Teacher Knows Best

[Amara No'orabi]

Amara had settled into her room in the Temple only a day prior, but she was truly in love with every inch of Lothal. The enormous halls buzzing with ancient power, the clusters of rooms where Younglings trained and Padawans learned new forms, and the grass, oh the grass was wonderful. She had shed her sand-worn Tatooine rags for the simple robes provided for her in her room, had scrubbed the sand and dirt and travel from her body in the 'fresher (a new and intriguing experience which she wasn't entirely sure she enjoyed yet), and was ready to embark on this new journey.

But she needed a teacher. When she had been 'discovered' on Denon, the Jedi there had said that it would be hard to find someone willing to teach someone as old as she was. Most Jedi were born into the Order and lived out their entire lives as Jedi, at least according to Knight Roberts. Amara was not so fortunate.

However, when she woke up to greet the sun (an unusual but not unwelcome occurrence), something in her stomach pulled her out into the Temple. She followed the feeling, which she was starting to think was the Force guiding her, winding down intricate hallways and empty training rooms until she stopped in front of a room that wasn't unoccupied.

A woman was in the room, dark hair spilling down her back, and Amara bit her lip.

"I don't mean to disturb you, but may I come in?" she asked, hoping to watch whatever it was the woman was doing. She had learned a tiny bit from sitting in with the Younglings the evening prior, and was hoping to just observe and absorb. "I'm not entirely sure how etiquette works here, so I apologize if I've done something wrong." Amara tacked on hastily, hoping that [member="Matsu Ike"] wouldn't be offended or disturbed by her sudden presence.

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Amara No'orabi"]

Matsu was letting the force hum as she sat there meditating, the connection she had formed to the heart of the universe and within the different force sects brought her some calmness and peace. Her hair going down and in semi thick braids along her back, the sarashi wrapped tightly and her robes to the side so she could stand there in the coolness with her feet bare. Slowly she wiggled her toes letting the tattoo's across her shoulders, back and arms be displayed with their designs from different atrisian gangs she had been sent and the different scar lines across her body. The jedi master crouched low reaching out with her arms as she breathed in deeply.

Her body slowly rotating and hands coming out while she let the her breathing come out with the senses of the force slowly expand. She could feel someone coming as she looked at the padawan when she spoke. Matsu straightened up and stood to her full height of five feet with her pale skin showing small traces of sweat before she looked at the padawan with black pools for her eyes and spoke. "It is quite alright, it is a very open place for asking questions." The jedi master bowed her head and straightened up a little moving her feet with the small tattooed designs going over it and moved her arm. "Come in and talk padawan, what questions do you have."

 

[Amara No'orabi]

Amara was momentarily surprised, but she stepped into the room and shifted a bit on the balls of her feet. "The list is quite extensive," she chuckled, keeping her voice low. For some reason, Amara felt like it would be inappropriate to speak loudly in the Temple. The Jedi were so serene; it was something she wanted to find in herself.

"In all honesty, I'm mostly curious. I don't know much and until I find a teacher I was told to just learn what I can on my own. What were you doing?" Amara asked, tilting her head ever so slightly. This Master was interesting in appearance and manner, and Amara felt far more at ease around her than she had around Knight Roberts. Perhaps it was the height difference, but for whatever reason Amara felt far less foolish asking questions and expressing her naivety here than she had when she arrived.

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Amara No'orabi"]

Matsu looked at her and moved her hands clasping them behind her back while she offered a smile. "Well I can offer answers to most if not all more then likely." She moved to the side and sat down while bringing her hand out indicating where to sit. "As for what I was doing it was a meditation to focus." She was now just letting the padawan get settled in but speaking softly was her natural tone for some of the things. The sounds of the temple while she brought hands to be in front of herself sitting there. "I am Master Matsu, what is your name padawan?"

 

[Amara No'orabi]

Amara sat when Matsu motioned for her to do so and took a slow breath. "Amara," she replied. "Amara No'orabi. It's nice to meet you Master Matsu." Amara allowed a small grin to cross her face and she fiddled with the hem of her trousers, a thicker linen than she was used to but not entirely unwelcome considering even the comfortable warmth of the Temple was chilly to her. "Could you teach me? Um. If it's not a bother that is. The focus meditation. I think it'd be helpful."

