Brief Summary: After a strange encounter the night before, Kastanje and Tai Jinn meet again in the Culture Center. Kas helps Tai work through some 'girl trouble' in response to the Jedi's fear that he's been losing his focus too often recently, and in turn Tai attempts to get the Medic Captain to keep herself out of trouble for a change. Kastanje agrees, but only to protect her friend from having to rescue her. Whatever the Problem Your Friend May Face...
Culture Center Coruscant
This massive plaza is the hub of nighttime activity in this area of Coruscant. Tourists and citizens alike spend their free time here to visit the many attractions and fine restaurants boasting cuisine's from all across the galaxy. A few of the smaller businesses are actually located in spire-type buildings in the center of the plaza. Despite their size, these businesses are among the most expensive of their kind on all of Coruscant. The plaza gets its name from having some of the greatest attractions all located in one area, including the holo-zoo and the botanical gardens.
Present in the culture center is Tai, wandering around and retracing his steps from the previous night as if trying to ascertain information about the encounter that was nearly held. After his sudden leaving last evening with Ashton, undoubtedly conversation was held concerning the incident.
Kastanje wanders out of one of the many shops in the culture center, a few bags hanging lightly from one hand. She whistles a few bars of some tune, obviously not concerned with any repeats of the previous night's oddness in the Center.
Pausing in the exact same spot that Kas and Tai were before, Tai closes his eyes and stretches out in the force, seeking both the present and the past, trying to touch them once more in an attempt to investigate the occurrence again. How could he have so blatantly missed the signs? Allowed his friend to be in danger? Trying to save the universe.
Kastanje's eyes scan the crowd automatically as she walks, a habit that's becoming more ingrained the more time passes since she joined the military. Not that she usually turns up anything bad - just familiar faces out on their own business. Like Tai, standing in the vicinity of the Botanic gardens with his eyes closed. Recognizing this as another 'Jedi thing', Kastanje keeps quiet, but starts weaving her way towards the Padawan, a bright grin on her face.
"Hello Kastanje..." Tai says, eyes still closed as he's standing about. Taking a deep breath, he turns and looks at the woman, allowing a grin to cross his lips. "How are you doing on this fine day?" Being friends with a Jedi can often get rather annoying when they constantly do things like that.
Kastanje doesn't seem annoyed, although perhaps a bit thwarted at losing a chance to sneak up on Tai and surprise him. "Good, actually. Decided to buy myself a warmer jacket after last night," she explains, fingers waggling one of the bags in her hand. "And yourself? Practicing meditation somewhere it's hard to concentrate?"
Hesitating a moment, trying to decide if he should be honest with her or not, Tai finally speaks the truth as he should. "I was attempting a deep meditation in the hopes of finding some information out about the encounter." Sighing, the young Padawan actually looks a bit troubled. "There was much danger I did not know about..."
"So that was Darth Bane last night, hmm?" Kastanje confirms, her grin fading into a thoughtful expression. The lack of surprise in her reaction suggests she may have been considering this possibility on her own already. Although eyebrows twitch momentarily into an expression of fear, the captain quickly offers an encouraging smile back over at Tai. "Ah, don't worry yourself too much. You're still learning... Can't expect to know everything, right? And besides, we're on the Republic capitol world, not more than a short walk away from the Jedi temple. I'm sure this Darth Bane fellow won't try much. And," she points out raising a finger, "We might even be able to discover what happened to Naomi from him."
Tai looks at Kastanje very hardly, not in a cruel manner, but a deadly serious one... rarely ever is he in such a demeanor. "Do not underestimate the dark side... and although I'm still learning, my mistakes are still inexcusable. I know better and am losing focus more and more often." Turning from Kas, he takes a couple steps in the direction where Bane was standing yesterday before stopping in the near exact spot he was. Looking back to Kastanje, he speaks once more to her. "Republic capitol or not, you should not attempt to interact with that ... with Darth Bane. Ever."
