Faction [NJO/JJE] A Song of Selvaris | Jedi Enclave on Selvaris

[Efret Farr]

OBJECTIVE: III

Nirrah saw the look that one padawan gave the other but was unreciprocated, and so Efret saw it too. She puckered her lower lip—her version of humming thoughtfully to herself—before taking off her own frame pack. Since Aris was carrying much of the camping and surveying gear, her bag was mostly dedicated to feeding the four Jedi relatively well. The meals were all dehydrated, family-sized, and hand-packed by her into reusable bags that could handle being boiled.

She also brought a collapsible pot and kettle, and four compact mess kits with their own utensils. One she had already been using for years, as evidenced by the chips and small dents on its outside, but the other three were brand new. She was planning to let Shai, Zaiya, and Aris take the one they had used with them after this trip. Who knew when it might come in handy.

She set the cookware and eatery down on the grass beside her and fished around in her pack, thumbing through the bags of food. "How do we feel about chili?" she finally asked, the voice of her computerized interpreter projecting around the riparian clearing.

Shai Moss Zaiya Ceti Aris Noble​

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

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Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Efret Farr Aris Noble

Zaiya's ears perked up at the sound of Master Farr's computerized voice. If there were two things that could capture her attention in an instant, it was food or a conversation about cybernetics. Her eyes and skin lit up with giddy anticipation and a shimmering of golden bioluminescence as she immediately chimed in, "Chili sounds great!"

As she went back to her tasks, Zaiya couldn't help but launch into a little enthusiastic commentary. "So, question. Would chili be considered a stew or a soup? I like making stews -- they're super easy -- but that has me wondering…" Her voice trailed off as she moved to the right, grabbing one of the tentboxes and pressing the button to deploy it. The tent popped open, just big enough for two people. Then she went to work on the second.

"There are thick soups and thin soups. Chunky soups and then there are also chunky stews and thin stews. Both can take a long time to cook -- especially if one uses a sonicook."

Her attention shifted to Nirrah, and as was typical for Zaiya, another flurry of questions followed by a dazzle of curious thoughtful deep amber and orange ripples of color over her mottled spots and stripes -- completely forgetting that Efret needed to see her face to read her lips and that she didn't know how to sign.

"Are you using the Force with Nirrah? Knight von Ascania showed me that there are ways to use the Force to calm animals so they wouldn't harm you. Then there's also how we learned to use the Force to encourage plants to grow or help out. Are you just keeping Nirrah calm?" she asked, her curiosity clear as her skin shifted to a warm, interested hue.

 

[Aris Noble]

"I'll eat chili."

Aris nodded once before he glanced to Zaiya. And blinked. He didn't expect her to go on a ramble of all things about whether chili was soup or not. Grant it, now he was trying to figure that out for himself. Chili was made in a sauce, not a broth, so technically no? But also, yes? His brow furrowed deeper in thought as he sorted through it, though he did end up blinking curiously.

He hadn't even thought that Master Farr was using the Force with Nirrah. There was a lot he still needed to figure out, it seemed, when it came to how people could use the Force.

Efret Farr | Zaiya Ceti

 

[Efret Farr]

OBJECTIVE: III

Looking through Nirrah's eyes, who had very sharp vision, Efret could read both Zaiya and Aris' lips as they spoke even while they were a few meters away from her working on their own camp setup projects. The only tricky part was knowing who was speaking when, but Nirrah helped with that as well. When she heard a sound and looked up to or over at it's source, Efret saw it too. Thus, when master moved her head to face the person who was speaking, it was out of politeness rather than necessity. She had trained herself over the years of connecting her sight with Nirrah's to be able to have a reasonable amount of spatial awareness relative to her own sight even if she wasn't using it.

"I like making stews too," she told Zaiya. Likewise to the Lovalla padawan, Efret could talk about food all day. In fact, cuisine was often the most interesting part of learning about a new culture, contemporary or historic, to her. She then continued on to explain, "Lucky for us then chili's a stew. The ratio of liquid to other ingredients is lower in stews then it is for soups. Soups can have noodles, bits of meats, vegetables, and the like in them, but all of those additions float under the liquid. Stews are chunkier. The additions will be very close the the surface of the liquid base or, it some cases, will sit above."

