasn't expecting anyone this morning."

Blushing, Marin ducked her head and bowed slightly. "I apologize, Teacher. I didn't mean to wake you. Just hard to shake the feeling that I needed to come speak with you.." She looked around the courtyard for a moment and brushed a few strands of dark hair from her face.

Andrea caught the tension and motioned Marin to follow her and started to walk towards the private gardens, opening the simple gates to it and started towards the sitting bench near the waterfall that was built into the side wall. "You sound as if something might be troubling you."

With a sigh, Marin followed her. She took a deep breath of the cooler air when they'd reached the garden, and then she sank onto the bench. "You... could say that..." Her tone was hesitant at first, as she began to describe what had happened on Coruscant, and then on Tanagis.

Andrea nodded, having heard parts of this from Ethan in a correspondence he'd sent earlier. She wanted to hear it from Marin, though, because good-natured and understanding that he was, Ethan wouldn't know how the girl would have felt and thought. "He has you worried...Beviin does," she said quietly as she thought about what Marin had told her.

"Aye..." she whispered, twisting the hem of her skirt between her fingers. "I can't put my finger on it... and I know I shouldn't focus too closely on it... I just can't shake the feeling that I have. And it's not just me I'm worried about... I almost feel he might start a crusade... not dissimilar from J'oran's."

"I'm concerned that you might feel compelled into starting a crusade of your own," Andrea told her frankly as she leaned back on the bench. "And I had a sense of something else in our meeting last night. This new guest of yours, for instance," she added.

Taking a breath, Marin let it out slowly. "It... had crossed my mind..." she admitted at length. "But, I won't. I know too well where that path leads..." Her last words were spoken quietly before she shot a quizzical look at her teacher. "Me'ven? What do you mean?"

"Did you pick up Jarod's feelings when you arrived?"

Marin stopped for a moment and thought. "I... don't think so.. nayc.."

"I think he was as surprised as the rest of us were about your guest," Andrea said softly. "I wouldn't said he was jealous...but I think your level of trust in the man so quickly startled him."

Marin's chest tightened for a moment, and she fidgeted. "I... know... she said softly. "I.. can't really explain it. If he was going to kill me, he would have..." she sighed and shrugged, at a loss as to how to fully explain it.

Her teacher nodded softly and opted to change the subject as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the morning sun. "Father told me that you had something to show him last night."

A faint smile touched her lips, and she looked down for a moment. "Aye..." she said softly, and reached down to her belt. "It was... an experience. And... I had to face Beviin again." She unclipped her saber from the back of her belt and passed it to Andrea hilt-first.

That last statement drew a curious glance from Andrea as she accepted the hilt and began to look it over. "A vision of sorts while you were charging the lightsaber?"

Marin nodded. "Yes... before I began constructing the saber." Marin said softly, and then described the vision. It had felt so real. "I... fought Beviin again... and then at the end... I talked to Buir..."

"Very powerful, from the sounds of it," Andrea said as she probed the lightsaber with the Force. She could feel the struggle from it in the crystals themselves, but there was a sense of balance in them too. She nodded softly and ignited the saber, looking over the colors of the blade. "I thought my father's was a unique blade when I first saw it," she said more to herself than to Marin.

Blushing, Marin ducked her head. "The crystals... they came from Tanagis herself, or so I'm told." There was a moment or two of silence, broken only by the sound of the waterfall. "They feel... right."

Andrea nodded and closed down the blade and inspected it one more time before she handed it back to Marin.

Biting her lip for a moment, she chanced a look at Andrea. "I know that things with my training and such haven't exactly worked out like any of us thought they would..." She hesitated and then asked the question she'd been waiting to. "Teacher...I know there is always more to learn. In the past few weeks, I've learned more about myself than I ever thought I would. But is there more to it than that? I know it's never simple.."

"We're always learning," Andrea told her. "About ourselves...about others, and the Force. And you are correct, its never simple." She leaned back and looked towards the morning sun, still coming up. "There's an old saying that with great power comes great responsibility. A person that can feel, touch, and wield the Force has the utmost responsibility. Personally, I think its more than what our monarch, even the President of the New Republic has to deal with. I'm sure you've heard daddy talk about how every feeling, thought, and decision guides what we do, who we become."

