Ask Takodana Cabbages and Kings

[Shaw Amaris]

This was the first time Shaw had ever been to Takodana. The Coruscanti native had never seen so much grass his whole life, and he'd only been here two days. Up until now he'd spent the majority of his time on the Jedi's main temple Starlight Beacon. That felt a bit more like home, surrounded by durasteel and artificial lights and the constant hum of activity. But only a bit like home. What was a home without family? Shaw didn't even know where his was. Just that they were hundreds of thousands of parsecs away from him. At least they had all made it off of Coruscant. He could rest easier knowing that. He just wished he knew where they were now, what they were doing... all that good stuff.

Hopefully he could find plenty of distractions until then. Takodana was somewhere new he could explore, and he intended to do just that first chance he got. But for now his time was not his own. He was in one of the temple's gardens, lying on a stone bench and staring up at the red bird in the tree above him. His leg swung lazily back and forth over the ground. He was supposed to be meeting some Jedi Knight here. He had no idea why, and he didn't really let his mind wander on it for long. He'd find out whenever they arrived. @Remileah

 

[Rena Ivens]

Location: Takodana

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___Amid Shaw's introspective musings, a woman hobbled into the garden through the looming stone archway. She looked decrepit with sunken, hooded eyes underscored by dark circles that made her appear as if she hadn't slept in a week. Under her left arm was a simple wooden crutch, supporting her meagre weight as she slowly ambled down the pathway closer to Shaw. Her taupe irises transfixed on Shaw as she slowly approached, and despite her seemingly exhausted demeanour, the woman offered him a bright smile.

___"May I sit?" she inquired, gesturing with her free hand towards the spot on the bench Shaw's feet occupied. Her body shifted as she rested her weight against her crutch, crossing her arm to grip the crutch as she adjusted. "I'm sorry for disturbing you. I know the allure of coming out here to lie down and admire the scenery. I've fallen asleep out here more times than I can count," she chuckled, her voice carrying a cheerful lilt. The woman inhaled deeply through her nostrils as she turned her head, gazing up into the branches to watch the same red bird Shaw was.

___"Rena Ivens," the woman introduced herself. "You wouldn't happen to know anybody by the name of Shaw, would you?"

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

The woman's voice cut through the silence. Shaw looked up and startled, straightening into an upright, seated position on the bench to make room for her. "Sure," he answered quickly, awkwardly gesturing toward the seat beside him. Who was he to refuse a Jedi Knight? Especially one with a crutch.

The curious teenager's eyes followed her as she sat down next to him. She looked like she was seriously sleep deprived. Like on the verge of collapsing from sleep exhaustion or something. One of Shaw's bad habits was saying the first thing that came to mind with little to often no consideration. "You don't look so hot. Are you alright??"

Rena Ivens. Her voice was bubbly and light and seemed so out of place looking at the dark circles under her eyes. Or maybe it was the dark circles under her eyes that were out of place when listening to her cheery, carefree voice. "Yeah, I'm Shaw."

Now came the part where he wondered why he was here. Was he in trouble already? Was this some kind of lesson? A welcoming committee of sorts to Takodana? The part where they told him he wasn't cut out for the Jedi or that he had the wrong attitude and kicked him out? @Remileah

 

[Rena Ivens]

___Rena turned and sank herself onto the bench as Shaw moved his feet. She laid both hands on the grip of her crutch and rested it against her shoulder, exhaling a quiet sigh as she watched the bird overhead hop and flutter away out of sight. As it disappeared from their vision, she looked at Shaw, still maintaining her cheerful smile.

___"I'm okay. I always look like this," Rena replied, tittering again. "Thank you for asking." She leaned against the back of the bench. "It's nice to meet you, Shaw. I may not look the part, but I'm the Jedi Knight you came here to meet," Rena explained, removing one of her small, dainty hands from the crutch to offer it to the boy. At that exact moment, the bird from before swooped down and landed gracefully on the ground at their feet. Rena looked down at the creature as it peered up at them with beady eyes, its tail flitting and head cocking as it examined them.

___"I'm here to begin instructing you in the ways of the Force," she stated, withdrawing her hand regardless of whether Shaw shook it. Her hand reached into a pocket on her shirt, withdrawing a small bag of bread crumbs. The bird skittered across the ground and flapped to land on Rena's knee, picking at the bag in her hand with its beak. "Patience, Arcturus," Rena chided the animal. "To my understanding, you haven't had much Force training. Is that correct?" she asked, glancing at Shaw again as her thin fingers broke the seal on the bag.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

Shaw raised an eyebrow, kinda surprised. She always looked like this? He was no doctor—obviously—but that couldn't be healthy. Right? He wondered what kept her up at night. "Uh yeah," he answered, his reply a little delayed as he shook himself out of his thoughts. "Nice to meet you." She extended her hand. It was small and slender and looked fragile. He slipped his hand into hers to return the handshake but shook very gently, afraid of crushing her hand with too much pressure or something.

