Ask Jakku Hothead Squared

[Vanya]

Per my OP template, thread is death enabled​

Jakku was hot. Dathomir was hot and humid, but this place was dry and scorching. The sun beat down and radiated up off of the sand and the stone. The moment she stepped out of the ship, she wanted to run back into the air conditioning.

But now that she was out here, she could see that on a planet that had been completely wasted and destroyed by the purging fires of the Dark Side over 1000 years ago, there was the faintest bits of green growth coming out of the temple. In its own way it was encouraging. At least until she thought about the fact that these few tufts of green were the only life to survive on this planet.

She'd come along on this trip with Ezra's Padawan who seemed both eager to learn about the Force and eager to learn to fight. Both of those things were things that Vanya was good at. Just so long as no one was here to learn diplomacy or subtlety... or patience.

Grandmaster Ciri Vis was said to have spent some time here. The archives suggest that she may have been one of the last practitioners to learn or master Jedi Magic. If it actually existed. It seems the Jedi put a great deal of effort into making sure that no one knew about or practiced it for the last 1000 years, she explained to Theia. Truthfully, Vanya didn't really expect to find the teachings here, but even if they could find something that pointed to where the teachings were, that was a step in the right direction.

@GABA

 

[Theia Durand]

There was a bubbling excitement within the padawan to visit Jakku. She had read the stories and tales that came from this isolated world and hoped to experience it in the fullest once they arrived. However, what she was not prepared for was the reality of this world as she stepped out into the blinding sun and what felt to be right into a fire. She shared Vanya's desire to return to the AC, however, Theia was curious to what they were going to encounter here. The Dathomirian woman was open to bringing her along, filling her in on some brief history about the location.

Theia had read about Grandmaster Ciri Vis, but the idea of Jedi Magic was new to her. The padawan gave Vanya a look of disbelief when she explained the Order took steps to make sure it wasn't something easily accessed or even known. Theia didn't even know it was an aspect of the Force until a few hours prior to their arrival. "Why would the Jedi try to prevent others from learning it?" she questioned, not necessarily expecting a straight answer; the redhead frowned, "Its like they forget that the Force is not limited to one idea or another."

She followed Vanya into the temple's entrance, the shadow from the sun instantly made it more tolerable than being in the sun. Of course, the girl noted when she will be always avoiding Jakku. "Any clues so far on where to start looking?" she asked.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya pressed on toward the temple as they spoke, her feet sinking into the step to make each step something of a slog to get through.

Jedi Magic isn't actually limited to Jedi. Or maybe I should say that it's origin isn't really with the Jedi, she said. Its teachings are contrary to the Jedi depending on who you ask. It calls on Spirits of emotion - positive emotion - which many of the Jedi Councils over the years have shunned, she said. It was perhaps a tight rope to walk, but the idea of robbing oneself of everything that made you a sapient being seemed ludicrous to Vanya. In many ways, she was glad she hadn't grown up as a Jedi, and her experience with the Essence stretched far beyond just the way that the Order taught it.

Yes, they do forget. Many Jedi think their way is the only way, but that's not true. There are pitfalls to the other routes, but the same can be said about the Jedi, she said.

Not really. Just going to see if there's anything inside. Markings, writings, anything of use, she said. She knew that she was flailing in the dark on some level, but that was the nature of a scavenger hunt sometimes. You just had to get out there.

You're new to the Jedi as well, right? she asked. In truth, Vanya was as much looking to meet more Jedi as anything with this trip. While she wouldn't be training Theia directly, it didn't mean there weren't still things she could teach her or learn about her.

@GABA

 

[Theia Durand]

Theia listened intently as Vanya spoke, the padawan finding even the short explanations fascinating, "Spirits of emotions..." she repeated, whispering to herself. She was not surprised by how the Jedi have previously turned away from such teachings; she understood as so far the idea of emotions being a perceived as an aspect of the darkside. It was hard for her to imagine anyone without having emotions and trying to be a jedi, and instead it made more sense with current practice to be in control rather than her emotions controlled her. Much of these lessons she was raised on growing up and hearing them not only from her own mother, but also from Uncle Jai and Uncle Em.

Theia could agree with Vanya, "We should be open to many paths that follow the light, shouldn't we? If we just follow one, it seems to contradict to the idea of letting go when we need to when we're stuck... Like as though you keep trying the same problem with the same numbers, and expecting a different solution when all you get is the same. " Theia found herself drifting off in thought, still listening, mostly, to what Vayna explained as to what they were looking for in this temple. The air was certainly cooler and Theia begun to feel more cautious to the idea of creatures finding refuge from the sun and heat of the Jakku desert in here. It took her a moment for her process that Vayna asking her a question before shaking her head and quickly responding.

