Private Training with Mum (Dreidi/Jairdain)

[Dreidi Xeraic]

It was not a happy time for Dreidi, she was being dragged into Jedi training with her mum, her mum! Dreidi had to tidy her robes and her hair, something she rarely did for training since she usually get sweaty and just didn't care how she looked. But she knew her mum would likely comment on her appearance for not being clean and tidy, something about a tidy life would mean a tidy mind. Or some other mum logic nonsense. However, Dreidi was somewhat interested in what she could learn today, her mum Jairdain was a skilled Jedi, in some ways she was stronger than her dad and he was a former leader of the Silver Jedi so there was no questioning that her mum could teach her something. It was just that Dreidi hadn't really interacted with her parents since finding out that her father was terminally ill and that he was going to get progressively worse to the point of no longer recognising who she was. It was a lot to take and finding out they knew for years before admitting it to Dreidi, just hurt all the more.

However, she was being pushed into spending time with her mum, Asaraa was adamant that she reconnect with her parents. The importance of spending the most time that she could with her dad while she could, to not waste her chance to be with him. To do that, she also had to forgive her mum and spend time with her as well. Standing around the training area, Dreidi was curious to find out what Jairdain would teach her, likely something Force related since her mum was skilled more in the Force than combat.

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

This wouldn't be the first time nor the last that Jairdain had decided to give one of her children a lesson with the Force. It surprised her a little just how much her daughters reminded her of their parents. Nitya was much more like her mom and Dreidi was closer to her father.

She was more skilled in fighting than even Jairdain was but as her mother, she held a certain power over her daughter. When she reached out to Dreidi to meet for this lesson, she was met with resistance. Eventually, that went away and the young teen agreed to meet.

Planning the lesson was going to be difficult for her though. The Master really didn't have much training using a lightsaber and she kept her hand to hand combat a secret from the Jedi. Even Yuroic didn't know she was a well-trained fighter. Then again maybe he did at one point. Either way, it wasn't something known to many and she wanted it kept this way.

Finally making the decision of what to teach Dreidi today, she was already present in the room when her daughter appeared. Hiding in stealth, she wanted to get a read of the emotions her daughter was feeling.

A part of resentment had grown deep within her but Dreidi was still young. Jairdain could only hope that would eventually go away. Wanting to reach out and touch her youngest child, she waited and kept quiet. When she felt she had kept her waiting long enough, she came out of stealth and could be seen sitting on the ground at one end of the area.

Standing up and brushing off her pants, she motioned for her daughter to come closer.

"What would you like to learn?"

Well...so much for going with what she had planned. Within reason, she would teach any of her skills to her family and this girl in front of her was one of them.

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Dreidi had skills in combat, her dad made sure from a young age that she could fight and stand up to people twice her size if needed. Not that anyone would actually let her go to war, something about it being too dangerous for the young teenager, she usually scoff and make a comment about how she had more skill in fighting than most of the older Padawans. Or at least, she liked to think that she did. However, the Force, that was something she felt deeply interested in, combat was fine but the Force could do anything, she couldn't heal people or make things fly with fighting skills, but with the Force she could and do so much more. So, she had a small interest in the Force, even if she tried to act all cool and collected.

When her mum stepped out of the shadows and calmly greeted herself, Dreidi jumped out of her skin and blasted the air with a Force Push, not a powerful one and very poorly aimed, was far right of where her mum stood but she did it by reaction. Terrified someone was attacking her from the shadows. Then she groaned as she realised it was her mother. Fully expecting to be lectured about using the Force badly and not being aware of her surroundings to notice she was there so she didn't get surprised, Dreidi decided to go on the offensive, "shouldn't sneak up on me like that! Not fair!" Dreidi protested as she crossed her arms with annoyed look on her face, trying to hide the embarrassment of being so easily scared.

When asked what to learn today, Dreidi tilted her head and thought about what she wanted to learn. There was a fair amount her mum knew about the Force, clearly from being able to hide herself so well. "Urm... Could you teach me how to hide myself using the Force and how to find someone hiding themselves?" Curious about it but also adamant to avoid letting herself get spooked like that again.

