anx·i·e·ty n. 1. A state of uneasiness and apprehension, as about future uncertainties.

Oh, such cowardice in a Padawan would undoubtably prevent her from becoming a decent Jedi Knight.

That was if she was even allowed to finish her training! Augh!

She closed her eyes and pressed her back up against the smooth bark of the tree. Her eyes were shut so tightly, she started to give herself a headache. One problem either becoming a larger prolem, or attracting a bunch of other little problems. Just as her hand went to rub one of her temples, she felt something at her shoulder, and instinctively grabbed her lightsaber and flicked the switch.

Before she knew it, the largish figure was backed away considerably, with the corner hem of his cloak on the ground in a smouldering shred of fabric.

She glanced around and turned it off, putting it back on her belt. He and the two small ones just looked at her, their mouths open.

It was about that time when the previous compulsion of hers to run away and hide came back suddenly. There was no way she was going to survive here. No way. No possible way, with her sudden bursts of fiery fervor. With her technology, with her knowledge. As fascinating as these people were, there was no... no beating around this particular bush: they were inferior. Inferior! They seemed to her to be inferior in every way, from their hygeine, to their weapons, to their architecture, to their... their everything.

Were they even aware of the war in the galaxy around their planet?

Were they even aware of the galaxy? At all?

Her eyes darted from nervous and questioning face to nervous and questioning face. She read fear and uncertainty on their minds. There was other stuff too, but she didn't feel like delving deeper. Adai took a step closer to the larger member of the party, but soon stopped in her tracks when he held something long, sharp, and glistening toward her. She could tell he wasn't going to cut her neck on the spot; his fingers had a loosened grip on the pommel of his weapon, and it was tilted downward. He was just being cautious. He just got the corner of his cloak burned off, after all.

The Padawan approached him again, holding up her hands. Perhaps... she could use the Force? Not to fight back... just to see if she could do it...

Without letting her hands out of his sight, she slowly took another step closer, and focused on the metallic weapon in his hand. Focus. A cerebral image of the blade being wrenched from his grip came up in her mind's eye. Focusing on that thought, she willed it to happen. With every fibre of her being, she willed it to happen.

With palms outward, she gently twitched her fingers, and the man's eyes widened as he felt a gentle pulling on his weapon. She saw his grip on the thing tighten, and slowly upped the dosage. Before long he had both of his hands on the pommel and was pulling back with all his might. But to the Padawan's surprise, he wasn't angry, or frightened, or malicious. He was fascinated. And so were the other two, who had taken to huddling close together and watching from a safe distance.

Then, suddenly, he had let go of the blade. Adai Seth's hands were trembling now, as this was one of the largest objects she had ever manipulated using the Force. But the three of them gasped when the blade hovered between Adai and the other man, remaining perfectly still in the air, free of any visible support. He reached out and touched his weapon, and it yielded to his finger and he gently poked the pommel. She wasn't quite strong enough to keep it rock solid in the air.

Using her hands, she carefully maneuvered the weapon blade-first into the soil between them. She put her hands down and caught her breath. The man, still in a stupor and looking at his weapon sticking out of the ground, asked her something in a quiet tone. But before she could send him a frustrated message, the other two finally broke in, explaining her situation of non-communication to him, she assumed. He said something back (it was a quick, single syllable word that she mouthed to herself, pondering the meaning), and the two others promptly replied.

Adai sat on the ground while catching her breath, nearly smiling to herself at what she just did. If she could make progress on her own... did she even need another Jedi to train her? Adai shook her head and scolded herself. That sort of thinking didn't agree with the Code. That sort of thinking would lead her to the... other side.

Adai's train of thought jumped the tracks when she felt a hand on her shoulder again, only this time she refrained from pulling out her saber. It was the same guy, but this time he was kneeling next to her, and she soon realized the other two were as well. Without averting his eyes from hers, he pointed to himself, and said something very slowly; a word she assumed to be his name: Boromir.

He pointed to the other two in turn, and they said their names syllable by syllable as well.

Meriadocbrandybuck, and Peregrintook.

They seemed a bit long, so she sent them both the idea of shortening.

In that case, their names were Merry and Pippin. (Much easier to digest.)

The three of them then pointed to her, and she sighed, but said her name anyways.

"Adai Seth."