Ask Ajan Kloss So, Master, About your Ship...

[Juniper]

"I'm. Fine!" she spat out, clearly not. It wasn't that it hurt much. Her back wouldn't really bruise much, she'd only landed in mud and leaves. It was more her pride than anything. Coupled with annoyance, mostly at herself. She'd done it, she'd actually done it and felt the force flow through her feet... only to mess up halfway through.

She stood up again, trying to brush herself off. Failing, because by that point it was all mud and swamp scum clinging to her formerly-fresh coat. I will never get this stuff out of it, she thought with a little sadness. But she closed her eyes for a second, breathing in, ready to try again.

One step back, and then she set off again. Running towards the tree. Closer and closer. She breathed, she focused. Clear your mind. Let it flow. She ran, raising her foot. The force flowed, she moved with it, turning up the trunk. The next foot shifted up. Don't think, let it happen. She ran up a couple more steps, feeling that strange, tingly connection from foot to boot to bark. Run on instinct, believe it will work...

She reached out with her arm and a wordless gasp, grabbing the branch next to Oren. She blinked like she'd just noticed where she'd got to, looking around. Carefully, she pulled herself up onto the branch with a grunt, jaw clenched. When she finally managed to pull herself up a little more, she turned to Oren, open-mouthed.

"I... I did it."

Then she grinned, open and wide.

"I DID IT!"

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

She's doing it, she's really doing it! A wide eyed smile would form on his face as he watched her pick herself up, life was about failing and learning. There was no giving up, doing so would mean that you felt there was no point in continuing, and while one was alive there always would be. With each step she took up the tree, his heart would thud louder and louder. The force was a beautiful thing, to see it growing within his own student was a sight that he was happy to be here for.

He would match her own expression, "Yes! You did Nara," he'd look out towards the expansive jungle, "And now you have completed your first lesson, that the force is not something to be controlled over. It's a relationship in which the two of you work together, does that make sense?"

tag: @Charndley

 

[Juniper]

Nara screamed with joy... inside her head. She'd done it. She'd felt the force flow through her and it had worked with her. She'd run straight up there, defying gravity and her own expectations. She basked in a moment of triumph, still beaming as she looked out over the jungle. At the birds flying, the leaves fluttered and the life living within her sight. When she breathed in, she felt truly part of it for the first, real time.

"Yes master. It does." She really meant it. The only way she'd managed to make it work, to truly embrace what was possible and do something amazing, was to work with the force. Not overpower it. When she tried to force it to work for her, it did nothing.

What a surprise, I was too stubborn to use the force properly. That sounds like a 'me' problem, alright.

"I take it back," she said suddenly, looking at Oren, smiling a little more. "You're not all that weird."

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

Would be slightly taken aback by her response, Weird...here she goes again with the weird comments...Am I really that weird? He'd huff as he shook his head, "Hey now, let's not get carried away.." He'd place a hand on her shoulder as he passed her, his feet slowly channeling the force to descend back down the tree. "I like my weird title!"

It was a relief to see her taking such an interest in all of this. Maybe he was getting things down this time, unlike his last failed attempt with Byron. Though, whatever short lived moment they had would quickly fade as R2 beeped and rocked. Oren would turn to see his ship bubbling and sinking further into the water. "Well, are you ready for your test?"

tag: @Charndley

 

[Juniper]

Nara smirked at him as he placed her hand on his shoulder. "No, you're right. I wouldn't want you getting complacent, Master," she replied. It seemed strange to think that she'd been trying to escape from all this, just the previous day. Her place in all this seemed so much more certain now.

Amazing what a little bit of success can do, right?

She followed him down, slipping off. Using less of the force and more of her natural reflexes to drop, falling and managing to a little forwards out of the momentum. Nar Shaddaa style, yo. Then Nara grimaced at her own embarrassing thought. Luckily, Oren was ready to move her on.

"Yes Master, I am," she replied, hands on her hips and full of confidence until she turned with him and saw... that. Again. The ship. "Oh yeah. That. Huh." Suddenly didn't seem so easy now.

