Peaceful Meditations

[Kori Buor]

Naboo, Lake Country
​

Ahzek had never been to Naboo before, and it was definitely a beautiful place. After having grown up on the dark and dirty cesspit that was Coruscant, being in a place with so much green and blue in it was almost like a dream. Of course, he had seen it before on other planets, but Naboo was different; there was a sort of unblemished natural peace to it. Everything was so surreal and perfect that the Jedi Knight could barely believe a place like this existed in the Galaxy that had been settled by sentient beings.

Making his way through the lush forests that surrounded the serene lakes of Naboo's tranquil backcountry, Ahzek Shahi wondered what sorts of people lived out this way. After all, he had seen a few small scattered settlements after landing and making his way in.

After many long years, the Jedi Knight had sought out Naboo for the chance to meditate and focus himself in the Force. With the war against the Sith Empire and the fall of the Republic, Ahzek had barely had a chance to take a moment for himself. Missions had to be taken, battles fought, and when he wasn't helping his fellow Jedi, the scholarly knight had gone searching for knowledge and artifacts. He rarely got a chance to do that very often now, and this time he was taking a chance to attune himself to the living Force. What better place to do that then on the peaceful world of Naboo?

Walking out of the woods into a clearing he spotted another figure sitting on a flat rocky surface that overlooked one of the still lakes many meters below. It was a female, pale, perhaps close to his age, and she appeared to be meditating. The sun was shining and it picked at her platinum hair, reflecting like starlight off the strands. Standing there fascinated for a moment, Ahzek felt the peculiar, yet all too familiar, sensation of the Force nudging him closer. Taking a deep breath he took another step and announced himself so he wouldn't take this female by surprise. "Uh, hello there?"

@StandbyRanger

 

[StandbyRanger]

theme​

'It's a beautiful sight, isn't it Kataarin?'

Rouslyn, though her eyes remained closed, was studying the ebb and flow of the Force within the lake. Her natural Force Vision allowed her to see the seams of the power that tied the galaxy together. In a place like the Naboo Lake Country, this naked perception of the world was as breathtaking as the most master-crafted mural and as stunning as the most wonderfully-composed piece of classical music.

'We never got to see anything like this on the station, did we; the colors, the smells, the waves...'

Despite having grown up on a lush planet, the memory retention of an adolescent coupled with ten years of containment and fighting for one's life day-by-day stamped holes in Rouslyn's memories; it was like she was rediscovering the galaxy anew, 'I wish you were here to see this, too. It feels just like that day on Kashyyyk, in the calm before the storm...' Kataarin never seemed to answer her; she knew of stories about Force ghosts and spirits visiting those who were once precious to them, and despite not knowing whether or not Kataarin ever knew the Force, she always held out hope that there was some way for the two to reunite.

It was at this moment that a voice (one she almost mistook for Kataarin) snapped her out of her meditative trance; upon noticing the presence of the Force within this newly arrived individual, and despite his warning, Rouslyn still nearly jumped out of her skin. She hopped off the rock she had been sitting on and landed next to her greatsword, which was only a foot or so from the rock.

It took her a moment of scanning the treeline behind her for Rouslyn to finally notice the one who called out to her. Because he stood above her, it was hard to discern any details about the individual's appearance save that it was a man, and that he had a rather garish hair color. Her Force Vision painted the man in a rather luminescent light, similar to those she saw while amongst members of the Paladins of Mortis; she took a few steps away from the blade still laying in the grass when she saw this, but remained in close proximity to it. Her cloth covered eyes studied the man closely before speaking.

'Ye-yes... Can I help you?' To this man, it would have felt as though her voice was right next to him, due to her reaching out to him telepathically; she sounded rather timid, though this was because she was unsure who this man was, and exactly what he wanted from her.

@Kori Buor

 

[Kori Buor]

The Jedi Knight paused for a moment as the woman turned to face him. He could feel through the Force and see with his eyes that this young female was different. But what really made it clear that this woman was different was when she spoke to him using telepathy. Clearly, she was capable of using the Force well enough to allow communication through it. Forcing a smile out, Ahzek held his hands up and made it clear he was not trying to be threatening.

