Residential Building - Dining Hall

Bria starts to speak first after Atlantis joins them and asks how the investigation into Lavigne and the stolen mask is going, sighing as she admits, "It has hit a bit of a dead end. . ."

Veda, having already started to speak as Bria began speaking, not realizing they are talking over one another, is saying, "Not very well, I'm afraid . . ."

Aidan, believing the question to have been directed at him as, technically speaking, Master Franz assigned the investigation to him, Veda and Bria both having simply agreed to help him in whatever they could out of an espris de corps that is not uncommon among the Jedi Initiates and Padawans of the Mist Order, dramatically announces right over his friends replies, "The game is afoot, Grandmaster Vyridian, sir! It is true, he gives Bria and Veda both a glance that is equal parts annoyed and amused as he lifts an index finger aloft and declares, that the fiend has slipped the net for the moment, but I am quite confident that I will soon have his scent again! Rest assured, Grandmaster Vyridian, sir, that, with the Force as my witness, I shall not rest until Lavigne, and all those who have used him to advance their sinister, foul plot, have been brought to Justice, with their dastardly plans foiled!"

Resting her face in her palm, embarrassed by Aidan's customarily spirited and overly dramatic delivery, Bria shakes her head as she quietly mutters, "Oh, for the love of the Force."

Veda, always one to try and be supportive, smiles beneath her veil as she tells Atlantis, "It is true, Grandmaster, Aidan does have some ideas about how . . ."

Interrupting Veda before she says anything too revealing, Aidan says, "Ha ha! Yes, Grandmaster, sir, I have a few leads I intend to follow up on post haste that I am quite confident will reveal Lavigne's trail no matter how cleverly he might have tried to conceal his footsteps! I will use everything I have learned, every tool, every single lead and every clue, no matter how insignificant it might seem, at my disposal, to see this investigation through to the end! Lavigne will not escape justice for long, this I vow to the Force!"

Despite the Grandmaster's offer to give them all a moment to ponder the question posed by the Vice Governor, Aidan is the first to reply. Nodding when Atlantis suggests that he be more subtle, which Aidan takes to mean that he should be more brief in his replies, Aidan folds his three fingered hands together on the table and composes himself before speaking. Looking Andros squarely in the eyes, the diminutive Gupin boldly reinforces his earlier assertions with calm and utter certainty, "I will go however far it takes, Vice Governor, to see the task that has been assigned to me through to its very end. There is nothing but resolve in Aidan's tone, flowery as his delivery may be, and that resolve is every bit as firm within his mind should anyone seek to peer into it; Aidan does not often discuss the events which led to his departure from his people's colony on Endor, but those events have left him with an unquenchable thirst for justice that drives him to become a Jedi Guardian with a passion he has never felt the need to conceal. Addressing the second part of Andros' question, Aidan says with a cool confidence that is based on both personal experience and the teachings he has learned at the Mist Order Academy, I know how to control my emotions, Vice Governor. I do not fear my anger, and will never give in to it."

Bria is the next to speak, resting her chin atop the knuckles of her right hand as, more cautious in nature than Aidan, she tells Andros, "I don't think your question can really be answered, sir, until we find out just what kind of challenges, or temptations, lay in store. Glancing at Aidan apologetically, Bria explains, While I share Aidan's belief that I have learned to keep my emotions in check, I have never really been tested. With a shrug of her shoulders more indicative of surrendering to facts rather than not taking the matter seriously, Bria asks rhetorically, Can anyone truly say how they will react to the challenges or temptations the future may have in store for them?"

Veda, chewing on her lower lip beneath her veil - not in nervousness but rather as it is a habit she has formed when gathering her thoughts - when it is her turn to speak, tells Andros, "I think, together, we would be able to keep one another from falling from the Light no matter what may come, sir. We all want to do our duty, and will do whatever is required of us, and while we might not know what that might mean we need to face, so long as we face it together, I am sure that we will prevail so long as we do not forget what we have learned."

The pleased, in the cases of Veda and Aidan, or relieved, in the case of Bria, expressions on the trio of young Jedi students are plain to see when Andros tells them that there were no incorrect answers to his question. The students are all, however, visibly surprised when Andros goes on to reveal that he had nearly killed his own brother in the past, which Atlantis confirms shortly thereafter. All shown signs of understanding the point that Andros had been making about the advantage of having others to keep one in check, and that his assertion that the lessons they have learned from the instructors at the Mist Order Academy are, no matter how difficult they might seem to some at times, aimed at making them better Jedi and individuals; the fact that Andros had obviously been brought back from the place he had been in when he tried to kill Atlantis by those same teachers and teachings as sound and undeniable an endorsement as one could want.

Veda pats Saoirse on the back after the Zabrak has added her own answer to those the others had given, telling her, "We will have your back, Saoirse, don't worry."

Aidan, looking reflective for a moment after Atlantis cautions him to be mindful of the potential consequences of his actions as well as of the need to account for other variables even though he is willing to go however far he needs to go to complete his task, says somberly, "I understand, Grandmaster. Lifting the first of three fingers of his right hand into the air, he proclaims confidently with his usual dramatic flair, I shall take no action without those very concerns firmly in mind, this I swear before you and the Force now!"

Resting her chin on her hand, an index finger over her lips to conceal her amused smile, Bria says, "And Aidan has no trouble at all asking for help. In fact . . ."

