The Jedi Way- Returning to the Temple (Closed)

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

"It's existence", he blurted out. Rethinking what the question may have meant, Lyeric twitched in recoil to what had just happened. Normally, he was one to think things through, evaluate the best course to navigate and in this case a question, and slowly engage. He justified the quick answer to still being in the state of mind from earlier.

Sitting on an average sized rock after bowing shortly in greetings, Lyeric pondered another answer should he be allowed to take a second chance. One to over analyze things, he tried looking to the direction of such a question. Lyeric often disregarded an explanation in an answer for what he perceived only to be right or wrong, no matter the person's viewpoint. The young ones hand now in front of his face, covering what the hood could not.

 

[Kit]

The jedi smliled kindly. It was a decent enough answer, but he got the feeling that it wasn't as clearly thought out as it might have been. A feeling that was reinforced by the hand in front of his padawans face.

"You are allowed to take your time you know. We're not on any game show, and there's no rush."

Laughing a little, he went on.

"Of course, existence isn't a bad answer. Not brilliant, either. Sticking with existence for a moment, a second question for you. If existing is the most important thing anything can do, does that mean any action is permissible, provided it doesn't stop anything else from existing?"

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

"No." Lyeric answered quickly again, this time feeling better about the terms of his answer. But then he analyzed his answer for a moment. No was too easy. Of course most would say no. Making someone's life a living hell whilst not killing them is not acceptable and should not be allowed, or at least punished. But then it hit him. If they were punished, then the action was permissible should the offender undergo corrective measures there after. Free will was a right after all.

Lyeric made a specification. "Actually, yes: if they accept that consequences always follow those actions; good or bad."

 

[Kit]

"Interesting."

Hector paused. It was a novel point of view for one so young. He thought for a moment. The implications of what the boy was saying were worth paying a little attention to, in his mind.

"So, provided I accept the consequences of my action, it is acceptable."

Smiling, he proceeded to tap into the force. For him, this would require little more than a trickle, a miniscule fraction of his potential. Reaching out, he tore a small chunk of dirt from the ground, and tossed it gently at his padawan. It wouldn't hurt, but it would leave a muddy mark where it hit him. Even as it flew, he spoke again.

"By your own logic, you can't consider me immoral for my action. You could be annoyed, you could even retaliate freely. You could do anything short of depriving me of existence, simply for dirtying your robes."

He made deliberate eye contact now. Hopefully this would raise some questions for his padawan.

"Does that seem right? That you could take from a man everything he loves and ever will, everything that matters to him, provided you do not kill him?"

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

"It isn't right, no." Lyeric had taken the slap of dirt with a turn of the cheek, now wiping the smudge away. He had frowned at the feeling in reaction, blushing in the moment. It was a first. Surely Lyeric felt that no one deserved to be stripped of what they loved, yet he decided to explore his own logic. Twisting his wrist to remove it all in one motion, he then took interest in Hector's hand.

"But then that action brings the attention of others", he said plainly as he stood and stepped closer. He quite simply and unaggressively grabbed Hector's wrist in demonstration. "...others who would prevent you from ever having a chance of at such love, where that man could have a chance for a new life." In his demonstration, he would reinforce the need for protecting such things of a man's love. But what need is there for protection, without the existence of another with aim to take those things away? Preemptive defense only goes so far, but a reactive defense may adapt to the dangers of the specific situation.

As all this ran through the young one's head, he had yet to work out this line of thought. He had pondered his future in the Jedi many nights over, as he spent much time awake and alone. He loved the night sky and didn't mind the missed sleep. Not having friends meant an abundance of thought, in solitude. He was wise beyond his years, but had yet to explore that as he barely spoke to others; never exchanging views or comparing reasoning.

 

[Kit]

Hector nodded. His padawan had done well to come to this conclusion.

"You bring up justice, quite wisely. In a way, there is an argument to be made that justice is the most crucial of all things. I would certainly say it is a strong contender. For the Jedi as a whole, I would argue it is absolutely key."

He gently withdrew his wrist. The padawan's point aptly illustrated and succintly proven, there was no need for them to remain in such an uncomfortable position.

"Certainly, the Jedi teach that justice is fundamental. We exist to uphold justice, and now that we are closely aligned with the Republic, we uphold the Republic's justice. And whilst there is a debate to be had on whether our individual judgement outweighs the collective judgement of the Republics senate, the objective of the order remains justice."

Another gentle smile creased his face, and he continued.

"I would personally say that the most important thing is not to exist, but to exist in freedom. Our choices must be free, and personal to us. You should never give up your freedom, your decisions, to someone you wouldn't choose to. This is the most important thing you can ever learn."

