"You nearly done in there, princess?"

Canderous' booming voice was accompanied by three resounding thumps on the refresher door, and Seth rolled his eyes as he wiped at the fogged-up mirror to catch a glimpse of his reflection as he carefully dragged a razor blade along his chin to eliminate any stubble that had accrued since his last shave. "I'll be out in a second!" he growled back through the door.

"Can't seem to understand how your showers average ten minutes longer than Mission's, maybe I'm a little confused as to which one of you is the teenage girl on this ship."

At this, Seth annoyedly threw the door open, seemingly unaware that his lean, towel-clad frame held no amount of menacing authority when staring down the Mandalorian warrior. "Mission doesn't have hair, that's half the battle and you know it!" Seth argued, using one hand to point up at Canderous to emphasize his point, and the other to hold his towel to his waist as he shifted.

"Does he know it?" Carth mused as he passed through the room, watching the exchange taking place at the refresher's doorway with amusement. "I was under the impression that Mandalorians don't exactly do hygiene well," he called out from the next room over as he continued his trek through the Ebon Hawk.

Canderous leaned back to shout back down the hallway to Carth. "Or maybe pretty boy learned to take his time primping himself in the refresher back at basic training. After all, I can't imagine he had much to learn about Republic combat tactics considering there's not much tact there to learn in the first place."

"Are you guys seriously doing this right now?" Seth asked, irritation evident in his tone as he gestured down at the towel at his waist to emphasize his point. "I was kinda in the middle of something."

Canderous' attention snapped back over to the younger man, and he allowed his previous smirk to return to his face. "You're right, kid. And now that you've so graciously opened the door for me…"

Before Seth could register what was happening, the Mandalorian had yanked him through the doorway by the forearm, stepped past him, and closed the refresher door behind him, leaving a half-naked Seth standing outside.

"Canderous!" he shouted, banging on the door. "My clothes are still in there, you son of a–"

Seth cut himself off, freezing in place as he glanced up and made eye contact with Mission across the hold. He pulled the towel tighter around his waist, feeling the heat rush to his face as his cheeks flushed a deep crimson.

"Not gonna lie, it's not your best look," Mission said, her lips quirking upward at the corners despite her best efforts to keep a straight face.

"I…" Seth scrambled for words. "Can we just pretend this never happened?"

"As much as I'm sure we'd both like to forget the first time a girl saw you undressed in your life, this moment is forever burned into my memory," Mission responded with a smirk.

"It's not the first time." The words blurted from Seth's mouth before he could even realize it. He wasn't quite sure why he felt the need to defend himself, especially now that he wasn't surrounded by the likes of Draven who'd once teased him for things like virginity and abstinence. But seeing the way Mission's countenance faltered at the news, it hit him like a ton of bricks that he should have kept his stupid mouth shut.

"What?"

"I mean… we didn't go very far," he scrambled for words, wincing when Mission's facial expressions revealed that he wasn't fixing the conversation as he'd hoped, but rather digging himself deeper and deeper into a hole.

"We?" she repeated. "Who's we?"

"Just some girl from basic training! She's nobody now, really." Seth knew his first kiss wasn't really nobody in his book, but he forced the words out in an attempt to reverse the pain he saw forming in Mission's chocolate eyes.

"Oh, she's nobody, is she?" Mission spat, and Seth was taken aback by the malice in her voice. "So, what, are the women you get close to just objects of entertainment, then? Until they're not around anymore and become nobodies?"

He felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Force, was that what Mission thought he was doing with her? "Hey, come on, Mish," he pleaded. "You know me, you know I'm not like that."

"Apparently I don't know you enough," she snapped back, shoving past him as she moved down the hallway toward the dorm she'd taken up residence in since they'd stolen the Hawk from Davik's estate.

"Mission!" he called after her, to no avail.

There was a hissing noise as the doors opened behind him again, and Canderous stepped out of the refresher to look down at him condescendingly. "That was impressive, kid. I've never seen anyone talk himself into a hole that fast."

Seth couldn't even respond, shuffling back into the refresher, closing the door, and slumping against the wall, wondering how in the blazes he was going to fix this.

