Ask Testing Her Patience

[Oorrl Fonwim]

Yavin 4​

Oorrl sat crossed legged in the lotus position within a clearing of the forest upon the current homeworld of the Jedi Order. Deep in the forest, away from the others, he’d taken his padawan learner for a few days for training. The young Nautolan had been complaining about wanting to learn to better “sense” things in the Force although the Ithorian had tried to assure her that such skill came in time.

They’d ran through a series of different exercises over the past few days from lightsaber forms to telekinesis but Rah’la hadn’t been doing too well with her studies lately. She was so impatient, always trying to rush forward, to get to the end before even really starting. Her frustration was palpable. The Ithorian had tried teaching her patience but it just wasn’t a lesson that she seemed overly compelled to listen to. He knew such things came with age although it was difficult for Oorrl to lead her away from such feelings, he had always had the opposite issue of being perhaps a bit too contemplative to the point of appearing apathetic.

So, before coming out to the forest, Oorrl had sought the advice for wiser masters. They had suggested he test her. Pull out her frustration. Stop her bottling up her emotions in a dangerous fashion but to instead show her how to control them.

So he’d left the teenager off to her practice and retreated to meditate. Yavin was powerful with the Force. A nexus, a point of convergence, lay here. Power to carry the mind and soul far away and to find peace if one knew how.

Now, as the masters had advised, he simply had to wait.

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@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Rahla Vimt]

’Yavin IV’, she mused silently as she rolled her neck back, eyes shut, and let her arms hang slack at her sides. It was much more to the liking of Master Fonwim than Corellia had been. Truth be told it was to herself as well; the jungles with the big purple barked trees and those blue leafed shrubs clogging up the undergrowth were the next best thing to her own native climate. She should have felt at home here, and normally it was with great comfort that she greeted this world each time she and her companions returned. It was different this time, however, because she couldn’t get the events of Corellia out of her mind. What good was she going to be as a Jedi if she couldn’t sense the presence of a Jedi Knight? Her eyes opened to be greeted by the daunting view of the great Massassi trees towering 150 meters over her head. The sight seemed to shrink the woman making her feel useless and ”Insignificant.”

The sound of her voice seemed to set a clamor going within the great sentinel grove filled with those odd furry primates she learned were called Woolamanders. Her hands came up to perch upon her hips as she chastised the creatures. ”A little late to the party, aren’t you? I’ve only been huffing and puffing down here all morning” In actuality she had only been practicing her lightsaber forms for half the morning and she really was not that out of shape, it was merely her frustration showing. The blue and gold furry critics hardly cared and began renewing their objections to her presence. The sheer numbers of the creature was quite alarming as she scanned the canopy; every limb seemed to sprout an endless supply of reinforcements.

Annoyance turned to alarm when she felt the first clod of dirt, she hoped it was dirt, pelt her in the back of the head. It was as though some commander had issued the order to open fire for suddenly the air filled with projectiles all hurled her way and delivered with uncanny aim. Rah’la took off running then realized where was she going to go? She was in the middle of the jungle, thank you very much Master Fonwim, and who knew how many of the creatures were swarming the trees ahead. Later she would realize the Woolamanders had literally herded her toward the river and away from what she assumed was their feeding grounds. The attack was precise and with direction and she had no other choice but to comply and with great haste. For the moment she was more concerned with avoiding the furious mob than pondering the military intelligence of semi-sentient beings.

A couple of times during her retreat she stopped and attempted to focus on a force barrier between herself and her assailants, but her focus had already been destroyed by the frightful number of creatures and the very real danger she was in. Each time her turning to stand her ground caused the Woolamanders to drop down to the ground and advance upon her closer. She knew they would not be content to just chase her off from the safety of the trees if she pressed the issue.

A bit later the river came into view and she made straight for it, diving into its depths and sinking to the bottom to wait out her pursuers. She hoped they couldn’t swim and would be turned back by her ploy. Regardless of their affinity or lack thereof to water, not one decided to come in after her. In no hurry to see if they were content and dispersing back into the Massassi trees, she let the water soak away the smell of the pungent Blueleaf shrub she had trampled through in her bid to escape. When would her ability to focus and expand upon her powers come through for her?