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

Lyeric agreed, rocking his head once. ...Justice. Silent in his thought, Lyeric analyzed his answer. Having retracted his hand and taken a step back in conclusion of his say, he couldn't help but notice a difference in 'justice' and the bridge Hector made from Lyeric's words. Though similar, Lyeric noted the noble heart of one who would answer with justice. He did not question his alignment. He genuinely wished to become a true Jedi. Willingness was his temperament, not guilt or confusion.

Lightly smiling back, Lyeric looked to Hector's chest; rarely looking others directly in the eyes, especially when they are looking back. Again, he was not ashamed. It was simply his nature.

 

[Kit]

Hector nodded. Content that this was enough wisdom to impart for now. In his mind, an understanding of philosophy was crucial. One could only follow the Jedi code and the tenets if they were able to judge them from an enlightened perspective, otherwise they were little better than chains.

"Now," his voice returned to a more upbeat tone, "let's see if we can't turn you into a proper Jedi."

Gesturing the boy to rise once more, he gave the boy one final appraisal. He would do, but hopefully he would excel.

"I'm going to train you as if you've still got the brain you just proved you have. If I'm going too fast, then tough. I expect big things from you; everyone else I've trained is at least a master by now."

He drew the force into himself then. A small portion of the amount he could truly call upon, but there was no need whatsoever to push himself for this. Shifting his focus upwards, to the leaves of the tree he sat under, he took a moment to witness the spectacle of the force flowing through the ancient oak. It was truly beautiful, just as he always found it. Moving on from his momentary reverie, he reached out with the force. A gentle pull on the tip of the leaf, and a push against the twig it was connected to saw it break and begin to drift slowly to the ground.

Releasing the force, he opened his eyes.

"Catch!"

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

Watching, more in awe of how the Jedi moved with the force than what he did, Lyeric shot a glance up at the sounding of his teacher's command. A bit hesitant, the young one lifted his hands. One higher than the other, he then fully committed to the act.

After hearing all that Hector had to say, Lyeric knew now that each teacher would push him in their own way. This time would be no different. Perhaps, had this been the first time around, he would have been too introverted to even first try. He would have needed a kick in the right direction. Lyeric reasoned that was why he had gone through a number of masters before this point. Though he hadn't changed much in the way of individuality, he had indeed been made to challenge himself. And even more so today, right from the start. Perhaps in this moment he felt more sure than ever, as his biggest enemy to growth has always been himself.

Reaching up, the sleeves of multiple layers slid back along his arms. Swirling out his hands with an artistic swirl of his wrists, Lyeric used both hands to initially lift and settle the leaf into hovering above his head. Still looking up, he held it there in concentration; making sure to be as gentle as possible. It was in his mind that the majority of his focus was underneath the leaf, as he thought to see the leaf in a four dimensional plane. Probably due to the stimulating conversational bout before hand, this Umbaran felt vitalized in the days tasks.

 

[Kit]

Hector simply nodded. He was pleased, more at Lyeric's understanding than his technique. That innate comprehension was, admittedly, far more important than just how good with the force the boy was, or would be. It couldn't be taught. Which was why he wasn't going to pat the boy on the back, for simply being genetically lucky.

Reaching out with the force, he focused briefly on the captive leaf, before quickly forming a fist with his left hand. The leaf was crushed utterly, and floated away on the wind, now too small by far for most to keep suspended.

Even as he crushed the leaf, he brought another leaf floating down from the tree, and another. And a third.

"Same again."

He spoke softly, but gave the boy plenty of warning. His opinion that training was only worthwhile if it pushed the limits. And pushing Lyeric's limits was exactly what he intended to do.

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

Letting the crushed leaf go, not that he held any standing of where it went, he moved on. At his Master's call, Lyeric followed the three leaves to consider when and how he'd catch three separate things at once. Luckily two of them swayed towards each other, and Lyeric seized the opportunity. He reached up with his right hand, as it crossed over his face inverted. His thumb flexed out as four fingers seemed to smoothly whisk through water. Catching the two leaves that swirled overlapping their courses, as they hovered in rotating movement; his shoulder angle twisting with a raised right shoulder to his lowered left, as his left palm shot up from underneath to catch the third. He concentrated with a lapse of breath as he employed the use of his left hand in catching the last leaf. The final leaf had already fallen past his face, when his underhanded palm shot up to suspend it a few inches away from his chest.

He held still in this twisted position; right arm bent over his head, left crossed bent in front of his chest. His breath irregular, as he succeeded in holding them there.

 

[Kit]

Hector nodded. It was a very respectable level of fine force control for one so young, and a fine display. Certainly a good start.

"This intensity will be enough, I think. Now we're going to work on your actual control."

Reaching out through the force alone, with no hand motion or visible sign that he was doing so, he pulled oh so gently upon the leaf that floated alone, and lowest. Not enough to wrench it from the boy, but just enough to slightly upset the delicate balance.