Kastanje seems to shrink slightly under Tai's serious look, her cheerful manner fading away to reveal momentary fear again. "Alright, I won't seek him out," she promises, straightening her posture and holding her ground. "Or underestimate him, or any of that..." She blinks suddenly, as if remembering something. People have warned her before about underestimating a foe, and they usually get themselves in trouble. "But you better not get yourself in trouble trying to figure something out, Tai," she adds, almost admonishingly, as she strides over to where the Padawan is. One eyebrow arches slightly in concern. "Why is it you're losing your focus more, anyways?"
Tai looks away. "I'm losing it for... personal reasons." It shouldn't be that hard for Kas to guess which personal reasons those are.... or perhaps it's a different reason all together, you can never really tell with these complicated men. Closing his eyes once more, Tai begins to allow the force to guide him and walks slowly down the street along the path where Bane had retreated along, nodding slightly.
Kastanje watches Tai walk through the center with a mixture of amusement and concern. "Well, even Jedi aren't immune to hormones," she says softly to herself, letting the Padawan continue his concentration uninterrupted for now. She swings her two bags up over one shoulder, remaining in place and watching Tai thoughtfully.
Stopping his pacing, Tai turns back to Kastanje. "No, we aren't immune to hormones..." Fortunately he was in a half-meditation and able to hear her quiet voice. Turning, he walks back to Kas and reaches out to take the bags from her with a small smile. "In fact, I seem to be more responsive to them than anyone else, Jedi or not..."
Kastanje directs a glare at Tai, the expression softened by the good-natured twinkle in her eyes as she indicates reproach for both the eavesdropping and taking her bags from her. With her hands now free, however, Kastanje takes the opportunity to fold them across in front of her, arching an eyebrow at Tai. "Oh really now? And how do you figure you've been specially singled out to be given a particularly hard time by your hormones?"
Tai shrugs a bit, smiling almost... slyly? "I don't know... I just seem to be caught in the midst of everything... and blatantly confused by so much at once." Putting both bags into one hand so he has the second one free to do things with, he continues speaking. "I mean... everywhere I look, it's as if my hormones are screaming at me rampantly. For so long they've been ignored, then at once they're blatantly there."
'Everywhere he looks, hmm?' Kastanje thinks to herself as she stands in front of the Padawan. She nods sagely at Tai's words, offering her own in response. "Trust me, that's a normal part of growing up... Just might've hit you a bit hard what with all your structured training and self-discipline," she admits with a jesting grin. She makes a sudden grab to take her bags back as she continues talking, eyes darting away from Tai's face momentarily to sight her quarry. "...Confusion is frustrating, I admit, but you just have to work around it."
Tai keeps the bags away from Kas, holding them out of her reach as he chuckles quietly with a slightly questioning look on his face. "What? Too good to let me carry your bags for you now?" The good-natured humor is very evident in his voice as he turns to keep them away. "Yes, working around it is what I have to do, and am continuing to do."
"No, not too good... Just quite capable on my own... Thank you," Kastanje protests between lunges at her purchases. The contrast between words and actions is really very funny, and it isn't long before the captain accepts that she'd best stop hopping fruitlessly if she's going to back up her claims of being 'capable'. Laughing lightly, Kastanje settles back a step or two, tilting her head as she regards the Padawan. "So I'll take it that you don't have an answer to my question last night if you're still working through confusion?" She queries, adding as clarification: "You were asking advice about the incident between you and Moira when you were drunk, and I tried to ask if you meant it when you asked to kiss her."
Smiling, Tai keeps the bags now beside him that Kas has apparently given up for the moment at getting them back. For a moment, he seems thoughtful then shrugs a bit. "Yes, I meant it... but I'm not sure why I meant it." A bit of a cryptic response if nothing else. "I mean, it's not the first time I've felt urged to want to kiss someone... just the first time I've actually voiced it out loud."
An eyebrow quirks with involuntary curiosity at Tai's words, but Kastanje opts to offer advice before grilling her Jedi friend for details. "Ah, well that would be the alcohol Tai. Tends to... Loosen people up, I guess is the right way to say it. You don't think so clearly when you're drunk, and apparently that also means saying things you'd usually be too embarrassed to say." She shakes her head, an incredulous smile on her face. "I still can't believe *you* got drunk. You wouldn't even accept a caramel when I offered because it was an 'indulgence'!"
