Chapter Three- Dinner and a Chat
"L-lady L'anyn?" Ira stepped hesitantly into the darkened training room, "I'm here, M'lady."
A hand clapped down on his shoulder, scaring him nearly out of his skin. He dropped the heavy cloak he had in his hands as he jumped forward, away from the person behind him.
"Good evening, Ira," L'anyn said calmly, lifting a hand to bring up the lights, "I trust you have everything I requested you bring."
He bent down and picked up the dark brown cowl he'd dropped and held it out with a smile, "This is it, right?"
"Correct," she returned the grin and took a step toward the window at the far end of the room, "Now follow me."
Ira followed her to the floor-to-ceiling window and stood beside her, looking out at the city of Coruscant. L'anyn raised her hand to the glass and closed her eyes. The window pane collapsed into a small glowing ball resting in her palm. She tucked the ball into the pouch on her belt and stepped onto the sill. she saluted Ira then turned toward the city and leapt into the cool night air.
He jumped toward the sill and stared down at where L'anyn had fallen. He couldn't see her at all. Ira didn't know what to do. He didn't understand why his mentor had leapt from the window into the air traffic below them. Coruscant was a dangerous place to be when leaping from windows.
--
The wind whipped through her red hair as she free fell through the traffic of the city's higher levels. She could feel the air growing warmer and thicker with the exhaust from the thousands of speeders flying above and below her. She spread her arms out like wings and closed her eyes, trusting the Force to deliver her safely to her destination.
She reached out with the Force to find her ride. She found it after a moment: the speeder that she'd arranged to have waiting for her was waiting for her, just as she'd arranged. She landed lightly in the driver's seat and turned it on. She knew that Ira most likely wouldn't take the leap of faith after her. Not for a long while, at least.
She sped upward toward the empty window where Ira stood watching for her.
--
He paced in front of the window, fretting over what to do next. Stay and wait? Follow like she said? Go alert Master Burke? No... I should wait a while... then maybe follow... but where? He contemplated and puzzled and pondered and mused over what in the Force to do next. Ira stared out at the inky black world below him and worked up his nerve. If my master tells me to follow then I suppose I should follow. It's probably a test if anything. She's testing how much I trust her. How much do I trust her? She was removed from the Council because they thought she was a Sith... she could be. She's an impossible thing... she could be anything... He swallowed his doubts and stepped onto the sill and looked down at the city below. He pulled on his cloak, clamped his eyes shut and spread out his arms.
He jumped.
--
"Here he comes," L'anyn muttered to herself as she aligned the speeder with her free-falling padawan.
He landed in the back seat lightly after cushioning his fall with the Force.
"So you do trust me," L'anyn shouted over the roar of the traffic, "It's good to see you again, Ira. I was beginning to think you weren't coming!"
"Nah. I was on my way," he replied coolly, "I just had to pull on the old cowl. It's chilly out."
"That it is," she chuckled, turning the speeder toward a modestly-sized Naboo-style bistro, "Dinner's on me."
They pulled toward a garage beside the establishment and eased into a small parking space. L'anyn jumped up out of the cockput and began walking at a brisk pace toward the platform that led to the designated institution. Ira jogged to catch up with her, straightening his tunic and cloak.
"So, what are we doing here?" he asked, slowing to a walk after catching up with his mentor, "Protecting peace, justice, the common good, etcetera?"
"That's work for security guards, my young padawan," L'anyn pushed open the door and stepped into the eatery, "We're simply here to chat and have dinner."
"Right," Ira replied suspiciously, "So it's undercover work, then."
"No!" she laughed out loud, "We're just here to chat."
"Gotcha," he said with a wink.
"Ira Solaris, clean will be your thoughts of your new mentor," L'anyn reminded him jokingly, "I see that twinkle in your eye, young one."
"Hey, I can't help it if you're relatively attractive and I'm and impressionable young man," he shrugged and slipped into a booth, waving over a server.
"What's that supposed to mean, 'relatively attractive'?" she asked indignantly.
"Nothing, M'lady," Ira smiled and turned to the waitress who'd arrived at their table, "We'll have two of whatever the chef's specialty is."
"Wotcha want to drink?" the waitress asked, tapping the toe of her boot on the sparkling floor.
"Er, Jawa juice for me and the lady," Ira said with a curt nod.
"Sure thing, mate," she turned on her heel and walked off toward the kitchen.
"So, what're we here to 'chat' about?" Ira rested his chin on his hand casually, gazing at his mentor with extreme interest hidden behind mild curiousity.
"Your training," L'anyn replied, glancing around the relatively empty bistro. There was no one she recognized, hence no one who'd recognize her. "How much did you learn from Master Vorschen?"
"Well, you know, the basics," he shrugged, "Basic saber skills, calling upon the Force, using the Force, controlling the Force. You know- the basics."
