Ask Onderon Montage Time

[Crix Aran]

Onderon was better than its moon but that was mainly because of just how terrible Dxun was rather than it saying anything good about the planet itself. Partially this was because Onderon had a native peoples who had done their level best to civilize the planet. It was also because Jungles, in Crix’s own opinion, were awful hell pits and if he never spent another day in one it would be too soon.

It also made it a great place to train Clove, however.

Rural and untamed enough to offer a fantastic connection to the living Force but close enough to cities and towns, to people, that they could go back there as and when they needed. Having just arrived, Crix waited at the bottom of the ramp from their ship for his Padawan to be ready.

She hadn’t wanted to sleep during the whole journey and Crix was determined to make her regret that choice and was happy to do so. It was all for the betterment of her training so she would forgive him… or she wouldn’t.

Standing at the bottom of the ramp, Crix rested two blunted short swords against his shoulders as he waited. They were not only blunted but also not vibroswords either as they were for training his cute little Padawan rather than dicing her up.

He wasn’t sure to what extent he could trust her with sharp objects at this point.

“Daylight’s burning Clove!” he called up to the ship, “Come on Kiddo otherwise it’s punishment training~!”

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Crix was a man of his words, and he had already planned their first training session shortly after Clove had become his Padawan learner. What was it he had said? 'Time for a training montage'? He clearly wasn't joking. However, she didn't complain; it was nice to be able to pack her bag and leave the Jedi temple for a while!

During the journey, it was impossible to find any sort of rest. She was bouncing in her seat, her eyes wide with wonder as she gazed out the windows. She became calmer as the ship exited hyperspace and began to reveal the planet of Onderon. She had never heard of the planet and had no idea what to expect when she arrived, so her imagination took over and distracted her for a bit.

The jungles that became visible as they began to land were certainly not something she expected. She'd heard stories about jungles. Seen a few clips on the holonet. And, really, despite the fact that jungles were beautiful, it was one of the few biomes she was glad she had never visited. Even her wildest imaginations failed to include them. That was, until now.

Crix had already left the ship long before the half-Sephi had unbuckled herself and swung her leather bag over her shoulder. "I'm coming, I'm coming!" she called back at him as she dashed down the ramp. Punishment training was the last thing she wanted. Then the warm, damp air slammed into her face, causing her to stagger back for a split second. Sure, the air was breathable, but that was all there was to say about it. Jungles.

With a shake of her head Clove returned her attention to her Master, who was resting two blunt-looking swords on his shoulders.

"Those look somewhat pointy!" she exclaimed, smiling warmly at him. "I'm going to hazard a guess and say we'll be traveling through the jungle?" Her smile shifted and became more playful instead.

---

​

tag @Nefieslab ​

 

[Crix Aran]

"WELL!" he declared jauntily as he tossed one of the swords for Clove to catch, "It's something like that I suppose my cute little student."

What he didn't tell her, and didn't warn her about, was that the training swords were also weighted so that they were several times the weight of a regular sword that size and shape would be. Lightsabers didn't have much in the way of weight but they had enough - and if she was used to fighting with something that restricted her movements so much she would be better with something that didn't.

Plus he had learned in a similar manner and he would be damned if he just let her have it easy.

"Gonna be drilling in some Jedi Padawan fundamentals into your thick skull." he gestured to her skull with his own weighted training sword, long since used to the weight, "First things first is a handy little thing to remember. RTFA. It's what you do when you find yourself crossing paths with a Sith Lord."

He grinned.

"What does it stand for, Clove?"

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Clove held her hand out to catch the sword mid-air, expecting it to the light. The sword looked light after all!

Then the hilt hit her hand. It was not light.

The weight of the sudden heaviness sank the right side of her upper body to the ground. And for a brief moment, it appeared as if she would be able to recover. But, as a result of the unexpected weight and disbalance, her legs gave out and she tripped. With how often she and the floor met, it was becoming an intimate relationship.

"Woah!" she uttered while lifting her head up, a bewildered expression painted on her face. What in the name of the Force was this sword made of? Concrete?!

