Ask Contrition

[Eirik Sunwielder]

Eirik trudged forth, bootsteps crunching through the snow. The color had withdrawn from his skin, leaving only enough at the tip of his nose to make it flushed red. His steps disturbed the hoarfrost encasing vegetation underfoot. It shattered into crystalline shards as he stomped through it, becoming lost in the shallow sea of white. He was used to this weather; a glance at his Padawan told him that she was not. They were close to the cave; he was sure of it. He just needed Hailee to listen to the song of the Force and let it guide her.

His Padawan’s description of what she felt reminded him of how the crystal cave called out to him, so long ago, when he was but a mere learner. There was an approving grunt and a huff, his head briefly subsumed by the steam of his breath. ”Good,” he said when she had finished answering his questions, casting his eyes star-ward, reading their distant twinkles, ”It will grow louder the closer you get, until it is unmistakable that we have found what we’re looking for. Take the lead.” He drew his cloak tighter around his body, then abruptly stuck his hand out to Hailee, offering her a small pouch. Inside were a few hand warmers that would alleviate some of the pains of winter.

”Take some of these; they’ll warm you.”

Hopefully that would help her focus less on the weather and more on their journey.

”You’re right about peace,” he continued, ”It is the first line in our Code because it is the principal tenet of our Order. Without peace, there can be no peacekeeper. Without the peacekeeper, we consign trillions to the depravities of the Sith. But we cannot focus on peace without before we master peace within.” Snow settled gently in his hair and in his beard as they walked, giving him the icy, wizened look of an elder tutor walking alongside their pupil. He cast his gaze downward, then behind them, before looking towards Hailee.

”The new Code says that there may be both emotion and peace. It’s right, but we must be wary of the dangers that come with excess just as we must watch for deficiency. The Jedi with too much courage is foolhardy, but if he lacks courage, he is craven. The Jedi who loves too strongly or too weakly walks the path towards Darkness, for one side leads to jealous attachment and the other allows hatred to consume them.” Overhead, a twinkling light flared across the sky. Whether it was a passing ship or a shooting comet didn’t matter; it was a good omen. ”As you said, balance in all things.”

”Let’s hear second line of the Code.”

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

The unforgiving cold of Tython was really a force to be reckoned with...She was obviously trying not to get carried away from the pain or even too focused on the unforgiving weather in general, but with her eyes narrowed to prevent snowflakes from hitting them and her whole body trembling, it still wasn't a pleasant walk after all.

While the frosty cold seemed too deteriorate, he seemed to have a point. While the sounds had seemed unfocused and scattered at first, she could now focus on a clear direction. She had even seen how it supposedly looked inside the cave and she was truly impressed by how the kyber crystal was calling her specifically, but as her teeth started chattering, she was starting to question whether they would make it there alive without losing any limbs to the cold.

Their breaths were still obviously visible against the dark of the night while she listened to her master, the snow beneath her feet giving way to her steps, their footprints looking as though the fresh snow would cover them within the next hour already. She took the lead as he had instructed, shielding her eyes from the icy wind while she pressed on, still rather determinantly.

Peace within...yes. This was something she was still truly hoping to achieve. She was still on the path to finding balance, especially because she had been tested over and over again and had previously found herself in chaotic situations, but this was exactly why his words were reaching her at the very core. "Th-that m-makes sense. It's still a...a th-thin line to walk, isn't it?" it was rather a rhetorical question, but he somehow seemed to have mastered it already.

By reciting and interpreting or even discussing the code, she realized that it definitely brought her closer to all of it again, as the cognitive engagement alone seemed to amplify the sounds she was already perceiving, coming from the direction of the kyber crystal that was apparently calling out to her. As he asked for the second line, she glanced up again, recalling both the new and the old as best as she could, by, however, questioning her own grasp on the concept of knowledge. "There is n-no ignorance, there is-s knowledge...Or i-ignorance, yet kn-nowledge. Can we e-even fully grasp-p the Force? Knowledge is pr-precious, but I've h-heard of masters that studied f-for decades...yet haven't fully gr-grasped it. It-is our d-duty is Jedi to k-keep studying, k-keep trying and grasping that knowl-ledge and an...an understanding will bring is further to the l-light and to-towards balance...but maybe we need t-to expect that we can't grasp i-it all" she continued, gratefully taking one of the offered hand warmers and hoping for some improvement in terms of the cold.