"You're troubled, young Avery," Master Zhar told him pointedly during training that day. "Your judgement seems clouded."

Seth frowned. "I'm sorry Master, I don't mean to be distracted. I'll be more focused."

Zhar just smiled patiently. "I don't think trying harder is much of a solution," he said gently. "Why don't we take a break, and try and quell the raging emotions in your head for a moment."

Seth tensed up a bit at the prospect of discussing what was going on in his head with the Jedi Master that, although kind and supportive, hadn't yet earned his full trust. "I'm fine, Master Zhar. Really."

"Your lying is nearly bad as your Soresu form," the Twi'lek said bluntly.

Pride wounded, Seth dropped his shoulders and reluctantly sat next to Zhar. "Didn't have to make it that personal, sir," he grumbled.

Ignoring the younger Jedi's remarks, Zhar pressed forward. "So, what's clouding your mind right now, young Avery?"

"I just… got into an argument with one of my crewmates," he said slowly, exhaling as he did so. "I mean, I don't know if it really even counts as an argument, really. But some of my stupid mistakes from my past are rearing their ugly heads, and my big mouth can't help but dig deeper into every hole I find myself in." He sighed, running a hand through brown hair that had long since grown past Republic military standards. "I'm sorry, Master Zhar, I know this really doesn't have anything to do with my training."

"Oh, but it has everything to do with your training, young one," Zhar replied with a chuckle. "A Jedi isn't simply a battering ram on the battlefield with the powers of the Force behind him and a lightsaber. We're ambassadors, peacekeepers, mediators. The more problems you learn to solve that can't be fixed with a lightsaber, the better. It sounds like this situation is a perfect example of a lesson in diplomacy and conflict resolution."

"Perfect," Seth grumbled, sarcasm evident in his tones. "Not like I have a lightsaber to try and solve problems with anyways."

"Well…" Master Zhar started, and he could barely suppress an amused smile at the way the younger man's head snapped up immediately. "With how quickly your training is progressing, Master Vandar and I believe the time has come for you to craft your own lightsaber."

Seth's eyes went wide. "Master, I–"

Zhar held up a silencing hand. "I can practically feel the enthusiasm rolling off you like waves, Avery," he said calmly. "I need you to try and contain that excitement. Your lightsaber is a sacred tool. Not a weapon, not a status symbol, and most definitely not a toy. To trust you to carry one of the most defining characteristics of our Order to those outside it, we are taking a great risk. See that our risk is rewarded."

The teen swallowed hard, nodding rapidly. "Yes, sir, Master Zhar. Thank you for this honor."

Zhar allowed himself a brief chuckle. "Don't thank me just yet," he said with a smile. "You still have to build it, after all." The Jedi Master gestured towards a workbench in the corner of the room. Seth felt his heartbeat accelerate, a nervousness settling into the pit of his stomach.

"Why do I get the feeling that there's no handbook on this?"

The Twi'lek gave him a gentle smile. "Trust your instincts, apprentice. There's no better guide than the Force." He reached into his robes, pulling a small object from his pocket and holding it out to Seth. Though he could have probably deduced simply by inspecting the way the small, blue stone glinted in the light, it was the way the Force hummed around the object that told him that Zhar was handing him a kyber crystal.

Not just any kyber crystal, he corrected himself mentally as he carefully took it from Zhar's gentle grasp. His kyber crystal. The crystal thrummed with power that sent buzzing electricity from his fingertips to the rest of his body, the Force bonding him to the power within. Seth took it over to the workbench, letting that power guide him as he almost subconsciously grabbed various pieces from the workbench's stores and crafted the metal and electronics around the crystal's heartbeat.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been standing there. It felt like a few minutes, but by the way the sunlight was filtering through the academy windows, he knew that at least an hour, maybe two, had passed by the time his exhausted fingers were wrapping around the hilt of his now-completed lightsaber. He felt his breath catch in his throat as his thumb skimmed over the activation switch for the first time, his heart pounding in his chest in anticipation, and perhaps a bit of fear in the case of failure. Gritting his teeth, Seth flicked the switch, releasing the breath he'd been holding as the blue blade sprang to life with a steady hum.

