Ask Welcome Home

[Param Vour]

Why had he been there? Why didn’t he run when the pagoda burned to the ground, and the garden turned to poisoned ash? This stupid man. The corners of Param’s makeup-less lips curved upwards in a somber smile. Gemini didn’t deserve to be in the hospital bed instead of her. She had needed some time in a bacta tank, most of her injuries being external and leaving scars across her body; Gemini’s injuries were more… complicated. Now here he lay in a deep sleep while she was able to walk around Eshan like nothing had even happened.

“Do you need anything, Rose?” the nurse handling Gemini’s care asked. It took a minute to recognize the name she had been giving people since arriving. Param’s silver gaze met the echani nurse’s, and she shook her head slowly without a word. The woman smiled. “Well if you do, we’ll be right down the hall. He’s lucky to have someone like you.” Param turned back to Gemini. She ignored the implications.

“No, he isn’t,” Param managed. The nurse stood in the corner of Param’s vision for a moment, a sad frown coming over her face before stepping out of the room. How could Gemini be lucky when it was Param’s own stupid mistakes that put him in this condition? And even so he had risen from the ashes of the pagoda and tried to help Param when it came down to it.

“Stupid man,” she whispered to Gemini, her smile softening. “You should have run.” Vee gave a short series of excited beeps from his perch on Param’s left shoulder. She gave a short giggle, rubbing the top of Vee’s head. “I think kicking him would wake him up too, Vee. The nurses would kick us out if I let you.” The memory of punishing Gemini in the sandpit of the pagoda filled her senses, with Vee stomping and kicking his head angrily as he slept. She shook the memory away; it was a lifetime ago.

“Let him sleep. He’s home.”

@Mythos

 

[Gemini]

There was a difference in the air that he breathed in when Gemini awoke. The smell, the clarity, density, weight, everything was different as his blind eyes fluttered open. But beside him, he felt Param's familiarity lingering, and his gaze shifted toward her in solace. He had failed her, and much worse, it was in more ways than one. His mind's eye flickered across the memories of Karys and his masked student, what little actually transpired in consciousness. He was a eunuch, tried and true.

If it had been anyone else, he would have jumped up, gown in back exposed, and openly checked himself in the nearest mirror. But this was Param, one that new the deepest crevasses of his true identity. But this wasn't the only thing he had failed her in. The one thing he kept guarded even from her. A lustful night on Cantonica and a promise of absolute power. And yet, he couldn't prevent her abode being destroyed. His gaze shifted briefly to the skyline and then back to her.

"Lady Param.... where are we? He questioned through parched throat and chapped lips, his breaking the awkwardness from the lingering silence of his awakening. "The Bogota... the Marcan... your secret blends of herbs and spices... I'm sorry.

His mind was a weird one to say the least. He consequently acted without thought of repercussions nor recourse. And yet, as he looked upon Param, he knew the consequences of losing everything. It wasn't empathy. That would mean she was weak, and if so, she deserved to be stripped of her power. It was an understanding. Cowardness and Immortality were what they had faced that night. There were no honor amongst the false warriors that sprang upon them. There were no true power behind their actions. Common thugs, the both of them.

But even thugs got lucky at times. And Gemini would adorn the scars because of his own misgivings. Next time would come in preparation. He looked at Vee with a smile, a jested thought collecting to change the subject of thoughts and he prodded at the droid's patience. "Surprised you didn't kick me awake."

What's past laid in the past. Both Param and Gemini had lost everything night. Only their lives were likely the only thing they still held claim to. And yet, Gemini brushed it off. It wasn't the first time he had to start over. Growing up in the worlds that he did, it brought strength and resilience. This just meant that this time, he could become whomever he wanted to. He owed that much thanks to Karys.

Spoiler

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param watched Gemini wake up. She saw the look in his eyes when he turned to her, saw the conflict within them. The silver eyes that stared back at Gemini were stone walled. He was her responsibility, and the fact that he was apologizing to her said everything. Despite the dark creature that lived within him, despite his aspiration to be a Sith, Gemini was still a good man. A stupid man for following her into danger like he did, but a good one.