"Hmm. We'll have to work on everything then," she sighed and pushed up her left sleeve to reveal an intricately designed mechanical arm band. She examined it closely and ran a finger over a dial in the center. It whirred and hummed then turned two full circles and stopped silent. "Made by Ithorians," she explained when she noticed Ira's intent gaze upon the itme, "I fried and shattered my entire forearm while fising the navicomputer on one of the Ithorian starships on its way to Hoth. They were able to salvage most of my hand but had to replace my forearm and added a few upgrades. They're a brilliant bunch; it's amazing how well they work with metal."
"Ithorians?" Ira raised his eyebrows in surprise, "You've flown with Ithorians?"
"Yeah," L'anyn noticed that the two drinks had been delivered to the table at some point in their conversation. She lifted her glass and took a sip of the cool sweet liquid. "Ithorians, Mon Calamari, Wookies, Sullustans, Dugg-- what would be the plural of 'Dugg'... Duggs? Duggi? Just 'Dugg'?... anyway, I've been around."
Ira sat back in his seat, amazed.
"You going to be okay, kid?" she asked, waving a hand in front of him, "You look a little star-struck."
"Two specials," announced the waitress upon her return. she set down two plates in front of them and walked away without a backward glance.
Ira gulped and looked down at his food, smelling the intensely rich aroma wafting up from the platter. "Looks tasty."
L'anyn nodded and picked up a fork, "Bon Appetite."
"Huh?" he looked up from the forkful of food that had made its way halfway to his mouth. The food fell from the utensil and landed with a splat amidst the rest of his meal.
"Bon Appetite. Picked it up on a mission with the Mon Calamari," L'anyn explained then took a bite of the aromatic fish on the plate before her.
"Are we gonna get to--"
"What? Fly with Mon Calamari?" she asked after swallowing the mouthful she'd been chewing thoughtfully, "I don't know. Whatever Master Burke and the Council need us to do, we'll do it. But I doubt that'll include anything important. The Counci doesn't exactly trust me with their outside affairs. I'm no ambassador for the Jedi anymore. Those days are long gone."
"You don't look that old," Ira commented after getting a successful forkful of fish into his mouth and down his throat, "I mean, from the way you talk, it sounds like you've got several decades of experience, but you only look twenty."
"Looks can be deceiving, young one," she replied with an impish smile, "Must I remind you that I'm an impossible thing?"
"Don't remind me," Ira sighed and returned his gaze to his food, still disappointed about his inability to sense his own master with the Force... and missing his old master.
"Don't let it get you down, Ira," L'anyn reached out and touched his forearm, "You're not the only one who misses him."
He looked up at her and pulled his arm away then stood up from the booth and walked out the door, his cloak billowing out behind him.
"Damn," she muttered as she tossed a few credit chips on the space between the two plates and jogged out the door, searching for her apprentice with the Force.
There you are she found him trying to hotwire the speeder she'd selected for their outing. You can't do it, young one. I've locked the controls... only I can start that speeder. She chuckled to herslef and pulled up the hood of her cloak, hiding her vibrant ginger hair and shadowing her features. Let's see just how clever you are, Ira Solaris. You can't run away from me. You may have escaped your immanent demis on the night of Master Vorschen Tsornighara's fall, but you cannot escape me, young one. She heard her words echo through his mind and was satisfied with the effect they had on her apprentice's mental stability. He was growing panicked and jumpy. He couldn't understand how she was projecting herself into his mind yet remaining completely invisible in the Force. L'anyn laughed to herself and continued toward the garage.
"Ira!" she called into the dark parking area, and was satisfied to hear a yelp that she knew to be his. "I'm coming to find you, padawan of mine. We need to finish our little chat, young one."
"I-I can't do this anymore!" he shouted form the speeder's open cockpit, "I'm not ready for this!"
"Ira, what is this?" L'anyn called to him as she neared the vehicle, "What are you talking about?"
Two red lightsabers ignited right in front of L'anyn, who'd sensed the movement of Ira from the speeder toward herself.
"Why do you have two red sabers?" he asked accusingly, "Only Sith carry red. Everyone knows that. Maybe Sanreth was right. You are Sith!"
"No, Ira, I'm not," she said sternly, "I am a Jedi Master, why would I be Sith?"
"You're in disguise!"
"No. I'm not," she softened her voice, trying to sooth the terrified and confused Ira Solaris, "I got those from the Sith Lord who murdered Master Vorschen. You saw it yourself- they were twin blades that cut down your master. Twin. Red. Blades."
The lightsabers de-illuminated and Ira dropped to his knees, breathing heavily. He dropped the sabers and covered his face with his shaking hands. he sobbed silently, his chest heaving.
"Oh, Ira," L'anyn whimpered, crouching down beside her apprentice and wrapping her arms around him, "There's so much you have yet to learn."
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A/N: is anyone even reading this? R&R --lexx