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

As Jairdain had grown up, her parents had loved her very much. They too had kept a great secret from her. She was adopted. This was something she hadn't learned until long after they had died BUT in the end, she had discovered a whole new family. Someday, she would have to take her children to meet their grandparents, uncle and cousins. Today wasn't going to be that day, nor did she think it would happen any time soon. Very likely it would be after her husband died. Not that she was keeping them separate on purpose, the opportunity just hadn't come up.

Turning her thoughts from the past and the future, she focused on the now and the presence of her youngest daughter. Dreidi had certainly taken more from her father than her mother. That didn't mean Jairdain loved her any less. It just meant there weren't as many ways to connect with her. Even though she had raised her, there was still a rather large gap in their relationship. Hopefully taking this day with her would help reinforce the connection.

When she startled Dreidi, her mission for the first part of the exercise was completed. Not even apologizing for sneaking up on her, she did smile a little when Dreidi asked to learn the skill she had just displayed.

"The second skill is sometimes difficult. Making yourself hide though isn't that hard. Finding somebody that doesn't want to be found is much harder. Please watch and then we can figure out what's going to be the easiest way for you to learn."

Instead of just disappearing in front of her in a flash, she did it very slowly. Imagining the light around her to bend, she focused with the Force to make that happen. In slow motion, the light altered how it moved and reflected off of her. Like an illusion, Jairdain faded away but if Dreidi reached out through the Force, her presence would still be felt. Taking it one step at a time, she wanted her daughter to learn this at her own pace and practice each aspect before moving onto the next.

"Do you have an understanding of what I just did?"

Her disembodied voice came from the same spot she had been standing and that presence was still there. Coming out of the stealth she had just displayed, she calmly waited on the answer. One thing Dreidi might notice is she didn't get any sort of lecture on how she reacted when Jairdain startled her.

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Luckily it seemed that she wasn't getting lectured on her poor display of the Force, she let out a relieved sigh as her mother described the Force power to her, it was something like bending light around her. Still able to feel her mum through the Force, Dreidi didn't look around or away, just where she disappeared. Her skills in the Force were growing steadily and she was finding herself using the Force more and more to do things than she was using weapons. So while Dreidi initially seemed more like her father, both more in appearance than Nitya and in her attitude. Her abilities in the Force were more similar to her mother's. Though she doubted that she could use Force Sense in the same way Nitya and her mum could. Dreidi was able to see with her own eyes so she didn't need to rely on Force Sense as much.

Thinking about how one could bend the light to turn invisible, Dreidi face was one of deep concentration. "So, you used the Force to bend the light around you? Which turns you invisible but you have to still be careful because there are other ways that a person can figure out you are around, like noise, in cold places the condensation of your breath can give you away or they might detect you using the Force unless you can somehow disguise that. Also, things like voidstone or a ysalamiri can reveal you if you enter their bubble." She spoke with some practiced skill, she had been studying hard in practical applications of Force powers and the limitations she could encounter if she was ever allowed to go out and fight Sith.

"So, I should be able to do this by simply bending light around me? It doesn't sound too difficult." Dreidi thought aloud as she tilted her head then creased her forehead as she thought about bending the light around her and trying to use the same power her mum just demonstrated.

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

Sensing the relief Dreidi felt, her mother kept her own amusement buried. There were times in her own life when she had reacted in similar ways. Looking at her daughter through the Force, Jairdain could tell she was really interested in learning this from her. Bringing up a few interesting things after she reappeared, she nodded.

"There is a way to keep hidden that you can use the Force as well as your presence. Observe."

Hoping Dreidi would continue to maintain the Force connection, she started to imagine her signature shrinking, smaller and smaller until it would feel like there was nothing there.

"The stinking lizards only make it more difficult to use the Force. A voidstone does indeed cut one off from the Force totally but to a person like me, I would know there was one present before I reached its location. Breath control should have been a skill you learned almost as a Youngling. I also know some meditation that allows you to hold your breath even longer or fall into a trance where you don't need to breathe very often."