"My name is Ahzek Shahi, I was looking for a quiet place to get away and meditate for a little while. You wouldn't happen to know of a place like that, would you?" The Jedi Knight's response was honest, and his his expression was sincere and kind. Hopefully, this would put the woman he happened upon at ease a little to at least get a dialogue out of her.

Reaching out through the Force, Ahzek could feel the power inside her. It was interesting, he could feel something about her that spoke of a past perhaps more colorful than his. He was sure she wasn't corrupted like a Sith or fallen Jedi, but he wasn't sure she was a Jedi either. Well, he was fairly certain that she wasn't a Jedi, but she did seem to have some luminosity to her in the Force. This made him all the more curious and he took one step forward as though he were testing the waters. Focusing his mind so that it became a cutting edge, Ahzek reached through the currents of the Force and touched the woman's mind as well. He had never spoken telepathically to someone before, though he had read how to do it multiple times. Doing his best, he pushed his thoughts through the Force to this woman's mind. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd love to talk about you and the abilities you have."

 

[StandbyRanger]

'If you're looking for somewhere to meditate,' Rouslyn was studying his hands while responding, 'I'm certain you could find one fairly easy. It's a big planet...'

Despite this man's attempt to appear kind and approachable, Rouslyn's disposition towards new faces turned his good intentions adverse; she took a step back in response to his step forward. She could feel the tip of her greatsword underneath her heel. It was a good feeling to have in a situation to have like this.

What the strange man did next surprised Rouslyn. She felt the Force knocking against her mental door, followed by this man's voice echoing within her skull. She could hear the intricacies of his voice more clearly compared to when he spoke normally; it's cadence, the tone, the bass within, all of which she could use to figure out that perhaps he really did not mean harm upon her. Rouslyn relaxed a bit having noticed that her shoulders were rather tense.

'You're rather forward,' she observed, rather argumentatively, 'Come down from there and give me your name first, then we can talk.'

With that, Rouslyn turned on her heel and made her way closer to the lake; on the way, she snatched up her sword from the ground. The whole of the sword was just as long as her, its weight only describable as heavy as frak, but she carried it with no difficulty. Upon reaching the side of the lake, Rouslyn put it on display against a nearby tree.

 

[Kori Buor]

"Hmph," Ahzek gave a quiet chuckle when the woman accused him of being forward. That might have been the first time someone ever said that to him, but then again, he wasn't known for being particularly charismatic, and he rarely did this kind of thing. He did find it slightly ironic when she spoke to him first using telepathy, speaking directly into his own mind. It typically wasn't something he would have done upon meeting someone, but perhaps she had a reason for it.

"Alright," he replied politely to her request as he stepped forward. Following after her as she walked down to the lakeside, the Jedi Knight glanced at massive sword she was carrying around. That was impressive, even more so that he was sure that she knew how to wield it quite well. He hoped he wouldn't have to find out today, though.

"I am Ahzek Shahi," he said again, using his telepathy this time, opening up his mind to allow her to feel a little of his own essence to her. With any luck, she would read him as a compassionate and sincere individual. "I am a librarian and scholar of sorts. I see you know how to use the Force, it's why I'm curious if you'd let me speak to you. I promise I mean you no harm." And with that he'd let his honesty pour through his words, hoping to assure this woman that his intentions were forthright. "May I ask what your name is and how you learned to control such a power?"

 

[StandbyRanger]

‘Rouslyn,’ she announced, ‘Rouslyn Tiberium.’

‘Let me ask you, Ahzek Shahi: do you go around showing people you just met your porno stash?’ She let the question hang for a moment before continuing.

‘Discretion is a girl’s best friend, and I'm not willing to break that friendship for someone I just met,’ she crossed her arms and turned away; her back faced him, and her attention returned to the lake.

