Who Are We?

[Cassanova]

This class is for Meris Vorm (Attley). If you would like a class please check out this thread.​

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Resting himself in his favourite part of the gardens was Jedi Knight Noble Talatheen, stickler for following the rules, stickler for peaceful resolutions, and definitely the first one to stop and take in the scenery. He had visited this particular sub-level of the Temple in excess of three or four thousand times in his tenure as a Jedi, and had no particular desire to slow his regular visits. This area seemed to flow and ebb with the Force in ways that seemed unique and beautiful in their own mysterious ways.

Talatheen, having recently been assigned a young human girl as his Padawan, still had many classes to teach, thus meaning his Padawan was to conduct independent studies, or attend other classes - such as lightsaber basics. This class, however, was for the purpose of the Jedi way of life, in particular the Jedi Precepts, and as much on the topic of meditation as possible. Sitting calmly in the light that filtered through the grates above, Noble waited for his next student; Meris Vorm.

 

[Attley]

The journey to Tython had been a difficult one, and even in a life spent almost entirely aboard freighters and frigates Meris had rarely felt more scared, or more in awe at his pilot, than in the last few hours of the flight. The inner core was treacherous, and he had always seen it as a desolate and warped place, dominated by gravity and exotic phenomena, but now that he gazed around the ancient halls of the temple it appeared even the most fundamental seas had their harbours. The temple was a sacred place, and though Meris had never been one for such things he could now feel a peace he had not known for many years. This peace, though, was tempered with anxiety, for today he would have his first lesson.

The temple was as a maze, and when he finally arrived at the correct area of the gardens he was several minutes late. The sharp click of his military boots on the stone path seemed intrusive, a thought pressed even further when he rounded the wall that separated the shelter and saw his teacher sat patiently, adopted by calm thought. Meris stifled a salute, and then awkwardly bowed.
-Apologies for my lateness, sir.
The metallic sound of his vocaliser felt wrong beneath the ancient leaves and among the beams of light that split on the grate overhead, and Meris stood all to aware of this alien feeling and nervously awaited the esteemed knight's response.

 

[Cassanova]

"Take a seat, Padawan Vorm," Noble politely spoke and waved a furry hand to a nearby stool - well, log, but to be used as a stool. "I have a feeling you are not long for being a member of our Order, I'm assuming?"

To be truthful it was the 'sir' that gave it away. It either implied a level of fear or uncertainty, or a militant background, both which faded with a year or two of service with the Jedi Order. Noble had a way of sniffing out such patterns among the Jedi Order, as he was largely focused inside the Temples. The details of his lack of active service in the field was a concern between the Council and himself, and such things are not discussed lightly. Mystical secrets aside, Noble still had a myriad of knowledge and a calm strictness about him, which made him incredibly patient with his students, and had no qualms with repeating the same question several hundred times until an appropriate answer had been delivered. Sometimes, it has been said, that his inability to be frustrated is maddening to others.

 

[Attley]

Meris said a short thank you and sat on the log across from Knight Talatheen. He tried to look as introspective as possible, but he was all too aware how pretentious this looked, and so instead sat tensely and played with the back of his hand.
-No sir. he stopped and corrected himself. No. No, I just arrived at the temple today. In truth I wouldn't say I chose to come, but I'm well aware of the danger I would have continued to keep my crew in if I remained untrained. He reflected momentarily. Uncontrolled.

He was stalling. Space pirates and open war he could deal with, but this knight and his mildewy temple, they were scary.

 

[Cassanova]

Noble raised an eyebrow, the long fur that accentuated it made the gesture transparent as confusion. "Didn't choose to come? It sounds like there's a story in there somewhere."

 

[Attley]

Biographical questions were part of what had worried Meris. The shame of recent events was still raw within him. However, tales of the Jedi's powers: the mind reading, the prophecy, the insight, they made lying or hiding his past impossible. And besides, if it weren't for this shame he would not be hear now, indeed, he'd probably be in a military prison.

- No si- No. Don't misunderstand me, I am glad to be here. I'm thankful to the Jedi for allowing me into their fold, the first step was simply not mine. I'm here at the behest of my superiors: on my last station, as captain, I- I crashed. No, not the ship. No. I began to feel others inside me, other thoughts and ideas. I began to reply to people before they could ask the question. This I could deal with: long expeditions in hyperspace aren't good for ones sense of self. But this was different to other cabin-fever. He paused and finally looked up to the meet the eye of the Bothan knight. He had met Bothans before, indeed he had served with them often. They were a individualist people, conceited, though usually their pride was justified. Indeed, the knight before him surely had more reason to be vain than any smuggler or spy, but if he was then it was not apparent.

