Kanan Jarrus, The Last Padawan (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
uncertain_dume) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2018-08-31 06:39 am
uncertain_dume) wrote in fandomhigh2018-08-31 06:39 am
Entry tags:
Pay It Forward: Making a Big Difference in Little Ways, Friday, Period 3
Since it seemed to be the in thing this semester, and since one of their students was roughly the size of a large hovercar, it had seemed prudent to denude yet another classroom of its desks and seats in favor of comfortable cushions on the floor.
... Kanan was kneeling directly on the floor, however. Sitting on a cushion seemed like cheating to him, somehow.
Hera was using a cushion. It was soft, and she saw no reason not to.
"Hey, guys," Kanan said, nodding toward the group once it looked like they had settled in. "I see you've all made it through your first week of the semester. We're going to do that most dreaded of back-to-class-week traditions today, the introductions, but on the plus side, you know this'll be the last time until the spring."
Because this was literally the last class of the week.
"I'm Hera," Hera said, waving. "Those of you not from our galaxy, I'm a twi'lek. I've been here in Fandom...almost two years now, and I run the scrapyard and docking pads. Back home, I'm a pilot and I ship a lot of goods." She was a smuggler and a revolutionary. And not saying that in front of a Sith, thanks.
"And I'm Kanan," Kanan greeted with another bow of his head. "I've been on the island roughly a full year longer than Hera here, which mostly means I'm used to being chased out of bed by squirrels on Monday mornings. Back home I generally do odd jobs. Hauling industrial goods, machine repairs, heavy lifting. I joined Hera's crew around the time she showed up here, so I guess shipping goods with her is the most steady job I've had in a while, now."
And maybe two, three other people in the room would be able to call him on that poodoo. At least it wasn't an outright lie?
"We decided to have this class as a way of making a difference for people on the island and maybe off," Hera said, "and more than that, just showing you what you can do to help out. Sometimes even if you want to help, you might not know what you can do. Hopefully this will give you some ideas."
"For those who might not be certain why they wound up in this particular class," not that Kanan had anyone in particular in mind, "or what the purpose of something like this is..." He spread his hands a little. "There's a lot to be said for the benefits of doing good for the people around you. Treat people well, and they'll do their best. People who are doing poorly worry more about how poorly they're doing than they do about much else. Or they worry about changing that. People can only suffer for so long before they want the suffering to stop." This was all a... weirdly pragmatic outlook for him to lean into, here. But, look, not everyone on the island was a philanthropist. Some people were possibly predisposed to be very much the opposite. "When people are treated right, when they're given every opportunity to do well, most are inclined to take that opportunity, maybe even present it to others."
Maybe, say, do what it took to liberate a galaxy. But perhaps he was getting ahead of himself.
Hera smiled at him. "Eventually it might even come back to you. If you're nice to people, if you help them do better, maybe they'll be there when you need them. Or someone else will."
"So," Kanan said, smiling back at Hera, "that's what we're going to focus on to start. Introductions. Name, why you took this class, and one nice thing you intend to do for somebody this week."
Because yes, you had to, it was homework now.
... Kanan was kneeling directly on the floor, however. Sitting on a cushion seemed like cheating to him, somehow.
Hera was using a cushion. It was soft, and she saw no reason not to.
"Hey, guys," Kanan said, nodding toward the group once it looked like they had settled in. "I see you've all made it through your first week of the semester. We're going to do that most dreaded of back-to-class-week traditions today, the introductions, but on the plus side, you know this'll be the last time until the spring."
Because this was literally the last class of the week.
"I'm Hera," Hera said, waving. "Those of you not from our galaxy, I'm a twi'lek. I've been here in Fandom...almost two years now, and I run the scrapyard and docking pads. Back home, I'm a pilot and I ship a lot of goods." She was a smuggler and a revolutionary. And not saying that in front of a Sith, thanks.
"And I'm Kanan," Kanan greeted with another bow of his head. "I've been on the island roughly a full year longer than Hera here, which mostly means I'm used to being chased out of bed by squirrels on Monday mornings. Back home I generally do odd jobs. Hauling industrial goods, machine repairs, heavy lifting. I joined Hera's crew around the time she showed up here, so I guess shipping goods with her is the most steady job I've had in a while, now."
And maybe two, three other people in the room would be able to call him on that poodoo. At least it wasn't an outright lie?
"We decided to have this class as a way of making a difference for people on the island and maybe off," Hera said, "and more than that, just showing you what you can do to help out. Sometimes even if you want to help, you might not know what you can do. Hopefully this will give you some ideas."
"For those who might not be certain why they wound up in this particular class," not that Kanan had anyone in particular in mind, "or what the purpose of something like this is..." He spread his hands a little. "There's a lot to be said for the benefits of doing good for the people around you. Treat people well, and they'll do their best. People who are doing poorly worry more about how poorly they're doing than they do about much else. Or they worry about changing that. People can only suffer for so long before they want the suffering to stop." This was all a... weirdly pragmatic outlook for him to lean into, here. But, look, not everyone on the island was a philanthropist. Some people were possibly predisposed to be very much the opposite. "When people are treated right, when they're given every opportunity to do well, most are inclined to take that opportunity, maybe even present it to others."
Maybe, say, do what it took to liberate a galaxy. But perhaps he was getting ahead of himself.
Hera smiled at him. "Eventually it might even come back to you. If you're nice to people, if you help them do better, maybe they'll be there when you need them. Or someone else will."
"So," Kanan said, smiling back at Hera, "that's what we're going to focus on to start. Introductions. Name, why you took this class, and one nice thing you intend to do for somebody this week."
Because yes, you had to, it was homework now.
Page 1 of 4