Residential Quarters

“Thank you,”Palo replied as he walked past Alexis and entered the room. It looked more than comfortable. Though Alexis didn't mention anything about herself, Palo decided not to press the issue. He put down his knapsack and took of his blaster from his waist holster and the hold-out blaster he concealed on his leg, and put them on what looked like a nightstand. Normally he wouldn't disarm himself in another's presence, but he was at ease here with Alexis. He was being trusted and welcomed without a hint of hostility, despite the questionable circumstances of his arrival.



Her comment about the Jedi not “wiping out individuality” was very reassuring, and probably more effective than she thought. He might be wrong about what he read about the Order through holocrons and datapads. Besides, none of those sources were actually written by members of the Order, and Palo knew quite a few news outlets and individuals with a bias towards Jedi.

“I guess I'll see you in a half-hour,”Palo said, somewhat disappointed by not getting to know her further.“Thank you again, Alexis.”He smiled.She didn't know how much she helped him by simply being hospitable and friendly.

In the thirty minutes since Palo was left to “settle in” he first took a quick, though blissful and much-needed shower. Between the time in prison and aboard a stolen freighter, he figured he smelled somewhere between a burned-out repulsorlift and a wookiee. After the shower, Palo trimmed his beard to look less like a scruffy-looking-nerf-herder. He needed to change as he was only wearing a towel, but since he only had his forest camouflage in his knapsack, he opened up the closet in his suite in hope there might be an extra set of clothes. Luckily, there was a single, plain outfit. By the time he changed, put on his boots, blast vest, put his other clothes away and put on his holsters and their respective blasters from the nightstand, he heard the doorchime. He decided to put on a splash of cologne, since the shower scrub left him smelling like expired bacta. Searching the cabinet above the refresher, he came across three bottles: Jesmin, Doreenian ambergris, and Essence of Zeltros.

“Jesmin is a type of kelp and Doreenian ambergris is made from vomit...” he thought to himself. Aside from knowing the rumors that Zeltron women are attractive and Zeltros was more of a party planet than anything else, he knew little about the species or their homeworld. Palo had no idea what the Essence of Zeltros was, but he figured it must smell better than expired bacta, and sprayed a spritz on each side of his neck and rubbed the blue liquid into his skin, put he bottle back, then answered the door with a push of a button. The door slid open vertically and he saw Alexis.

Palo smiled as he met her eyes, then looked her over once before meeting her eyes again. “You have a lovely habit of looking better every time I see you,”he said, his tone more friendly and playful than overly flirtatious.He threw a quick glance at her lightsaber.“So...what's your color?”he said, not changing his tone. He hoped to know more about her, but decided to avoid any intrusive topics, lest she decide to show him the color of her lightsaber in a threatening manner.

A message appeared on Ms. Karidian comm link. whether this was done to lessen the ‘ruining of the mood’ or an attempt to not end up sleeping in mid-air above a nearby pond, only to by dropped in as a “Wake up call”… none the less the vehicle of delivery was text only com message

::Dear Professor Karidian,

At your convience, some time during the nearing end of week, I would request a meeting to discuss the boring topics necessary to make sure that Yavin is ready to host and properly take care of both your students learning to fly, as well as your Starfighter Squadron.

In addition, i am planning a trip to get a status update from our Guest Artisan Goran Beviin. If you have any projects in mind that would require any amount of Mandalorian Iron, please contact me with the general plan so that i can get the Payment in order for Mister Beviin.

sincerely

S. Diamonte Tuhlute
-Headmaster::

Just got out of prison. Alexis smiled. Indeed. And speaking of--- she'd have to introduce him to Masters Rawkill and Tuhlute, matter of Praxeum security. "Hey, it's ok," she replied, placing a hand on his arm and squeezing gently for a second before stepping aside and motioning down the corridor.

