Ask Yavin IV Chick in the Nest

Laeonas Tannaras

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Sometimes things couldn't be accelerated? "Sure, but grabbin' somethin' before ya 'and it ta me's somethin' Ai can do." He thought to himself, genuinely annoyed by this line of reasoning. It seemed so tedious and overly cautious, when he was really just trying to be a little bit more proactive in moving the training along. He wouldn't verbalize his frustration, simply nodding along, and trying his damndest to remember the lesson for the future. Even if he disagreed with her right now, she still had a point.

Ephiny's response to his query on violence left him... well, less confused, and yet at the same time his understanding hadn't improved at all. She'd spelled out the Jedi approach to violence-- that it was a last resort, done in the defense of those that couldn't defend themselves. That whenever they took life it was to preserve the lives of others. It was almost paradoxical, but it was similar to his justifications for why he wanted the Sith dead. It might be murder to kill a Sith, but if he was sparing the galaxy of another cruel, sociopathic monster supporting an authoritarian dictatorship's conquest of the galaxy, who gave a shit?

"...Ai think Ai understand." He'd reply, giving his teacher a nod. "Ya don't 'urt people cus ya wanna 'urt 'em, ya 'urt 'em cause it needs ta be done. Cus ya want ta protect people." He repeated. Still, there was conflict between what he felt, and the beliefs of the Jedi. "...but whenever Ai've fought Sith, Ai've wanted ta kill 'em. Ai've fought 'em ta take life-- theirs. Anyone else not dyin's just a bonus." He explained.

"...but th'at's just a tip toe towards tha dark side, ain't it?" He'd add, expecting Ephiny's reply-- and coming to the same conclusion she would. "Even if it feels right, it prolly felt pretty damn right when they glassed a fuckin' planet. Trustin' yer feelin's ta tell ya who deserves punishin's just a long descent inta becomin' a tyrant." He finished. "...fuck, this is gonna be an 'ard one ta get past." He'd confess. "Ai know it's wrong, but... Deus, Ai still can't 'elp but wanna punish those pieces of shite."

With that, Laeonas transitioned into the saber practice, and waited for his teacher's evaluation as he slowed down and finished. She pointed out his aggression, and for a moment, Laeonas was confused. Aggression? He wasn't angry, he'd just been practicing... like how he usually did. His practicing often involved visualization, putting himself into scenarios so he was more prepared. Invariably in those scenarios, he'd be fighting with the intent of causing harm.

"...Ai don't know 'ow ta do th'at." He answered. "Ai've fought laike this since Ai was a boy. It's... 'ard ta break th'at 'abit." He'd add. Excuses, and they weren't even that good. He had to think back to when he'd centered himself, found serenity-- when had he ever done that in combat?

He found his answer in an old memory-- a very old memory. The time he'd first held a lightsaber, he'd let everything else go, and moved without the influence of emotions. Yet letting go was different from how he'd tapped into the force as the Jedi wanted him to. This was... completely new to him. "...Ai need a demonstration." He declared. "Mae fightin' will be to fecked up if Ai've gotta rewrite everythin' Ai know from tha ground up."



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Ephiny Daivand

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After she finished talking, Laeonas started to say what he understood of what Ephiny had said. The Archivist paid close attention to it. She could feel the conflict with him, and she could understand it. While what she said was true, the Knight wasn’t going to deny that this wasn’t confusing.

A smile appeared on her lips when Laeonas said that his way of seeing their conflict with the Sith was close to the Dark side. It was a progress, he had come to this conclusion alone. “I never said that it would be easy. The path to become a Jedi is never easy.” she would be lying to him if she tried to convince him otherwise. “But I’m here to help and guide you. With time you learn to control these thoughts and feelings when dealing with the Sith.

Then, she heard him explain why he used the lightsaber with violence. “Language.” Ephiny said, after hearing the Brentaalan cursing. She knew that it was something that he was used to doing, but if Laeonas wanted to be a Jedi he would need to stop it. Or at least use it less. After all, as part of the Order he would need to deal with children, and they could start to repeat it.

Doing as he asked, Ephiny activated one of the blades of her lightsaber and repeated the movement of the Form I. Unlike Laeonas, there wasn’t any sign of aggression or anger. She moved with precision and certainty.

When she finished, Ephiny deactivated her lightsaber and turned to Laeonas. “When you fight, try to turn the aggression and will of hurting your target into the knowledge that by fighting, you are going to help others. You need to fight with that in mind.” she said, before giving him space. “I believe that the times that you fought in the past was to save yourself or because you wanted to hurt others. These aren’t the way of the Jedi. We are selfless and altruistic. This is our nature. Now, I want you to try again.

