Enter Sandman [Dragon School]

[Josh Dragovalor]

When Josh had been handed a memo that his newest assigned Padawan was a "Sandman", he had thought it was a joke. But he decided to sign on for the arranged meeting time anyway, just to see if there was a prank involved or if he were gaining a Tusken Raider as a Padawan. It wouldn't be his first Tusken Padawan, after all. Hopefully the first that actually stuck around, though. Of course, for [member="Ura Iolar"] they would be in for a surprise as well. Any studies they would have done on their new Master would yield a man that looked to be in his early to mid 20s, though his dossier stated he was 29. But instead of that, and the usual agility and finesse that came with youth, they would instead find something else entirely.

When Sandy Lautner entered the room, they would find a man sitting on a chair in the middle of the room. Not meditating, not studying, just... Resting, with a walking stick leaning against the chair. He certainly looked the part of what was said about him, but he certainly wasn't as mobile as it. The fact was, holding up the Shield of Light to stop the dark side storm from destroying Azure's surface and the people on it almost singlehandedly had done a lot of damage to his body that bacta alone wasn't going to heal. He would make a recovery eventually, but for now... His mobility was going to be limited for awhile.

 

[Ura Iolar]

Ura slowly walked towards where the room of her new master, [member="Josh Dragonsflame"] . She had heard a lot about the man, and was both excited and nervous at the same time. She finally had a master, but she was worried about what he'd think of her. She wasn't quite a normal padawan after all. Ura knocked on the door, waiting for an answer to come in before entering.

What Josh would see as Ura walked in would be a being with a humanoid, feminine shape made out of sand-like crystals. Her face... well it was featureless with the exception of a pair of glowing green eyes. Ura was surprised by Dragonflame's appearance though. He had a cane, and he was resting. This didn't seem like the Jedi she'd heard of, so she asked him, speaking with a monotone voice but the Force showing her nervousness and curiosity. "Master Dragonsflame?"

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh was sure that he looked pitiful, and not anything like the Jedi Master that he had been stated to be to whatever new student he had. But they would just have to deal for the time being, he supposed. It was about what he could do for them after all, that they were looking for, and not what he looked like. But Josh himself was curious when a literal being of sand had sauntered in. What he had originally thought to be a prank devised to amuse him while he was going stir crazy at the Rest was now apparently something very real. He gave them a curious glance, wondering what other races in the galaxy he had missed.

But they asked after him, in a way that made it clear that most likely they did not think he was who they had been looking for. That he was not the Master Dragonsflame that people talked about. But he was okay with that. Appearances could be deceiving, after all.

"You must be [member="Ura Iolar"]" Josh answered, giving a respectful bow of his head. "I am Master Dragonsflame, yes. Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself? Gives me an idea of how best to teach you" He inquired, deciding to get right down to the best way that he could help her.

 

[Ura Iolar]

Ura gave [member="Josh Dragonsflame"] a slight nod after he gave her a small bow. She would've smiled if she had a mouth, but a happiness could be felt around her. She was still a bit surprised that Master Dragonflame seemed less... fit then she had heard. Perhaps he was injured on a mission? The sand-like being quickly shook it off, looking to the Jedi when he asked about her. Ura quickly started to answer, speaking with her normal, Lervonian monotone.

"Well, I am a Lervon from a planet known as Yurb, A desert world, despite having plenty of water if you can believe it. Before coming here, I was training as a militia Deathseed pilot. Pretty good one too thanks to my trainer. He and some close friends of mine were the ones that suggest I come here. Said I had a stronger connection to the Force than most. So... I took their advice and came here. Thankfully I've made some friends, though I still have... trouble speaking with others. Most biological being are... uneasy around Lervon. They think we're cold, and unfeeling. I guess it doesn't help having that idea in the back of my mind?" While some thought Lervon were emotionless, it was merely that those not sensitive to the Force couldn't feel them. Lervon really couldn't express emotions through speech, seemingly finding it impossible. Why? Maybe just a trait of being universally Force sensitive?

