Sitting About

[Cailst]

Znayae sat in a little plaza on the streets of Coruscant. At the moment, he was seated in a petite stylized black chair next to a similarly styled table under a red and white umbrella. Another chair stood next to the table. Around them were various tables and chairs in the same arrangement. Here and there were scattered lovers and writers. A kiss here and there mixed with the furious scribbling on other tables. Perhaps they were commenting on the ominous state of the clouds and hoping to get in soon. A thick storm was coming. At least that's what the weather said.

The padawan was likely to get soaked till he got to the table. But there was a small window of time to get there. Maybe he'd use a bit of force speed to get there in time. Didn't he know that tardiness was a sin. Ah well, he'd get there eventually and if he didn't get there in time, the rain would be punishment enough.

Just a little bit more waiting...

 

[JTJP770]

The wind rushed through Zeein's hair as he ran with all his speed. "Damn... damn.." He cursed in his mind. His boots kicking up water as he bolted to the meeting spot he was told to be at. His dark brown eyes scanned the crowds and streets, looking for a familiar dressed Jedi. But then again, this was Coruscant, the home of the Jedi. But he let the force guide him, clearing his mind once he got to the square he let his feelings take his feet. His hair color was a bit lighter then his eyes, but not to much. And some scruff along his jawline began to form. With every step, his padawan braid bounced.

He reached the table, and there sitting was the Jedi Knight. "Master Ordo?" He said, his voice exticed but at the same time worried. He was panting, trying to catch his breath from his running. "I.. I'm Zeein Relko." The words choppy, trying to speak as he caught his breath. It was a bit humorous, as he was out of breath. And drenched in water, his hair being a short length was helpful in this situation. But none the less, his robes were soaked. "It's.. It's an honor to meet you." He said with a goofy smile.

 

[Cailst]

"Greetings Mr. Relko, what can I do for you?" Znayae asked.

The Padawan was a bit wet, but at least he realized he was late. Unlike some other padawans who would probably cancel if there was too much rain. The Jedi had no use for padawans like those, lazy bums. At least that's what some of the horror stories that Znayae had heard about. Fortunately, he didn't have the bad luck to run into those guys.

Anyways, the rain had kicked up a bit. Heavy pounding hit all around them. Most of the other people had left the little plaza with just one other writer left in the area. Perhaps he just didn't want to get wet. And the red and white umbrellas above their tables were pretty good. Only a few new drops hit Znayae, the rest coming from any shaking off from Zeein.

 

[JTJP770]

The Padawan continued his panting, "I.. I'm sorry for being late. I was reading and lost track of time, I have no excuse. The fault is my own." His eyes were honest, and he truly was sorry. A glint of fear could be seen as well, and a Jedi would be able to see it as bright as day. "I'm the Padawan the council informed you about."

He continued to stand outside the umbrella, the rain falling in a steady pattern on the young mans head. But he paid no real attention to it, he would occasionally wipe his face with his sleeve. He turned his head to the side briefly, wondering why the one writer still remained. His attention quickly snapped back to the Knight in front of him. "I bet he thinks I'm a complete disgrace, how could I be so stupid to let myself be late
?!" His thoughts were going about a thousand miles a minute. Fear, doubt, insecurity. All the emotions he was trained to push back were surfacing, he wanted nothing more then to be accepted.

((I don't know if you wanna play this as if Zeein was assigned to Znayae. Or if Znayae is still deciding wether to take Zeein or not. =p It's up to you! I can swing with either one.))

 

[Cailst]

"The council, the council, the council, who are those guys?" Znayae asked.

He seemed to me mired in his own thoughts. Seemingly oblivious to the panicked attitude of the padawan, he muttered his words. But it seemed that the padawan wouldn't notice, he was far too panicky. Perhaps in a few minutes, he'd calm down and the real fun would start.

The rain continued, seeming torrents were pouring down the pavement. The drains seemed almost full of water. And then, the water authority would then approve dumping some of the water on the lower levels. One way of ensuring everyone got enough water but it was rather labor intensive to make sure that water returned to the upper atmosphere of the highest level. At least that wasn't his job.