Despite this cold interaction, something still tugged at Rouslyn to open up (at least little by little) to this self proclaimed scholar. Being conflicted, Rouslyn crossed her arms and bit her lip for a moment before turning back towards him.

‘I admit, there is something rather… alluring about your inquisitiveness. It’s very childlike… and fun.’

With that, her admittedly blank expression up to this point turned into a smile; this smile was small, yet warm.

‘I discovered my connection to the Force when I was a kid in a rather… dangerous situation; but I didn't learn to really control it until recently. I'm still learning to control it, in all honesty. This…,’ she gestured back in forth between themselves, referring to their mental conversation, ‘interaction, and my eyesight have always come naturally to me though.’

Rouslyn tilted her head inquisitively, ‘And what about you, Ahzek Shahi? I feel the Force inside you, too. What use does a librarian have for such a power?’

 

[Kori Buor]

"Rouslyn, it's nice to meet you." Ahzek replied back before cocking his eyebrows at the woman when she mentioned showing people his 'porno stash.' "Uhh... porno... stash?"

The Jedi Knight chuckled quietly when Rouslyn mentioned discretion being a girl's best friend. Muttering to himself he remarked, "Well, that's probably true, so I can't blame you for that."

When she called his curiosity alluring and childlike, he grinned. That was definitely the first time someone had ever said that to him and he wasn't quite sure how to respond to it. Listening to her answer to his questions, Ahzek hummed thoughtfully. He wondered what these dangerous situations were for she did not look that old and his curiosity piqued at the thought of what she had gotten into. Of course, remembering his own past he knew it was more than possible to be true. "That's fascinating, really, I mean it!"

Smiling, he stepped closer to her and put his hand to his chest as he answered her inquiry about him. "I was discovered on Coruscant by someone who could use the Force. They trained me out to use it, and as I grew up I learned of history and fell in love with it. I look for ancient artifacts and other things which help to shed light on the past. When I'm not trying to make the Galaxy a better place with my powers I spend my time in libraries and archives studying... The Force is a powerful thing, I use it to help where I can, because I feel that's the right thing to do."

As he spoke he'd let her glimpse fragments of memories and feelings of his life. "How goes your training then? What do you know of the Force?"

 

[StandbyRanger]

'Ah, so, you're an adventurer,' Rouslyn inquired innocently, moving past the failed rhetorical "porno stash" question, 'How often do you find ancient artifacts? Have you ever been chased by treasure hunters for what you've found? What's the best place to look for that kind of stuff; the Outer Rim?' It was almost as if her hardened exterior had melted away, leaving only the gooey wholesome center of someone truly inquisitive about the bounties of the galaxy. Surely Rosulyn's father's adventurous nature was passed down to her.

Rouslyn had a million of questions prepared, ready to blurt them out one by one without allowing a moment for Ahzek to answer them; she had already begun nearing him with each question asked, threatening to bury him underneath the weight of her sudden intellectual pursuit. It was only when Ahzek began to share a few moments from his memories that Rouslyn slowed her roll. The reddening of her cheeks displayed an acknowledgement of her embarrassing behavior.

Rouslyn, through what memories Ahzek had shared with her, witnessed a few of his architectural endeavors; she even noticed a scattered bunch of memories from what she could only guess was his childhood on Coruscant. They were rather bleak, even when compared to her own "childhood;" if one could even call it that. She felt a budding kinship for the man before her; they both grew up in rare situations, both their lives had threatened to end abruptly; yet they persisted.

Before responding to Ahzek's question, she shared a select few of her own memories with him; her time spent on Adumar alongside her family, mainly the day trips alongside her father all across the planet. She even permitted him to witness a moment from her time as a slave, particularly one spent alongside Kataarin in the pirates' arena. Rouslyn dwelled on the image of Kataarin; her one-eyed, one-armed Wookiee savior, 'The Force continues to be a mystery to me. I wouldn't dare to say that it comes easy to me. There's just so much... ideology, different pathways to understanding the Force that it's difficult to dissect; but my teacher has reminded me during every lesson that the Father's intention for our relationship to the Force is something not easily understood in such a short time. I've actually only just begun to study the true nature of the Force, after all.'