Lifting out a hand and holding it in front of her, she made the light around it move again and it looked like it just disappeared again.

"If you think it would be easier to learn how to hide your Force ability, there are dogs in the kennels that can sense that. When you feel confident, we can go there together and put it to the test."

Giving Dreidi a small smile of support, she would move at her daughter's pace and go where the interest rested.

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Sighing, Dreidi nodded her head, yes she knew Breath Control, it was a simple but very handy skill to learn. However, she wasn't sure if someone could concentrate well enough on two different Force powers at the same time without slipping or making errors, which when you are trying to stay invisible would be tricky. "I know about Breath Control mum! It was more could you use that at the same time you use this invisibility power, or would you risk slipping concentration on one power revealing your presence. There should be a more practical way to ensure that things did not clash, like wearing a breath mask so that you don't have to worry about dividing your concentration as much." Dreidi mentioned as she thought about there was practical ways to do things and that solely relying on the Force was risky, at least that was her belief after seeing and learning about her parents and how their training went as Padawans.

"Oh, wow!" Dreidi noticed that she could not even detect her mother's presence in the Force as she shrunk her presence till it was minimal. She could feel it grow back and was amazed at how much her mother had a deep connection to the Force, she realised that her connection never felt that strong in comparison to hers and Dreidi still worried if that would mean she be a poor Jedi, a poor Xeraic. But for today, she wasn't focusing on that, instead she was trying to think about how she could bend light and reduce her presence in the Force. "Doing the invisibility and hiding your presence in the Force, is that something you can do at the same time or would doing the invisibility reveal your presence in the Force limiting you from hiding it? Just seems like two powers clashing and not working in harmony..." Dreidi thought out loud as she was trying to think about how to use the Force.

"Yeah, but making it more difficult to use the Force means it is harder to use Force powers like these? Right? Just, Mandalorians seem to use them all the time and I wasn't sure you could use these powers around them, especially using all of them at the same time. Are you able to detect them in advance because you are able to use Force Sense better than most? Or because you been around Dad alot, I heard he uses voidstone arrowheads when in combat." Dreidi asked curious to know if her mum had often fought with her dad, was that how they met in combat? She wasn't super curious about how they met or started dating, but it was weird learning or reading stuff about them in books and in holocrons. "Oh!" She forgot she was meant to be practising her powers when her mum said she could test her skills with dogs in kennels, that made her nervous but she did want to improve her skills, she sighed. If she was going to do this class then she might as well do the practise no matter how much she felt like she could embarrass herself in front of her mum.

Closing her eyes, she reached within and felt the Force inside her, feeling it flow from within as she let it surround her and cloak her body in the Force. From there she scrunched her eyes tighter as she tried to bend the light hitting her body and reflecting off, instead forcing it to slide around her. As she focused hard on the task, she appeared to be more opaque than truly invisible but she was getting there, and faster than she thought she could due to the deep connection to the Force she had no idea laid within.

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

Listening to Dreidi ask for some clarification, she nodded. At certain times in her own life, she had needed to focus on multiple skills at the same time. Only time did it actually work for her.

"It is difficult but it can be done. Just make sure you don't get distracted."

Smiling just a little, Jairdain shook her head slightly as she remembered the time it had worked. A bounty hunter had found her home on Iridonia and hunted her there. In order to escape him, she had made herself invisible AND undetectable with infrared thermometers. A benefit to her then was she hadn't needed to also keep her Force ability secret.

"I remember one time when we were going into Sith territory, I was keeping myself hidden and somebody I knew crashed out of a window next to me. Startled me so much that I lost the control I had and she saw me. We ended up getting into a fight, I lost but obviously, I survived."

When her daughter mentioned the Mandalorians, she shook her head again.

"I haven't actually had very much to do with them. At least, in terms of fighting. One of my friends is one. Maybe you can meet her sometime. Unless you already know Stardust."

For the most part, Jairdain had kept a great many things from her family. Not on purpose or anything but because there hadn't been a need to tell them. So she mentioned Stardust and potentially opened the door to spend more time with both Dreidi and her friend. Something to consider for the future, not right now.

