On Coruscant, out in the Jedi Temple meditation gardens, Avinolah sat with her now teenage Padawan, Catherine, and another Jedi who sat beside his own Padawan.
The other Jedi was a male Twi'lek, and like most in the temple, his robes were the typical brown and white garb.
The young boy beside him appeared to be Catherine's age and he had long, black hair that was shaved on one side and tapered at his collarbone. Compared to his master's white and chocolate brown clothes, the boy had deep brown robes with light brown here and there.
Together, the four sat in focus... or at least three of them did...
Catherine finally opened her eyes and looked around. She fixed her gaze upon the blossoming tree that she and the other Jedi were beneath. The sweet scent from the flowers wafted when a rogue gust of wind would rush by, in a hurry to get nowhere specific and a few petals would float down from the tree every now and then. The young Padawan let out a small laugh as one kissed her nose.
The smooth tone but sharp dialect of her master snapped her out of her brief moment of distraction, "Catherine. Focus."
With a groan, Catherine glanced at her Starling tutor who had brought her back to reality, "But Master! We've been meditating for half an hour."
Avinolah broke her meditation and opened her eyes to stare at Catherine with an almost parental tolerance, "Correction- five minutes."
When people say that "time flies," Catherine never understood that at all. To her, it always seemed like it started to fly before taking a nosedive into the ground, and then limping away with its wounds. Time was just too slow for her. "But Master... It seemed like an hour..."
Avinolah loved her apprentice. She really did... but sometimes she could get exhausting. Avinolah was about to lecture Catherine about the importance of meditation in the life of a Jedi Knight, but the Twi'lek Jedi's Padawan spoke up.
"Catherine... Is it that hard to follow orders? Just listen and do. It's not that complicated."
That boy's icy blue-gray eyes sent shivers down Catherine's spine. They seemed so harsh and cold like Ilum's tundra landscape.
"No. I can follow instructions fine, Kano. It's just I get bored with these activities sometimes... Especially when all we are doing is just sitting around while every other Padawan in the temple is getting combat experience."
Kano rolled those eyes of his, "If you want experience, I'll give you experience." He spoke, standing up.
The Twi'lek opened his own eyes, observing his apprentice's aggression, "Ne'dalx. Now is not the time for this. Sit." He ordered softly.
Avinolah raised her palm, "Wait. Kano? Do proceed. If Catherine seeks a small break, I think it's beneficial that she has it. Get into position."
Catherine grabbed her saber off of her belt and held it in a ready position, her counterpart doing the same.
Avinolah focused on using the Force to "dull" their lightsaber blades so that, should they come in contact with flesh, no permanent harm would be done. "Begin." She commanded.
Kano quickly ignited his saber and sprung at Catherine with the ferocity of a serpent.
Catherine gasped, activating her weapon and tumbling out of the way in a not-so-graceful manner.
In a fluid motion, Kano spun around and swiped at Catherine's figure.
She sloppily connected her saber to Kano's as she stumbled backward, trying to regain her footing. After a moment to steady herself after the attack, she sprung for Kano, saber over her head to deliver a slam.
Kano Force-pushed her away, causing her to fall onto her back.
With that impact, the air was knocked from her lungs briefly. Catherine sat up, rubbing her back with a grimace after she regained her breath, "Kano! That hurt!" She yelled at him.
With a groan, Kano rolls his eyes. "Are you done yet?!" He begins to advance, giving his blue blade a twirl, "This isn't much of a fight..."
"I'm not giving up," Catherine growls, standing up and taking a more defensive approach this time. She circles around him slowly.
Catching the idea of what Catherine was doing, Kano stayed 180 degrees from her position as he circled with her.
The air was tense, and the wind ceased to blow as if it were holding its breath, waiting to see what was to come next.
In the same way, the two Jedi masters were still and silent as they watched their students, waiting for one of them to spring an attack.
After a minute's worth of circling, Kano struck first, and Catherine flipped gracefully over him before charging at his back.
Her thoughts were filled with the idea of the two Jedi Knights praising her for landing such a good counterattack, the fluidity of her motion, and the perfectly calculated precision she would have upon the deliverance of this single strike. But what dominated her mind most of all was the pride she would have for besting Kano after all the times he had outmatched her in lightsaber combat.
