[NABOO] Second chanses

[Sirocco]

It had been a day sines his lesson with Mjou were he tried to ease her mind with negative results. She was shy and uneasy with others so perhaps it was apparent she would have acted negatively t'words his attempt to ease her mind. Having grown up with the Zeltron, Raleigh was very empathetic to others and felt bad that he had made a difficult situation for her so he had send her an e-mail to meet him in a plaza were he would by her lunch and offer her to walk with him anywhere they wanted to talk with her.

Raleigh had a a good amount of credits with him, accumulated for years sines he relied on very few if any luxuries as a jedi. It was this small surplus of credits that afforded him to welcome Mjou to any restaurant in Naboo she chose. He wanted to make it up to her and show he was not a bad person and truly cared for his contemporaries. More importantly, he wanted to let her know that he was here for her if she needed anything at all weather it be counsel, training or just to hang out and a good meal. Raleigh was her friend weather she knew it or not.

Thinking of food, Raleigh's solid mental state suddenly softened when he thought of his lost farm in Tython. Raleigh used to meditate in there wile farming in his personally made green house and was known to welcome padawans over for a nice hot bowl of vegetable soup to go along with his counsel. He missed those times and it pained him at times that those simpler times were gone but he accepted their loss and chose to move on as such feelings would only weaken him. It was not that Raleigh was heartless which was far from the truth but he knew all too well how the sith worked and how their abilities could use his weaknesses and doubts to crippling effect, something he was not keen on allowing. It was this knowledge that trained him to empower his mind and soul and strengthen his resistance to even the strongest of sith under handed tricks.

Waiting on Mjou on a decided location of her choosing, he snaked on some fruit as he waited for her, hopeful that their meeting would be productive.

 

[Nostromos]

Mjou had been confused to say the least when she received a personal message from Raleigh inviting her on a little outing with him. The youth had sent back a little response affirming her participation in said lunch, nervous and worried that she had done something wrong the last time they had met that might have upset or disturbed the Jedi Knight.

The attempted mental link had gone poorly, and the youth worried often that she was not good enough or possessed enough skill to be a proper Jedi. The fear of rejection was still very real.

He had offered her, her pick of any one of the restaurants on the planet. That was a bit too wide a variety for the youth, so she opted to meet him at Theed for simplicity's sake. She had not picked a restaurant, rather looked forward to the distraction of walking around to find one if he really was cross with her.

Meeting at one of the many historical district squares, Mjou walked sulkily; hands crammed in her pockets as she finally spotted the Jedi Knight. Offering up an awkward smile, the youth scuffed the cobbled street with the toe of her boot and gave a loud, shrill whistle to try and garner his attention.

 

[Sirocco]

And it was that the whistle gained the Jedi's attention although he could have though to have sensed her worry minutes ago as it burned like a camp fire among the idle minds. It was the whistle that allowed Raleigh to exactly pin point her place and with a warm smile, he stood up and walked over to her to lean his head to her in respect. With a clear mouth now, Raleigh spoke as he used the force to extend his warmth to her superficially just outside telepathy to express his true intention "welcome Mjou, I am overjoyed to see you have come to keep me company. Please do not feel as if you were forced as the contrary is true, I was hoping you would show up but mindful if it was absence what you would choose. Now that you are here, why don't you join me for lunch? please feel free to order anything you want....with in reason" Raleigh spoke the last part with a quick laugh as he expressed that he had credits but was not rich.

Sitting back down on the table, Raleigh ordered spiced fish and fruit cider wile waiting to see what kind of food she would choose "I can feel you uneasiness Mjou so I must open our little get together by expressing that you are far from being in trouble. In contrary, I am here to ask you for forgiveness and to learn your impute on the class the day before. I have doubts I need to know for future reference and I wish to express both my apology and my openness to offer my help to you at any time" Raleigh offered her a sweet fruit for her to munch on as their food was prepared.

 

[Nostromos]

At Raleigh’s warm greeting the youth had the decency to flush from remembered embarrassment, ducking her head down in a nod. “ Yeah, thanks for inviting me. I uh---Heh yeah Thanks.” Food was a subject she could latch onto , eyes growing a bit more bold; the girl nodded vigorously. “Ok see, so I didn’t know about any places in Theed, but I figure we can walk around and look for one we both like?” Mjou sounded confident in her idea, and gestured for them to walk down one of the busy streets.