"When I attempt to see near a voidstone, I see nothing. The area is just blank. So around dad and his arrows, I was nearly useless. Probably why I wasn't often next to him in battle."

In fact, she could almost count the number of times on her hands that they had been close together and fighting. That was before he had started using the arrows. Shrugging, she paid attention to what her daughter was doing and nodded in appreciation. While she couldn't actually see her daughter's form or how it appeared, she could tell that her instruction had worked a little.

"Keep practicing and you will master that. You're really quick with this."

Feeling her daughter had started to grow nervous at the thought of going to the kennels, Jairdain raised a hand to try and soothe them.

"We don't have to go until you are ready. Really, if you want to practice around me, we could play a game of tag. That's how I taught your father."

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Breathing out slowly, Dreidi dropped her hands and sighed, she was struggling with the whole turning invisible. Her mother made mention of the times she had to use two powers at the same time, it sounded difficult and complicated, something that would take time and Dreidi had feared that would be the case. Everything always took time and practice which was a pain in the butt. Looking over to her mother, she shook her head, she hadn't heard about any Mandalorians really. There was the occasional mention in records about them and she knew people weren't a fan of Mandalorians especially Jedi, who seemed to always been in conflict with them. She didn't really know much of Mandalorians so she didn't know what to expect of meeting on, like would they instantly want to challenge Dreidi to a fight, think her weak if she did not take up the challenge. "Sure... Guess we can meet your friend..."

She was disappointed to hear that her mother and father weren't a couple who fought side by side. It was clear that Dreidi was interested in hearing from her mother about their relationship since when she was home with dad, he would often ramble on about it whenever he remembered that he was married. It was annoying to hear the same old stories. "You taught dad how to use the Force? How? He's older than you!" Dreidi had not heard much of her father's early training bar the name of his Master, something about crawling through vents and that Niman was the best Form. It was frustrating to watch her father go through a circle of memories and struggle to disconnect.

"How would we play tag? You can't see me currently?" Dreidi tilted her head as she looked confused at how the game would work.

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

Remembering what it was like to be a teenager, Jairdain sensed her daughter did not at all like the idea of having to practice. Smiling slightly, she knew it would happen...even if it took longer than either of them hoped. Knowing when Dreidi was looking at her, that smiled grew when she agreed to meet her friend.

"I'll arrange something."

It had been quite a long time since Jairdain had contacted Star but she didn't feel she would be turned away. Besides, they used to see each other on a regular basis on Commenor. After this session, she would give her friend a call.

When Dreidi asked if she had taught her father how to use the Force, she shook her head.

"Not entirely. I taught him how to control his emotions and when to use them. Keep them in check and when it was fine to let them show. There were some skills I did teach him though. Animal Taming was one of the first actually and he grew much better at that than me."

Her smiled remained and her thoughts drifted into the past she remember that encounter.

"I wasn't much older than you are when we met. Those were the good days. I wish...Nevermind."

Having to take care of her husband most of the time was quite draining on the woman and mother. Nothing at all like raising a family, yet still similar in some aspects. In reality, Jairdain probably wouldn't change as much as she thought she wanted. As Dreidi asked her question about how they could play tag, it brought her back to the present.

"There are ways for me to see you without the Force. Remember, I have Sage to be my eyes when I need them."

At the mention of his name, the small, green wolf popped his head out of the bag he had been sleeping in.

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Nodding her head, Dreidi wasn't sure how she felt about meeting a Mandalorian but she also had to trust her mother's judgement of people as well. She shuffled her feet as Jairdain mentioned arranging a meeting, hopefully her mother would be there as well. Scratching the back of her head, Dreidi thought about the power and using other powers as well as this new one that she had learned. Listening intently about the training that her mother provided her father, she tilted her head confused, "dad? Needing to control his emotions? He always seemed so calm and collected, at least when he is himself..." Dreidi bit her lip, she was still angry that her parents hid her father's illness, there was a reason sure but she didn't like it.

