"In small doses, or with a certain amount of pre-screening."

"I like people. They don't talk to me much though 'cause I'm a demon, and they're scared of me."

"I don't think you're a demon. Though I didn't get your name."

"I'm Anakin Skywalker. Would you be scared of me if I was a demon?"

"It's nice to meet you, Anakin. Fear is not generally a productive emotion."

"Nice to meet you too! And I guess not to the person feeling it."

"Causing fear in others can be a dangerous path to tread. Fear can make someone unpredictable, and it is hard to change their impression of you from that starting point if you wished to switch tactics later. I prefer to begin with awed respect, and go from there."

She hums, thoughtful. "Yeah. I have a lotta trouble getting stuff 'cause of people being scared of me, sometimes. Usually just steal food and all. And most of them only got on the ship 'cause of the elders getting on and 'cause they were more scared of the slavers' friends coming by and finding them near the dead. ...Though it's funny when my enemies are scared."

"Keeping your enemies scared and your friends happy can be a delicate line to walk."

"...Yeah. I don't think I'm good at that. And I don't like it when people stop wanting to be around me."

"I will be leaving this planet soon and returning to the Jedi Temple. If you like, I could take you with me. You could have a fresh start, a chance to try again."

"I wanna go. I wanna see everything."

"And I think my people'd be glad about that. They don't need a demon anymore."

"It may be that you don't need a demon anymore, either."

She giggles. "What does that mean?"

"When you were a demon before, you had power over your situation you weren't allowed to have as a person. Going forward, you'll have freedom as yourself."

"Will the Force stop talking to me if I stop being a demon, though?"

"Will you die if you stop being a demon?"

"Probably not."

"Then the Force will keep talking to you."

"Then maybe I'll try being something other than a demon. Freedom as myself sounds really nice."

Elesse smiles. "Excellent."

Heeeee.

"Would you teach me if you took me with you?"

"I would certainly like to. The High Council has the final say in assigning Padawans to masters, but we'll be talking to them anyway. You're rather older than typical to be joining the Order."

She makes a face. "I don't like the word 'master.'"

"It's an archaism that dates back the founding of the Jedi. 'Teacher' would be the more modern word for it, but we tend to be traditional."