Marin nodded, her thumb unconsciously tracing Jarius' tags for a moment. "Aye... I think I saw it to a degree with buir... And with myself as well."

Jarod settled down in what he considered his and Marin's own private spot after having tossed a few more pieces of wood onto the fire that he built in the circle of stones that they had placed around there. They had started coming here when they had needed a break from studies and also when they just wanted some personal time. The last bit of time, going home and helping his people there and then helping fight against the Sith so close to what he called his second home had taken their toll. So it was here that he found himself trying to clear his head. It hadn't helped him, he thought, when he saw the stranger come off the boarding ramp with Marin and Ethan. It might have been nothing, but Jarod still wanted to come here to rest, looking over the fire as it started to climb up the fresh pieces of wood that he added.

Marin had tried to rest after speaking with Andrea... but she couldn't get Andrea's words out of her head. Now that she thought about it... she'd not felt much of anything from Jarod during the entire meeting... which was unusual. She couldn't sleep, so after leaving a cup of behot for both Ethan and Aran, she slipped into a set of well-worn fatigues and quietly left the Werda. She didn't much care what Ethan might think.

She took her time to make her way to their place, her steps slow as she tried to piece together the last few months. She still couldn't make sense of why she'd placed her trust in Aran so readily. Had she been wrong to do so? As she walked, she'd drawn her presence close, so as to shield her inner turmoil from the praxeum. She knew Karrde would sense it, and Jarod, but she didn't much care. She was wondering if she'd made the right choice in trusting Aran. He'd not gone against his word to her since he'd agreed to the current situation.

Jarod sighed as he sat there. He honestly didn't know what he expected to happen and he was restless enough as it was. Finally, he stood up and took his robe off and folded it on the ground. Master Karrde had always told him that, sometimes, working through kata could be a form of meditation in itself and clarity is what he needed most right now. Igniting his silver blade, he closed his eyes and took a ready stance and started to move slowly through the basic forms that he first learned before he moved into the more advanced moves he had learned later on.

Marin's slow pace finally brought her to the edge of the clearing. There, she paused, catching the scent of smoldering wood from the fire, mixed with the crispness of the autumn leaves. She stood there for several seconds, just watching him. It had been.. weeks, and as she watched, she felt a lump rise in her throat. Guilt.. .loneliness? She wasn't sure.

'Keep it fluid' he told himself as he spun and kept his strong hang on the lightsaber hilt, using it as the fulcrum while his offhand guide it around in a swing that started on his left, went over his head, and ended him him holding it in a one-handed stance with his blade pointing away from him. On the edges of his senses, he could feel Marin approaching...hesitating. But Jarod tried to stay focused as he went through the kata. Distraction now would have earned him a rap from Master Karrde's bokken.

She felt his focus, and still she waited, sinking down to a seated position on the edge of the clearing to wait. She needed to talk... but she knew how important it was to keep focus. Her hands clenched briefly in her lap as she tried to calm herself

Jarod finished the last move and stood there, breathing steadily with his saber low in his hand aiming towards the ground. A few breaths later, he opened his eyes and turned to see Marin sitting at the edge of the clearing.

Slowly, Marin lifted her head and opened her eyes to look at him. For the moment, she said nothing, merely reaching out to him in the Force. "Jarod...?" she whispered, unusually hesitant as she watched him, her fingers tracing Jarius' tags again.

He closed down his blade and started to sit back down on the spot he was at earlier, looking over at her and offered a faint smile.

Sighing softly, Marin pushed to her feet and grabbed the small pack she'd brought along before making her way over to him. Once there, she knelt, and held his gaze for a long moment, waiting for him to speak, if he wished to.

"I..." Jarod started out, the stopped for a moment to collect his thoughts. "I know I have no call to be worried...and I know that I've been away for a while."

She closed her eyes and reached out to grip his hand. "Nayc... you have every right. Even I cannot explain why I trust him... He was of Kyr'tsad... I've tangled with that group so many times I lost count. But... I should have been more cautious..."

He took her hand pulled her closer, embracing her. "He's earned your trust, and Master Karrde's. That's enough for me. Besides...I know I wasn't gone that long."