She managed to crawl back to her feet with a grunt. It was easier for her to lift the sword off the ground and hold it in her hand now that she knew what to expect. Her arm muscles, on the other hand, were quick to complain and whine. Still, no time to listen to muscles whining when the lesson had only just begun! So she ignored it and returned her attention to her Master.

"RFTA. Hm."

She locked her gaze on him and his grin. It couldn't possibly be... Surely not. Was it? What else could it have been? Read the freaking article? Would be a fun thing to do when encountering a Sith Lord, but not useful. No, it had to be, it was the only thing that made sense.

Awkwardly she cleared her throat. "Run the fnoIcan'tsayit away?"

---

​

tag @Nefieslab ​

 

[Crix Aran]

Crix just stared at her as she fell over, face-first, onto the ground when he asked her to catch the sword he had thrown at her. Blinking once, he mentally took a moment to admit to himself that this might take a little bit longer than he had thought. Running his free hand over the horns on his head, he just watching her in silence as she managed to get her feet back underneath her.

At least she got back up.

He grinned.

"You see a Sith Lord when you're a wet behind the ears Padawan? You RTFA. Run The Fuck Away." he confirmed, brightly and loudly in contrast to her shy way of speaking, "Clove, you're a Jedi Padawan and that makes you straight up stronger, faster and better equipped than half the Galaxy. The other half of the Galaxy is made up of people with a lot more experience and power than you - so Sith Lords and higher? RTFA."

Taking a breath and a short run, Crix lept upward into the trees before landing softly on one of the tree branches. He gestured to the tree opposite himself with the sword in his hand.

"Trees like these have strong branches but they respond poorly to force. Land on this branch softly or you'll go crashing to the ground." He grinned as he crouched down to instruct her further, "If we don't make it to our destination quickly enough we'll have to wait a day - and you'll be doing so without sleeping."

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Crix's bright grin as he blurted out 'Run the fuck away' made her quietly giggle. Which came to a screeching halt when he reminded her that half of the galaxy is stronger and more experienced than she is.

"That... makes sense. Are there any young Jedi who choose to fight a Sith Lord?" She paused for a moment, pondering her own question. "Because it's silly. While I understand that Jedi should not be afraid to die if it means saving others or achieving an important goal, it seems counter-productive to simply throw your life away by fighting a fight you have no chance of winning. Because, let's be honest, a Sith Lord would bat me away as if I were a common fly and continue its rampage as if I never existed. So, wouldn't running away save more people in the long run because it allows you to train and grow stronger? "

She abruptly stopped her bubbling rant and looked at Crix for a moment, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Whoops. "I mean. Sorry. Got it! RTFA when I see a Sith Lord or higher!"

Tree jumping with weak branches. Who hurt Crix? Was it his own Master? Well. It clearly worked out well for Crix, and Clove was determined to make it work for her as well.

While Clove's physique worked against her when it came to holding a weighted sword, it worked in her favor when it came to dexterity. So the half-Sephi managed to jump high enough in the Crix's direction with relative ease. Her feet made contact with the branch, and if she hadn't been armed with the sword, it would have been a soft landing. But the sword was in her arms. Her every movement was clumsy and heavy, as if she were weighed down like a brick. Really, it was very similar to an AT-AT stepping on a porcelain teacup.

The branch creaked once, and then collapsed, just as Crix had warned.

The half-Sephi let out a yelp and swung her arm towards a nearby branch. Her sword and free hand managed to hook around the new branch, while the one beneath her feet gave up and crashed to the ground. The new branch wasn't thrilled either, but for now, it played nicely.

Carefully she pulled herself up the branch and came to a crouch. "... Made it! What way are we going?"

---

​

tag @Nefieslab ​

 

[Crix Aran]

Were there young Jedi who had thought it was a good idea to try and put themselves up against some Sith Lords? An awkward question because it strayed into the events of Ajan Kloss and he really wasn’t sure if he wanted to bring that up. But, in the end, it was probably for the best.

“Ever heard the expression Don’t Do An Ajan Kloss?” he asked with a rueful smile, “A bunch of Padawans left the Temple to go to Ajan Kloss, which had been corrupted by Sith at the time. They saw Sith Lords attacking… and didn’t RTFA.”

