Meditation Garden.

"Always," I say with a nod. "Well, I'll let you get back to your Academy business. Thank you so much for your insight." I take my leave cheerfully and set a leisurely pace back through the garden toward the residential hall. My talk with the Instructor has left me with a welcome sense of clarity of purpose, and I'm ready and eager to pursue this unusual quest wherever it may lead.

*Ralph had been looking for Terra for most of the afternoon, knowing she had classes today. He finally strode into the gardens look for her, a smile beaming as wide as his face would allow. He had big news for her. He spotted her and ran over, waving her down.* 

Terra! Hey, I have some news for you! *He began to slow down then finally stopped in front of her.* I have been speaking with the masters, and with your trials still approaching, they felt it would be nice for you to take some time off, so they approved a ca,ping trip for us. I was thinking near the beaches a few miles outside of Coronet.

They said around five days to a week, but I am sure that is up to you. They have a shuttle set aside for us to get there.

*Ralph seemed rather excited himself, but not all for the same reasons. He had been on Corellia for about a month and kept up fantastically with his training. Though he had some difficulty with with minor classes like history, he excelled in others. But all in all, he had not gotten to really get away from the academy with Terra. It was a rare opportunity to do something with the best friend he had on the planet. His smile carried on.*

I'm sure we could stop off in Coronet and but what ever we might need. They told me that we could leave as soon as we are ready. I will just get some things in Coronet since I don't really have much in the way of clothes anyway, but you can go ahead and pack up.

*In his excitement, Ralph had hardly realized that Terra was embarrassed, let alone the reason behind it. All that could be felt from Ralph was a happy, anticipating attitude. He seemed to relax though, letting his smile ease up and his stance to slacken a bit.*

The young Jedi stepped from the cool of the corridor into the relative heat of the meditation garden. There was a scattering of people, all silent and at various stages in their reflections. She looked around, nerves somewhat taking over her. It had been many years since she meditated. In the past she found that she never really had the patience for sitting still and being quiet; she would much rather be perfecting her piloting skills or searching through star maps for distant worlds. Her previous Master on Cirrus had called her a restless soul, as did her Mother before him. She had heard others talking, calling her the same.

The light breeze that rippled through the air tickled her cheeks and made her curls float about her face. Her dark eyes narrowed as she scanned the garden, looking for a spot where she could sit without disruption. After a few seconds, she found a place and moved quickly towards it. All the other Jedi were too engrossed to notice her presence. She sat down and crossed her legs. She inhaled deeply and adjusted her position before exhaling.

“Right, let’s give this a go”

Newly returned from Coruscant as an appointed High Councilor, Jade was moving through the academy in search of Terra Kiros and cutting a shortcut through the gardens of meditation. However, she stopped, considering. The aura suffused in sadness centering in the gazebo was one that she recognized in passing. Diamonte Tuhlute. He had been one of the first arrivals in the Spire on Coruscant. And he'd been very much involved in the events around Carida.

She turned and walked over to where he was, footsteps lightly crackling a fallen leaf or two as she approached. A few feet away from him she stopped, not going to mention that it had been awhile since he'd seen a 'fresher, and bowed in greeting. "Master Diamonte Tuhlute, I believe?" though she knew full well it was him. Calm green eyes contemplated him standing there, the peaceful background of the lake behind him and the sound of falling water providing a gentle backdrop against which to hold a conversation. "Welcome to the Corellian Academy."

'Your grace?' Altogether a flowery title generally belonging to a politician. I've never been one. My experiences with politics have led me to seek a much more quiet, unobtrusive, and generally longer-lived lifestyle. Those to whom such titles belong seem to possess them a very short, violent time.

Jade hardly grimaced. "I'm not a grace, Diamonte. It would be more likely for me to be an Element." She was a bit rough, or hardened for the semi-pampered lifestyle of the born politicians and royalty. Far from ugly, she was not yet what most would consider 'pretty.' The hand of Father Time had chiseled her facial features into angular planes more resembling the elegant lines of a bird of prey, erasing the softness of the adolescent. "A seat is hardly necessary," she replied quietly, moving to the edge of the gazebo and lightly leaning upon the railing, just a shade more relaxed than her usual rigidly erect posture.

