Catching Up, Slowing Down

[Minna Balin]

Minna felt an rebellious stab of annoyance as Kay pointed out her anger. She wasn't frustrated, she just...

It dawned on Minna that if she was getting frustrated about not being frustrated, she was probably frustrated in the first place.

The seed of anger still burned in her, but it wasn't really directed at anything. This seed stopped her from sitting down right away, instead making her stare at the Queen suspiciously. What did she have in mind? Another boring 'mind-honing exercise', as Dad called them? Or, as she liked to call them, 'the most mind-numbing thing in the world'.

Still, something about Kay's mannerism, and that wink that said 'this will not be boring, this will be fun', coaxed her forward, banishing the angry seed. Minna sat cross-legged beside Kay, pulling the helmet off, and letting her deep black hair fall naturally.

"Alright. Now what?" Minna's dark eyes inspected Kay's, searching for an answer to her curiosity.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay took note of the hesitation that [member="Minna Balin"] showed before she sat down. There was skepticism in her eyes that was quite evident, but she merely smiled at her. "You know this clearing very well, I imagine. You know where the trees are, the boulders and helmets. But that's because you can see them." She was sure that Minna knew where she was going with this. Whether or not Ghorua had used the same technique, she wasn't sure.

Her voice softened now, lowered to that which was barely above a whisper. She didn't plan on hypnotising her at all, just calming her down sp that she could focus better. "Close your eyes. Try to use your other senses and feel your surroundings. Listen to the breeze as it moves through the trees. Are the helmets swaying too? When you think that you know where one of them is, aim your pistol and pull the trigger." Did Kay expect that she'd hit the target? It was entirely possible. Whether Minna did or not, she had plans for the next step. "Do everything in the way that you've taught. Focus, breathe and pull the trigger. Just don't peek."

Kay watched her now, focused on her eyes to see if she'd cheat or follow instructions.

 

[Minna Balin]

When Kay asked if Minna knew the clearing, the little girl nodded confidently. She spent a good portion of her day here, whether her father was home or not. It was a safe place, and while she moved things around ever so often, she knew the ins and outs of it perfectly.

Close her eyes? This had never been something her father had taught her. He'd always said to use whatever was available to her, to train with everything. She had never trained without something before.

"But, how do I..." Minna stopped herself as Kay continued to whisper to her, the question getting caught in her throat. How would she hit the target if she couldn't aim? Trusting that the Lady had a method to her madness, Minna shut her eyes, closing herself off from the world.

What other senses could she use, besides her sight?

Hearing was a good one. She heard the great rustlings of the tree branches above with a passing gale. She heard the soft twittering of birds, hunkering down in the high boughs, escaping the cold rushing about them. She heard the soft klunk of the stormtrooper helmets as they unerringly hit against their posts. She heard the creak of the shed off to the side, keeping the various training implements away from the elements.

Minna began to take in deep breaths through her nose. She smelled the vibrant taste of sap in the forest, the crisp scent of crushed pine. She smelled the acrid hues of stun blasts, littering the area. The air tickled her nose, playing around her and Kay in an endless dance.

She reached down, feeling the hard-packed earth beneath them. She felt the remnants of the wind above pattering down, bringing with it needles that quietly slid off her arms. She felt Kay's breath beside her, warm and comforting. Strangely enough, she began to feel other things.

Feel wasn't exactly the right word. She couldn't touch what she was sensing. It was like an undercurrent around her, barely out of reach. She felt the movement of this current, how it slipped around things, how it permeated them. Minna took in a choppy breath, having her first experience with what some may call the Force. Not like the tricks she did. Sensing her Dad's thoughts, sensing the thoughts of Bones, or Cath, they were different. This was the first time she'd opened up to it.

And somewhere in her consciousness, she felt her targets. Minna raised her arm, and stuck out her tongue as she aimed towards her feelings. Then, she pulled the trigger.

The stun blast crackled out, missing the helmet by centimeters.

"I.. didn't get it, did I?" Minna didn't open her eyes, but the disappointment coming from her couldn't be mistaken.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay watched [member="Minna Balin"] as she went from being completely unsure of what was going on, and then into a growing awareness. She took her time and that was a very good thing. There was no need for them to rush.