Rouslyn had no clue whether or not if Ahzek would understand who this "Father" was that she was referring to; but, from what her Lord Leonatas had told her was that the Church of Mortis was a faith not commonly practiced within the larger galaxy.

 

[Kori Buor]

Laughing, Ahzek nodded in response to Rouslyn's questions. "Yes, I guess you could say that. I've found a few, though, well quite a few. And yes, I've gotten chased by other treasure hunters, Sith ones included. I've had several exciting adventures." He continued to laugh as he shook his head in remembrance. "If you want to find some artefacts, all you have to do is figure out where some Force Using Traditions were a long time ago; they usually leave some behind. It's a lot of reading and research, though. Hence why I'm more of a librarian."

The Jedi smiled as her cheeks flushed, and through the Force he could feel her slight embarrassment about getting ahead of herself with the number of questions she was asking him. It didn't bother, though, in fact, it reminded him of himself quite a bit. Feeling her presence again in his mind, Ahzek witnessed some of her memories, fragments of her as a child with her family, and he could see her as a slave and so much made sense. Part if him felt bad for her, but he was glad she had overcome it. He saw fighting and a wookiee. As she spoke again, Ahzek listened to her words, smirking at what she was saying. When she mentioned a Father character, he frowned. He recalled vague mentions of such a figure from his readings, but he knew very little about it.

"It is a mystery, even to those who spend their lives studying it. Most either believe in calm focus and tranquility or emotion and passion for deriving their power from the Force. This is the biggest difference between the Jedi and the Sith. Others simply believe in the Force, and others still believe in a balance between the light and the dark, though such a balance eludes most of us." Ahzek replied with a smile on his face. The Jedi enjoyed such philosophical discussions and now he was finally going to have one with a different perspective.

 

[StandbyRanger]

The Sith; a fanatical Force group, and the biggest threat to the galaxy according to Grandmaster Tyris. Rouslyn had yet to even run into someone who considered themselves as such. Then again, she didn't get out much.

'Emotions are a powerful thing, so much so that they influence the Force itself,' Rouslyn observed, 'But, emotions are fickle, are they not?'

Rouslyn began to pace before the edge of the lake in a short and tight path; she called upon memories of her gladiatorial days, fighting alongside Kataarin. Battles against beasts, machines, and other gladiators danced in her mind; she kept her thoughts and emotions open so Ahzek could experience her line of thinking more actively, 'When I call upon the Force to assist me in a fight, I find that more intense emotions; hate, passion, rage, make me more powerful but make it so much harder to concentrate. Peace keeps me focused but it lacks that certain... oomph that's needed sometimes. I find myself switching between the two when I need. Same goes for when I meditate. Peaceful feelings tend to expand my mind, make me feel in-tune with the galaxy. Harsher feelings are like... a window into myself, what makes me tick, you know?'

She wasn't exactly sure whether or not what she was saying was making too much sense; Rouslyn had never had too many chances to discuss the inner workings of the Force and a mortal's influence on it, 'What about you, Mr. Librarian? Is anger your sword? Or does the peaceful route lend better experiences?'

 

[Kori Buor]

Nodding in agreement at what Rouslyn had to say about emotions and how they can influence the Force, Ahzek let out a thoughtful hum. What this young woman had said was true, but Ahzek himself viewed the concept as a gross understatement. As she continued to on, beginning to pace along the edge of the serene Naboo lake, Ahzek could sense, almost see the memories of this woman, most of them as a gladiator in the arenas. He could see how she thought and felt now, even as she spoke he could see the girl fighting and drawing on the Force.

Rouslyn spoke on the Force and how she used it. Frowning, "Well, that's definitely true. Emotions are as fickle as the wind. They can make the Force... unstable in my experience. Too much emotion, especially negative or powerful ones causes the Force to roil and move like a dark storm. I spent so much time as a child angry... hating the world, hating my fate..."

