Peace of mind (with Fabula)

[Arage Bao]

Michael was sitting in one of the gardens of the Jedi Temple trying to meditate on the loss of his father and awaiting the arrival of his Master. But for some reason the pain and agony inside of him did not want to leave, instead it was poisoning him; making him angry. Angry at his father, at the Republic, at everyone.


Just then he heard a cough behind his back, interrupting the dark thoughts that were clouding his mind. Remembering the etiquette his mother had stamped in him since he was a child, he stood up and bowed to the person who he assumed would be his Master.


"I am honored by your presence, Master. Thank you for this opportunity"


@[member="Fabula Cavataio"]

 

[Fabula Caromed]

Fabula loved the peace of the Jedi Temple. From the quietly whispering waters in the Room of a Thousand Fountains, to the laughs of younglings who still had time to play that wasn't consumed by their studies, to the entirely organic garden on one of the Temple's terraces, Fabula hadn't yet found a single room that didn't have an aura of perfect calm about it. It was the perfect place for a tortured soul to find rest...probably by design.

When she noticed something that was actively disturbing this calm, Fabula almost winced. Just because feeling the serene Jedi around her tended to help Fabs keep her heart at peace, she normally wandered the halls with her mind open to the world around her. It wasn't any surprise that she noticed the familiar taste of anger - the extremely familiar kind born from being abandoned by one's family - searing the air on the garden terrace. There weren't any actual Jedi doing nearby, so the busty little woman made her way out to see what the problem was.

Then a bug flew into her mouth.

"Kaff!" Choking for a moment, Fabs almost tripped over a pot when she walked outside. Not exactly the best first impression she could've made. Blushing like a fiend, she managed to regain something vaguely resembling composure and turned to the young man who seemed quite ill at ease.

"S-sorry," Fabula stammered out, her voice as tiny as ever. "Were you waiting for Jedi Master? I can go see if I can find one..."
@[member="Michael Sardun"]

 

[Arage Bao]

Michael slightly raised his brows in confusion. "I was under the impression I was waiting for you, Master." "The other Jedi told me to wait for you here, that you would be the one who would understand my pain."


It took quite some effort from Michael to not show his surprise to the woman standing in front of him. She was definitely not what he was expecting, then again nothing fulfils his expectations these days. He repressed a sigh and put a pleasant face on.

"My name is Michael Sardun, I would be severely in your debt if you would consider taking me on as your apprentice." with that he bowed again, even deeper than the first time.

@[member="Fabula Cavataio"]

 

[Fabula Caromed]

Wait, what? That wasn't anywhere close to what Fabula was expecting out of this one. "Um...I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken. I'm not actually a Jedi." Said the woman who was carrying lightsabers and tasted like the Force. "I felt your troubles and wanted to see if I could help."

Hugging her arms close to her body, her eyes dropped to the grassy ground that she had walked with Aleidis. It took her a few moments to swallow the lump in her throat, but eventually she managed to remember how to speak again, timid as ever. "I-...I might be able to teach you a little, but...you really should find a real Jedi for this."

Why the frak would she be teaching anyone anything when she was supposed to be teaching herself how to touch the Force without giving into her emotions, the meaning of the Jedi Code, and a hundred other things? She wasn't ready. She shouldn't have even been talking to this Padawan. What was she thinking? Stupid girl.
@[member="Michael Sardun"]

 

[Arage Bao]

Suddenly Michael knew that this woman was the one who had to teach him, he did not know where that feeling of rightness came from; but he knew there was no other possibility. If she did not teach him, then no one would.


"Then teach me what you can, my Master. I will listen to every word you utter."