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He could tell that she was puzzled by his appearance. He was still relatively young, especially for a Jedi Master – he was still in his late 20s. So to see him be reduced to this state was probably a shock for people who were not in the loop as far as it came to current going-ons within the Order and their recent war with the Mandalorian Empire. He nodded along with her explanation though, his expression unchanging despite the pain he was in.

"Yurb, we were there recently" He spoke up, finally giving a small smile. "Nice planet. Hot, though" He commented, trying to give the impression that she could be open and casual if she wished. The best thing he could do was portray a comfortable environment for her, it would be the best way to get what information could be useful for teaching her, after all.

She explained a dilemma that she had, regarding how people perceived her due to the monotone nature of her race's voice, and he nodded his head once more. The least he could do was help, he supposed. "Would you like for me to teach you how to project your thoughts and feelings into the heads of others, even those without the use of the Force?" He inquired. "Though that will be once you have enough of a feel for the Force overall, of course. It's not the easiest thing in the world."

[member="Ura Iolar"]

 

[Ura Iolar]

An ease seemed to come over Ura as she heard [member="Josh Dragonsflame"] speak. He noted that he had been to Yurb recently, or at least the Jedi in general. She chuckled slightly when he described Yurb as "Nice, but hot." She thought back to her homewold, sighing slightly.

"It really is. Kind of surprising when there's water on the surface." After this, the master suggested that he could teach her how to project her thoughts, her feelings, out to others. The Lervon's glowing eyes seemed to get a little bigger when she heard this. Her body seemed to shift slightly before finally answering Josh, an excitement coming over her.

"Th... that would be great! I know it may take some time, but.... Others would actually be able to know of my emotions. That would..... Thank you Master."

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Different planets have different climates, no matter what's on them. You'll get to know this as you travel the stars, while you progress as a Jedi" He spoke up with a casual shrug. He had been to places hot and cold, and more over the span of about two decades. He was sure that Ura would get to see many different places as well. It wouldn't be long before she saw full well what he meant.

He smiled softly when she appeared to express joy at the idea of using the Force to be able to overcome her issue with showing emotion. It would be a good practical asset as well, being able e to show emotions would allow for her to convey herself better on business as well. Not to mention if she needed to reason with someone, or show empathy. Being a Jedi wasn't just about swinging a lightsaber, after all.

"We'll get to that when I've made sure you have a good grasp of the basics and ensure you're in practice" He remarked, seeming to note that they would take care of that another time when she was ready. "For now, how much do you know of the Force? What are your capabilities? This will help me figure out where to start you out at."

[member="Ura Iolar"]

 

[Ura Iolar]

Ura listened curiously as Master Dragonsflame didn't seemed surprised by the fact that Yurb had water. It did make her wonder what the man had seen over his time as a Jedi. She was pulled out of her thoughts when Josh asked the Lervon what she knew as far as the Force went. She suddenly got nervous, not really sure if she would be considered behind by the standards of other Padawans "her age." After some hesitation, Ura finally spoke up.

"Well, if I include what is natural of my species. The Force is how my senses work, and how I am able to control my form. I'm also about to Force Meld naturally with others of my kind, but I did have a class on Force Melding as a whole, though I'm not the best.... Other than that. I can move things with the Force, and can create a Force Barrier, but I haven't used it much."

[member="Josh Dragonsflame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Well, at the least that means you've passed the bare basics part of training, and know how to use the Force as a whole. So that does save us some time" He observed in turn. "It does sound like you're lacking some basics ability-wise, though. How you managed to learn to run without first learning to walk, unless you forgot to mention your basics, I don't know. But just in case there's any that you missed, I'll run you through drills for the force power basics, to start. Nothing too strenuous unless I think you can handle it, of course" He remarked. He wasn't trying to shame her, of course. She knew what she knew, and didn't know what she didn't know. This drill was purely just to ensure that she had her basics.

