Hawkin touched Calista's hand on his shoulder.
"I feel certain that she would be. And hopefully she is the one that guided you to me, or me to you, through some sorts of means."
He looked down at Dex.
"More than likely it was through Dex. The way he came to me was odd in itself, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It was just the way it all fell into place. And I'm glad that you found me too. I could still be fighting for my life in the underground. I'm really excited for what is going to happen to me, and what I'm going to get the chance to do. Hopefully you master is watching all of this unfold, knowing that you're going to be responsible for the start of rebuilding the Jedi order."
Calista blushed at the responsibility of restarting the Jedi Order on Coruscant but didn't shy away from it. She didn't know how many people survived with the knowledge she had and felt she had to pass it on. “The three of us will. Together.” she nodded. “I know what the Jedi were like before the Empire and how to survive with the Force, but Dex has knows things that would be considered lost knowledge. And you, you can help us find what will work best for the future.”
Dex piped up.
"You bet. I have so much knowledge clanking around in my memory banks. We can start to build the new order on what I can pull from the High Republic. Bringing the best from the old, to rebuild the new. Hawkin, you get to be the experiment. You're going to restart something great. With the help of Calista, we shall not fail."
Hawkin smiled.
"Well even Dex seems to think that we are destined for something great. I think that's a great start to the day."
He clasped his hands together.
"Now let's go get some new clothes, tell my boss that I'm never coming back to work there, and then onto the senate. Which I do happen to be very nervous about that."
Calista chuckled at Dex’s praise, her face was noticeably red by now, but nodded at her Padawan. “Alright. I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of outfit you come up with.” she smiled, quickly putting away whatever leftovers they had before grabbing her outer robe. “And don't worry about the Senate. They’ll be happy to see that there is someone else who can learn about the Force.” she assured.
Hawkin ran his hands through his hair, and started fidgeting with the braid.
"Still. The people in the senate will quite literally be the most interaction that I've had with people. At the shop I only talked to my boss, and to the customers. I rarely talked to someone else. And now coming into contact with several people at one time, it might be overwhelming. But we'll see. As for the outfit, I'm thinking more earth tones shirts and pants that are either dark gray, black or brown. I'm going to go with a theme. We'll see how I manage though."
“If it would make you feel better, I can do most of the talking.” Calista offered. “I know the people that'll be there. They’re used to me. At most, you’d just have to say hello or something.” she shrugged, not exactly knowing what would happen besides the Senate accepting Hawkin as her Padawan.
“I would greatly appreciate if you could do most of the talking. I can introduce myself and hold small conversations if they ask, but I will definitely let you know if I get overwhelmed. And I have Dex with me. My little support droid. Plus he’s dramatic enough to draw attention and fake a malfunction or something.”
Dex chittered.
“I did serve as a good distraction in the High Republic. I do remember several times where I did that. All you have to do is nudge me with your foot and I’ll do something interesting. Don’t know what, but I’ll get you that distraction.”
Hawkin rolled his eyes at the droid.
“Well I’m glad you can do that. Just don’t make the distraction too big. We’re not on that type of grand distraction scale yet.”
Dex retorted.
“It’s going to be the biggest distraction I’ve ever done.”
Calista nodded with a gentle smile. “Alright. Just give me a signal, though I should be able to tell if you get overwhelmed.” she pointed out easily. Though she liked the idea of Dex helping out with diverting attention from Hawkin. “Please, keep it subtle, Dex. We don't need you to cause a scene. Just be noticeable or mention something from the High Republic that’ll interest the Senate.” she insisted, before moving to head out.
"I will definitely let you know if I get overwhelmed. It'll show on my face more than anything. Dex will just have to bring up something interesting enough so they gravitate towards him."
Dex walked in a circle.
"Oh I can definitely grab their attention. Take your pick. Starlight Beacon, the dark saber, gossip on the green goblin, oops I mean Master Yoda, whatever they wanna know."
Hawkin rolled his eyes.
"I'm not a Jedi, well not yet, but I think it would be wise not to go after Yoda."
Dex kept walking a circle.
"Fine. Just say I'm a crazy old droid with a few screws loose. That'll satiate them."