“No, Gemini. I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “It was my stupidity that put us in that mess in the first place.” Despite the heartfelt apology, there was still a pressing matter that hung over Param. Even with his joke to Vee, which Vee giddily beeped and whirred to, the matter hung like a dark veil. While Param was now free, Gemini hadn’t been conscious to make the decision for himself. Now that he was, he would have to choose.

“We’re on Eshan, Gemini,” Param said. “We’re home. Or… it can be home.” Her solemn expression never changed, but her eyes hardened. “You have to decide who you want to be. There’s still time and a chance for you to return to your life before you became my apprentice. If you decide to go back, I’ll leave you to heal and we will never see each other again, but the homeworld of the echani will never be your home.”

In the gentlest gesture she had given Gemini up until that point, Param reached out and grabbed his hand. It was an apology and a thanks all wrapped into one. It was her way of saying she knew the decision wasn’t an easy one. “Gardens can be replanted. Buildings can be rebuilt. Bodies can be repaired, including yours. They didn’t break anything, because none of those things were important.” None of those things were Kai.

@Mythos

 

[Gemini]

There was a rush of enragement toward Param's own apology as he stood to his feet, the draping of the hospital gown he was in fell to its full length, his words hiding a foreboding snarl. "No, mi'lady. I am my own man. It was my choice to step in and the consequences my own to bare." And it was true. As much as he could pass it off as being the Marcan, his real reasoning had been to defend her holdings against her enemies or those that chose to become them. As the swaying of his blood pressure rising against his weakened condition, Gemini was forced to sit as quickly as he had rose to bark.

Her other words, as well as her actions however, left him in mesmerization. He was witnessing a softer and gentler side of Param, and in truth, as much as it felt nice, it also came across creepy. And yet, he accepted it as it was. "Eshan?" He questioned, his blind gaze shifting back out across the revealing skyline. So that's where they were. "Home..." He replied with a smile, the truest he had ever grinned as he listened to her words attentively. "Choice..."

In truth, Gemini had never really made the choice to become Sith. That grizzled sapient had done that for him, leading Gemini astray with the promise of creds. And yet, it had became his life up until that point in his following of Thel to Param. As the words processed in his mind, he found no unanswered questions nor regrets. If Param was to be cast out of the Sith Order, then he would follow her down whatever path she chose until the day their paths differed once again. Until then, he was her student, and she his Master. And Eshan was not without its benefits.

"I am your student, and you my Master." Gemini replied, enveloping her hand between the both of his as he laid the other atop hers, the burn scars of his Pyrokinesis rough upon her own. "That has never changed, nor will it. If the Order has chosen to be your enemies, then they have chosen to be mine. Its that simple."


@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param was stunned for a moment, her eyes widening in surprise as Gemini jumped up. She smiled and relaxed in the chair she sat in, resting her hands in her lap when Gemini sat back down. She could definitely do without the m’lady’s, but his words were certainly a comfort. Part of her didn’t want to believe that it wasn’t her fault, but she’d been given a second chance at a real life, and she intended to start it without regrets.

“Then welcome home, Gemini,” she said. “I’ll teach you the ways of our people, and what I know of the Force.” She stood up, pausing for a moment. “I don’t like master and apprentice. Teacher and student sounds more… free.” Param smiled and turned toward the door. “I’ll go get you some food and a nurse.”

She disappeared out the door, returning with a tray of hospital food and a nurse in tow. Param handed the tray to Gemini, sitting back down in the chair next to the bed. The nurse checked him, making sure to document everything. Finally she hung the datapad at the foot of the bed and stepped back.

“Most of his injuries have healed, so he should be free to go. Don’t exert yourself too hard,” the nurse said, turning to Gemini half way through. She left them alone again. Param’s silver gaze turned to Gemini once she’d made sure the nurse was gone.

“There is one more thing. Too many people in the Order know that I’ve come here once already. I haven’t used my real name since coming here, so refer to me as Rose in public.”

@Mythos

 

[Gemini]

Gemini had barely allowed the nurse enough time to speak before he began scarfing down the unseasoned abundance before him, quite literally inhaling the bantha steak and potatoes covered with savory gravy before moving outside the plate toward the sides of mixed vegetables and greens before he finally looked up as he grabbed the roll and nodded his head in agreement despite the filled mouth. Fork in one hand, fork in the other, Gemini bit into the roll before lowering his head and going back to his eating. At least, until Param spoke after the nurse's exit.