His voice trailed off as Ahzek opened more of his memories up to Rouslyn. The woman would be able to see and feel in better detail what it was like for an orphan in the underworld of Coruscant to grow up in. How every night he was afraid of being killed or kidnapped, every day he hated those who stole from him or ignored him while enjoying their excesses. "It took a special lady to show me the Force in a way I could understand. She showed me how to face my anger and how to walk the path of serenity. That's how I prefer to draw my power. It's been hard sometimes, but I chose to follow the Will of the Force, and to listen to it you have to still your mind and perceive what it is trying to say. It is how I was able to endure the death of my brother, and forgive his murderers."

"Besides, anger does not suit a librarian or a library." Ahzek gave a light chuckle while walking out to the edge of the lake. He had allowed Rouslyn free access to his thoughts so she could see the Jedi who found him and his brother, see his rescue, his brothers death, and how he had even met two of the Jedi who had bombed the temple on Tython. Reaching out into the Force he picked up a smooth rock and spun it into the water watching it skip.

 

[StandbyRanger]

“How quaint…,” Rouslyn stated bluntly, “to be able to forgive those who took everything from you.” Her eyes, though blindfolded, followed the slipping rock across the lake. Picking up her own, but by hand, she threw it underhand with a small grunt.

The rock skipped once, then twice before it landed with a plunk and sunk into the lake. Rouslyn frowned, a slight sense of frustration wafting from her. Something about the memories Ahzek shared rubbed Rouslyn the wrong way; had Ahzek known they would do so, and had he asked why, she wouldn’t be able to provide an answer, “You claim to follow the Force’s will, but don’t fully understand the Force itself; how do you know that this isn’t the wrong path for you? That avenging your brother’s actually is what the Force wishes of you?”

Perhaps Rouslyn’s suddenly terse demeanor stemmed from the fact that Ahzek was able to move on from his loved one’s death, and she was just being childish? Her mind drifted to… him; the damned lizard who was to blame for all of… this; her muteness, the eradication of all she loved, and the hollowed out cavern within her heart, “If you asked me to forgive the one who toyed with my life as though it were some… malleable piece of putty to form, squash, rip… tear apart… I’d tell you the Force pushes me everyday to hunt him down and rip out his throat.”

 

[Kori Buor]

"They may have taken my brother, but they hardly took everything, my dear," Ahzek replied calmly, his mental voice carrying with it the serenity he currently experienced having forgiven those killers. Watching as Rouslyn picked up her rock and gave it a toss, he hummed with amusement before picking up a second rock. Listening as she asked him how he knew he was doing the right thing, he laughed, launching the rock even further than the first. "Six skips!" He marveled as he turned to face the girl.

"How can one fully understand something as complex and mysterious as the Force? How can one comprehend something which has the endless potential and innumerable possibilities in it? Of course I don't fully understand the Force, but anyone who claims to is a fool, or trying to sell you something. It is really simple though, Rouslyn. I quiet my mind, and listen to it. You can hear it, feel the light guiding you when you focus on it when you block out all the distractions... I do not seek vengeance, because vengeance does not bring balance to the Force. Vengeance is a selfish act done to make the individual doing it feel better, and it often causes the Force to move darkly." Ahzek sighed, and looked away, back over the lake. Rouslyn commented how she felt that the Force pushed her to hunt down the one who toyed with her, and the Jedi frowned, he could feel the hollowness inside of her.

"Is it really the Force that pushes you to that? Or your own desire for retribution? That sounds closer to the Dark Side influencing you, feeding on your lust for vengeance and to inflict the suffering you felt. It takes a lot to let go of the pain, Rouslyn, it is no small feat to do so, and the more intense the pain the harder it is to let go of such emotions and desires. I have found, in my travels, that compassion and love has an odd effect, though, balancing out the desire to take revenge and helping one move on. Did the one who torment you ever find justice?" He asked as he looked back at her, taking a few steps to close the gap between them so that they were close enough to touch each other and he looked at her face, studying it as much as he was feeling her through the Force, the way her aura shifted and radiated out from her.

