Public The Rains of Kirdo III (RTL+Whomever)

[Tiland Kortun]

Kirdo III. A harsh desert world with winds that could easily reach 400KPH and where it rained only once a decade.

Once a decade. Tiland pulled the face wrap tighter to keep the grit and dust from getting too deep against his face. He did some math in his head. It only rained on this world one hundred and twenty times in his lifetime. And in most humans, it would only rain eight or nine times.

It was sobering, in a way he could not express in words. But that was why he had organized this little trip. Next to him, his podgy guide nodded and pulled out a hollow flute.

"Soon," she said in Kitonese, rapping gently on the rocky ground with a fleshy hand. "Sit. Wait."

Tiland nodded and gestured to the others as he settled himself in a lotus position, staff resting horizontally across his knees.

"Soon," he repeated to the others. "The rain will be here soon."

Now what would be considered soon? Well, that was an excellent question. Hours, he suspected not. Days, perhaps. Maybe even weeks. Tiland had never honed his weather-sense as some did, especially the Baran Do Sages and their students among the Jedi, but the wind had settled to a tolerable eighty kilometers per hour and there were high altitude clouds whipping across the atmosphere.

Perhaps that was the lesson he had brought the students here to learn. The value of patience and stillness. The powers of observation and how a Jedi could be more connected to their environment. How could anyone, even in a chaotic, fast-moving galaxy full of technology. It was about relearning the simplest of skills that younglings learned before they were even out of their creche- how to be still and focus.

"Feel the planet around you," Tiland said softly. "Let your senses expand. What can you hear, beneath the winds? What can you feel? Ground yourself in this moment, in this place."

Yes, that was why he had come and brought the others. He could sense it now. There was a lesson here. One for him just as much as for any of the others; for that matter, he doubted they would be receiving the same lesson.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora wasn't sure how she'd ended up on this arid desert planet at the edge of the galaxy.

Kirdo III was a far cry from the bustle of Coruscant, but she was encouraged to learn what she could from Jedi beyond the NJO. Master Tiland was particularly well revered across the galaxy, though the monk could prove tricky to seek out at times, preferring to keep to more remote settings.

The Padawan didn't yet understand what she was supposed to derive from sitting on the ground. Waiting for rain? What did it matter if it rained or not? This world went years without rain and seemed to do jut fine. Idly, she wondered if the rain would be more disruptive to the perpetually dry environment, or if it was simply a marvel.

She shifted her cross-legged position, readjusting her cramped legs. Cora was beginning to question her definition of soon. Her gaze flickered again to the Kitonak guide, finding the race grotesquely fascinating.

Ever the apple polisher, Cora's eyes fluttered closed as she extended her senses outward, grounding herself to Kirdo III. Much of her family's territory was farm land, so the blonde had grown up inadvertently feeling the life of Ukatis below her feet. What was there to feel beneath the barren, rocky surface?

Tiland Kortun

 

[Rose Ann Lovely]

Rose as well sat folding her legs delicately underneath her. Pulling up the hood she had on her close but not quite normal Jedi robes. Her navy green which normally helped her blend in. Did the opposite for her now. She stood out like a sore thumb amidst the sand.

She let her pale crystal blue eyes lock on everyone around her one by one. Ever sense her new master Ryv had gotten busy she traveled around from group to group learning. Now she was here with them. It was sad and yet a good thing for her. She missed her master despite what she may say. She had love for him love and respect. She closed her eyes and tried to relax letting her mind weave in and out along the sand stretching out her reach through the force. Slowly like a spider building a web. She got to know each part of the things around her through it. Though she left the people mostly alone. It was like. Letting go of oneself and being part of something greater to stop and just wait like this. She listened to the wind. It was like it was telling a story no one could decipher no matter how hard it tried or loud it whispered. She like the wind. She liked it here. She liked the people around her. Perhaps everyone here was learning a slightly different version. After all people painted pictures differently. And this was one pretty picture to paint.

 

[Samuel Exel]

Samuel wasn’t quite sure why he was here. Sightseeing? A break? Both? It was a question often asked of himself when he went on excursions like this. He was skimming the Outer Rim on other business when he heard of, seemingly an open-experience for some sort of rarely-seen event. Curiosity, and perhaps the desire to be able to get away from the bustle of work and tenuous political situations, drove him to attend.

…Though, when he attended, he felt very out of place. For one, there weren’t many armored folk, unlike himself. More robe-wearing folk, instead. He felt even more out of place when the man spoke of ‘sensing,’ of which he…realized perhaps this was intended for a different sort of audience. He was certainly no force sensitive, certainly didn’t know of the revered Master that was the old man guiding them. Nor of the fact he was…most likely among Force Sensitives, of which he has a mild distaste for. His scanners hadn’t bothered to check - uncharacteristic of the man, but he didn’t want to intrude upon privacies. He was here as a guest, and he would be polite as one despite his intimidating frame.