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Laeonas Tannaras

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Laeonas had never really been under the illusion that his training would be easy; the difficulty had been evident since their first lessons together. Still, he acknowledged and appreciated the reminder. She was assuring the man that what he was going through right now was normal. "...Yer right. Ai'll just work 'arder ta center maeself." He answered.

He ignored her comments about language. Unlike trying to control his emotions, Laeonas saw no practical benefits to policing his speech. His mother used to swat his ass for cursing when he was younger, but she'd stopped caring by the time he'd turned 13. That Ephiny had such a problem with a full grown man speaking as he usually did was... weird, all things considered. Sure, his accent might be grating for most people, but cursing? It was beyond him.

Ephiny's next explanation, however, made a hell of a lot more sense to the man. The first half wasn't communicated verbally, as his teacher demonstrated Form I in all it's bland, basic glory. Through it all, Ephiny seemed calm-- freakishly calm for someone who was supposed to be demonstrating techniques to carry out violence. It seemed completely devoid of passion or desire, the serenity the woman had achieved almost suffocating. "...huh." He muttered, before she finally flicked off her lightsaber and turned to speak to him.

The Knight finally provided him with verbal instruction once again, this time by suggesting a different source of motivation to fuel his movements. Her assessment about his previous motivations to fight weren't wrong; if he started a fight, he was starting it to hurt people-- and if someone else started a fight, he fought to protect himself. "...alright." He answered, turning to his side as he reactivated his saber. He took another long, deep breathe, and than began again.

The first few swings, like last time, were slow. Laeonas was reassessing his movements, cutting through the air like a knife through butter rather than a sword through paper. Aquamarines were narrowed as he tried his best to stay calm, to force thoughts of violence-- of inflicting pain, defeating opponents-- and trying to replace it with any thought of protecting other people.

...and he came up short.

Altruism-- fighting for others... it really hadn't ever registered for the man. The most he'd desired for others, the most he'd fought for others, were in pursuits of his own material wealth so that he could also help his mother. There were times when he'd helped others, shown compassion, but fought for others? Killed for others? It just never happened.

But he didn't stop searching. Laeonas' selfishness had the added bonus of enriching his own mother. He'd wanted to protect them both from the hell of poverty, to buy them the safety and security that they'd both worked so hard for. Laeonas, more than anything in the galaxy, wanted to protect himself. He wanted to make sure that he would never, ever be at another's mercy ever again.

And the memory of the last time he'd been brought to such a state was still raw in his mind. The memory of a world scorched under turbolaser fire, of cities demolished, of nations slaughtered wholesale. He’d felt everything through the force; the pain, anger and fear of a collective world’s murder. Anyone with empathy and a connection to the force would’ve broken— and so, Laeonas had.

And he didn’t want to break again.

He didn’t want to let anyone break again.

If the Sith weren’t stopped; if there empire wasn’t torn asunder, their fleets destroyed, their knowledge lost and order shattered— people would continue to be broken. Worlds would continue to burn. They had to be wiped from the galaxy— not because they’d wronged him, but because as long as they existed, they’d continue to perpetuate the suffering that he wanted to escape from— wanted everyone to escape from.

And so, as Laeonas began to swing faster, practice the sequences in proper succession, Ephiny would immediately begin to register the change. He didn’t match the calm, determined approach that she had, nor had he been fighting with the same aggression that had defined his previous movements. No, instead Laeonas’ movements were something else entirely. He had all the cold focus that had been part of his technique, and the aggression was greatly diminished. His source of strength had been replaced with one thing.

Will.

It was his will— the will to end suffering, regardless of the human cost— that fueled his movements. Ofcourse, whether or not Ephiny would be able to read that far and recognize his will for what it was… was a different animal. On the exterior, Laeonas’ aggression had dissipated and his discipline had increased; just like she’d wanted.

Right?



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Ephiny Daivand

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Ephiny watched Laeonas activate his lightsaber. She could feel some insecurity coming from him through the Force. Her Padawan was uncertain if he would be able to replicate these movements like how she did. The Archivist would not mind if he couldn’t do it again, this was the first time that he trained with Form I. He was still learning. With time, she believed that he would easily do it.

Then, Laeonas tried again. Ephiny paid close attention to his movements. This time, she didn’t see the same aggression that the Brentaalan had shown when he tried the first time, but the calm that she used in her demonstration wasn’t there either. What the man was doing was something completely new.

When her Padawan finished, Ephiny remained in silence for some minutes, only watching him. Then, she finally decided to talk. “You improved. I don’t see the same aggression from early in your movements, very good.” she smiled at him. Laeonas once again proved to be a fast learner.

