Awakening

[Teran Atrix]

It had only been a few days since Teran had first come to the Jedi-held world of Ifrane, and in that time, he'd begun to feel a bit overwhelmed. On Taris, the world had felt large, but he'd learned how to navigate it, but when the Jedi Knight had appeared on his doorstep, it shoved him into a galaxy that was far larger than even a single urban planet.

Suddenly, his entire view of the galaxy was being challenged, and doors he'd never realized existed were opened. The teaching of the Jedi were complex and ripe with moral conundrums and philosophies that stretched his mind constantly. How was he ever supposed to take all this in?

His studies had begun with a book called Treatise on the Light and Dark written by a Master Ingordum, and within 30 minutes, Teran had fallen asleep face first on the book. When he'd been jolted awake by approaching footsteps, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, took a drink of his Red Rancor, and thanked his lucky stars that he hadn't drooled on the pages.

His next stop was a book called On the Nature of the Force, and this one he actually found more interesting. Over the course of two days, he had devoured its contents, and although he was fairly sure he missed large swaths of it, felt like he had begun to grasp something about the Force beyond just moving rocks (which he still seemed to be unable to accomplish despite multiple attempts to levitate books to his somewhat lazy hands).

The library had been quiet for hours, and Teran had no idea what time of day it was deep underground. And that was where this story began. Day three began with another attempt at Treatise on the Light and Dark, and Teran was, once again, asleep....

On the verge of snoring, he began to dream about great battles of the past as described in the Jedi texts. Jedi and Sith faced off against one another in brutal duels, and Teran felt a mixture of warmth and cold that seemed to rush over him in waves before a loud whisper jolted him awake and upright. He glanced around to see whether anyone had seen him sleeping on the job, and ran a hand through his hair as he let out a heavy sigh. @Painus

 

[Mira Kryze]

Ifrane was a pleasant-enough planet, she supposed. Lush rainforests bordering verdant plains and endless savannas, harsh and unforgiving deserts swallowing up all life within them, great mountain ranges which seemed to stretch to the stars themselves, and everything in between. It spotted modest settlements on its surface and maintained a relatively unremarkable status in the galaxy, which made it an ideal spot for the Jedi to hide. Something about the planet reminded Mira of Mandalore, and she carried a certain homesickness around with her. She longed to be back among her people, but knew the grim reality of her life. She was cursed, and no amount of wishful thinking could fix that.

In fact, Mira had spent the better part of two days looking through the archives for all manner of information regarding curses and their methods of removal. Some would likely consider it all superstitious nonsense, and, if the snide remarks from her fellow Padawans were any indicator, she was wasting her time on a fruitless endeavor. Still, she read about all kinds of folk lore and rituals in an iron-backed tome entitled Curses, Hexes, and Charms by an anonymous author in the hopes of finding any way to reverse the ill-fortune bestowed upon her. Naturally, she found nothing of worth within those dusty pages (except the return of some previously-eradicated virus, probably) and tossed it aside with an exasperated sigh.

She was stuck as a Jedi, and she figured she might as well accept that and learn to deal with it.

The third day of her studies began much as the previous two did – Mira stormed into the library, intent on learning something about what it meant to be a Jedi. She perused the collection for some time, growing irritated by the second. The books were supposed to be right there. Why weren’t they in the right spots? Mira dropped her head and let it hang low for a second, resting an arm in the empty slot where the book she was looking for was supposed to be.

”Damnit!”

The word slipped out far louder than she intended it to, even if it was still a whisper. Mouth pursed in frustration, Mira lifted her head and sighed. She turned to leave when she spotted the target of her ire; there, sitting squarely on a table, was the exact book she had been looking for. And, it appeared, someone had beaten her to the punch. Someone she didn’t recognize sat in front of it, though the dazed look on his face suggested that he had been more occupied with matters less-than-scholarly.

”So,” she began as she approached the man, ”You’re the one hogging the good books.” Her tone wasn’t necessarily combative, though it would likely come across as such. That’s just how her people were – straightforward. She stopped a few paces from him, folding her arms over her chest and looking him up and down. She was wearing her usual attire: the clothing-armor hybrid she used as a compromise between Mandalorian customs and Jedi ideals. ”Kill a lot of bad guys in your sleep right then?” she asked, smirking impishly.

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

Teran wondered if the dream had any meaning behind it or was real at all. Was it a vision of the past? Or the future? He'd never put any stock into dreams before, but since he'd begun to fill his mind day in and day out with books about the Force and the reality that it could often lead to visions, the idea that it could be something more was lingering in his mind.

The musings were rudely interrupted as some woman walked up to him and began making accusations that had him confused. He squinted at her as she mentioned he was hogging all the books, and the look on his face had to have betrayed the fact that he didn't know what she was talking about.

Huh? he asked, glancing down at the book he was reading. I have like... two books, he said before looking back up and shrugging. When she asked about the dream, he paused and wondered if he should say something about it. Given that it probably was just a regular dream, he decided not to. Little did he know that it wasn't just a dream, and it wouldn't be the last one.

Have I done something to offend you or something? he asked. If you're wanting to read this... he said, holding up Treatise on the Light and Dark ...I'm really sparing you by withholding it from you. It could put someone on spice to sleep, he said.

He set the book back down on the table and looked up at her. He had seen her down in the library before, but before this, he hadn't actually said a word to her or vice versa. He wondered if she was always this grumpy or if it she was just... hangry or something. She was pretty - he had thought so multiple times - but only time would tell if she was this prickly all the time. Or maybe she was joking? Who knew?

