Still Waters (Silvers, all others PM)

[Akio Diachi]

VOSS​

Akio was far off the well-beaten path today. That wasn't too unusual for the Blue Pilgirm in every sense of the word--he was after all, rather mystical in a world that was becoming ever-so-scientific--and he was a wielder of weapons so old that most held them as the stuff of legends and lore. He was a dinosaur but sometimes, you had something to learn from dinosaurs.

The Chiss wanted to give back to the community, to the Silver Jedi from whom he had learned so much, not just about the Force but about himself as well. These were dark and turbulent times. One would assume that after the Charzon fiasco that all would have settled down. But there was no rest for the righteous. The Chiss didn't have to meditate to know that this was probably just the beginning of many worse things yet to come.

"It is in grave times like these we must hold truer than ever before to things that are the most dear to us," he thought aloud clutching his amulet around his neck.


From between his fingertips it hummed, glowing with the Force itself in a vibrant bright light. He would need it, in fact they could all use it when he and his soon to be pupils arrived. He had never taught anything before--at least not to anyone who was a willing student--so this would be a fun experience for the Blue Pilgrim. Monk's spade in hand, Akio made his way to the front door of this small shrine on the perimeter of the Temple's grounds to let the students in.

[member="Arisa Yune"] [member="Mabbik"] @Any Silver wanting to learn a unique meditation style for combat.

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Voss​

Tyyni Oluja often frequented this area of the temple, which would come as a surprise to none that knew him, but almost all that didn't. On second thought, perhaps it wouldn't be a surprise. It seemed all Hutts did anyways was sit around.

The peaceful atmosphere, the calm faces, it all served to cool the Huttlet's mind as he slid his way along a stone path, searching for a place to begin his own meditations. Tyyni was an avid practitioner of the subject, and he was surprised to find out that not many other padawans saw the merits of meditation. For Tyyni, it was an escape from his body, something he did not care for much.

As he slid along, marveling at the various stone structures, perusing for a good place to rest his mind, he finally saw it; a small shrine. The Hutt Jedi had heard rumor that there was to be a meditation lesson here, by a wanderer, no less, and was more than eager to sit in. It seemed the Hutt worked best in skills of meditation.

So the Hutt waited, body curled around him, until a blue-skinned Chiss opened the doors to the pavilion, holding a strange, exotic weapon. Tyyni thought back to his endless hours of study in the Voss Library, but came up with no weapon descriptions matching the strange, bladed apparatus. Once he saw the Jedi, he bowed deeply, green eyes flashing with an inner light.

"Master Diachi, I have come to learn." The small Hutt decided to leave it at that, and slid inside the shrine, excitement bubbling up inside him.

Excitement for meditation. Definitely not usual for a padawan.

- [member="Akio Diachi"] -

 

[Raya-Tat]

This world was beautiful as she glided down, from the top of the temple with her large bushy tail swishing around so that she would be able to see all of it. The wind currents were there, the scents of everything around her as well as when she came down there were the others. "This place is awesome." She was looking to work on many more of the things here, take in some classes so that she could learn about anything and everything the jedi were here to offer. Stopping by one of the places as the small girl looked around with extra wide eyes and the large tail was fluffed all around. She saw a couple of people and there was a large hutt there while she stood around offering a smile.

 

[H3xle]

Spending most of the past few years fighting the One Sith on Tython from within the Silent Desert perhaps caused an exaggerated reaction to the beauty of the Voss temple. Still, like drinking a glass of water after days of thirst, Jolyn couldn't stop looking around at everything. The feel of the light side all around the temple grounds likely added to the ambiance for her, but she wasn't going to take any of it for granted.

Today she was moving towards a secluded area of the temple grounds. A Knight was going to be teaching a unique combat meditation, and while Jolyn was not a fan of combat for combats sake, the knowledge of many techniques made it more likely that she would both survive and excel when combat came around. In a galaxy as dark as the modern era, combat was almost always a given.

As she turned a corner on the path, she saw the clearing ahead with the Chiss knight, a Hutt in padawan robes, and a young woman with a large, bushy tail. Jolyn moved to join them, offering a smile to each of them.

"This is a beautiful morning for training." She said by way of greeting as she came to a stop in the group.

[member="Raya-Tat"] | [member="Tyyni Oluja"] |[member="Akio Diachi"]

 

[NightSister]

Aria had grown very fond of Voss in her two years - give or take - living within the Silver Temple. Though it did little to sate her more adventurous cravings, the planet was, to her, a home. The air was pure, the weather was pleasant, the environment peaceful and pretty; everything about the lands spoke to the Jedi who had headquartered here and the Jedi she strived to be.