There was a mixture of pride and pure joy that coursed through him and escaped in the form of wild, joyous laughter as he swung the blade back and forth experimentally. He glanced over at Zhar with a face-splitting grin, and the Jedi Master couldn't seem to help but smile at the apprentice's zeal.

"So, you now hold the weapon of a Jedi," Zhar said, folding his arms across his chest and nodding at the newly-built lightsaber in approval. "And soon, you'll hold the title of a Jedi, as well."

Seth flicked the switch again, the lightsaber deactivating with a hiss. "Define soon, Master. I know this stuff can't be rushed."

"When I say soon, I truly do mean it. We have but one final test for you before accepting you into the ranks of our Order."

"Whatever it is, I'm ready," he replied eagerly.

"I believe you are ready, too," Zhar told him. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be sending you out. However, despite how ready you may feel, I believe the person you are going to need to prove yourself to is yourself for this task. There's an ancient grove out on the plains of Dantooine, not too far from this enclave, that our Order once considered sacred. Recently, however, it's become tainted by the dark side. The taint is driving the Kath hounds in the area mad, causing them to attack the settlers in the area."

"You want me to kill the Kath hounds?" Seth asked.

"Killing the Kath hounds would solve the problem just as much as pulling at the surface would exterminate a weed. If you destroy the tainted Kath hounds, it would not be long before a new pack would wander into the grove and become tainted. To truly deal with this problem, you must deal with the source of the taint."

"And what is the source of the taint, Master Zhar?

"That is something you must discover for yourself, apprentice. Just remember, something lost doesn't have to stay lost."

Zhar's answer bewildered Seth, but he knew better than to continue to press for answers when there were none to be given. He bowed to the Jedi Master, promising to return once the taint was removed from the grove, and headed out. He passed Bastila on his way through the academy's courtyard, and she nodded at him.

"So they've decided to send you on your final task?" she asked inquisitively.

"They have," he replied. "I suppose it wouldn't do much good to ask for your help, would it?"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Seth. I wasn't even briefed on the details of your trial, and I cannot accompany you outside the walls of this academy. I wish you luck, however."

"Thanks, I'm guessing I'll need it."

Bastila offered a rare smile. "Zhar wouldn't send you off if you didn't have what it took to accomplish what he's sent you out to do. Trust your instincts."

"I will. Thanks Bastila."

She nodded, moving briskly to continue walking past him, before stopping and turning on heel with a final thought. "Seth!" she called. He turned to face her once again, and she smiled again, wider this time. "May the Force be with you."

There was a significant amount of tension that filled the air when Seth and Mission, along with T3-M4, traveled beyond the walls of the Jedi Academy for the first time into the vast plains of Dantooine the next day. The poor little astromech gave an uneasy beep at the stony silence that had settled between the two teenagers. Seth did his best to hold his tongue, knowing that he'd been the one to offend earlier and that Mission would likely talk to him when she was ready, but ultimately he was the first to speak as they continued to walk through the grassy hills.

"Are we just gonna keep this awkward silence going for the rest of our lives, or are we actually gonna talk about what happened yesterday?" His voice had a bit of edge to it, built up by frustration that ultimately was directed at himself.

Mission caught right on to the irritation in his voice, however, and shot back with some poison in her own vocal tones as well. "I'm not sure, I think I like it better when you're silent," she said through clenched teeth. "Less likely to hurt me if you can't speak."

Deep down, Seth knew he should have just taken the time to slow down and really hear the pain behind her anger, but he couldn't stop himself from going on the defensive and attempting to protect his own pride. "Hurt you?I'm sorry, I'm failing to see how you overreacting to something I did months before we met is my fault. I can't help that I had sixteen years of life I lived before meeting you."

He could see the bitter tears welling up in Mission's eyes and almost regretted opening his mouth at all. Perhaps it was better when he kept his thoughts to himself.

"Overreacting? You can't be serious, Seth."

"I can't imagine what it is that you legitimately have reason to be worked up over, so, yeah, I'm serious." Every part of his conscience was screaming for him to relent, but his pride continued to drive the conversation forward despite his better judgement.

"Well, it's obvious you don't actually care about my thinking or my reasoning, because you're so wrapped up in trying to defend yourself, so I don't really see much point in explaining myself to you," she said dismissively.

