After their little scuffle, Maren and his companions made their way to the clothing store they inutially wanted to visit. The policeman and the ill man with the high pitched voice were brought to temple for further questioning. After some clean up the three decided to continue their city tour and get Maren new clothes, especially now after they were soaked in blood.
"If word comes out and there are still some colaborators, they will probably hunker down and purge everything connected to them" the jedi said, "I just hope the two of them give out some useful information." She answered a bit in thought.
"You do not have to feel sorry for them, they chose their destiny."
"Yes, but... I would feel better if they were the real perpetrators, not some third party getting caught in the crossfire."
"This third party almost caused a shooting and then tried to cover up their traces by killing the man... and us, what is even worse." the boy answered indignant.
She thought a little bit while they walked along the street, looking what goods the shops have to offer. Apparently a lot of things were for sale because of the festivities.
"Yeah, still doesn't help with the bad taste in my mouth."
"Then let us find something to distract us, maybe eating something will heighten our moods." he posed the qusetion. Murder always made him hungry.
"Yeah good idea, but more importantly though is getting you new clothes. You look bloddy horrifiying." She gave him her usual smug smile. Maren did not want to acknowledge this joke in any form and turned away from her, but was happy she regained a bit of her usual spirit. The jedi answered by blewing up her cheeks a bit. A definite sign of diapproval of his non-reaction. The robot made a Beep sound like a sigh. He was too old for this stuff.
After a few short they reached the clothing store. The alien man in the front was a bit perplexed when he saw the jedi's companion. He looked like an green orb. No nose, no ears, a bulbous sac at his throat
"And I tought you guys don't do THIS messy." he snickered looking at the boy.
"Yeah some corrupt cops." she answered with a sad smile.
"She really doesn't like that something like this was possible." Maren concluded. He felt some kind of empathy for her, but on his world the guardians would not even try to uphold the facade.
"Hnn", the alien grumbled, "one would think it would get better at some point. There has to be someone who just gets the job done and not these bantha poopers who smell their farts more than real air."
"This anecdote is beautiful and all but maybe we talk less and get me a wash and some new clothes."
"Yeah you're right I am just so used to dirty jedi I completly forgot." he said nodding to the woman who gave an appologetic smile. The boy was led to the back into a simple bathroom where the boy showered and freshend himself up. After the refreshing shower, Maren got finally some clothes which fit. They were not much different from the ones he had before. Pants, shoes, shirt and the rest were various shades of brown. The trousers went down to his socks, while the shirt was short-armed. He put his belongings in the pockets, but then noticed how it bulged out his pants and asked for a coat in his size. The merchant showed him a few and Maren took a plain brown one with deep pockets like the one he had before. He put the sphere in it and the tooth in his trousers for another potential "police cover-up" situation. After all of that the jedi payed the clerk and left to finally go to the temple.
"It will be sooo great," the woman chirped, "you can see the courtyard with the trees and the meditation rooms and and you can train with other Padawans and I can guide you on your way and..."
"You seem to really like the idea of me being your student." Maren interchimed.
"Of course. We both are connected through the force."
"So we are, so we are."
He wanted to give a sarcastic quip, but then he saw the temple . A gigantic complex out of white stone. Multiple spires scratching the sky. A massive staircase leading up to the entrance. Both big enough to fit an army. Maren would have admired thestructure the whole day, but the jedi waved him enthusiastically to follow her. They went to the side of the stairs, what took several minutes, because there was a ramp for the robot, which was also enormous. While going up the stairs he saw a bunch of people going up and down. A lot if them were normal people, but some of them, usually the one in robes were different. Firstly he saw on their side a peculiar longshaped device, the same what the woman has. More importantly he could feel this strange power tugging on him. He immeadiatly closed his mind to it. One creeping into his thoughts was enough for him.
As they finally reached the end of the stairs they stood before the grand entrance able to accomondate all the people going in and out. Guards were standing all around with pikes without the ends, but tMaren knew that these were possibly lighsabers too. The three were greeted, or better said the woman was by the guards with a small bow, while she gave them a wave and a little smile. Maren gave a nod and the robot a beep. The inside of the temple were exactly as gigantic as the outside were you could possibly store a mountain and paths leading in evey direction possible. Maren was astounished how something like this could be build, but he had to subdue his eager to seem in control. He had to uphold his reputation
They came to one of the many doors of this place.
"Wait a minute here, I just have to tell the masters about you."
"No problem take your time."
While she and the droid went into one of the doors, Maren leaned on one of the walls and the robot and took the sphere out of his pocket and played around with it. Since the time in the cave it did not make a sound anymore, even though he was sure it let him understand and speak the local language.