The girl felt like such a Jedi that morning as she treaded through the dewy blades of grass, her sights set on the shrine in the clearing up ahead. This morning had been put aside for a lesson being taught by a fellow Knight, something to do with combining meditation with combat. Aria wasn't certain exactly how it would work, but certainly the concept appealed to her. Combat she had a natural aptitude for, meditation not so much - although she believed that she'd improved on it over time - so she was uncertain how the lesson would go but excited all the same.

She reached the shrine, her gaze falling on the already assembled crowd. Clearly the lesson had gathered interest - next to the Chiss Knight whom she was fairly certain was leading the class stood a Hutt - a Hutt? Aria said nothing, but her eyebrows twitched momentarily in surprise - a dark-haired woman and a girl of a species she did not recognise with a large tail. The infinite range of different species across the galaxy never failed to surprise her.

"Uh, good morning," she said, hesitant but smiling as was typical of her. "I'm here for the - meditation training?"

[member="Akio Diachi"] | [member="Tyyni Oluja"] | [member="Raya-Tat"] | [member="Jolyn Vahr"]​

 

[Ostdern Mastogar]

The boy has spent countless years hiding out in a cave. He'd been left by his parents to die out in Tatooine. It might sound like they hated him, but it was actually due to the fact they were running from Imperials. His parents were killed in a busy market only three days after he was left. Ostsern was only eight at the time, but had learned many things while alone in the desert. Like how to hunt for food and avoid troopers looking for stragglers they can sell as slaves. The boy, man I should say, was now well equipped in the Jedi combat. Ostdern tought himself after realizing he could move things with his mind. This only made matters worse as more troopers came looking for him trying to kill any Jedi that remained. Ostdern would move deeper into the caves so that they couldn't get to him. His day to leave finally came after the head of the searches, Darth Elrubius (I'll make him so you know he's real), walked into the cave and found the boy mid hiding. The two engaged in a fight, Elrubius with his light saber and Ostdern with only the force and rocks to through. He managed to steal the saber and run the Sith through, ending the raids. He'd now travels to Voss in search of better training and a Jedi Master. The B-Wing landed at an old docking bay and the teenager stepped out. Ostdern checked his surroundings.

"So this is the location of my future? Brilliant!"
[member="Akio Diachi"] [member="Aria Vale"] [member="Tyyni Oluja"] [member="Raya-Tat"] [member="Jolyn Vahr"]

 

[Akio Diachi]

"Welcome all of you and Namaste," Akio said giving them all a friendly smile and a bow, "I am very glad that each of you could make it and I am very excited for what this day has in store for us."

He wanted to give the stragglers a few more moments to come in so he would hold off before he got to the actual meat of their discussion for the day.

"For those of you who do not know who I am, and I am rather sure that would be most beings in this broad galaxy," he said with a hint of ironic Chiss humor, "My name is Akio Diachi, I am the Blue Pilgrim. I was not raised among my own kind or the Jedi either for that matter. I was raised by a caste of mystics with a rather different view on the Universe and the Force itself. My educators believed that the point of existence was to reach a point of continual meditation. I suppose you can see why meditation could be quite a passion of mine."

He took a moment for the irony of the statement hang for a moment before continuing, "I believe that meditation is so much more than sitting quietly and breathing deeply. Our minds can be quiet and tamed even in the worst chaos, and it should be. We can be the still waters in the storms of life. I am so delighted that you have come to share this passion with me."

Akio turned and retrieved a wooden box from the top of an altar behind him, setting his monk's spade aside. He opened it, revealing sets of dull crystals resting on a velvet pillow. "Each of you please take one. These are Meditation Crystals, which help us to focus on the Force during our meditations and strengthen our connection to it. Part of that is psychological--anything can serve as an anchor for us to focus on, and this can be a rather convenient point of harmony. If you feel the urge to journey later and find a crystal that is more suitable for your life purpose, please feel free."

He took a moment for each person to select their crystals and make questions/comments/objections/additions/rude remarks/happy yodeling or spontaneous clogging.

Spoiler

[member="Ostdern Mastogar"] I [member="Aria Vale"] I [member="Jolyn Vahr"] I [member="Raya-Tat"] I [member="Tyyni Oluja"]

Horribly sorry, I appear to have left out the wookiee sub to what we will be learning today in my opener! Here is the link. Thank you for your patience.