"Ropy... Rou ran rall re...." He managed to get out before he decided to swallow his fill before speaking again. "Copy. You can call me Gemminy for the duration as well, or Gemmi. Whichever works. My real name brings a Bounty anyways."

Gemini wasted very little time after he spoke, before grabbing his drink and tossing it back, wiping away what spilled upon his heard away. "Let's get out of here then. I can find some clothes along the way." He spoke, peaking his head out the door and exiting the room rather bare assed aside from the hospital gown openly flowing and the gripped booties upon his feet. Surely, being a hospital, they had a storage bin for things belonging to the unfortunate that came through here. A dead man needs no clothes.

It wouldn't take to find what looked like to be a set of Senatorial Robes that likely belonged to a dying or dead member of the upper echelon. With a quick change, Gemini returned to hall where Param likely remained on guard. Gemini grimaced as he adjusted the pants slightly. There was more space than he was used to being there and it felt off as he walked. But, at least it was one injury he'd never sustain again.

When the two finally made it outside, Gemini finally turned to Param. "So where to now, Lady Rose? Eshan likely wasn't the closest planet with a hospital, so I assume we have reasons being here besides my learning my hereditary rights." The latter could likely be attained anywhere, so she held other reasons for coming here. His blind gaze shifted to her. Home was where the heart was. So Eshan likely wasn't her true home.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

“I’m looking forward to hearing how those names came about,” Param said with a laugh. The fact that his real name brought a bounty left a few unanswered questions running around her mind, but she was okay with leaving them that way for now. She followed him out to the hall, and dutifully stood guard while he rummaged through the bins of the deceased. Dead men needed no clothes indeed.

She ignored his adjusting himself. He could get a replacement easily if he wanted, and Param would let him decide if it’s what he wanted. His medical bills were taken care of by her bank account, an account that while it wasn’t growing any longer, was still substantial. She had told herself that she was eventually going to use it to buy a house in the middle of no where with neighbors that never knew her before, but that was a long way away. Neither her nor the man she wanted to share that home with were ready to settle.

“I will never get used to being called Lady,” Param said, as she led him out into the early winter streets of the capital city. “First step is to get you some lodging. Vee, can you summon a rental for us?” Vee chirped excitedly and go to work sending a transmission that would summon a rental speeder for them. While they waited, Param turned to Gemini.

“Eshan is its own little corner of the galaxy that not a lot of people know about. It’s also the perfect place for you to learn to be an echani. I know an old woman that would love nothing more than to kick your ass for a week.,” Param said with a smile. “This is where I was born, where I would have been raised had the Sith not taken and enslaved me. It’s therapeutic just being here for me.”

A speeder rolled up with a droid driving. Param waited for Gemini to get in and then got in after him. Vee had already given the driver the coordinates to go to, and once they were settled the speeder took off through the cold air.

“Once you’ve learned how to be echani, I thought we could go find ourselves a cave somewhere in the galaxy with some crystals and forge ourselves a new life. See where life takes us from there. What do you think?”

@Mythos

 

[Gemini]

Gemini would have smirked had he not been, for a lack of a better term, freezing what was taken from him; off. Instead, he pulled the Robes tighter around him and brought the gloves up to his mouth as he breathed hot breath into them as he listened attentively. So Eshan was Param's birthplace. Where the woman before him once spent a happy childhood as a young and innocent girl. It was the same as Tatooine had been for him, only much warmer. A place to revert to when the Galaxy seemed to be unwelcoming.

As the rental rolled up, an awkward moment arose between the two as each awaited the other to climb in, but Param would win out as the promise of heat drove Gemini in first. As his body returned to its normality, Gemini looked at Param.

"Please. Don't put yourself out more than you have." He said with broken pride, his Master already having done enough for him as it were. "A subsidized rental would work best, one I can afford for myself. I've a few creds left in an offworld account under an alias that could give me a few weeks shelter." His gaze shifted back to the skyline he seen before, taking in Eshan as a whole. "Especially now that I am sober."

It had been a few weeks since his last taste of the Spice, and his mind was more focused and enriched with clarity than it had been in years. Under Param, he had found another life, another aspect to which he could live by. And even though Karys and the other had taken everything from them, they hadn't taken it. No one could take that from him. Nor that of his lineage, as his thoughts toward his Echani training brought the moment to a cheerful state.