Hawkin laughed at the droid.
"You're something else. I'm ready to follow you where you go Calista. Let's get this day started."
Calista chuckled at their antics, tucking the beskar pendant seamlessly back under her robes, and headed for the lift. “Personally, I am interested in all those topics, but I have to agree that you shouldn't bring up Master Yoda in front of the Senate. I don't know if they even know who he is but I have a feeling the gossip you’re thinking of… might lower their opinions about Jedi in general.” she pointed out with a slight smirk. “Now, come on you two. It shouldn't take us long to get Hawkin’s new clothes… dealing with his former boss might take longer.”
Dex crawled up Hawkin's leg and situated himself on his back.
"I suppose you're right Calista. I'll just only slightly get their interest."
Hawkin shrugged his shoulders so he and Dex were both comfortable.
"I don't know Calista, clothes might take longer than my boss. He's a fairly easy going man, but I have no clue how he'd react to me leaving. I'm hoping for the best. As for clothes, where do you think I can get some comfortable clothes that are fairly easy to move in, in the earthy tone colors that I'm looking for?"
“Thank you, Dex.” Calista nodded slightly, thinking that he would still cause a big enough distraction either way. “I guess we’ll find out when we tell him. But I’m hoping for the best too.” she admitted when Hawkin gave his opinion on his boss. “As for the clothes… honestly, I have some places in mind even though I don't do a lot of shopping.”
"Sounds like a plan to me. Let's go shopping. Look at me sounding like an excited little girl. I have an idea of what I would like to wear, and I'm so excited. I just hope I can find it."
He opened the door to her apartment.
"After you!"
Calista chuckled at Hawkin’s self-teasing, even though she was also hoping he could find what he was looking for. Though she rolled her eyes, with a smile, at him opening the door for her. “Come on, young Padawan.” she quipped, using the Force to flick his braid into his face as she walked past him.
He laughed as his padawan braid hit him in the face.
"No fair. I haven't learned how to do that yet. When I do though, I'll get you back."
He closed the door behind him, and smiled in the light that trickled down from the upper levels.
"Today's going to be a good day. Which we are we headed first?"
Calista chuckled at his reaction. “You’ll learn. One day, you’ll be able to use the Force so easily, it’ll practically be a reflex… in some situations.” she assured.
She smiled, sharing his good feeling of the day, and continued walking. “This way. The market area is over here. There’s few stores we can look at for your clothes. And don't worry about the price.”
"Using the Force as a reflex sounds amazing. Just thinking that if I ever needed help in a situation, it could just be there."
He rubbed his hands together and started walking after Calista.
"I do have some credits, so before you use yours, I can use mine. So you don't spend so much. And I know you're going to ask me why, and it's because I feel like I haven't done anything to warrant you spending credits on me. And I know that's not a great way to think, but it's something that I learned a long time ago."
“It's there right now.” she assured. “You just have to be open to it. Feel it around you, me, and everyone else. Even if they can't feel the Force like we can, every living being leaves their own imprint on it.” Calista explained before nodding at his second comment. “I'm not worried about spending “too much”. You are my Padawan. That title carries more than just being my student, though it starts there.” she sighed, trying to find the right words. “This is something I learned outside the Temple, and I'm pretty sure the old Jedi Counsel wouldn’t approve or acknowledge this fact, but the bond between a Padawan and their Master is as close to family as any other. My Master Lira Voss… was my buir in every sense of the word. I know that sounds intimidating but hearing Dex say that it was normal for Jedi in the High Republic to have those kinds of connections was reassuring for me. Of course, we didn't start out that way… it wasn't like that until we only had each other to survive.”
"I'll do my best to be open to whatever the Force has in store for me and I'll try my best to be as open as I can to it."
Hawkin listened to Calista explain to him the bond between a Padawan and a Master.
