-From the perspective of Barriss-

  After I brought the wine for Master we left the mansion in haste. We got back to the temple and now I was ordered to wait here with this weirdo, and wow she was not normal by any means. She was making me self aware, in a bad way to be ho.

  People especially children, were always saying that jedi were weird, even on missions, where me and master were sent to help out vilges with a lot of kids. They called me weird behind my back, they didn't know, or didn't care that I could hear them. I would never admit it to master, but those words made me feel unfortable, they hurt me, especially after we helped them out.

  I never wao believe, that I was weird in any way. I don't want to believe it even now, but it is something I 't get rid of. If a jedi appears in any pce beside the temple, our very presence will cause the people to radically ge their behaviors.

  Some do so, from respect, some have ulterior motives, while others do it out of fear. At first, you may even enjoy this type of attention, but soon enough, this will bee a heavy burden. Especially when you grow big enough, to realize, that the world basically acts around you as an anchor.

  Every people is wary of your preseherefore they will try to aaturally around you, while putting on their best expression, with a harmless demeanor. You are the only one, who is not affected by this ge, because you are the cause of it, and because of that, you are excluded from the rest of the world.

  Everybody, will look at you, with a strong expectation. In this gaxy even beyond the outer rim, you will not find a single grown man who doesn't have a strong belief about what a jedi is. More often than, not, those beliefs are pletely ridiculous, even iter cases they tend to be half truths.

  However, now that I look at this girl, Lily... Among the hundreds of alien races I saw a, she is definitely among the top ten stra ones. Its not, because she looks that different, she is very human in look to be ho. No, it's maybe her demeanor, or the ck of it? No-no... the way she moves, and stands there... yeah, that part of it. She stands there reminding me of a praying mantis, pletely unmoving, yet ready to jump in any sed.

  There is something, wild, primordial around her, and she is always in that state. Those she even know what rexing means? Is this her standard mental state, always ready to jump into a at the first opportunity?

  If that is so, for some reason I feel bad for her.

  I sighed, and shook my head weakly. I guess, something like this, wouldn't be so obvious to normal people, as a jedi padawan, I am proo sense such emotions more easily than other people. She was weird, and I felt weird for being the oo say something like that... I guess, in the end from the perspective of normal children... I was weird too. It is probably time to stop deluding myself with such futile thoughts.

  Curse it... even if I accepted to be a weirdo. This waiting was killing me... I expected a fight, or at least something that resembled a fight, but the new girl decided to just give up any opposition all of a sudden, and the others had already left before I would be able to get my share of excitement.

  It was a pletely wasted opportunity.

  I was currently eyeing the girl, she was beyond strange even pared to me, and I had never seen this type of intelligent alien lifeforms before. How could she stand in plete stillness and silence. Is this some sort of standiation?

  Damn the cil, old fools always taking their sweet time... just call us inside already! Master is probably telling them what happened until now, and how tured this girl. e to think of it, it was me who captured her, I should get some awards... at least a free weekend.

  At least her name was truly Lily, as she had aification card used by official bounty hunters it sectors. The sign of Jabba the Hutt was visible on the card, meaning that the underground lord had decided to personally back her activities. It was usually a great sign of respect reserved to those who have gaihe hutt lord's favor.

  This was a great blessing it sectors, as not many would begin an argument with someone, who is favored by one of the sin lords. However, in the sectors trolled by the republic. Such a sign, was the equivalent of being wanted. As who else would be favored by sin lords, than a sinful being?

  Even so this girl doesn't seem to be that aggressive. She was very obedient in fact, to the point that it made me feel really awkward. I told her to wait here in sileil the cil calls for us. She only nodded ond hadn't even moved a single muscle sihan. I was supposed to be her guard, I hoped she would try to run away or something and then I could teach her a lesson, but she arently not in the mood.

  What was the reason to guard her in the first pce? She was like a statue, wait... did she fall asleep perhaps? There are certain animals and creatures that could sleep while standing, however her eyes are open, so that isn't likely I guess. e to think of it, she didn't even blink a siime i ten minutes... Is she still alive? Did she die while standing, I will be in so much trouble if she dies while in front of the cil...