"I'd like that very much, Param." He spoke equally toward his teacher, not out of disrespect, but in respect for her own wishes as he returned to her last question. "This old woman... is she any relation?"

He chuckled at the jest, relaxing for likely the first time in many months despite his castration still lingering in phantom pain. Perhaps it was the hope for a new beginning, but from this moment on, there would be a semblance of true enjoyment within him, a certain freedom in his heart, as if his shackles had truly been broken. And yet, lingering in the back of his conscious, Dioscuri slept.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param actually laughed, but it was a sweet, amused laugh. “They took my source of income, not what I had saved up, Gemini,” she said, giving him a knowing smile. “If you want to rent a speeder, you can do so after we get you set up with some sort of lodging.” She turned her silver gaze outward and away from him. She would support him until he was on his feet. No longer being his master meant he had to make it on his own now, even if they did travel together and work together for common goals.

“No relation,” Param answered, turning a kind smile toward him. “She was the one that whooped my ass over and over again until I learned. She’ll do the same for you.” She paused, frowning out the window. “It would be a good idea to find a source of income, though. For now, just focus on being echani. We can worry about credits later.”

Her thoughts went to the future, of the plans she had laid out for him that he had agreed to. She knew she was going to have to encounter and fight the Darkside within her at some point. Despite her new found freedom, despite knowing credits would come relatively easily, it was that impending fight that she dreaded. Almost crippling so. She wouldn’t be able to move on completely without dealing with it, and she knew that.

The speeder took them to the village that Param was staying at, and Param led him to a small two story house once they’d exited the speeder. “This house belongs to the Oran family. They’re next door neighbors to the house I’m staying in,” she said, pointing to the house to the right of it. Param turned to Gemini. “Go in, get to know them. I’ll meet you out here in the morning. Then I’ll take you to the woman that trained me. You’ll be an echani yet, Gemini.”

Despite staying with Gemini while he was unconscious, she had started doing her own things in the mean time. Helping Echani Command, working here and there for various shops and markets. Even Kai had come to see her. One day, she’d let Gemini in on all of it, but for now, they were still too new to each other for her to even trust him completely.

@Mythos

 

[Gemini]

The Oran family had been welcoming, almost inviting, through the evening and later into the night as each prepared for bed, his lodging better than most he had ever truly laid upon. But in the silence of their sleep, Gemini's thoughts turned to the future and the prospects it brought. Throughout his life, Gemini had always kept most at arms length, kept his heart and spirit shielded. But here and now, he felt an awakening happening within him that he had never experienced. And it scared him to death. He wouldn't admit it openly, but he accepted it all the same.

As his thoughts turned to dreams as his form sunk into the padding of the bed, he would find himself in the likeliest of deepest sleeps he had ever encountered. At least, until the sun would peer into the room he had been granted and his blind gaze shifted to four eyes peering over the bed in his direction. It was the Oran children, and curiosity had gotten the better of them. "Good morning." He grumbled as he wiped the salvation from the corners of his mouth and sat up. "How can you see us Mr Gemminy?" They poised in their response. He chuckled, pointing to his silvered eyes. "Magical eyes."

The daughter gasped. "You mean like the Jedi?" Gemini chuckled even louder. "Something like that." The son, however, had his doubts. "Where's your lightsaber, then?" Removing the covers and placing his feet into the boots he had stolen from the hospital. "Best not to carry one. There's a Bounty out on Jedi." He replied with a chuckle, his gaze shifting to their mother who had remained outside despite being there for the last few moments. "Come now children. Leave Mr. Kricket alone." She jested as she entered, a semblance of fear upon her aura despite the agreement they had made with Param. As the children departed, she remained for a moment to say her peace. "We'll honor the agreement, but we do not trust outsiders."

Gemini smiled. He understood and with a nod of his head, acknowledged her words. It was likely the best for them. They couldn't even know his real name, nor the reasoning behind his blindness although it was obvious. As she departed, Gemini rose and came down for the breakfast that was served. Grabbing what mimicked a biscuit and a cup of instacaf, he headed out the door to meet Param and begin his training. Gemini had always been an outsider, so he held no qualms remaining the part.

