Deception, Protection... and Something Else-tion!

[Jannik Morlandt]

"River? What river?" He said, with mild incredulity. "Surely ye couldn't just 'and me a cloth and that'd be that?"

Visions of a very drowned-womprat looking self flashed up in his psyche, and his eyes were like to pop out of his head at the thought, particularly when the thought of how the seeming subzero temperatures that he'd been told rivers held would affect his... nethers. Well, maybe. Would that actually happen through all the layers of his robes? Or was he overthinking this? Maybe, it would appear, he needed to watch what he said too. There was no doubting that his master, [member="Kira Liadain"], was part-devil. Worse still, it was one of the things he was starting to like about her. This could potentially not bode well for him.

Taking that into consideration, he followed along, leaving the younglings with devious little faces behind, wondering exactly what it was that she was going to do with or to him, while his brain chittered on about the whole experience, given it had been maybe twenty-four hours since they'd met. Her methods were nothing if not unconventional, and far, far from boring. He picked up the pace for a few steps, bringing him to walk along side the blonde Lorrdian, and he wondered if she had a completely serious side to her at all. Not that it was a bad thing if she didn't, as far as he was concerned, but one would figure that all Jedi had to be able to be serious, and objective. If anything, he might have that down pat - he could be serious, but could also worry more than was good for him, on occasion.

"So... one, do ah look like a mottled flesh and purple near-humanoid, and two...what're ye going tae throw at me next?"

With any luck, it might not involve any throwing at all!... which brought on the tangential thought as to whether luck was even something that Jedi believed in.

 

[Kira Talith]

"Well you've a keen similarity to a Duros, that's for sure." she'd laugh, but her expression would change at his subsequant question. There came that devilish grin that went dancing across Kira's face, a gust of wind picking up her blonde hair to dance in the air. Blonde brows would rise in mock innocence.

"Oh I don't know [member="Jannik Morlandt"]... " she'd weave her way between the trees, "To be keen of hand... keen of sight." she'd turn to him just as she would walk behind a thick tree trunk.

"And a whisper in the wind."

And just as one would expect her to appear on the other side, she did not.

In fact, she disappeared!

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

He blinked, stopping dead in his tracks for a full moment.

"Duros?"

Then he started walking again, wagging a finger at [member="Kira Liadain"], clearly having taken exception to being compared to a Duro. Not that he had anything against Duros - nor had he met one for long enough to form an opinion - but he was certain they were nice... people? But enough of that tangent!

"Now 'ang on just a minute, missy. I 'ave too much hair on me 'ead, not tae mention a nose on me face, and me eyes are too small an'... blue."

And even though that was most certainly that, already Kira was up to her hijinks again. Straight on from one thing to the next. It put the inkling in his head to pick her over in search of an intravenous caf line, a line of thought that was immediately cut off for how quickly it descended into... ahem, 'inappropriate' distraction, as he watched her with keen eyes as she wove amongst the trees, and he followed, stepping this way and that, following her presently simian form and behaviour, while she jutted from front to back, forming a predictable pattern.

Until that predictability failed, when she went behind one tree, and didn't come out the other side. Once again, he came to a stop on his tracks. Was this a game? Carefully, he listened, but heard nothing, and after another few moments, he gingerly approached the tree, and peeked around to the other side of it with a near-excruciating slowness, following that up by jumping out from behind the tree as if to surprise...

"BOO...?"

...no-one. He stood there, and scritched at the back of his head, looking stumped, and looking around, back at the trees they'd passed, and up into the canopy, while still listening for anything that wasn't nature itself. This went on for a good two or three minutes before he dropped his hands to his sides with a muffled slap on his thighs, and started to 'look' with his senses in the Force, instead of his eyes and ears.

"Alright, lass... where are ye?"

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Jannik Morlandt"]

His senses would bloom, but the little blonde minx would not be so easily found. As it were, every action was a lesson -- and in this one a stretching of his senses beyond that which could be potentially manipulated by his mind.

For what he would not see, woven by the Force as a mental illusion, would be his Master, leaning against the tree right by his side. Her hands would be clasped at the low of her back, bangs mused as bright blue eyes would stare up at him with a mischievous air. She was using a type of illusion that was an advanced form of mind tricks. Not as powerful as the White Current and certainly didn't bend light to render herself invisible.

Instead, she focused on weaving mental tricks to give the illusion that she wasn't there for Jannik. That half smile would linger, watching her padawan focus on expanding his senses to find her.

Good going, kiddo, she'd think in her mind, approval growing in her gaze as she saw him stretch his senses. Time to play hide and seek!