She recalled over the four years she had been training that there were periods of success and then she’d run into a road block and have to figure out a way to break through. It was frustrating to say the least. Rah’la had heard there were Jedi who could have turned back that mob of Woolamanders just with the power of their minds, communicating telepathically, literally controlling the creatures to turn beasts away or to aid them in some manner. Maybe someday, right now she couldn’t even seem to muster an effective barrier to protect her clothes from being soiled...Ugh, she didn’t even want to think about what they had been throwing.

@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Oorrl Fonwim]

Far off in the distance Oorrl could sense his young students frustration and even panic. The Ithorian sighed softly. She was projecting her negativity so powerfully that it was affecting the wildlife around her. The Knight felt sorry for her but there was only so much he could do to help. The young Nautolan had to come to these realisations herself. Focusing on Rahla’s concerns he looked into the Force for answers. His consciousness poured across life and sentience itself. His mind touched upon the Jedi all across the planets, Jedi who’d come and gone, as he sought wisdom.

The Force responded gently to him. Nothing concrete of course. It was mere inspiration, instinct, responses from the echoes left upon the galaxy. The Sith though they could control the Force, command it, but the Jedi knew better. The Force was an ally, more, it was a friend. It was there for them, supported them and worked with with them to help when the Jedi called upon it for support.

Standing slowly the Ithorian flicked his hands so that the Lightsaber Hilt flew from the ground into his hand. The blue blade erupted from the weapon in Oorrl’s grasp. He started moving slowly at first, transitioning through stances more than anything, before he began making the cuts. The movements were wide and forceful, powerful and smooth. Shii-Cho. The First Form. The most basic. Overlooked and underestimated by many of his Order. However Oorrl knew better. He had studied all seven forms over the years but it was the First that he’d poured his heart and time into to reach mastery. The form appeared aggressive however in truth it was calm and methodical. At lower levels it sometimes appeared robotic but once one reached Oorrl’s expertise it became like the rushing currents of a waterfall.

Oorrl’s focus narrowed and focused as he moved into the more complex forms. The Force flowed through him like a stream carrying energy with it. Ithorians, often seen as ponderous and slow, were disregarded as poor combatants because of this combined with their pacifism. However Oorrl was now showing such beliefs were not necessarily true.

So Oorrl kept practicing in his moving meditation, secure in the knowledge that Rahla would find him when she needed him.

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@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Rahla Vimt]

Rah’la did eventually come out of the river, but not until after the Woolamanders had been satisfied enough to head back into the jungle. The whole of nature seemed to be satisfied as well for the munching of Lizard Crab could be heard all over as both Armored Eels and Anglers alike fed on the local crustacean. Perhaps she was more cyclically tied to Yavin than she would like to admit for the notion of food settled upon her as well. She thought maybe with a full stomach meditation might come easier.

So it was that roughly 30 minutes later she had caught a crab for herself to enjoy and feasted quite nicely on the wild game. She enjoyed the sweetness of the claws the most, though she was never one to waste food, and happily indulged the ability to get right messy. Sucking the meat out of even the smallest crevasse of the creature's spindly legs and tossing the cracked bits of shell over her shoulder, she licked her fingers clean before kneeling at the river’s edge to rinse her hands. While the Nautolan was just as likely to eat crab cooked as not, nothing really tasted better to the young woman than raw fresh crab you had caught for yourself.

She couldn’t really explain it but was well aware that the most mundane things could bring the most comfort. Now, holding onto that sense of comfort and ease was the tricky part. She knew she had become much too frustrated to maintain a good focus. Patience was something those around her had tried to instill in her all her life. Rah’la agreed, thinking that was a great idea. She would love to have some patience; in fact she could use some right now! Inhaling deeply and releasing the breath, she would just have to concede that even when it came to patience she would need to learn to wait.

Which was utterly preposterous and irritating as could be, she fumed silently to herself. Counting herself fortunate to be a determined woman, she settled herself upon the ground for some meditation exercises and another attempt at locating Master Fonwim. Focusing on her breathing, she made each inhalation match in length to that of her exhalations slowing both until she was averaging about 6 breaths per minute.

By rote and without finesse of any sort, she took note of the force in the world around her becoming aware of each and every creature in the vicinity. Yes she was sensing and attempting to allow the force to lead and direct her as she had been trained, but it was jerky and without true artistry at all. If ever there was a bull in a china shop it was made manifest in Rah’la today. She usually wasn’t so indelicate and inept but her failure to detect the Jedi Knight had undermined her confidence and it was showing as she tried to reach out to Oorrl and failed miserably.