However, you didn’t show calmness in your movements. While many Jedi prefer to fight this way, you did something new with Form I. I think that it’s good for now.” without the aggression in his movements, Laeonas would be less susceptible to feel hatred while fighting and tap in the Dark side.

I want you to repeat it three more times, then we will have a break. Later today, I’ll teach you some more grammar. On another day, we will study Form II.” she said, before gesturing for him to start again.

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Laeonas Tannaras

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As the exercise wound down to a close, the man would flicker off as he stood and simply breathed. The man patiently waited for Ephiny's evaluation as he started to stretch, and he suppressed a grin as she noted his improvements. She did bring up how he hadn't exactly conformed to typical Jedi behavior while fighting, but she seemed satisfied that he'd been able to push aside his more aggressive feelings. Like most of their lessons so far, the mechanics of the techniques came easy to him-- it was his state of mind that he had truly struggled to control.

Ephiny told him that she wanted him to practice a few more times, and he nodded. "Sure thing." he declared, nodding again once she mentioned grammar studies. "...Iiii'm excited." He answered, back, flashing a playful grin as he flicked his saber back on and started practicing again. He moved through the sets as he had before; starting slowly, repeating movements until he got them right, than speeding up. Lather, rinse and repeat a few more times, and the man had almost entirely banished the wobbly, imprecise, stiff movements that had defined his initial practice.

Ofcourse, it wasn't like his routine was perfect-- yet. He still had a lot of practice to go if he wanted to truly master the form, but he'd taken to it well. Form I was the most basic of the forms, similar to traditional swordfighting-- a skill he'd taught himself over the course of years. With Ephiny's skilled instruction however, the learning process had just gotten a lot quicker. With his training saber off, he'd place it back in the sack that she'd held the sabers.

"Ai... think Ai did good." Laeonas said, "But Ai wanna learn more than this. When ya think Ai'm ready, teach me somethin' more. This got me used ta sabers more than Ai've ever been, but it felt laike Ai was just fightin' with a sword th'at 'appened ta be saber." He explained, trying not to sound confusing. "...and is form II th'at one those guys in tha yard were doin'?" He asked, cocking his head. "Th'at kinda style was just karkin' weird. Dunno if Ai'd be good with it." He went on.

But he knew that before he could move on to more advanced techniques, he had to start small-- the instruction books he'd read on close quarters combat and swordfighting had been structured similarly. If he had to burn through Form I, than learn something he wouldn't get used to like Form II, to learn the kinds of quick, aggressive movements he was used to in fighting, than he'd do just that. "Enough with sabers though, ya gotta teach me ta talk good." he said, intentionally using poor vocabulary as he grinned. "Meetcha in tha 'olo room."



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Ephiny Daivand

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Ephiny smiled when Laeonas talked with a less thicken accent. It was good to see how he felt excited to learn more about grammar. The Archivist could still remember the first time that she said that they were going to have a class like this one. Her Padawan seemed to be so annoyed and bored with it in the beginning.

As she had asked, Laeonas practiced some more of Form I. His movements were less imprecise and violent, showing to her that he was learning. However, it wasn’t perfect yet. The Brentaalan still had much to learn, but she would be here to help him grow as a good Jedi. The Archivist had promised it to him and she never broke a promise.

When Laeonas finished the routine, Ephiny approached him. “It wasn’t by accident that it seemed that you were using a sword. The Form I was created shortly after the Jedi Order started to use lightsabers. In the beginning, they used swords.” she explained, while pointing to the saber. “This form was heavily influenced by their previous fighting style.

Yes, it was.” Ephiny remembered that time when they saw the Padawans training. “You don’t need to be good with all the forms of lightsaber combat. Most Jedi are good with one or two. It’s important for you to learn which one you feel more comfortable using, because you will probably use it for the rest of your life as a Jedi.

After Laeonas put his training lightsaber back on the sack, Ephiny guided him to the holoroom. “I think that today we could work on the pronunciation of holoroom.” the Archivist said, playfully. She knew that he was joking. Once they arrive there, they would start with a class that probably would take a long time.

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"Ai guess th'at makes sense," He said, replying to his teacher's explanation of how form I had developed. He'd guessed a similar explanation already, and Ephiny's answer just confirmed what he'd already assumed. He seemed to be getting a lot correct though, as Ephiny would confirm that the style he'd seen the others practice with was the one that she was suggesting he learn. She'd address his concerns, telling him that he ought to focus on the forms that most suited him.

