The duo of awesome: the beginning

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Tython; wondering how long it's been

Gherron stepped out of the temple, breathing in the fresh air of the beautiful planet. The last time he was here, he'd been a padawan. Coruscant was his home, but he would never feel as peaceful on any other planet than he did on Tython. His visit was more of just whim-decision making. After being away from the place for so long, he thought he'd give it a visit. Then he met padawan [member="Tom Kent"].The man was older than Gherron was, but he still had that spark in his eyes, the vision that he could be part of something greater. That interested the Knight, it interested him greatly. Perhaps they could be a team, like in stories he'd heard in the past where a duo goes in and saves the day. It could be fun. Now, if only he could find the guy....

 

[Tom Kent]

Tom sat on a tree stump and was meditating. Something he had recently started to pick up again. His mother had done it quite a lot in the last year of her life. So he had some knowledge of how to breathe and focus his mind. Right now he was thinking about a new acquaintance he had met. Gherron Vael was a Knight of the Order. For some reason Tom could stand his presence.
It was as if their auras were two different instruments that were - by pure chance - carrying a similar tune. At least that’s how Tom imagined it. Where the presence of other people caused him discomfort the presence of Gherron did not. While there was a “nasty buzzing sound” – as Tom liked to call it - when Gherron was around, it did not cause Tom nausea like other people did when they were close to him. That was a surprising thing for Tom and he actually enjoyed being in someone’s company without having the urge to rewind his last meal. The tension that had gradually build up over the time he had spent with the Jedi now actually faded when he was with his new acquaintance. He was able to open up a bit. Not that he was a shy guy but his time of healing was still not over. And his careful nature was something he had had to adopt while he had lived with his mother.

Now he finally had made a first step into his new life. The Jedi were going to be his home for a while. Getting to know some of them would only make it easier on him. And since Gherron seemed to be a nice guy he thought it was worth a shot. The safe haven that Tython was did make for an environment where he felt more at ease than what would have been possible anywhere else. So the circumstances were just right.

When Tom opened his eyes he took a few deep breaths and waited a few before he attempted to get back up on his feet. When he was standing again he straightened his clothes. He picked up his stuff and walked back towards the nearby Temple. When he got closer he could see Gherron stepping out of the building. He raised his hand as he closed the distance and called out to the younger man.

“Hey! What are you doing out here?”

He kept walking towards Gherron.

“Something on your mind?”

He inquired. He was up for anything really and in a good mood for maybe the first time since his mother had passed.

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron smirked as he saw the man approaching him, clapping him on the shoulder when the two got close enough. "Tom! There you are, I've been looking for ya! I was just now walking around the temple for a while. Haven't been here in years! Did you know they have a jacuzzi?" While he talked, he started walking toward the forest. He wanted to see if the waterfall he used to meditate at was still the same. "Well, anyway, hove you been? Enjoying the place?"

[member="Tom Kent"]

 

[Tom Kent]

A gentle smile crept on Toms features. He hadn’t been able to smile like this in a long time. Upon the mentioning of a Jacuzzi pictures started flashing before Tom’s eyes. There was a place on Telerath where he had last used a Jacuzzi. He was just about to indulge himself in those pleasant memories when he remembered where he was. None of that stuff was PG13. He was better off commemorating Telerath some other time in another place. Still it lifted his mood a bit more.

“A Jacuzzi?”

He asked. His voice was carrying his good mood. Still he shook his head thinking what Jedi were supposed to do with it. But @Gherron had asked him another Question. So he left the Jacuzzi-topic behind.

“The forest is quite alright. Been out here so I don’t have to be in there.”

He looked back at the temple with slight unease.

“Tried meditating but I haven’t gotten very far.”

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

(OOC: Dude, @mention me. I'm not getting botifications from following the topic)

Perfect, Gherron would he able to teach his new friend something after all. "Follow me. There's a place I used to go, way hack when I was a padawan. It's the best place to meditate. You'll love it, trust me." Leading the man through the forest, he constantly looked around, nostalgia creeping in. It had really been too long. After some five minutes of straight walking, the two would come across a massive waterfall, with a few feet of rock sitting directly in the middle of the small lake that surrounded it. Breathing in the fresh Tythonian air, he smiled. "You have no idea how soothing it is to meditate here. Let me help you, because it's either this or swimming." Gently lifting the other, he had him rise through the air, placing him on the tiny island. Once it was done, he built up the force in his legs and leaped the distance.

[member="Tom Kent"]

 

[Tom Kent]

Tom nodded in agreement and followed the Knight. He had seen a lot of the surrounding area since he had come here but there were still places he had not been to. If Gherron wanted to show him a new place and one that meant something to him, then Tom was not going to decline. When he came closer to the waterfall the crashing sound of water impacting upon water could be heard. Tom already liked this place. A lake in the forest with a waterfall and all.

“Wow!”

He looked around and took in the scenery.

“This really is a great spot!”

He agreed with Gherrons earlier statement.
When Gherron offered to help him Tom didn’t understand quite what the Jedi meant. But when he lifted him up from the ground he understood. His muscles clenched and for a fraction of second they came close to breaking the bones in his body. He was not used to be picked up like this. In his life being picked up by a force user like this had meant you were getting force choked or struck with lightning. It was strange to have someone use this to help him. He needed a moment to accept that Gherron was not trying to hurt him. When he was put down on the rock in the middle of the lake he waited until Gherron had jumped over and addressed the issue.