@StandbyRanger

 

[StandbyRanger]

“Ha,” she scoffed both audibly and mentally, “d’you think I'd be talking the way I am if that blasted lizard were locked away?” She grimaced before adding, “or dead in a ditch somewhere…”

Rouslyn tossed another rock across the lake; the skips were few, yet the distance the rock traveled was nearly as far as Ahzek’s last throw, “But the Dark Side is part of the Force, yes? If it is, and if it’s really what’s driving me on this mission, then I'd say the Dark Side is leading me to rid the galaxy of a pirate, slaver and murderer. Is it such a bad thing to do it for a personal vendetta?” She crossed her arms, looked down and pouted; it wasn't like she was trying to advocate for the Dark Side, or even argue for that matter. Rouslyn was just wishing to save face for her mission. If a mere conversation impaired her decade long search for vindication, Rouslyn wasn't sure just how she'd be able to go on.

“As for love, compassion,” though Ahzek couldn't see behind the cloth around her eyes, she directed her gaze towards the mix of gravel and dirt underfoot, “the moment that I become close with someone… they don't seem to last much longer.”

Rouslyn planned on looking back up at Ahzek with a perturbed look, but she hadn't noticed how near he had exactly gotten. She immediately blushed, “Ahh, you’re, ah… awful close, Ahzek Shahi.” Though she didn't shy away, she avoided looking directly at him, using the long silver locks that fell in front of her face to hide the blushing.

@Kori Buor

 

[Kori Buor]

A frown crossed his face when Rouslyn asked if it were so bad to go after a personal vendetta. The man could understand the woman's desire to make this person pay for what they did, but he also believed that the method she would choose to make him pay would cause her to lose herself to the darkness. Watching her pout he could see that perhaps she didn't wholly believe in what she was saying either. "Do you know what you give when you kill someone in the name of vengeance? What you give up when you take another life like that? The Dark Side isn't just part of the Force; it's a twisted corruption of the Force, it's what happens when we let our own selfish and dark desires bleed into it, in turn it causes us to do things we wouldn't believe we'd do, it becomes the slippery path, the one that leads us to killing innocents in the name of some greater good."

Her words on what happens to those she cares for made him smile sadly. While he was sure there was truth to her words, he knew that had to be a painful way to live. "You can't be afraid to open up and love, Rouslyn. The Jedi often said that fear is what leads to the Dark side, if that's true... Well let's just say I'd hate to see a woman like yourself fall to the darkness when she was afraid of the one thing that could have prevented that." He brought a hand up to her shoulder, and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Through the Force he felt her aura turn a little pinkish like she as she commented nervously on how close he had gotten. Blushing a little he took a single half-step back, but realized that she hadn't necessarily meant it in a bad way. "I... well, I dunno. I'm willing to help you bring others to justice, like this lizard who caused you pain. I'd rather see him brought to justice than see you lose yourself to the Darkness."

Taking a calculated risk he stepped closer to Rouslyn, standing squarely in front of her, "If you'll have me anyways. It's been a while since I've heard of a cause which I felt is something that's actually meaningful to pursue."

 

[StandbyRanger]

"Selfish, dark desires... Bringing us to do things we'd never thought we'd ever do," Rouslyn mimicked Ahzek's statement about the Dark Side; she attempted to relate this to herself, to her struggled, but it just did not click, "I'd say that everything I've done up to this moment has been nothing but my own desire. I've broken the bones of thieves who would steal from those too unfortunate to fend for themselves; I've humiliated those who thought they were better than those who beg on the streets because they were dealt a crap hand; I've fought and killed slavers because they rip families apart all for greed and personal gain."

She was beginning to become heated, the timid girl from moments ago suddenly replaced by one who was on a hair trigger, "I lost everything to that monster; my father, my mother, my siblings... my best friend. I know that you know how it feels to lose the ones you love and you want to tell me that all of this...," she gestured vaguely to her head, silently referring to the mindset she had developed due to her decade as a slave, "is unjustified?"