@[member="Fabula Cavataio"]

 

[Fabula Caromed]

Shifting a little on her heels, Fabula felt very suddenly put on the spot. How was she supposed to teach a Jedi when she hadn't been taught anything of Jedi ways yet? This was a match made in Hutta. There was no way it was going to work. Walking out here was a mistake-

'Calm down, Fabula.' Taking a deep breath, Fabs remembered her impression on Quenladose, the little Jedi Padawan she'd met so long ago. She remembered the lessons she'd given her cyar'ika to try to control that latent spark of the Force. That time that she'd slowly guided Pollux Ojedrian through the first vestiges of his Force sensitivity...there was plenty she could do for this young man. Especially the most important lesson of all. He had a temper to keep in check, and she knew exactly how to do it.

Fabula let out her breath, her tone much steadier than before. "I can't teach you how to be a Jedi, but there's something very important that I can teach you. A real Jedi Master can pick up where I leave off later. For the moment, your anger is a danger to your spirit." With a little grin, she clasped her hands in front of her and walked slightly towards her new not-a-Padawan. "We'll need to take care of that before you hurt someone."

Fabula's sneakers wove a very careful path through the plants and across the walkways of the garden Aleidis had left her to calm herself in. There was one very specific place she always found the most relaxing, the best for meditation. To the right of the garden, a tiny waterfall emptied into one of the garden's pools with a natural rock formation that had been painstakingly imported onto the building's roof. It was the perfect place to let your worries melt away.

Taking a knee on one of the rocks, Fabula rested her hands in her lap and looked out onto the water, gently sparkling in the sunlight and surrounded by all manner of colorfully-scented plants. She smiled back at the man behind her and jerked her head a bit in a "come on" motion.
@[member="Michael Sardun"]

 

[Arage Bao]

"If you think this is the best way to deal with my.. problem. Then I will follow your lead." Michael said and sat down next to the woman.

"What next?" he asked her.

@[member="Fabula Cavataio"]

 

[Fabula Caromed]

Fabula smoothed her a wrinkle out of her shorts, offering a gentle look to the Padawan with the emotion control problems. "I can't expect you to be able to see it without any training, but every Jedi in this Temple struggles with some great tragedy. Life with the Force is difficult and painful. Many of us study for years how to control ourselves and still find nothing but failure and darkness." Her smile was fading a bit. "I know this better than most, and I hope to teach you what I know of coping."

Looking to the garden around her, she tried to find some of the peace she wanted to show this lost and confused student. This would work a lot better if she actually thought to tell him what she was doing... "Gardens are a magnificent place to lose oneself. The realization that you're just one part of a much larger tapestry, that your life and the lives of everything around you are connected...it can do wonders to keep your temper even."

Great, concept. Now work on actually telling him what to do. Stupid girl. "Close your eyes and consider this for a moment, the interweaving of life. Try to open your mind to the thrum of life around you, the whispers of the Force thick in the air." She followed her own instruction as an example. "It won't resolve your anguish...but it can help you dull it, keep it contained. You'll need someone wiser than me to help you truly conquer it, but this might help you focus long enough to call on the Force."
@[member="Michael Sardun"]

 

[Arage Bao]

Michael practically felt the sadness emanating from the girl. He was desperate to make her feel better, but the words refused to come to him. So instead he just closed his eyes and tried to follow her instructions. It seemed like hours had passed and still nothing out of the ordinary happened, except that his nose was itching like crazy. While trying to keep his composure he suddenly started to hear voices.

At first Michael thought he was going mad, but then he realized it was just the girl beside him, patronizing herself about her inability to properly explain him what to do.

Without thinking about it Michael said to her: "You are doing fine, really. You are not a stupid girl. I am just a slow learner, I will get it eventually. Promise." He then smiled at her and closed his eyes again, searching for the mystical webs of life his Master had told him about.

Just when Michael was about to give up, he suddenly felt his perception shift. He could suddenly feel things all around him. Not like the itching feel of his nose, or the way the sunlight was shining right into his eyes. He could feel how everything around him was interconnected.

At first Michael was terrified, he was not used to this level of intimacy. But after a while he adjusted himself to the new sensation. Michael felt how serenity replaced his feelings of loneliness and agony.

"Thank you." He simply said, while opening his eyes and regarding his new Master.

@[member="Fabula Cavataio"]