The Lorrdian took the liberty to ask her own question. "Have you ever freeze-dried food, Zaiya? Each time I plan to go on a backpacking trip like this one, I spend a lot of time preparing meals and snacks. They're much easier and safer to carry when freeze-dried or otherwise dehydrated; the process makes them lighter and shelf-stable. I find it very fun. For this meal, I made the chili of course, and also brought—" She paused to rummage around in her pack some more, then pulled out two bags. "—avocado slices, cheese shreds, and sour cream powder." She smiled. "I can teach you one day if you would like."

Then came Zaiya's second question. Efret shook her head at it. "No, no, nothing like that," she said. "Convorees are relatively popular to keep as pets, but I don't agree with the trend. Nirrah and her kin are wild animals." She had told another padawan, Fenn, the same on Bogano. It was important to Efret to not give young ones the idea, even accidently, that subjecting a wild animal to a life it was not made for and would not like was not the Jedi way. There were always exceptions, of course. Nirrah was one, but she had chosen Efret, not vice versa. "That said, she's calm, friendly, and helpful all of her own volition." Her smile brightened, through not in the same was as Zaiya's face did, as she spoke about her avian friend. "We do certainly use the Force together though. What we do is establish a telepathic link between ourselves. I'm Deaf, so it's not the kind of telepathy you're used too: it's visual telepathy. I can see whatever she sees. She's Force sensitive and can project images to me herself but it can make her quite tired so I often reach out to help her with it.

"Would either of you like to give her a few treats once our lunch is rehydrating?" She motioned between the two padawans.

Zaiya Ceti Aris Noble​

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

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Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Efret Farr Aris Noble

Zaiya could go on about food for hours, and Aris had learned this the hard way. It was almost impressive how he managed to listen so quietly, chiming in with logical comments here and there, showing more enthusiasm as time went on. He had the patience of a Jedi Sage to endure her endless ramblings without even the slightest hint of irritation.

Then again, he always had his ways to bring her back down to reality. Sometimes it was a playful flick on the forehead, other times a well-placed question to redirect her scattered thoughts.

"Freeze drying?" Zaiya's eyes lit up, and a dazzling cascade of burnished ambers and vivid oranges rippled across her mottled skin, reflecting her curiosity. She scrambled to grab the next tent, her mind racing as she set it up. "Wait, so you freeze things to make them last longer? Like, a super conservator or something? How does that work? -- I thought freezing can end up making food lose flavor?"

Of course, the Lovalla seamlessly switching topics as she peppered Master Farr with a new set of questions.

"So, does that mean Nirrah can use the Force herself?" she asked, her excitement bubbling over. Zaiya had never heard of animals wielding the Force, much less using something as complex as the visual telepathy Master Farr had mentioned.

A kaleidoscope of colors danced over her rosy golden skin as her mind whirled with possibilities. "Wait -- just how smart is Nirrah? Like, could she be a sentient species that just can't talk like us? Can she train to learn different Force Powers?" There were so many species and races in the galaxy, it almost made sense.

But then she remembered what Master Farr had said about Nirrah being a wild animal, and her vibrant citrine hues faded into a muted dove grey as she pressed the button to deploy the second tent.

"Okay, now I'm confused," she admitted, brow furrowing as she glanced at Nirrah. Master Farr, you said she's a wild animal, right?" Zaiya turned to Nirrah, her mottled spots and stripes on her cheeks tinged with subtle biolumiecent embarrassment. "Sorry, Nirrah. I didn't mean to be rude."

She gave the creature a small, apologetic smile, her skin shifting to a soft coral; Zaiya's way of saying she hoped there were no hard feelings. Nirrah's presence was bringing more questions than answers, but that was just part of discovery.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Freeze drying is different than freezing. Where freezing you often loose flavor and the like over the course of it chilling to it's freezing point, freeze drying freezes it near instantly at a much colder temperature. It saves the flavor in most things." Yes, this was one of those things Aris actually knew about. He smiled faintly at that, seeming plenty proud that he did. He did end up chuckling. The kind of chuckle that had him try to muffle it as he instead focused on what he was doing. Setting things up.