Josh moved steadily toward the control panel nearby. What would form was a large holographic block, which Josh then held out a hand toward. Energy pulsed from him as the block was sent slamming into the wall, though it did no damage to it. He then yanked his hand back, and the block was pulled back toward him in turn before he held out a hand to stop it in the air. Slowly, he used telekinesis to bring the block slowly down to the ground.

"Force Push and Force Pull. We'll cover those first with this block. Focus your energies into your hand, and then bring it out. Relax, keep calm... If you've learned a Force Power before, this should come natural to you. Once you've got that, then focus that energy again and pull back. We'll move to proper telekinesis once you've done so."

[member="Ura Iolar"]

 

[Ura Iolar]

Ura listened carefully to Master Dragonsflame, seeming confused when he said that she had somehow skipped some of the basics. Had she somehow managed to jump past some things? The Lervon thought for a moment, seeming to have an idea. She was slightly nervous, but seemed a lot less so than before.

"Maybe I managed to 'run' ahead of things do to them technically being natural. Telekinetics relates to how Lervon shapeshift, and Force Meld between Lervon is already natural, so extending it to other species just another step, as the understanding is there." She then watched carefully as Josh explained how to perform a Force Push and Pull, demonstrating on a holographic block. She payed close attention to the Force itself, watching how it flowed as he used it. Once asked to try it, Ura looked at the block, focusing on sending the Force into her hand. She then sent it out, though the Lervon only seemed to wing the block, sending it into a spin. She mumbled a little before attempting Force Pull, this one going a little better, except for the block almost hitting her in the face. She quickly shifted down to avoid it, clearly a bit frustrated.

"Guess I need to work on my control."

[member="Josh Dragonsflame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

It was simple, really. She knew how to use the Force. Thus he didn't need to teach her how to use the Force. Thus, she passed the basics of learning how to use the Force. Now, it was time for him to teach her how to use the Force properly, and what she could do with the Force. He watched as she would attempt to follow his example, first attempting Force Push and then Force Pull, to varying success. She didn't seem confident in her abilities at the end of it.

"Practice makes perfect" He advised. "Try again. Allow yourself to relax. Lower your shoulders, don't think too hard on it. I'm sure you can do it this time."

[member="Ura Iolar"]

 

[Ura Iolar]

Ura tilted her head, not quite understanding what Josh meant by lowering her shoulders. How would that help? Did she technically even have shoulders? Relaxing and not thinking too hard made sense at least. It was also helpful to hear that he believed she could do it though. The glow of Ura's "eyes" seemed to close for a moment before opening again. She focused on the Force, and collecting it in her hand for using it as Force Push. Like the first time, this went without a hitch, but it was the Force Pull that had her worried. She readied herself, and quickly pulled the cube back to her, this time much more controlled. It came to a stop about a meter away from the Lervon, making it clear she wasn't risking being hit by a box again. She then looked to her Master, wondering what he thought.

[member="Josh Dragonsflame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He smiled then as she tried again after calming herself, to much better results. He nodded his head, indicating that it had gone well. "Good, good" He approved. "You kept calm and were better able to maintain your focus and keep control. Now..."

He took a deep breath before moving forward and reaching out a hand. The box would begin to float into the air, and the Jedi Master would begin to spin it around with the Force. "We're going to try a more in-depth level of control. You know now how to focus the Force on something. Now, I want you to hold that focus. Control not just yourself, but your focus on the object. Work hand in hand with the Force, and don't focus so much on how big the object is. How big the object is doesn't matter"

He put the box down and motioned for her to begin.

[member="Ura Iolar"]

 

[Ura Iolar]

Ura nodded, looking at her master, a happiness leeching off of her. Then he set up another test. He wanted her to simply hold the cube up. This would be easy. Ura was more comfortable with this aspect of the Force, maybe because of her species nature with the Force. She nodded to Josh, reaching out with the Force and slowly lifting the cube. She carefully moved the box, calmly letting it spin a little.