He watched her attempts to make the jump up to the branch with amusement, just lounging slightly as she made her landing and then had to recover it. Crix was tempted to use the Force to mess with the branch she had landed on.

“The jump isn’t the important part, Clove, the landing is.”

With that cryptic piece of advice out of the way he grinned.

“Now, we’re going to head due north by tree hopping. Every jump we make, we’re going to clash in mid-air with our training swords. Hope you don’t bruise too easily kiddo.”

Spoiler: OOC

Roll 6d00 in the Discord Dice channel, 3 for each jump and 3 for how well she does in each sword clash and write your next post having taken the results into consideration at the end of the three jumps

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

"The landing is the most important. Got you! Got you."

Clove rubbed her hand over her loose bun and strained her eyes to what she assumed was the north. Right! Fighting mid-air while jumping on thin twigs. That sounded challenging!

"Also! I do bruise easily."

That was the last thing she said before leaping from one branch to the next. The sword's weight was still awful, but after her initial misstep, she had a better idea of what to anticipate, making her appear less like an AT-AT and more like a Rancor attempting to join the Mon Calamari ballet. There was grace in her movement, but also a lot of uncontrollable arm twitches.

During the jump, her gaze was pulled to her Master, who was also hopping to the next tree. And by the time Crix's sword found her mid-jump, she was ready to parry his attack by swinging her blade from her right side to the centre of her chest, albeit with sluggish motions. She planned to keep their blades locked together until the momentum of their jumps separated them. The power of the collision was more than she had imagined, yet her feet landed with relative lightness on the branch she had aimed for.

At least compared to her first jump.

After a brief moment of gaining her balance on the next limb, the half-Sephi bent through her knees and jumped to the next branch. She reunited with her Master mid-air and prepared herself for the next strike. Her muscles let out a pitiful whine as she lifted her arms to engage in the clash, causing them to tremble. As a result, her clash became weak, and the instant their swords collided, she lost control of her sword, leaving her vulnerable to counterattacks. Thankfully, she knew what to expect this time, and despite any pain from Crix's blunt bade she might've felt, she managed to land lightly enough on the next branch to avoid breaking it.

Clove knelt through her knees once again, but this time her thoughts wandered. She was worried the second wave of attacks would've disappointed Crix, and she really wanted to do better this time around. She wanted to show to him that she was capable, or at least capable enough.

She broke out of her thoughts with new determination, adjusted her hold on the hilt, and pushed against the branch with her feet to launch herself into the air. She threw her sword towards his like she had previously, but this time she didn't plan to keep their blades locked together. Instead, she pulled her blade down, intending to draw his sword down with hers, before curving it back up to strike at the half- Zabrak's shoulder.

Her footwork, unlike her limbs, did not hold up. Her landing was uncontrollable, and the branch snapped as soon as her toes made contact. Thankfully, the force of her jump enabled her to push her heels against the falling branch, causing her body to fly forward rather than downward.

She refused to have another date with the ground.

During this impromptu jump, she saw a branch in her trajectory and chose to shoot for it. She adjusted her body angle to hit the thickest portion of the branch, knowing damn well she wouldn't make a gentle landing.

Clove tried her best to land on the balls of her feet to lessen the impact while wrapping her free arm around the tree trunk to keep from toppling over. The branch trembled violently and puffed fiercely, indicating that it wouldn't last much longer. However, she made it.

"I'm alive!" She shouted towards Crix and bent through her knees after letting go of the tree.

---

​

tag @Nefieslab ​

Spoiler: OOC

My rolls: 77%, 76& and 26% for jumping, and 88%, 68% and 84% for the sword clashing

 

[Crix Aran]

Well she learned well from her mistakes.

Taking a breath, he smirked ever so slightly when she added that she bruised easily. He... kind of expected that.

"You bruise like a peach - got it."

But, well, it was a good way of teaching healing as his own Master would say. Healing others was for when you have a certain degree of skill under your belt; healing yourself was for when you were learning. She was going to have a bit of a rough time of it, honestly, so he hoped she got to learning the healing abilities quickly.