Her blood began to boil; she had been ready to shrug off Ahzek's attempts to make her see the malice in her actions, but now she was on fire. Rouslyn had even spaced out in anger at the mention of love and compassion, but ended up tuning back in when Ahzek offered to actually join her on her mission; this was so unexpected that she did not even notice it for a moment.

Her mouth opened, ready to retort once again, but then Ahzek's offer finally made it into her brain, "I, uh... I'm sorry? You want to join me?"

"If you'll have me anyways. It's been a while since I've heard of a cause which I felt is something that's actually meaningful to pursue."

Rouslyn took a moment to consider his offer. Despite their somewhat rocky meeting and Rouslyn's recent moment of brief, unjustified anger, she had to admit that Ahzek was good company. It seemed to Rouslyn that it was a honest offer, and her initial reaction was to accept it; something kept "yes" from coming out of her mind, however.

"I'm... sorry, Ahzek Shahi, but I don't think I can accept your help. When I started this mission two years ago, I made a promise to myself that no one would get hurt because of me anymore. Those who helped me in the past ended up... well, you could imagine what I want to say. This isn't because I have something against you, it's just that... this is something that I have to do alone."

Rouslyn was ready to walk away, leave the rejection at that and thank Ahzek for the delightful afternoon, but she had more to say, "You're a kind man, I feel like I've learned more in an afternoon about the Force through you than I have in all of my studies. I'd hate for my mission to see you corrupted too, Mr. Librarian." She gave a soft, childish smile.

@Kori Buor

 

[Kori Buor]

Shaking his head at her as she spoke of how she wanted to do everything that she did to people. "That's the trick with the Dark Side, Rouslyn. You don't think you're being affected, you don't think what you're doing is out of character. It corrupts you. You will think what you are doing is right and justified, but think of all the awful things you might do to someone in the name of what is right and what you perceive to be justice!"

Ahzek paused and sighed, as she asked him, rather indignantly if what she had done was unjustified. He shook his head again and brought his hands up defensively. "No, no, no. But does justice require suffering? I'm not saying those people don't deserve what they did, Rouslyn. But you have to keep yourself above the emotion. Justice isn't about emotion, it's about balance, and righting wrongs. I forgave those who killed my brother because they have paid for it, either with their lives, or by returning to the light and serving true justice. I wanted to hurt them, but then I thought about what my brother would have wanted. Would your parents and siblings want you to lose yourself making others suffer for what they did? You can learn to become more than someone who makes others suffer, you can learn to serve true justice."

The Jedi sighed as he looked at her. Nodding, he offered a warm smile, "Yes, I want to go with you." He could see the struggle in her face as she tried to decide whether to accept his help or not. When she explained to him why she couldn't let him help her, he smiled, raising a hand to her shoulder and touching it deftly. "I understand..." He thought for a moment, thinking about what she had to say. He laughed a little as she seemed ready to walk away. "Rouslyn... you don't have to worry about me. I won't get hurt. I've lived this long by learning how not to get hurt. And you're not going to corrupt me... please. Give me a chance to help you."

 

[StandbyRanger]

"I fight my own battles," Rouslyn stated simply. "If you were to help me, it wouldn't be on a battlefield..." Despite her precaution and multiple attempts towards allowing this man into her personal crusade, something tugged at her mind to stick close to Ahzek. Was it her regressed feelings of being all alone in the galaxy resurfacing, wanting for some form of partner to face the darkness with; or perhaps, it was something more.

Rouslyn had never admitted to being spiritual, especially not during her time in captivity, but ever since she had joined the Paladins she had allowed the Force some credence. She may not be fully devoted to the intangible entity, and she may never will be, but she couldn't deny the ties that bind her world to another's.

"But I'm not the boss of you. I wouldn't want to be in charge of a stubborn guy like yourself." She chuckled, "If you're so willing to follow some blind girl you met an hour ago into hell, be my guest. At least tell me you're good with a blaster or something, bookworm."