Minna brought up the pistol and opened fire. Kay turned her head the second it fired, seeing it breeze by the helmet as it swayed in the wind. Kay grinned. She was so very close! Yet she kept her excitement down, speaking in that still soft and gentle tone when she answered Minna's question. "Width of a hair away. Keep in mind that your target is moving with the wind. Listen for it, predict it's movements and fire when you think it falls in your line of sight." There were times she knew when Minna would not be able to use her eyes while hunting or protecting herself, so she'd have to use her instincts. Surely Ghorua would approve.

 

[Minna Balin]

A hard, affirmative nod was all Kay got as Minna refocused her attention to the helmet. It was difficult to keep track of so many things. Her arm, the blaster, the helmet, the wind... it was a lot to ask of the little girl.

Minna would have it no other way.

The hunter/Jedi-to-be raised her blaster, in the exact same position she had fired before, or at least, as close as she could guess. She dove into her senses again, feeling the wind play across her skin, hearing it whistle through the trunks of trees. The clacking of helmets.

There was no pattern to that sound, of what she could tell. It was random, the wind seeming to pitch them back and forth unpredictably. Minna's brow creased as she concentrated, burning holes through her eyelids with her stared. How was she supposed to predict the movement of the wind?

Minna had a guess. She wouldn't have to feel the wind, but feel the wind.

As she quieted her mind, the hard lines of her face relaxed. She focused on the wind, the helmets, her aim, everything. The less Minna thought about it, the more she understood, the more she saw. She could picture the clearing in her head, the two of them sitting on the ground, Minna's arm raised, blaster at the ready.

Through the Force, she saw where the wind would pitch the helmets next. She kept her hand steady, her face completely calm. She tensed her finger, tapping lightly against the trigger...

Something compelled her to aim slightly to the right. Goosebumps rose on her arms.

The blaster bolt struck right between the eyes of the farthest helmet, making the training implement fly off the post it was hung upon. Minna was surprised, to say the least.

"I... hit it." She was breathless, eyes still closed, a slight smile replacing the frustration from before.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay just watched. Thankfully she didn't get frustrated at all. [member="Minna Balin"] 's temper was in check. Good. It meant that she was quite open minded when it came to learning.

And again she took her time, allowing her to stop thinking and just to feel. Kay had never tried this herself. Instinct just told her that it was what Minna needed. [member="Veiere Arenais"] always told her to trust in the Force, so that was what she was doing. With Minna and Ghorua, she didn't need to hide herself. That made her feel....good. And whole.

A grin grew as Minna hit the target. She wanted to jump for joy and clap, but now wasn't the time. Instead she kept herself calm and her voice soft and quiet. "Yes you did. Very well done. Now try for the others." Kay had to see whether her focus was dropped from her excitement at all.

 

[Minna Balin]

Training Minna was very different from regular Minna.

Ghorua had insisted that his daughter took training seriously. It wasn't a game, she remembered him telling her. What she learned here might save her life one day. Of course, she could never banish the bright, energetic spirit that made up her entire being, but she was far more serious about training than her normal, everyday life.

She was impatient to get to training, but once she was there, she was in the zone.

Hitting the second target took a little more time, simply because Minna was still getting used to understanding this new sense that had opened up to her. It felt like she was reintroducing something she had forgotten long ago, like it was second-nature. She fired once at the target, and almost immediately fired two more shots, each one closer and closer to the target, until she also hit it dead-on.

The last helmet only took two shots. One slightly above it, the other knocking the target off of it's pedestal as well.

Minna breathed out slowly, not realizing she'd been holding it all this time. They weren't perfect shots, she knew that, but she'd managed to hit all the targets without batting an eye. Or opening one, for that matter.

"That felt... strange." Minna kept her eyes closed, staring sightlessly at where the helmets had been. Her voice was calm, and that calmness surprised even her. "I was feeling things, but I wasn't. I didn't see them, but I knew where they were. I've... never felt anything like that before."

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smiled as she watched [member="Minna Balin"] work her way through the targets. Sure she missed, but that was to be expected. Already she was thinking of the next steps to further her skill, the ideas coming to her as though she had done this a hundred times or more. But in reality, this was a first. Minna was her first real student.

She nodded as Minna spoke, all three targets now needing to be picked up off of the forest floor. "You can open your eyes now. And yes, it does feel strange. For some it makes them feel more alive, for others it makes them feel more connected. Yet for others it makes them feel...more paranoid." Kay smiled as she tucked more hair behind Minna's ear. "You did amazing. Remaining calm gives you better control. Soon you'll get even better at it and be able to protect yourself and others from harm even when you can't see. We rely too much on our sight sometimes. This will give you an advantage over potential enemies."