Crix himself was an old hand at combat like this from his own training and he knew tips and tricks to it that he hadn't taught Clove about yet. Such as when her blade was getting close to hitting him, how he could redirect himself in mid-air with a quick use of the Force to avoid taking a hit. Was it a bit of a dirty move to be playing by the advanced rules when his cute little Padawan was still playing the basic rules? Probably but he was the one in charge so he could do that.

At the end of their exchanges, Crix rested against the trunk of the tree he landed on and watched as she steadied herself. His own breathing was coming a little bit heavier too all things considered but he was still grinning across the distance.

"Oh good, I'd hate to have to get another Padawan and explain to Alex that I broke the last one so quickly." he joked, "Alright Peaches, down we go."

Landing on the ground with the Force to soften the landing, Crix gestured to Clove with his free hand.

"You got any bruises? You're going to need to see about healing them before we go any further." he told her with a raised eye ridge, "You know the basics or do you need me to tell you? No shame if you don't."

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Crix was playing dirty. Given that he was older and more experienced than her, it shouldn't have come as a surprise. But she couldn't help but squint her eyes at him after he dodged her attack with the Force. She made a mental note to remember it for the next time.

While her Master was slightly out of breath, Clove was panting like a Fathier stranded on Tatooine. That last jump, combined with the strain of the heavy sword, really got to her. Still, Crix was grinning and didn't cause her any trouble, so she figured she'd done alright.

Peaches. A new nickname to add to the growing list of nicknames given to her by the Jedi. Fairy lady, fairy, kid and now peaches. Well, there are worse nicknames to have. Peaches and fairies are adorable.

"Don't worry about that. I'm hard to break!" She grinned brightly back at him and watched him jump out of the tree afterward.

With a chuckle she jumped off the branch, which had decided to give up and crashed behind her back, and swirled the Force around her body to lighten the landing. Unlike all of her previous jumps and landings, she managed to land gracefully for once. Thanks to the Force, of course. But still!

"Errr. Hm." She murmured and raised her sleeves, exposing her pale skin. She twisted her bare arms around, noticing one larger and two smaller bruises on her lower arms, where Crix had managed to hit her. "Yups! I have bruises! I know how to heal though, for the most part. Master Ephiny Daivand, that very sweet archivist, taught me!"

To demonstrate she truly knew the very beginning stuff of a Force Heal, Clove held her palm over the largest bruise, closed her eyes, and focused on breathing for a few seconds. She then guided the Force out of the palm of her hand towards the bruise after her thoughts had finally calmed down to a quiet, which was pretty necessary for something as complicated as a Force heal. The Force began to repair the broken blood vessels while speeding up the filtration of the pooled blood beneath the skin until all that was left was a lighter blue/yellow splotch. Although it was still bruised, it had healed enough to stop burdening her.

Most of the Force didn't come very naturally for Clove and took a lot of effort, but thanks to her extensive study of the medical art, Force Healing was one of the few things she actually felt somewhat comfortable doing. On herself, at least. Using it on anybody else was a whole different beast.

---

​

tag @Nefieslab ​

 

[Crix Aran]

Well she thought she was hard to break and he hoped to the Force and any Gods that existed that she didn't go ahead and prove herself wrong by running face-first into something out there in the big bad Galaxy that changed that. In his experience the Galaxy did enjoy hammering down on people until they were either tougher or broken. He had taken a fair few knocks himself and he liked to think he had come out the otherside not too badly.

Others would probably disagree but he didn't much care for that kind of negativity.

"Well we'll see how much training you can take before you give up." he joked with her with a grin, "Don't worry - it's all part of a plan. I even got some medically minded Jedi to check it over to make sure it won't stunt your growth or whatever."

It was important that she grow up to be a strong and physically mature person after all. But damn was her skin pale, it made the bruises stand out rather a lot more than they did when he was in training. He raised an eyeridge to her and gestured for her to start healing herself with a smirk.

"Go on then."

He watched as she used the process to work over herself. It was harder on the reserves of strength and endurance when it didn't come from somewhere else but it was still possible. That Clove seemed to be rather gifted with Healing was actually rather quickly apparent as her wounds cleaned up rather nicely. He patted her on the head when she was mostly done, no doubt cutting her concentration.