Her deciding the topic of their lesson prompted the man to laugh a little, lips curling up in a grin as he followed after her. "So, ya've got th'at "Hhhh" sound before tha word... hooo... shite, th'at sounds weird." He began, their lesson trailing off over the course of the next few hours.

--------

The next few days of travel were eventful, to say the least. Their first stop on Uyter had been fascinating for the Brentaalan. He'd taken trips to loosely populated worlds before, but he'd rarely spent an extended period of time there. Meeting Ephiny's family was an experience of it's own. Her younger siblilngs were startlingly polite, and her parents-- the both being present enough of a surprise-- looked quite young compared to the people he was used to on his own homeworld. The most impressive would have had to have been his teacher's grandmother though, a spry, sharp older woman who'd managed to get the man in a headlock after hearing the jokes he'd made about her at his expense, much to the amusement of the entire family.

The contrast between his own upbringing and his teacher's was made even more evident as they went back to his own homeworld. Laeonas didn't seem at all excited about the return home, at least for it's own sake. They'd take a speeder from the port to his neighborhood, and Ephiny would be able to watch as the well maintained, glittering and modern neighborhoods became increasingly decrepit, impoverished and depressed the further they went. Not even the archivist could summon up the wonder and excitement that might come with visiting such an ancient, important world.

The meeting with Laeonas' own family-- that being, his mother-- was probably just as surprising for his teacher as it was for Laeonas when he'd met her family. Instead of some farmhouse a half hour's flight from the nearest port, they'd climb up the flights of stairs of a decrepit old tenement. Instead of a large, lively and energetic family coming to greet them, a single woman opened the door. She was noticeably thin, but her most striking features were her raven hair and pale skin.

Rather than greet the man with any obvious signs of affection, she would instead comment on how new his clothes look, and mention that he ought to cut his hair shorter. Ephiny would've watched as the two spoke, the older woman speaking noticeably more quickly and with an accent even stronger than his. They were both still very loud, regularly swore, and invoke the same deities whenever they referred to some slight misfortune. The conversation only shifted after the woman asked how long the two had been together, to which both the student and master's eyes widened and faces flushed a bright shade of red. It was Laeonas who actually spoke up-- very loudly, and clarified that Ephiny was a... tutor? He explained that he'd been going "legit," and that Ephiny was "helping him learn" before adding "and there's no karkin' way we're shaggin', fer Sol's sake ma!"

The evening came and went, with the misunderstanding being cleared up after a dinner of microwaved ramen and "Babana flavored drink." His mother was obviously skeptical of his claims though-- not that the two weren't sleeping together, but that he'd actually gone "legit." He'd insisted though, and she'd relented, and after another half hour of quick, vulgar chitter chattering, the mother raven and her chick hugged and parted ways.

--------

By contrast, the next few days were... entirely uneventful. They'd refueled, restocked, and had made the journey through the deep core. The entire time they'd continued their lessons, with Laeonas' form improving with every thrust, stab and slash. They were in the middle of another diction lesson when the alert that they'd soon be dropping out of hyperspace arrived.

"I thought we'd never get there." The man said, only registering that he'd spoken fluently without trying after he had stood up. "...ayy, th'at was pretty damn good!" He excitedly declared, "Won't 'ave ta worry a'bout people not understandin' a word Ai say if Ai keep th'at up." He'd add. "C'mon, Ai 'aven't got a clue where we're supposed ta land. Mind takin' us down?" Laeonas asked, beckoning for her to leave the holoroom and head to the cockpit with him.



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Ephiny Daivand

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Ephiny watched Laeonas reflect about the possibility of using the lightsaber forms that would be more suitable for him. From what she could see so far, her Padawan would probably use more offensive forms. She imagined that the Brentaalan would love the Form IV.

I’ll teach you today about it. This and how to say pronouns properly.” Ephiny said, while walking with Laeonas toward the holoroom. The Archivist knew that he was a fast learner, but the Brentaalan still persisted in maintaining a thick accent. There was a long road until he would talk with a lesser one


—---------------------------------​


The rest of the trip happened without any problem. They arrived in Uyter and went directly to her family’s farm. The Archivist had sent a message to her parents some days prior, warning them that the two would make a visit. This made her family prepare a welcoming party for them, with much food. All of that made with fresh vegetables, fruits and meat that was cultivated in their lands.

Ephiny laughed with Laeonas reaction when he saw how much food could be produced in a farm. However, what made her laugh even more was when she saw her grandmother put the Brentaalan in a headlock. The Archivist had warned him that she wasn’t what he expected. She had fend off pirates during her prime.

When the time for them to leave Uyter arrived, her parents gave an entire supply of vegetables and fruit. Ephiny already planned to use all of that to give her Padawan some more cooking lessons. The Archivist had loved this opportunity to see her family again and already planned to do it another time in the future.

