Dorn had been wandering the hotel grounds, exploring a bit, but also using the time to reflect on the fact that Arani had actually said yes when he asked her if she would like him to escort her to the ball. He had expected her to decline, especially since she had so often tried to avoid him in the past. But she had said yes! Women were so confusing...not for the first time he found himself wishing that traditional Jedi training included some courses on female behavior and the reasoning behind it.
Dorn pauses for a moment in his wanderings to appreciate the extraordinary view available to him from the large window he had been walking past. He takes in the scenery while bringing himself to a semi-meditative state, trying to calm himself from the most un-Jedi-like excitement he was feeling over the fact that he would be escorting Arani to the ball. He had to get control of himself. He should act like a Jedi, not some smitten schoolboy. He still couldn't figure out why she affected him this way. Sure, she was beautiful...and funny...and intelligent...and...well, the list went on and on...but he was dedicated to the Force. It was all he had ever known. Being a Jedi Knight was his destiny, and it was all he had ever thought about. Well, until a few months ago anyway.
Why did she have to be so beautiful?
Closing his eyes with a sigh, Dorn takes a deep breath and clears his mind of such thoughts. He thinks of Sen and the example he set. Sen made it look so easy, being the perfect Jedi padawan. Dorn knew that he would certainly never catch Sen pining away for a beautiful girl. His minds were always were they should be, on the living Force.
Opening his eyes, Dorn takes another breath and starts walking toward the nearest turbolift. He had been gone quite a while and thought it was past time for him to check back in with his friends. Where Arani would be. Not that that had anything to do with his quickening step. Not at all. He was eager to ask Sen about some meditation techniques and to make sure that his companions hadn't gotten into any trouble without him. That was all. Obviously that was all.
As he steps into the turbolift and feels it shoot up to the floor of the suite they were using, Dorn resolves to stop letting these foolish thoughts fill his head. He needed to get this taken care of before he was called back to Coruscant, or his master would definitely have a thing or two to say to him. He would accompany Arani to the ball as a protector and a friend. That was all. Surely he could manage that. He was a Jedi, and Jedi were aloof from all but their duty. He was sure that Sen would tell him exactly the same thing if asked. Sia-Lan, on the other hand, would probably have something else entirely to say, but Dorn knew that trying to talk to her about it would probably drive him to the Dark Side.
Walking from the turbolift to the suite, Dorn can't help but smile as he thinks of Sia. She was the wildest, the most unpredictable, and usually the most annoying Jedi that he had ever known, yet she somehow managed to hold his affection and friendship anyway. How did she do that? It was a gift, one that went beyond the mysteries of the Force.
Realizing that he is actually in a very good mood, Dorn lets his worries slip away. He has centered himself and gotten control over his feelings. He wouldn't think these foolish, irresponsible thoughts about Arani anymore. He was a Jedi, and he would behave as such. His resolve firmly in place, he taps the entry key to the suite and steps in with a warm smile for his friends.
Of course, the moment he sees Arani, resplendant and fresh from her bath, all thoughts he has of maintaining his resolve fly right out the window.
Dorn pauses for a moment, then, realizing that he is staring at Arani, covers his embarrassment with a cough and glances around at Kaz, Kelko, and Sen.
"Well...hello everybody. I...uh...I see that you've managed to stay out of trouble while I was wandering the grounds. That's pretty unexpected."
He glances back at Arani and smiles, doing his best to act completely casual.
"You look radiant today, Arani."
Realizing that that didn't sound very casual at all, he quickly moves on to another subject.
"So, what's up? Where is everybody else? I don't hear Sia making fun of anybody, so she must be somewhere else..."