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

[member="Kira Liadain"]

Alright, so this was some sort of vanishing act! Something to do with the Force, of which he was fairly certain, which was very cool (and in some cases very disturbing) to consider. A significant portion of his psyche held the concern that she could possibly sneak up on him, and he'd never see it coming. All things considered, he was still jumpy as it was. To quell his racing mind, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to redirect himself to the newest task she'd thrown his way, focusing once again on his sense in the Force, analyzing that which was apparent - the trees, rocks and full glory of Ossus' natural realm, a construct of indigenous and vong-shaped, living in relative harmony - and finding that what he could easily perceive was not a single bit what he was looking for, it became apparent that he would need to delve deeper.

Which, of course, was daunting. It had only been little more than a few weeks since he'd come to the Jedi, and one mental foot was still very much in the past, in the fear of the unknown. This made him hesitate only for a handful of moments before he pushed on, reaching further beyond the shallow limit of what he'd explored with his senses to date; a whole new depth of detail would become apparent, the perception of what was there-yet-not-there coming alive, expanding his limited knowledge of the Jedi arts just that much more.

It was in this respect that he chanced at finding what his eyes could not see, but at the same time it felt like a great stretch, taxing in some ways, yet freeing in others. He squinted, as if that would help him see better, in tandem with the so-called 'sight' provided through his non-physical sense. He felt, felt what was there. Felt...

...wait. He backtracked, and what he didn't see made his brow furrow. How could he see what appeared to not be there? How... oh.

Oh, he mouthed, seeing, feeling the shape of the strange voided space as his mind tried to reconcile that with anything else he might have seen, on the tip of a realization that he knew what it was, but couldn't put his finger on it. But the shape...

...oh, that was her shape, wasn't it? Even so, it messed with his head.

"This... t'ain't fun tae be looking at. Tis th'most screwy thing ah've perceived outside o'me visions, lass."

The comparison alone was a bit unsettling. He rubbed at his temples, but maintained his 'lock' on her apparent form.

"D'ye get use tae't?"

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Jannik Morlandt"]

And just like that, the illusion would drop and she'd bloom within his sight leaning against that tree. Blue eyes dancing with mirth she'd reach over to lightly flick the tip of his nose.

"Haha... In time. " she'd tell him. "It is but 'mere illusion. A mind trick to be specific. There is no changing or manipulating of the Force on me in this particular sense, but more of a manipulation of your perceptions." she'd reveal.

"It isn't useful for droids -- and certainly those with more experience and willpower are able to shrug off your suggestions, but it does come in handy.

The more you practice, the stronger and easier it will get. Not to mention the more minds you can affect. It is a nifty feature to use when you need to disappear from sight from a couple of people.

it is a manipulation of their senses -- affecting the minds of those around you to remove all traces of you presence from the minds of observers and allowing you to move completely unnoticed while in plain sight. " she'd tell him, pushing herself off of the tree with a small bounce.

"It is a more advanced version of mindtrick all in all -- your basics being with voice manipulation... the impressing of images or suggestions.

You know.. " she'd mockingly wave her hand in front of him with a sly "These are not the droids you are looking for."

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

[member="Kira Liadain"]

That was better, seeing the Kira that was, instead of the Kira that wasn't really; he pinched over the bridge of his nose at the corners of his eyes, and shook his head lightly. At least there was the hope that it could be acclimatized to, given that he already had his share of headaches with the power that decided his path for him. A path that had so far only dealt with his own head, and not the heads of others. Though he could manage two-way telepathy, meaning he could touch the minds of others, doing so made him a little wary for a very good reason. Letting things in through the barrier was something he tended to be cautious about, due to how things were before he'd learned to erect those mental protections.

At her wee mocking, a light grin moved his lips to open.

"Alright then, lass. So what y'are saying is, ah need tae be suggestive?"

He waggled his eyebrows a little at that, before they settled and he got to the point.

"How? And on what or whom?"

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Jannik Morlandt"]

Here came the slight boop at the tip of his nose again.

"Hahaha... lets go with something a bit more familiar to you. " she'd grin, then hop off her small perch of a tree trunk, and down past him.

"How is your game of sabaac?" she'd ask, taking her satchel and plopping it down so she could rummage through it.

"We will try to work on the small things... like changing the appearance of a face card -- ah ah!" she pulled out a deck of sabaac cards with a proud flourish.

"Then work on the bigger -- to make them invisible."

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

He rocked back on his heels, then forward onto the balls of his feet, then flat on his feet again, his nose wrinkling at her characteristic boop.