He didn't think Nirrah was sentient, but he couldn't help but chuckle that she'd be as embarrassed as she was. It was wholesome, in his opinion. Not that he wanted to let Zaiya know as much. Not right now, at least. Aris finally stepped away from the electronics to sit close by, idly glancing to Nirrah. He wasn't good with animals. Vera Noble was the one who was good with animals.

"I think I'm alright, thanks."

Zaiya Ceti | Efret Farr

 

[Efret Farr]

OBJECTIVE: III

"Aris is right," Efret said, smiling at the boy's explanation. "Freeze drying takes place initially within a chamber well below zero degrees Celsius." She added, "Then all of the air is pumped out of the chamber to form a vacuum. The absence of air and slight heating up of the chamber forces the ice crystals in the food which formed when it froze to sublimate, or turn directly from a solid to gas." She made jazz hands in the air as if to say, 'Ta-da!'. "That's all there is to it. Food that doesn't get mushy when reheating."

When the topic switched back to Nirrah, Efret adapted smoothly. Between conversating with Fenn and Astri, she was used to this way of conversating. Answering questions brought the archeologist much joy, both when she knew their answers or was pondering on them.

"She can, yes." The master smiled and nodded. "Very smart. She knows some Sign and, since I use an interpreter, some Basic words. She knows how to fetch and do other similar tasks."

Zaiya then asked about sentience and Nirrah's capacity to be trained further in use of the Force.

"She's very smart," Efret repeated, "but convorees are not classified as sentients." Her computerized voice had very limited intonation ability, and thus often spoke with a monotone. Years of using this specific tech system for real-time interpretation had gotten Efret to be very aware of it and, since more than half of communication was done through body language and verbal tone, she did her best to try and compensate for the dry voice with an expressive face. In that way, she and Zaiya were similar. Efret, obviously, was not bioluminescent, but she was a Lorrdian. Kinetic communication cues were biologic for her too. For the sakes of both the girl and convor, Efret wanted to make it clear that she was not chastising the former nor belittling the latter. "We've been together for eleven years. I've tried to teach her more Force powers, but I think it's impossible without complex language communication." The unit continued to speak, catching up, as Efret stopped signing to pet Nirrah. "Telepathy must be an innate skill of hers. I don't know how she would have learned it otherwise, but, either way, it's very impressive."

Efret smiled softly when Zaiya apologized. "Never mind, Zaiya. You did no harm. I used the term wild animal only to mean that Nirrah isn't domesticated. Calling something an animal is not an insult; we're all animals scientifically." Sentient exceptionalism was one of the few ways of thinking that really bothered Efret despite her trainings as both a Jedi and an anthropologist, both of which had imparted tolerance. "I did not raise her from birth, nor has her family been in the care of sentients for ten generations. Those two are the requirements for an animal to be domesticated. She acts in many ways like a pet, but is not one. I don't want you or Aris to conflate her seemingly tame behavior with another animal and possibly get hurt, even if you can calm them with the Force."

She reached for the handle of the collapsible pot in her pack. "I'll be right back," she said with one hand before standing and moving to the stream for some water.

Zaiya Ceti Aris Noble​

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

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Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Aris Noble Efret Farr

"Ohh. Okay," Zaiya nodded, her expression shifting to one of understanding -- until she caught the sound of Aris's muffled laughter. Her eyes narrowed playfully at him, a hint of mischief lighting up her iridescent spots in warm, flickering tones.

"Something funny, Aris? Care to share with the class?" she teased, sticking her tongue out in a cheeky, childish taunt. The moment the gesture left her, though, Zaiya realized she'd just acted like a kid in front of Master Farr. Her face flushed a mix of coral and gold, embarrassment rippling across her skin.

"Sorry," she murmured, biting back a sheepish grin. "I'll finish getting the camp set up." Determined to focus, Zaiya turned away to start setting up, but not before shooting Aris another glance. With a smirk, she lifted two fingers and pointed from her eyes to his in a playful, exaggerated 'I'm watching you' gesture.

If Aris wanted to laugh, he could -- but Zaiya wasn't going to let him get away with it that easily.