  With that thought, I decided to ask.

  -Are you, alright?

  I couldn't hide my uainty c my voice.

  I heard a crag sound, as her face forcefully turned in my dire, it was the sound of carapace grazing over carapace. The back of her neck was covered in thick armor, I could see, as her strange hair ulled into a thick ponytail exposing her neck slightly.

  The sound bined with the eery movement made my skin crawl. It was simir to the sound of a breaking bone, as if her neck was broken in the quient.

  -I am fine.

  Stated the girl, and turned her head to look forward in a simirly eery way.

  I gulped lightly trying to hide my disfort.

  Okay... she was fine, I did my duty after all! I hope master finishes soon...

  I straightened my back, and looked at the door, hoping that it would open, but it didn't. Time passed by and I soon found my eyes wandering back to the form of Lily.

  The sers went over her, at the door, and there was no on on her body... Aside from her natural ones. She promised, that she wouldn't do anything, and to be ho... even if she wanted, as she is right now, she couldn't hurt us.

  There were four temple guards standing in every er of this corridor... and I was here too... She couldn't even raise a finger, and would be force pushed into a wall or something.

  Yeah, those guys would do it without a sed thought... temple guards were not your average jedi. They are first and foremost prioritizing the defense of the temple especially in a state of war. The temple's secrets are their first priority then those who live here, young-lings and padawans in this order.

  Some of them are really scary. They are literally ordered to kill anyone who sneaks into the temple illegally and shows signs of resistan a way that may endahe life of other jedi or the temple's secrets.

  I turned my head towards the temple guards... their faces were covered with a mask, and body armor. I looked over them slowly... and realized something... Shoot, all of them were staring at the new girl while holding their ons. I guess that was the reason, why she was so tense. I don't get it, they shouldn't be this cautious, is this because of her eye color? She had these bzing gold eyes, they might think of her as a sith.

  How foolish, she couldn't be a sith... no sith would give herself into the hands of the jedi so easily, and she wasn't even that strong. Master Kenobi said, that the sith he fought, was immensely powerful, a master of lightsaber bat.

  Lily didn't even have a lightsaber, and only used a simple force push, even if it was quite strong. I felt embarrassed as I thought of the leafs stu my hair. I was trying to get rid of them the entire way back to the temple... Anyway, she surprised me, that was the only reason why I was blown away like that... It doesn't t.

  I rolled my eyes as I thought of that memory.

  Of course master couldn't help but ent oh a smirk saying: "Vanity leads to the dark side Barriss." Naturally I smirked back, and said, "Indulging one 'self chasing vain pleasure also leads to it."

  She snorted, hearing my ent, but didn't say anything else, so I got to enjoy my small victory.

  I began to fidget, and decided to attempt unication one more time with the awkward girl. I turowards her and asked while looking at the missing piece of her feeler.

  -Are you sure, that you are alright? I mean, it is ly a on respoer one of your limbs were retly cut off. We could give you first aid or something like that... We have incredible healers iemple, you know...

  My voice turned silent, as I saw her head snap towards the missing part while creating that horrendous sound. She stared at the maimed k, then blinked, for the first time today possibly. After that, I couldn't help but gasp in a mix of awe and shock. Her feeler grew ba a matter of seds, it just elongated and parted where it o part to take up its inal form.

  Making a series of crag and popping sounds as the bones and carapace melded into the necessary form.

  I felt goosebumps running all over my body, and stepped back a few times hearing those sounds... it was reminding me of the noises in famous holo-horrors.

  -I am fine. I am quite hard to kill, you don't have to yourself over such minor injuries.

  -... Good gracious! I see that, how did you even do that... isn't that, I don't know painful?

  -Pain is natural. I don't like it, but I accept it. With time, I uood that pain itself is irrelevant, efficy is what matters. If I heal quickly, even in the midst of a battle, then I should thrive to do so. Without this ability. I would be dead now.