"Sabacc? Eh, s'bin awhile. An' ah was prob'ly pessed outta me tree, fer most've th'games."

He scratched at the back of his neck, peering at [member="Kira Liadain"] as she produced a deck of sabacc cards in an embellished motion. At least he was honest.

"T'be honest, this is th'longest ah've been wi'out a pint."

Not that he was an alcoholic... no, most of his imbibing had been in the range of a pint or two a couple times a week. But it'd been a few weeks, and strangely, he'd only just noticed, thinking about it, now.

 

[Kira Talith]

Kira would give him a small encouraging boop on this head with the deck of cards. "Mmmm... well done, then Jan." she'd shine him with a smile. "At least you are honest about it." she'd tell him so, beckoning for him to join her to sit on the makeshift area of the jungle.

"Well, this will require your mind to be sharp -- so sorry I have no pint for you." an idea would come to her then, and she'd wag her finger towards his direction. "You know what would be good for you to learn. Detox poison." she'd say with a grin, plopping down upon a log as a chair.

"The Circle of healers would know more about it... but it would come in handy if you ever had to do a stake out and required said pints," she'd tease, trying to be lighthearted over the situation. She could guess that due to his visions, he'd taken to the drink to keep them at bay. "It will kill the buzz but at least no worries about someone slipping you a mickey." there came the flash of a teasing wink.

"Okay, this is all pretty simple really -- same focus on tricking the mind over the illusion." she'd shuffle the deck, then after gathering them, would offer them out to him.

"Go ahead... pick a card." she'd say with an encouraging grin.

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

He took her little jabs in good humour, as they were intended, and the knowledge that he could faster free himself of the damages of excessive pint consumption with a trick of the Force pulled his interest in a great deal. He'd have to ask a healer about it, sometime... and perhaps some rudimentary healing while at it. To not seem too, too obvious. He got the impression that being a Jedi left little time for some of his prior pursuits, at least in the way he had been used to enjoying them.

"Ah'll keep that in mind," he said, with a humoured lilt to his brogue as he settled a foot or so away on the same log, "though ah dun know many healers at th'moment."

A slight grin took the lower half of his face.

"An' ah'm not sure who'd want tae drug me," he said, looking sidelong with suspicion at [member="Kira Liadain"] as he pinched a card from the deck, "so what tae do with th'card?"

 

[Kira Talith]

She'd flash him another grin, " There is Master Rianna.... Master Kiskla Grayson also knows a good bit. Jedi Knight A'dele Adonnai is another." Sad it would be, that this string of healers would soon come to their own tribulations. One would leave the Order. Another would be appointed to the role of the leader of the Jedi. And the last would become one with the Force.

Both brows would perk, then she'd give him an impish grin, "Oh I don't know. You have quite the pretty mug there Jan. Some Republic solider just might want to get to know you better." she'd tease, before nodding towards the card.

"Well look at it for one," she'd say. " Do you see the five of Sabres?" came her next question as did the rush of the Force from the tiny blonde.

Indeed, it would appear he did have the five of sabres in his hand.

Or did he?

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

A few names... that would help, though it wasn't exactly high on his list of priorities. No, simply getting truly settled into the norms of this life was, as much of it was strange, the pacing of it all so different, and the serious weight of it all underlying the calm, the joyful, the contemplative. Everything he saw on the faces of those around him now was underlaid with a flow and purpose of the eternally patient flow of the Force.

"Pretty?" he felt at the soft curls on his head, "Well, ah s'pose, but ah'm not th'prettiest thing in this forest, lass."

He flipped the card over, but didn't yet look at it.

"An' unless that soldier's a lass..." he shook his head and finally looked at the card, to see exactly what it was that [member="Kira Liadain"] asked if he'd seen, "A'yeah, s'th'five o'sabres..."

But there was that uncomfortable thing, like something had gotten in his eyes, again... or not?

"...an' no, t'ain't.... ah think. Maybe."

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Jannik Morlandt"]


"Might be a lass," came her wiggling brows, mischief dancing within those baby blues. At his answer, her eyes would brighten.

"... maybe?" came her grin, the tingling of the Force rising enough to lift the tiny hairs at the nape of his neck. He was stronger than he looked. He was able to catch on to her trick easier than others. If she didn't know better, she'd have thought that Jannik was already well versed in detecting such a manipulation.

"Come on... you can do better than that." as she'd continue to manipulate his image of what was in the card instead of the truth; an image of the Wheel.