"You don't look particularly comfortable, Lyeric," Pausing to chuckle kindly, he went on, "I would recommend you find a more... natural position before we continue."

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

And he was not comfortable, sighing lightheartedly at the comment as he adjusted to bringing his hands face up on either side of his full stand. He could feel the lift in aid as he was able to situate himself. His eyes noted each leave's position, moving from one to the other; he could feel them, really feel them. Lyeric's thoughts dwelled on the grainy stems that reached through the fleshy leave's surface. It was like his fingertips softly caressed the still clinging to life object. Lyeric nodded, both in agreement to his Master's words and to show he was ready to take full control of the leaves; having grouped them in his mind now to be able to hold them all with much less effort then before, as at first he had seen them as separate units of individual importance. The young Umbaran's unnaturally wide eyes focused on his Master in innocent readiness, as if to smile without actually smiling.

 

[Kit]

"Well done, my padawan. But never forget, the force controls us just as much as we control it. There is balance in all things."

Without moving from his relaxed sit, he pulled down five leaves from the tree for himself. They hovered, utterly still, a little before him.

"Now, this is pretty standard fare for a Jedi; a massive number of practical applications stem from the skill you're demonstrating right now. The balance of the force, to grab, to push, to pull. Physical manipulation of real world objects."

As he spoke, each of his five leaves began to slowly orbit. Each at their own speed, in their own path. No simple task, but not pushing himself either.

"I dislike the growing trend of categorizing and analysing each application of the force. The force is literally limitless, and it is a fools errand to try and name every way it can do anything. A prime example is the skill you learn now. Fine control like this will give you the ability to move mountains, create whirlwinds, stop a man from falling down, pick fruit, scratch an itch or collapse a building."

To demonstrate, he pulled a small lump of earth from the ground. Throwing it into the air, he then let it fall again. He pulled it apart, and forced it into a tornado of dirt. Finally, he pulled it all together so fiercely, that it compacted practically to rock.

"The force gives us great power, and we must be careful about how we use that power. I will impart as much as I can of that great power unto you."

He laughed, letting the leaves each float gently to a palm that opened to receive them. He began to pick them apart, pulling leafy flesh from the thin structure they possessed.

"But for now, you're going to learn to orbit those leaves, just as I did. Work however you please, in any pattern you like. You may start them together, then work up to unique orbits, but I find the deep end of the pool to be a lot more fun."

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

Truly inspired by the demonstration before him, Lyeric felt himself able and ready. 'Balance in all things'. Lyeric looked up to the leaves he set hovering above. He thought of the relation between himself and those leaves; the distance, the mutual push and pull of possessing space.

He was an individual of methodology and system, but every case its own means to end. And so, he agreed to himself to take on the whole of the challenge at once. He thought to start at the center. After all, gravity's pull began at the center. With that, he envisioned what would then manifest.

Drifting leaves began settling into a group, some raising and other lowering; all massing in a spaced orb. At the center, the first leaf began slowly spinning. Swirling into its own pull, the rest darted out with force. Lyeric sought to push himself, and so he would put on the display of his best. Swirling like a vortex, the leaves tilted into adjusting angles and speeds. It looked as though he was succeeding, building a structure of layers within layers of alternative orbits. But for one leaf. This single leaf drifted up from underneath it all, up - through the center, even the inner most leaf caressed its edges as it rose up. Higher and higher, as Lyeric's neck shown stiff in concentration's looking up, it lifted through to the top and above it all. Gradually it began a vertical orbit of a unique distance from the rest, until its true course was shown. Following no pattern, this leaf circled around the rest in an ever changing direction of orbit; the spherical object that the rest of the leaves created spun in defining depiction to portray its shape, from an outer surface into deeper layers until reaching its core.

In this concentrated state, the teen almost lost his place in the world. He was not used to this intensity, though he felt nurtured in its embrace. His talent had shown its place of greatest possible reach with further attention. It seemed Lyeric was able to do more than he had first figured. Whether he could duplicate its result again, was a question to be answered later.

 

[Kit]

Hector watched, pleased that Lyeric had chosen to push himself from the very beginning. A student willing to engage with a problem at its most complex was one who would not give up easily. He was beginning to like his padawan.

"Very good, Lyeric, well done. Now I want you to add another leaf, to see if you can handle it. Remember, do not think about doing it, simply feel the movements, and what you need to do. The force will guide your hand."

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

His Master's words sounded muffled. He took a deep breath, continuing the leaves in motion, and tried not to think. He could see so many of the stems to the leaves attached above. It almost threw him, deciding which to take in addition to his challenge.