Eventually they found a place that served traditional Naboo brunch fare, and were seated outside where there were very few other patrons. Mjuo liked it this way as sitting next to too many people while eating was never a good idea for her. Eventually, she picked some sort of dish that had fish and a grain porridge with a type of local cheese. Inexpensive, but it sounded tasty and filling.

After their menus had been taken, Mjou leaned back in her seat with her hands clasped in her lap; waiting for the inevitable as she had the distinct impression (which she supposed was her empathy kicking in) that he had something to tell her.

When her fears of being scolded were laid to rest, the youth visibly relaxed and moved forward to rest her elbows on the table. “Well glad to know I didn’t piss you off, I don’t know what happened but I felt like it was something I did wrong, so I guess I’m sorry too for making you feel uncomfortable about whatever you were doing?” Mjou gave little nod of her head as a sign of respect before she began kicking her feet back and forth under the table.

She had no idea how to word this. She bought herself time by accepting the offered fruit and munching on it thoughtfully.

“Well-- I feel like I did learn how to I dunno---Meditate? Let go and feel the force? Whatever you call it, I think I have a clearer view on how to sense the world, with the Force and all that stuff.” She gestured flippantly to try and lessen the embarrassment she felt for this whole thing. “ I mean, what doubts do you have that you want me to help with? I can try my best”

 

[Sirocco]

"I failed you, I did not teach you properly and failed to see you needed extensive meditation. I failed to see that you have mental scars that need healing before you continue your light saber training. I hope you can forgive me" Raleigh spoke softly as he let the smooth breeze blow smoothly against him. Having thought of what he would do next after what happened, Raleigh needed self training before he could continue helping others "I have decided to take a long brake from teaching, to meditate on my errors and learn from them. I hope you have no wrong ideas or feelings t;words me as a knight and a teacher....I was rusty and hasty to teach and so I need to relearn how to be a jedi teacher again" Raleigh said softly as even now meditated on the matter, on master Lutomi's dismissive words and attitude. Kai's attitude and distractions no longer mattered, how could he fix some one distracting others from a lesson in class when he was too rusty to teach it? He should have not been there, and Mjou's mentality should have been addressed long before being allowed to train in light saber disciplines, even the most basic of all.

 

[Nostromos]

Mjou was surprised that he felt HE was the one who had wronged her, when the whole time Mjou was certain it was the opposite. It put a bit of her worries at ease but also made her feel guilty, she hoped this wouldn’t drastically affect the Knight in a negative way. “Master Raleigh, I was trying to deceive you all about those things. I mean--I didn’t know what I was doing or where to begin, no one told me anything. I was--”

The youth had to take a moment to swallow her ego on the subject and continued a bit more softly. “I’m embarrassed, I don’t know you people at all--And I’ve always been led to believe that a persons gotta earn their keep if they want to remain in a group. I don’t think it was anyone’s fault but mine--You didn’t understand me because I didn’t want you to. Maybe I’m real good at hiding that sorta stuff? I dunno, not that I think I could trick you or anything!”

Mjou realized she’d been possibly implying he hadn’t been skilled enough to perceive her deception, which was not what she was trying to say in the slightest. “Just that--I have a lot I gotta figure out. So how can any of you understand me if I don’t understand me? You know? I mean--I hope you understand. I don’t blame you for nothin! So I don’t think I gotta forgive you”

 

[Sirocco]

Raleigh would still take his leave into extensive meditation and wile Mjou's attempts to make him feel better where admirable, he still failed in something he should have bee able to foresee "it is of no matter Mjou, I lacked the foresight to see through this when I was supposed to be otherwise. What happened in that room was my fault and I take full responsibility, you should have never used a training saber or any tool of the jedi with out in-depth instruction and meditation with a proper master. I failed you utterly by allowing you to use the training saber and by not lengthening the meditation session, I guess I deserve Jai's disruption of my class with his illusions and attitude, I know of the butterfly illusion he used although that was hardly a class to begin with. I am set on seeking correction so that this cannot happen in the future."

