Temple of Karabor

Zion remained impassive as the boy gave his word that a month would be enough and that he would not do anything to defile the temple, on his honor. As the boy bowed, he took note of the name he used to introduce himself. Matthew Di'Nova. Zion continued to remain silent as Matthew continued his over exaggerated introduction. A small smirk forming for the first time since this meeting started. One that remained firmly there as the by inquired as to what Ashara's name was using a turn of phrase which he himself would have once used. He had to hold the greatest poker face in the galaxy then, as Ashara latched onto the choice of word and acted offended. The grin growing on his face when she at last burst out giggling, no longer able to hold herself together.

He shook his head as he smiled. No matter how stern or unimpressed he had been before, there was just something infectious about Ashara. Her ability to put him into a good mood was quite unusual. Though he had experienced it a couple times before, this was somewhat different. Something he suspected that had to do with her unique history. He let out a sigh and settled his gaze on Ashara
That much... I can confirm...
He turned his attention back to Matthew then. Certain the boy must have almost had a small heart attack
Once you are done almost dying, I can show you around the Temple and we can sort out a room for you to stay in...

Ashara raised an eye brow as Matthew continued to shower her with praise for doing nothing. Her tail swished back and forth with large motions, similar to that of a feline.

=Ashara=
One in a million? No, youngling, I'm one of a kind. Something I'd recommend you not forget.

Her hands folded in front of her, Ashara turned her golden eyes to the older man and would wait to see if Zion required anything else of her.



Smiling at the eagerness of Kalene, Ashara rose with her crumb covered plate and deposited where it would be cleaned by Temple staff later, or perhaps another initiate with a less kind master. But soon she led the young woman from the dinning hall and back into the maze of corridors that was the Temple. Ashara made sure that they passed several key locations before coming to the archives, training rooms, study rooms, the armory, the med bay, storage locations and much more. But soon the doors to the archives hissed open to reveal a tiered hall, with rows of shelves containing every kind of record keeping devise, from paper books and scrolls to holocrons and holobooks. In a quiet voice, barely a whisper, Ashara spoke.

=Ashara=
And here we are. One of my favorite places to be. The combined knowledge stored here could rival most museums. Here we will find the information on techniques that will be best suited to your talents, and much more.

Although Matthew doesn’t say anything more to this woman known as Ashara, something about her words clearly catches his attention. Now next to Zion and awaiting further instruction, the boy allows his gaze to linger just a bit too long upon her, as though studying her, and an ever-present smirk rests upon his lips. Granted, there wasn’t anything puzzling about her words; her very appearance mixed with her unique presence spoke volumes. So her words weren’t exactly surprising. The way he looked upon her, though, it was as if there was something more he wanted to quip back at her, but held his tongue.

When Zion spoke, ready to guide the two away and leave Ashara to her business, Matthew offers one final, respectful bow of his head towards the woman.

A pleasure meeting you, Sister. The way he emphasizes the word, he doesn’t hide his youthful amusement to it. I would be honored if you’d grace me with your presence again sometime.

Turning on a heel and not looking back after his farewell to Ashara, Matthew picks up his pace to remain in line with Zion as he leads the two throughout the Temple. A few rambling beeps and clicks from the R-2 unit in Matthew’s vessel grabs his attention briefly, though, and with a wave of his hand, he dismisses the worried chatter from the droid.

We’ll be back to get ya unloaded, Zeo, he calls over his shoulder. Just sit tight for a minute longer.

It wasn’t like Matthew was overly concerned about impressing Zion at this point. Ashara played a wonderful role in keeping the older man’s mind open towards the idea of giving him a chance to prove himself. He had a month. As far as Matthew was concerned, a month was generous; he would only need a week to do the job. Still, he didn’t want to waste his or Zion's time, so the matter of his droid was a matter for another moment in the day. Zeo had been through much worse than just being strapped tight in his ship anyway, so he should count his blessings.

At least the tour wasn't filled with awkward silence between settings. Information. History. Matthew did everything in his power to keep his eyes trained upon Zion as he spoke about the people who built this Temple, clearly sacred in his eyes by that rather rough first impression. Information was one thing, but history wasn’t exactly Matthew’s strong suit. Every time he let his gaze drift to take in his surroundings, from the corridors to each room and their purpose, Matthew felt like a chunk of Zion’s words went in one ear and out the other. And this was just the ‘as simple as possible for now’ explanation. Hopefully, there wouldn’t be a test on this later. To stay on the safe side, Matthew made note of the Archives Zion made mention of, and the fact that there were texts he could access, whether legally or not.

Stopping at the balcony, Matthew takes in a deep breath and pushes his hair out of his eyes to get a better view of the main atrium and making note of where each path seemed to lead. Then came the questions. Matthew narrows his eyes as he thinks briefly on the little bit he did know about the Knights of Karabor. Although it wasn’t much, he hopes it would be enough to prove that he didn’t just fly all the way out here on a whim.