The young Umbaran closed his eyes. He would let the Force guide him. With the twitch of a finger, a leave was plucked from its birth and let fall to swing and drift towards him. Lyeric's hands lowered in peace and quiet in paralleled motion with the falling leaf. In a feat of harmonious coexistence, the leaf joined as it began orbiting the outer most leaf that in itself orbited the spherical shape of all other leaves. Like clockwork, each leaf swirled in symbiotic unison of individual motion about each other.

The boy's cheeks flushed a light purple that warmed his pale skin, and a single drop of sweat scrolled down his forehead.

 

[Kit]

Hector watched with interest. The increasingly complex pattern, leaves orbiting leaves orbiting leaves created some truly beautiful ripples in the force. It was very calming to watch. But not as calming to do, apparently. He watched the single bead of sweat form on his padawan's head with interest. Apparently, the Lyeric was having to really push himself.

"Good. You can stop for now."

Gesturing to the ground once more, he invited the boy to sit.

"Rest a moment, it won't do for you to collapse within the first hour of our first session, now, will it?"

He smiled as he reached into the force. The boy was still physically fine. Tired, but at no risk of exhaustion. Hector would allow the boy a moment to rest, and move on to other lessons.

"Now, I'm going to assume you know the code. Mostly because I refuse to engage in the ridiculous parroting exercise that some believe is somehow crucial to becoming a Jedi. Instead, I want you to have to use your brain."

He paused, more for effect than anything else.

"The code is designed to lay out appropriate guidance for a Jedi in all things. It exists to keep us holy, to keep us acting as we ought to. Yet, the force will do the same for us, provided we choose to listen to it. Which, then, should a Jedi take as his instruction to act?"

 

[Lyeric Ubbal Arathilion]

Letting the leaves softly release into the air like a puff of cloud, they drifted all around him as he sat per his Master's regard. It felt good for Hector to notice this little Umbaran's efforts, in lighthearted care. Lyeric could feel the man's presence, like a statute to the will of the Force; yet there was still a bit of discomfort in newness, feeling like a welcomed stranger. Lyeric watched his Master intently, breathing through his nostrils politely rather than as he wished out of his mouth. He would listen like the most studious of his age.

Lyeric did know the code, though he was a bit confused in the question; more because of his need to answer correctly. He paused, taking his time, having gone down that road with an adapting knowledge. He felt slightly less on edge too, so it was easier to think first and speak after. Remembering what he had read in the texts, Lyeric began his answer; "Well... a Jedi should always act in peace, 'cuz erm because our thoughts and decisions are clearer. So - emotion, yet peace." He answered with the first of the tenets, thinking peace was the mind's instructor.

 

[Kit]

Hector nodded. His student had missed his point slightly, but had raised a valid consideration in the process. This was acceptable. After all, rigid structures were not exactly his style.

"I would be inclined to agree with you. After all, we accomplish little worth doing when we act on the whim of our emotion. But you should not quash your emotions completely."

Hector watched a leaf make its way to the ground, pausing briefly in his speech.

"My point is fairly simple. We are all sentient beings; feeling and thinking is what separates us from the rest of the galaxy. As Jedi, we are taught emotion, yet peace. But, the teaching isn't to abandon emotion, or to ignore it. It is to accept your emotion; to allow yourself to feel, without being compelled to act upon it."

Hector raised his left hand, which was missing his smallest finger entirely, as well as half of his ring finger.

"If we let our emotions rule us, things like this happen. I was lucky, when this happened. I could easily have died, instead of losing a finger. My lesson was a hard one, but I learnt it."

Hector smiled. He knew all too well that his past was behind him. He would never forget, as that would be an injustice to those involved, but it did not haunt him, as it would others.

"Enough of that for now. Back to your instruction. As before, I can't stand the categorization of the force. If one looks closely enough, it is easy to see how many things flow from one. And what I'm going to teach you now is another core element."

Hector closed his eyes, assuming his padawan would do the same. He had enough faith in the boy that he wouldn't instruct him on the minutest detail, rather, he would let the boy learn what he had to by his own path.

"Being able to perceive the force enables us to do things that others could only dream of. I could, for example, work out what a person was thinking. Or how they were feeling. I could talk to them without ever opening my mouth. I could sense evil, or goodness in a person."

He paused a moment. It was never that simple, and the ability to do any of those things with any degree of absolute certainty was a skill that took years of practise.

"You can probably guess that to say this is important for a Jedi is something of an understatement. This is part of what gives us Jedi our legendary perception and wisdom. This isn't a substitute for good sense, or intuition, it is an aid to them."

Hector was aware that he was prone to lecture. He viewed the attitude of a Jedi to be the most important aspect. A man could be a swordsman without peer, a scholar beyond compare or have mastery of the force, even all three, and still be a terrible Jedi.

"The act itself is deceptively simple. All you must do is open your mind. Clear your thoughts of all distractions, and allow the force to reveal itself to you. Listen and the force will speak to you."