However, she also knew that her mother was dealing with a lot and dealing with running a family, taking care of dad and having to be a Jedi. If Dreidi let her anger go, she knew there was a deep admiration for how well her mother was coping. Knowing that her mother wasn't much older than Dreidi confused her, "really? Were you like 15/16 then?" She asked curiously as she wanted to learn more but then Jairdain woke up Sage and Dreidi's focus on anything else dissipated quickly.

Rushing over to Sage, she pulled the small wolf on her lap and petted him gently. Growing up with the wolf, Dreidi knew the deep connection he had with her mother but could not help feeling strongly connected to the wolf herself since he was around since she was born. "Whose a good boy?" Scratching Sage's head as she reluctantly looked up to her mother, "oh! Of course! But that's cheating! I can't hide from Sage, he's too cute!!"

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

Over the years, Jairdain had tried many methods of controlling her emotions. While she did not try to hide them she did keep some from her daughters. Remembering the early encounters with Yuroic made her smile and it would be clear just how much she loved him. Some sorrow could also be felt and that quite obvious when she made her comment about the wish. Not giving an actual voice to it, she fell silent and listened to Dreidi.

"Eighteen actually. I suppose it's closer to Nitya's age but still not much older than you."

Smiling when her daughter noticed Sage, she allowed him to play and hug him.

"You know? When you get a little older, we can get you a wolf too. It really isn't your age stopping us but I would be pretty helpless there. You see, the planet has tons of ysalamiri all over the world. With so many, even I can't touch the Force. But we can do that some time."

The connection Jairdain had with Sage went beyond the Force luckily. So even if that was taken away from her, they would still be able to communicate. Perfect for a mentalist Jedi.

"Sure you can! Just don't think of him. Besides, he also likes a good game of hide and seek."

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Dreidi nodded her head when her mum explained it was more 18, which was much closer to Nitya's age, Dreidi might wish she could be 18 but she knew it was years away and that she would have to wait ages for people around here to see her as an adult. She could also sense that her mum was thinking of good times with her dad as Dreidi was. It brought a sad smile, that both of them were trying to remember who he was. However, she looked down at Sage and continued to pet his head, enjoying the feel of his soft hair against her fingers.

"Really?! One of my own?! That's amazing!! I can't wait! Sure mine will be just as adorable as you Sage!" Dreidi looked at the wolf then at her mum as she explained that it would be later in her life since the planet was seemingly quite dangerous. Dreidi frowned, disappointed but could see the logic there, not like her dad could go to protect them both so Dreidi needed to be more skilled to look after her mother while they were there. Then her mother said something utterly ridiculous, it was complete nonsense. Forget that Sage was around.

Lifting the wolf up to look her mother in the eyes with its adorable wolf face, "maybe you can't see how cute he is right now, but he is adorable and you know how much of a soft spot I have for him!" Dreidi protested as she placed Sage down and petted him again before reluctantly standing up, sighing deeply since it was clear that she needed to demonstrate some self restrain and ensure that she could use the power well.

"How long are you going to give me?" Dreidi asked as she looked around for a good spot to hide.

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

She remembered the first Ashlan Wolf she had met. It had been during the time she and Yuroic had been apart. The man that had the wolf had taken her to Myrkr and allowed Sage to find her. That was the way of it. One did not go finding a wolf but the wolf found them.

When Dreidi held him up, she shook her head.

"I can only see through his eyes. Unless he's looking in a mirror, I can't see him. He is rather adorable though, huh?"

Giving her daughter a smile of agreement, she pleased to move on from sharing her memories of her husband and father of her two daughters.

Lowering a hand for him to climb up her arm and take his place on his shoulder, she considered the question Dreidi asked.

"How long do you think you're going to need? If this was Sith training, you wouldn't be allowed any before some sort of creature or Sithspawn was sent to hunt you."

Remembering her own training almost caused her to shiver. This was not really a time she brought up very often.

