The time? About midnight.

Catelle? Definitely not where she was meant to be.

The temple was quiet that night. Only the sounds of speeders passing by and the slight whistle of wind could be heard through the dark hallways. The night was peaceful, as was everything in the Jedi temple. No chaos. No shouting. Just the feeling of peace and harmony. Jedi were the peacekeepers of the galaxy, so it was only fitting that their homeplace resembled that duty. Every training room, every meditation room, every study room was empty that night- as it should be.

All except one.

Sometimes silence was the most comforting sound. The sound of nothingness was a nice change to the sound of absolutely everything. Sitting crossed legged in the lonely meditation room, Catelle took a deep breath in and out as she focused on nothing else but the silence of her surroundings. She was always told that she was to meditate the ways of the force when she was in this room, but how in the universe are you supposed to do that? Just breathe and...think forcey thoughts? So Catelle did just that, focusing on her breathing as she did so.

"Yes. I did love her. I do love her."

"Trained as a Jedi, you will be."

"Float? Is your child force sensitive?"

"Little one? How would you like to return to the Jedi Temple with me?"

"If you ever need to remember us, look for the brightest star in the sky and look beyond that. Beyond the stars, and you'll feel us there. Stay safe, my little comet, and don't give into fear."

At the sound of her mother's voice, Catelle's eyes shot open as she noticed her breathing becoming shorter and rushed. She hadn't focused on the past since she left Alderaan a year ago, it brought back too many memories of what she left behind. Too much pain. Pain was the path to the dark side. A side that she very much did not want to be on. Without even noticing, Catelle brought her hand up to her padawan braid and began fiddling with it- picking the movement up off Obi-Wan.

"You are aware that it is past midnight?" A male voice echoed around the sparse meditation room that made Catelle jump out of her skin. She had been so focused on her own emotions that her senses had failed her momentarily.

"Master I-" The young girl instantly recognised the voice as her master's, Plo Koon. She quickly began to formulate and excuse in her head as to why she was up so late.

"Save it, little one. You should be asleep." He said as he crossed his arms in front of his chest in slight disappointment.

"I know, Master, but I wasn't tired yet." Lies.

"I see through your lies, my young padawan." Walking into the room, his footsteps echoed off the walls as he sat next to his young apprentice.

"Sorry, Master." Catelle looked down in slight shame, having been caught misleading her superior.

"Do not apologise. I could sense your unease from down the hall. What seems to be troubling you, Little Ellie?" His legs were crossed on the floor, just like how Catelle's were. The nickname that her master had adopted for her was a name only he called her, that made it special. More personal.

With a slight sigh, the young padawan replied to her master. "I heard my mother's voice," She decided not to be indirect with Master Plo since she would have to get to an answer eventually, "It was like I was hearing the last thing she said to me all over again. I didn't like it very much."

"The past is never kind to us, little one. But you must not focus on the past, it will only bring painful memories with it." It had always seemed easy, in Catelle's eyes, for Jedi to simply brush off their feelings and she could never fully understand why. She had such difficulty ignoring her past life that it only ever came back to haunt her.

"Is that why you normally bring younglings here early on in life? So they don't have much of a past to cling onto?" Ellie asked rather directly. She had always assumed that her age would be an issue as younglings were normally identified within six months of being born. But eight years? That was a big difference.

"In a way, yes," Plo confirmed with a nod, "But it is also for the benefit of them and their families."

"So because I was brought here too late, my past is going to be a harder to forget?" The nine year old wondered as she looked down at her fiddling hands that had not stopped messing with her little braid.

"I suppose when you put it like that, yes..."

"Okay, master." Taking a small gulp, the padawan looked up at her master plastering on a fake smile. She knew she couldn't lie to her master, but she could damn well try. Not that it would work, she could tell that from the raise of his non-existent brow.

"But you shouldn't allow this to dictate your life, my little Ellie," He placed a hand on his shoulder, like he once did the first time that he met her in Alderaan a year ago.

"Dictate? That's an odd word..." Okay, sure. She was a part of the order and she had read a few books that she had left at home but that word had never been in any of them, so therefore it had never been in her vocabulary.

"It means that you shouldn't let your past ultimately determine your bright, bright, future. Even if it does tend to haunt you from time to time." Master Plo spoke with a paternal tone to his young padawan, seeing her as somewhat of a daughter. He could never tell her that, a professional basis had to be kept, but he definitely meant it.

The young girl began to form a response in her head but the words simply would not materialise. Catelle had been full of so many words when normally speaking to her master or to Obi-Wan but now in this very moment there were no words that would properly explain how grateful the padawan was for Plo Koon. A hug? Maybe? No, Jedi didn't do that. Did they? I mean, the closest affection that she had gotten from anyone at the temple had been a gentle pat on the shoulder. The last time she was given a hug was by her parents the day she left.

"Gotcha, master. Thank you," Were the only words that came to Catelle's mind, she wanted to show more gratitude and appreciation but words were becoming difficult to form in her head. Perhaps her emotions were clouding her thoughts but those few words got her point across nicely (she thought?).

"You have no need to thank me, my young padawan. I simply see the potential in you. You will make an amazing Jedi," The Jedi master smiled at his apprentice, or at least she think he did? It was very hard to tell due to the Kel Dor's mouth covering. This made emotions difficult to read, for anyone really, "Now you should be heading to bed, little one, everyone has limits and I'm afraid you are about to reach yours. You look very drowsy."

"I do? Well, I'm fine," Of course that lie was soon followed by a yawn, debunking it very quickly, "You know what, I'm just going to take a nap right here. Not because I'm tired! But because it's good for the force...or something like that..." She began to trail off as she laid down on the floor, curling her knees up to her chest and quickly falling into a light sleep.

Plo Koon looked upon his young apprentice with a small chuckle at her actions. Scooping her up in his arms, he held her close to his chest as she slept soundly and undisturbed. Carefully, he walked out of the meditation room into the silent corridor of the temple. Making his way down the hallway with Ellie in his arms. Sometimes he forgot how much his padawan wanted to push herself to impress everyone around her and often neglected her own personal needs. Like sleep. Reaching her room, the master carefully entered the passcode with a slight amount of difficulty, trying not to wake his apprentice that was lightly resting in his arms. Once he had entered the number combination, he quietly pushed the door open with his foot and entered the dark room.

The room was spacious from the lack of personal belongings. The city lights of Coruscant shone through her curtains, creating a mosaic like pattern on the beige rug that covered her wooden floor. There was a desk that was full of books that she had borrowed from the archives and other memorabilia from her home and a twin bed that had been scruffily made, implying that she had gotten out of bed to sneak away to the meditation room. Gently, Master Plo Koon placed Catelle on her bed and tucked her in as she snuggled up to the quilt subconsciously.

"Goodnight, Little Ellie." Plo whispered as he made his way back to the door, smiling internally as he left the youngling to sleep soundly.

a/n {hello there friends!! just a cute little master and padawan chapter before a bit of angst next chapter...yikes! anyways, thank you so much for the support! love you all <3}