"Yeah! I'm still getting used to...everything. It feels weird, like I've always had a feeling I known I had this power. But now that I can touch it more, I feel like I know less about who I am." Theia shook her head, her fingers ran along some grooves in the temple walls, "Its a strange feeling; what about you? How long have you been with the Jedi?" she asked.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

I think so, but not everyone would agree, she said. There were many Jedi - fewer these days than there used to be - who thought the only way forward was the traditional Jedi way. They shunned or looked down on other sects that taught similarly.

They headed deeper into the temple, and Vanya stopped for a few moments to admire the etchings in the walls. The craftsmanship was no doubt exquisite when the temple was built because even now after it was practically in ruin, it still had a great deal of beauty to it.

I only came to the Jedi recently, she admitted. My Clan on Dathomir has long followed the teachings of what the Jedi would call the Light, she said. It was an adjustment for me - it still is - but it also feels natural in a way, she said.

@GABA

 

[Theia Durand]

Theia stopped when Vanya did as she observed the etched reliefs in the temple walls; the padawan could admire such work and the time it would take complete it. Though she didn't spend hours upon hours every day doing her own art, she could imagine the slow process it would be to create such a masterpiece in stone. A simple slip and could ruin the entire product, or even having it delayed for weeks as new stone was imported and replaced in the damaged segment. She wondered if the artists that created it then ever thought about their works being forgotten in time, only to be briefly visited by individuals such as Vanya and herself.

With much of the galaxy still influenced by minimalistic design, there was something about the craftsmanship that gave homes and buildings a natural feel to it.

When Vanya continued about her own time with the Jedi, Theia followed beside her further into the temple. She was relieved to hear that she was still adjusting to the life of the Jedi as she came from a clan on Dathomir. Even someone experienced in the Light side of the Force still needed time. Theia ran her fingers along the grooves in the wall, feeling the patterns of curves and angles of the engraved stone walls before she paused, dusting away some dirt spider webbing to reveal a lever.

"You think it still works?" she asked as she pulled it down.

The floor and ceiling shook violently for a moment as though they woke the entire temple from an eternity of sleep. However, as the mechanisms behind the walls moved and grinded loudly, a set of double stone doors were revealed behind them, and a series of stairs that lead down to the floor of a large room. Inside they would see shelves that covered the walls, they were bare except for the broken glass jars that doted the occasional shelf. In the center of the room was a large stone table with jars of different powders and materials, most looked organic to the padawan as she slowly entered the room. There were some tomes on the table as well as books that looked as though someone had tried to burn them.

"It looks like they used to make things in here." Theia picked up a mortar and pestle from the table trying to see if any residue remained in the stone bowl before moving onward to a jar, to which she tried to open.

roll: 19/20

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

I could never do that. Art was never my strong suit, Vanya said as they both looked at the etchings. She was jealous of those who were capable of creating such beauty. Vanya told herself that her art form was the her dance on the battlefield, but it was just... wasn't the same.

Only one way to find out, she said, though as she said it, her gut churned a bit. The Jedi weren't the type to trap things, right? The Nightsisters certainly were, but the Jedi had never struck Vanya as the types to want to inflict indiscriminate damage on people.

She cranked the lever, and the temple began to shake and groan with ancient power, transforming itself to accept and swallow them up even as ancient mirrors began to reflect the outdoor light down into the temple to provide them with a dim, blunted glow.

Doors? Vanya asked, making her way in that direction and pausing to look at what Theia was messing with.

That was when she felt something... wrong. Something dark and foreboding that felt old. Something that had lingered in this temple for a very long time, but something that also didn't feel... physical. It was a stain in the Essence.

@GABA

 

[Theia Durand]

Theia was not having any luck with the jar and eventually set it down, turning to Vanya who seemed pre-occupied and concerned with something that Theia couldn't necessarily see. However, what she couldn't see, Theia knew she could feel; the padawan stepped back from the table, reaching out with her own senses to feel something and immediately Theia pulled back. She looked at Vanya again slowly moving closer to Vanya.

"What is that?" she asked, cautiously opening her senses again, the presence still lingered, seemingly repulsed by the light siders within the temple. Her brow furrowed in her thoughts, "You didn't happen to read anything about the Jedi building their temple on something they probably shouldn't, did you?" she asked with a look of grimace as she wished she had done more research on this place. However, what she did know from nearly reading most of what the library would allow her to read was the Jedi had a habit of building things over dark nexuses to keep them more tame.