I was informed that you sought to break away from the usual warring between the Sith and Jedi -- the Ashla versus Bogan argument -- and sought a more neutral territory with it all, Matthew begins as he continues to look over the atrium. He pauses to make note of a location that catches his attention before adding, Your woman confirmed as much, at least in part.

Matthew then turns to catch Zion out of the corner of his eye and offers a knowing smirk. ‘Your woman.’ Whether or not the comment has any truth or made in error, it isn’t exactly important to the boy. The quip alone was worth it. Continuing, Matthew doesn’t miss a beat.

I’m not exactly interested in any holy war between the light side and the dark side, so when I found out about you, I decided it was worth at least checking out. Leaning up against the protective railing that wrapped around the balcony, Matthew relaxes his stance and shoves his hands into his pockets. So with all that said, if there’s any other pertinent information you feel I need to know before I dive headfirst into this Karabor Knights thing you’ve got going here, I guess now’s the best time.

A smile formed on Ashara's lips as Kalene said she could feel the Force working around her and through her.

=Ashara=
Now hold on to that feeling. Remember it, every part of how it fills you down to the very atoms that make you up. Now follow that feeling, let it guide you. Trust it, allow it to keep you safe. And with this you have taken your first steps toward Knighthood! Settling back into her own meditative stance she could sense that during her departure Kalene had questions. What questions did you have for me?

The Smile widened on Ashara's face as she looked over the garden and the work that had already been done. Moving up to stand next to Kalene.

=Ashara=
I envision a place of calm and reflection. With a space for the whole order to gather, but also some private alcoves and back garden paths for those seeking more privacy. Other than that, let your imagination run wild, after all, this is as much your garden as anyone else. I want to see what you feel. Listen to the Force. It will help guide you toward the decision truest to you.

Zion studied Matthew as they stood atop the balcony overlooking the atrium. He moved forward himself, resting his elbows against the railing as he leaned forward slightly. His head turning to the side to look at the boy. A smirk forming at the mention of Ashara being Zion's woman. A statement that was not entirely true, but one that he hoped would one day be accurate. He shifted his gaze back out across the atrium as the small handful of students and Knights that already called Karabor home milled about
I'd advise you don't ever let Ashara catch you calling her 'my woman', otherwise she might be a bit more serious about her reaction than in the hangar bay...
He was still smiling as he turned back to look at Matthew, certain he had the boy's full attention right now. Even if it seemed like half the information so far had been quite lost on him
You are well informed for the most part. We do not seek to aide one side or the other in this war. The Jedi and Sith are both bogged down in their dogmatic ways, that they have been blinded to the one truth: Life demands balance. Both light and dark. One cannot exist without the other. It is our goal to ensure that balance remains as best as possible. To that end, we are in this fight together as Brothers and Sisters... Now, regardless of what you have done before, you will be Squired to a Master or a Knight to gauge your skills and train you to be one of us. I intend to give you every possible chance to succeed, and perhaps by the end of this month you'll be well on your way toward becoming a Knight... I think that's about all I have for now, unless you wanted to ask anything further? Otherwise, I can show you to the dorms and where you will be staying for the next few weeks.

As Zion moved next to him to lean forward against the railing, Matthews eyes followed, shrouded by a mess of black hair. Although it gave the illusion of the boy craning his neck to do so, for the most part he didn’t seem at all bothered by it, save for removing his hands from his pockets to support himself by propping his elbows on the railing. 'Don’t let her catch you calling her that.' Matthew half snorts, half chuckles at the warning.

Oh, I’d look forward to invoking a reaction like that from her. Don’t you, Master Morviael? he teases, his smile taking on a more mischievous glint. Keeps you out of the line of fire, and I get to have the fun of seeing just how much it takes to turn an angel like that into a demon.

There was an odd presence about Ashara that lurked in the back of Matthew’s mind, setting off a trigger within a sixth sense of sorts. It was familiar in a certain way, piquing the boy's curiosity. Thus, his particular choice in imagery. Alas, he had already sworn to himself before reaching orbit that he would play nice once here. With a shrug of his shoulders, the boy lets out a defeated sigh and falls serious -- or at least more serious than before. In part, it hid the sudden wash of relief in knowing that the information he received about these Karabor Knights was true enough. Then again, that was short-lived in knowing someone was going to be assigned to him. More people involved always complicated things.

I have no further questions, sir, he states firmly, feigning rather believable confidence. Pushing himself forward from the rail, the boy turns on a heel to keep his eyes on Zion. I’ll just wait for your instructions with whom I’ll be squired to, to begin my training, and go from there.

It sounded as though that would be a task for at the soonest tomorrow. It would offer plenty of time to arrange to get Zeo out of the ship, get settled into his room, and for some extra exploration of the grounds. As much as there was a lingering quip in his head regarding that preparatory school comment from earlier and comparing it to all this arrangement, he left well enough alone, at least for now. Matthew revealed nothing more than that familiar, perpetual grin as he waited for Zion to lead the way.