The little red bird rejoined them, and Shaw slipped his hand back into the pocket of his oversized hoodie. Knight Ivens pulled a bag of bread crumbs out to feed the bird. Apparently she was on a first name basis with it, and what a name it had. Arcturus. Seemed like a big name for such a little guy.

"You always carry bread crumbs around with you?" Shaw asked. smiling a little. The conversation had been pretty lighthearted and chill, but his heart skipped a beat when she asked him about his force training or lack of it. He had been taught to suppress it all his life, from the first signs of it as a child. His parents like a lot of the galaxy were anti force users. Not much training? It was nonexistent.

"I guess you could say that, yeah..." His focus returned to the little bird. "I haven't had any actually." @Remileah

 

[Rena Ivens]

___"Not always," Rena said as she looked down and reached into the bag, grabbing a few crumbs to hold them in her open palm. "Only when I'm planning to come out here. Arcturus gets mad if I don't bring some," she chuckled. Arcturus tilted his head as he hopped forward on Rena's thigh, beginning to pluck the chunks of bread from her hand. The bird picked through them quickly, and as he cleaned out the last couple, Rena reached into the bag again to retrieve more.

___"There's nothing wrong with that," she stated, looking over at Shaw with the same smile she had worn the entire time they spoke. Her gaze momentarily lingered before she looked down at Arcturus, who was dutifully pecking away the flecks of food in her hand. "Even the most proficient of the Jedi Order once knew nothing about the Force," Rena said warmly. When her hand was clear, she offered the bag of crumbs to Shaw. Arcturus's eyes followed it, and he hopped in a half-circle to watch it intently as it passed over him.

___"You've had no training," Rena reiterated, "but do you know anything about it? Perhaps you've heard about it in passing?"

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

"Sure, I've heard of it," he shrugged vaguely, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. Who hadn't heard of the force? Love it or hate it, the majority of the galaxy had heard of it. Maybe there were people out in the unknown regions that hadn't, out on some backwater planet with no ties to the rest of the galaxy or technology, but on Coruscant? Everyone knew about the force on Coruscant. Images of the Jedi or the Sith were always splashed across the twenty-four standard hour news cycle. There was no escaping it, not even for a sixteen year old teenager who couldn't care less about politics or the news.

Shaw hadn't just heard of it. His parents were as anti force leaning as you could get. Force users were the reason the galaxy found itself in a perpetual war, the reason Coruscant had been attacked. The reason his family had been forced to abandon their home. Most likely forever. The teenager nuzzled a bread crumb Arcturus's way before absentmindedly eating one himself. He didn't appear to notice that it was dry and stale.

Should he tell her that the only reason he was here was because his parents had had no choice? That it was the only way they could ensure his safety while they recouped and regrouped? Would that get him kicked out or did the Jedi already know that anyway? He glanced over at Knight Ivens and then back to the bird. He'd heard the Jedi could read minds. Maybe she already knew all of that. But what if she didn't?

Going back to his parents wasn't really an option right now. They couldn't afford to take care of him and his sister both. Not after they'd lost everything on Coruscant. Sending Shaw to the Jedi was the last thing his parents had ever wanted but hard decisions had had to be made. "Is it hard?" he asked suddenly. "Using the force I mean." @Remileah

 

[Rena Ivens]

___Dull brown eyes transfixed on Shaw again as he answered Rena's inquiry. She peered at him, silently observing as he fed both the bird and himself with the bread crumbs. The woman chuckled, adjusting her hands to rest on the grip of her crutch again. She inhaled deeply through her nose and sighed quietly, her attention diverting to the verdant garden in front of them.

___"Using the Force isn't as hard as you think it will be," Rena answered, nodding. "However, it may be hard in ways that you don't expect. This turmoil I sense—this uncertainty about yourself—is one such difficulty," she continued, extending her hand towards a gravel path leading further into the garden. Rena slowly flexed her outstretched fingers, causing a collection of pebbles to shudder before they drifted into the air and floated towards her. As they drew nearer, she sent them sluggishly spiralling in a perfect circle that rotated slowly between her and Shaw.

___"They are doubts I once had, perhaps different, but they bear similarities," Rena elaborated. Arcturus paused, looking up at the rotating circle of pebbles to regard it with an inquisitive chirp. "Tell me, Shaw, with all the honesty you can muster: what were you told about the Force?" she asked, shifting her head to meet the Padawan's gaze. "What do you feel? What do you think? These are important first steps in learning to harness the Force."