As to what his future held, however, he would meet it when the time came. With a quick gulping of the instacaf, he set the cup upon the banister and made his way next door to Param and his future.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param was waiting for him, dressed exactly as she had been the day before. Black thermal long-sleeve shirt, tight brown leather pants with brown shin-high boots. A light blaster pistol was holstered on her right thigh, and a karambit vibro-blade was sheathed on the small of her back, hidden by the tan hooded poncho she wore with the hood up, and a matching tan beanie covering her head and ears. She gave Gemini a smile as he exited the house.

“How were the Orans? Kids didn’t give you too much trouble, did they?” she asked. Vee danced from foot to foot on her left shoulder, chirping excitedly. When Param was recovering herself, Vee had spent time with the Oran kids, playing with them while he waited for his friend to find herself again. Every so often he would still go over to play with them when Param felt like staying in and watching the HoloNet. She would never admit to being addicted to a Corporate Sector soap opera, but she most definitely was.

Her own winter clothing was good enough for her, but Gemini didn’t have any. Lucky for him, Param had a white winter long-coat in her hand that she promptly tossed to him. “It’s a long walk to the Elder,” she said. The sun was bright today, and new snow wasn’t falling. It would have been a waste to spend the day in a speeder. Besides, Param had plans for Gemini on the way to start his training to become a true echani.

Param started walking down the village road toward a hill that overlooked it. When they reached the peak, a vast valley of shining snow greeted them on the other side, but in the distance, passed the flats and small rocky cliffs of hills, there was a dark spot next to a small patch of woods- their intended village. She set off toward it. A breeze lifted a dusting of snow up and blew it into them. Param groaned from the biting cold but was glad that it gave her an opportunity to enact her plan.

“Gemini, can you change the air current for me, please?” she asked, turning a serious gaze to the man. It would be clear from her demeanor that she was continuing his training in the Force. She had trained herself in the abilities tied to nature, and Gemini would now either learn them, or struggle with them; either way he would be drained of the Force by the time he reached the Elder, and unable to rely on it during his echani training. “Reach out, concentrate on the flow of the air. Find the current that it follows.”

For his first time, it would be quite taxing, but Aerokinesis was the easiest of them to start with.

@Mythos

 

[Gemini]

"Kids are but kids." Gemini spoke in earnest jest, an aura of jovial having taken place where his brooding had once been. But the truth of the fact was, was that Gemini had never truly grown up himself when it came to a sense of maturity. He, often infact, enjoyed time spent with the young, their imagination alone providing an escape from the reality that was life as an adult. And he never cared what it looked like for a grown man laying on the floor and playing speeders with the young. No. The future had always been found in the young, and it was a truth he adored.

Taking the offered long coat, Gemini slipped into it and adjusted it to his fitting, a perfect fit to be exact as it's warmth enveloped his form and pushed away the building cold that had begun to seep in. So it was a walk today? Gazing at the blue sky and bright sunlight, he concurred. It was an excellent day for such an activity, and as he breathed in the crisp clean air, he was content with it.

Following Param, Gemini would casually take in the sights, at least, as he saw them, alongside the sounds and the smells he would encounter. Birds chirpped away, and the rustle of small mammals echoed amidst the trees and snow. Even at one time, Gemini noticed the changing of a small mammals fur as its white winter coat began to come in. And in truth, he enjoyed the brisk trek they had taken over the chance of covering the distance within a speeder. It was a nice slow pace to set upon themselves for once.

And even the sight that sat before them atop the peak gave way to an almost tranquil aspect Gemini had never really took the moment to enjoy. Sobriety was a great feeling for the young Miralukian Hybrid. And yet, as Gemini scooped up a handful of snow and prepared a sneak attack on his predecessor, her true intentions were spoken.

Dipping the snowball behind his back as she turned to him, Gemini whistled for a moment as her words grasped at his mind. Change the air current? Gemini had never thought of the possibility in truth. He had seen his father alter the environment as a means to extract moisture from the air, but the memory was as vague to him as was what his future would hold. Closing his eyes, he let her words guide him.