Their visit to Laeonas homeworld was very different. There was no celebration made by his mother when they arrived. Only some comments about the two being a couple. Ephiny wanted to die of shame or find a hole to hide because of it. The neighborhood where she lived was also very different from her parent’s farm. It was exactly like the ones that appeared in policial shows that she used to watch in the Holonet, with the police invading these buildings in search of criminals.

With time, Ephiny became used to Laeonas’ mother. She was very similar to her son, with the same thick accent and vulgar language. Before they left, the Archivist watched the two Brentaalan saying goodbye. At this moment, she noticed how the dark-haired woman loved her son.


—--------------------------​


When Laeonas' ship left hyperspace next to Tython, Ephiny felt relieved. The trip was good, but she was already starting to feel bored by spending so much time inside this shuttle. There wasn’t much to do here, beyond giving lessons to her Padawan, who was learning fast. After some grammar classes, the man was starting to talk with less accent.

"Yes, I can." Ephiny said, before moving to the pilot seat. "We are going to land near the ruins of an ancient temple. There is a natural garden there that we can use to train." The Archivist started to move the shuttle toward the place. "What did you think of our trip? I hope that you have learned where our food comes from."

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Ancient temple? Laeonas hadn't really asked about the details of their journey, beyond where Tython was, what it meant to the Jedi, and what they'd be doing. With how old and important Tython was to the Jedi that seemed to add up, but the actual details of where they'd be training hadn't interested him at all. Now, though? What kind of training would they be doing in a place like this? He'd already been eager to receive whatever training Ephiny could offer him, and the new information just added to his excitement.

The planet came into focus as Ephiny took the captain's chair. For such an ancient, apparently important world, it... really didn't look all that special, all things considered. If he had to name every verdent, yet barely visited backwater world he'd gone to, than he'd have been at a loss. But this wasn't some irrelevant rimworld with a population outnumbered by a single Coruscanti city block; it was Tython, the Jedi's ancient, original homeworld. It's historical importance was immeasurable, but it's physical appearance was... well, underwhelming.

These thoughts and more were taking up the Brentaalan's headspace when his teacher spoke up. Taking his eyes off the world growing larger and larger out the viewing window, he regarded the first question seriously, and the second one with a grin. "...honestly, if Ai knew th'at's 'ow ya produced milk, Ai think Ai'd 'ave sticked with tha powdered stuff." He confessed, chuckling a little. "...but... it was nice, meetin' yer family." He answered, the amused, joking smile on his lips growing a bit heavier. "They seemed... 'appy, mostly."

There was a moment of silence, a simple, tired smile worn by the Brentaalan. Where it came from was anyone's guess, as he'd never admit that he appreciated witnessing the simple warmth and comfort that Ephiny's family had in one another. But the moment passed and Laeonas added, "Though th'at fight between tha one brother and sister went on way longer than it 'ad any right ta; still don't know why ya didn't let me smack 'em upside tha 'ead fer th'at one."

It was structured like many of the other incendiary, decidedly un-jedi-like sentiments that Laeonas had held. Yet it had been delivered abruptly, and that rough, righteously indignant tone that played out whenever the man felt strongly about something was completely absent. Instead it sounded... forced, like he'd delivered it less for the purpose of speaking his mind, but for... well, anything else. That he hadn't even attempted to strike either kid, but simply muttered a remark that his teacher had, as per usual, chastised him for and explained why he was wrong, didn't really match up with his "didn't let me" description.

All in all, it was a distraction; one that kept the man's mind from drifting from the subject of Ephiny's family to his own. One that kept him from trying to picture the life he might've had if things had gone differently for him; if his father had accepted him, if the name "Tannaras" really belonged to him. More than that, however, he might have questioned if his desire for a palace really was necessary for him. If such a small, humble family could live such a happy and fulfilled life, did he really need the luxurious lifestyle and unmatched security that he might've been offered, had he been trueborn?

These thoughts, now or later, would eventually penetrate the man's mind; and he hadn't been able to smuggle more alcohol onto the ship, so there'd be no escape when they came... outside of these little verbal distractions.



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Ephiny laughed with Laeonas comment about milk. She still remembers the face that her Padawan had when she showed him how they did the milking on the farm. The sheer disgust and horror on his face was hilarious. “I still don’t know how you never discovered where milk comes from before. It’s the same way that all babies feed!

Because if you did it, they would have smacked you too. It would be like what my grandmother did to you.” she laughed once again. The Archivist had warned him that her grandmother would want to deal with him because of his comments about her age. Her siblings would not like that he was disturbing their argument, even less that he hit them.