- This all culminated at the end of a tour. Naval officers are suspicious folk, and so the stories of poltergeists and space-imps moving things in the night was easily brushed off. Security feed, though, is less subjective. A Jedi was summoned, the assumption being that we had a Sith on-board, and when the midi-chlorian tests came in and it was apparent I was the source I was arrested and removed from service. It's odd, to be arrested for a crime you cannot remember committing. Healer Cameer, however, sensed I wasn't aligned with dark, at petitioned for my release, on the condition that I undergo enough training to control myself.

Meris cracked his fingers nervously and looked up to the knight opposite with a look he had not adopted since he'd been a beggar on Jaemus.

- Can you help?

 

[Cassanova]

Noble listened intently, understanding the situation. While he couldn't empathise with Meris, Noble understood the isolation that he must have felt, and there was a huge soft spot inside the large Bothan for fellow outcasts, "I will do what I can, Padawan Vorm. However, this effort will largely come from you. Walking this path is not for the uncommitted."

The Bothan knew it to be cruel, but if Meris had no intention of seeing his role as a Jedi through until the bitter, or well-aged end, Noble had no place to impart his wisdom upon the Padawan, "If you are ready to become a Jedi, with its training, its benefits, and its drawbacks I am able to teach you the skills to calm your mind."

"Once we've done that, then we may begin on making a Jedi out of you." Noble watched Meris as he sat across from him. His large brown eyes, shimmering in the low light, "We'll begin with meditation. Are you ready to be freed from your nightmares?"

 

[Attley]

'This effort will have to come largely from you', Meris's eyes smiled as the all-too familiar sentiment filled his ears. In many ways he was glad, for relying on others was not within his nature. Teamwork was indeed only valuable if ones own effort meant you were not a burden. However, a sobriety dawned him as he came to understand that this was going to be no mere retreat. Indeed, his actions here would likely determine the rest of his life.

- I'm ready, Sir Knight.

 

[Cassanova]

"Very well," Noble withdrew a small rock from his pocket and offered it to Meris. "Close your eyes and breath slowly and deliberately."

Meditation was a fine art which was one of the key factors that a Jedi was capable of utilising to enhance their abilities, connection with the Force, or the clarity of emotion that comes from the concept known as 'empty self'. Noble was a notably skilled practitioner of meditation, as he had a great deal of practice. "Focus on the rock, and only the rock. Let the Force discover it. Let the Force tell you every detail about the rock."

 

[Attley]

Meris took the stone from the enigmatic Bothan and placed it on the ground in front of him. He then brought his feet up onto the log and crossed his leg, and threaded his hands together loosely on his lap. He focused on the rock, which was small and smooth and white, though mottled slightly, much like the rock that formed the temple he was in. He closed his eyes and focused on his breath, feeling his stomach slow in its movements. Somewhere high above a fleet of birds sang, and in the distance there was the faint sound of water. He tried to push these from his mind, but immediately the effort drew him into further thoughts: what type of birds? was it a waterfall or just a run?

He opened his eyes momentarily and saw the Bothan looking at him, and felt immediately self-conscious. Once again he drew his eyes shut and focused on the rhythmic motions of his stomach, chest and shoulders; the sound of his breath whistling almost imperceptibly through his vocaliser. He tried to reach out with his mind to the small stone before him. For a moment he felt a coolness in his head, but this dissolved instantly as he tried to focus on it. Frustrated, Meris turned his attention to his hands, attempting to discern their shape. He could feel the folds of his skin, the callouses and the scratches, and a warmth within them, but could not define a distinct shape. They were as clouds of sensation. No, no clouds. That was to discreet. For now it felt not that there was an space of air between his brain and his hands but a flowing energy. The sound of water in the distance seemed to rise to his consciousness, so he focused on it. Yes, this was more akin to his senses: his hands and mind were like lilies on the water, connected by a stem that lay beneath the surface. He could feel them, his hands, and now the rest of his body too, as though tickled by a small currant, as they disturbed this flow. The pressure they effected against the water was what he felt, like a fish sensing the edge of its glass tank.

He focused once again on his breath, and then attempted to look outward. It stood to reason that the stone would create its own pressure against this medium he now felt submersed in. The chorus of birds had begun again, and the water in the distance appeared to flow away. For a moment he felt pressure in his hands, although not physically. He could feel a smooth, round sensation at the tips of his fingers. In an instant, however, it was lost - like a dream remembered moments after waking. He felt his shoulders tense, and his fingers push against each other, and opened his eyes defeated.