Jedi Academy

After she was finished with her social obligations for the day, Esla took the rest of the evening as personal leisure. She still hadn't quite gotten used to staying on the planet that was almost constantly day but it seemed like they would be leaving soon. A part of her wanted to take in more of the planet before they disembarked. She was perhaps feeling adventurous, in her own terms.

She took a tip from the locals and ventured to the aquarium. They had barely scratched the surface on their day trip and apparently, the planet's real night was found deep in its oceans. She descended down to the lower levels where they kept such creatures. The viewing floor was very ominous to match the mood. She walked over to the viewing windows and peered at the dark waters to see if she could catch a glimpse of something. Anything.

Byron took a brief moment from his investigations to take in the sights and saw Elsa. He approached, holding a bag of spicy poppers he purchased at the concession, and said between mouthfuls, "Makes one feel small, eh?"

"Oh," Esla murmured at first as Byron caught her by surprise from her concentration on the glass. She smiled faintly and gave him a deep nod. "Yes...I think. Uhm, I haven't seen much around here yet but I guess the ocean far larger than any city."

She talked, there were multiple faint lights that swam past the viewing glass.

“Oceans are larger than cities, planets are larger than oceans… stars larger than planets… there is always another level to consider when one thinks of the universe. From the smallest objects to the impossibly large structures,” he mused watching the dark waters.

“What could be the point of it all, one could think. The point I suppose is to exist, to live and experience the universe and in turn give it meaning.”

She nodded soundly as she looked to the floor. "Which I imagine would be what we're all striving to achieve here...and more likely after our trials. I guess that's probably why I asked you so many questions the last time we talked."

"Like the Masters' say, questions are the food of a curious mind," he replied. "Keep on asking the questions, I say."

She smiled faintly and shrugged. "I think I'm a bit out on questions right now...I guess my chat with Master Farissa helped a bit but I guess ultimately, I'll just have to find guidance in the Force if I'm hopeful. Or...focus on one thing at a time?"

"I think one thing at a time is the way to go, when in doubt break the issues up into smaller parts and tackle them one at a time. Makes sense to me," he said.

"In this case, it's succeeding in tests and getting to Ilum first...I didn't think I'd meet Sith along the way so soon. They seem sort of ominous and prickly," she frowned faintly at the thought of the Sith.

"They are Sith, like Jedi but with a penchant for black and trying to be as creepy as possible," he said jokingly.

"But they are still people."

Esla pursed her lip in thought for a moment and glanced down at the black she was wearing before looking back up at Byron. Hopefully, she didn't seem creepy to anyone, although she could imagine why some may consider her as such...

Just as she was thinking about that, one of the faint lights in the water slowly approached the viewing glass to reveal something truly creepy.

Her eyes went wide at the sight of the ugly fish and found herself quickly taking a step back.

"...They are. I guess they are just of a different mindset maybe. It was still strange to see them up close."

“It was a rather interesting encounter… just like this one with whatever swimming monstrosity that is,” he joked looking at the creature in the waters.

“Yet they may not be as all bad as we believe, of course they could be worse.”

Esla crossed her arms over her chest defensively, perhaps fighting back the chills from seeing such a monstrosity. "We've only met them and in public at that. Naturally, we should probably be careful of them. Apparently, they don't really believe in peace..."

"They thrive on conflict, believe it makes them strong, there is a certain kind of sense there. It reflects what can be found in nature," he said thoughtfully.

"Still I believe in the mission and the Jedi order."

Esla raised her brows at that and nodded in slow acceptance. "I guess...It seems everything they do and talk about is meant to start a conflict. The blonde Lady didn't seem very nice to us, especially after what she did at the restaurant. If she's so high up, you'd think she'd be busier than trying to pick on everyone around her."

"Dominance seems important to them, even in their social relationships apparently," he added.

"I guess we can never expect to have conversations with them as equals if they're so bent on dominance. No wonder it seems so frustrating. You'd think they hate spending time amongst themselves even more."

"They probably do, but we are the joint enemy they can all work against," he said with a chuckle.

Esla grimace, recalling their meeting earlier in the day. "I guess they have enough to focus on if they're here for no-good. Were you thinking of meeting with them again?"

"Not all of them to be sure, maybe one or two, and even then only maybe. It's complicated, my curiosity is coupled with the knowledge that they want to destroy us," he replied calmly.