Tangled Hands

[Lamper]

"Works pretty well... I gotta wonder," he cluelessly continued prodding, "did he try to get in your head? Like, play to your fears or control your actions? Cause I don't know how well I'd hold up against those guys. Like, annul mind affecting Force powers? What's it called? Cleanse Mind? You know it?"

Cappi folded his arms and shook his head light-heartedly, settling into the conversation. The yellow beam hummed to his left from under his armpit. And he considered how much one needed to know to combat the theoretical and legendary Sith and their antics.

 

[Elijah Brockway]

"Oh, y'know, a little torture here and there to soften me up, and then he took the information he wanted from my head," Cotan replied, shrugging almost nonchalantly. "Then whoever it was who returned me made sure to wipe as much from my memory as possible. I've regained most of it, but I have yet to figure out who it was that brought me back, which is a little annoying. Even if it was another Sith, I'd like to thank them."

Then he paid closer attention to Cappi's stance, and frowned. Specifically at the lightsaber blade sticking out from behind the other Padawan's armpit. "Why don't you turn that off before you hurt yourself?" he asked, his tone jocular but the intent being to remind Cappi to be careful with his weapon. "And no, I don't have any experience with that specific ability. Being rooted as it is in meditation, though - something we all do, or at least, should - I doubt it'd be particularly hard for any of us to figure out."

 

[Lamper]

"Thank them? For wiping your memory and dumping you when they were done so you could hear about their attacks first hand?"

Cappi'd forgotten about his lightsaber.

"Huh? Oh yeah," he chuckled as he switched it off and secured the hilt to his belt. "Face it, man. They left you alive so you would suffer, knowing they got that information from you. Not out of some kindness."

At least that was Cappi's interpretation. He'd seen that kind of thing before done in ransoms and gang retaliations back home on Nar Shaddaa. The only reason people came out of those situations alive was because it was deemed more painful than death. Still, the concept of death came along with its own issues, so maybe it wasn't all bad.

"But you are alive. And that makes me all warm and cuddly inside. Cause now you can show me that Barrier trick you did."
Cappi tapped the back of his hand at Cotan's chest, playfully.

Not the smoothest transition, but Cappi actually had no idea how sharp his words could be sometimes. Or how heartless. But Cotan seemed the solid sort, and none of it might even be interpreted as sharp or heartless. Just another comment glancing off his armor. Cotan had some thick skin after all.

 

[Elijah Brockway]

"Oh, well, sure, yeah, I was used for something or other. But Murielle Oe was relatively alright and happy when I woke up and she was making me breakfast, after my whole ordeal. But hey, the guy returned me to a spot where I'd be able to get healthy again and continue to help the galaxy out. Might as well thank him for that, even if it wasn't his intention, y'know?" Cotan shrugged, having finished recounting whatever was necessary about the story. There really wasn't all that much to it, anyways. Go to planet, get captured, get tortured, get knocked out, get memory wiped, get returned to Jedi.

Then he laughed, when Cappi immediately transitioned from that to a request for the 'barrier trick' to be shown. "Sure," Cotan said, smiling. "It's not that hard, anyways. Watch my hand - with the Force, not your eyes." Much as he had the night before with Khivas, Cotan began gathering energy into his palm. "You know how if you do anything with the Force, you're just using its energy to achieve some purpose, right? Be it affecting your own body, moving something further away from you by using that energy as telekinesis, or what have you. This is no different, except for the fact that you're focusing this energy into the physical world, to protect yourself."

After a moment, the energy in Cotan's hand slowly stopped its chaotic swirling, as Cotan exerted his will over it. Much like water freezing, it slowly started to settle into a small, focused wall of energy, just as the barrier itself began to show in the physical world as well. "All it takes is the same focus you use when grabbing something with telekinesis or making your body faster and stronger, just applied in a different way. This is manipulation of energy, rather than matter, and this is energy that you draw and channel through yourself. Almost like a sort of reverse Tutaminis." The barrier dissipated back into the ether, and Cotan clasped his hands behind his back, rocking on his feet.

"Now you try, Cappi."

 

[Lamper]

Cappi refolded his arms and placed a hand over his beard, concentrating on Cotan's hand. Correction. On the Force within his hand. Sometimes Cappi could be too literal. Maybe Cotan was getting a feel for who Cappi was already, anticipating where he'd go wrong like that. And Cappi studiously bobbed his head in agreement as he listened, making the connection from the use of any application of the Force to this particular example as Cotan suggested. Made sense. Watching it form, lit up Cappi's face. It didn't matter if or when he'd use it. He just liked the idea of it. But most of all, Cappi connected with the reverse Tutaminis reference.

"Oh. Okay." He pointed a finger. "Alright. I got this. Uh."

It took him a second to get past a random brain fart, deciding how to, or which way to tackle this. But he shifted his weight and steadied himself, raising an open hand as if to pledge a goof effort. He had to close his eyes to clear out his thoughts. But he peeked one eye open then, playfully exposing his mistrust of people in general, making sure Cotan was just going to stand there and not throw a pebble at his forehead. Then he closed his eyes again and started to relax. He took a deep breath and sighed. Imagining what Tutaminis looked like backwards, he first envisioned a bellow of blue rippling air. His hand started to shiver, barely; the Force gathering around it. The energy was there, ready to be expelled like a push. But he instead struggled to mold it, press it out, and produce its form. The breakthrough came when he felt the instinct to give in to it, to give from himself and birth it from his own energy. Unclear if that's actually what happened, it's when he felt that give that it finally produced results. A thin blue shimmered like a drop of water spreading its ripple flat out into the air.

Cappi's eyes slowly broke open like from a morning sleep and saw it there, thin and feint compared to Cotan's display. And he smiled.

"Whoa," he wheezed. "That's awesome," he enthusiastically whispered next, looking to Cotan to share in his triumph.

Then it dissipated. And Cappi was impressed. Not only with himself but with Cotan for teaching him so easily. Cappi's arms opened, head slanted, and he threatened to hug Cotan.

"Bro. C'mere. Bro." His fingers beckoned as he stepped closer.

 

[Elijah Brockway]

Cotan 'watched' closely while Cappi attempted to perform the trick himself. It took him a solid moment to grasp onto just what he was supposed to do after gathering the energy that he would use, but once he figured it out, the barrier came into form quickly. It was similar to what Cotan had first created, which in and of itself meant that it was a good start. He gave a small smile, not quite the grin that seemed to form on Cappi's face.

"Good job, Cappi," he congratulated, nodding as the other Padawan's eyes only just opened. "With a bit of practice you'll be able to move the barrier with yourself - harder than it sounds, believe me - and eventually will be able to use it like I was." Then Cappi transitioned from quiet pride and amazement at what he'd done to physical affection towards his training partner and teacher. Cotan chuckled, shrugged, then stepped in to return the proffered hug.

"Sure, just don't break me."