The Archivist would land the ship near the ruins of an ancient Temple. Even after the Jedi Order had returned to the Galaxy, they never touched this place. This remained in the same that it was since the time of the Old Republic as a historical reminder of what the Order used to be in the past.

The only thing that the Jedi added here was a garden, full of plants from several planets that had some importance for the Order. Was to this place that Ephiny was going with Laeonas. After the ship landed, the Archivist turned to her Padawan. “Now we can go. There are some plants there that will be useful for what you are going to learn next.

Then, she would walk toward the exit of the ship. “I’ll teach you Plant surge. It was what I used to make these flowers blossom in the gardens.” Ephiny explained to Laeonas. She was confident that after all this time that he trained meditation, he would be able to concentrate to use this ability.

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Of the times Laeonas' had actually gotten embarrassed in front of his teacher, the reaction he gave as she responded got him the most red faced he'd ever been in her presence. "Ai- Ai knew-- Ai already told ya th'at Ai knew where it came from! Ai just-- Ai mean, Ai figured there was more to it than... than what there is!" He sputtered, stammering over every other word as he struggled to articulate how he felt.

He gave a quick, "As if!" in regards to what would've happened to him. Besides, the only reason her grandmother had got one over him the way she had was because he hadn't been paying attention. He'd fought Sith and lived, surely he could take a 70 something year old woman if he tried. Ofcourse, that... didn't really say much, and as he thought more about it, the more stupid he felt for even considering it.

Following their landing, Laeonas would freshen himself up, slipping into more comfortable robes and heading outside with his teacher. While in orbit, the planet had looked entirely unordinary, a typical backwater devoid of civilization. Even after landing and looking outside, the only thing of note were the ancient ruins. Yet as the loading ramp hit the ground, and the two climbed down, his first step on Tython's surface felt....

...incredible.

It was like taking off a blindfold, or unpinching his nose. His senses opened up, and all at once he could see. The profane world was an afterglow, and instead, what he felt, more than anything else, was the force. The life of Tython was opened to him, and Laeonas understood why the Jedi had built their oldest temple here. To feel... all of this, any time he so much as reached out with the force... where better to commune with the universe, to try to understand it's nature?

He didn't say anything, and when Ephiny spoke up about where they'd be going, he quickly snapped out of it and followed alongside her. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to feel what he just felt, and he wasn't ready to start talking about it just yet. His silence broke at the mention of plant surge, as his eyes lit up, letting out a quick "Really?!" in childlike excitement. Even after all this time, the wonder he felt as he'd watched Ephiny cause plants to bloom was... well, it wasn't going away just let.

"Lead tha way!"




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Ephiny smiled after she saw Laeonas’ reaction when she said that he was going to learn Plant surge. Once again the man looked like an excited child. So far the Archivist considered that these reactions were because he was still suffering from the effects of his trauma from Firrerre. She expected that he would change after some time.

As he had said, Ephiny led him out of the ship and toward the gardens. While they walked, the two would pass near the ruins. If Laeonas paid close attention, he would be able to notice that the parts that were still whole had a different architecture from the Temple of Yavin IV.

The Archivist would have an answer prepared if he asked about it. If he didn’t say anything, she would remain silent. Since they met in Jabiim, Ephiny had started to control herself to not act like she was a know-it-all. She understood that it could be annoying sometimes.

Their walk would not take much time, with them soon arriving at the garden. The place was full with different species of plants, some had several flowers and buds. For a planet full of ruins, this place was well preserved, much due to the constant presence of the Jedi here. They would also occasionally add a new plant here.

She would stop at the center of the garden, where there was a circle made of tiles that the Jedi used to meditate. Ephiny would sit on one side of it and gesture for her Padawan to sit in front of her. “For now, we will start with the basics. You need to seek a bud through the Force and focus on it, visualizing that it was open.

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Laeonas Tannaras

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Before his traumatic experiences at Firrerre and recovery by the Jedi, walking along the surface of a new world was almost a bi-weekly occurrence for the man. Since leaving home all those years ago, the novelty of travel-- the different types of people, the subtle differences in how things were done, the clothes they wore all faded into the background. Very few of the many worlds he traveled to could leave a lasting impression on him, and usually that'd only be because of what he'd done there, rather than anything special about the world in question.

Yavin, with it's lush jungles and palpable force aura, had been one of the very few worlds that had left a lasting impression on him. Putting aside that it was now the only other world in the galaxy he could feel approximated a home, there just wasn't another planet he'd traveled to that felt remotely similar. Not even Jabiim-- another wet, tropical ball of green had as strong a character as the Jedi's greatest stronghold.