But alas, all those daydreams shattered when Kano simply rolled to the side, causing Catherine to fly past him and trip.
As soon as his opponent was on the ground and in a state of disadvantage, Kano ran over and placed one foot on Catherine's back, pointing the tip of his saber at her neck.
Catherine closed her eyes and sighed in defeat. She couldn't bear to look at that triumphantly prideful expression she knew he had upon winning yet another duel against her.
"Alright, Kano. That's enough. Come sit." Kano's master ordered.
Kano removed his foot after a three-second wait and sauntered over to his master to sit beside him. He twirled the deactivated saber hilt in his hand with a smirk on his face as he watched his opponent stay down on the ground, coping with another loss.
"Catherine? Is this the break you were desperate for?" Avinolah asked, wanting to hear her thoughts.
Catherine pushed against the ornate tile floor and pulled herself up onto her knees, head heavy with shame as she deactivated her lightsaber, "I guess..."
"What she desired was to obviously beat me, which she will never do." Kano scoffed, "She's just so desperate to beat me that she has no coordination. You'd think she'd learn something after being beaten for what...?" He pulled his hands up to count on his fingers in front of Catherine how many times he's won, "The seventeenth time?"
"Kano." His master scolded, shooting a gentle glare.
Catherine rubbed her wrist, her eyes downcast, "No- Kano's right... I just wanted to win once, but that'll never happen..." She stood to her feet and began to walk back toward the temple. Her desire to train with others was certainly squashed for a while.
"Rizzoli hasn't dismissed you to leave yet." Kano's master called to Catherine's back.
Avinolah waved the Twi'lek down, watching her apprentice keep walking away in shame. "It's okay, Master Lyoos. I think she's done meditating for now. Carry on while I speak with her."
After she rose to her feet, Avinolah followed after Catherine, adjusting her scarlet robes as she went. She quickly pursued her Padawan, and soon Catherine and Avinolah were walking side-by-side.
"What's the point?"
"What do you mean by that, Catherine?" Avinolah questioned, turning her gaze toward her apprentice.
Catherine faced away from her, feeling unworthy to look upon her master's face, "I'm not good at meditation, and I'm impatient and impulsive. I'm not good at saber-on-saber combat and I'm not a really good Jedi in general, Master. I don't know why the Force wanted me to be here in the first place. I don't belong here"
Avinolah smiled softly as she looked around for a moment.
Upon catching sight of her smile, Catherine frowned, a bit irritated with her master's supposed disregard for how she felt at the moment, "Why are you smiling? None of this is okay."
"Because Catherine... I too wanted action, I was very hotheaded when it came to combat, and I wasn't the best with a saber. When I was a Padawan, I was just like you."
Catherine stared at Avinolah in disbelief, "You? Hotheaded and uncoordinated?"
"Yes. I wasn't born a Jedi Knight, nor did I receive the title overnight. It took time, training, and self-discipline."
Catherine leaned against Avinolah slightly, feeling safer beside her. She had no idea that her master shared so much in common with her.
Avinolah was never one to share much about her childhood or adolescence but when she did, it was always at the right time and for the right purpose.
Avinolah smiled down upon Catherine, "I was never this good with Jedi practices when I was your age, so you are already ahead of me in that sense. Though your attacks are weak, you are a excellent defender when it comes to deflecting blast shots and sabers, and I recognize that you are strong with the Force... in fact, I have always known it. With time you will improve your weaker skills, and I will be by your side to teach you."
"Thank you, Master. It's still frustrating that I couldn't beat Kano."
"There is nothing to gain from besting Kano but pride, and pride is no award. It is a leech that feeds on and taxes your mind and it will ultimately bring you to ruin as it did to Lord Cavitus, 'Master of the Dark' back on my homeworld, Stahrlaa." Avinolah warned her, "And besides, beating Kano is not the goal to strive toward. Instead, focus on what we are here for, to serve and protect the Republic, and to maintain peace in this galaxy so vast."
Catherine nodded, "You're right... Sorry, Master..."
"We'll work on enhancing your skills," Avinolah answered softly, "and I promise I will teach you all that I know."
Together, the master and apprentice walked hand-in-hand down the temple halls, going to the combat room to improve Catherine's technique and fighting style.