Having listened to her explanation, he was determined to give her the little wisdom he could bestow on her in his time of humility "I read your file and now know the environment you came from, the harshness you had to endure and the lifestyle you had to learn to survive. I hope that in time you will see that you don't have to live like that any more with the order, wile you do have to make the extra effort to learn and grow half the time, help will be given to you with warm and open arms when ever you ask for it. I...we are here to help you and give you the love and hospitality you never had because we are here for you for ever and our doors and our minds are always open to you. We are here to help you and protect you, to watch you grow and nurture that growth so that you could one day become a powerful and wise Jedi Knight. Perhaps I am not the pinnacle of such a sight but I will help as much as I can and may the force will that I be ready once I finished my training. I understand were you are coming from and I am glad you can open up to me like this...don't worry, your secrets and true nature are safe with me" Raleigh gave her a wink of confidence as he perked up at the smell of their food approaching followed by the roar of his empty stomach.

At least some of Raleigh's worry was eased by Mjou who he wronged and who accepted his apology and even urged nothing had happened.

 

[Nostromos]

Mjou could only bow her head in respect of Raleigh’s humility and kindness, she didn’t know how to respond to such professions just yet but she gave a smile when she managed to swallow her embarrassment of his open and revealing words. “Thank you Master. I--I will endeavor to become a better Jedi and I guess---Try not to steal anymore. No promises on that last part though!” Life without stealing just didn’t seem fun to Mjou, she’d endeavor not to steal from members of the order though. Allies and enemies were fair game.

Upon smelling food, Mjou perked up and smacked her lips enthusiastically. She was always ready for food and there was a nice no-mans-land of table between the two of them to make her resources safe from Raleigh.

To divert attention from her quirk, Mjou grabbed a fork and waved it at Raleigh playfully. “I heard that slip up Master, are YOU invested in my future? Hmm?” Yeah, that change of topic surely wouldn’t bite her in the butt later.

 

[Sirocco]

Raleigh laughed because of her response and shrugged as he ate his meal that seemed simple in comparison to Mjou, liking simplicity as a farmer "I can be Mjou, my doors are always open to you for when you need help or training in the force or in light saber combat. I can assure you I will be much more capable in properly teaching you. Anything to make up for that slip up and to further your path to knighthood or any goal you have" Raleigh game her a warm smile along with his words before returning to his food. There was one thing they both shared and it was love for food and unwillingness to let it go to waste, the source of such interest was wholly different how ever.

 

[Nostromos]

Mjou gave a knowing smile and shook her head. “I’ll always make sure I visit you Master, but I think I need to learn more about myself before I foist myself on a teacher. Besides, you said so yourself, you need to spend a little more time on yourself before you start teaching anyone” Still waving her fork, Mjou just beamed at the Jedi Knight before turning to her food.

Hunching down a bit, Mjou dug into her food like a starving animal, slurping and chomping away at the sparse pieces of meat within her oat-y porridge. It was good and salty, which only served to make the youth shiver with food-y delight; there was no worry about anything on the table going to waste.

 

[Sirocco]

Raleigh smiled at her words before digging in himself with a way of eating almost in total contrast to Mjou's wolfing of her food. In the past as a padawan Raleigh would have criticized her for her loud way of eating but as a masterful knight, Raleigh did not seem to care. Knowing her past a bit more now, he even welcomed it as he enjoyed seeing her so happy and fulfilled learning little by little that her life in the streets was over and that he had those to look up to. Those that could take care of her and nurture her so that she could become a beautiful flower in the field.......Raleigh really needed to replant his garden some were safe. Perhaps with his garden, Raleigh could teach her about the force and to learn just how much the force was connected to life and all things by nurturing her own spark of life.

Thinking of an earlier way of training, Raleigh grinned at the idea as he thought her training would take and insightful turn for the best if she was entrusted with a pot and a seed. Thinking this a good idea, Raleigh soon thought her study of the force with out his presence would continue if he trained her to use meditation and the force to care for the plant, to feel life teach her as she nurtured it in turn. To learn of the symbiosis of life and the force. "eating a bit of his food, he spoke once it was swallowed down with some juice "you know what I can do for you? I think I will give you a gift that I am sure you will love" Raleigh said in a bit of excitement as he was eager to take her to buy it.

 

[Nostromos]

The food disappeared fast, partially because Mjou was hungry and partially because she knew no other way to eat than fast. Little else crossed her mind while she devoured her meal short of how good it tasted and how awesome a full belly felt.

