Shielded From The Ice

[Lief]

Frigid air, and weighted footsteps, had greeted Rhia from the moment she stepped foot off the ship.

Though it was not so different as to be a real burden, the shift in gravitational pull was something she had found odd to say the least. Her limbs were slightly heavier, taking a little more effort to move around, she'd never experienced such before. But she wasn't so quick to reject it either. She didn't scamper back up into the ship she called home and refuse to walk the planet.

No.

Rhia had embraced the chance to explore a new world. Initially they had landed in the Taiga, which while not as cold as much of the landscape she had seen through the cockpit's viewing port was far colder than anywhere Rhia had been before, where Cotan had allowed the girl to explore a relatively untouched environment to help her adjust to the change in gravity.

From there, however, they had made a straight shot for the Jedi Praxeum, nestled within one of the far more tropical canyons. By comparison to the Taiga, it was unbearably warm.

The girl had marveled over how odd it was to see such a place hidden within an otherwise frozen wasteland, though Cotan had taken the time to explain to the girl about the internal warmth each planet had in their core, and the exposure to such that the Spring Canyons seemed to have. Life was abundant there, great swathes of greenery encompassing the Praxeum itself.

She had found herself momentarily alone following their arrival, after all Cotan had things to tend to and knew that she'd much rather explore and learn all that she could about the place than follow him around like a lapdog.

With a soft sigh the young girl watched from afar as men, women, and children went about their daily business. Most were in brown and tan robes, and in comparison she stuck out like a sore thumb in her grey jumpsuit. Though Cotan had insisted they get her more clothes back on Orax, whenever it was clean she still defaulted back to the attire she had come to him in, that which she had worn for pretty much her entire life.

She was a simple girl, in many ways, only just coming to know the real wonders of the Galaxy she had previously been shielded from.

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

Ever since her first meeting with [member='Chiassia'], Nylea's presence on Eira Pechal had become much more common. In order to make sure the young girl didn't have to move twice in such a short time, she sacrificed a part of her time normally spent on Monastery in order to accomodate the tholothian's growth. She wasn't with her at that moment, however. Instead, the echani stood in front of the structure that was the praxum, overseeing a small group of younglings with training sabers in hand. As someone of her heritage she was often asked to assist with teaching the fundamentals of the lightsaber, which she had no objection to. In fact, she found it to be a satisfying way to pass the time.

"You have all been at it for quite some time now. Shall we wrap up?" With a warm voice and a bright smile she motioned them to gather around and quickly they began to flock towards Nylea. "I hope you all learned a lot today. I will be here for a few more days before I go back to Monastery again. If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask them before then. Now," she said, the children all priming at the final word she spoke. "Dismissed!" Instantly, they all began running in different directions, likely to spend their free time to do various things. The sight amused the woman, causing her to crack a grin.

With the younglings now having their free time, it meant Nylea herself did too. After watching the others leave, she herself turned around to look towards the spot just a few steps into the nearby forest she often used to meditate. When she did, however, her attention was drawn to something else. Or, rather, someone else. A young girl in a grey jumpsuit, someone who she had never seen before around the praxeum and definitely didn't look like she were from these parts. She also seemed to be on her own, something the echani found to be quite curious. She decided to find out what it was all about.

"Hello!" Nylea began to approach the young girl, who seemed to be a bit unsure of what to do. "I assume you have come to visit the praxeum?" After closing the majority of the distance between them, she went down to one knee in order to make easy eye contact. "My name is Nylea, it is nice to meet you. What is your name?"

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

Rhia had been watching a particularly fascinating bug flutter through the air when a voice called out to her.

In the seconds between the greeting and the question, the young girl worried she had done something wrong. Was she not supposed to be on the grass? Was she not supposed to be lollygagging? Should she have remained by her Master's side? Was she not supposed to even be at the Praxeum?

Tension wound within her shoulders, as a feeling she had never really experienced washed over her. A sensation that washed away just as quickly, as though a thundercloud had opened up overhead, with the woman's next words.

"Hello!" she responded in likeness, with a tone far chirpier than she had been feeling mere moments ago, "I think that's why I'm here, yes! My Master is uh, he's just in there," she said, by way of explanation, gesturing to the bulk of the Temple itself. She didn't know exactly where inside he was, but she hoped that wouldn't matter.

"Nylea? I'm Rhia. It's nice to meet you too!"

The woman seemed lovely, right off the bat. She had lowered herself down to a knee so Rhia didn't have to strain to meet her eye level, yet it was not at all condescending in nature. Having quite forgotten herself, and remembering only then, the girl hastily lowered herself into a bow of respect and greeting.

"Are you a Jedi, Miss Nylea?" It was a silly question, she supposed, given that this was the Jedi Praxeum, but she was curious all the same. The only Jedi she'd really met up until this point were those of Crystalsong, who had raised her or been raised alongside her, and her Master, [member="Cotan Sar'andor"] - so to say that this was a monumental occasion for the girl would not be an understatement.

