Beating Intolerable Odds (Hali)
  • Posted On: Oct 30 2003 11:05am
Naboo: Jedi Training Facility...

Same old thing, different day. Day after day, the force, mediation, levitation... push, pull, jump, run... He got so tired of teaching the same material day after day. Ah, but how easily he allowed himself to go through the motions, pretending as if he wasn't tired of the same old routine.

Why for he would always ask himself...


**********************************

"...Good.. now focus on your fixed point. Don't rush yourself, just a simple movement from here to there and then back again."

Donovin watched her, looking for precision. She preformed the exercise so flawlessly that it made him believe that the time he was spending here was somehow worth something. She'd performed the task, but he'd taught her how.

He'd made some sort of difference.

Same old thing, different day.

He knew why he did the same old thing day after day, why he kept going.

For change. For aid. For guidance. For hope.

He provided these things each and every day when he stepped inside the training grounds.

Same old thing, different day.

He brought knowledge and with that knowledge, he took one inexperienced force adept being and changed them into a force user full of knowledge and strength; an experienced force adept being.

Same old thing, different day maybe, but he always made sure to shine. He made sure that they all shined. It made them feel good; made him feel good.

"Good job," he told her as she came to stop to stand beside him. Their gazes met and he smiled.

"What do you say we get out of here now... change of scenery.. maybe a little exploration..."

He never had to ask, he could always see it in their faces, they all longed for more. They all longed to be out there, somewhere amongst the stars. Exploration could bring them experience, even perhaps a sense of adventure.

".. Well?"

She thought it over, considering the idea carefully.

".. Where's your sense of adventure?"

He knew that wasn't the idea that was on her mind now. She had the taste for adventure; it was cautiousness that was making her hesitate.

".. C'mon, what's the worst thing that could happen? Live in the moment..."

She'd decide. The choice would be easy.
  • Posted On: Nov 5 2003 9:09am
Hali's gaze left Cole as she pondered over the question. Something was just not right -- she could feel it.

As she glanced around she noticed the other padawans meditating or doing different training activities.

She wondered if her feelings had been clear, no it wasn't her taste for adventure that made her hesitate, it was...something else.

Her green eyes found Cole again as her head inclined to her right as she watched him. Then raising her head she me him with a warm smile.

"I'd really like that."

Yes, perhaps some exploring would do her and Master Cole good.

She shook her head lightly, radiating with the same smile she gave her master previously. Regardless of her hesitations she trusted her Master, and felt safe around him.
  • Posted On: Nov 22 2003 9:58am
"Good, pack your bags... Docking bay, forty-five minutes. I'll wait for you at the entrance."

Donovin gave his padawan a brief wave before settling into a jog toward the temple's personal living quarters area.

He didn't want Hali to question him about the quest ahead; like it or not, he'd have to avoid her prying.
  • Posted On: Nov 24 2003 9:54am
Hali watched as Cole briskly jogged off it was a bit of a distance back to the academy, though those same feelings of warning boggled her head.

She looked down, trying her best to tap into the force to make those feelings and thought clear themselves into something a bit more tangible – but, nothing being a Padawan did have its disadvantages.

She pushed her hair back as she looked up, and resting her hands on her hips she watched Master Cole on his way to his quarters. Wondering exactly what he new if anything.

Glancing over she realized a Jedi Padawan, who, a one time, was in a meditative state, took notice of her some distance out. She managed to meet him with a brief smile. He probably noticed her worries but she shrugged it off as no consequence, as she started her trek past the fields and back to the academy.

* * * * *


“I’m sorry R2 but you’ll have to stay here.” Hali said as she was crisscrossing her room packing her belongings for the coming journey ahead. The sliding door to the balcony was open letting in the serene warm breeze of the planet into her quarters the sunlight brightening the floral patterns that can be seen from inside.

“I need someone to watch over the fighter when I’m away. And that has to be you.”

The droid feinted a chirp as she continued to gather her items

“I’ll be fine, you know what to do. I’ll be back soon. Take care of the quarters and fighter until I return.”

And with that the Jedi Padawan left her quarters to meet Master Donovin at the docking bay.
  • Posted On: Dec 1 2003 9:49am
Just two or three feet shy of the entrance to the docking bay the Jedi patiently stood waiting for Hali to arrive; his medium sized duffle bag sitting at his feet as he stood in wait.

Donovin had begun to have small reservations about the trip ahead just at the time he began packing for the trip. He'd pushed all those doubts back though, not wishing to cancel a trip that he considered quite productive to Hali's learning experience. The notion to stay behind wasn't strong enough for him to go against the adventure that awaited them.