It wasn't an untrue statement; Amara's mind was a whirlwind at times, and being able to settle and focus her mind on the tasks at hand would be ferociously helpful. She had often struggled to learn new skills not because she wasn't capable of performing them, but because she didn't have the right focus. Amara often found herself in a half-daydream, and she knew that that would not be of any use in the Jedi Temple.

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Amara No'orabi"]

A nice name and she thought about it, the force could be taught with the meditation as she was sitting there. "I can teach you yes." She offered a smile to her now though while sitting there and she looked over at the padawan. "It will take some time, moving meditations require focus and some training as well as knowing how to find peace." She had spent time learning how best to do it but there was a lot more that could be done with it and using it with some of the meditation techniques of the matukai to focus stamina and energies. "Who is your master padawan, I should check with them to see what you have been taught to have something to work with."

 

[Amara No'orabi]

Amara bit her lower lip and shook her head. "I don't have a Master yet. Knight Roberts says it'll take patience and guidance from the Force, so...until them I'm just trying to keep up with the Younglings and the other Padawans." Amara ran her hand through her fiery hair and then pushed it away from her face. She had seen some of the Padawans wearing braids or beads to signify that they were Padawans, and had been told it was a tradition, albeit an optional one. Her hair was devoid of such marking. "I've been reading a lot though, whatever I can get my hands on really, and I've watched some of the training sessions that the Younglings go through. I'm too old to participate, but they let me watch."

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Amara No'orabi"]

No master huh... Matsu was looking at her and sitting there now she could think of a few thigns the girl could have participated in. The younglings not letting her might have been a joke but she had a few more things to worry about first. "No master and for one who has potential." SHe said it with a smile and not giving to much away, the beauty of the force was.. you could say something simple and make it sound wise or even important as you wanted to try. "I can't say I am sad though hearing that. Many padawans flock to try and impress the councilors or the grandmaster, few try and find a master willing and able to work with them that is not famous in some way." She looked up now thugh. "Though I can claim some more knowledge then most and if you are able to am willing to teach you."

 

[Amara No'orabi]

Amara's eyes went wide and her mouth ran dry. A Master already? A smile bloomed, stretching across her face and making the blue of her eyes look just a bit brighter. "I...I would be honored. I'm definitely willing to learn, and even if I can't do anything overly impressive now I can work hard. I will work hard," she said, her words coming out a bit breathy due to her excitement. She clenched her hands around her knees and took a slow breath. Calm, collected, she had to stay mellow. Once she settled she pushed her hair away from her face again and nodded. "W-would you accept me as your Padawan?" Amara asked; she knew that it was a formality really, [member="Matsu Ike"] had already asked her if she wanted her to be her Master, but something in her wanted to feel that it was an official and mutual agreement.

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Amara No'orabi"]

Matsu looked at the padawan and bowed her head. "Yes I would," She had a smile on her face while she was looking at her and moved quickly rising to her feet. "As a padawan you will learn a lot with your master but it is a two way street. THe master should learn just as much from working with you and we shall see how you do." Standing there with her hands while she thought about a few more things and rose up into the air with the force sitting crossed legged but hovering. "There is a lot you can learn and a lot that can be taught. We shall have to see to that but first some slightly more protective clothing. My division makes clothing and armor for the jedi so make sure you have your protective robes from Sasori. Then we have to make sure you got an idea of the jedi and force and perhaps how you would like to learn."

 

[Amara No'orabi]

Amara let out a breath she hadn't even been aware that she was holding and let her grin show once more before fading back into careful neutrality. Her eyebrows rose ever so slightly as her Master, boy wasn't that a thought?!, started hovering above the ground, looking completely relaxed as she did so, and she tugged at her sleeves. "I will get the appropriate robes as quickly as I can," she said, dipping her head once in acknowledgement. "You may have to show me where to go though." Amara let out a slight chuckle; the Temple was enormous and labyrinthine to those who hadn't spent a long time there. "I tend to learn most quickly when I'm doing whatever it is I'm learning if that helps," Amara admitted, yet again shoving her hair out of her face. "It was the only way I really could learn while I was on Tatooine. Languages, counting, mechanical stuff...it was all sort of happening while I was learning it."

She let out a slow breath and rested her elbows on her knees, hands relaxed and curled slightly in towards her legs. Even though Matsu was hovering a bit above her, she felt rather relaxed. Hope was bubbling up in her chest like a flame, as warm and present as the sands of her home planet, and she looked to her Master, awaiting further instruction.