As much as Theia felt the presence push her to run and hide, there was curiosity, "We should see what it is..." she whispered, though she didn't think curiosity was necessarily a trait other masters looked highly upon, "For educational purposes of course." she said more with a straight face, as though she were some serious professor.

 

[Vanya]

Vanya gazed ahead at the wall, her eyes almost blank as she let her senses do the stalking of the corridors. It was too difficult to make out what it was for sure, but it was something that didn't belong.

I'm not sure. Something lingers in this temple, she speculated. Something that had been here for a very long time.

It almost feels like an old weight in the Essence. Like a stain, she said. Perhaps it was a memory made physical or a spirit that took on the shape of the devastation that had leveled the once-fertile world.

Not just for education. It is our destiny to confront darkness, she said. She was a firm believer that the Jedi's role - or at least her role in the Jedi - was to confront and banish or destroy evil. It was why she was here in this temple. The secrets of Jedi Magic might be just what the Jedi needed to do that more effectively.

She started moving down the halls toward whatever she felt, but saw nothing.

What do you think could have caused it? she asked. She had her own ideas and theories, but it was an educational opportunity for Theia. Or at least, Vanya thought so.

@GABA

 

[Theia Durand]

Theia looked from Vanya to the wall she seemed to be staring and searching far from where they stood presently. She hoped one day her senses could be as finely tuned, it always fascinated her to watch the Knights and it pushed to study and practice harder. She was without a clear answer, but how the Dathomirian described the being or creature, or whatever it was as a stain, Theia gave her a curious look; she wasn't sure if she had heard something ever be described as such outside clothing, but it made sense to the padawan as she walked beside Vanya, keeping up and keeping a look out for anything that may try to creep up on them.

She practiced reaching out, trying to feel what Vanya felt, and there was definitely a chill and a pressing feeling that what was also here with them collided harshly with the light they both carried. Theia glanced to the woman when she asked her thoughts on what could cause such a stain in the Force.

"Temples don't seem to be random, do you think they built it here on purpose?" she questioned, not necessarily expecting an answer, "I read Jakku has been in the tangle of battles between light and darkness for millennia, maybe more. It makes me curious if there was a wound here, and maybe they were also trying to use Jedi Magic to find an answer to healing it." suggested Theia.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Could be, Vanya said with a shrug. She honestly didn't know. She had read up a bit on the history but firstly she probably hadn't read as much as she could or should have and secondly, many of the records that had existed were destroyed during the Jedi Purge.

Vanya's own knowledge of the histories were sketchy at best.

But that was why they were here: to get answers. Vanya could only hope they actually managed that.

They walked forward, slowly and carefully, but perhaps not enough so. Or rather, maybe nothing would have stopped what unfolded next.

A spirit of darkness - a thousand tortured souls - descended on Theia without warning, seeking to thrust themselves into her mind and tear through what remained of her consciousness in an attempt to take over body and mind alike.

@GABA

 

[Theia Durand]

Theia's brow narrowed, slightly unamused that Vanya really didn't have an answer either, but she guessed it was why they were here, to find those answers. Though with the guesses she has made so far, it only piqued her curiosity about the place and why it was not someplace readily mentioned in jedi texts. The padawan kept pace with Vanya, only slowing when she came across writings engraved into the walls or reliefs that seemed to challenge time itself. She couldn't help shake the feeling of something, and internally she marked the feeling as the "stain" that Vanya was feeling earlier and it seemed, stronger, more foreboding.

Theia wouldn't need to caution herself any further as she felt as though the floor beneath her feet had opened up and she was falling. Terror, fear, agony tore into her mind; Vanya would certainly feel the disturbance and see the padawan step forward before collapsing to the floor, her hands gripping her head. Internally Theia screamed, but her breath only stuttered as she mentally pushed back against the spirit using everything she had learned, trying to remember everything Ezzie had taught her as she worked to seal the doors to the deepest recesses of her mind.

She wouldn't be easy for the spirit despite her novice ability, the padawan was at least good at putting up a fight. She was already in pain, it was not her own (yet), but Theia knew it would wear on her soon enough. She just hoped Vanya was helping her on the outside.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya saw the girl fall forward and a flash of fear shot through her mind. Fear that she would lose someone - a Padawan and a friend's Padawan at that - under her care. She didn't know precisely what had happened, but her instincts told her that it was bad.

