Way of the Light Hand

[Tiland Kortun]

Sanctuary- Tiland's Tea Shop
Path of the Light Hand


Tiland gave a cursory look at the tea as it continued to steep. It was a slow steeping, this one, for in infusing it with the Light side of the Force, its properties were bound tightly within the leaves. He was still working on that aspect to ensure the fullest potency of the tea. Otherwise, it would be most beneficial to make it into a chewing salve of some sort or another. Yet that was not a pleasant experience.

He moved on and picked up a treatise he had uncovered quite some time ago. It had been a slow process to interpret and flesh out the details, yet it fascinated him. The Path of the Light Hand it was called, and was the outline of a forgotten philosophy of the Force Warriors, one long abandoned by the rest of the Jedi. He had synthesized his own training in martial arts with to create something new, a new tradition that focused on the unarmed, or simply armed, at least. One that focused on controlling the self through the Force as a way of helping others through quiet, subtle means. The Light Hand after all could mean many things.

Invitations to examine the work and begin to study its precepts had been sent to the rest of the Jedi enclaves and orders, for any who wished to branch out into different aspects of the Force. Indeed, a message had been sent out to the Wayfarers as well, as many as Tiland could still remain in contact with. They were a very far-flung society after all, with no central communication.

But even if none came, he would still record his work and instruction on his holocron. It was his repository of knowledge, ranging everywhere from botany, herbalism, unarmed fighting styles, Force healing, Force Weapon, and tea-brewing. Oh, and Force Light. That was valuable as well. As he moved between his two projects, imbued tea and the Path of the Light Hand, he recorded both in the holocron. Perhaps someday, it would be valuable to Jedi in need. Only the Force knew.

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The gentle rapt-rapt tapping heralded the footsteps of the young Sephi.

The youngling walked with a cane, angled outward, sweeping from side-to-side as he stepped. The boy did not appear to be looking where he was going. And, indeed, was quite incapable of such. Nonetheless, he seemed to be getting along on his own well enough.

Through the Jedi Academy Network, the youngling had heard that there was some funny tea hermit out on the islands of Sanctuary. And it seemed that news of this had spread wide, as the young Jedi that he'd met from the New Republic had heard these same rumors. Something about a 'light hand.'

Was this a left-right parable for the Living Force?

He didn't know, which was part of why he was here.

​

[member="Tiland Kortun"] | [member="Jerek Zenduu"] ​

 

[Jerek Zenduu]

It was unusual for Jerek to be so quiet.

Then again, things had seemed unusual to him for a while now. He had never quite adjusted to the starfarer life, despite his comfort in the cockpit, he still preferred to come home to solid ground at the end of the day. And with the boy's ideal place to come home now under the control of the Sith, he was homeless, listless and out of sorts. Flying the HWK-1000 had not made things any better for him, the large craft felt unwieldy and awkward, and he spent maneuvers doing a double-take at the Sephi boy seated in the opposite chair, his mind unable to accept an obstructed view beyond the ship cockpit. So besides a few half-hearted attempts to engage the reluctant Eriond in conversation, their voyage to the island-world was spent mostly in silence.

Which suited Jerek just fine at the moment. If he was being honest with himself, it had suited him fine for a long time now. It was easy for the padawan to pinpoint the time from which he began to feel unbalanced, and the absence of his missing twin could be felt more acutely during moments, or long shuttle trips, when Jerek struggled with the sense of purpose in his life. Flying and dogfighting for the New Republic gave him a purpose, but Jerek had yet to come to accept that as his purpose.

The world was named Sanctuary. If the name alone was not proof of its character, Jerek's first look at it gave him that impression. The pastoral island landscape was nothing like Ossus, and yet the boy felt himself growing at ease, his restless thoughts quietly ordering and the physical itch of anxiety fading in intensity. He could focus once more, and when he did, he found himself well behind the blind Sephi boy whose walking stick rapped against the ground ahead of him.

Jerek hurried to catch up, sidling up beside the smaller boy. As they approached a cluster of buildings, he spotted the tea shop that had been mentioned in the invitation. He turned to head its way, before realizing that Eriond was plodding onward towards a different storefront. His first response was frustration, a frown spreading across his face. And then, as if he needed more reminding, the rapping of the Sephi boy's staff erased his frown, sending him after the errant padawan.

"That tea place is over here," Jerek mentioned as he touched Eriond's arm lightly, trying not to knock the blind boy off balance but steer him back towards the building marked with Tiland's on its signage. And as he guided the boy inside the building, Jerek noticed how good it felt to have a life he could point in the right direction.

If only he could do that with his own.