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni nodded to each of the Jedi as they filtered into the area, happy to see he would not be alone in his training. As much as he loved one-on-one training, there was something about learning in a group that made him nostalgic. The tension in the air was palpable to a group of younglings learning how to move things with their minds for the first time.

Tyyni did a slow circle in the pavilion, familiarizing himself with the room. It would be important to feel as comfortable as possible in the alien surrounding, with the aliens around him. He had done his research before coming, of course. Akio Diachi was quite the accomplished wandering Jedi, it seemed.

Tyyni wiggled in excitement as meditation crystals were passed around. When it was his turn to take one, Tyyni reached one grubby hand into the box, and picked out one. It had no immediate effect on his psyche, but the Huttlet figured it was only a matter of time. He bowed to the Chiss, verdant green eyes twinkling. "Thank you, master. I will put this to good use." Tyyni let go of the small crystal, using the Force to suspend it in the air in front of his face. It was such a small thing, but held so much promise. He looked to each of the Silver Jedi as they received their own crystals, letting a child-like grin settle across his wide face.

- [member="Akio Diachi"] - [member="Ostdern Mastogar"] - [member="Aria Vale"] - [member="Jolyn Vahr"] - [member="Raya-Tat"] -

 

[Ostdern Mastogar]

Ostdern was happy, he could finally become a Jedi Knight! He seized the crystal from @Akio Dachi and took a step back. The boy marveled at the crystal for a moment. What strange powers it had, he overcome with joy. Ostdern looked up at Dachi and spoke only a few words.

"Thank you Master Dochi, I'm so happy to be under your guidance!"

Taking a seat not far from [member="Tyyni Oluja"] , he placed the crystal on the ground and began to meditate on what there was to come of this training. He turns to Tyyni.
"So what brings you here? Not often we see a Hutt Jedi."

 

[Raya-Tat]

She was looking at all of the others who were coming to join them and around with wide eyes. Her tail going back and forth with excitement as she grabbed a couple of food cubes from her belt eating it as she listened to the one who was teaching them. Most of their ideas coming around before she went up getting what he was offering to use for them and the skill he was going to teach them. It was all a very nice thing to have that was providing them a new idea. Oh she was liking the look of this when she saw another join them and turned her head to look at him curious before she stpped over near the hutt with a smile on her face. "Oh this is going to be fun."

 

[H3xle]

Jolyn smiled and stepped forward to accept the meditation crystal.

She took a few moments to peer into it, almost as if she were memorizing it's facets. Then she gripped it strongly in her hand and looked around at the assembled learners and their teacher. When she was younger, she had heard stories of the original Jedi Order, of how life had been hundreds of years prior. Jedi learners were largely sheltered then, kept tucked away in temples to learn and grow without viewing much of how the world worked. That the Jedi survived until this day was astounding, seeing as how civilization turned, then coiled in on itself, then exploded outward again.

Now it was different. She could see it etched on most of the faces of the Padawans around her. She herself, still just a padawan for lack of having a Master these past years, had lived through the occupation of Tython. She was sure that every padawan here had similar stories they could share. Gone were the days of the sheltered Jedi.

She smiled to herself, looked at the meditation crystal again, and took a deep breath. Calmly, she waited for the lesson to continue.

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni looked to [member="Ostdern Mastogar"] as he addressed him, crystal still floating in front of his light green eyes. Tyyni's face remained mute as he responded, a slight grin beginning at the corners of his mouth.

"Well, for one, I live here. Voss is nice. And it is not often I meet someone who uses the royal 'we', so I suppose we are both surprised today." Tyyni decided to brush off the comment about being a Hutt Jedi. Why wouldn't he be a Jedi? He was a sentient being, just like any other in the galaxy.

Tyyni looked to [member="Jolyn Vahr"] and [member="Raya-Tat"] as they both also received crystals, smiling. He wasn't entirely sure what to do with the meditation crystals now, but he figured that would be instructed upon soon enough. His coiled tail stamped against the floor, creating a dull thomp. He was beyond excited.

"I am ready to learn, master." Tyyni looked to [member="Akio Diachi"], rubbing his hands together greedily. He couldn't stop his bulbous tongue from passing over his lips grossly, his entire body wiggling with the tension.