Mjou leaned back in her seat and rested a palm on her belly as she settled in to digest, smiling she lazily looked over to Raleigh as he began to speak. When he began to grow excited and spoke of a gift, Mjou sat upright in her chair and blinked those wide, owlish eyes.

“A--a gift? For me?”

She hadn’t received a gift for a long, long time. It was a weird idea but not wholly unpleasant.

 

[Sirocco]

Mjou's reaction was rather pleasing and it gave Raleigh hope that she would remain open to him and as he felt her emotions in the force thanks to force empathy, he also felt a sadness brought about by the reason for her happiness. Having reviewed her file, he knew she had a rough life and had never seen a gift in her life which was a life he admired because she had the strength to become a jedi to take her experience and using her strengths for the light side. It was tenacity and inner strength that Raleigh admired and Mjou showed great potential as a jedi, specially if she chose to use her regrettable history as a strength. Raleigh knew her master, who ever that force in its great wisdom would show her to be a powerful and wise jedi.

Smiling at her happiness at the food that had been given to her, Raleigh was satisfied with what he had eaten so in a show of kindness did he offer her what was left of his food. His gifts would be more than friendly offers of food by becoming a tool of training in the force and in life as he thought himself as a younger knight. Raleigh hoped that his gift would give her insight and strength in the force and all life before him by her actions and the meditation it would cause in her insights.

"As a younger knight, I studied the force and all life connected to it by using my life before as a farmer in Zeltros. I learned to study and strengthen life and see its truths in the force and this is something I wish to offer you so that you can learn and grow in the force as I did by integrating my gift with the training you will gain from your future master. I wish to gift you a seed of any plant you choose but I don't want you to just choose it, I want you to let the force guide you. Ill teach you when we get there" Raleigh smiled softly before pulling out a few credits and offering them to her, enough for any seed "Are you interested Mjou?"

 

[Nostromos]

Without a word, Mjou nabbed the offered leftovers and pulled his plate atop hers to devour what was left. Shamelessly gulping down it down before smacking her lips and pushing both plates away from her to signal that she was done.

It gave her time to think. Think about herself and the Order and Raleigh. She didn’t know what she had done to encourage such kindness from the Knight, but had slowly begun to come to terms with the fact that most everyone in the Order gave readily and eagerly, kindness was common but still foreign to Mjou.

Meekly, the youth took the credits from Raleigh and tucked them into her jacket pockets. This was a neat little assignment and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t excited to pick out a planet seed. She’d never grown anything before. “Yeah. Heh, let’s go get a seed and a pot or whatever you put seeds in!” Mjou stood up and patted the front of her shirt to dislodge any crumbs that might have clung to her.

 

[Sirocco]

Taking her enthusiasm for a signal to move, Raleigh left credits and a tip for the restaurant before leading her to a very good market he knew that was near their current destination. Walking with his eyes closed as he allowed the force to guide him, it was as if he did not need to, knowing exactly how to move and when some one was in his way as he walked. The force and the warm meal he had allowed him a serine feeling in the force that allowed him to let the force guide him all the way to their destination.

Arriving at a market, Raleigh lead Mjou through the ships wile making sure her quick finger instincts did not take over to steal something or buy something with the credits meant for her seed. after a minute of a brisk walk through the thick crowd, Raleigh soon lead her to a shop of plants and seeds that were on sale that day, one of the plants secretly being exactly the prize that matched the credits Mjoun was given. Turning to face the merchant who bowed to him, Raleigh bowed back before placing his hand on Mjou's shoulder as if presenting her to the merchant.

"welcome back my friend, I see you have a friend there with you. Good day young padawan" the merchant addressed Mjou in a friendly tone as Raleigh nodded to his words "indeed she is, she is here to learn a valuable skill in the living and unifying force and one of your seeds holds the key."