She looked down for a moment. "It's not like that..." she gave him a bit of a look. "He... willingly gave me information regarding Kyr'tsad listening posts throughout Cataani space. There's even one on Tanagis..." She shuddered slightly. "He could have killed me. All he asked was that I tell him the truth of the whole... crusade J'oran had against my family."

"Then I'm not going to worry about it," he said as he traced her cheek and looked at her. "I was thinking there was more with the looks that were shared."

Her eyes drifted closed at his touch, and she relaxed visibly. "Nayc... I was just trying to make sure he was alright. I knew being around so many Force users would make him uncomfortable.." She sighed, and buried her face in his chest. "I've missed you.." she whispered. "So much has happened over the last few weeks."

"I've missed you too," he said as he looked over to the side. "I made sure we had enough wood and extra bedrolls..."

She grinned slightly and looked at the fire for a moment before she sobered. "Did you hear what happened..?"

Jarod started to raise an eyebrow, "Eh?"

She gave him a look. "On Coruscant and Tanagis..?"

"I heard about what happened to you there," he said quietly. "And I was at last night's meeting."

She smiled at the gentle rebuke, and reached to the back of her belt, unclipping her saber, which she then passed to him. "I wanted to show you this.."

He looked down and took it in his hand, running his fingers over it slowly. "Finally finished it, then." he said jokingly.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. ""Me'ven?" She poked him in the ribs.

He laughed and moved off to the side out of reach and looked over the hilt some more and then tossed it back to her. "I'll let you show me the blade."

She caught it deftly and pushed to her feet before taking the hilt firmly in her grip and pressing the activation switch. With a snap-hiss, the black-cored orange blade sprang into existence once more.

Jarod looked it over and shook his head. "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you tried to emulate Master Karrde's lightsaber some."

She giggled. "Yeah... a little.." she admitted softly. "And yours, too."

"Mine?" he asked as he pulled and lit his silver colored blade. "Mine wasn't dual-crystaled."

She grinned. "Nayc.. I meant the silvery sheen..." she said as she leaned up to kiss him lightly, careful to keep the glowing blade a few inches away.

Jarod wrapped his free hand around her, pulling her deeper into the kiss while letting his right shut down his own lightsaber.

Marin lifted her thumb from the activation plate, and the brilliant blade of her own saber vanished as she carefully set it down and leaned in closer. "I was worried you would be upset about him.." she said quietly.

"Would you let just anyone swoon you?" he asked, throwing a teasing smile at her.

"Of course not..." she whispered into his ear, curling her fingers loosely into his hair as she leaned in again. "I... talked to Andrea... I'm not entirely clear what her thoughts are about the whole thing. I know my training was rather unorthodox.."

"Well," he said as he traced her cheek again. "You never were one to just go one way or the other...gotta keep it interesting and complicated."

"Well, yes.." she said softly. "But I meant in terms of ...Knighthood. It's hard for me to even talk about it for some reason.."

"Well, like you said, you've been training from two different teachers from two different worlds."

She nodded slightly. "As far as Ethan's concerned, I've completed my Verd'goten. And Master Karrde feels I've completed something equivalent to the Trials in what I went through on Coruscant and Tanagis... but is that all that's needed?"

"I don't know," he told her. "Have your abilities in the Force been tested...your skill with that lightsaber?"

She thought about that. "Nayc... from what I know of the Trials when you went through them, that's the only thing left to do, I think. Master Karrde feels I completed all the other areas."

Jarod nodded and sat back down with her. "Then, I guess that he'll be choosing someone for you to spar with soon then."

The thought of that set off a nervous flutter in her stomach as she leaned into his chest. "Aye. "I know... I sound impatient. I'm not really, I just know the path of my training was unusual."

He looked down at her on that last comment. "Impatient? You?"

She raised an eyebrow, unsure if he was being serious. "Some would say I'm too young to be Knighted, I'm sure."

"Its not about age...you can't judge by age. Only by ability and maturity."

"I suppose..." she said quietly, tracing her fingers along the collar of his undertunic. "Guess I'll need to be patient and see what happens.." She paused and looked around. "You brought bedrolls? It's getting cold quickly.." she shivered slightly and snuggled closer

Jarod called them over so he wouldn't have to let go of her. He had already laid a ground roll where they were sitting so it didn't take much to spread the blankets over them and add a few more pieces of wood to the fire.