 

[Mira Kryze]

Sometimes she forgot just how brusque she could be. Growing up as she did among the Mandalorians meant that a gruff attitude was, more often than not, a survival mechanism. In a society of warriors all continually attempting to surpass one-another or display their martial prowess, one needed to act aggressive and confrontational. Outside of the demesne her people controlled, however, it took a bit of mental effort to break such a habit. The utter confusion on her peer’s face in this exact moment keyed Mira in that she... probably ought to rein it in a little. She didn’t want to offend, after all.

Mira raised her hands apologetically, taking a half-step back with one leg. ”I didn’t mean to be rude,” she quickly explained, face growing hot with embarrassment. ”You’ve just, erh,” she paused and looked around to see if anyone was watching, though they were, for the most part, fairly alone. She huffed and shook her head, lowering her arms back down to her sides. ”The librarian recommended those,” she said, gesturing vaguely towards the two tomes in front of Teran, ”For the ‘enterprising young Padawan seeking to learn more on the lore of the Force...’” she mimicked the voice of the man she had asked when she came in that day – albeit poorly – before trailing off, “...or something like that.” She smiled gently to help ease the tension. Some Jedi were pretty skittish she found, so doing whatever she could to lighten the mood helped smooth out her interactions with people.

Mira relaxed before gesturing towards Teran’s current book. ”At least it’s thick enough to be a good pillow,” she joked, ”I’m Mira, by the way- Uh... Padawan Kryze, I mean.” She still wasn’t used to the different ranks of the Order, but she had observed on several occasions fellow members introducing themselves by their titles, so she figured that was the proper procedure. ”I’m... not interrupting your nap time, am I?” she asked, canting her head slightly to the side, her gaze still fixed on him. He was handsome, certainly. He could probably do without the little wisps of facial hair lining his lip and chin, but aside from that he wasn’t bad to look at. She couldn’t help but wonder how he’d fare in a fight, if only for a moment.

”Because I’d like to join you. In reading, I mean. Not, uh, not nap time.”

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

Teran was a pretty easy going person who wasn't generally easily offended, and within a moment he smiled and laughed as she mimicked the librarian that had also recommended the books to Teran.

That's pretty good, he said with a nod. The man seemed like quite the stickler and Teran had done everything he could to avoid the man after being yelled at twice for sleeping in the library. It wasn't like he could help it, he basically lived here at this point.

Oh yeah, Padawan Kryze, as you can see I'm heavy on protocol, he said with a snicker as he motioned to the area he was working in to indicate how he had just been sleeping. I'm Teran, he said. He had clearly not grown up in the military and didn't like to introduce himself by rank. Jedi Peon, he added with a smile.

Well you're welcome to join me in either napping or studying, he said with a shrug. But! he exclaimed. If you're the mischievous type, or the hands-on type, then maybe we want some... experiential knowledge? he proposed. Somehow he got the impression this might end up like the blind leading the blind, but he also thought it sounded fun. It was clear he was developing an idea, and he was already standing up, shoving the books in his satchel, and taking off out of the library. If she wanted the books, she'd just have to come along with him. @Painus

 

[Mira Kryze]

Mira smiled warmly and stifled a chuckle in response to Teran’s admittance to sleeping and subsequent introduction. Jedi peon, that was pretty good. She’d remember that the next time she had to introduce herself to someone who didn’t care much for the customs of the order like the two Padawans right here. Mira folded her arms across her chest and canted her head to the side somewhat as Teran began to pose a new idea. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion for but a moment, wary of the man’s words. With little time to think, however, she nodded along several times and managed to eke out a relieved ”Gods, yes,” just as Teran stood up and shoved his things in his satchel to prepare for departure.

Mira was all for getting out of the stuffy old library and do some more hands-on work, and the mischievous tone with which Teran suggested the idea piqued her interest far more than some boring treatise would. Being a Jedi was about doing things and saving the galaxy, not sitting in some boring book room and sleeping away the days. Any excuse to go and perform was a good excuse for the Mandalorian. She gathered what few things she had with her and joined Teran on the walk out, giving the librarian an appreciative smile as they passed. They looked like they were clearly up to no good.

As the duo made their way out of the library and down the corridors of the temple, Mira looked over at Teran, her curiosity finally getting the better of her. ”What exactly did you mean by ‘experiential knowledge’ back there? We going to go out, lift some rocks with our minds?” They passed by a few other Jedi on the walk out, but most kept to themselves after offering polite greetings. The two padawans, on the other hand, hurriedly rushed away, off to do some real learning.

@Phoenix

 

[Teran Atrix]

It seemed they were off to and adventure that involved two people without any knowledge of what they were doing trying to find out something about the Force. The librarian shot the two Padawans a look as they left, but it didn't seem that she had seen the book that Teran had stashed in his satchel. It would make a good reference for their coming adventure.

Maybe... he said with a shrug as she asked about making rocks float. I just want to... feel the Force, you know? he asked. He didn't know if this was going to make any sense, but Jedi were supposed to feel the Force flowing through them. He didn't really know what that meant, but he'd heard a pair of the Knights talking about a place where the Force was strong.

There's supposed to be a cave around here that's strong in the Force. But... it's a bit of a walk. How'd you end up here? he asked. She seemed rough around the edges, which had to mean that like him, she had only recently come to the Galactic Alliance or at least the Jedi. @Painus