"This is easier."

[member="Josh Dragonsflame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

It looked as though Ura was better with this sort of Force control, which was good. It seemed that, according to her that her kind was naturally attuned to certain aspects of the Force. He took note of that mention from before and how it had been applied here. It would factor into her training and how he handled matters with her.

"Good, good" He remarked, smiling lightly. "You seem to have a good grasp of the basics with telekinesis. So let's try something a little harder..."

He motioned for her to let go, and then would take the box in his own grip with telekinesis as he backed away and turned to her. This seemed like a good time to test her and see how far her capabilities in this went. That would make it easier to know what point she was at.

"I'm going to throw this at you" He remarked bluntly. "You are going to try and catch it with the Force and then toss it aside. Can you do that?"

Ura Iolar

 

[Ura Iolar]

A happiness came off Ura when Master Dragonsflame said that it looked like she had a good grasp of this part of the Force, but then he said he would give her something a bit more difficult. He was going to throw a box at her and she would have to catch it. Ura's sandy form shifted some, clearly a bit nervous, but she still nodded, looking ready.

"Ok, Master. Ready when you are."

Josh Dragovalor

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

It was simple, and he had confidence that Ura would do it just fine. But this time around he wanted to make sure she was ready. Perhaps in later instances it would come without warning, but this time was more of a trial than anything else. A chance to see what she could do, without too much stress or anything of the like. A low pressure indicator of her capabilities and a chance to explore where to go from there. Nothing more.

He nodded his head then, as the box began to float above him as he held out a hand. "Go" He commanded calmly, yet firmly as the box would fly toward Ura at full speed...

Ura Iolar

 

[Ura Iolar]

Ura was confident she could catch the box. It'd be easy right? Just catch a box. Then Josh sent the box towards her, Ura focused, reaching out to grab he box with the Force and redirect it to the side. She was quick to move, shunting the box to the side, and taking a small sidestep to avoid being hit, just in case. The Lervon then looked back at her master, seeming happy with herself.

Josh Dragovalor

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Good, good. He nodded his head in approval. It seemed that once she was able to calm herself down and find an outlet for using the Force, the rest came quite naturally. She also had good reflexes and good instincts, moving their body as a precautionary measure. She had the right of it. The Force was not the end all be all of everything. It could fail. And she needed to ready herself in the case that it did.

"Good. In your own practice, I'd work on stopping things entirely. Re-directing is good, but being able to stop something in its tracks requires a bit more focus, yet may also be the difference between life and death for someone. That, you can do in your own practice. I'm going to move onto something a bit harder, now that you have the basic concept down. This'll be the last lesson for the day."

He would call the box back to him, as it floated over his head.

"I want you to relax. Let that calm flow into the Force, and then let that calm flow into this box. When I throw it... I want you to slow it down. Slow its movements entirely. Not with telekinesis, mind. I'm talking rendering its own movement and force of gravity in slowed suspension. It's a bit more advanced, but I think you can pull it off. Just keep relaxed, keep your calm. And let that flow into what you're doing. Project that calm, slow, relaxed atmosphere in your head onto the object, and you should be fine."

Once she was ready, he would count down.

"3... 2... 1..."

He let it fly once more.

Ura Iolar

 

[Ura Iolar]

Ura looked at Josh, her eyes seeming to show some confusion and concern. He wanted the Padawan to catch the box and suspend it. Not stop it. Suspend it. No telekinetics. She had to just stop the forces around it. She looked at Josh again, nervousness coming off of her before she tried to calm herself. She tried to focus, thinking calm thoughts. She let her mind reach out the moment Josh said one. For a second she thought it was working, at least until the box almost hit her. She looked back, closing her eyes, similar to a sigh for others. She opened them again before speaking up.

"Sorry, Master. I'm still trying to understand this. How to just... suspend it without telekinetics."

Josh Dragovalor