"I'm not defending myself!" he retorted, completely unaware of the irony in arguing. "You said it yourself, I don't understand, so help me to understand."

She stopped in her tracks, whirling around to face him, voice angry. "You completely trivialized something that I thought meant something more. If kissing a girl, or doing Force knows what else you did with that girl, meant nothing to you, then how am I supposed to think it means anything to you when you kiss me?" Seth sat back in stunned silence at that point, his defensive posture deflating as he recognized the hurt in her voice that he'd caused.

Mission's anger subsided as well in that moment, and with a weary drop of her shoulders, her voice quieted. "And maybe it's not fair of me to assume you do mean anything by it when you kiss me. But it means something to me, and whatever's going on between us, it's not some casual fling for me."

Guilt settled into a deep, heavy weight upon his shoulders and Seth took a deep breath. "Man. Mission, I'm sorry." He breathed out shakily and fixed his eyes on the skyline, a flock of brith soaring low over the plains. "I got so caught up in myself that I didn't even realize how you might have received what I was saying. And… and maybe I lied a little bit because I was scared of how you'd react if you found out, but what I had with that girl back at the academy wasn't nothing then, and it still isn't. And I was scared, because what I feel for you sure isn't nothing either, and I really wanna see where it goes because it's new, and it's exciting, and it's been the first thing to give me some sort of hope since Drea and I had to go our separate ways."

Mission's lips drew into a thin line as she listened to the words tumbling out of Seth's mouth, seemingly faster than he could stop them. "Seth, if you want to see where this goes, you have to be honest with me. And sure, maybe I didn't realize how important it'd be to me to hear your history with this stuff until I was forced to think about it for the first time yesterday morning. And maybe I'm a little insecure because I can name off all the guys who've ever been more than a friend to me in my life pretty quickly: it's only you. It only ever has been you. And all the while, there's this girl that I could be compared with? Who was lucky enough to snag a guy like you? I don't know if I can compete."

"Stop," Seth said gently, his hand moving to rest on her cheek. She tensed as if considering flinching away, but the way his fingers softly traced her jaw gave her pause. "You don't have to compete. There has never been a moment with you where I've thought of her in your place. She was a first crush, a first kiss, and yeah, there may have been a moment before we had to separate that we went a little further than that, but if I'd known there was someone better on the other side of this deployment…" he trailed off, unsure what to say. "I'm never gonna see her again, Mission. That's in the past. But you and I are right here, right now. So why don't we just see where it goes?"

She signed, leaning into his touch. "I just don't wanna be some girl you talk about in the past tense to whoever's on the other side of your next deployment. I can't be that girl. I won't be."

"So what do you want? How do we move forward?" His questions were earnest and genuine, and Mission smiled as she gently pulled his hand from her face, squeezing it once before letting go.

"Time. I need time. Because I want to see where this goes, too. But it means too much to me to rush into it."

Seth opened his mouth to respond, but a frantic bleep from T3-M4 shook both teens out of the emotionally-charged conversation and brought them back to the reality that faced them outside of the Jedi Academy's walls. He could sense the three Kath hounds stalking up behind them before he saw them, and for the first time, he drew his lightsaber for the purpose of combat. The snap-hiss sound of the blue blade springing to life caught the hounds' attention, and there was a brief howl from the pack leader before the beasts began to charge.

Mission and T3 had their blasters out and at the ready, squeezing several shots off into two of the Kath hounds before they fell to the ground with a whimper. The third, outpacing its counterparts, launched itself into the air, its jowls hanging open and sharp teeth at the ready to sink into Seth's neck. With a quick sweep of his lightsaber, however, the creature's lifeless body barreled into the young Jedi, knocking him off his feet and earning a wild laugh from Mission.

He couldn't tell if he was embarrassed or grateful for the lighthearted break in an otherwise heavy conversation, but Seth laughed freely along with her as he deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it back onto his belt.

Mission helped him to his feet with a smirk. "And they say those things aren't as clumsy or random as a blaster."

There was the faintest hint of squeaking leather as Carth pivoted for the umpteenth time to walk the length of the Ebon Hawk's hold. Canderous, slouched in a chair with his legs propped up on the holotable at the center of the room, glanced up from polishing his blaster rifle with a scoff.