And this world... no planet in the galaxy could compare to it. As they walked past the ruins of the old outpost, build in styles the man had never before seen, all he had to do was close his eyes and focus, and he'd be able to feel what had drawn the Jedi to this world. Or had it been the Jedi that had strengthened this world's presence in the force? Was this merely the afterglow of millennia of Jedi travel and presence? By coming here, would the Jedi feel his presence, even long after his bones turned to dust and his soul rejoined the force?

As Ephiny began to reply to his earlier question, Laeonas would, unprompted, take a knee. Leaning forward, he'd dig his nails into the soil. It was dry, crumbly in his hand as his fingers sifted through it, falling between the gaps back onto the Earth beneath him. His fingers ran along his palm, the dirt staining his hand before he clapped it off, stood back up, and walked over to where Ephiny had gestured.

"There's... somethin' about this planet that feels different from all tha rest Ai've traveled ta." He said, holding up his still dirty hand. "Ai wasn't sure what it was-- tha air, tha ground, tha force-- but it's... it's all of it." He declared, lowering his hand. "...on mae world, Ai always 'eard-- heard, that... err... everythin' in tha universe-- tha ground, tha plants and animals, people-- they're all part of tha same whole-- just tiny, tiny bits of tha greater power th'at 'old's everythin' t'gether." The man explained, in as clear and enunciated terms as he could produce.

"Ai never really bought any of th'at, just laike 'ow Ai never bought th'at tha force was a thing, but this world... feels more true than it did back home. Everything just radiates this tranquil, peaceful sorta calm." He finished, ending his tangent before refocusing on the lesson.

"...right, same as usual. Let's go." He muttered, glancing over at a couple of buds on a bush that hadn't really gone into bloom yet. He reached forward, fingers outstretched as his hand hung, limp wristed as his eyes shut. The bush bristled as the force pulsed through the air, his will being cast out and attempting to manifest itself.




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Ephiny Daivand

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Ephiny turned his attention to Laeonas when he had started to talk. She had noticed how her Padawan was looking around with admiration since they left the ship. The Archivist wondered if he was impressed with Tython. The planet was so strong in the Force, she would not be surprised if he was feeling overwhelmed by it.

You feel this way because Tython has a strong Force presence. If you open yourself to the Force here, you will be able to feel how bright this place is.” she explained to her Padawan, after he finished talking. “This is one of the reasons why the Jedi of the past were attracted to this planet and settled here.

You can connect with the Force in any planet of the Galaxy, but only in some few you can establish a strong connection like this one. You are finally understanding how the Force works. I’m proud of you.” Ephiny smiled at him. She had thought that due to Laeonas’ past, he would take longer to understand it. However, the man was proving to be a good student.

It was also with great happiness that she watched Laeonas focus the Force in a bush full of buds that soon started to open. He wasn’t only getting better with his vocabulary, but also with his abilities with the Force. Without any doubt her Padawan was a fast learner.

Good work, Padawan!” he would be able to see how proud she was for what he did. “Now I want you to repeat that with another one. Practicing it will help you understand more about how this ability works.

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He didn't need to open his eyes to know what he'd done. He could feel the force moving as he willed it to-- not because of a command, like a trainer of hounds with the lash and leash. He'd made his will known, and the force had responded by making it reality. It was so... simple. The results come as quickly, and it took more discipline, but he'd just achieved what would've been impossible a few months beforehand. As his eyes finally opened, he couldn't help but smile; turning to Ephiny, the expression on his face could only be read as pure, unfiltered joy.

"Ai... I didn't think Ai-- I didn't think I could get it." He said, laughing a little before he turned back to the bush. He walked closer, reaching down to get a better look at his work. The petals were a royal blue in shade, speckled with little dots of black, the center a golden yellow. "Ai can 'ardly kriffin' believe Ai did this." The man whispered, thumb brushing along the petals as he slowly stood. Ephiny's instructions rang in his ears, and he addressed them with a quick, "Ofcourse, teach."

And so, for the next 20 minutes, Laeonas would do as he'd done to the bush to every other plant that wasn't in bloom-- with varying success, but success nonetheless. By the end, he barely even had to consciously think about what he wanted. The flowers would begin to bloom with a mere glance, his will in ever perfect tune with the force around them. His expression was utterly triumphant, his heart swelling with pride over his accomplishments. Not the overly confident, overcompensating kind that he'd waved around in the tent on their first meeting, but the genuine fulfillment of a man who'd accomplished his goals through his own effort.