The mere thought of that brought a smile to her face.

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

Nylea chuckled for a moment at the bow, although it showed nothing more than amusement. "You do not have to be so formal," she answered with the same warm voice she spoke with before. It then turned into a slight whispering tone that was a bit tongue-in-cheek as she continued, "it is a bit embarrassing." She wasn't all that far from truth there, either. It had taken multiple months of convincing until the echani was put on the spot where she couldn't refuse when she finally accepted the title of Jedi Knight. Having people look up to her was still a bit frightening to her. Luckily, she was slowly starting to get used to it, but that didn't change the fact she wasn't a fan of formalities.

"Your master is here? So you are a padawan, I see. That is very noble." It were the young ones she perhaps respected the most, in that regard. To, at an age like theirs, walk such a difficult path was something to be admired. The girl then introduced herself as Rhia, at which Nylea nodded. "Well, Rhia, I think you are in the right place." After all, the first place to look for a Jedi on the planet of Eira Pechal was the Jedi Praxeum. "I will be the first to welcome you here, I suppose."

A smile couldn't be suppressed at the question Nylea was then asked. "Mhm. I am a Jedi, just like yourself." Rhia hadn't said it out loud, but considering she spoke of her master and was looking for the Jedi Praxeum, it wasn't all too difficult to put the pieces together. "Although I was not nearly as young as you when I began learning."

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

"I don't?" she asked, clearly a little unnerved by the prospect of not being so formal. It had been ingrained in her from a frightfully young age, though Cotan did not necessarily enforce it as the Masters back on Crystalsong had. The fact that she was causing the woman some small measure of embarrassment was enough for her to think twice and refrain from doing any more of it. Not that she had to bow a second time or anything.

"Thank you for the warm welcome, Miss Nylea," she said, glancing past the woman momentarily to look at the structure itself, "It's very beautiful here." Rhia thoroughly enjoyed looking at beautiful things, such as the sights witnessed back on Orax, though the temple itself did remind her of Crystalsong. She had nice memories there, but a few had been soured by revelations she'd had since leaving. They hadn't necessarily always been honest with her. Which was confusing, because Jedi were supposed to be honest and good and true.

What Nylea said next, however, was the biggest blow of them all, and the girl's face practically crumpled under the weight of it all.

"Wait..." She blinked, looking between the woman and the various others dotted around the place, "you mean, you weren't born a Jedi..?"

Rhia took one very slight step back, eyes darting around as though everything in the vicinity was an illusion she was trying to see through.

If Nylea hadn't been born a Jedi, did that mean Rhia hadn't either? She couldn't remember any life except the one she'd had on Crystalsong, and the Masters there had told her that she'd always been there. There had been no one else in her life but them, no parents, no family, in fact the concept of family was so alien to her that she couldn't comprehend the notion of having one at all.

Her lower lip wobbled, before she bit the inside of it to keep it still. She wanted nothing more than to run to [member="Cotan Sar'andor"] in that moment, to find out the truth of the matter, but her left felt like jelly and her ears rang noisily to disorient her.

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

The question that was posed to Nylea sounded a bit odd to her. She herself was hardly the only Jedi she knew who had later in their life decided to walk the path of the Jedi. The Order of the Sacred Lotus welcomed those of any age to learn, but perhaps Rhia hadn't grown up in such an environment. After all, it was fairly clear she had no previous ties to the Praxeum, and different orders interpreted being a Jedi in different ways. Many orders that were grounded in many of the traditional interpretations only took in children of very young ages, which perhaps was the case here. Meeting someone who had been much older when they turned to the Jedi was likely going to cause some kind of shock.

And that was exactly what happened. It was almost like the young girl was falling into a state of panic, triggered by the echani's own seemingly innocuous words. For a moment she wasn't sure what to do- she didn't know what exactly the reason was why she reacted this way, so using words to calm her down seemed like a hopeless cause. Nylea took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment to remain calm, then realized what she had to do. The last thing she wanted was to be a cause for anyone's concern or panic, she had been that to too many people in the past already.

No entity spoke louder than the Force, so that is what the woman would use. Reaching out to the web that connected all, she began radiating a feeling of serenity. Hopefully this way she would be able to remedy the state of shock Rhia seemed to be in, to clear her mind and get her metaphorical feet back on the ground. "Are you okay?" Her tone showed clear concern, feeling somewhat helpless even though she was doing what she could to help the young girl.

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

______________________________________________________________​

​

Eira Pechal, The Unknown Regions // The Jedi Praxeum​

Calming Down // With [member="Nylea Apollodor"]​

♫ // I Breathe In... No​

______________________________________________________________​

​

As she stood there before the woman, as the Force washed over her both of her own volition and by the woman's own hand, Rhia felt her heart rate begin to slow back down to a more manageable state. Despite the fact that she was a child, the girl had been raised to keep her emotions in check most of the time, and while there would always be outlier situations such as that which had just taken place, she was often very quick to resolve her spikes in emotion. In fact, her control of such was almost unnatural for someone of her age.