  -...Wow... that's one way to look at it I guess... but why don't you try to, I don't know... Avoid pain more effectively in the first pbsp;

  -If you don't fight, you will perish, running away, not possible. Fighting is necessary to gain new information, to evolve.

  -Wh-what do you mean by that?

  She blinked once more, then stated iraioone.

  -I tried to run away, but it never worked. Now I fight, to evolve, to gain freedom.

  -Aren't you free already? I mean... you, before tured you... You seemed pretty free to me?

  -... I don't... I wasn't, free.

  -Why?

  -Because, I was not powerful enough, to stop others from taking away my freedom.

  -What?! Weeell, sorry! I guess? However, I don't believe that I was the one f you to it a crime... Now it is time to repent, for that crime. It is how it is! And anyway... If you think like that, then almost nobody is free in this whole universe!

  -That is right, and I have realized, that I was wrong. I will accept my punishment.

  -Ehhh!? Just like that... how mature of you... You, know... cough, you look quite scary, but you are funny and pretty ho at least.

  She blirying to process my words. While I looked away in embarrassment.

  -I don't uand, I wasn't trying to make a joke.

  -I know, I know! It's because you are so serious, that I find it kind of funny... Does that make any seo you?

  -No.

  I srying to stop my bubbling ughter. I didn't want to fuse her even more. This girl was very i from certain perspectives, while in others she stated things with shog depths all that in absolute fidence. Surprisingly, there wasn't even a trace an her, when she didn't uand something, she didn't pretend to know it, instead asked it straightforwardly. She didn't mind it, if the question made her look like a plete fool.

  She was leaning her head to the side while trying to prehend my rea.

  -You know... it is unlikely for you to be able to fight the world alone. Why don't you depend on someone, friends for example... family?

  That made her think, but still gave me a retively quiswer.

  -You are right... the zerg's strength was always in their numbers. I am afraid, that my family might be turned against me once more... My own weakness, is the weakness of the swarm. I don't want my own inpeteo cause such suffering, I o bee stronger before I attempt such a thing.

  -Oh, well, e to think of it, you said you had children... but then you called children those bugs too... Was that what you meant?

  -Yes, isn't that what children are?

  -Ah... no?

  -Then what is it, how does it work?

  -Ah-eh-a-a-a-a... I mean.... I-uhmm...

  I felt the skin on my face turn a deep green color from the level of embarrassment. Is she seriously asking me about that sort of thing... in the middle of the jedi temple, in front of four temple guards... e to think of it, the aura retty harsh in the corridor, after she grew back her appendage...

  However now, that I looked around in panic, trying to get some help from the adults... I realized that the atmosphere lightened siderably. It was almost warm. I heard a snort and turowards the in of the noise.

  My expression turned ugly, as I saw one of the temple guards look to the side, clearly struggling to hold back his ughter while watg my situation.

  I turned back to her seeing that the iy of her eyes didn't falter at all.

  I swallowed drily... and gathered myself. I am a responsible padawan, in a few more years, I will be an adult... something like this shouldn't be a problem.

  -You, know... it's... I mean when you start bleeding... and because of that...

  -What do you mean by bleeding?

  -You know... once per month...

  -I only bleed if I am cut, or injured. It happens much more often than once per month.

  -You!... Sigh. You know what I mean, stop pulling my leg!

  I stomped with my leg, losing trol momentarily as a new wave of embarrassment flushed my cheeks.

  -I didn't pull y, you stomped with it.

  I rolled my eyes.

  -That's not what I meant! ARGH! You are doing this iionally, right!?

  I heard another snort from a different er this time, and I khat I had enough.

  -You know what? I actually don't know. Sorry...

  -Oh...

  Now she looked sad. I couldn't let that happen right? An evil smirk appeared on my face, hearing the third snort in the background.

  -However... you ask one of the men standing in those ers... I am sure they might know something about this matter.

  -Really?

  I felt chills as four pairs of death stares were suddenly poi my scalp. You were the ones, who started, so deal with it!

  -Oh, yes! I am sure of it!

  -Then I will ask them.

  -Go on, Lily... I will watch from here...

  HAHAHAHAHAHA!