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

Shaw looked up from the bag of bread crumbs to find that the Jedi Knight was watching him. Observing him was more accurate. She seemed harmless. She kinda gave off the same vibe as Mrs. McGrady, an old lady that had lived down the hall from him on Coruscant. The quiet type that preferred an uneventful, quiet evening home alone with a cup of piping hot tea and a few dozen cats to a night out on the town with friends. Unassuming might have been another good word to describe her. Her eyes, well everything about her actually, was kinda washed out. And yet there was something behind her brown eyes that reminded Shaw that looks could be deceiving. To never judge a book by its cover. All those old clichés that were clichés for good reason. He felt like she knew what he was thinking without him even speaking it, that she was just slowly coaxing it out of him.

The teenager watched as she called a pile of pebbles over to them and arranged them midair in a perfect circle, all without ever laying a finger on any of them. He wasn't sure if she was trying to impress him or gain his confidence or if it was just something she did without thinking. So natural and day to day to her that she didn't even realize she'd done it.

Briefly, Shaw met Knight Iven's gaze. Something unspoken seemed to pass between them, and despite his better judgement, despite what his parents had told him to do—to keep a low profile and not get involved at all unless it was necessary to his survival—he decided to be honest with her. Maybe he felt like he could trust her enough to open up. That she wouldn't send him packing on the next shuttle off world. Or maybe he was simply curious. Indulging a curiosity that he had harbored from a young age, ever since his parents had slammed the door and that Jedi that had come to recruit him had walked away forever. He'd never known the Jedi's name, and his face was nothing more than a blur now, lost to time and memory. But Shaw remembered why he had come and that his parents had told him to never come back.

"That force users are the reason my family had to abandon Coruscant to begin with. The reason the Jedi and the Sith have been fighting my whole life and wrecking half the galaxy in the process. That the galaxy would be a lot better off without the force," he finally answered, focusing on the rocks instead of the Knight, "And without force users." As for what Shaw thought? Well... he tended to agree with his parents naturally. That was how they had always raised him, for as long as he could remember they'd been anti force users. But he was young and still making his mind up about things. @Remileah

 

[Rena Ivens]

___As Shaw expressed the beliefs he had grown up with, Rena nodded silently. Her face remained placid aside from that slight, perpetual smile creasing her lips. It was impossible to infer whether she was offended or agreed with what he was saying. As he concluded his statements, Rena inhaled deeply through her nostrils and shifted her gaze to look at the pebbles floating in the air between them.

___"Let's say the Force disappears," Rena said, ceasing her control over the pebbles to let them clatter onto the sea of stones at their feet. "The Sith and Jedi with it," she continues, resting her palm on her crutch's grip again. Her attention turned towards the sky. "How do you believe that changes things?" Rena inquired, her lips pursing. Arcturus hops from the bench onto the woman's leg before skipping towards her crutch and fluttering up to land on the upper pad.

___"Do monstrosities stop being created, or do they start to come from people pursuing scientific ambition?" Rena asked. "Do wars stop happening, or do they simply begin breaking out between nations of non-Force-sensitives?" she added as she leaned heavily against the back of the bench. "Do planets stop being ravaged, or do they fall victim instead to the development of technology capable of such feats?" Rena inquired one last time, still looking at the sky with tired eyes. Eventually, her head turns to look at Shaw again.

___"I would like you to answer the question: how much does the galaxy truly change with the absence of the Force and its users? How do you and I change as people?"

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

There. He had said it! What was the worst that could happen now? Detention? Did the Jedi even do detention? Get kicked out of the order? He'd only been here a few months. It wouldn't be that big of a deal. He'd bounce back... right? His parents would be pretty sore though if he got kicked out. They wanted him to be safe. His eyes remained on the pebbles, watching them float and sway until suddenly they fell onto the rock pathway beneath their feet. Still and lifeless and unmoving.

It was nothing personal. Shaw didn't have anything against Knight Ivens or anything. She seemed pretty chill so far. But she had asked him to be honest with her, and he had been. She asked him to picture a world without force users. How different did it look? He didn't really know. He hadn't really given it much thought before. Plenty of thought to the problem but never much thought to the aftermath of a solution. He didn't really think there was a solution. The galaxy was messed up and everyone just had to deal.

"I don't know that it would look like," he answered simply, shrugging his shoulders. There was only one thing he was certain about. "But I know that those monsters wouldn't have invaded my homeworld if it weren't for the force. If it wasn't for the war between the Jedi and the Sith." Shaw slowly extended an index finger to Arcturus, gently stroking the little bird's head for as long as he allowed it. Seemed he was willing to put up with it for now in the hopes of more bread crumbs.

"Doesn't mean I want all force users dead or something wild like that," he explained, wondering if maybe that was the impression he'd given her. He hoped not. "That'd be seriously messed up." That had never been what he'd wanted. Couldn't they just turn it off or something? All the force stuff? Or hide it like he had?