Brilliant emerald eyes contemplate the forlorn figure of the worn out Jedi sitting on the floor in front of her. He seemed much the worse for wear, having let his appearance run downhill since the meeting of the Jedi on Coruscant.

Carida. So much rested upon that specific place and point in time. It was the epicenter of a ripple effect that had spread outward and rocked most of them in one way or another. Jade knew it would come back to this eventually. All things return to the place of their birth ultimately.

The sole ornament upon Jade's person was twin gold and jet knotwork hairsticks, a matched set that held her long black hair twisted up at the back of her head. A ray of sunlight glinted off one of them with a peculiar radiance that vanished a millisecond later.

"Secrets have a way of being discovered," was her enigmatic opening remark. However dubious circumstances might appear, she herself truly did not know how Carida had been traced. Her path was one that had not been followed. She had never spoken of Carida, even during her subsequent decision to augment her bank account by collecting a large posted bounty upon her own self. "There is more to winning than winning. How one wins is of utmost importance. Some would say it is the only thing that divides us from the Sith. Did anyone ever carry out the proposed strike on the Oyu'baat?" she queried.

As he lost himself in whatever he was holding, even to the point of tears, Jade spoke quietly, but firmly, unless he was truly gone, the steel would penetrate even to his subconscious eventually. "It is not given to you, or anyone, to determine your own worth. That is for your actions, posterity, and history, Diamonte. Enough of this 'lesser man' talk." Whomever he had lost had obviously been close, but wallowing was never a healthy thing. A period of mourning yes, forgetfulness with the aid of strong drink, also yes. She wondered if he had proceeded through that portion of grief yet. If he did not, he was in danger of letting this thing overwhelm his sense of being.

Jade smiled. There were many different techniques for remembering and accessing those memories. Diamonte's appeared to be attached to vague physical flipping gestures almost as if he was reading an invisible book. 

Knowing the Mandalorians as she did, she suspected that during that specific attack, no amount of defense would have held out indefinitely. She still had not managed to get the details from the Admiral, though she was under the impression that Taung was behind the strike and had only passed along the outcome after the fact. Time would tell, because she was determined to find out.

"You take on too much blame, Diamonte, I am thinking." She knew, of course, that this would have little affect upon his attitude and decisions, but she put it out there anyway. Maybe eventually he'd remember it. "Defense...is ultimately a losing strategy, and in this case, overwhelming force seems to have been applied. But I do not have all the details to hand," she shrugged expressively.

It was a good thing he managed to calm himself down. Though she had rudimentary knowledge of healing, most of her first aid knowledge relied upon practical battlefield usage, not the Force itself. She preferred to refer those types of things to those who specialized in healing, like Twi'Lek Master Nalatua'lin down in the infirmary.

"One can only run so far, for so long... the war will eventually find you, though you may perhaps delay it for a time. It is necessary to withdraw in order to regroup, but if you have decided to seek the path of the hermit for now, do not get lost. There are those who would benefit from your society, knowledge, and presence even if you are unable to see it for yourself."

"To Bakura it seems you will be going then." Jade replied, more a thinking out loud than a query or declaration. She was well aware that the Force did not always seem to make sense on the surface in how people were led to do various things. Somehow, most of the time, they seemed to be in the right place at the right time, depending on one's point of view of course.

She accepted the handkerchief and items he offered her, though a bit confused by his doing so. Jade led a spartan lifestyle for the most part, collecting few personal possessions and wearing little jewelry...the main exception being a ring on her left hand of carefully wrought marble and gold, with three Corusca gems set into it equidistantly from each other. "Thank you Diamonte, but, I believe this is more a human tradition? I have nothing to offer you in return---I was unaware of the holiday." Indeed, Terran celebrations often seemed complex.

"In that case, I believe it is the custom to wish you safe travels. I am sure our paths will cross again eventually. And, if you'd listen to an old woman, I'd suggest you get at least twelve hours of sleep before setting out on your journey." She returned his bow with a graceful one of her own, watched him leave before turning back to the distant waterfall for a moment, and then headed off herself to see where Terra had gotten to again, determining that in the future her padawan was going to be traveling with her unless there was some extremely pressing reason standing against it.