"Alright save some energy, Clove. You're going to need it... and in no way ominously that brings us to the next part of our trip. Tell me Clove... do you know how dangerous a nesting Ruping mother is?"

Actually not at all but he was testing her.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

The pat on the head broke her out of her concentration.

Then again, it might've been for the best. She could already feel a strain on her entire body, which, when combined with her lack of sleep, was quite noticeable. The last thing she needed was to expend all of her remaining energy on something as exhausting as self-healing. Especially when Crix was behaving shady. Force knows what he had in store for her.

"I..." What's a Ruping? Sure, she knew about humanoid anatomy and some herbs that aid in the natural healing process. But animals and other naturey stuff? Nop. Ruping sounded somewhat silly though like somebody took a ruby and turned it into an animal. Ruping.

"I don't have a clue." She replied with an honest tone, "From what I've seen on the holo movies, a lot of animals tend to be aggressive when they get a baby? But I've never heard of Ruping before. Are they red and shiny?!"

She paused, recalling a previous comment about some medically-minded Jedi checking on her to ensure she wasn't stunting her growth. Well, that's awkward. How was she supposed to break the news to him? He's stuck with a Padawan who will be tiny for the rest of his life. Gently and slowly over time? Or do it all at once, like removing a bandage? ... Obvious answer.

"By the way, about that growth thingy. I stopped growing a few years ago."

---

​

tag @Nefieslab ​

 

[Crix Aran]

Crix didn’t need to be able to read Clove’s mind to know that his adorable little Padawan thought he was acting shady because, well, he was acting shady. It was the prerogative of the Master to act shady in the name of training and he would stick with that excuse even if Clove did her best to try and argue against it.

As if his little cinnamon roll of a Padawan would complain!

“Are they…? Red and shiny?” he blinked once at his Padawan in utter confusion, “Not really, no. Why would you assume that they were red and shiny?”

Maybe she just liked the colours? He shook his head a little bit.

“Well you ruined the surprise a little bit but nesting Ruping mothers are, in fact, not very dangerous at all. During the birthing process, Ruping mothers shed their claws so they can better look after their babies.” He explained with a bright smile, “That’s good because we’re going to go to a Ruping nest and we’re going to see about having a lovely little conversation with a mother.”

Crix wasn’t sure what she expected by revealing that she was always going to be as small as she currently was but if she didn’t expect to get her hair ruffled then she was clearly not paying attention. He did his best to avoid the ears, however, having some understanding of how sensitive they were so being gentle with them.

“That just means you’re going to need to take two steps for every one I take in this race.” He grinned wickedly, “Force Speed – letsgo!”

Crix patted her head once before bursting into a supernaturally powerful sprint, launching himself between trees in a rapid straight line.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

She was going to explain the red and shiny thing. Really. But by the time she was about to answer her Master, he had already continued explaining.

Well, that'd be for another time.

Her heart melted just thinking about going to a nest of tiny cute little babies, and talking with a mother was the icing on the cake. But how does one talk with a mother? Do they understand galactic basics? Surely not. But still... does that mean...

She bit her lower lip, trying to keep herself together. But who was she kidding? She couldn't. Especially not after her Master smiled so brightly, making her even more excited. "Can we also talk with the babies? Crix, please?! Babies are so cute!"

Clove smiled warmly up the half-Zabrak during the hair ruffle. Sure, she should've seen it coming, and her curly hair floofed up a lot as a result of the friction, but it made her feel genuinely happy deep down. She was always happy, but this was a special kind of happiness. One that kicks away words and instead leaves only a simple content smile. One that made her realize that accepting Crix's offer to become his Padawan learner was a decision she would never regret.

That was until Crix patted her on the head and abruptly disappeared, leaving nothing but a single warning and a wicked grin.

That cheating—

"I barely know Force Speed you— you— you Darth Horns!" Jeez, that was a pathetic insult, and she instantly began to feel guilty. Crix didn't deserve a bad mouth, he's always been nothing but kind. Although, it was more like a nickname and less than an actual insult. And it suited him and the way they met. So maybe he would forgive her?