"Zeltrons have a reputation based on their biological chemistry. Anyway, you know about Twi'Leks, right? Specifically Twi'Lek dancers?" He had to, that one was common knowledge. "Well, Zeltrons exude a pheromone that basically makes people happy around them, it also makes one much more susceptible to things of a physical nature. Zeltrons are supposedly much more pleasurable in a--" she hesitated, trying to think of how to say it, and finally blushed, "well, they are experienced bed partners and get some sort of high from pleasuring others. They are empathic. So, they try to surround themselves with good feelings." She shrugged, shooting him a sidelong glance, "how do you not know this?"

She stifled a laugh with what sounded like a smothered cough, though the light in her eyes danced as he insisted he did not require aid to find a companion. "I see, well then... you should be happy with the result," meaning that she hadn't kissed him, "since you'd probably enjoy it better if I wasn't 'under the influence' of your fancy cologne." With that she nearly flounced along beside him further into the Praxeum.

What had he meant by 'mutual attraction'? If he was being genuine, and she thought there was the off chance that he might be--- well, for some reason she was pleased. Though she wasn't going to tell him that. Not yet anyway.

But she couldn't just leave it at that, so a few minutes later, she leaned closer to him and spoke quietly, "If you were wanting to know what I prefer... the subtly clean idea is usually best."

She winced, sensing rather than hearing the beep of her comlink. Unclipping it, she quickly read the message from Diamonte, and then since they were headed that way anyway, she clipped it back to her belt after sending an acknowledging 'ping' in reply.

After a moment of musing, she recalled something, and mentioned it to Palo in a manner that implied knowing, while at the same time attempting to convey nonchalance and helpful information, "I've seen nothing to imply that Zeltron pheromones work both ways though, so 'mutual' probably doesn't come into it for them. Humans tends to be peculiarly susceptible to it."

Alexis noted his amusement, specifically the fact that he seemed to think her ability to blush was funny. She personally found it annoying. Given her usual paleness it was a rather blatant tell and she felt betrayed by it on occasion. She rolled her eyes at him and sighed expressively, "Oh you know what they say about pilots---any port in a storm, and friends in most of them," she waved a hand dismissively. It wasn't true of her in any case, well, under any sort of normal circumstances. But, she was hardly as innocent as Palo seemed to be thinking, and she couldn't help but wonder if he'd just be disappointed in her if he decided to take the time to try to know her better.

You can't put the blue milk back in the glass once it's been knocked off the table, she reflected ruefully with a shrug, telling herself that time was the only way to find out.

She straightened up at the change of topic, shooting a sidelong glance at Palo and wondering if he was doing it on purpose. He probably was. Anyway, she began an answer. "My mentor was the Battlemaster of Yavin IV, so the color was more a result of that plus the fact that I like it. When it comes to skill with a lightsaber, I'll never match him," the golden light in her eyes died as she spoke of Dav. Their bond had been snapped suddenly, and she had known for a long time that she would never be the same person again. "My gifts in the Force lie in other directions, Palo," she looked over at him while keying in the number of an upper floor in the Praxeum in the lift. "I'm far more comfortable in my NineDee than I am with this," she patted the lightsaber at her belt, "however,  I have enough of a proficiency to keep myself alive." And others. She winced, recalling the fight that had broken out in a Mandalorian field hospital on Dressel where she'd gone to rescue Josh, and met Syla.

Alexis sensed Palo's confusion and was aware that she'd failed to convey her meaning. "What I was attempting to say is that most of the time Jedi are portrayed with lightsabers and those are the famous holos. While I have some skill with a lightsaber, indeed, Dav would never have tolerated anything less," she smiled faintly in a bittersweet fashion, "I am much more at home in my x-wing." The petite female lacked the downright strength to hold her own in an extended outright battle, but circumstances had taught her to use her wits, the Force, and anything else that came to hand.

"Aya, not surprised, it's a stealth interceptor," she replied to his statement of never having seen this variant, "while advanced, it requires the skill of a Jedi simply to keep it flying." While this could be considered a downside to the XJ9D snubfighter, she considered it part of the challenge and she wouldn't have traded it for anything else. "The first sixteen prototypes were built for the initial members of Dragon Squadron, based here on Yavin IV."

