Shadows of Bankor

The walk up towards the cabin had less of that sense of the unknown this afternoon, but it was no less pleasant for it. The fresh, cool air made for a very nice change from the city. Especially given the previous day's events.

Xanna and Liua approached the cabin together up ahead of the boys. It gave them a chance to talk about stuff and junk. The vision from last night was still there at the back of her mind. So many portents, it was hard to know where to begin. So she started with simple things.

"I wonder what Master Hin will have us training today? Oh yes! I forgot to say, I finished repairing that dress. Remember, the one you said you didn't entirely hate?"

Liua looked around and said in an attempt at a whisper, "That's a surprise!"

Xanna looked around but the boys were still a ways off. She smiled and put a finger to her lips. "Ah... I mean. I have had a busy day mending clothes and making bullgoat soup. So busy, with lots of non-specific things. That's me, always something."

They didn't seem to be paying any attention. She lowered her voice and looked back at Liua putting a hand on her heart. "Secret, I will not tell a soul."

“I borrowed, and will totally give it back, some lipstick… and practiced with it… a lot, so you might need a new one,” she said feeling self-conscious.

She leaned in closer and put an arm around Liua's shoulders. "You did? Oh that is fine, I do not mind at all." Keeping her voice low she added. "We could practice together if you like? It could be fun...but I will not tell anyone, I promise."

Meanwhile, down by the speeder...

Petrus shut the trunk, casting a quick glance up at the cabin. Seems like they had a few moments... looking at Sloan, Petrus reflected on how few guy-friends he had. This two-meter tall lizard was probably his best one.

"So..." Petrus let out a long, whistling breath. "Xanna. She's pretty cool, huh?"

The old farmer was meditating down by the water of the lake, stones floating all around him as he contemplated the meaning of the Force. He floated in the center of them, each stone was easily the size of a nerf and there were six in total.

He breathed in and in succession each stone lightly touched the ground and settled before he drifted down to the ground in a pose of serenity exhaling as he ended his meditation.

OOC:

Oraka Hin: 4eF 6 Light Side, 1 Dark Side

Spying Oraka and his demonstration of the connectedness between all things, Xanna directed Liua down towards the pool. The previous day's lake experience had been anything but calming. Still, it had held important information, much like her vision from last night.

"Good afternoon Master Hin." Much had happened since thet trained together yesterday. She thought he was probably well aware, but it had been a rather momentous 24 hours. Reaching the edge of the stone circle she sat.

Oraka managed a nod and said, “Good afternoon and welcome. I have a question, what makes a Jedi, a Jedi?”

She blinked a few times. It was going to be one of those sorts of days. Closing her eyes she thought about what it meant to be a Jedi. Xanna wasn't very good scholar but she considered what she had learned, what she knew. Something came to her, and so she answered as best she could.

"Well Master... If you asked me: 'What makes a pot, a pot'. I would say that it is what is inside that matters. There are many pots. Some look alike, some look very different, some are better for stew, but they all embody the essence of a pot. They can all hold soup because they share an openness inside. When we see a pot, we know it is a pot. So, perhaps with Jedi it is the same? A Jedi is a Jedi because they embody the essence of a Jedi: peace, knowledge, serenity, harmony. When we see these things in a being we know they are a Jedi."

She looked up and a little purple tinged her cheeks. "I...have spent a lot of time making soup Master."

The old man nodded and said, “More students should make soup.”

“A Jedi is a Jedi,” he said to the group, “it isn’t just who we train to be, it is who we are. It is being without being, I do not have to ask you to be a person, a brother, mother, or even a tree. It simply is, it is effortless and it takes resilience and work.”

“There will be times when the path is not easy to walk, for a Padawan or a Master. Being a Jedi is to know that we are only one part of the universe, and at some point we must return what the Universe has given us.”

He knelt down to watch the small waves lap along the shore of the lake and said, “The water from this lake it comes to the shore as waves, we can see it it can be measured. I don’t have to explain it to you, you know what it is.”

“It has a long journey from where it started, and then comes to the shore and is gone, the water remains though, returned from where it came. The wave was just a way for it to be, for a time. This is the Force, we are the waves, we have a journey ahead of us but it will end and we must not fear that. Because we will return from where we came. There is no death, there is only the Force,” he finished rising to his feet.

After a bit of rather inconclusive man-talk with Sloan, Petrus came to join the others.

"Good afternoon, master." He said, pausing a moment to bow. Seeing Xanna already sitting, he slowly moved to sit not far from her, facing Oraka.

While he missed the beginning of the conversation, he heard the end. He nodded acknowledgement of Oraka's words, his expression thoughtful, perhaps the slightest bit troubled.

Verse had stayed behind in the speeder for a bit, talking to Qareme.

"Hey, just wanted to say I'm really glad you're okay again. And that you still have all your limbs and stuff. And face. That too. The face is pretty important."

It was a totally heartfelt admission, one might realize as Verse stared at them blankly for a few moments before getting out the speeder.

"So, ready to meet the fruit-giver?"

Qareme was caught a little speechless by Verses words, lowering her head for a few moments before speaking.

"I am also happy to see you again. I've heard word of what you did for me...for all the prisoners. Putting yourself a great risk. You are a good woman, Verse, and a brilliant Jedi, and it pleases me to call you my friend."