He thought of Macote. His friend and someone he really looked up to. Someone brave and courageous and talented. Someone he definitely wanted to be more like. Of Heidi who had invited him to that Jedi party when she didn't even know him. Sure it had ended in disaster, but it had really made him feel welcome and he'd met some cool people and consumed some truly delicious food. Of Prani who'd given him the friendship bracelet on his wrist. His favorite accessory other than his studs. Of Lil Nash who could lay down beats and bears. Of Drexus who had a sick workout routine and had been pretty patient with him whenever he gushed over those adorable Ewoks.

"There's a lotta force users I like," he added, looking up from Arcturus to the Knight to see if she understood. He liked them for who they were as people not because they were or weren't force users. Or did that matter? Was who they were essentially bound to the force? Was the force part of their identity? He couldn't deny that he had seen some of them do some pretty cool stuff. Stuff he would be kinda interested to learn how to do himself, but even he knew that that was hypoctrical. @Remileah

 

[Rena Ivens]

___Rena listened silently as Shaw relayed his answer. She didn't interrupt, allowing him to formulate and convey his thoughts and feelings as they came. Arcturus was more than happy to be on the receiving end of Shaw's ministrations, his eyelids slowly falling closed as his feathers ruffled. Once Shaw finished speaking and looked towards Rena, she nodded.

___"Don't worry," Rena reassured him. "I never thought you'd be the kind of person to want something like that." The woman looked away once more, her head resting on the back of the bench again. Her eyes closed, and for a moment, one could have thought Rena had fallen asleep. Then, she inhaled and exhaled quietly, deeply through her nostrils. A few more moments of silence lingered between the two, but eventually, Rena broke the silence.

___"Do you know of the Fiani?" Rena asked, her eyes opening as her head lulled to the side to look at Shaw sideways. "They are a wonderful people with a beautiful culture. Ever hopeful, optimistic, with a history as rich as you can imagine," she elaborated. "However, did you know their history is entirely oral? There's no written record. Not even a scrap of a paper trail," Rena said. "You may think it silly that I bring it up, but I do so for a reason."

___When Rena finished talking, she lifted her hand and took her crutch. Arcturus hopped from the object and flitted through the air to land on Shaw's leg, hopping in a circle to turn and face the Jedi Knight as she rose. Tucking her crutch under her arm, Rena took a few hobbling steps down the path, gesturing for Shaw to follow her through the tranquil gardens. As they walked together, Rena continued speaking.

___"The Fiani have a lot of tales," she began. "Most of them are lessons. One such story speaks of a race that, to create a world without animosity, renounced relationships to avoid strife between its people. In doing so, they brought about the collapse of their society," Rena stated. "Another story tells of a man who concluded that finite time was the root of the woes of all people. Desiring to break those shackles that bound them, he went in search of infinity." She paused. "He discovered that nothing was infinite and that things such as time and death could never be cheated. As downcast as he was following that discovery, he gave up on the future... and himself."

___Rena stopped before a stream cutting through the garden, standing at the water's edge. She looked down at her reflection shimmering on the surface.

___"Another tale tells of a man who discarded everything that made him sorrowful, hoping to have only joy," she continued. "Soon, joy lost its lustre in the absence of sorrow, and he lost his will to live," Rena said, seemingly concluding the recounting of the various stories. Another moment of silence lingered between the two, and Rena turned her head to look at Shaw again. Still, that same warm, disarming smile adorned her lips, never wavering, never judgmental.

___"It's true that those things would not have happened if the Force and the perpetual struggle between the Jedi and the Sith didn't exist," Rena stated. "At times, there is more ugliness than beauty in the galaxy. We walk a perilous path and wish things could have been different. However, do not avert your eyes to it. See your life for what it is," she continued. "You will see how the hardships make you strong. You will see how every doubt is reforged as a plate for your armour and how every agony guides your lightsaber."

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

Shaw thought that the Jedi Knight had fallen asleep at first, eyes closed and leaning forward on her crutch for support. Maybe the force required daily afternoon naps or something, and this meeting of theirs in the gardens cut right into the knight's nap time. Shaw sat there awkwardly for a moment or two, shifting in place on the stone bench and wondering what he ought to do. Should he just go? Wait for her to wake up?

Eventually, after seconds of painful deliberation, he half stated, half whispered, "I—I think I'mma head out..." The teenager started to stand up, just for Knight Ivens to snap awake and pick up the conversation. She started talking about the Fiani. Shaw was right back in his seat, trying to listen and act like he hadn't been about to peace out and leave her to her afternoon nap.

The Jedi Knight stood, and Shaw followed her to the water's edge. They stood there, looking over the lake. He considered what she said, trying to piece it together, but he was still preoccupied trying to play it cool after trying to sneak off. "Soooo," he said. "I guess you're saying one can't exist without the other?" @Remileah