With an expression of distaste, Tai smirks at Kas. "It was an accident, I didn't exactly plan on consuming alcohol.." Pausing for a moment, he adds with a smile. "And Caramel is an indulgence." His twinkling eyes seek out Kas for a moment before they wander off for a moment of concentration upon something nearby, perhaps a voice or something in his peripheral that causes him to finally come back and look to her.
Kastanje chuckles, teasing Tai with a skeptical: "An accident, of course..." She waves off the Padawan's repetition of his opinion of caramel with a flippant gesture of her hand. As Tai's concentration wanders off momentarily, the captain glances briefly off in the direction he's looking. "Well, accident or no, you ended up asking Moira if you could kiss her... And I must add, you sound like still quite the polite gentleman even when you're drunk," she winks jokingly at Tai before continuing. "Moira was a little uncertain what to make of it all, too, in case that helps you any."
The last statement instantly grabs at Tai's attention as he almost spins to look back at Kas. "What? You mean she wasn't totally offended?" So the heart of the matter slowly begins to reveal itself, perhaps the young Jedi was fearful he'd offset the other Padawan. Perhaps there is much more than a simple kiss laying beneath the surface of it all.
Kastanje shakes her head, dropping the teasing from her voice to address the subject more kindly. "No, not offended," she assures. "I think most of all Moira was worried that you were so embarrassed you'd start avoiding her... And how she was supposed to take the request." The captain looks thoughtful for a moment, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, "I think she was surprised you'd even want to kiss her... And worried she might be taking advantage of a poor drunk Padawan if she said yes."
Quiet again for a moment, Tai ponders the words thoughtfully before responding. "I am... most surprised that she had even contemplating saying yes... and intrigued as to what her purpose behind doing so might have been." What a nice way of saying, 'she likes me?' "Kas... thank you." he states quietly, seemingly at a lost for words.
Kastanje just stands there, looking generally delighted and grinning like an entertainer... Only much more sincere, of course. "You're welcome, Tai," she responds good-naturedly, deciding to fill in the conversation while her friend is still regaining his vocabulary. "See why talking to someone is good? Even if it's a third party," she admits with a vague nod of her head. "You two could've just kept your disciplined Jedi mouths shut, and that would've been both a shame and really rather awkward." As her words trail off, Kastanje takes advantage of Tai's distraction to make another grab for her bags.
Although distracted with his thoughts upon Moira, Tai is not that distracted. However, he allows Kas to get a hand on the bag handles before quirking an eyebrow at her again with a questioning expression. "Why do you insist on carrying these?" he asks with a smile. "Is there something personal in here you don't want me to see?"
"Even if there was, I wouldn't tell you, because then you'd peek and probably ascribe too much significance to whatever you saw," Kastanje says straight-faced and matter-of-factly, keeping her hand on the bag handles. An impish grin spreads again, "Really though, it's just a personal crusade of mine. You're helpful and carry things for anyone you see, so I've decided I won't let you put any extra effort into helping me when I don't need it. Waste of your talents, and I feel like some fluff-headed girl."
"But I enjoy helping people out, even more so my friends." Tai points out to her. "And I also don't consider it a waste of my talents... a waste would be not helping those, even when they didn't really need it." Leaning forward, he whispers to Kas as if someone might be listening. "I'm really too kind at heart to do anything but help you out after all Kas."
Kastanje sighs theatrically. "And I'm really too nice to deny you something you enjoy, Tai," she says, mirroring his words in her agreement. Her hand releases the bag handles in a gesture of surrender. "I suppose you're going to make me find myself a new personal crusade now, eh?" The captain queries with friendly grin. "Perhaps I'll just appoint myself your personal guard against hormone-induced confusion. Wouldn't do to allow your focus to be interrupted so much, would it?"
Tai smiles and gets a firm grasp on the bags once more, beginning to walk down the street a bit, hinting hopefully to Kas that he's ready to carry them around wherever they need to go for her. "I think... perhaps it'd be best if you found yourself a nice desk to work behind instead of going on all these little covert operations all the time." Tai's words are probably shocking, as it's a bit out of nowhere, but evidently it's how he feels about the situation.