There was a slight pause before she added "although my fighting skills appear to be extremely rusty. If you would have me, I would welcome the chance to train together after this. Let us meet this fruit giver."

With a nod, Qareme walked towards the cabin with verse, a small smile on her face as she continued "I believe your master would be overjoyed to hear how happy you appear to be about fruit now." It was a joke, but wit Qaremes emotionless way of speaking and Verses lack of cunning there was little chance of it going over as one.

"Oh," she smiled at Qareme when she called Verse her friend, "Thank you."

Then an awkward silence passed between them and one might almost assume that was going to be all she said on the topic before Verse realized something. "...Of course I think of you as a friend too."

As they walked toward the cabin, talk of her master being proud came along.

"She always did tell me to eat more greens," she said, "Which is weird because I'm already so green so why would I need more of it?"

There was a small laugh from the large woman.

"I believe in this case the greens are for an improved internal health, rather than an external colour. You do not need to be any more green externally I believe."

As they reached the cabin Qareme fell into silence, noting the man sitting there like he was teaching a lesson. Unsure of how to interrupt without being rude.

Oraka said to the two new people, “Join us, there is no ignorance here, we seek only knowledge.”

“It is good to meet you a second time, Verse.”

Verse blinked, taking a moment to realize. "It was you, in the fire?"

She moved closer then.

"I'm glad you survived then, after she attacked us again when we were flying the TIE, I thought you might not have made it."

"Thank you" Qareme said, lowering her head respectfully to the man. There was a few she wasn't sure she knew here, so she added "I am called Qareme. Thank you for inviting me."

She moved to sit crosslegged, leaving space for Verse to sit with her if she wanted.

Petrus watched, smiling, as old friends met new master. Introductions had otherwise gone around in the speeder ride, and Petrus didn't feel that it was his place to help Oraka and the Padawans exchange names.

So he waited.

“She is a dedicated hunter, as she was a dedicated a defender,” he said thoughtfully.

“I slowed her down,” he said before he paused to endure a wave of pain and then continued, “I am glad it was enough for this rescue to be successful.”

He then added, “Not made it? There will come a time when none of us makes it, Verse. I don’t say this to be morbid, it simply is fact. There is no death, there is only the Force, do you understand what that means?”

Qareme Torth wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 01, 2020 6:32 pm

"Thank you" Qareme said, lowering her head respectfully to the man. There was a few she wasn't sure she knew here, so she added "I am called Qareme. Thank you for inviting me."

She moved to sit crosslegged, leaving space for Verse to sit with her if she wanted.

He said to Qareme, “You were never invited Qareme, this is where you were meant to be and the Force made it so. I thank you for allowing me to share what little I know with you, and in turn I will learn much from you, all of you.”

"Hmmm," she looked up at the sky, thinking about the question. Death, the Force, she wasn't entirely sure what he was asking, even if she understood it was significant somehow.

Well, there was no shame in admitting ignorance, that was how you learned. Right?

"I'm not sure I do. Master Alana said something like that once though, maybe."

Oraka Hin wrote: ↑

Sat Feb 01, 2020 6:51 pm

He said to Qareme, “You were never invited Qareme, this is where you were meant to be and the Force made it so. I thank you for allowing me to share what little I know with you, and in turn I will learn much from you, all of you.”

"Anything you can pass onto us is welcome Master" Qareme offered quietly as Verse considered the lesson.

“There is no shame in admitting what we do not know. In truth I am not sure I fully understand the meaning but time we may learn together what it means,” he said calmly.

“This lake is deep, so deep that the bottom is shrouded in darkness but in those deeps can be found beautiful stones. Your task for today is simple swim to the bottom and retrieve a stone. You will not need diving gear, trust in the force to guide you.”

He added, “I do not expect all of you to succeed, but success is secondary to understanding and pushing yourself. There is no fault in giving your best and coming up short, it allows us to see where we can improve or perhaps know what are limits truly are.”

“Trust in the Force.”

OOC: This is an Athletics check at Average to swim to the lower depths and then a Cool check plus Force check at Hard to find a stone. If the first roll is failed upgrade the Difficulty by one for the Cool check. I will spend a Destiny for each player’s Athletics check. May use Force die pips for Advantage or Successes.

She nodded at his answer; well, not really an answer so much as a promise of finding one. Then came a task. Oh, so this was like being in training again? I mean yeah, that was supposed to be the whole fruit thing, of course! It wasn't literally getting a piece of fruit, it was teaching! It all made sense now.

Verse closed her eyes, took in some air, and dove in. She might've been the first one in even; regardless, she didn't hesitate and completely gave herself over to the Force. As a bonus, she was pretty fit too, so she had little difficulty in reaching the bottom... where she found herself a particularly shiny looking stone.

She was also pretty damn cool, and the Force knew it, wanting her to shine like the crazy shining Padawan she was.



Athletics, upgraded by DD: 1eP+3eA+1eC+1eD 3 successes, 1 Triumph


Cool + Force: 2eP+1eF+3eD 1 advantage, 2 Light Side


Triumph to find a particularly shiny stone? 1 force pip to sux, then the other one to gain 2 advantage (assuming advantage nets a better result?) 1 more lightside pip from vergence to either sux or advantage, which ever is more useful