Reaching out with his mind was a skill that came natural for him, his Miralukian heritage capable of honing their sight naturally throughout their life to see at greater distance. But to follow the air currents was as alien to him as Eshan was. Still, he would try, and quickly found his mind flowing across it's currents similar to seeing the flow of the Force its self. In truth, it was exhilarating to perceive, his mind flowing upon it as it dipped across the valley below and rose across the cliff sides and narrowed with an increase in speed through the narrowing paths. And for a brief moment, he found himself lost upon the ride.

But the heat of his warm hands began to melt the snow he held within it and the trickling of melting snow brought his mind back to his body and with it, the return to the task at hand. Reversing the current, he found a small fizzure that the flow that fell upon them had come through, and as he melded his mind to its will, shifted the flow slightly and it grew toward its redirection, causing the air to die down around them. Opening his eyes, he looked at Param.

"That wasn't as hard as I thought." He spoke through the smile that adorned his face. As taxing as it had been, Gemini had imagined it to be more resistant and that he would fail at it. And yet, as he had done it, he felt little resistance at all. "Teach me more."

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param watched her student work their way through the mechanics of the Force, find the current of the air and change it. A smile spread across her lips. Eshan wasn’t particularly strong in the Force, and so the fact he was able to accomplish it on the first try was something worthy of commendation. It had taken her several times on Troiken. Then she received help from that woman on that random planet by the stream, and it had all made sense to her. She should get around to thanking that woman, somehow.

“That was good,” Param said, her smile turning toward a downward slope in front of them. She motioned toward it. “You are aware of pyrokinesis already, but now it’s time for the opposite. Cool the air just above the snow and freeze to make a slide for us down the hill. The same way you use the Force to heat something until flames appear, just do it with cold instead."

Gemini would find this task less taxing than the first, since it was just a small area he was freezing, A strong, and focused mind cold wreak havoc with just aero, pyro, and cyrokinesis, but there were more. Cyrokinesis would be the last technique in the list that wouldn’t be too taxing on Gemini. Hydro and Terra required full body movement to perform, and Gemini most likely wouldn’t be able to do anything too advanced with it for a while.

@Mythos

 

[Gemini]

As Param turned around to gaze at the downward slope, Gemini sat down upon a cushion of rotating air as he listened attentively to her words. Crossing his legs, he placed his fist upon his chin. Why she would want to increase the coldness of the situation was beyond him, but he would give a go if only entertain her thoughts.

Or at least, in the back of his mind, it happened. In truth, he stood there at her right, and listened to her words and understanding her intent. His mother was a practioner of Hydrokinesis and Cyrotelekinsis. Woman was inventive when it came to surviving the heat of Tatooine and making sure water was of an abundance. Stepping forward to her front, he attempted as he had before, her words and teachings at the forefront of his thoughts.

He felt the Force as he always had. It was as it always was, a warming sensation that enveloped both his mind as well as his form, the adrenaline pumping of his mind as it washed over him and his emotions as his guide. The water, the moisture, he could feel it. It was there, in the air, within the atoms, mere molecules of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. And yet, despite physically feeling the coldness as it drafted around his form, he could not feel it in the Force.

Perplexed, he stood there a moment, blind eyes upon the snow below him, at his feet. Why could he not feel it in the Force? He knew the feeling of it as it pierced at his skin from the gaps in his clothing. He knew the science behind it. And yet, there upon his mind's eye, he could not sense its presence as Param had asked. Looking back at her but for a brief second, he turned back to his forefront and down at the ground. He would try again.

Just as before, he stood upon the precipice of logic and mystism, and yet, could not find the strength to step forward, an impossible impasse. He could only press upon it as hard as he liked, but not force his way forward. Even as his anger subtly pressed upon rage and his connection to the Force grew, he could not pierce his way through. He could not conquer with his wrath. In truth, the only thing he managed to do was liquidfy the snow before him, a puddle of water that swiftly began to freeze against ground and from the air.

"Master...." He spoke out both in confusion and the added weirdness of his inability to do so. "This puddle of water may have to do, once it freezes at least."

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param watched her student struggle. Cryokinesis wasn't necessarily a hard ability to learn. The four that didn't need full body movement were Electro, Aero, Pyro, and Cryo. If he struggled with those, Terra and Hydro would be mostly out of reach for the man. Unless of course it was whatever that entity inside of him was doing. Gemini had an afinity for pyrokinesis, that much was certain. At least for now, she'd have him continue practicing. Param gave him a warm smile, waving her hand toward the puddle he'd created down the hill. The air chilled around it, and it froze over immediately.

