[Ask] Breathe in, Breathe out

[Vulpes]

It would take some getting used to again. But it was like riding a speeder, you never truly forget how to meditate. Prior to the Councillor's time away from the Order, she would meditate at least daily, as it helped her training and focus. Now, she was attempting to get back into the groove of it all. Another thing she struggled to get used to once more was the comforting peace of the vegetation which filled the lush planet of Arbra. It emitted a nostalgic feeling of her time on Tython and Empress Teta, before the pressures of being a Knight had really kicked in.

Despite being around plenty of crime and villainy, she maintained a friendly and warm demeanor, and when she was requested to help a fellow Knight, she could not turn him down. Bora Ayyn'sara was the man that she had planned to meet today, in the forests of Arbra. The Councillor had provided the directions to the small little building on the edge of the water. Granted, the end of the directions ended with "When you reach the end of the trail, use the Force to find me." She did not mean this to encumber Bora with an extra task, but rather to ready him for their training, despite the simplicity of it.

The Codru-Ji rested on the wooden surface, her body facing the water. Her shoes had been removed and set neatly beside the wall, it was a small habit she developed in her meditation. All four of her hands rested on her knees while her legs were crossed. There, she meditated, emitting her presence in the Force, so that it would be easier to find her. Unbeknownst to her, she was smiling with her eyes closed. It was one of the things she missed about being part of the Order.

 

[TheLastLine]

Peace. It is easy to speak of something so quintessentially simple, but so incessantly elusive for most. Bora had found peace, but his peace rested upon his restlessness, his hardworking nature and his dream of peace for all, a seemingly contradictory statement. The stress however was upon him and all of the Jedi. There was a war, a war which needed warriors and Bora was not a willing warrior.

He however possesses a particularly strong affinity to the force, one which marked him out from an early age, strength which he has been reluctantly force to indulge in regularly since the war began.

Sometimes he can meditate and stare into the force with full concentration, he can see the sorrows, the happiness and the war in his mind. He can hear the heartbeat of an unborn child inside its mother; he can feel the agony of a man who had been tortured for crimes and he knows what is to come, what has come and what possibly can happen; it is all a blur. So overpowering, so humbling. Even with his power he recognises his infinitely smallness in the Galaxy of countless living beings.

However he recognizes that he must achieve greater focus, raw power alone cannot save him from the Sith, concentrated attacks achieve greatest result. He has learned his lessons through the decade of war, however this was the first time since the battle of Coruscant he had the opportunity to train with someone with a far greater understanding and grasp of the force than he, the renowned Councillor Arrika-Mar of whom he had heard many tales.

He was nervous as he traversed through the trees, it was a long time since he had stood before a member of the Jedi Council, perhaps the first time he received one on one tutelage, what would she make of him? Did she know of him already?

The lake looked fantastic as the moon reflected its rays upon it, and he could not help but be momentarily distracted by its beauty. As he stood at the edge of the lake he could see the house, he could feel her presence and he slowly, apprehensively approached the hut.

Walking inside he spots the master in position already, she looked peaceful, the strain on her face slowly evaporating as she attains a peace that is becoming ever more unattainable in these dire times.

A Jedi need not introduce themselves in the world to which most are bound, especially not the lady of the wild who had almost become a myth. A Jedi need look through the strongest eyes of all.

Sitting down next to her, he attains the same position, it takes a few moments as he relaxes his breathing, and reaches out to her in the force.

“Arikka-Mar, it is my pleasure. Thank you for meeting with me.” He thought these words as he opened his mind to her.

 

[Vulpes]

The Councillor's eyes remained closed as she heard her fellow Jedi take a seat beside her. It was not until she heard unspoken words, that she opened her eyes. Arikka smiled as she looked over at her student. "Good evening, Bora, is it?" She moved her eyes upwards to look at the Nautolan, whom was nearly a foot taller than her. Still, this did not phase her one bit.

The Codru-Ji still struggled getting used to the fact that she was by rank, higher than others in the Order. The transition from Knight to Master, and also Councillor, was not as substantial as it was Padawan to Knight. A few more doors opened, and a few more duties given, but it was not a drastic change. In all honesty, It would take some time not introducing herself as Knight Arikka-Mar.

"Does your day fair well, thus far?" She asked Bora. Arikka had always enjoy connecting with her students on a personal level, rather than a "Mentor-Student" level. After hearing a response, she began to speak once more. "I tend to have my classes relaxed. You do not seem tense, but I'll go over these guidelines anyways: Do not address me as "Master" or any sort of honorary title. When I teach, I also learn. We are equals. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask, we as Jedi work together." This latter statement was something that even Arikka had to get used to once more. The last decade, many Jedi spent time alone, or without other Jedi to be with. She was one of them.

"And now to begin your lesson, I'd like to observe your meditation technique first." She gave a warm smile to the Nautolan once more. Arikka remained in her meditative pose, where she looked back to the water once more.

 

[TheLastLine]

Breathing in he relaxed his body, the tense and superficial angst that engulfed him evaporated, his sense of what was around him faded and died, the fabric of reality revealed to him through his mind’s eye. Now he could see, he could really see. For a brief moment he was lost in the repeating revelation that is the Force. It was not a new feeling, in fact his momentary lapse was natural, like a reflex to him now. The senses of his race were made redundant as his mind felt the world around him, everything from the heartbeats of the fish in the lake to the seeds sprouting and pushing the earth away.

His mind then came to feel the thick bamboo support beams that stopped the hut from sinking. Effortlessly he slowly started to make the hut rise from its foundations, silently and carefully. He used his powers of the mind to create the illusion of being stationary as the hut floated higher and higher and moved towards the centre of the lake. That was simple, his mind’s eye usually focused upon the greater scheme of things, not such trivial things as the environment to which he resided but to the Galaxy as a whole, something that he could still not fully comprehend, something he was talented in more than the vast majority of his comrades.

His prowess was great, but to one day become a master it was necessary to be even better, even more powerful. His desperation for more strength lay not in greed, for he cared not of himself, but in a dream that one day he could see the end of the Empire which slowly corrupted the Galaxy. The water below started to swirl gently; it was like a gentle whirlpool. The fish and the frogs were not harmed but on the surface a myriad of shapes emerged.

"Arikka." He said gently, the formalities that she despises did not occur, for when he exercises his ability in this way, it means he is at war, or that is what it normally meant. "What do you will of me?"