Anyway. It was a bit of an over-dramatization because she knew the basics. Force Speed was one of the Core moves most Jedi get taught at the start. And now it was time to learn how to apply those basics. Simply allow the Force to augment the muscles. Easy, right? And this was one hell of a way to learn how to properly do it because a punishment lesson from Crix sounded less than nice. Especially after insulting him.

Clove swirled the Force down to her legs, imagining her legs moving twice as fast, and began sprinting after Crix, who had long since vanished. It took a few seconds for the Force to do something, but eventually the basics finally clicked and her legs began to speed up.

The half-Sephi wasn't as fast as her always grinning and cheerful Master, and she knew it was a lost fight, but it didn't matter. She was going to give it her all.

---

​

tag @Nefieslab ​

 

[Crix Aran]

Clove was going to be one of those soft and gentle Jedi who were better off outside of direct combat and that was different to what Crix really expected himself to be looking for. Hannibal had trained Crix himself to be rather focused on fighting and infiltration after all. Crix himself had taken more of the engineering route because of his outside interests.

He was, honestly, a little uncertain about training a Padawan with interests and goals so much more peaceful than his own.

All he had decided to do was to see how he could help her learn the things she wanted to learn and to do his best to equip her with the things that no Jedi could do without. Unfortunately for Clove and her desires when it came to combat, she would be required to fight. Non-Violence didn’t stop violence from being visited upon you or others after all.

When they were approaching the right area, Crix stopped and took a deep breath as the exertion caught up with him. Force Speed was a rather taxing ability at the best of times and he had been pushing it to make sure he was faster than she could be. Taking a moment to get his breathing right would also allow her to catch up with him.

“Get your breathing right first.” He instructed her seriously, “If you don’t they might be disturbed by your heart rate and breathing. Think that there’s some reason to go into flight or fight.”

He would instruct her on proper breathing if he had to.

“Calm yourself, draw on the Light. Dip yourself into it, let it relax your heart and your mind because you’re going to be best when you’re all calmed down.”

Crix had deliberately gotten her all worked up and out of breath, specifically to bring her down again. She was going to need to be able to do that in combat so best she learn while there was no danger.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

The run was oddly freeing. Sure, it was exhausting and taxing and hah, what's air? But the sensation of the wind blowing through her hair and the green of the jungle shooting by was a breathtaking experience.

It also allowed for her mind to wander, because she was doing 'nothing' but focusing on maintaining the Force and running as fast as she could. And her wandering had left her feeling a little disappointed in herself. She accomplished more in this single lesson with Crix than in any other lessons lately. She was able to perform a proper Force Speed, as well as jump around with a heavy sword and did a decent Force Heal. And, while these were victories, they also served as reminders that she had fallen behind in many areas and that she could do better. She should've had these breathtaking moments much sooner, and she should've been able to chase Crix as soon as he ran away.

And now that she was so certain he was the right Master, she was even more aware of the fact that she needed to keep pushing herself. Because the last thing she wanted to do was let him down. Or make him regret accepting her as a Padawan learner. She wanted to prove to him that she was more than just a fairy peach.

Before these thoughts could spiral into anything worse she had to come to a stop because she finally caught up with Crix, now that he was standing still.

The half-Sephi's lungs were burning in her chest, and her body's protest began to grow heavier. Exhaustion was gnawing on her.

And screw the Jungle's damp air. How was anybody meant to breathe in this environment?

Thankfully, Crix was advising her and telling her what to do. Because it meant she didn't have to reply to him and could instead concentrate on her breathing and quieting her frustrated thoughts. It was also something she was fairly good at, because being heavily out of breath during training was nothing new to her.

Clove closed her eyes and focused on slowing her breath by inhaling through her nose, down her stomach to the belly and into her lungs, and exhaling through her mouth. This breathing technique also functioned as a springboard into mindfulness breathing meditation, making it simpler to access the Force's Lightside. She let the Force wash over her body and thoughts, leaving a warm and refreshing sensation behind. One that silenced her insecurities for the time being, and also leashed her usual bubbly nature.