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Amara No'orabi"]

Matsu looked at her and understood the way of learnign by doing and she had a grin on her face as she held her hand out with the force pushing out to Saeko who could alert Harmony to go to her while she remained there. "Well then you learn like I do and that will come in handy." She said it with a grin on her face while she moved around in the air and got in closer to look her over while measuring in her mind. "Lets see, this should do it." She looked at Harmony who arrived with the Sasori Circlet for her and the padawan as well as the Jedi Kimono MK II with its design on the outside while there was the protective armorweaved hybrid plexisteel underneath. A tube of Saori Tactical Cans in her hand with Saori Flavored Milks that they could drink while training. "Ah here we go."

 

[Amara No'orabi]

Amara very carefully observed the items as they were passed to Matsu. They were elaborate, far nicer than anything she had ever owned, and her eyes went wide. "Those are. Um. Wow," she stammered, blushing a bit. Even the foods Matsu had been handed were a bit better than the rations or home cooked meals served on Tatooine. "I'm glad it'll be easier to teach me then," Amara added hastily, feeling a bit foolish. She knew she was naive, that she hadn't experienced much, and stark reminders of that threw her off center quite easily.

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Amara No'orabi"]

She looked at her and motioned Harmony away while walking towards the doors with a hand on the girls shoulders. "It is nice and we shall be working on several things to build them up. Nothing says a jedi can't have gear that protects them and doesn't itch just that they shouldn't have materialistic aims." That had been one of the things but she knew the value of having some things a jedi could use. She grabbed her equipment pack and satchel while she put it on and kept them going towards the jungle to train without the confines of the temple around them. "Gget changed and have your things, I'll be at the edge of the jungle to head in. We'll work within there in case of problems."

 

[Amara No'orabi]

Amara nodded and hurried back to her quarters to change, slipping the new robes on and momentarily reveling in their softness. There was a solidity to them, something protective, and she grinned. She tossed her goggles and scarf onto her bed, tied her hair back, and then placed the circlet on her head. She threw her canteen, filled with water, into her satchel along with a few of the protein bars that had been stocked in the cupboards and then trotted out of the Temple to find Matsu waiting for her near the edge of the jungle.

"This'll be a new experience," Amara murmured, staring up at the trees looming above them. "I've never seen this many trees...or trees this tall before. Lead on Master." A grin fluttered across her face briefly and she waited until [member="Matsu Ike"] began moving to slip into the trees.

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Amara No'orabi"]

Looking at her padawan run off as Matsu smiled and got her things. The equipment pack and moving with her robes while she slid everything on letting her hair remain in a curtain of black hair before she was walking towards the trees and the padawan came to join her. "It is, wait until you see the forests of worlds like Kashyyyk or Endor. Planets covered in beauty as you move through it filled with creatures both strange and wonderful." She had a grin now clasping her hands behind her back going to one of the small paths. "Your training can begin now, a jedi's power comes from the force but you must be able to connect with it. To generate it within the world and that connection can allow you to learn how to survive. I was trained how to generate the force from a world and absorb the power of it. It is within the air that you breath and fill your lungs with, you empower yourself as the air comes to every fiber of your being."

 

[Amara No'orabi]

Amara followed her Master quietly, listening to her speak and mulling the words over before she replied. "So I can connect with the Force through my breath?" she asked, brows furrowing slightly. She paused and took a slow, deep breath, holding it for a second just to try and feel something. The air was a bit damp, heavy with the scent of dirt, leaves, and something Amara could only label warmth. Her shoulders smoothed out and she smiled a bit, but she didn't really know if she was doing this right. "I...feel like there's something I'm missing here," she admitted, looking over to Matsu for guidance. "Although I definitely feel peaceful here."

[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

[member="Amara No'orabi"]

Matsu looked at her. "You can connect with the force through a sneeze, nothing more dangerous then a force using herglic with a cold. Their lung capacity allows them to shatter windows and rupture organs." She said it with a look saying she was serious... mostly. She had seen it but a sith one not a sick one... though she supposed he would likely have been sick given the level of likely darkside corruption within him. Matsu was though moving as she stepped on he air a little to brig her hand onto the girls shoulder. "When you brethed in, hold it for the span of several heartbeats. Feel the air in your lungs and the life energy it brings to you. Then feel it in your veins, your muscles, your bones until you exhale and breathed in again. Slowly until you have the serenity and peace."