All Is As The Force Wills

*Introductions*

Her eyes held a very warm kindness in them.

"Nice to meet you Anakin Skywalker, I am master Shaak Ti."

She had an accent, yet it added onto her overall character.

Anakin couldn't help but find it rather soothing.

"Hello master Ti. Um, do you know where Obi-Wan is?"

She nodded, kneeling to his level.

"I must tell you something child. Obi-Wan...will not be your master, as decided by the council. I have accepted the role."

He started to say something but she politely raised a hand to silence him so she could continue.

"I will be your teacher, however, I want Obi-Wan to be around as much as possible, I can tell you two do have a bond even if not that powerful yet, but I won't take this from you. Do you understand?"

Anakin nodded.

He was glad she was so forward and truthful with him, and it was clear she meant what she said about wanting Obi-Wan around.

He didn't really like the Jedi council, at least not at the moment, but he felt he could trust her, especially with how up front she just was with him.

"Okay."

She smiled again.

"Come with me Anakin, there is someone else I want you to meet."

.
.
.

"Oh, you may enter master."

Shaak Ti walked into her padawan's room, Anakin mostly hiding behind her as he was unsure how to feel about meeting someone who was apparently still her student.

"Good day master." The older boy bowed briefly before noticing him.

Though his emotions felt similar to master Ti.

"This is Anakin Skywalker?"

"Indeed. Anakin this is Nicholas, my...well, other student."

Anakin was confused, that master he'd seen earlier said a Padawan only had one teacher.

"Wait, so you're training us both? I mean, I thought Jedi only had one master?"

Shaak knew why he'd asked, she didn't particularly like Kulan Deselo teaching the younglings, as he could be too strict or rough, or just borderline or flat out rude.

"In some ways." She answered a bit vaguely.

While true in a way, it also was not.

A Jedi might have been assigned one master, but they learned from others, as well as each other.

Usually mentors, which could be few or many in number.

"Nice to meet you Anakin." Nicholas smiled a bit at the younger boy, sensing his unease.

"Why?"

The question took Shaak and her student by surprise.

Somewhat.

"What do you mean?"

"Why would you be happy to meet me?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Nicholas questioned, trying to restrain the frown.

He'd gone to a few classes with master Kulan, and safe to say he switched to a different teacher, that being Kelleran Beq, who unlike Kulan, to put it simply, was a good teacher.

Anakin blinked before looking down.

"Because I'm the 'chosen one'." He made air quotes while saying that.

"Listen to me, that means nothing. Despite that, you are just a regular Jedi like the rest of us, do not listen to the gossip or hate of others." Shaak immediately moved to comfort him.

'she's always been very maternal that way, though even in general.' Nicholas thought.

He agreed though.

He did not understand why some of the Jedi were treating the boy like he were some kind of lowly filth on the side of a road, it was very unbecoming of a Jedi to do so.

Especially seeing as they are supposed to be compassionate.

Of course, that's not realistic seeing as how they did have some cold Jedi in the order, sadly.

"It's true. I mean my teacher before you got there told me not to think I'd be given special treatment and that I'd only be made to work harder than anyone else."

Shaak frowned, she'd have a conversation with Kulan later about those words to her newest student.

She could tell the boy had it hard, she could see it in his eyes, no words need be exchanged.

Why add more hardships upon someone who's already had more than enough of them?

It's as if you're just asking for them to fall to the ways of the dark side.

"Well forget about those words. Will you work hard? Yes. Will I make you work harder? Yes. Will I add on to your workload? Maybe, but I won't add on more than I know you can handle. There will be no special treatment, however, there will be no adding on more and pushing you past the breaking point."

'we also don't discriminate here, but some of these others don't seem to understand that.' She thought to herself.

"Do you promise you'll train me, and good, like Obi-Wan promised?"

...

For a moment they stared into each other's eyes.

Shaak nodded her head and answered without hesitation.

"Anakin Skywalker, I will train you, and to the absolute best of my abilities."

He hugged her immediately.

...

No one here had ever said something so kind to him since he arrived.

Well, Qui-Gon believed in him, but he was dead.

And not like any of the others tried talking to him anyway.

Shaak had not really expected it, but she returned it.

'and force help me, I will train you to be one of the best Jedi this order has ever seen.'