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

He flicked the blonde Lorrdian a look over the edge of the card in his hand, at her chiding, her urging, then looked at the card again. The way it looked bugged him and it plain well wasn't nice to look at, but he buckled down and focused more and harder, his eyes narrowing as he peered at the face of the card that showed him the five of sabres. It was irritating to set his eyes on, and it was another minute before the basis of this concept began to slip through his mind, hinting.

It was mental influence. It was manipulation. After a fashion, she was in his head and though it might be a cop-out in this instance to employ it, keeping things out of his head was one of the very first things he'd learned how to do,within the first two days of his being a Jedi Padawan. Once again, he pulled his eyes away from the card, looked at [member="Kira Liadain"], and shoved up a mental wall as a cheeky grin overtook the bottom of his face, and he looked at the card again to see the illusion corrupting to his eyes, and coming apart. Sort of.

"Or ah ken do tha', ah s'pose."

Under the partiality of the influence he was trying to shut out, the image of the Wheel flicked in and out of being. He bore down harder, though it felt a bit taxing to do so.

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Jannik Morlandt"]

With Jannik catching on quickly, Kira had attempted to make it a bit more difficult for the young man. However, he would surprise her when she could feel him mentally pushing against her suggestion.

He was strong. Quite strong.

The Lorrdian would study Jannik curiously, her fingers playing slightly with the card she held out in front of him. Finally, she'd nod, releasing her manipulation of the Force to reveal that he had indeed, selected the Wheel.

"You've a natural knack at this." she'd tell him, " At revelation that is..." her eyes would flicker up at him. "It's a method of being able to see through illusions... get skilled enough in it and can potentially see through bent-light."

"it's a rare ability... they say that only the Disciples of Twilight are able to use it... and they also say they are long since died off." that was his courtesy history lesson.

"So... how about you try it on me. Mental pushes of images... suggestions." she'd take a card showing it to him first.

"I'll flip it over... but make me see something else instead."

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

[member="Kira Liadain"]

She wasn't the only one feeling surprise - that he displayed something he didn't even know existed, from a sect believed to be dead, well... that was something. Something that he didn't know what to make of, but he put that aside to focus on the task at hand. It was his turn to try and pull the same thing on her that she'd been trying with him. That couldn't be too hard, could it?

He nodded understanding of what he was to do, saw the face of the card she'd pulled, and in his mind selected a different face to give the card in his coming attempt at manipulation. Then he made his best attempt at doing so, and tried to submerge what she might have seen underneath his clear remembrance of the Eight of Flasks. As this was his first attempt, it didn't seem at all easy. Didn't feel easy. He wasn't sure what it was supposed to feel like to do this to someone else.

"Well then, missy Kira. What is it ye see?"

 

[Kira Talith]

[member="Jannik Morlandt"]

Devilry would spark in Kira's blue eyes as she'd lean forward, making a big show of it. A smirk would draw over her lips, her attention drawing over the card he held. As a master, she could feel the push of his mind onto hers. Whoa there, that was interesting.

Oh, he didn't quite get it right. The Lorrdian was able to see that it was an Eight of Flasks -- well.. or was it? A frown would draw over her face, brow furrowing. It was half the Eight of flasks and half...

Granted, he'd have trouble doing it spot on the first time, but that he'd managed to do that much was quite an interesting little tidbit. Just what kind of background did her padawan really have?

"I'd say the Eight of Flasks... but I'm not quite sure myself." she was honest about it, because with the way he manipulated things, it was hard to say which was real and which part was fake.

 

[Jannik Morlandt]

[member="Kira Liadain"]

A grin crept up on his face. So it had worked, but her words gave him further information - it worked, but not completely. But enough, enough that she was unsure, which was a bit more than just convincing someone of something, flawlessly. Such a thing could be unsettling for the right subject. He shook his head, with a small laugh.

"Come on... you ken do better than tha'," he said, repeating her own words back to her, with the spice of jest in his voice. What laid beneath his sleight of 'hand', as it were, was a Nine of Coins.

But it was of some small concern - after all, she was the master. He would make note of this, later.

 

[Kira Talith]

Bright blue eyes would narrow, and she'd lift her hand to attempt to flick at his nose again.

"Quiet you!" she'd chide in a light tease, but none the less would focus upon the card. The Force was an interesting tool, and in this the Lorrdian Master would place her trust in. Dark blonde brows would rise as another image would instead reveal a Nine of Coins.

"You sly rascal!" Kira would say next, wiggling her nose with a small laugh. "Nine of Coins, there bud." came her crooked grin.

"Sure you never had any training before?" she'd ask with a teasing quip, taking the card from his hand.