It is okay she told herself, breathing finally beginning to regular itself out, Cotan will know the answers... And until she could find her Master? She would simply shelve the issue within her mind and try to get on with her day. It wasn't the first time she'd had to go back to her Master for confirmation on things she'd thought was true, yet were not at all. Even down to her own species... Why they'd lied, those Masters of Crystalsong, she could not say for sure. Perhaps they had thought they were helping, that they might keep temptation and attachment from the children in their care.

But all it had done was cause confusion, detachment from oneself.

"I'm sorry, Miss Nylea," she said, once she was able to find her voice, "Everything is okay!"

She smiled up at the woman, surprisingly able to shove the conundrum far enough down that said smile even reached her eyes, before glancing around the Praxeum grounds.

"Do... You think I might have a drink of water, Miss Nylea?" she asked; not only had it been a long journey over to Eira Pechal, and the Praxeum itself, but the girl knew that hydrating herself would help her to get her mind fully back on track.

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

Whether it was her doing or Rhia's own, Nylea was relieved to see that the young girl quickly began to calm down. Emotions couldn't be shut out completely, it was one of the things she saw as a fact of life, and what had transpired was a strong example of that. She was convinced that instead it was better to acknowledge and work through them without letting that affect your actions. Although that too was a difficult process, it was much healthier. Still, telling Rhia what to do wasn't her place.

"I am glad," Nylea answered with a smile to mirror hers, "you definitely got me worried for a moment there." Whoever her master was, she would see to explaining what had happened when, or if, they found them. Perhaps they knew what to do better than herself, they were the one who cared for Rhia after all. "But there is no need to be sorry. If anything is bothering you, make sure to bring it up with your master, okay? You have probably been told this a million times already, but they will guide you and make sure you know everything you need to know." It was unfortunate that the one who had taught the echani the fundamentals of the Jedi had vanished so quickly. Most of her time as a padawan was spent teaching herself instead, although that did not mean she didn't have anyone around to support her.

Nylea then reached for a flask she had hanging from her hip and unclipped it. "Of course," the woman then answered to Rhia's question, as she undid the lid and held it out to her. She often had that flask filled with water on her person in order to stay hydrated. "Have as much as you want."

"So, what brings you here?" The echani couldn't help but wonder about that after handing the flask to her. It had already been mentioned her master was here, but perhaps ther was something more to it as well.

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]

 

[Lief]

Of course, Rhia was no fool.

She knew that suppressing her emotions was not a good course of action, yet if she could manage to hold them off long enough to get back to Cotan? Well, then that would likely be best. She did not have to go worrying the only other person she'd seen in the longest time, what a poor first impression that would be. Besides, Rhia's problems were hardly the woman's.

"I will speak with my Master, Miss Nylea," she affirmed, when the woman made that suggestion, before taking the flask of water and taking a healthy sip. It immediately helped to cool her down, and set her mind back in fully working order. She turned her face in the direction of the leisurely breeze, and between the two stimuli was able to release the last of the tension in one long sigh.

Offering the woman back her flask, after wiping the rim, she lifted one hand to tap her chin.

"I never really asked why we were coming here," she confessed, "I'm just excited to see another world!" How many had she visited since leaving Crystalsong? Would this make her third, or her fourth? Either way, she was swiftly discovering how much larger the Galaxy truly was, and how much more different it was than the Masters who had raised her painted it to be.

[member="Nylea Apollodor"]

 

[Nylea Apollodor]

After Rhia confirmed she would make sure to lay her questions down in front of her master, Nylea felt no need to continue on the topic. It was clear there were questions and that she wasn't the one to answer them. The topic seemed to weigh quite heavy when it was brought up as well, meaning that there wasn't only no real point in doing so, with it not being the right time, place, and with the right person it was actually more detrimental to her mental state than anything. With a simple "good," all there was to say was said.

The echani was then offered the flask back, at which she motioned to have Rhia to hold onto it. "You can keep it, if you want. I have another one back home." Nylea figured that in case such a moment as the one that had just transpired would take place again, it would be something useful for the young girl. She herself would be going back to Monastery the day after anyway, she could miss having one until then. "That way you always have some water with you for long trips."

It was somewhat odd to hear that Rhia's master had not given her a reason why they would be coming here, but Nylea figured there was no real harm to be done by not doing so. The young girl was clearly excited about being somewhere new however, which was a heartwarming sight. "Exploring new planets is very fun," she responded, fully understanding the excitement. "But Eira Pechal is definitely one of my favorites. I can show you some of my favorite spots nearby the praxeum later, if you'd like."

[member="Rhia Kesyk"]