Ask Onderon Montage Time

[Crix Aran]

He was all for helping Clove when it was in addition to what she, herself, had figured out. To his mind that was what made it teaching rather than just him explaining to her how to do it step by step. If he taught her step by step she would be able to do it... right up until something came out of left field. But if she knew it? If she knew every step of the process because she had 'discovered' it all herself?

Then she wouldn't flinch even in the face of the unknown.

The unknown was what everyone had to face once their training reached a certain natural end point and it was the final foe to be defeated. It seemed, however, that Clove had taken her first steps in achieving something like that as the mother seemed to accept the presence of the two Jedi. She lowered her head and nudged Clove's head affectionately before she continued focusing on mothering her children.

Unless Clove gave her instructions to do something else, the Mother would continue to act as she always would do if she believed that the two Jedi were friends. Just because they were friends didn't mean she would neglect to care for her children after all. Crix hummed a little bit and gave his Padawan a thumbs up.

"Not bad, Clove." he approved before gesturing for her to follow him as he moved to sit at the edge of the cliff with his legs dangling off the edge, "So that's the beginnings of Animal Friendship. Once you've established that connection you can give them instructions and they're much more likely to actually do them - it's like training them like a dog for years in the space of a second or two."

Looking out over the jungle, he hummed a little tune he remembered.

"First thing you gotta learn about non-direct combat uses of the Force is what, Clove?" he asked her, tilting his head to one side before giving her a hint, "Remember what made this actually work."

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

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When the mother let her approach her and the nest, the half-Sephi wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't the creature's head lowering and nudging her's with such affection. She gently raised her hand to the mother's cheek and brushed her thumb across the skin. When the mother turned her head away to focus on her children, who were even cuter up close, that same hand lowered.

Clove wished she could have stayed with the mother and children, never wanting to leave such a unique experience and warmth, or her new friend for that matter. When she looked over her shoulder to find Crix, she noticed him giving her a thumbs up and motioning for her to follow him.

"I have to go." With a delicate smile on her lips, she whispered to the creature. "It was a pleasure to meet you, friend. Good luck with your children."

Was it weird to talk to a creature who didn't understand what she was saying?

Eh. Who cares.

Clove returned to her Master and followed him to the edge of the cliff, waving goodbye to the Ruping nest. Exhaustion and strain became more noticeable now that her focus on the Force had faded, and she was more than happy to sit next to him. Her legs were tucked up against her chest, and her arms wrapped around her knees, allowing her to relax a little.

"Animal friendship. Makes sense that's the name for it. That was such... such an experience. Can't think of anything else to call it." The half-Sephi paused while looking at the jungle ahead of them. "Thank you for that, and also for the help!"

What was the first thing she had to learn? He told her a lot of info. Make a connection, but don't force it. Remain calm and take deep breaths. Hm.

"Keeping your cooll? Although I'm not sure why that would be for non-combat specifically. That seems important for using the Force in general, doesn't it? But that seems to be the most important thing when I was attempting to befriend the animal."

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[Crix Aran]

Animal friendship was a nice starting point for Clove, to ease her into connecting with the Force on a level she had likely never done before as a Padawan. It was the starting point because it was going to be like dipping her toes into an ocean going forward - there were more ways to embrace the Force and use it than most people could possibly believe. He snorted in amusement at her thanking him for helping her though.

Reaching out, he flicked the closest ear, lightly, on the tip.

"None of that." he told her with a roll of his eyes, "If you thanked me every time I helped you, you'd sound like a broken holo-recording. It's my job to help you as your Master, be doing a pretty shitty job if I didn't after all."

Still, she was on the right tracks and he had decided that his teaching style was exactly best suited for this kind of conversation. He wanted her to try and figure it out and with minimal hand-holding and she had touched on it right away but not quite fully getting it in the end.

"Kind of." he accepted with a small shrug of his shoulders, "Intent. All Force use is about intent but non-violent uses of the Force tend to be more about a collaboration between yourself, the Force and whatever you're trying to interact with. A harmony."

He smirked a little bit.

"Violent Force use as a Jedi is about how to hold yourself and the Force back. A Force Push can snap someone's neck or pulverize their bones but you don't want that. You want to Push them away from you - and that's where intent comes into play." he lectured before shuddering slightly, "Feel all grown up talking like this... speaking of lectures though. I want you to seriously look over some university prospectus. See if any subjects take your fancy alongside all this Jedi stuff. Unless, of course, you already got some ideas?"

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

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"Ouch!" Clove called out jokingly. The flick on the ear didn't actually hurt, but she felt like it suited the mood. Especially after his eyeroll. "Alright alright. I'll try to thank you a bit less often. Don't want to become a broken holo-recording."

Intent? That made sense. Especially once Crix began to explain the difference between non-violent and violent uses of the Force. Where one was the collaboration of the Force, the other was control of one's self. "Is that also where the Darkside comes into play? Because I assume that when a Sith uses the Force, the intent is to hurt, to kill, to abuse the Force and they don't bother about controlling their power as we do. For the most part anyway." Clove gave him a smile. "Or am I reaching now?"

"Well, I think you're doing a great job acting all grown-up" Her smile became more playful, and then the university question came up. She took her gaze away from him and returned it to the jungle. "Well, in general, I don't have a lot of school experience. My father 'homeschooled' me to become a doctor, so that is obviously where my first interest lies. I'd like to complete my studies and obtain an official license. But I honestly wouldn't mind seeing if I can find a more general subject such as math, history, or galactic basic. Because homeschool lacked those." She took a breath, knowing there was something else she'd always dreamt of as a child. It felt almost shameful to say it out loud, but he had asked so there was no holding back. "I suppose I'd like to pick up some type of dance? I've always dreamt of attending the New Alderaan ballet university."