Kay got to her feet and stretched a little. "Shall we reset the helmets and try again?" She was fine with either way. Practice makes perfect, afterall.

 

[Minna Balin]

"Yeah." Minna rolled onto her back, pressing her hands against the smooth ground. Strength surging in her limbs, the little girl kicked up, landing on her feet. Her workout routine was truly starting to pay off. Maybe if she kept practicing with the Force, she'd get better at that as well.

She jogged over to a post, and reattached a helmet to the top. She rubbed the carbon scoring off of the front with a stray cloth, something else on her mind. Something Kay had said had struck her as odd. Gathering up the courage to speak, Minna posed the question.

"Kay, you said connecting to the feeling makes some people feel paranoid." She busied herself with making sure the helmet was on straight. Something in the Lady's inflection had bothered her.

"Does it make you feel paranoid? The Force?"

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay smiled at [member="Minna Balin"] 's athletic skill. At such a young age she had learned so much. All in thanks to her Dad. She walked over to the other helmets, finding one of them under a bush and picked it up, placing it back on the post.

Minna asked her question while keeping her back to her. No doubt that given the nature of it, the girl was uncertain of whether or not she could ask. Although the question and answer wouldn't make Kay feel comfortable in any way, she was glad that Minna had the courage to ask.

"Yes...yes, it does. And for a few reasons." Kay just busied herself while she spoke, fidgeting with the helmet, wanting it to be in the perfect position and direction, almost as though she had a bit of OCD. "For one thing, it was what caused my parents to give me up. I found my Father years later, purely by accident. The hate and fear in his eyes were quite evident. He saw me as a cheat and a trickster. You see, Minna, Force Sensitives aren't supposed to lead governments. Others are fearful of it, believing that they'll all be manipulated in the same way that Palpatine did all those centuries ago. I kept it secret when I joined the Republic Senate. And when I revealled it to a Jedi that I needed help from, he got really angry and arrested me. I was nearly executed for it, even though I had caused no harm. I was barred from serving in the Republic soon after. And such anger and fear has mostly always been the result when I let people be aware of my secret. So that has me paranoid. Also, I'm sure that your Dad has told you about me being a magnet for trouble? Well most of that trouble is Darksiders, and powerful ones at that. Sometimes I can befriend them, but then there are other times when I'm not so lucky." She rubbed the back of her neck. Nightmares about her abduction and torture still occured every now and then. Veiere told her that it might never end, and she'd just have to accept that. "So you see, my paranoia upon using it is not unwarrented. But that doesn't mean that you have to be afraid. Your path in life grants you the capability and the advantage of learning such skills without a bad fallout for it."

 

[Minna Balin]

Minna kept her back to Kay, moving to the final helmet to it's position on the pike. The question had been personal, and even though Minna had never been the type to shy away from anything, but she was sensitive to the seriousness of the question she'd asked.

Minna listened, turning to face the Lady, noticing her body language. The fidgeting, the neck-rubbing, it told a story. Ghorua hadn't taught her how to read people yet, but it didn't take a genius.

Forgetting the helmets, Minna went to stand beside Kay. She looped her arm under Kay's, leaning her head against the taller Lady comfortingly. "Dad never told me that. About the Republic. The Jedi." The girl turned the contact into a full hug, wrapping her arms around Kay's waist.

"I'm sorry."

There was nothing else to say. What could've she said? Years of pain couldn't be erased by words, Minna knew that much. She had tried with Dad. Some wounds could be healed with bandages, but scars could only fade with time.

Making no move to leave the tender moment, Minna spoke into the folds of Kay's clothes. "I'm ready to try again."

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay didn't reveal everything to [member="Minna Balin"] . That could all be saved for when she had gotten older. The last thing that she wanted was to give the girl nightmares.

What surprised her was when Minna came to her side, almost hesitent in her movements of showing her affection. Kay looked down at her and smiled, wrapping her arms around her shoulders to hug her back. The comforting gesture was most welcomed. "It's alright. It's not your fault. It's just how things are for me up until this point. You've got it better though. And with my help, it can get even better still."

She stroked Minna's hair, running her fingers through the strands. "Alright. But don't be too hard on yourself if you miss. I'm sure that your mind is a bit preoccupied now." Kay didn't make a move to break the hug either. She rather liked getting close to her. It'll help with their training.

That is until Cath distracts her.

