Light and Dark (Closed)

[Santoro]

Santoro smiled to himself, immersed in total darkness. He sent Adriana waves of calm and reassurance, then withdrew, keeping his meditation up. In his pose he looked so peaceful, so sure and relaxed. He chuckled to himself.

"You stood. This makes me believe you think being a Jedi is just fancy lightsaber tricks and pushing things with your mind... So tell me, Adriana. What is a Jedi? What is the Force?"

 

[Emma Lou]

Adriana did not move when he addressed her stand. She did not think much of the Jedi or the Sith or any Force using faction. She did not want to be known as a Jedi either.

I know they fight for peace. The Force is everywhere, it lets us control it so that we can do great things"

 

[Santoro]

Santoro nodded, a little bit.

"Close, and not close at all. The Force isn't just around us, Adriana... It is us. It is the carpet you're standing on, and it is the air you just breathed. It defines us, guides us, and binds us... The Force is everything, and without it, life cannot exist. This may be one of your most crucial lessons, and many Jedi go their entire lives without realizing it. In this sense, one does not use the Force, they merely borrow it's strength."

 

[Emma Lou]

Adriana nodded, taking it in. The Force was something she knew little about, but she was here because she wanted to learn more.

 

[Santoro]

"Sit, and make yourself comfortable. We're going to be here for a while."

Santoro was quiet for a long time at this point, obviously lost in his thoughts.

"You touched what most call the Dark Side. This is ignorance... Because in this galaxy there is one simple truth- there are no truths. There is no light or dark. No good or evil, and no right or wrong. At the same time, all of these things do exist, but who defines them? The leaders? The majority? Your upbringing? All of these things can be changed or shattered, and then the ethical scale is up in the air. The Force does not take sides, Adriana, it is simply The Force."

 

[Emma Lou]

Adriana sat down in front of Santoro; her teacher, friend, and love. She understood what he was saying, but a apart of her did not agree with him.

"So if I went on a mass killing spree using the Force, would that be alright?"

 

[Santoro]

Santoro smiled, and nodded. She was already learning, which was good... It was good to question, but hard to answer.

"To me? No. Obviously not to you, either. But think of it this way- the Jedi are against killing, but they do so because of necessity. What defines an acceptable amount of death? When does necessity stop and enjoyment begin? Is enjoying a job well done or a clean kill considered evil, and why is it considered wrong if death is just a natural part of life? A soldier who is thrown into combat through a draft does not want to fight, but kills for defense. What sets that apart from cold blooded murder? All of these questions are hard to answer, and I do not even dare touch them. The simple fact is that only you can decide your own truths, and that is the only way one can be at peace." He chuckled.

"Frustrating, isn't it?"

 

[Emma Lou]

Adriana nodded. She was already starting to hate this.

"Yes, but I am not a Jedi. I am merely being trained in the way of the Force. So that means I don't have to follow the rules of the Jedi?"

 

[Santoro]

"You do not have to follow any rules except your own, Adriana. You are not a Jedi, and you are not a Sith, you are somewhere in between." He sighed, and shook his head a little, thinking.

"I can tell you're a little lost. Any questions?"

 

[Emma Lou]

Adriana just smiled and shook her head.

"Nope"

She changed her sitting position and sat cross-legged in front of Santoro.

"I just wanted to know what if I killed a whole bunch of people if it would be okay"

She was just joking now and she hoped that Santoro would figure that out.

 

[Santoro]

"Just make sure you say you're sorry, and it'll be fine." He smiled, and summoned the Force again in the room.

"I guess to advance all of this philosophical nonsense, you have to actually be able to use the Force, huh? Lesson one- connecting to the Force. It is hard to explain exactly what the Force is, so it is hard to explain how to touch it. Like growing up- theres no set way to do it. Just close your eyes, clear your mind, and concentrate on nothing, and on everything. I'll be here to help you, but you have to do the work."

 

[Emma Lou]

Adriana was starting to grow skeptic about this whole Force thing. She closed her eyes and focused on nothing. Nothing happened, like she had expected.

"I do not feel any different"

 

[Santoro]

"Because you are blocking it out. The Force is a strange thing for such a powerful source, most people go their entire lives without ever feeling it. It's like back home on Corellia, when kids were growing up, their parents would tell them that Lord Nyax didn't exist- but if they all would have paid more attention, he was very real." Santoro smiled a little as memories came flooding back.

"So, for you, the truth is there is no Force. Change the truth and expand your mind. Don't call the Force, let it flow through you."

To get her started, Santoro pushed the Force in her direction, concentrating it around her.

 

[Emma Lou]

Adriana tried again and she felt it envelop her. She just sat there and let it wash over her. She did push it away though even though she did not realize it. She stood up quickly and started to pace.

"I don't understand!"

 

[Santoro]

"You don't have to understand, you just have to accept. For over twenty thousand years, Jedi have tried to understand just exactly how the Force works... And no progress has been made." Santoro merely watched her through the dark, sensing her presence.

"A key to calling the Force is calm. Peace with ones self." Santoro stood, and walked over to her, grabbing her hand and pulling her close.

"Take a breath. We'll do this together."

 

[Emma Lou]

Adriana put her head on his shoulder. It was all too soon for her still. She had killed a man in cold blood, she had touched the dark side, she had attacked Daniel.

She closed her eyes and let her mind wander. She tried to concentrate on nothing, but her mind keep coming back to Santoro.

 

[Santoro]

Dan closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, stretching out to her. He did his best to connect to her, trying to guide her. Once he was sure she was connected to him, he pushed the Force through her, allowing her to feel it's flow.

"To be honest, I could have done this from across the room, but I thought it was a little better this way." He smiled.

"Some people have trouble initially connecting to the Force, but it happens when you need it to... It's happened before, and theres no reason for it to happen again."

 

[Emma Lou]

Adriana pulled away from him and smiled.

"So what is next?"

She did not feel comfortable being close to him after her run in with the Akegata.

 

[Santoro]

Santoro shrugged, pushing thoughts from his mind.

"I think we should have a little talk, actually." He turned, and sat down on his bed again. He reached over and turned on his light, flooding the room in a soft glow.

"Tell me what happened."

 

[Emma Lou]

Adriana knew this would be coming, but she really did not want it to. She continued to pace around the room.

"What do you mean?"