@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Oorrl Fonwim]

Deep in the forest the Jedi continued moving through his Lightsaber Kata of Form I before shifting into Form III then an acrobatic spin from the fourth Form. Once Oorrl had taught his apprentice to hear the singing of a Lightsaber, it’s song in the Force, and now the music of his bladework carried serenely throughout the clearing.

Oorrl was patient. He was in no rush and so he simply waited for his Padawan to arrive.

He wasn’t sure exactly where she was but he could sense her frustration through the incomprehensible bond between Master and Apprentice.

With nothing to do but wait until she arrived Oorrl continued his moving meditative swordsmanship practice.

@Kayenta Moenkopi

 

[Rahla Vimt]

It was hard for her to admit defeat but it was becoming more and more clear that she couldn’t just bull her way through like she had done most of her life. Before whenever there was an obstacle to overcome she could keep hammering away at whatever issue she was having and eventually succeed. The truly frustrating part was that she had already learned how to force sense!

”Ahhhhhhh”, she barked out in frustration as she threw herself back to lie face up in the grass and stare at the sky. It was one thing to know that a person had to train at anything they hoped to master and put in the work, but it was another thing completely accepting that her talent didn’t give her a special edge up on things. And it was distasteful to know that while she might be considered special for being force sensitive within the members of her own family, within the community of Jedi and Padawan Learners, she was not only special, she was barely run of the mill.

Her outstretched arm lifted from the grasses at her side to bend and cover her eyes from the light of day. Worst of all was knowing that being special mattered to her when she had worked so hard at convincing herself and the world that it meant nothing at all. It was a lie that no doubt fooled anyone but herself, and even that was getting hard to hang onto. ”What an idiot”, she bemoaned softly with a heavy sigh.

That was when she heard it, the soft and subtle song of her Master’s lightsaber. She just lay there listening, the breeze blowing over her prone form ruffling her close, and the slight curl of her lips creeping ever upward into a relaxed grin. She unfolded her arm and let it lay upon the ground in the direction the song was emanating, rolling over onto her stomach to look off into the distance. Naturally the path led right back through Woolamander country, but somehow that didn’t dampen her spirits.

Pushing up to her feet, she took off at a slow trot which sped up into a run by the time she entered the woods. Within the forest the song only grew louder, as though Oorrl’s affinity to nature somehow was amplifying the resonance of the lightsaber he wielded. Her motion through the groves of Massassi was different this time, being more in line with the undulations of the sea than a sprint across land. Her movements were fluid weaving in around the trunks of trees or ducking beneath limbs, leaping over fallen trunks, all in her forward motion to rejoin the Jedi. No doubt he was well aware of her location and impending return all along.

@Lazy Swordsman

 

[Rahla Vimt]

Sinking deeper into the stream of the force, she moved through the forest as if she were part of it rather than at war this time. The Woolamanders, for the most part, seemed to find her unobjectionable as though the previous incident had not occurred. It wasn’t something of which Rah’la took particular notice; it was just something that felt right like a comfortable shoe that didn’t pinch of bind.

Picking up the pace, Rah’la was feeling excited to have finally sensed Oorrl and she broke into a gamboling gait. As she navigated the forest floor, from time to time her stride elongated to vault over a log or an outcropping of stone. Overall, however, her motions remained fluid and executed with seeming ease as though she sped along a track that was well rehearsed. Naturally she had never been across this stretch of land before in her life.

The distance slipped away until she could sense Master Fonwim quite near. Knowing it would never do to burst into his little clearing, especially when he was practicing with his lightsaber, she breathed through her excitement and resolved to slow her pace to something a bit more dignified and sedate. She succeeded about halfway for every few paces she was having to slow her steps that had inexplicably quickened again. No doubt he would have felt her emotions running high like a beacon in the sky despite her ability to move stealthily even at a quick pace across unfamiliar ground.

It would just have to do, she decided as she paused at the clearing’s edge to still her breathing from the run. Perhaps one day she would be able to sneak up on him, though in truth such a thing was not her aim in life, but for now it was enough that she had found him. She knew she was just obstructing her own progress and hoped she would get out of her way, but she also knew that such things took time to learn. Stepping out into the clearing intent on greeting Master Fonwim, Rah’la wondered if it wouldn’t have been so hard had she been taken earlier in life to train.

@Lazy Swordsman