'What other secrets do you hide from me?' he asked intensly staring at it.
As the continued probing the device, some people his age walked by him. All of them aliens. He heeded them no mind, except for the fact that they had the same weapon as the woman.
'So even the younglings get a weapon and I thought all of them just meditated the day away.'
A few of them stopped to inspect him. Maren looked at them shortly then continued throwing his new toy in the air and catching it again after he gave up unlocking its secrets.
"Tell me who you are?" came from a green skinned alien with tubes on his head. Later he was rold by the woman that these creatures were called Twileks, how she even differentiate all of them was a mystery to him... because she was blind.
Maren examined him from head to toe. He was smaller than Maren, all of them were, but he was the closest to his height, around his nose level. The alien had a good build, it seemed he knew how to fight, how well was of course another question. Also like the older members he already saw he had a lightsaber on his hips, even though it did not seem to be as personalised. Maren finished throwing his ball into the air and replied haughty.
"Are you not quite rude, maybe start introducing yourself first, maybe I bother to answer." Normally he would not immeadiatly go into a cofrontation, but right now he felt a little prissy. He reaaally did not like the tone of this guy.
"And you are new here, so you tell first." the Twilek responded.
"No I do not think I will." Maren was quite bratty in the moment.
This invoked a look of fury in the Twilek and he shouted.
"How dare someone like YOU entering here " Maren raised one brow and the others looked at him perplexed. Then the alien noticed the sphere, "disgusting dark sider. GUARDS! GUARDS!!!"
Maren was quite perplexed. Nobody else seemed fewl the same. He looked at the other students that gradually stopped and inspected the spectacle to confirm if they reacted the same, but they only had the same questioning look as he had.
"You are imagining things." was Maren's simple answer
"If I do then we can easily go to a master and prove me wrong." he said antagonistic.
Maren held still for a moment before answering. His muscles tightening.
"No I think we will not."
Again he was astonished nobody seemed to be alerted, not the woman or the other older jedi in any kind but that guy goes hostile immeadiatly? If he made more comotion someone might inspected him more intimatly, and that might become a problem for him.
'I maybe should not have tried to poke this evil thing while IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TEMPLE. Now think of something... and fast.'
But before he could give a reason the alien grabbed him by his arm.
"You are comming with me. NOW." he said tightening his grip. He was quite strong, but Maren looked at the other hand, which laid on his lightsaber.
"And you are unhanding me. NOW."
With a quick movement he janked his arm from the grasp of the agressor. This action infuriated the Twilek and he takes a battle stance clutching his lightsaber even tighter. Maren also assumed a battle stance. The other kids meanwhile started mumbling, clearly tense. One child a pink alien - a human male said in a squeaky voice.
"Squall what are you doing? You can't do that."
"Shut it, Ziel. Don't you have to be useless somewhere else."
The pink one looked defeated at the floor after that remark, all fight knocked out of him.
Their little squabble started to attract others around them. Some younglings peeked curiosly over the shoulders of the others. At the same time some adults came in their direction.
"What is the meaning of this?" an alien with an enormous forehead questioned acoompanied by two guards.
"This creature is a servant of the dark side. We must eliminate him." the green one answered, pointing at Maren.
'That guy really throw around the big words. But besides that I should think of something quick'
"This person suddenly came up to me and started accusing me. I will not have my good name sullied." Maren said theatrically while trying to discreatly put the sphere back in his pockets.
'See I can throw some big words around too.'
The master looked at him for a moment and then hushed with a smile"Young man, could you come with me for a minute?" The smile did not reach his eyes.
'Uh oh, this does not go well at all. Some how have to eject myself from this situation.'
"I don'tknow what you mean, why are all of you so mean to me?" Maren said innocently wide eyed like a child, much to his ego's demise.
"I have to go now" he hastily blurted out and started to clear himself a path through the crowd.
"Halt, young on..."
"STOP RIGHT THERE CRIMINAL SCUM!" the Twilek shouted and ignited his lightsaber. The children in the mass screamed the older ones gasped and all of them tried to get away from him as he waved it around. The boy swung downwards at Maren's back. Gladly for Maren, he was ready for a possible conflict, so as he heard the to him now familiar buzzing of the weapon. He dodged to the side, now possible as the group dispearsed. While the boy doged he wanted to give his agressor a swift kick in the ribs, but refrained from it because in the worst possible case he would lose his leg and he liked them.
'I have to get out of here. Fast. Maybe if I take someone hostage.'
Maren quickly looked around for a potential candidate. He eyes set on the pink one. He was weak enough to be captured... and the closest by only an arm lenght away. Maren just hoped the others cared for him more than the Twilek seemed to. Maren grabed the scared little boy, who made a little yelp as he got put in a chokehold holding his little knife on his throat.