 

[Alan]

Darin was a quiet, reserved boy. And even more so, when it came to learning. He carried a heavy burden- not emotionally, however. He was literally carrying a heavy burden of knowledge. Books, holopads- they were piled in Darin's arms as he made his way to the study. However, something tugged him to watch the lesson going on. He wasn't near, he stood at the entrance to the garden. The chiss, whom he assumed was leading the lesson, passed out crystals- something rather unknown to Darin. He hadn't read anything about them, so Darin set his collection of books down and sat down, observing the lesson from afar for the moment. He began to mentally take notes of the teacher himself, and the students whom he had not met around him.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

A crystal jostled in place in the box, before springing to life. It proceed to dance a lazy circle around the instructor, [member=Akio Diachi], before bobbing and weaving it's way between the various students, finally coming into a lazy orbit around the form of one of the newest Masters of the Silver Order.

Approaching his blue skinned friend, unmasked and clad in simple training robes, the young Master Jedi looked anything but the part. Until one saw without seeing, his Presence within the Force was impressive to behold, making little room for anyone to think of him as a Padawan.

"Akio, my friend. Though I am late.... perhaps you will indulge me in taking part of your lesson?" the feline Jedi inquired, offering a formal bow of respect to his friend.

He would then move of towards Akio's right, close enough to observe clearly, but not as to obstruct the view of any of the other students.

[member="Darin Khel"] | [member="Tyyni Oluja"] | [member="Jolyn Vahr"] | [member="Raya-Tat"] | [member="Ostdern Mastogar"] | [member="Aria Vale"]​

 

[Akio Diachi]

He had heard of Ryn's masterhood ceremony recently. To say that the Chiss was surprised to see him at his little lesson was--well an understatement. After a second of shock he shook himself out of it and nodded, "Of course, I am more than glad to have you join us." He looked at the padawan near the back of the small shrine, "And you are welcome as well. Feel free to come join us."

Akio turned and set his box back on the alter. Now that everyone had their needed tools for the day it was time to start getting down to brass tacks, "I am confident you are all aware of the basics of meditation, how to still your mind and connect with the Force. As hard as it may seem to believe, you can enjoy that harmony and connection at all times. It is a style I like to call mobile meditation, it is the gateway to a world of possibilities--battlemind, battle meditation, and what we are learning today, Focus Discipline."

He extended his hand to one of the open windows. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming, the golden rays of the sun danced happily on the garden with love and tenderness. "Through the chaos we can carry this level of harmony with us, even in the heat of battle. Our serenity in the middle of storms is what makes us different from our enemies. "

Akio cleared his throat, "Now that we have covered the basis of this form, we can move on to how to do it. I would like for you to still your minds, start your usual meditation ritual, do whatever works best for you," he waited several moments for everyone to tune themselves into the living Force, "now I want you to gently reach out with your mind to the crystal in your hands. Caress it, hold it, let it draw you deeper into the Force. Your path is opening, there are many ways for you to tread from here, the universe is yours to hold, to feel, to experience through the Force." Akio bit his lip for a moment, "Very good, now, let us pair off. We are going to use this."

It was time for the real fun to begin, as they said.

[member="Ryn'Dhal"] I [member="Darin Khel"] I [member="Tyyni Oluja"] I [member="Jolyn Vahr"] I [member="Raya-Tat"] I [member="Ostdern Mastogar"] I [member="Aria Vale"]

 

[NightSister]

Eyes showing her intrigue, Aria reached her hand for a crystal. Was she supposed to be able to sense which would the most appropriate crystal for her? Perhaps not - the Chiss had mentioned that finding one's own crystal was a different process. So she simply took the first one that her hand made contact with, turning it over in her fingers and letting the sunlight catch on every glinting facet. As several others appeared, Aria listened to the given instructions, trying hard not to let herself get caught up in daydreams as was so common of her during important teachings. Creating a connection with the crystal sounded mildly confusing but Aria was reasonably certain that she was in control of her mind enough to achieve such a feat with some fiddling about.

Closing her eyes, Aria went for her preferred method of meditation and envisioned the connection she was trying to make. She had been told frequently that the only way to achieve skills was to simply do it, but this approach wasn't one she worked well with a lot of the time; instead she simply visualized the connection and through the mental imagery tried to strengthen it. She wasn't sure whether she could feel the Force more strongly for it, but she could hold the crystal's presence in her mind enough to use it as an anchor, a gateway even with some work. As the Knight spoke again, her eyes flickered back open, hoping that she had ingrained the crystal into her mind suitably, and bounced on the balls of her feet in anticipation.