"Would you quit your pacing already, Republic? You're going to burn a hole in the bottom of your boots."

Carth pivoted again, glaring at the Mandalorian as he continued to walk before turning his angry gaze on Bastila as well. "What, am I supposed to just be fine that we sent the kids out alone to deal with Force-knows-what?"

"They've proved themselves more than capable, Carth," Bastila replied calmly, as if it were the most logical conclusion in the world.

"Besides," Canderous added, "they're not alone, they've got the little astro-droid."

"I'm not sure you guys have been listening to the farmers who come in to visit the enclave. Between feral Kath hounds, Mandalorian stragglers, mysterious murders and feuding families, those plains are an absolute mess."

"It's a Jedi custom that an apprentice braves that turmoil without the guidance of a teacher, commander or mentor," Bastila explained. "Seth's lucky that the council even qualified Mission and T3 as viable travel companions under those guidelines. Most apprentices brave their Padawan trials alone, and at a much younger age."

"Well, it's a wonder so many of you ever make it to knighthood, then," Carth grumbled.

"Oh, would you shut up?" Canderous grunted, tossing his rifle onto the holotable in frustration. Bastila shot him a grateful look, likely for speaking the words she wished she could say but the Code forbade her to. Carth stopped his pacing in that moment, his mouth dropping open incredulously. "You act like those kids haven't been through hell and back over the past few months. Have you really gotten so used to this cushy life here on Dantooine that you've forgotten everything that happened on Taris?"

"Well, no, I–"

"We get it, Onasi. You couldn't protect your own family from the war, and now you're trying to find some sort of redemption in these kids. But that's not how it works."

A tense silence fell over the hold as Carth stood there, seething but unable to refute a word the Mandalorian said. Canderous felt none of the satisfaction that typically would have come alongside being proven right, however, his focus fully on standing in the gap and defending the honor of two teenagers that had more than impressed him during their time together. "Those kids are some of the toughest, smartest, most resilient people I've met in this whole galaxy. Hell, I don't think I can name many Mandalorians even who had as much grit at their age as those two do. So show a little faith, Onasi. They're the reason we're not lying dead beneath the rubble of Taris' skyline right now."

Carth never resumed his pacing.

"We're getting closer," Seth said as he deactivated his lightsaber and stepped over a Kath hound corpse. "Keep your guard up."

Mission wiped the sweat from her brow, although she wasn't quite sure what good it did. The Dantooine plains were especially humid, and she felt wet and sticky no matter how much she tried to relieve herself of the feeling. "How do you know?" she asked.

"Well, for one thing," he said as he led her towards a rock outcropping obscuring their view of the plains beyond, "the Kath hound attacks are becoming more and more frequent. And on another note, I can feel it. Like a big, ominous pit in the bottom of my stomach."

"Well, that's comforting. And what exactly are we looking for, again?"

"I'm not sure," he responded thoughtfully. "Some sort of dark side taint. But I have no idea what form that will take. I'm sure I'll know it when I see it though. The Force is strong here, and sending out all sorts of crazy signals right now."

Mission arched an eyebrow, bewildered. "The more you tell me about the Force, the harder it is to wrap my head around it all," she mused.

They rounded the corner, in that moment, and her musings stopped short at the sight in front of her. There was a small structure ahead, crumbling pillars and stone carvings warmed by Dantooine's sun, and sitting cross-legged at the center surrounded by a slew of dead Mandalorian warriors, a Cathar woman. An ominous chill ran down Mission's spine as the woman looked up at the two intruders and she made contact with a pair of yellow, cat-like eyes. "Is this what we're looking for?" she whispered to Seth.

She found her answer in the snap-hiss sound of his lightsaber activating, the blue blade springing to life as he slid into a defensive stance. T3 let out an uneasy dwoooo, his gears whirring as his blasters primed for firing. "Me too, little guy," Mission said, unholstering her blaster.

"Hold your fire," Seth whispered to her, motioning for her to keep her blaster lowered before calling out to the figure seated in the grove ahead. "My name is Seth Avery. The Jedi Council has sent me to deal with the taint of the dark side here in this grove."