"How about you, shiny horns? Okay nop, that doesn't work as a nickname. Anyway, did you go to university?"

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[Crix Aran]

Ah yeah... the Dark Side.

Always the Nerf in the room for any conversation about Force usage with someone in training. The Dark Side was the boogieman that every Padawan was told was waiting around every corner for them if they didn't manage to be practically perfect in every way. He himself hadn't really gotten that kind of talk because by the time he became a Padawan, he had already felt the Dark Side. By the time they wanted to start lecturing him about how to detect it, he could tell them precisely what it felt like.

That had unnerved some Jedi honestly.

"Not reaching, no." he agreed with a small sigh, "The Force is like a very eager dog in a lot of ways. It wants to be used, to help you, but it responds to you. Jedi reign themselves in and reign the Force in too, keeping things controlled. Sith don't. They encourage it to attack, to get mean until that's all it feels like when they use it a lot of the time."

He smiled a mirthless smile.

"You'll know what it feels like, in time, Clove. Like ice water in your veins as something unclean slithers down your spine."

From the outside at least.

From the inside? He hadn't given into the Dark Side himself even if he had been close to it at times. But from experience he knew that the Sith didn't see it like that. To them, the polluted version of the Force felt right in a way he could only really compare to how addicts knew their drugs were bad for them... and didn't care because of how they made them feel in the moment.

"I can see about finding you some dance lessons and some general education classes, get you prepped for entering a uni for a medical course. They won't take you without proof of some of the general studies." he advised her before snorting, "You sound like my mom - took her years to find a nickname for me. But yeah, I went to university and studied; got my degree in Droid Engineering and Software Integration."

He gestured to the Galaxy as a whole with one hand.

"Just cus you're a Jedi, doesn't mean that's all you have to be after all."

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

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Clove bit the inside of her cheek as she noticed her Master's usual genuine smile had faded and his face had become more blank. And she couldn't blame him; surely these weren't the kinds of discussions he was interested in. Nobody was. The eerie Darkside, which every Jedi Padawan dreaded more than Miss Darlian's lunch. But she ignored it because she needed to hear it from him, not from the others who preached about how fear and emotions lead to the Dark side without explaining why or how it worked.

And his explanation was enough for her to let go of some of her fear. Obviously, it was still a dangerous thing she didn't want to confront and she knew she had to be careful, but now that she knew what to expect and could imagine how it worked, the monster seemed a little less frightening.

Proof? That made sense; anyone can claim to have been trained as a medic.

"Sure! That's not a problem at all. I'll get you some proof!" As he snorted, she returned him a bright smile and listened to his story about his mother and his own degree. "A degree in droid engineering? That's awesome! When we get back, you have to show me some of the things you've built. Of course, if you don't mind."

The half-Sephi followed the half-Zabrak's gesture to the galaxy. In reality, it was just a distant rock, but the metaphor was what mattered. She sighed out as her hands fiddled with the rim of her robes. "It sometimes feels like you're the only one who thinks that way. Well, outside of some rebelling Padawans." She giggled before continuing. "Don't get me wrong, being nothing but a Jedi wouldn't have bothered me, but... You kind of lose any long-term dreams that aren't related to the Jedi. As an example, I never imagined myself earning a degree."

"Thank yo— Oh, wait, I need to stop thanking you. Uhm. It's wonderful that you're so open and honest. I understand it's your job as my Master and all, but you get what I mean."

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[Crix Aran]

Some conversations were hard because they needed to happen despite how much you didn't want to have them. In an ideal Galaxy, Clove would never need to find out what it felt to face the Dark Side but the Galaxy had been far from ideal for a long time and he wasn't about to let her step into things half cocked just because the conversation was awkward to have.

Conversations about secondary training however?

All day long.

"Oh I wouldn't mind showing off some droid friends I've helped out." he agreed with a grin, "Though you'll have to excuse them. I seem to have a habit of collecting droids with off-the-wall personalities. You should have met Scooter - he ran wild through the Temple with a stun pistol for three days."

Yeah he knew what that felt like. He knew what it was restrictive being a Jedi Padawan when the Jedi Order as a whole was openly at war with a Sith Empire once again. It was, for lack of a better word, shit. But he was one of those minority of Jedi who liked to look for a future beyond the war.

Did he want the war won? With all his heart, it was why he didn't spend all his time feeling bad about it all. Instead he very much preferred to think of what would come after, how the Jedi of today would live in a Galaxy no longer at war.

"Hey it's alright." he assured his padawan with a grin, "We all have to focus on the war and all but being able to think beyond it is important too - we're Jedi and we're not meant to be soldiers. That being said... lets see about getting you ready for a fight."

He flicked her on the forehead.

"Head back to the ship, kid."

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Clove smiled brightly at her Master as he started talking about his droids and how each one had a 'special' personality. Scooter's story, in particular, made her eyes twinkle with delight. "That's incredible! I wish I could have seen it. Hope Scooter didn't manage to stun too many Jedi! Still, that's hilarious. And no problem, I work with people who have unusual bodies, and you work with droids who have unusual personalities!" She chuckled.

When the half-Zabrak told her not to worry about it with a kind grin, the half-Sephi's gaze returned to him. She was about to respond to him, remarking on the fight, when he flicked her on the forehead. She looked at him for a brief moment before burst out giggling. "Sure. That sounds good!"

She pushed herself up on her feet with a grunt, her muscles still aching from everything they'd done. Because these breaks were always dangerous: they entice you with the promise of relaxation and peace, but then they reveal just how exhausted your body was right as you had to get up. In some ways, it's a trap. Still, she didn't want to complain, so she bit through it and stood up straight.

"All right then, let's go!" She gave him another smile before straightening her robes and turning around to head to the direction of the ship.

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