 

[Minna Balin]

Minna cherished their hug for a second, two, indefinitely. For years, she had only hugged Ghorua, because he was the only one in her life she felt close to. Hugging someone she could actually wrap her hands around was nice.

Then, amid the contact, she felt a stirring at the back of her mind. A consciousness, long dormant and growing, sluggishly rising from it's slumber. Minna pulled away from Kay, trying to make sense of whatever it was that distracted her. She closed her eyes, distancing herself from the clearing, and her lesson. She sorted through the new feeling. It felt young, and angry, but fragmented, like she was looking at one miffed soul through a kaleidoscope.

She couldn't make heads or tails of it.

Then, it hit her. The elation she felt with the realization was akin to when she opened herself up to the Force. All the waiting, the failure, the doubt... It had paid off.

"Cath..." Minna snapped back to reality, turning towards the cabin, and the shed that housed her egg. Forgetting all of the tranquility that she'd built up during their training, the excited little girl sprang for the path, lean steps carrying her forward, toward her egg. Or what was left of it.

She raced into the small enclosure, darting towards the enclosure that held Cath. She barely noticed Bones in her kennel, growling at the incubator, scenting the air, and deeming the new smell an apex predator. She barely noticed the whirring as the light above Cath's pen work to stay warm. She barely noticed the pieces of a disassembled saberpike in the back, shoved under heavy canvas.

No, she noticed the snout of a lizard-like animal, piercing it's way through the egg.

But something felt different. The rest of the head came out, but it didn't look much like the pictures of Krayt Dragons she'd seen. This one was a sandy brown, but that was where the similarities ended. The head of the hatchling was followed out of the shell by a hood, which sprang into all it's fullness.

Then, on the other side of the cracking oval, another head sprang out, this one giving out a soft cry.

Then, another. And another. And another.

Minna stared at Cath in amazement and awe as the little serpent squirmed and slithered it's way out of the egg, all five heads staring right back at her.

This was no Krayt Dragon.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay raised a brow as [member="Minna Balin"] pulled away from the hug and gave her a funny look. She was about to ask her why, when Minna closed her eyes, seeming to open herself up to the Force again. What was she up to? They weren't in position to start the lesson again.

And then she said it. Cath. Her Krayt dragon. Minna had turned and ran so fast that she could hardly see her. Kay jogged after her. It wasn't until she got near the house that she ran up the porch and banged on the door quickly. "Ghorua! I think that Cath is hatching!" Then she was back off the porch again, heading over to the little shed that held the hatchling.

Nearly skidding to a halt, she peered through the opened door, her mouth dropping open at what she saw. That wasn't a krayt dragon as far as she knew. It was something else. But what that was, Kay had no idea. "Minna? What have you got there?....."

 

[Minna Balin]

Minna was just as surprised as Kay, perhaps a little more, as she stared at the being... no, beings, that was Cath. They were more than one creature, Minna was sure. It was difficult to tell when the little hydra was in the egg, because of it's limited consciousness, but now that it was free from it's shell prison, it was obvious that each head had different thoughts, a different personality.

All of these personalities trained their beady black eyes on Minna, tongues flicking, tails swishing the sand.

The little Balin ignored Kay for a few second, observing the cluster of new faces with interest. They all swapped glares for a moment. Two. Then, not deeming the little girl a thread, the Cath curled up, and began to snooze on the sand, under the bright lights of the solar lamp. Breaking out of the egg had been a feat of strength for the small things, and they needed a rest.

Minna looked back to Kay, her smile suddenly intensifying. "That's Cath," she said, stepping into the enclosure with the beast.

Perhaps not the safest thing for her to do, but she was too quick for the Lady to stop her.

Minna began to whisper to the reptilian creatures, much like she did when she first met Bones. "Hello there," she started, patting one of the sluggish heads. Surprisingly, the serpentine neck did next to nothing, as if it were completely content with having a young child's hands on it. She went along each head, making sure they all got equal attention, none seeming to mind. "We're all going to be best friends, I know it."

Minna didn't realize she was creating an Animal Bond, using her natural gifts out of instinct. Each mind was reigned in by the little girl, each head slowly recognizing Minna as a friend. It was almost magical.

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay took a step forward as [member="Minna Balin"] stepped into the enclosure, holding out her hand as if she could try to take a hold of her shirt, but then she stopped and lowered her hand. Cath seemed to make no response, not even a hiss as Minna touched them. It was strange.