Mission thought she saw a flash of hurt cross the woman's features as she stood up to face them, the silver of a lightsaber hilt on her hand catching a glint of the sun's late afternoon rays. "So the Council's sent you to kill me," the woman stated, a hint of sadness in her declaration of the conclusion she'd drawn. With a flick of her wrist, her lightsaber activated as well, the blue mirroring Seth's. "I will do what I must to survive."

"Hold on, I wasn't sent to kill any–" Seth's protest was cut off as the woman closed the distance between them in a single leap, and he had to swing his lightsaber up to block the vicious overhead slash that the Cathar had unleashed. Mission and T3 took that as a signal to join in the battle, and unleashed a barrage of blasterfire as best they could while avoiding hitting Seth standing in such close quarters with the woman. There was a blur of blue light as the Cathar disengaged from combat with Seth to deflect the blaster bolts, and with a frustrated huff, she threw her hand out and Mission found herself flying backwards as if knocked off her feet by an invisible fist.

Seth closed the distance between himself and their assailant again, this time clearly on the offensive instead of the defensive. As Mission fought to catch her breath, she couldn't help but admire the way the two combatants danced around one another, their blades tangling together in a magnificent display of blue light. She hadn't had the opportunity to sit in on many of Seth and Bastila's sparring lessons, but in this moment she realized that as time had gone on and Seth had begun walking up the loading ramp with significantly less bruises decorating his lean body, it wasn't because Bastila had started going easy on him - it was because he'd developed the skill necessary to hang in there with the best of them.

As she struggled to her feet, a bit dazed after the blow of the Force push, Mission considered that perhaps Seth's increased skill in swordsmanship had even outpaced his growing command of the Force.

Still, it was clear that he was still a Jedi-in-training while facing a foe that was obviously far more experienced. Mission scrambled for her dropped blaster pistol before firing a few shots in the Cathar's direction. "Isn't she supposed to be on your side?" she shouted over to Seth, indicating the ocean-blue color of the woman's lightsaber that matched his.

"She obviously isn't!" Seth replied with a grunt, pushing against their locked blades to try and give himself a little space to switch up his stance. The Cather attacked with more ferocity and tenacity than he'd ever experienced in his duels with Bastila, and he was grateful for the elder Jedi's insistence on perfection as they'd trained together, because he was acutely aware of the cost any mistake on his part would have in this particular battle.

"T3 and I just need an opening!" Mission called out to him, unwilling to pull the trigger of her blaster until Seth was a safer distance away.

While it seemed like he wanted to come up with a snappy retort, she figured Seth had had enough of this duel for the both of them. He threw his hand out, sending the Cathar sliding back on her heels with the assistance of the Force as he leapt backwards, performing a neat back tuck before landing deftly to his feet several meters away. Mission and T3 opened fire, shooting to disarm. She had to duck below her own blaster bolts being sent back in her direction, but Mission let out a whoop of victory when one of T3's shots hit home to strike the Cathar's shoulder.

She let out a howl of pain as the lightsaber slipped from her grip, and Seth called the weapon into his hand using the Force, brandishing it at its owner alongside his own. "Nice shot, little guy," he breathed heavily, nodding at T3. The little astromech chittered appreciatively.

"Do it quickly," the woman pleaded, falling to her knees before Seth.

The lightsaber blades hummed in his hands, but Seth kept his hands still as he looked down at her. "I told you, I'm not here to kill you."

She scoffed, disbelieving. "Why else would you be here? You come to my grove, my place of dark power, my one sanctuary on this world where I can hide away from everything I turned against… for what?"

Seth frowned. "You were a Jedi at the academy, weren't you?" He glanced down at the unfamiliar lightsaber still glowing blue in his hand. "What happened?"