Kastanje follows Tai, gently angling her walking towards the section of republic way beyond the commercial plaza to provide some direction. "Tai, I don't *go* on covert operations," she protests, words holding less compliance than her amicable walking. "I just talk to people, and end up places... Which I'd still do if I sat behind a desk while on duty," she points out. "Think of last night. I wasn't on a 'covert operation'... I was out with a friend for dinner, and then talking with you. Besides which," she adds, sounding a little bit hurt, "Desk jobs are punishment. They're meant to be boring. General Von Veiz thinks I'm doing quite a good job..."
As he moves with Kas leading the direction, Tai quirks an eyebrow slightly. "Yes... but being behind a desk is also called safe. Where you should be, someplace safe." Sighing, he adjusts the weight of the bags as if he was adjusting the weight of the planet upon his shoulders. "One day you're going to get into a bit too much trouble Kas... and I won't be able to help you..."
Kastanje's eyebrows furrow together, watching the people move around her in contemplative silence for a few moments. "You don't always have to help me, you know," she points out, with much more sympathy to her comment than those first insistences that Tai didn't have to carry all her baggage for her. A soft smile spreads, "No one is going to mind some Republic field medic enough to get me in that much trouble, anyways." She fidgets with a fastener on her vest, "Besides which... You don't enlist in the military to be safe. I did it to make a difference, and right now I'm being more help just learning things by accident than I'm sure is even possible shuffling papers."
Tai pauses in their walk so he can turn and face Kas. "You have apparently drawn the attention of a Sith, Kas... that is obviously something to be wary about. I am concerned because at times you seem to have the same problem I do, trying to take on too much and just leaping into situations without realizing what they are..."
Kastanje cringes inwardly as she recognizes the truth in Tai's observation, a hint of fear and worry pushing doubt into her usual good graces with the universe. "I don't mean to, Tai," the captain says softly, truthfully. "I don't mean to take on too much, I'm not even *asked* to take on too much. It just sort of... Happens. You say I've gotten this Darth Bane's attention? I have no clue why - it could just be random. For all I know he drew my name out of a lottery." She throws her hands up in the air in a gesture of frustration, "You're right that I don't often realize what I'm getting into, but I won't learn any better by hiding behind a desk. It's just something I have to get through, otherwise I won't better myself at all."
Setting the bags down, Tai gently places his hands on the woman's shoulders so she has to turn and look at him. "Kas... your efforts to improve yourself are good, and admirable... but I have a personal connection to you, a responsibility. I hope you can see that, for I do now. Whatever the reason, this Darth has something in store for you... and I am no match for him personally... I doubt even Ashton could stand up to his power in the darkside." Sighing, Tai clenches his eyes before speaking quietly to himself. "There is no fear... there is only the force..."
Kastanje swallows involuntarily, apparently more shaken by Tai's expression of fear than any of the facts of these circumstances. She reaches up, taking the Jedi's hands off her shoulders and clasping them in her own in front of her. "I wouldn't ask you to face him," she says sincerely, blue-gray eyes meeting Tai's. "But I do see that you'd do it anyways. And since I cannot allow myself to put you in jeopardy in *any* way, I'm simply going to have to do my best to keep out of trouble." She offers an almost rueful smile up at the Padawan, "Better? Don't worry, I'll do my best to keep my life nice and safe and boring even if that's what I need to do to keep you safe." Her eyebrows lift slightly in thankfulness, "And I do appreciate your help... I really can't help some of the things I get into sometimes, and it's nice to know I have backup if ever fall in over my head."
Smiling thinly, Tai closes his eyes for a moment while holding Kas's hands. If she were attuned to the force as a Jedi was, she would undoubtedly feel the rush of Tai's essence about her... perhaps she'll feel something even the slightest amount, a gentle warmth. Opening his eyes once more, the Padawan nods a bit. "I know you don't do it intentionally... I just ask you be careful... especially now. I'm not a fan of having to dive into trouble at a moment's notice."
Kastanje shifts slightly, straightening her back as perhaps she does feel a hint of something. One side of her mouth curls up in half a grin. "Oh come on, I only did that to you once..." She says, trying to force some of her familiar good-natured teasing back into her tone. Letting the attempt trail off, her voice returns to simple sincerity. "I'll try. I really will."