@Painus

 

[Eirik Sunwielder]

He privately wondered how much longer the young Padawan could remain out in the wintry cold. He felt at home here, but it was evident to him that she’d never been in conditions quite this rough before. To Eirik, this was a valuable lesson in finding peace amidst disharmony, as well as a lesson to always be prepared for the worst. They’d need shelter soon if he wanted his new pupil to focus more on his teachings than her need for warmth. The crystal cave would provide them this respite, and he knew they were close.

Eirik nodded his head in response to Hailee. ”You’re right. It is our duty to be learners, always. From the youngest initiate to the grandmaster herself, we never stop learning. About ourselves, about the galaxy, about the Force,” he remarked, breathing out another cloud of steam. ”Our enemies prey on ignorance. They use it to manipulate, to deceive. They shun knowledge, for it is the blind leading the blind.” As they traveled, he began to understand his Padawan more. She had a keen mind that had been neglected, but, like a smith shaping metal, he knew that she merely needed the right instruction.

”I don’t think we’ll ever truly understand the Force,” he admitted, ”But that is why we surrender ourselves to it. Even now, you allow it to guide us through the night. Trust in the Force and it will protect you.” Once in a while, they’d passed by a few landmarks that he now knew to indicate the cave’s location for those guiding their students: a jutting tooth of stone, an old tree struck by lightning, a turn in the terrain. He knew these fringes well enough, though in the darkness there was an unhelpful depth of mystery and unfamiliarity.

It was how he knew to halt Hailee when they’d finally found the mouth of the cave. He gestured towards it, hidden behind the ice-covered strands of a willow growing nearby. A simple sigil of the Jedi Order, etched into the mountain by means of acid-engraving, signaled that this was their goal. The first step in the trial to finding a kyber crystal.

For Hailee, the song of the Force would be almost unbearably loud all the way up until she took her first step into the cave. Then, it would die out entirely, as if muted. It was an unassuming vault of basalt and granite, crusted with aching ice and hiding great treasures within. There would be only one crystal here that Hailee would be attuned to, but now it was time for the Force to test her. These caves were roiling with the Force, both Light and Dark. It was a sacrosanct place to the Jedi, but it was not without its perils. He hoped Hailee would be able to withstand the coming mental trials.

Eirik shepherded her inside and out of the cold. Even here, in this frozen tomb, the temperature was much higher. He’d let her spend time warming up now that they were shielded from the wind.

”Whatever holds you back must be banished, Hailee. The Force will not willingly part with its crystal,” he said, echoing the words of his own master so long ago, ”It will test your resolve and purity in this place. Trust in the Light, or you will emerge empty-handed.”

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

The icy wind kept rushing against her cheek, hurting the soft skin and still burning in those emerald green eyes. She recalled her teachings and tried to focus on finding peace, yet this beacon of hope was still far away. She knew she has to stay focused and so she tried to keep her mind where she needed it to be.

While he answered her and continued explaining his view on the Jedi and their path to enlightenment, she closed her eyes for a few steps again, focusing on this faint, crystal clear melody in the distance that had something unbelievably alluring upon it. Like a sirens' song, it really called to her, waiting for her to respond by finding it...but how far was it away? And was it even the right call? Or was the wild, even unbalanced Force here on Tython playing tricks on her?

She knew doubts had no place here and that she'd have to trust on the Force and so she continued to do. He repeated she should trust in it and so far, whenever she had trusted the Force, it had indeed guided her, so there was no reason not to be hopeful. The Force was everywhere and even if it was disharmonic here, she could focus on the crystal's song.

Apart from the wind, the snow was muffling pretty much every other sounds as they continued their March through the icy terrain. She was still shivering so strongly that she didn't respond with more than a nod. There was not much verbal answers she could add anyways as she was mostly listening and thus learning, but she was trying to save her precious energy.

They soon approached the cave's entrance that was well hidden behind the frozen strands of the huge tree, however she was rather distracted by the chaotic shouts through the Force that just uncontrollably got louder and louder. She flinched, trying to make out this particular melody she had heard before, but it was impossible. She followednhis gesture and moved towards the entry and as she finally set foot it in, she gasped.

"It's gone" she mumbled confusedly, her breath still visible as she exhaled, but she could feel how the air had suddenly gotten bearable. She rubbed her hands against one another, wanting to make her seemingly frozen bones thaw while she tried to recover for a moment as she leaned against the cavern wall.