"Sorry little guy, I need a little help from you."
"You unhand him RIGHT NOW." the elderly man shouted, his eyes hardened and fixated on Maren. The guard activated their weapons.
"I am truly sorry, I did not want to escalate things, but being slashed at by a mad man with a lightsaber got me acting unwise." he explained giving a sorrowful (not really) smile.
"I do not know why everyone is seemingly so obsessed with me all of the sudden but I will NOT be taken prisoner, because of some hunches. So let me go in peace and everything will turn out juuust fine."
The crowd was constipated and scared of what will happen next.
"Now everyone be easy and nothing will happen to him." Maren pressed the sharpened bone at the throat of his captive and slowly moved through the crowd, the Twilek looking more and more furious and the male with the big forehead waving some of the guards to him. He had to make up a plan quickly, this situation will not hold forever and the initial tension will soon boil over. Maren got woeful about the prospect, that he has to leave the only good thing in his life, but it is what it is and his life is paramount.
Just as he reached the end of the crowd and try to decide what to do next. The Twilek took that decision from him as he lunged at him with a roar swinging his lightsaber down. Maren took his hostage and barely just barely, jumped out of the way. It did not help that it screamed and struggled like a wounded animal.
'Wow he really does not care about him.' Maren acknowledged to himself.
"STOP THIS NOW, PADAWAN.", the master screamed. But he did not listen and attacked anew. Maren wanted to dodge again but chokeholding a toiling person did not help it. Also something suddenly bothered him again as if he should see someone or something that was not there. Again the attacker swung his sword, Maren tried to dodge again, but he was distracted by this nagging feeling and so he ran into a faint. Even in his infuriated state the assailant knew how to use his weapon as he firstly went for a stab to then redirected to a horizontal slash, catching Maren of guard. For Maren time stopped to a crawl as his brain tried to come up with a way to get out of this situation. As it is right now he and his hostage would be cut in two. He never actually wanted to hurt his hostage, but maybe if he throws him into the saber he would won a few precious seconds. On the other hand this would escalate things even further, but what could he do.
So with a heavy heart he prepared himself looking how the brimming light came closer and closer. But before anything could happen another light interjected itself between them and blockes the assault. The whole crowd was perplexed...even Maren. As he looked up the lightsaber he noticed the long graceful fingers holding the weapon, the firm stance of the person and the beautiful. Maren blinked three times as he looked into the face of the woman and shook his head.
'STOP BEING DISTRACTED ALL THE TIME, MAREN!' he scolded himself, 'and how did she get here, she just appeared out of thin air. I should ve better tjan this.'
The woman twirled her weapon and easily disarmed the Twilek. A look of surprise substituted the previous one of anger which swiftly went back to anger as she bonked him on the head with his own lightsaber.
"You know this thing is daaaangerous. You could hurt someone with it."
She handed him his weapon back, but before the boy could take it back, the jedi withheld it from him and said. "Sooo what don't we do?"
The Twilek seemingly wanting to kill her with his look said between his teeth.
"But he is tainted dont you s..."
"No no no this is not what I want to hear."
The boy looked back to the bigheaded man who just nodded defeated.
"I never raise my weapon against the innocent or one of us."
"...or one of us." the jedi completed with him, "and he is one of us or will be starting today. We just have to get the ok from the masters." She looked around then met the gaze of the one with the big head. She gained a radiating smile and waved over to the man.
"Master Mundi, how are you? How are the kids?"
"Phtia," Master Mundi sighed, "you are back, it seems... Please do not tell me THIS is the person you sought after all this time?"
"Yup, took a great deal to find him, but I am preeety sure it's him." the woman answered making a fist and extensing her thump, a guesture Maren did not understand.
But more importantly "Pretty?" Maren and the jedi master said in unison.
"But but" Master Mundi looked around acknowledge the ever growing crowd and sighed again, not the last time this day.
"Just come to the tower we talk about it there."
"Master," the green one interjected, "we can't just let him go we..."
"It is okay, young padawan. EVERYONE GO BACK TO YOUR CLASSES, EVERYTHING IS ALL RIGHT." the man shouted, then going down the hall. Everyone obeyed, the guards shut off their weapons too and went back to their posts.
"Awesome, Maren let your new friend go and let's go. You will now finally meet the masters." she said enthusiastically winking him to follow her. Maren meanwhile checked the situation and deemed it solved so he released the now crying boy from his grip.
"I am sorry, that it came to this." he expressed to his former hostage before he followed the two jedi, exchanging dirty looks with the Twilek.
'Great first introduction Maren. Now let us see how the rest of the day plays out."