"Ai've never felt this way before; it's laike there... like there's nothin' between me and everythin' else. I wasn't Laeonas making the flowers do what I wanted... Ai was everything, everythin' making everythin' 'appen... but Ai wasn't makin' anythin' 'appen, it just did. Because Ai wanted it to." He explained, letting out a long, satisfied sigh. "...Ai wanna practice everythin' now. Ai wanna lift shite, throw shite, Ai wanna practice with sabers, Ai wanna meditate-- kark it, Ai wanna work out fer a couple hours while Ai'm at it!" He went on, excitement growing with every passing word as he started to laugh, basking in the radiant glow of the sun, and the light.




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Ephiny Daivand

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You should believe more in yourself. You already did a great job with your training these last months, learning how to make the flowers blossom only shows that all this training is working.” Ephiny said, showing support for Laeonas’ actions. So far he had persevered in learning what was necessary to be a Jedi and it would make the learning of some abilities to be easy.

For the next 20 minutes, Ephiny watched Laeonas continue practicing with flowers of different species. Her Padawan showed a good capability in learning this ability, having been successful in all of his attempts. Once again he showed the signals of being a good learner. If he continued this way, the Archivist was certain that he would soon become a Knight.

You made these flowers open because you were able to connect with the Force. Different from the Sith that use their abilities to dominate the things, you only influenced the flowers to open faster.” she started to explain to him, after he took a break from his training. “They were already going to do it naturally, but you used the Force to convince them to do it early. With more practice, you can even ask for the help of the plants. They can be powerful allies.” Laeonas probably remembers how Master Voran immobilized him with the vines when they met for the first time.

The Knight smiled with Laeonas’ excitement, she was certain that it would make him put even more effort on it. “Of course! You can learn all of that! But you need to go slow, the constant use of the Force can be tiresome. Let’s have a short break and then we continue.” after this break, they would remain the rest of their time in Thython training and visiting the ruins.

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"Believe in maeself?" He whispered, lips curling up into a grin as he began to chuckle. "What, laike Ai'm a God? Should I start prayin' ta Laeonas, son of Nnaur?" He asked, obviously teasing. "...nah, Ai'll leave th'at ta Senin." He thought to himself, before adding, "I mean... what, that I can change tha-- the world around me? Th'at Ai've got what it takes ta..." He trailed off, before whispering, "ta... be like ya?"

Even after such an incredible triumph, it seemed like a pipedream to imagine that he could be anything like his teacher. A calm, patient person with a love of knowledge and the desire to share it with others-- the way she was so emotionally measured, and how strong her altruism was... it all just seemed so completely different from who he was. Maybe if he was younger-- if he were still a boy, the one in the oversized charity clothes, with the long hair and high pitched voice that made him look and sound like a girl-- it would've been so much easier for her to train him, instead of the man standing before her.

"...nah, ya were a pain in the arse even than." He muttered, snorting a little as he sat down on some nearby rocks. She was right about needing to rest, as she was about everything else. Everything but her hopped up reluctance to even kill Sith. Aquamarines looked down at the grass as he ran over his own thoughts. He... he wanted to be a Jedi. He wouldn't have spent all this time learning, listening to every arbitrary rule and going to every lesson, important or not, if he didn't want to be a Jedi. He wanted to be able to wield the force, and to use it...

...to do what, exactly?

He'd always imagined his abilities as a way to become rich-- to give him an advantage on the bounty hunting scene, or to make him a desirable asset to any crime bosses... or as a way to win the favor of his father's family. All of that seemed so petty and small now-- after what he'd been through, what he'd seen was happening in the galaxy... there had to be a higher purpose to what this was all for.

He'd spent his whole life being at the mercy of those with power-- those who abused it for their own gain. The Sith were only different because their malice made the cops and gangsters he'd fought look tame. Ephiny was an archivist; she didn't specialize in fighting, but in learning and the healing arts. But Laeonas? He'd spent the past 15 years doing nothing but training, building his body into an instrument he could use to fight people. Sure, fighting people for the sake of it was wrong, but what if he could use his strength, both physically and with the force, to help protect those without it?

"...nah, Ai'm goin' about it tha wrong way." he said, looking up and turning to his teacher again. "Yer... tha best teacher-- really tha only teacher... that I've ever had." He declared. "But if spending these last few months with you, learning from you has taught me anything... it's th'at we're different people, y'know?" He went on. "Ai don't need ta be just laike ya ta be a good Jedi-- Ai'll prolly never be as measured, and Ai'll prolly always be a bit of a prick, but Ai can still... Ai can still 'elp those th'at need it, and Ai can be good." He went on.

"...I can be good."

//END THREAD


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