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

Oren had been too distracted to watch Nara descend from the tree, but the young student would have no doubt that if he had seen it, he would have found it to be amazing. Instead, he would bend down in the mud as the rain gently ran through his soaked brown hair, his fingers trailing through the grime and dirt as he watched his ship. It was evident through the force that he was feeling something, a sadness, nostalgia, happiness, a mixture of wide arranging emotions for Nara to pick up on if she was willing to listen to the force around her.

We'll get you out of there. He would turn towards the girl, his eyes focused and full of confidence. "You are ready," he'd say in a neutral tone, "It's going to take everything, you might collapse, but I will take care of you." He'd place a hand against her shoulder, "Trust in the force and most importantly...trust in yourself." He would nod.

tag: @Charndley

 

[Juniper]

I'm ready, Nara thought to herself. She tried to believe it too. She gave Oren a nod and just tried to believe in herself. She'd managed to run up that tree, how hard could it be to just... apply it differently? She tried not to think about just how heavy and huge that ship was in the swamp.

"Thanks, the fact that I might collapse really fills me with confidence, Master," Nara groaned, but she wouldn't stop. She was going to do what it took.

Nara raised her hand again, right towards the ship. Her breathing slowed as she tried to let that loose focus flow, let herself feel everything. Just feeling herself slow down and take in more and more. Feeling it flow from the ground to herself, to the creatures around them. Simple leaps from frogs and birds and insects. The spatter of rain on leaves. A complex, strangely liquid swirl of emotion from Oren himself, tinged with a weird sadness she couldn't quite work out. However, she couldn't focus on that. The ship. The ship. The ship.


Her fingertips twitched a little as she felt a little jolt of connection. She could feel a little shiver through herself, like her fingertips had just managed, for the briefest half-second, to touch the ship itself. Tensing, she just told herself to lift. Told the ship to lift. Her arm lifted just a little bit and she felt it.

A squeal of metal echoed around the swamp as the ship shifted slightly, sending ripples out through the swamp water. Nara gritted her teeth as she focused more, really trying to push herself. C'mon, you can lift, you're just in water, you're nothing, there's just the force around you, c'mon you hunk of crap...

The ship started to move. It rose a little bit out of the water, sending cascades of green, mossy swampwater out from it's vents and crenels and crannies. A small discolouration to the paint where it'd been submerged for a few hours. Nara kept on focusing but it was taking all her effort. Her face turned bright red. Her head hurt, quite a bit. A throbbing push behind her eyes. A vein tensed in her forehead as her arm twitched a little. She shook slightly as she kept trying, willing the force to move it.

@TWD26

 

[Oren Zapan]

Oren watched as Nara reached out with the force, a small smile forming on his lips as the ship began to float, "Good..feel yourself in the force, feel it around you." He could see every muscle in her body tense as she worked away at the ship, the amount of pressure and weight would be enough to give even himself trouble.

It was never about getting her to remove it out herself, it would be impossible at this stage, instead it was to show her that it was, with practice. Behind her he would reach out in the force, aiding her own efforts as he helped pull the ship up out of the water and floating towards them and past them into a small open patch in the jungle. He would lower his hand, with a soft sigh. His hands placing on Nara's to prevent her from falling down in fatigue.

"You did excellent." He'd say in a gentle tone.

tag: @Charndley

 

[Juniper]

Nara's breathing became quick and heavy, blinking quickly as she summoned all the energy, determination and grit in her body to try and move that damn, stupid, junk-rat ship out of the swamp she'd left it in. It felt like she'd burst before it lifted much more. Then the burden lifted and she felt it float up. Almost instantly, she sagged and breathed deep, drinking in the thick, wet air.

It was only Oren's hands that stopped her sinking completely to the floor. For a moment, her vision blurred and there was nothing but woozy greens and blurry browns there. She reached for the canteen on her belt, shaking slightly as she untwisted the cap and brought it to her lips. She chugged the refreshing, sweet stuff down eagerly.


"Thank you Master," she told him, her voice slightly rough. She gave him a little smile and then shook her head.

"I promise I'll take the shuttle next time," she said, as she thought of nothing but her quarters and her bed.

/END THREAD