“How about a forewarning next time you do something like that.”

There was no accusation in his voice. It was a simple request and he believed Gherron would accept how he felt about being picked up out of nowhere. For now though he let it go and returned to taking in the scenery.

@[member="Gherron Vael"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron nodded in agreement at the request. He understood how it felt to be lifted up by the force, by any means. In fact, thinkin of one particular incident led him to gently feel around his throat, where a young Sith had clenched it not too long prior. It wasn't a very healthy experience. The memory still scared him to death, the fact that if he didn't act the way he did, he would likely be dead. "I understand your reasoning, let's keep it at that." Sighing softly, he sat cross-legged and motioned for the other to do the same. "Tell me Tom, have you ever tried floating meditation before?"

[member="Tom Kent"]

 

[Tom Kent]

The younger man had understood what his quarrel with being levitated had been and the whole situation was quickly cleared up. So Tom sat down opposite of Gherron. The question if he had ever used floating meditation was amusing to a degree. He had a hard time letting something like a pebble float and he could not do it for very long either. He knew that others had no problem whatsoever to use their power of levitation. It felt to him that every Padawan around him could change the course of planets even while having about the same level of training he had.

“No, never done that. What’s it all about?”

He inquired. While he had seen his mother use it and knew what it was from the times he had been in the library he was interests what the difference between normal meditation and this version of it was. Could it really make a difference? If so how big was said difference? His interest had been sparked now.

@[member="Gherron Vael"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron could feel the doubt [member="Tom Kent"] had within himself. He didn't believe he was very strong in the force, whereas the truth was that even the lowest of force users could do it if they knew how. "Meditation is something all practitioners of the force do. Wether Sith, Jedi, or anything in between, we all do it. What sets floating meditation apart is how much closer it connects one to the force. You can learn much more with it. New pathways into the force, even visions of the future or the past." He looked at the man with a smile. "Would you like to try it?"

 

[Tom Kent]

There was no doubt in Tom that he would have to learn more about levitation before he would be able to use the power on himself like that. But wasn’t this trying and learning? Maybe it was a bit far ahead on the road but why not try something hard and learn something from failure? He could still remember how he had started out in archeology and routinely destroyed priceless pieces of cultural history and relics that could have given a paleontologist insight in the ancient history of whatever planet he had been on. It had taken him long years to learn the delicate touch that was required to unearth the past.
This could well be an opportunity to take a look at what was to come. So he shrugged.

“Ah what the hell, why not.”

He thought about what Gherron had said about a stronger connection to the force and learning about new things through meditation. Even having visions was possible according to the Jedi Knight. Oh he hoped he wouldn’t get visions.

@[member="Gherron Vael"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Nodding at the other's agreement, he motioned for him to imitate him. "Alright, sit, as you normally do when meditating. Once you do, I want you to open your mind fully to the force. Let it run through you, and feel its presence. Try to feel your surroundings. The trees. The river. The temple and its inhabitants. Let it all come to you, until everything is as one." He got up then, looking down at where [member="Tom Kent"] would be. "Tell me when this happens. Tell me... through here." Gherron tapped a finger to his head a few times, smirking. Then, walking a few steps, he leaped back to dry land and went to wander the forest.

 

[Tom Kent]

Tom looked after Gherron when the Jedi leaped away from him. He was not quite shure what the Knight was expecting him to do. He had no training in telepathy. Nor had he learned anything related yet. He thought that Gherron was overestimating what he was capable of at this point. The fact that he had had minimal training and pretty much only taught himself a few things that were pretty basic - to say the least – was only one part. The other was that he had trouble with opening himself to the Force. While he could do it, it was not very pleasant to him. It felt wrong. So he didn’t like to do it very much. The only reason he was trying at all was that he was far enough away from the Temple right now and with only Gherron around he felt safe enough to try.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

He relaxed his muscles and rolled his shoulders all the while he was controlling his breathing and focusing onto a spark deep inside of him. It was a timid little light that was overshadowed by a creeping darkness. But Tom managed to lure it out of his hiding spot and tap into it.

With a flash of white light his world seemed to stop for a brief second. A myriad of sensations flooded his brain all at the same moment. But that was not the unpleasant part. There was a clawing inside of him. Something deep within him that was trying to break free. He ignored it the best he could, but at the same time a part of him wanted to see what it was. A part of him wanted to let it free. He managed to control himself though and focused onto something else. Close by there was Trees and plants and things alive. He focused on that beautiful symphony and managed to drown the scratching and clawing inside of him. This was about all he was capable of. While Gherron had asked him to communicate non verbally he tried to do the best he could and focused his senses into the direction he thought that he was feeling the Jedi Knight in. Somewhere there he felt a living being. Since it could pretty much only be Gherron he focused his senses non him and let them linger for a moment. Before long though the strain of focusing on one thing was becoming to great and he had to move his focus elsewhere. Soon he was taking in the surroundings again and seemed to have forgotten what his task had been.

[member="Gherron Vael"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

(OOC: Sorry bro!)

Walking through the tythonian forests, Gherron smirked at the trees and surrounding shrubbery. He was almost sorry he'd left all that time ago. However, something pulled him from his thoughts almost instantly. It came from Tom, he was in pain. Intense pain. Alarms shot off through his head as he ran back, leaping almost over the stone where the padawan sat. "I'm here! You okay man?" The concern was obvious in his voice. He didn't mean for the man to be in such pain, he only wanted to see what he was capable of.

[member="Tom Kent"]