The young, fair skinned human approached casually, given the grave affair, wearing the brown robes of a Jedi.  His short black hair still had the braid of a padawan attached, and his fair face was unmarred by marks of age and battle.  He was a short and slight human, but Jedi came in all sorts of shapes and sizes.  He nodded in acknowledgement to each person present before continuing, standing more like a young man at a bar than a Jedi, his stance relaxed and a soft smile still on his face.  The way he stood with robes that were bound just slightly looser than they should be, they might notice the lightsaber on his left hip, and the blaster pistol holstered on his right.<br/><br/>"Master Kelluka, actually.  But, you are correct that I am her Padawan," he said with a voice tinged with the practiced accent of Coruscanti nobility, frowning slightly as he felt the ever so slight undercurrent of tension.  How could someone not be tense coming here to do this, though?  His master had not expressed utter disapproval with the idea, but she did counsel him on the fact that others would not be so understanding of his reasons.  She had not let him go without reminding him to step softly, beware the Dark Side, and to return safely.   Of those three, he was least worried about the last one.<br/><br/>He had made his peace with the idea that he might not be able to return to the Jedi Order.  It was his duty as a future Knight to risk his life for others, whether he would ever officially achieve that rank or not.<br/><br/>After the soldiers approached, and Merryn's gaze fell upon him again, he realized that he was the thing causing tension here more so than anything else.<br/><br/>"I am Padawan Jekin Tolar," he spoke with a solemn expression, "I have come here of my own free will to serve the Republic, even if it means losing my life so others can live."