As soon as Efret left to get the water, the Lovalla teen sang over to the Noble, getting the bedrolls ready inside. This was exciting. It would be her first time actually camping out in the wild.

"Are you done there, Your Highness? Or do I need to come over and help out?"

 

[Aris Noble]

Once more, Aris bit back another laugh at Zaiya's antics. He couldn't help himself now as she clearly embarrassed herself. At least Master Efret wasn't going to harp on her for such a childish display. He listened to them talk in mostly silence, smiling faintly. He'd finished off the table, setting out the various machines they'd need to properly survey everything.

He wanted to make sure they were ready to get everything they could recorded.

"Are you done there, Your Highness? Or do I need to come over and help out?"

"Just about done, don't worry." He flashed her a smirk. "I might not have gone to college yet, but I know how to run these systems. .. Mostly."

Zaiya Ceti | Efret Farr

 

[Efret Farr]

OBJECTIVE: III

When Efret returned, the pot was partway fall of water. She set it aside in the grass for until the fire was made and she could boil it. Right next to it, she set the bags of freeze-dried food and toppings. This was going to be a good first meal. Granted, she endeavored not to pack bad meals, especially when camping as she knew the power of taste and warmth when surrounded by the wild unknown, but it was important to bookend a trip with the best experiences. Or so she thought.

"So," she began before pausing to use her hands to rearrange herself from sitting on her calves to sitting cross-legged on the ground. She moved the backpack out of the way so she could see the two younger Jedi unobstructed. "Tell me. What do you two hope most to learn with Knight Moss and me during our time together?"

Zaiya Ceti Aris Noble​

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

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Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Efret Farr Aris Noble

Zaiya couldn't help but snort with laughter at Aris's attempt at humor. He was definitely getting better at this -- jokes and all. When they'd first met, he'd been so serious, all logic and protocol. But time and new adventures seemed to have loosened him up a bit. Zaiya wondered if maybe she had played a part in that, helping him relax. Or was that just wishful thinking?

"Don't be ridiculous -- you know way more than I do. I'm still catching up on my Jedi History and all those studies," she said with a little sigh, thinking of the endless hours she'd spent cramming Jedi lore into her brain. It wasn't easy juggling Jedi training and the university classes she'd promised to keep up with. It meant that time with Aris -- and any other friends, really -0 was scarce unless they were training or on missions together. She missed the days on the Prosperity when they could just hang out without a care, cuddle while playing a game, studying, or watching a holo show.

As she caught Master Farr's gaze when she returned with water, Zaiya's smile brightened, her skin mottled with spots of vibrant citrine, betraying her excitement.

"Oh, umm… sign language would definitely be useful," she admitted shyly, her hues shifting a bit. "I only know Basic and Lovalla. I'm definitely not a polyglot, but Aris said he'd teach me Epicantix hand signals too." There was a hint of pride in her voice, her spots briefly flickering a soft pink -- happy to have Aris's help, happy to learn something new.

"But if you mean, like, regarding the Force…" Zaiya trailed off, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "What do you think would be best for me to learn as a Padawan for survival out in the wilds? Or, you know, for exploring places like we are now?"

She glanced over at Master Farr, her skin rippling into soft blues and burnished ambers, a reflection of her curious, eager energy. This was the part she loved -- the learning, the exploring, the chance to prove herself not just as a Jedi, but as someone who could handle whatever the galaxy threw her way.

 

[Aris Noble]

"I do, but that's besides the point."

Aris just flashed a playful smirk. It was true that he did, on a lot of things. But that was only because of his upbringing. The droid programmed to watch over him made sure he learned a lot of technical information. Not so much social, though. At least more than how to be nobility. They weren't the best memories, but they weren't bad either. Still, he took a seat by the firepit to help start the flame. It was easy for him after all, since all he had to do was reach a hand out towards the kindling. His hand flashed a bright white for only an instant, and with it the kindle instantly ignited.

"I can't think of anything more to add, honestly. But I also can't use the Force much, so I wouldn't know what to ask. Anything you think to show us would be appreciated."

Zaiya Ceti | Efret Farr

 

[Efret Farr]

OBJECTIVE: III

Her suggestion was immediate. "What about tapas? It's a technique for keeping warm off the power of the Force rather than that of a fire.