 

[JTJP770]

The Padawan blinked, "The Jedi council?" He said obviously a bit confused, his breathing returned to normal. And his words were no longer broken and choppy. "Y-you are Master Ordo right?" He said eyeing the man up and down. A rain drop rolled down from his face to the ground.

 

[Cailst]

At least he wasn't panicky anymore, just confused. A much better approach to learning. After all, who can learn if he does not know nothing? And that was what the padawan needed to know, nothing.

"Am I?" Znayae muttered.

Znayae still was looking a bit crazed. As if he were some loon on the street that preached the end of the world. And maybe he was. The Jedi were the ones to get frightened over the Sith in visions while the rest of the galaxy used more "empirical" methods.

 

[JTJP770]

Zeein's eyes fell over the man another time, for a brief second he closed his eyes and cleared his mind. "The force guided me to this spot... so my feelings tell me you are." He still looked quite confused, calmed down but still confused. He ran his hand through his rain soaked hair, and then wiped it on the sleeve of the robe.

"So yes, I believe you are Master Ordo. I trust in the force." He said with a smile. There it was again, that goofy smile. His thoughts flashed to a few things, building a lightsaber, becoming a knight. These are things he wanted more then anything, and he's hoping they are in his grasps.

 

[Cailst]

"How do you know that the force is real and that it's telling you this? I can go to some of the further levels of Coruscant and find millions of people that say that they're hearing voices. What makes you think the voices in your head are right?" Znayae asked.

Good, his student was guided by the force. That was a good step, not merely blindly following the authority of the Council. Wise they were, however, they were not the force and they had be be held accountable by others in the Jedi. And if his padawan realized this, he would be more wise and powerful in the force by not relying on the wisdom of others.

 

[JTJP770]

"The force isn't exactly a voice for me, it's more of an instinct. Something that I've always known and trusted. As far as the people in the lower levels of Coruscant.. I think most of them are on spice.." He said rubbing the back of his neck. He wiped his face on his sleeve once again, still standing in the rain.

Zeein trusted the council, they have been like family to him. And always provided for him as well, yet what the Knight was thinking is correct. They are not the force, and as the Padawan grows. He might or might not realize this.

 

[Cailst]

"But could it not simply be a few haywire neurons? Firing off at the wrong time leading you to "feel" and "trust" it? Could this simply be a bit of dementia for you? After all, not everyone "feels" it?" Znayae continued to question.

The padawan offered some explanation of the force, but he wanted more. After all, if the padawan could not justify the existence of the force to mere skeptics, how could he effectively use it? And even worse, if a padawan did not understand the force, he could be led astray. To become a knight and stand independently, one needed to understand for themselves, their tool and guide, the force.

 

[JTJP770]

Zeein closed his eyes and cleared his mind, with out moving his hands the small pouch on his belt opened. And a few credits floated in front of him. He guided the currency back into the compartment and shut it with the force just as he had opened it. "I do not believe it was "haywire" neurons, sir." The look on his face was content, but not arrogant or smug. More at peace, like using the force had put him into a more confident and collected state of mind. "But yet the force attaches all living things, from the smallest plant. To the greatest Jedi Knight, the force surrounds and connects us all."

 

[Cailst]

"Clever trick, very clever trick. But I've seen street performers do things that I used to think were magic. Yet all they do is a bit of trickery using basic psychology and physics. Can you prove to me that this "force" is more than that, something truly real?" Znayae continued to ask.

It appeared that telekinesis had been mastered, but what else did the padawan know from previous learning and masters? Without knowing that, it would be likely that he'd be forced to teach what had already been mastered and skip over what had been half learnt. Perhaps the padawan might show off a couple other tools of the force that he had learned. Or come up with a clever enough argument to prove his point.

 

[JTJP770]

The Padawan was becoming frustrated, his hands clenched a bit. But he took a deep breath and calmed himself down, his hands returning to being loose and at ease. "I suppose I can't explain the force to you. It is something you must experience for yourself, something that reaches out and makes up your very existence as a Jedi. It guides us and most importantly allows us to have insight on the Galaxy that others do not."