Mission didn't expect the expression of pain and regret to flash across the Cathar's face, all elements of the bitter rage and anger she'd been expressing just minutes earlier seemingly draining from her body in defeat. Her eyes strayed from Seth and down to the ground in remorse. "It was a moment – just one moment of blinding anger during training. I lost control and slew my Master, Quatra. And… and I ran. Before she even hit the floor I knew I'd done something so terrible, something I could never undo. And I knew my life as a Jedi was over." When she looked back up, her golden eyes shone unmistakably with unshed tears. "And so now I'm alone in this grove. I had thought that perhaps my story was to be held up before the younglings as a cautionary tale of the dangers of giving into emotion. The tragedy of Juhani. But perhaps that was too much to hope for. One cannot slay a Master of the Force and not expect the consequence of vengeance."

Mission watched Seth her carefully for a moment, weighing the threat the woman posed versus the encouragement and comfort she undoubtedly needed. He sighed heavily, deactivating the lightsabers and moving to crouch on his haunches. Mission's grip tightened around the blaster she still held at the ready. Seth may have been making a risky move in trusting this stranger, but that didn't mean she had to trust her. Especially not with the life of this boy who'd somehow both captured her heart and irritated the hell out of her with his monologue on the plains earlier.

"I don't know how long it's been since you've surrounded yourself with a bunch of Jedi," Seth said gently, a smile in his voice, "but if you need a reminder, they're not exactly big on vengeance. You said your name was Juhani?"

The woman nodded meekly.

"So, as one of the newer apprentices here at the academy, I can promise you that there are no stories detailing your situation that are being used to warn people of the dangers of the dark side. And to be honest, Juhani, while I was sent here to remove the dark taint from this grove, I don't think you are the taint. Something inside you, maybe, but not you as a whole."

Juhani shook her head. "I've fallen to the dark side. What other option could there be to remove the taint but to kill me?"

"I don't exactly think you've fallen to the dark side," Seth countered, and Mission was surprised at the boldness in his statement. "You might be using that as your excuse to avoid the real problem and actually change yourself, but no one who's embraced the dark side would have felt the shame and guilt you're feeling right now over what you did. And from what I can tell… you're lonely, aren't you? You miss the Jedi."

"So what, you're saying to just… just change?" she asked incredulously. "And move forward as if nothing happened?"

"Not exactly. You can't just ignore what happened. But you can hold onto it as a reminder of where you've been and where you never want to be again. And you can head back to the enclave, and own up for what you've done, and accept responsibility along with whatever consequences the Council may deem necessary. But that sure seems a hell of a lot better than being alone out here."

Juhani seemed to mull it over for a bit, chewing thoughtfully on her bottom lip. "I have a feeling this won't be quite as easy as you're saying," she murmured, before looking back up at Seth. "But you are right. No fate could be worse than sitting alone and seeping myself in the darkness as I have been. I want to accept responsibility for what I've done." She stood to her feet, Seth along with her, and dusted herself off. "Please, return my lightsaber to the Jedi Council. I do not want to walk into the enclave armed. And give them notice that I will be coming."

He nodded at her briefly as she turned to gather what little belongings she had scattered throughout the grove, before turning away, Mission and T3 following. The little astromech kept his blaster trained upon the woman until they rounded the corner again, the Jedi enclave's infrastructure looming across the plains ahead of them.

"That was… not what I expected," Mission said, though it was the understatement of the century. Seeing him find a delicate balance between spouting Jedi wisdom and being his down-to-earth self was intriguing to her, and it was a moment that had so clearly defined the careful growing and maturing he'd done in his time at the academy. His insistence to see goodness where Mission likely would have only seen an enemy convicted her, but she ducked her head to hide a blush when she realized how incredibly attractive she found that quality of his.

He shrugged. "We've all been through some pretty crappy situations," he said thoughtfully. "The difference is, we've had each other. Looks like she had no one. That would be enough to drive anyone into darkness. I can't imagine having to deal with everything the galaxy's dealt us alone."

"You won't have to," Mission said gently, and when he glanced over at her, she smiled sweetly. "You may drive me up a wall sometimes, Seth, but I'm not going anywhere. You'll never have to walk this galaxy alone. Not again, anyways."

He reached down to lace his fingers with hers, and despite her better judgement, she let him. "Neither will you."

She felt the urge to break the moment, fearful of letting her heart vulnerably settle into this comfortable space with him. But with the way his emerald eyes shone as he looked down at her and the way his hand fit against hers, she couldn't bear to. She just grinned, leaning into him and holding tight the whole way back.