"Then you'll keep practicing on the way," she said before hopping onto the ice and sliding down the hill on her feet like a surfer. She waited at the bottom of the hill for Gemini, and once he was with her again she began to lead him once again toward that spec of a village on the horizon. "Make a snowball, and keep trying to turn it into ice."

She didn't want to reveal her hunch to the man, not yet. Failing once told her nothing, but if he kept trying and failing, then it was either something wrong with the way he viewed the Force, or he was incapable of it due to whatever it was that lived inside him. Param was betting on the latter. She would walk silently watch him.

@Mythos

 

[Gemini]

Gemini responded with an understanding nod before Param jumped aboard the makeshift sled and disappeared down the hill. Following her on foot, he would make stops occasionally as he delved deep into her teachings and attempted to recreate what she had, but rarely succeeded in creating little more than a plume of snow flakes, which could have just been his sweat freezing upon the air. When he rejoined her, however, he was severely taxed and his form showed his exhaustion.

Reaching down, he pulled forth a small handful of snow as he walked behind her, shaping it into a makeshift circular form with his scarred hands before delving into once again. He would slow his breathing to a steady rhythm, focusing his mind upon the snow, the air, and the Force that flowed through each individual flake as it melted from the warmth of his form. And yet, still, as he opened his hand, the wind would catch its form and yet another plume of fluffed flakes would blow from his hand. Shaking his head, he accepted his defeat. It was a partial success, but not for a Force User of his stature.

Perhaps if he was five. But no. He was nearly five times that in his age. In a fit of rage, he beaconed the Force through his throat and let out his anger and disappointment to the terrain before him. At a distance, a small portion of snow fell from its perch upon a branch to the ground below.

Looking at Param, a smirk still adorned his face through the heaviness of his breathing and the sweat beading down his face and collecting on the inside of his layered clothing. "I figured Cyrotelekinsis would be a hard thing to grasp. Pyrokinesis comes too easily." He spoke in jest.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param watched from the corner of her vision as Gemini tried and failed again and again. Finally, she raised toward him, turning her smiling gaze toward him as they continued to walk. "That's alright. We can move on for today," she said. His frustration was certainly warranted, but she didn't want to stress him out. He would have enough of that getting his ass handed to him by the echani village elder.

"We'll move on to Terrakinesis, then. The first step is a sense, much like Force sense, but it allows you to sense vibrations through the ground. They'll be muffled by the snow, but you should still be able to feel them," she explained, turning back to their path. This would wipe him out completely of the Force. "Clearly your mind as if you were about to reach out with the Force to sense others using it. Channel everything downward into her legs and feet. Listen to the earth beneath your feet. You'll know you have it when you can feel my footsteps, rather than physically see and heart them."

@Mythos

 

[Gemini]

Gemini smirked. He hailed from Tatooine, a world ripe with creatures that burrowed the ground and spent most of their lives beneath the surface of the world's endless sands. As a blind child, one developed a similar sense, and as a Miralukian, it went that much deeper. Maybe not as well defined as a trained user, but deep enough for survival. Even the slightest of grannual shifting was like a echo pinging upon the Force as the presence of life came closer.

But what Param asked him to envision was deeper still. Where Gemini could feel the shift of the sands and feel encroaching life, Param asked him to envision it more keen upon the life within the soil and everything upon and below it. Closing his mind, he channeled himself, releasing his mind upon the Force and letting his focus followed the repetition of her words as they played out in his mind.

To say that it was hard was a comparable estimate. And quite often as they walked, he found his focus drifting to her presence within the Force rather than upon the movement of the earth itself. And on occasion, when he focused too much upon the earth, he could feel the entirety of the planet move in it's rotation. Too much focus upon one or the other left him feeling as if he was trying to look left and right at the same time as he could feel the exhaustion beginning to take it's toll as his balance waivered.

He was beginning to grow irritable. He could feel his mind wanting to follow the direction Param had instructed, but in truth, he was beginning to find the necessary concentration lingering just out of grasp.

"Focus Gemini." He spoke just barely above silence as his fists gripped tightly and his eyes grew fiery. "The ground. The ground."