After a minute or so, the half-Sephi's heart rate had slowed down close to its usual speed, and her breath was no longer rapid or shaken. She felt calm. "Okay. I think I'm ready."

---

​

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[Crix Aran]

Crix ran through the same breathing exercises that Clove did, partially to reinforce her use of the same techniques and partially because he needed to catch his breath a little bit as well. That it wasn't as badly as Clove herself was of little importance - his own Master had done a lot to hammer home the idea that taking the time to be well rested and prepared was not time wasted but, rather, time invested. If he went into a fight already gassed then he was going to lose it fast, even if he should have had the fight won it wouldn't matter.

Every fight and every moment of their lives as Jedi could, and should, be conducted with as much composure as possible. Sometimes it wasn't actually possible but most of the time it was and it should be aimed for. Hopefully he'd be able to keep it up during the most intense stress situations going forward but, for now, he just needed to make sure Clove had the basics of it down pat before they went anywhere that would require more than the basics.

"Alright you seem ready." he agreed with a grin, "Keep yourself calm and steady. Creatures like things to be just so and if you're panicking or getting excited then they tend to as well."

Waving for her to follow him, Crix slowly crept his way through the undergrowth of the jungles of Onderon toward the location he had scouted out ahead of time. Reaching out, he would physically place a hand on Clove to stop her when the underbrush was suddenly replaced by a cliff's edge. Moving along the cliff's edge, the two Jedi were already within sight of their goal.

A nest containing a Ruping mother and a clutch of four of her babies.

The creatures were, admittedly, not at all cute but that wasn't really the point of this exercise. Moving to the edge of the nest ever so slowly, Crix sat down on the stone of the cliff's edge as the mother glared at the two Jedi warily. It was clear that she was seriously considering either fighting or attempting to relocate. Except she had shed her claws and she could not carry all of her children in flight.

"Clove." he whispered as he maintained eye contact with the mother, "Calm her down."

No other instruction - he wanted to see how she would approach it.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

After one final shake of the shoulders to loosen any muscles that might've gotten stiff, she began to follow Crix through the underground jungle, her mind repeating his words.

Keep yourself calm and steady. Keep yourself calm and steady. Keep yourself calm and steady.

She had been so absorbed in these thoughts, which she had repeated like a mantra, that she hadn't noticed most of the underground jungle and had almost missed the cliff's edge. Crix, thankfully, was alert and put his hand on her to stop her.

Okay, maybe that was a bit too obsessive. Keep yourself calm but don't lose focus.

The nest containing the Ruping mother and four tiny little babies was not far from the cliff's edge where they stood. Clove's heart melted with just one glance. Obviously, the babies were adorable and cuddly, but the mother had a huggable look about her. Those four large green eyes and large wings just drew her in. To her, they were the prettiest things she'd seen all day. If only the mother hadn't looked so anxious and ready to activate her fight-or-flight response.

And then Crix threw her under the bus with no instructions.

The half-Sephi gave a vague nod to her Master, uttered an "Okay." and returned her attention to her mother. To begin, she made sure to take a few deep and collected breaths to stay calm and focused. Calming down a mother while she was in a panic would not work. Because the mother would experience that same panic and be driven into her fight-or-flight response.

However, the same problem inspired her to come with a solution. If the mother could feel panic, she could also feel warmth and comfort. And that was something the half-Sephi knew a fair bit about. With humanoids, at least.

Clove, with slow and deliberate movements, relaxed her arms next to her sides with her hands fully visible and lowered her shoulders as much as possible. The goal was to appear open and harmless, as well as easy to read for the mother. So the mother could see her intent in every move and action. That took care of the physical aspect. Then there was the energy, aura, feeling, or whatever you want to call it, which was perhaps the most important aspect.

The half-Sephi began to tap into the Force's Lightside, gathering as much as the Force would allow her to without abusing it. This tugged at the already growing strain and exhaustion, but she ignored it as much as possible and pushed through. She let the Force swirl through her body, allowing it to strengthen and grow. And once she felt ready, Clove began to carefully guide the Force to the creature while also holding onto a bit herself, cloaking both in a hug of the warmth the Lightside had to offer. It was also done to aid her own calmness, much like the meditation she had done before entering the underground jungle.