The Padawan gulped, his feelings of doubt and worry surfacing again. Wondering what would happen to him if he didn't pass the Knight's test. He didn't want to be sent to the service corps, that was the last thing he wanted. His dark brown eyes were locked on the man in front of him, awaiting what he had to say. Wondering, what he thought of the young man.

 

[Cailst]

"Very well then, I suppose we're all a bunch of deluded tricksters that can do stuff like this," Znayae said as he used the force to pick up the umbrella from its position in the table, then inverting it and gathering a bit of water in it, finally pouring that water into a cup that was beside the padawan. Meanwhile, he used force push on the air above to divert the rain drops from falling on them.

"Now, what if I were to tell you that peace is a lie and that there is only passion?" Znayae said veering off into another part of being a Jedi.

 

[JTJP770]

"I would say that is the Sith code, and not the code I follow." Zeein blinked as the rain stopped hitting his head, his eyes then switching to the umbrella that was made into a make shift funnel. He eyed the cup for a few seconds, wondering if it was for him or the Knight sitting in front of him.

 

[Cailst]

"Yes, it is the Sith Code but can you prove it to be wrong? After all, even in the hundreds of years of peace we've had, there have been billions of people dying in smaller conflicts. Conflict surrounds and saturates us. How could you say that peace isn't a lie? And what fuels all those numerous conflicts? Passion. Can you firmly and truly denounce that Sith statement?" Znayae asked.

While Znayae wasn't truly advocating that position, he wanted to hear his padawan articulate why peace was true and why there was far more than passion. He was thinking of going through some of the rest of the Sith code, getting his padawan to fully understand why it was wrong and why the Jedi were right.

 

[JTJP770]

"I.. I do not know Master Ordo. I just know the Jedi code to be true to me, and it has never wronged me before." Zeein was confused, why was Znayae asking about the Sith code? His mind was racing about a million miles a minute, his face flushed. He was embarrassed he couldn't give Znayae an answer to a question he should know. The Padawan still had a lot to learn and this proved it.

"How can I -not- answer this?! He's going to think I'm a fool.. if I don't get apprenticed to another Master soon, the council is going to send me to the Agricultural corps.." Zeein thought worried, he didn't want to be a farmer. It's not what he trained for. No. He wouldn't let that happen, he had to prove himself. But how?

 

[Cailst]

"Very true, very true, the Jedi Code has served you well, but you have never tried out the Sith Code, you do not know if it would serve you better." Znayae stated.

Gah, the padawan wasn't getting it yet. Perhaps he'd be able to show him in someway, perhaps lead him on with questions that demonstrated why the Jedi code was better. Just as long as he didn't have to spell out why the Jedi code was better, the padawan had to understand it himself.

Hmm, perhaps Znayae could choose a different path, what if he were to pretend to be a Sith who had infiltrated the Jedi? Then seemingly lead his padawan down the road to the dark side. If the padawan understood the dark side from first hand knowledge, he would know exactly what the Jedi Code spoke against which would enable his understanding. Then, the curtain could be pulled and the padawan would see that Znayae wasn't an evil infiltrator but rather a skilled mentor.

The only issue is that the council could have an issue with such unorthodox methods. But if it worked, they'd get a very knowledgeable new knight who would surely improve the order.

 

[JTJP770]

The young man was puzzled and a bit afraid at the Knights statement, was he implying the Jedi order wasn't right for Zeein? Was this the councils way of telling him he was meant for the Agricultural corps? He wasn't sure. "Search your feelings Zeein.." He thought to himself once again, hoping to qualm his fear and doubts. Zeein took a deep breath, once again he calmed himself down. Forced himself to think and clear his mind. Wait.. that was the key. A clear mind.

"I.. I believe I might have an answer for you Master Ordo. The Jedi code helps us keep a clear mind, and in this we are allowed to have insight that others do not. Passion only clouds and disrupts the true path which we must all take. Passion, passion can influence decisions to be unfair or selfish. The Sith code aims to better one person, focus on their self. While the Jedi hope to better the galaxy and the lives of all."

The Padawan looked upon the Knight pleadingly, almost begging for acceptance. To be told he had found a right answer, he wanted that relief. He waited for Znayae to speak, all those seconds feeling like an eternity.