It was just when Donovin began to wonder if he should exchange over the reservations with Hali that she came to show up.

"Salutations, Ms. Swindell," he said with a small smile and deep bow, as if he was just meeting her for the first time.

"I hope you packed lightly."

As he spoke he gestured to the docking bay.

"Dock D, we'll be taking one of the order's supplied shuttles."

The two Jedi walked almost in perfect unison as they quickly made their way to Dock D. Donovin didn't say much anything more until they came to board the shuttle.

"Aren't you at all curious to know where we are going?"
  • Posted On: Dec 10 2003 7:57am
"Greetings, Master Donovin." Hali replied as she came up to meet him, a smile etched across her lips from Master Donovin's bow. Afterwards she returned a deep bow to him in return.

Her own duffle bag held all the necessities she needed for the trip ahead

"Yes I packed pretty lightly."

Her green eyes briefly followed Cole's gesture to the docking bay.

"Okay then..." she said as her eyes came back to meet him.

After making it up the ramp and into the shuttle, She again, felt the disturbance trickle through the force, this time a little stronger then before. Master Donovin however, bringing her out of her puzzlement interrupted the moment.

After a few seconds in silence, her eyes came to meet him -- she smiled softly.

"Yes I am quite curious master."
  • Posted On: Dec 31 2003 11:08am
"Good, I was just checking."

He offered her an intimate smile and a wink from his left eye before turning away from her, only to rush toward the front of the shuttle.

He'd need to set the course for their rendezvous point before Hali could get the chance to clearly plot out the coordinates herself, allowing her to reserve a speculative guess as to where they were heading off to.


Hali must have become curious by his quick mad dash toward the front of the shuttle, her form coming to sprint right after him.

Donovin barely reached the nav computer when he heard Hali call after him, to which in turn he replied with a very faint disappointing grunt.

When he didn’t answer her it only invited more curiosity from the woman. Smiling inwardly he tried hastily to program the sequence of number points into the computer. He was on the last remaining few numbers when he felt Hali come up close behind him to peek over his shoulder.

Removing his right hand from the computer control panel he slowly twisted his arm back behind him to reach for Hali, keeping his gaze glued to the computer as he gently prodded the woman away.

“Ah… No ma’am, that’ll be far enough, Ms. Swindell,” he said, trying desperately to add in the last few numbers of his desired location with his left hand as Hali delicately tried to brush his arm away so that she could take a closer look at what he was doing.

A boyish grin fell onto Donovin’s lips as he pressed the conformation key, playfully enjoying the woman’s ineffective efforts to chase him from his goal. He did a quick about-face suddenly, both of his hands coming to quickly yet gently grasp onto Hali’s wrists.

His blue eyes found her face, a scoundrel of a grin formed at his lips.

“You’re much too curious, that’s something we just may both have to see to correcting,” he said, partly amused.
  • Posted On: Feb 11 2004 8:12am
Cole's sudden movement took Hali by surprise. And before she knew it her wrists was in his hands.

Subtly waving her head to remove her hair from her eyes she got a better look at Cole, and shock had set in.

"Let me go..." she pleaded with him quietly as her eyes met his, her gaze was soft.

She felt quite frightened in the moment, and the feeling was slowly subsiding.

However, she had made no effort to release her wrists from his grip.

The decision was up to him.
  • Posted On: Feb 11 2004 9:05am
Hali's few words barely met their completion as Donovin retracted his hands away from her, releasing her wrists in an instant.

A soft expression drew to his face as he looked down and away from Hali a bit.

"I.. I don't know what I was thinking."

He slowly raised his head back up, his blue eyes meeting her gaze.

"I did not mean to startle you, Hali."

He smiled sincerely.

"Sometimes I forget how gentle of a soul you are," he said, nodding his head subtly as if he were bowing.

"..but I can assure you that I meant no harm, m'lady."
  • Posted On: Mar 3 2004 8:08am
Hali watched as Cole let her free, she did not want quite the response he gave her however, and on the inside she felt deplorable.

"It's okay." She said quietly, opting to take the seat beside Cole.

"I know you meant no harm, Master Cole." She said leaning forward a bit watching the Naboo sky, subtly vanish and fade away, revealing the stars of space.

"It's alright." She said, smiling a little.

They sat quietly in silence for a few moments then she decided to send him a message through the force.

…You did the right thing…just not the right time.

She made it as to where she was simply thinking it, but knew Cole heard, but she played it as if she wasn't giving it to hear just thinking it, even though she was.

She smiled sweetly looking out to her side but not directly at Cole, not turning her head, waiting for him to make the jump into hyperspace.