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Dreidi gave Sage one last pet before he moved up on her mothers shoulder. She frowned a little disappointed, he was now too far for an easy scratch on the head, curse of being short. Though for most her age, she wasn't super short, just right now with a cute puppy out of reach, she felt very short. Listening, she felt a shiver when she heard about Sith training, no time to plan or escape?! That sounded outrageous, how would she survive? Beside climbing a tree and begging for her life. Especially since she had no real practice with the skill yet, just shown she could do it once. That could change in an instant. No matter how impressive of a Jedi she thought she was from time to time.

Humming nervously, Dreidi tapped her fingers, trying to figure out how long would be enough and how long would be too long for the task. Like, she could ask for an hour, but an hour she could try sneaking off world to hide and win. So, she had be practical and fair, at least that was what she heard ringing in her ears from all the teachers she had been training with. Jedi teachers were so boring and strict. No fun to mess with, at least no one she had met outside her family seemed to be able to chill.

"Ummm. So, um... Maybe like.... a minute?" Long enough to create distance and start trying to use the power in a bit of panicked situation. Yeah, minute, minute sounded good. She needed to create space between her and her mum so she didn't get caught right away. After suggesting a minute, Dreidi ran off in the distance, hoping to lose her mum in the trees. A minute. All she's got but should be enough...

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

"A minute is just fine."

She said this with a smile and watched for just a few seconds after Dreidi dashed off. To get into the act of playing the game, Jairdain turned around, covered her eyes and those of Sage, then started counting down the minute. When she finished counting, she kept her Force Sense reigned in so she couldn't feel where her daughter was hiding. Her ability to hide within the Force wasn't being tested this round. That might come soon but she wasn't going to push her hard on that skill yet.

During the minute, she had even made sure Sage wasn't looking. At the end of the minute, she gently petted Sage and told him to open his eyes. Focusing on their connection, they both started searching for Dreidi.

Her daughter had not made things easy and without Jairdain using the Force to see the world around her, she had to rely entirely on Sage. Moving slower than normal, she had done this more than a few times but it always took her a little while to get used to it. Sometimes, even all the sights for her to look at might distract her from the purpose and that happened this time.

Looking around at the forest, she just wanted to reach out and feel the life of nature around her. Giving herself a mental shake and sighing slightly, she refocused on the task at hand and searched for Dreidi.

Dreidi Xeraic

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Holding her breath whenever she heard a branch snap or crunching of leaves, Dreidi was just waiting for her mother to find her. The dread of failing the task was making it even harder to keep her concentration up on the cloaking. Her breathing was short as the anxiety was rising in the young teen, she couldn't help it, she wanted to succeed but was conscious of the fact that she was not the Jedi that she thought she needed to be right now. Minutes passed and she could only feel the dread rising but also a curiosity of where her mother could be, surely she hadn't succeeded in hiding away from her mum for all this time?

Spinning around on the spot, Dreidi tried to figure out where her mother and Sage might be. Nerves were kicking in over time but she wanted to find her mother to figure out what was happening. "Come on, Dreidi, deep breaths. This is fine, just means that you are doing a good job is all. Yeah, must be that you are doing a good job." Attempting to reassure herself, Dreidi sighed deeply and tried to release all the built up tension that was filling her. Dreidi wandered around, looking for where her mother could be.

"Not getting lost. Not getting lost. Not getting lost at all." Dreidi mumbled in a little song as she tried to figure out where she was and where she was going. Nervous and lost, it was not a healthy mix for her mental health.

Jairdain

 

[Jairdain]

Relying on Sage to give her sight, the mother and Master gave her daughter a few extra moments to hide. After the minute, she had closed off her senses to the Force and allowed herself to look through her companion's eyes. Smiling to herself, she did not pick up on the distress Dreidi was feeling. Her talking did reach her ears.

Turning when she heard it, she did not try to sneak up on her daughter. Walking normally, she was careful to not trip over any of the leaves and sticks on the ground. However, she was far from silent in her walking and Dreidi should be able to hear that.

"Of course you're not getting lost. Though, you did lose your invisibility when you started feeling like you were."

Appearing from around a nearby tree, Jairdain held a hand out to Dreidi and her other gently pet Sage as he sat on her shoulder.

Dreidi Xeraic