Theia! she shouted, charging forward and practically knee sliding to her side.

Okh, kriff, net, pozhaluysta, she spat in a panic. It seemed Vanya had a bad habit of getting sucked into her partner's minds.

She reached out her hand, and pressed her mind against Theia's, pressing through the mesh layer that covered it before plunging inside to wherever she might fall out... or in rather.

@GABA

 

[Theia Durand]

No, Vanya had come to the inside, the Dathomirian would feel as though she had been falling for ages until she begun to rise, standing in an inky pool. She would hear the splashes of water as Theia came to her, rushing quickly, almost excited to see her, but confused as to why she was here and not out there. Theia just hoped she was real, "Vanya, something is doing this..." she gestured to the plane of her psyche.

They were both standing in a dark pool, a lake or pond of some sort that came up to their knees where they both stood. They would find when they walked through the pool to get to the shoreline, the liquid did not act as water, rolling off to rejoin the larger body of water and leaving them dry. They would see there was no color, only black or shades of grey, even their own hair and clothing would be dull in the only light that existed that seemed to be a moon, but it was covered by thinning clouds and when a wind blew, it blew ash. Before the two Jedi were a forest, gnarled dead trees lined their path and if they looked closely enough, the natural lines in the bark almost formed faces, twisted, agonizing, and the tree limbs looked very much like stretched limbs from living beings. Not to mention the smell here was horrendous.

"This is bad..." Theia whispered, wincing as she moved past each tree, "How do we get it out of me?" she asked quietly, dread threatening to overtake her thoughts. However, before she could say anything further, both jedi were hit by a chilling wind of fog and ash, a voice echoed around them.

Upon your flesh we will feed, then after a rest through winter's greed. A heart of ice, the flesh of you, we shall find a new place to rule.

Theia gasped, grasping at her head again, but Vanya would notice something different, more concerning as Theia's skin was becoming grey and rough like trees that surrounded them.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Vanya found herself half-submerged in deep water as inky and black as any she had ever seen. And yet, she knew it wasn't real. She knew it wasn't real, but it felt as real as any undersea lake on Dathomir.

When she burst back up again she was... dry. She was standing knee deep in the lake, but the water that had only moments earlier swallowed her up seemed to have faded.

Vanya didn't immediately say anything in response to Theia, instead looking out at the twisted forest of evil before them. It was unnatural and dark in a way that made her want to turn and flee. She almost did, barely restraining the urge to flee. But where woulds he go anyway? There was no turning back now... the only way out was through.

We burn it out. The only way to drive back darkness is with light, she said. The words might have normally sounded like some empty platitude, but Vanya had seen it firsthand. She had seen what could be done on worlds like Coruscant and Byblos where the darkness was so thick it felt beyond oppressive. And Vanya had discovered the best way to keep yourself from quitting was to leave no option for it.

Her eyes swept over to see Theia, shocked at the way her skin seemed to be changing.

No! Theia, fight it! she shouted, a glowing orb of green energy floating over her hand before she thrust it out at Theia. She would feel warmth suffuse her, seemingly burning away - at least on a small scale - the darkness that threatened to take over. It was a lifeline to latch onto, but the salvation would have to be her own.

@GABA

 

[Theia Durand]

The pain was not yet of her own, but the pain of thousands of souls that came before her steps into this temple; her pain was different, that of anger yet compassion for whatever it was that was trapping them, and attempting to trap herself here. She could feel herself stiffening, becoming frozen in place and if it wasn't for Vanya at her side, literally, and she guessed figuratively as they were on another plane, Theia would have been lost with the souls that were rooted here. Through the darkness, the light from Vanya shown through, and determined as she was stubborn Theia welcomed it, feeling herself reach and grasp what made them ultimately stronger.

As the bark like texture on her skin begun to fade, Theia gasped, able to take a clearing breath as she refocused despite feeling heavy as the dark spirit used her mind as its playground. "Vanya!" Theia gave a quick grin, excited to see her still beside her, "Its-"

The ground rumbled and the trees that normally creaked, shrilled in agony as the spirit took form. From the forest of its collected souls, it emerged, to take care of the Jedi in a manner it knew best.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

Whatever sort of monstrosity it was that was creeping down on them, Vanya could feel fear threatening to seize her, and he gritted her teeth down.

But this creature wasn't used to hunting Jedi. It wasn't used to those who could warp this realm with their very minds, and it wasn't prepared for the backlash it would receive from two trained Jedi.