"This is very new to me. In a very short time period, my life has completely turned around. I just can't really explain how it feels. Suddenly everything I have once desired is being realized and I don't know how to react. I've wished for something to give me a chance and to make a name for myself, and Dex comes along, and I was excited for a droid as a companion, but in the end, I gained more than just a droid. I wasn't expecting to find someone or something I could call family, and believe me, I've wished for that for years. I was wishing for a family on Kiffu, and now, in the most unexpected place, I get what I've been searching for, and I don't know how to even really react to it. And it's just a lot. But I am grateful. Technically, we can say we're all survivors, survivors together. Dex survived for 200 years, you survived the Jedi purge, and I survived the Coruscant underground. I guess there's really no other way but up."
Dex shifted on Hawkin's back.
"Indeed you are correct Hawkin. And as for the relationship between Master and Padawan, Calista is completely right. The High Republic may have only had one thing right in its entire existence, but the right thing was the fact that Padawans and Masters were family. Besides the Force, the bonds of family were the strongest things you could ever have. That should have never changed."
Calista smiled warmly at Hawkin, relieved he understood her awkward attempt and glad that the Force had brought them together this way. “I guess we are survivors when you put it like that. And I admit I would like to be able to call someone family again, if you'll have me. I know you already accepted me as your teacher, and I'm grateful for that, but there is no pressure to accept me as more than that.”
She nodded gratefully at Dex’s reinforcement of her opinion. “I agree. That never should have changed. Maybe things would have been better for all the Jedi if it hadn’t.”
Hawkin smiled.
"I don't see why I wouldn't call you family. And with Kiffar tradition, if you decided you wanted to get a tattoo or make your own mark for yourself, I'd get it too. Because people need to see who I call family, you know? And we do need to stick together."
He couldn't help himself, but he laughed at his next statement.
"Now, I don't know if I would call you buir immediately, that'll probably take time, but we're on a good path. As for you Dex, if I find something worth adding to your frame in the markets, I'll buy it. Because you're family now too. You've got to look good too."
"I'd have to think about it if I decide to get a tattoo." Calista chuckled. She knew the importance, of course, because Jedi Master Lira Voss was Mirialan and followed their traditions about tattoos… and from what she understood about Kiffu from Hawkin was adding to it. "Then again, maybe you could design one for us, since you're probably more creative than I am." she suggested with a light smirk. "And you don't have to call me buir. Though I am a little surprised you know Mando'a but you didn't recognize a Mythosuar skull. I'm guessing you picked up bits and pieces of the language when you were working on Mandalorian ships, right?"
He smiled at the idea of designing a tattoo.
"It would be an honor, if you ever decide that you would like a tattoo, for me to design it. As for the Mando'a, I don't really know it. I heard enough of the same word or phrase, that I just kind of put two and two together. I caught snippets of conversation, but kept myself busy. I normally didn't look up from my work, unless it really grabbed my attention. That explains the mythosaur bit. That's how I know buir means parent, basically."
Dex gave a whistle.
"Oh so he has a brain to put two and two together knocking around in that skull of his. What a concept."
Hawkin couldn't help but laugh.
"Well Dex, sometimes my two braincells bounce off of each other and connect the dots. When that happens, I'm brilliant for a singular second."
“Why don't you come up with some design ideas and we’ll talk about getting tattoos together sometime, kid.” Calista grinned, ruffling his hair again. “But that's what I expected as far as the language. I know a few phrases… and some swears and insults but only cause Syla put in a show of only swearing in Mando’a so Master Voss wouldn't suspect that she was actually teaching me it.” she winked before turning towards Dex. “I think the fact that he was able to restore you to being fully functional again should speak more of Hawkin’s intelligence to you.”
You bet I'll come up with designs. As for Mando'a swearing, I've heard it enough to piece parts of it together. I believe you were definitely not learning all the words she was swearing in. You probably have a whole booklet on swears and insults in Mando'a."
Dex chittered back to Calista.
"He's street smart. He know how to fix a lot of things. Street smart and knowledge smart are two different things. However he did state he has two braincells, so I'll give him credit. One for the streets and one for the books. Maybe under you, he'll gain a few more."
Hawkin shook his head at what the droid had to say.
"Yeah hopefully I gain just a few more brain cells to play Dejarik."
He looked at Calista and smiled broadly, and went back to poking fun at the droid.
"Always wanted to play holochess. Maybe I'll learn just for you Dex."