She eyed him narrowly to see if she was boring him to death as the lift came to a halt and the doors slid open.

Alexis was in mid-step, about to follow Palo out of the lift when he turned and asked her a question that had absolutely nothing to do with x-wings or the Praxeum in general. Well, not really. Well, ok, it might. But, something about the tone of his voice and the way he was looking at her so intently, as if the answer really mattered to him, told her it was much more personal than that. She gulped, quickly clasping her hands in the small of her back, drawing reassurance from the familiar 'standing-at-ease' debriefing posture.

"Uhm---" she coughed and started over, "ah, no. They don't. Not usually," she grimaced, "not as a general rule. Luke Skywalker broke with that tradition almost as he founded the New Jedi Order. There are a few who swear off all attachment in an attempt to remain connected with the Old Order." Inwardly she rolled her eyes at herself. As if Palo was going to be impressed with her eloquence at the moment. She could have told him that one day he would join the Order. Well, most likely. Always in motion, the future is. But it was one of his possible futures.

She swallowed the invisible lump that seemed to have materialized in her throat and attempted a nonchalant tone of voice which achieved nothing aside from underscoring the fact that he'd shaken her calm. "I think that law was a major contributor to the downfall of the Jedi Order and the Old Republic, as well as the rise of the Empire," she exited the lift, sliding past Palo a bit close and turning to look at him. The few seconds of broken eye contact had sufficed to allow her to regain her equanimity. "Essentially the Order drove Anakin away, providing him with no alternatives, and the Sith easily took advantage of his vulnerable position. At least, this is what I think."

Alexis could tell that Palo felt uneasy and on edge, and she accepted that as reasonable. Regardless of what had happened so far, he had escaped from prison, among other things, and that was usually enough to warrant some caution in returning to society. She had a niggling suspicion that some of it was related to herself, and when she caught him looking at her, her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. It wasn't that she minded his appreciation of her, although she wasn't expecting it, it was more that she wondered at what she should do about it. Did it bother her? Or did she like it?

"I think," she replied dryly, "that if Luke had gone on existing, but never actively joined the Rebellion or met his father, his mere existence would not have been enough to redeem the former Sith Lord."

She smiled at him warmly, as the corners of her lips twitched into a smile. They stopped outside a door with the tag "Diamonte Tuhlute, Headmaster" on the side. She reached out and hit the doorchime, gently brushing her hand along Palo's arm in a comforting gesture.

"I doubt he'll bite," he'd probably had breakfast by now, "at least, not harder than necessary. The safety of the Jedi within the Praxeum is a responsibility he does not take lightly."

Palo noticed her eyes catching his glance at her body. Any eagerness to defend his argument dissolved into embarrassment, and he blushed. As the pair stopped in front of a door, Alexis' warm smile and gentle touch comforted him, though he couldn't decipher her emotions.

“Headmaster's Office,” Palo said when he glanced at the door after Alexis hit the doorchime. “I must have broken a record...usually it would take me at least a week or two in a new academy to be sent to the Headmaster's Office.”

The door opened quickly revealing an unusually tall droid. While only glancing at Alexis, the droid stared at Palo for a few uncomfortable moments before ushering aside. After introducing himself as “Pixar,” the droid inquired about refreshments.

“I'll have a Darkoma, if it's no trouble.”

Palo usually drank Stimcaf, especially on long scouting missions and stakeouts. But now he needed something to calm his nerves. He wished to himself that he would not receive a lecture about alcohol slowing down one's reflexes. After all, it was customary to drink when offered, unless one was dealing with a Hutt, of course.

Palo watched as the Headmaster entered the room, and was pleasantly surprised. The authority figures he was accustomed dealing with were stoic and humorless shuttas, deeming pleasantries and humor as unprofessional, undisciplined, and a sign of weakness. Diamonte Tuhlute at least seemed more personable, addressing Alexis without an arbitrary title or 'Ms. Karidian.' Still, Palo decided to be polite and wait for Alexis to introduce him, rather than introduce himself.