Having no idea if it was enough but feeling confident, Clove began to take slow and easy-to-read steps towards the mother, her empty hands slowly rose into the air to showcase she meant no harm. She kept a close eye on the creature during those careful steps, reading every movement and facial expression she made so Clove could stop moving if she didn't appreciate her inching closer.

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[Crix Aran]

He could practically feel the way Clove felt just a tiny sting of mock betrayal at him for pushing her to the forefront of this little exercise. But he wanted her to be able to figure things out for herself - it was all well and good him doing things for her and pointing out how she should do it. When it came to so much about being a Jedi though? She would be on her own when she was tempted by the Dark Side, she would be on her own when she needed to make hard decisions and she would likely be on her own when the difference between doing it right and doing it wrong was death.

As much as he would try to always be there for her, the reality was that she would be growing into her own Jedi, her own person, and she needed to be able to accept that that meant sometimes doing tightrope walks without a safety net. In this example, of course, Crix was fully prepared to subdue the mother should Clove fail because he was still there as a safety net no matter what the purpose of the exercise was.

What Clove was trying was working, to an extent, but it was only to an extent. She was reaching out with feelings and sensations as she should do - because creatures often responded to stimuli that they knew better than words - but she was merely projecting. It had an effect in that it made the Padawan appear to be non-threatening but the mother was still wary despite the reassurances that Clove meant no harm.

Time for a little bit of instruction.

"Listen for her heartbeat." he instructed his Padawan, "You've got the emotions locked in... now you need to be able to get them in sync with her. Listen to her heartbeat, feel it and then slowly release the emotions, those feelings, towards the sound. Gently. You're trying to give her peace and calm - not force them onto her."

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

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The mother was still wary, and that was enough for Clove to stop moving forwards.

Thankfully, Crix was there to help and gave some very logical instructions. While she had shown the creature she wasn't any danger, that was all she had done. Shown something. And what she needed to do was try to create a connection, to reassure her that everything was fine. Clove wanted to thank her Master for the advice, but breaking eye contact or speaking up loudly seemed like a bad idea, so she saved it for after the lesson.

The Force was already in place, lingering both the creature and herself, and would act as a bridge for what was to come. But first, she had to find the mother's heartbeat.

The half-Sephi was stumped for a moment when it came to the part of the instruction that said to "listen for her heartbeat." While her ears were better than a human's, they weren't satellites capable of hearing something from ten miles away.

Maybe her ears couldn't, but the Force could.

Instead of listening with her ears, She began to listen with the Force that was surrounding the mother. Even that was a bit of a hunt, and she had to remind herself several times not to freak out under the pressure and stress of pissing off the creature. And that control over her calmness paid off because she eventually discovered it; the mother's soft heartbeat. It was faint and felt unlike anything she'd ever felt before, like a sound that wasn't a sound but was nonetheless there.

The rest was fairly straightforward now that the half-Sephi had found what she was looking for; the biggest challenge was her own patience. She couldn't rush it or force it because it would only harm the mother.

Clove began to guide her own emotions, feelings, and intentions towards the mother with deep and collected breaths. She found it easier to use her imagination as a guide for the Force, just like she did for everything else Force-related, and she did so again this time. Her mind saw the Force like a bridge made of warm twinkling lights, surrounding both herself and the mother, and her emotions and feelings as a small closed flower bulb that grew and curled over the bridge and toward the mother's chest.

When the flower landed in the middle of the mother's chest, her emotions gently swirled towards her, into her heart and mind, in an attempt to connect with her. It unfolded slowly, delicately, and gently, like the petals of the flower bulb opening one by one as if spring finally arrived.

And, as she slowly attempted to connect with the mother and make her feel at peace, she took another cautious step forward, reading her reaction to see if she was on the right track.

If all went fine she took another step forward. And another. Until either the mother intervened or she was reasonably close to the nest, her gaze fixed on the four tallest creatures throughout it all. Then she'd kneel onto the ground in silence, waiting for the mother to relax and accept her closeness to the nest.

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