She glanced back up to him as he broke the silence, carefully considering his words before she nodded again. "Okay...I'm ready". Pushing herself off from the side, she closed her eyes again and focused. She felt confident...and she knew how to trust in the Light, yet there was a slight nervousity in the pit of her stomach. She was ready to press on, eager to get closer and now that it had gotten at least a little warmer, she didn't feel as distracted as before. She started to bring herself into a calm state of mind again before she reached out and searched for it. The call...the crystal. There was a ripple within the Force and it almost felt like a faint pulse of energy now, but she interpreted that as a first sign. She was looking at her master again before she pushed herself to start walking again.

@Painus

 

[Eirik Sunwielder]

Eirik watched his new Padawan’s shift in mood as they found shelter from the harsh conditions outside, silent in his scrutiny. He remembered how harrowing his own search for his crystal was when he had been an initiate. She seemed to echo his younger-self’s confusion as she was suddenly deaf to the song of the Force. This journey was out of his hands, now. He hoped the Padawan had the strength to continue with the trial, for he knew the Force would be relentless in its assessment. Tython was a world of both Light and Dark, and both would seek to pull her closer to their embrace. Chaos and Order reigned here in equal measure.

As Hailee opened her eyes and looked towards her master, she would find nothing there. The cave itself would have vanished, leaving her amidst a vast, empty forest buried in ankle-deep snow. As if turned around entirely, she was now seemingly back outside and hopelessly lost. Above, there were no twinkling lights of distant stars. Only cold emptiness. There was no feeling of life around her. A noiseless wind blew past, carrying with it painful frost. Unlike the cold she had experienced in her search for the cave, this was deeper than bone. It seemed to pierce her very being, chilling her to the core. She would find her footsteps heavy and cumbersome.

Thickets and brambles, slick with hoarfrost, reflected a pale light that had no source. For all its incongruencies, this vision-scape would seem wholly realistic, and Hailee would find difficulty in discerning what was real and what was imagined. She was hemmed in by dangerous, frosty thorns surrounding the forest clearing. Again, that noiseless wind would blow, silently directing her towards a flickering light far in the inky distance. The way it danced and cast shadow suggested it was a campfire. Respite in the chaos. A circle in the dark.

A figure, hooded and facing away from Hailee, seemed to tend to the fire. Their face was concealed by shadow, hunched over the fire as they were. A pot of stew bubbled above the flames. The Force seemed to swirl around them, beckoning Hailee to investigate further.

An unintelligible whisper tugged at the back of her mind.

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

So the blonde padawan had this idea of getting to move again, wanting to wander deeper into the cave, hoping that the kyber crystal's song would call to her again, but it turned out she wouldn't get any further. She didn't understand why it had stopped, yet it slightly worried her, but as she reopened her eyes, she was more shocked about how their surroundings had suddenly changed.

A gasp escaped her at first that was triggered by both, the change and the sudden cold that tried to devour her. It was creeping under her skin and the chill immediately hit her very core, radiating in every bone and leaving her speechless for a moment. Eirik's voice echoed through her mind. He had mentioned the Force would test her and this was probably the first step.

The forest seemed a little haunting, the scene a little confusing. The cold plagued her, the darkness all around seemed a little oppressing, but the thing that caught her attention was the faint glow in the distance. A light in the dark. A safe haven? Potentially. But she had to be on her guard.

She had no idea how she had ended up back outside, but it felt like she had possibly blacked out for a moment. The Force was was seemingly guiding her towards the figure and although a little hesitant, she started moving in its direction, still wary though. She had to rely on the Force, since it would guide her, yet she knew that Tython was a world out of balance.

Stepping through the ankle deep snow was cumbersome, yet she pressed on. It troubled her that there was no life she could sense around her, yet, despite the freezing cold, she still had the light that was right beside her. She forced herself to stay calm and focused, breathing flatly so she wouldn't inhale too much of the cold and trying not to get distracted by this weird emptiness all around.

The fire didn't offer warmth, but also more light and thus she wanted to request sharing it for a little moment to warm her bones until she'd managed to press on. Channeling the Force, she she tried to warm herself from the inside, even if the impact would be only a little, but she was not going to give up. With a newfound determination she pressed on, radiating calmness just like Pêro had once taught her.