Open the ground beneath it! she shouted to Theia. Here, in her own mind, to do something like that was a simple task. It wasn't like the real world where splitting the earth like a crater was a great struggle.

For her part, Vanya waited and reached out with both hands, holding the fear and pain in place until Theia could execute it.

As the creature fell into the ground, it would begin to twist and transform, swallowed up by a void, but also leaving behind what looked like a portal: a way back to their own world. A way to be free.

Vanya didn't understand it, but she had come to understand there was a lot about the Essence she didn't understand. At this point, she wasn't going to question it.

Go! Through the portal! she said, and even as Theia pressed herself onward, she would feel the terrible rending in her mind that was threatening to rip her to pieces if she didn't escape.

 

[Theia Durand]

Logic told Theia to yell back at Vanya and ask if she were crazy, she was just a padawan, she couldn't do feats like that yet. Though instinct overpowered that logic as she looked back at that approaching creature, poised in hunt, ready to pounce on the two souls it had...or was trying to attempt to trap in its forest. Just like the trees earlier, Theia knew she could fight back, she wasn't some helpless kid, she had to stop years ago and despite those moments when she felt like she was clueless on how to be a Jedi, so many choices laid before her. Luckily, Vanya picked the answer for her.

Theia inhaled deeply, it was her mind after all, like taking control of her own dreams she extended her palms, willing the ground underneath the creature to widen. It seemed just as shocked as Theia, who spread open the earth as though it threatened to snap close. She felt herself holding her breath as the white tips of its fingers fell into nothingness and something else took its place. Theia was worried if she let go the strange portal would disappear, but Vanya's directive pushed the padawan to go forth, commit to the unknown if it meant she and her friend would be free from this trap.

The redheaded teen grasped Vanya's hand tightly, there was certainly a resistance, as though the creature that was plunged into the void still had a presence her. However, Theia gritted her teeth, her feet felt as though they weighed a thousand kilos each; she felt as though she were dreaming, running, or trying to run, but not getting anywhere and at the same time, she was moving. Her free hand reached for the portal and she felt herself fall through.

A weightlessness took hold as there was light, blackness and loud gasp as she seemed to have control of herself as she laid on the cold stone floor of the temple. "Vanya?" she whispered, making sure she was there too.

@Phoenix

 

[Vanya]

As Vanya, too, plunged back through the void she felt the weight of the galaxy pulling down on her again, yanking her body and soul back into the physical world. Or maybe she hadn't actually gone anywhere at all. Maybe it was all just in her mind. Their minds.

Vanya leaned back, lying flat on the ground and groaning in response to Theia's querrying voice. Yes, I'm here. Are you okay? she asked, not actually sitting up from where she lay on the ground to look at Theia.

She just wanted to lay there forever, but she knew they weren't really out of the woods yet.

She finally pushed herself back up to a sitting position and looked across at the redhead. Ezra would never forgive her if she got his Padawan killed.

I think maybe we should go back, she said, which really translated to "I think you should go back and I'll come back again either on my own or with another adult."

And she was going to come back. She could sense that there was a hidden secret here, and perhaps the darkness itself was trying to keep them from it. Something that could banish back the darkness and reinvigorate the fight for the Light.

@GABA

 

[Theia Durand]

Hearing Vanya speak was welcoming and Theia let out a long exhale as she felt any tension she was hold finally leave her...or that's what she hoped it was and not like remnants of the mind-invader finally leaving her. The girl shut her eyes tightly and opened them several more times as she tried to reorient herself, "I'm fine." she stated, clearly a lie as her head was swimming not only from the dizziness and fog that settled heavily in her mind, but the very reality she had known was only torn apart once more by something she didn't fully quite understand yet. She wondered if that was going to be just a normal thing as a Jedi, the constant questioning of limits and mysteries that laid out in the galaxy.

Her light eyes caught Vanya sitting up and the padawan was a bit more slower to rise up as she felt a pounding sensation in her head, though it seemed not to bother her as much as the next statement that came from Vanya. "Go back?!" Theia seemed shocked and almost insulted, "We can't, not after..." she waved her hands trying to find the right words to described it, but none came, "That stuff." she pointed to hear head, "It probably wants us to leave, we got this far, we should keep going, I'm fine, really!" she said, looking more convincing as she walked a couple steps in confidence past Vanya.

"Clearly its trying to keep us away, and if it tries to get in my head again, I won't let it, I know its trick now." she said folding her arms in protest.

@Phoenix