Interrupting Bria for fear of what she might reveal before he is ready for it to be revealed, Aidan laughs heartily, "Ha ha! Yes, I have learned my lessons well about the value of teamwork, Grandmaster. In fact, I asked Saoirse for her help in gaining access to the fiend Lavigne's datapad. She was able to uncover not only incontrovertible proof of Lavigne's guilt, but also that he had cleared out his bank accounts prior to the UPD raid on his home. The wily, dastardly fiend is on the run, yes, but we will find him, I am sure of it."

Not the kind of person to interrupt, Mace was leaning against the dining hall’s doorframe when her gaze locked with Andros’. Her presence in the Force was always masked, of course, and therefore no one would probably exactly know how long she had been standing there, or how much she heard or didn’t hear. Fact was, she never exactly needed to hear what people were saying, their minds did the talking for her.

That was one of the facet of hers that she never revealed. One of her innate abilities, she was a telepath, and all the time, she had to focus herself to not let that ability of hers roam free, but this wasn’t one of those times, especially when she had previously heard from where she was her name being thought as it was spoken no doubt by Andros.

That one lingering question about Atlantis’ stab wound that had been going on in the Academy, no more further mysteries there. That actually got Mace to slightly smile before finally inclining her head towards Andros.

Pushing away from the doorframe and walking over towards the beverages still available, Mace found herself next to a Togruta, Mahela, Saoirse’s friend. “Hi.” Mace greeted her with a friendly smile, she wasn’t wearing any Jedi robes but she still did have one of her lightsabers hanging on her right hip. She was sporting her usual signature look, which consisted of just fitting pants, black flat knee length boots and black v-neck shirt. Her white cloak was currently in her hand as with her empty one she started pouring herself some coffee.

“Enjoying your stay, I hope?” Asked Mace genuinely before adding on as she turned to face the Vyridian twins while she leaned against the table that had the beverages. “I am Mace, and I am glad that you are here for your friend too.” Pointing in the Zabrak’s figure direction with her cup, Mace took a sip of her drink nodded knowingly.

Saoirse smiles when Veda tells her that she and her friends have her back, telling her, "Thanks," even though the conversation the question Andros asked of everyone has her feeling less certain about how good of an idea it is that she helps Adian and his friends out any more than she has. If Aidan is right and the theft of the mask involves more than an art thief, a part of Saoirse isn't sure how well her experience playing on a bolo-ball team will translate to being part of a team of Jedi students tracking down a thief that might end up being a part of a more sinister plot. Even if Aidan and the others are more experienced than she is, Saoirse isn't sure the fact she is so new to learning about how to use the Force would not only make her a liability. Another part of her is just a little excited by the idea of moving on from learning about using the Force and what it means to be a Jedi to actually doing something with what she has learned, and with all of the talk of teamwork Saoirse is left feeling like maybe she should not let her fears about what could happen stop her from helping out in whatever way she can.

Saoirse nods when Andros answers one of her earlier questions about why he has chosen politics over teaching, resisting the urge to make a joke about politics probably being just as, if not more, likely to involve things that might arouse frustration or anger, and says only, "That makes a lotta sense," since it does seem pretty unlikely that politics would involve many of the Force related issues he would like to avoid. Like most young adults, Saoirse has a tendency to think that those older than her are more wise and confident, so finds it surprising to hear Andros say that he is not ready, yet, to deal with Force stuff. Were it Atlantis making that statement, Saoirse would probably ask more about why he feels that way, or what he thinks he needs to do to be ready, or if he even wants to ever deal with such things, but since she told herself after the way Andros seemed a bit dismissive of her earlier bout of verbal diarrhea that she would try and avoid letting her curiosity lead her to asking a bajillion questions like she often does, she manages to keep herself in check.

After Atlantis tells her that Mahela is in good company after telling no one in particular that someone bound to show up when needed has in fact shown up, Saoirse follows his gaze and sees her friend talking to Mace. Smiling as she tells Atlantis, "Yep, she couldn't do much better, right? Saoirse turns to Andros and says, Looks like your brother was right," since he was asking whether Mace was planetside earlier. Drumming her hands on her knees to vent some of her usual hyperactivity, Saoirse feels pretty proud of herself for resisting the urge to ask if accessing the vault to get his lightsabers was the only reason Andros was looking for Mace or if there were other reasons, and waits to hear how Aidan answers the question Atantis asked about what his plans for the day are as far as his investigation goes.

Mahela is sipping her juice when Mace comes along and introduces herself. Smiling as she replies, Mahela says in her soft-spoken voice, "Hello. It is nice to meet you. Saoirse speaks very highly of you, she says without giving her name since she assumes from the fact that Mace knows she and Saoirse are friends that there is no need to do so. Replying to question about how she has been enjoying her stay, Mahela says, It has been wonderful to spend time together, yes. Laughing softly, she adds in a mildly melancholy tone at odds with her laugh and smiling expression, I don't think I am quite used to not having her as my roommate yet, "as it has been adjustment going from having Saoirse around more often than not to having a room to herself and spending more time alone than before.

Moving on as though not inclined to dwell on the subject long, Mahela's tone takes on a mildly concerned tone as she says, "I think our time together is about to be cut short, explaining as she glances at where Saoirse and the others are sitting, Aidan has asked her to help with his investigation, she smiles, and seems very eager to get on with it." Sipping her juice, Mahela tells herself that she probably has no reason to worry for her friend. The question Andros had asked was probably, she imagines, only a general warning about the potential dangers Jedi could face, and she also cannot imagine Atlantis would allow her friend to do anything too dangerous. Even though Mahela knows that being a Jedi will mean that Saoirse may eventually find herself in dangerous situations, she prefers to think those things are a ways off in the future since Saoirse has only just begun to train to be a Jedi.