@Painus

 

[Eirik Sunwielder]

Ever vigilant for what he feared might happen, Eirik, the real Eirik, stood in silence as he watched his Padawan lose herself to the Force’s trial in that dark, dangerous cave. It was out of his hands, now. The strength of this planet, coupled with the cold-induced weakness brought upon her, would make it difficult for Hailee to discern fact from fiction. The cave was silent, save for her stumbling through it as she experienced a reality different from what Eirik perceived.

As Hailee approached the fire and asked to share its warmth, the hooded figure lifted its head, turning its attention towards the girl. With an outstretched, gloved hand, it gestured towards the flames that would warm her in the frigid forest. The wind had died down by now, allowing only the crackling of the burning wood as ambience.

”Stay a moment and warm your bones,” the figure said in a voice that was unmistakably Caelian’s, ”Beautiful.”

The figure pulled back its fur hood, greeting Hailee with his handsome Echani features. A gentle, comforting grin grew on his face as he took in the sight of the freezing Padawan. His steely eyes met hers, letting silence linger for a moment, before he opened the lid of the stew pot. An exquisite aroma of herbs, spices, roasting meat, and vegetables mixed in a delicious broth would assail the girl at once. It promised not only warmth, but comfort and safety. This sudden campfire was an oasis in the endless, wintry desert.

Caelian began to ladle several spoonsful of stew into a bowl and held it out for Hailee to take. ”I’ve missed you, Hailee,” he said, ”But what are you doing out here all alone? Are you lost? Stranded?”

Concern, genuine concern, softened his features, and he quickly began to remove his heavy fur cloak to offer over to Hailee. ”You must be freezing – here, take this. It’ll keep you warm.”

@LadyRen

 

[Hailee Lightwood]

Eirik's words kept echoing through her mind after she had experienced this quick change of scenery. Everything seemed so strange and the cold was unbearable again. It seemed like it was nagging at her bones, wanting to drain the Padawan of its last strength reserve and then the Force was trying to lure her closer.

As promising as the fire was, she was wary of the hooded stranger. She moved further, yet hesitantly, a thousand thoughts crossing her mind while the freezing cold was making it harder and more cumbersome for her to step further. She took a deep breath, caution herself to focus while the frozen air burnt in her lungs though.

And then the hooded figure suddenly turned towards her, offering her a place by the fire that immediately sent a wave of pleasant warmth through her body. She was about to express her gratitude for the offer, yet that was when a very familiar voice adressed her, immediately followed by a face she hadn't seen in a while.

A gasp escaped her as she stumbled backwards, landing against the nearest tree in utter shock, not believing that their path had randomly crossed a third time and especially remembering how they had parted ways the last time. Their fiery argument still rang in her ears and she had closed this chapter ages ago, because a Sith was neither to be trusted, nor could she possibly save him. She had gained that clarity...but why was he being so friendly again?

He looked just like he had last time...maybe even...happier somehow. Healthier. Not mistreated anymore. He was offering her a place to warm her bones and hot stew. His voice offered the kindness she had once found deep inside him and the smile he gave her was just like how she had remembered him before things had gotten...complicated.

But regardless of how much she just wanted to believe it was true, it didn't make any sense. Her master had warned her: The Force would test her. It was impossible that he was here and what made it fairly obvious to he'd was that he was speaking. The Sith had lost its tongue and it hadn't seem like he would get the permission to get a new one. It was a small detail, yet it was enough for her to finally open her mouth.

A sigh was the first thing that came out, her voice was then unfortunately shakier than she had first expected, but it was a mixture between the freezing cold and sadness. "Caelian...I-" she began, swallowing hard. "No...no no". She stepped away from the tree, yet kept a safe distance while she started to circle him. "This is not happening. We've been over this" she calmly stated, focusing on the light deep within her. "Th-thank you for the offer...but it's not real. You're...not here".

Peace. After all this time, she had finally been in peace with it. It still made her a little sad, especially that she had been the reason for his pain, but she was over it. "I'm sorry". She was okay with it all. She let out another sigh and stepped a little closer, her body uncontrollably shaking. "I've got to go. There's something I've really got to do" she whispered softly, giving him one last smile before she turned and started to go. No matted how exhausting the work, she was proceeding, needing to find this crystal before the cold would kill her...

@Painus