"I don't use it very often myself," admitted Efret. "I'm sure you both can tell that I'm a little old school. I like to build fires, bundle up, and make hot food and drink when I'm in cold environments, but it's important to know tapas for an emergency.

"And," she added, "personally I like to limit my reliance on the Force, which probably sounds a little weird. But, for me, not necessarily as a Jedi but as a DeafBlind person, I want to do the things I can do by myself by myself. Does that make sense?"

Zaiya Ceti Aris Noble​

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

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Outfit: x x x x x | Equipment: x x x x x | Weapons: x x x
Interacting with: Efret Farr Aris Noble

Zaiya's excitement bubbled over as Master Farr introduced the skill she wanted to teach them. Her eyes lit up, the anticipation causing her skin to ripple with vibrant hues of blue and gold, a gleeful display across the scattered constellations and stripes on her collarbone and arms. And when Efret chimed in, saying she preferred to rely on her own abilities rather than the Force, Zaiya's enthusiasm spiked even more.

This was right in line with how she thought too -- using tech or cybernetics to achieve the same outcomes, just like her old mentor Shan Pavond had taught her about healing. Sure, Force healing was great, but knowing field aid and other practical skills meant she wouldn't burn herself out when lives were on the line.

"Oh, that sounds awesome!" Zaiya exclaimed, giving a little bounce as her colors danced with her excitement. She was practically glowing as she turned her head toward Aris, her eyes bright with curiosity.

"Is that kinda like what you do, Aris? Or is it different?" she asked, tilting her head in thought. "I mean, you practically cover yourself in flames half the time." She grinned, thinking about how Aris could burn so intensely he'd leave scorch marks if someone wasn't careful, even turning sand into glass to form little beads or figurines.

 

[Aris Noble]

"Yeah, exactly, actually. It was supposed to be basic temperature control, staying warm in cold environments and cool in hot, but turns out I can do quite a bit with it." He lifted his hand again, letting it heat till it glowed to a bright, hot red. The air steamed around his skin before he let the glow fade. "It's incredibly helpful. If it's something you can teach us or help us refine more, I'd appreciate it a lot."

Zaiya Ceti | Efret Farr

 

[Efret Farr]

OBJECTIVE: III

"Thank you," was Efret's aside, directed at both of the padawans as she moved the pot of water onto a cooking grate situated over the catching fire.

"Well, if you can already do it, Aris, would you please describe how?" Efret smiled at the Noble. She wanted to give him the chance to teach, especially a peer. "I'll build the lesson from there." And correct his technique if necessary, but she doubted it would be.

Zaiya Ceti Aris Noble​

 

[Aris Noble]

"I- uh."

Aris blinked before glancing between Efret and Zaiya. He was suddenly on the spot. His memory of trying to explain to Mahsa how to use Force Speed had him very much hesitate. How he did things was often too instinctual to put into proper words, but he had to try, right? "I focus on the heat around me to feel the difference between it and myself, then, focus inward to turn up my own."

Efret Farr | Zaiya Ceti

 

[Efret Farr]

OBJECTIVE: III

"Very interesting," she commented sincerely. She didn't teach often and when she did it was about history or contemporary culture studies, so she wasn't very aware of the range of techniques that could be used to accomplish the same power. Clearly his approach worked or the fire before them would not be crackling. "And the external expression is impressive." She had never seen tapas wielded in such a way, nor thought to do so. It was evidently useful though; Efret was glad that Aris had found this application. "It strays close to pyrokinesis territory. I don't know that power myself, but I'd imagine that you could learn it relatively easily if you don't already know it.

"I have only ever turned up my internal temperature with tapas," she continued. "It can be difficult to explain what one does, especially if they have honed their skill into their subconscious." Feelings of some variety of anxiety at being put on the spot came to Efret via her Empathetic sense from Aris. Her smile was an apology to him. "It's the same for me. You did well."

She glanced away from him to Zaiya. "I'm sure that you both know the Force holds many possibilities. I've found that when I bring to It a memory, say one of a time when I was in a warm bath or under a beating sun, and I ask It to recreate that sensation in me, It does."

Zaiya Ceti Aris Noble​