Turning to Mjou and extending his hand to the bags of seeds offered to her, he spoke solemnly to the girl as he connection to the force in an intimate level started today "among all of this seeds is your gift, your tool in which to advance your training in the light side of the force. close your eyes and concentrate. Let your self go, let yourself flow through the force as it flows through you and open yourself to the light side. Concentrate on the lightside of the force, the life giving and sustaining side of the force and block all other noise in the background. let your mind empty of all inhibitions and let it become serine and when you are ready....reach out in the force....listen to the life before you and allow the force to guide you. The force is your guide and your friend so let it empower your senses and your mind and only then will you be able to see life like you have never seen before. When you can feel the flow of life, reach out and pick the seed that calls out to you. Don't use your eyes, keep them close. don't use your ears, block out all distractions. use the force to guide your hand, your fingers to your chosen seed" Raleigh whispered his last instruction as he let her do the rest, hoping she would succeed and interested in the kind of seed she would choose.

 

[Nostromos]

Mjou followed after Raleigh in excitement; albeit muted excitement, eyes darted here and yon as all sorts of sights and sounds invaded the youths mind. She didn’t let the Force guide her, it was easy enough to merely keep Raleigh in her peripheral vision and change her course when needed.

She was so distracted she hadn’t even attempted to swipe anything from anyone; though the Knight’s added attention to her in that regard might have subconsciously stilled her hands. When they approached their botanical store and the Merchant within, Mjou just smiled and ducked her head down as a sort of greeting.

Strangers were still a little difficult here, especially when they openly acknowledged her as a member of the Order.

Raleigh spoke sagely and Mjou obeyed, not even looking down at the bag of seeds lest it somehow taint her internal view of it. The youth closed her eyes and held out her hand; palm down, over the bag, retreating into the force with an ease she’d slowly been gaining.

The world fell away and all that lay before her were the tiny nodes of the seeds, twisting and blocking the air current that subtly swam around everything. It was through the air that Mjou caught the strangest smell, not good but not bad either; it was dense and sharp.

Thin, dainty fingers plucked at the air as Mjou physically reacted to her internal desire to take the seed that had made the smell. Realizing she hadn’t actually picked the seed yet, the thief furrowed her brow and reached down; fingers following the smell until something smooth and round rubbed against the soft pad of her thumb and forefinger. “Ah-- There” Mjou scooped up the seed and palmed it, tucking it close to her chest before peeling her eyes open and smiling up at Raleigh. “Found it”

 

[Sirocco]

Nodding to Mjou in response, Raleigh was interested what seed she had chosen with the guidance of the force, It was a trivial thing to know but he was curious. It did not matter the type of seed she had chosen as the lesson was basically the same with any seed but choosing it like that was a great start. leaning over to Mjou with a wide grin, Raleigh gave the seed a good look "excellent, let me see....interesting. You have chosen a fruit free by the looks of it, well done Mjou. Now this is were the important part comes in Mjou; You will find a pot of it, give it good and fertile soil and you will water it with pure water and take care of it as if it was your friend just as you do with the force but the thing is that I want you to meditate and concentrate in the life you are nourishing as you meditate and you will see just how the force reaches out and connects us all in its light. You will learn to see and feel life at its purest form and grow an appreciation for it. I learned to see and feel the force like this after I applied my life as a farmer to my training, it was very calming and insightful" Raleigh explained the reason for this as he hoped to show her a form of meditation and insight that he had learned as a padawan.

Hoping she had learned everything she needed with her gift, Raleigh believed she was ready to begin her training in this passive form of meditation "well, it was wonderful to have cleared everything of my chest and added a plus with my gift. I must go now as my padawan need guidance in her training but you are free to find me for anything at all, my doors are always open to every one including you" Raleigh said hoping she had good questions before heading off to his other duties.

 

[Nostromos]

Mjou looked up to Raleigh with the large grin she had the habit of throwing around, bright-eyed she cupped her seed tenderly and hunched forward as if she meant to protect it with her body. “He’ll be safe. I’ll take good care of him you don’t have to worry about that”

The youth pulled the seed close and took a few steps back, nodding as she was glad that whatever she had done that had caused such inner trouble for the Knight had seemed to clear like clouds from the sky. With a sly wink and a laugh, the thief spun on her heel and ran off into the distant crowd; she’d see Raleigh again there was no need for goodbyes.

Letting him ruminate on her impish nature was just fine with her. She’d find some good dirt and a pot that was pretty; maybe blue, for the little seed she protected in her palm. She’d offer Raleigh a beautiful sproutling someday, and show him how she grew in the Force. No matter what that meant.