Clad in his usual armor, with a poncho better suited for the environment overlaid atop it, the Hunter had mostly been silent, quietly listening as his gaze tilted sidelong as he watched the windy, sandy dunes. No, he wasn’t able to ‘sense’ the world, but he was able to see its beauty. Familiar, in a way - it reminded him of the dunes of Tatooine, of which much of his lifetime was spent around. In a sense, it was peaceful - that was the purpose he came here for. Perhaps the fact he brought his armor was contrary to the lesson attempted to be taught, but the man rarely felt safe in such unfamiliar places without it. Thus, he stood, silently, with his visor facing towards the sea of sand and his mind attentive to the world about him as the gentle music was played.

Tiland Kortun , Corazona von Ascania , Rose Ann Lovely

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Corazona von Ascania Rose Ann Lovely Samuel Exel

New Jedi Order. Ashlan, he thought, but was not sure, and a Mandalorian. Excellent. As he opened his eyes, he allowed himself the barest hint of a smile beneath his mustache.

There was a shift in the wind, just noticeable beneath the clouds of dust and grit that hissed past them in the wind.

Self-reflection was the first step to self-awareness, which was the beginning of wisdom. And wisdom was the ultimate goal of self-mastery.

Their guide spoke quickly and Tiland nodded. "Rain is beginning to form," Tiland translated after a moment. "You can just begin to taste the difference in the air."

It was crisper, perhaps even fresher than the arid, gritty air that surrounded them. "You may even be able to predict where it may come from."

 

[Rose Ann Lovely]

Rose listened to the man. How the slight sudden change sent a chill down her back. She inhaled deeply, slowly. Strange to witness such a change most everyday. She opened her eyes to look at the older man and the guide. Her eagerness building as soon as she had opened her them. She wanted to feel the rainfall upon her upturned palms.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora's eyes had since fallen closed, but now she opened them to peer at Tiland while he spoke. Her shoulders dipped in relief upon hearing that it would rain soon.

The scent of ozone tingled her nose on a deep inhale. The young woman with two-toned hair to her right had opened her palms to the sky in anticipation for the rain, and the armored Mandalorian who's presence had initially made her concerned seemed to be at peace as well.

A gentle roll of thunder pealed from above, and the blonde Padawan jumped, startled. She gave a pointed look to Tiland. He'd said rain, nothing about thunder.

A flush of embarrassment touched Cora's cheeks as she straightened out. A droplet of rain plunked wetly against her nose, which she wrinkled.

Tiland Kortun Rose Ann Lovely Samuel Exel

 

[Samuel Exel]

His sensors picked up everything for him. His gaze tilted upwards, towards the skies, upon the mention of rain beginning to form. There was speaking of tasting the difference, and predicting where it came from. Perhaps his armor could allow him to do the latter, but he doubted it was in the ‘natural’ form of which seemed to be the centerpiece of this.

Wasn’t like he was going to take off his helmet in public like this, anyways.

At the sound of thunder, there was the soft reverberation of a droplet of water falling against metal. His hand shifted outward, allowing his vision to properly be able to see a small tidbit of rain begin to fall upon his upturned palm. Couldn’t feel it, but he could at least tell it was there. He wondered how intense the rain would be? He doubted too much. Regardless, he frankly welcomed the tad bit of serenity given from hearing practically nothing but the impending sound of rain. Perhaps he could say something, but he opted to remain respectfully silent. Yet still, curiosity prompted his head to tilt to his side, to look at the reactions of others.

Tiland Kortun , Corazona von Ascania , Rose Ann Lovely

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Samuel Exel Corazona von Ascania Rose Ann Lovely

Tiland let out a long sigh of relief as he felt the shift in atmosphere around them as the pressure begin to shift. It was a relief, even for him, as he felt the temperature drop. Rain patterned around them, throwing up puffs of dust at first, before the water soaked into the dust.

It grew heavier, and the thunder rumbled across the sky. The rain hammered down around them, soaking through his robes and chilling his skin.

But, he pointed forward to the dust around them. As the rain washed away the topmost layer of dirt, it revealed delicate root strands tracing their way through the soil, with the occasional stony seedpod buried beneath the soil.

But raindrops turned into rivulets that coursed through the ripples in the sand, interlocking, interlacing, and following gravity.

"It begins!" Tiland said, excitedly, leaning forward to look more carefully at the ground at them.