It wasn't much for conversation now, even to himself. His form, even as they traversed the expanse, only lingered above exhaustion. His soul, however, his mind, had long began to fatigue and falter in his training under Param this day. And in the back of his mind, he couldn't quite grasp at her intentions with this. Yet, he trusted it was for good reason, and for Param, he would push himself past his limits. Troiken was proof of his commitment.

Legs faltered as knees buckled moments later and his fall, Gemini fell into a kneeling stance as he glanced at Param before him. It was brief, but took everything he had from him, leaving him a husk completely drained of strength. But he felt her steps upon the latent soil beneath the depths of the snow, the pressing of her weight upon the hardened powder as it shifted the soil beneath, and in it's course, felt the ripples of her step within the Force. And in that moment, saw the Force not as life, but as a construct, a plane of existence in utter darkness.

@TheDudeMike

 

[Param Vour]

Param could sense the fatigue in Gemini. Good. He wouldn't have anything left to rely on other than his physical self when he met the elder. When his knees buckled, she stopped and turned, silver eyes fixed upon him. His eyes met hers, and they were normal. Good, he hadn't relied on whatever demon lay inside him. That was good, at least. His face said everything she needed to know. He had succeeded.

"Terrakinesis is the hardest one to master. The first step is to be able to become one with the earth beneath your feet," she explained. "Beyond that, one can shape the landscape to their will." To demonstrate, Param made a rolling motion with her arms in front of her, coiling the Force into them and then releasing it into the ground with what resembled an echani strike. A pillar of hardened dirt rose almost instantly, exploding snow in every direction.

"It uses the most concentration compared to the other forms, but it is the most useful if you're, well, around dirt," she said with a smile. Param turned to the pillar, flowing the Force through her arms as they moved in a series of of quick, almost blur movements. On the side of the pillar of hardened earth, a rose engraving burrowed, the removed dirt and rock being tossed harmless into the snow. A wave of Param's hand later, and the pillar turned to sand and crumbled into a pile on the snow.

"When you've learned how to be an echani, if you keep up with these Force techniques, you can do that, and so much more," Param explained. She turned her silver gaze to Gemini again. "For now, it's time to get your butt whooped by the elder." They still had about ten minutes before reaching the village. Param started again, knowing Gemini would get to his feet and follow.

@Mythos

 

[Gemini]

To say there was a demon within Gemini was a grossly understatement as Gemini himself knew. He didn't need to have turned yet to understand the concept of what laid beneath his skin, the mindless hunger that ate at his very soul with each rise and set of the days. It was a power he held no control over, and he could feel it inside him, slumbering with the occasional threat to awaken. And yet, it hadn't come to rise as of yet since Cantonica. For that, he was grateful. And yet, on the opposing side of the same token, he could feel it's triggers. This was why he sought to calm his nature.

Each time he felt his wrath begin to boil, he could felt the depth it resided. He could feel its mindless thoughts begin to stir, begin to beacon to his darker aspect. And for a Darksider as Gemini, it was a game of balance and wit, like Pazaak, attempting to push the threshold without going over. And so far, he had been lucky. With each passing day, he could feel it aching to unleash, but Gemini had begun to somber his wrath, to enjoy the life of joy and respite. A clean mind amidst a clean outlook. So for Param to linger upon caution in his training was a wise decision. But so was what Gemini did so himself.

"I see." He responded as he rose to his feet. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a small rolled cigar of Marcan, placing it upon his lips and lighting it with the arc torch he withdrew with it. It wasn't necessarily to get high, but to numb his anger and inner darkness from what was to come, to be pushed to the extremes and beyond. A necessary precaution. Plus, whatever creature laid within, preferred it. "Wise decision. Expend my ability to use the Force so that I have to focus solely on my body. I can barely see as it is."

He smirked. It was true. She had exhausted the Force within him so efficiently that his gift of Force Sight began to wane, making him effectively blind by definition. There were still glimpses that manages to encompass his mind's eye, but the detail was blurred and hindered. Taking another drag and exhaling, he noticed the distance to the village. He would regain just enough to be able to see again by the time they reached their destination. Gazing at a blurred sky, he thought back to his father and how disappointed he would be. And yet, life presented the cards he was dealt, and this was the only way he could ever live.

@TheDudeMike