[member="Ryn'Dhal"] | [member="Akio Diachi"] | [member="Darin Khel"] | [member="Tyyni Oluja"] | [member="Jolyn Vahr"] | [member="Raya-Tat"] | [member="Ostdern Mastogar"]​

 

[Ostdern Mastogar]

Ostdern was confused, he'd never meditated before. But he figured that he could try after seeing [member="Aria Vale"] do something that looked right to him. Taking his crystal he moved over closer to Vale. The young Padawan examined the woman's grace as she meditated. He crossed his legs and sat in thought. "Maybe I'm doing this right" were the words running through his mind as he strained himself. Ostdern tried to envision pleasant, but all he saw was pain and suffering. The Padawan cried out and threw his crystal down. Standing up he clutched his head and started crying. Ostdern crouched by a wall and began to scream as horrifying voices filled his head.

[member="Akio Diachi"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Calm in the storm.

Tyyni listened to [member="Akio Diachi"] intently, absorbing each word as it came out, crystal beginning to orbit around his body. It was finally time for what he loved most of all; meditation. The Hutt stereotype of never-ending relaxation certainly carried over to Padawan Oluja.

The Huttlet unclipped his lightsaber from his belt, and placed it on the ground in front of him. He also undid his cloak, and let it fall to the side. Tyyni closed his verdant eyes, letting shadow overtake his vision. Inhale, exhale. In, ex.

With each breath, Tyyni pushed out a thought from his jumbled mind. The excitement of the moment was first to go. Eventually, Tyyni's mind was blank; he experienced the sounds of birds, the cool air, and sweet, calming peace. Nothing more, nothing less.

Within this inner peace, the crystal floating around the Hutt's form was joined by his lightsaber, the hilt twirling up slowly to match the cadence. Along with this, came the Hutt himself.

Tyyni's large, bulky frame suddenly became light, the sensation filling him. Tyyni was now floating an inch or two from the ground. A recent trip with his master had shown him his own darkness, and how to be at peace with it. The result was Floating Meditation.

Tyyni felt his mind connect with the meditation crystal; tentatively at first, but slowly becoming stronger as Tyyni's mind adjusted to the new sensation. He indeed felt the universe at his stubby fingertips.

Tyyni heard Master Diachi reigning back in the Padawans, and opened his eyes, still floating. He held a peaceful smile, tranquilly taking in the scene. Pairing up sounded fun. The Hutt let himself descend, until his frame was securely back on the floor. His lightsaber and crystal both flew into his outstretched hands. He was ready. Then he heard screaming, and looked over, concern filling his face. He remained silent, carefully looking between Masters Diachi and [member="Ryn'Dhal"].

- [member="Aria Vale"] - [member="Darin Khel"] - [member="Jolyn Vahr"] - [member="Raya-Tat"] - [member="Ostdern Mastogar"] -

 

[Raya-Tat]

Her mind was clear as she looked at the others and stood there holding the focus crystal to start learning the techniques much like the others. A few ideas to herself about what they might be able to do as well as when it was all quiet the food cube she was eating sounded like thunder with each crunch in her mouth. The padawan was ready... she was prepared and as her mind went blank she was forgetting what she was supposed to focus on until she remembered the chiss and the focusing crystal. Thoughts slowing downt o give her more time to work it all out as her tail went back and forth, back and forth in concentration to herself. Oh yeah this was so much fun.

 

[Akio Diachi]

Ah, voices. The Chiss took a step forward and gently placed his hand on the younger boy's head with a reassuring pat. Through the Force he sent a wave of calm that would certainly help to sooth his displaced emotions.

"Pain is to be expected," the Chiss said with gentle bluntness. His red eyes looked from the padwan to the others around them. He was sure they were aware of the sheer madness and darkness that the galaxy could hold, there was no need to try and paint a picture of a perfect world that did not exist, that would only result in disillusionment. "To be a Jedi, a beacon of hope is to come face to face with darkness. I will not try to lie to you and say that it isn't there," the scars that crisscrossed his blue body was a vivid testament to this, "but take heart, for we can break this. We can and shall overcome."

The Blue Pilgrim handed a little black remote to [member="Tyyni Oluja"]. The blue guy was a total dolt when it came to dealing with Technology, "If you wouldn't mind using that, we can begin part two."

When the faithful huttlet pushed the button a series of biots courtesy of Sassori Tech would appear, one for each student with a standard electrostaff.

"I believe that experience is the best practice. These--" he searched for the right word settling for, "things will be the best practice for you. Try to stay in your state of harmony, peace, meditation, as you spar with it."

With that, he started walking among the students observing them keenly.

[member="Raya-Tat"] I [member="Tyyni Oluja"] I [member="Ostdern Mastogar"] I [member="Aria Vale"] I [member="Ryn'Dhal"] I [member="Darin Khel"] I [member="Jolyn Vahr"]