"Cath is...well...not what I expected." But she wasn't sure if that was a good thing, or a bad thing. More than likely a mixture of both.

She looked over her shoulder towards the house. Where was [member="Ghorua the Shark"] ? Didn't he hear her when she rapped on the door and shouted for him? Maybe he was napping?

"So...umm..What do you think that Cath likes to eat?"

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua was lounging on the couch, looking at security footage, when he heard the rapping on the door. He wasn't sure he heard the Lady correctly. Cath was hatching? Perhaps he should've trusted Minna a bit more.

Putting away his holopad, the Shark took his time in coming out, if only to give Minna some time with her new friend.

~ ~ ~​

​

In Minna's hands, the hydra's heads perked up, sensing vibrations in the ground. A large thing coming their way. Minna patted them back down assuringly, understanding where their fear came from. She'd put it together. "They're different. I thought it was only one friend, but now it's five!" On Kay's question about food, Minna placed a finger on her chin, thinking. "Not sure. Meat? That's what regular dragons eat."

Ghorua walked in, preparing to say something congratulating, when he saw what Cath actually was. He stopped in his tracks, peering at the little thing just as two of the heads peered back, their eyes in reptilian slits. His expression grew deadly serious as he observed his daughter in the same pen as a strange beast. And he had one thought.

That zoologist had gypped him.

"Minna. Could you step out for a second." He didn't phrase it like a question. Minna picked up on that fact, stepping out of the cage quickly. Cath's heads observed Ghorua skittishly, back sails shivering. He took out his holopad, searching furiously for what this thing was.

"They're not mean. Just kinda lazy," Minna stated, trying to calm her father. The little Balin frowned at the larger, then frowned at Kay worriedly. Her father was shaken, closed off.

She tugged on Kay's clothes, looking to her for comfort. "Did I do something wrong?"

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay was just thinking that [member="Minna Balin"] would have to give Cath five names, especially as she said they were all different and not just one creature. And no doubt they probably ate meat. Yet that was just an assumption.

[member="Ghorua the Shark"] stepped in by then and she saw the change in him. At first he was jovial but then his parenting instincts came in. It didn't take a Force User to pick up on it. Not that she blamed him. They had no idea what Cath was.

Kay looked down to Minna and wrapped an arm around her. "No, no, you didn't do anything wrong. Cath has just caught us by surprise, that's all. We just have to be sure that you're not in danger. And find out what Cath is, what Cath eats. We don't want to have a grumpy....well...whatever it is."

 

[Ghorua the Shark]

Ghorua's fingers moved swiftly across the holopad, looking up things with multiple heads like this. Everything he saw didn't quite seem right. Whatever it was, it wasn't common across the galaxy. It made sense. Why else would poachers be smuggling them?

"I... have no idea what this is," Ghorua finally stated, defeatedly. His shoulders were tense, his eyes worried. He didn't like not knowing things. "From the looks of it, it's a predator, so at least we have food stockpiled to feed it. At least, until I know if it's safe or not."

"Cath is safe!" Minna pulled gently away from Kay, still holding her hand. "They're all just babies! And they're lazy." Minna stared at Ghorua, willing him to see her point of view.

"What if it's venomous, Minna?"

"They won't bite me!"

Slowly, Ghorua realized that they were fighting in front of an honored guest. He frowned apologetically. "We'll table this discussion, yeah? I just want to keep you safe." He looked to the Lady, questioningly.

"What do you think? If it is dangerous, would Minna be able to control it?"

- [member="Lady Kay"] -

 

[Kay-Larr]

Kay furrowed her brows as she listened to [member="Ghorua the Shark"] and [member="Minna Balin"] 'discuss' the situation. It was strange that Cath's species wasn't easily looked up. That must mean that it was quite rare indeed.

The very fact that there was a chance they may need to take Cath away from Minna wasn't a very pleasant one to think about. And now here was Ghorua, asking for her advice. It was normal to be afraid of the unknown, especially as a parent.

Kay gave Minna's hand a gentle squeeze. "She has two things on her side right now. One being that Cath is newborn, perhaps it might even imprint itself to her, thinking of her as it's parent. The other is Minna's gift of getting creatures to trust her and like her. Look at how quickly she got Bones to like her..." She chewed the inside of her cheek. "We'll do some research. If Cath tries to hurt her, then seperate them. Otherwise, just keep a watchful eye." They needed to show Minna some trust, otherwise she'd lack confidence in herself.