Tai nods a bit and releases her hands. "I hope you don't mind but... I just took a bit of a force impression of you. It'll help me find you easier." Smiling a bit sheepishly, he adds. "I'm not really good at it yet... but of the other Padawans, it shows to be my strength. If we're nearby, I can always find you unless I'm blocked..."
Kastanje's mouth quirks into a much more proper grin, "I don't mind, no. Should help save me from looking for you in crowds like this, hmm?" One of her recently-freed hands makes a sweeping gesture at the myriad of beings in the culture center. "You can practice on me to improve the skill, too," she offers, voice sounding primarily helpful. But, perhaps, there's also a slight hint of relief in her voice at this new ability Tai is explaining. The captain might have been concerned by the Padawan's warning for once.
"Well... you don't actually get to be able to find me... it doesn't work two way. Well, it does between Jedi... but... don't worry, I should be able to tell if you're looking for me." Tai explains, not wanting to sound condescending to Kas. Picking up the sacks again, he glances around, "Speaking of... where were we headed to?"
Kastanje shakes her head quickly, "Oh no, I didn't assume I would be. It's one of those Jedi talents," she points out. "I just meant you could find me, so I don't have to bother looking for you... Lazy me." A quick grin flashes over to the Padawan. "We're heading to the Crystal Towers - My apartment's there, and that's where those two bags you're carrying are headed for."
Tai smirks a bit and quirks an eyebrow. "Yes, Crystal Towers and your apartment... where you were going to thank me for helping you with a nice fresh salad?" he inquires with a teasing hint in his voice. A nice fresh salad... what a wonderful veg-head this boy is.
"A nice fresh salad?" Kastanje repeats, arching an eyebrow. "Well, if you were to help me with one, then I suppose I would be thanking you for it..." She chuckles slightly as she adds: "Let me guess - Meat is an indulgence, too?"
Tai nods heavily. "Indeed... meat is just..." the man shudders a bit a the thought of it and starts walking towards the towers direction once more. "Sorry... I didn't mean that... Each person has their own preferences after all."
Kastanje looks curious as she trots along towards the Towers, a version of the expression most often found on doddering research professors who've just stumbled upon something in their field of interest. "Alright, I can understand how it might be hard for you to eat meat, what with feeling the animal through the Force and all... But isn't the Force made up of 'every living thing'? Shouldn't that mean that eating plants is just as hard? And what about the microbes your immune system fights off?"
Tai blinks at Kastanje and then just chuckles. "I get supplements from other sources. And ... it's a bit difficult to describe it Kas how it works." Shrugging a bit, he smiles to the woman. "It's just one of those things... the same way I can't understand you women."
"The Force is like women..." Kastanje muses in a tone of voice reminiscent of some sort of poetry class. "Alright, don't worry... I'll just grill one of your Masters about it one day."
Tai nods at that, "I'd suggest Master Hamilton..." The man chuckles as he says that, obviously at some sort of inside joke that might be going on between the Jedi.
Master Hamilton... Ham? Kastanje blinks a few times, trying to determine if the leap of logic in her head is correct. Only one way to find out... "Why would I ask a Jedi Battlemaster about the intricacies of the Force?" Kastanje queries innocently.
Tai howls out laughing, shocked as she recognizes the name. Setting down the bags, he actually kneels down himself to not fall over from laughing. "You surprised me there Kas..." He's nearly at tears from the humor of this. Her exact wording was the aspect of it all.
Kastanje is just so pleased with Tai's reaction that she breaks into cheerful laughter as well. "Like I said before, I just pick things up..." She explains brightly, extending a hand to help the laughing Padawan to his feet.
Looking up, Tai takes the hand gently in his own and pulls himself up to his feet, bringing the sacks with him. He fights the urge to open one and look into it, it'd just be too entertaining after all. Smiling at Kas, he nods in the direction they're going to head in. "After you."
Kastanje watches Tai to his feet, flashing an approving smile at the Padawan. "Didn't know I had a sense of humor, hmm?" She says lightly, pacing herself slightly ahead to take the lead back to her apartment.