[member=Eriond] | [member="Tiland Kortun"]​

 

[Amilthi Camlenn]

It was not every day that a Jedi announced to his fellow students of the Force that he wished to share a discovery of ancient secrets and new techniques of his own development - even when that Jedi himself was ancient, as in the case of Master Kortun. Amilthi had briefly met his acquaintance on Deneba, and it was difficult to forget the old man and his quaint obsession with tea. Yet she had never had any closer exchanges with him. Perhaps this would be the opportunity.

It had been a journey almost across the galaxy, alone in a starfighter. Amilthi mused that for someone who couldn't spend hours and hours in pleasant meditation, that sort of trip would probably have been quite detrimental to health mental and physical. Master Kortun had taken sanctuary on a sparsely populated planet whose name was function - though for how long yet, it would remain to be seen, as it was now dangerously close to space controlled by the rapidly expanding Sith Empire.

It was an undeniably scenic approach to the island group that Master Kortun had revealed as his dwelling place, and Amilthi had enjoyed the dive through the clear sky, as she now enjoyed the salty breeze on the way to the house the locals had directed her to. By running a tea shop, it seemed Master Kortun reserved his originality for the more important spiritual pursuits.

Her black robes clearly made her out as a foreigner here, as indeed did her ship, and it was not the only one of a similar kind she had seen on the landing pads. Even the two boys she was entering the tea shop before her didn't quite fit, and Amilthi wondered if some Jedi had decided to bring even their young apprentices. Hopefully, Master Kortun would have the right tea on hand to keep them quiet.

 

[Tiland Kortun]

@Eriond @Amilthi Camlenn [member="Jerek Zenduu"]

Tiland raised his gaze from the cup of tea that he was observing. The whorls of color spiraled slowly around the water, drifting in spirals. But it would take more time still. Days, if he was reading the spread-pattern right. It would take a long time to fully infuse the tea into the water. Longer to imbue it with the Light. That would be fine, however. His guests had begun appearing.

"Well met, young Jedi," Tiland said as they entered. "I see my message has made it through." He gathered up a pot of tea and cups and brought them over. "I am Tiland." His staff rested against the corner of the room. Most of the ones that entered were truly young. Padawans, perhaps, although one he remembered having met before at some point. Deneba, perhaps? Had he been to Deneba? He couldn't quite remember. "I have tea for you all before we begin."

He poured some of the water into the tea-cups. "What brings you here?"

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The young Sephi was gently spun around.

He had a walking stick and the Force to guide him, so naturally he tended to get lost. Maybe he should add one of those GPS transponders to his walking stick? At least then, he'd have a voice telling him some useful advice like 'in two hundred fifty meters, turn left.'

As the pair entered the shop, the youngling consciously tucked his walking stick close to his body. With his free hand, he hooked his arm around that of Jerek. The last thing anybody wanted was a blind kid stumbling around a shop... well, blindly. Already, he was anxious at the thought of knocking something over or breaking something.

He felt a presence behind them. The dark haired elf's head turning as though to gaze back toward it, when a voice addressed them. The boy looked forward again, his vacant gaze staring straight forward rather than toward the source of the seemingly disembodied voice.

Initial impressions were that this person was an older male of some near-human species, as his Basic seemed quite polished. As the man spoke again, introducing himself as Tiland, the boy made several minute adjustments to his posture in an effort to better orient himself toward the speaker and host. "Mára rë," the boy intoned, supplying his salutation in Thrustran with a slight bow toward the elder Jedi. "I am Eriond," the youngling remarked in Basic, as he straightened back.

"I wish to learn of the Path of the Light Hand, and understand the ways of the Jedi."

[member="Tiland Kortun"] | [member="Amilthi Camlenn"] | [member="Jerek Zenduu"]​

 

[Charlie Nooran]

It had been a little since Charlie had gone out with her Master, recently she had come back from an expedition with the Pathfinder and now had a chance to catch up with the Grandmaster. Despite the older woman having her duties she ensured Charlie was getting the best education she could. The Seoulian padawan didn’t’ complain, she got to meet new people and experience new things. She was fine with whatever kept her off Tython.

There was an invitation, Charlie had caught wind of it while arriving at the Rest. Per usual, she instantly ran her way towards her master’s office and relayed the message. It didn’t take much, but Charlie and [member="Jyoti Nooran"] were walking down the path headed towards the Tea Shop.

Upon entering, the pair would catch the brief introduction. Charlie wasn’t the biggest fan of tea – she liked it rather sweet. She often saw Jyoti drinking the warm amber liquid, so it had to be something ‘good’. Watching Charlie did her best not to be the usual rambunctious self and calmly stood behind the pointy ear boy who was latched onto another.

Remaining at her master’s side she watched while having a brief moment of shyness.

[member="Eriond"] [member="Tiland Kortun"] [member="Amilthi Camlenn"] [member="Jerek Zenduu"]

 

[Tiland Kortun]

[member="Charlie Nooran"] [member="Eriond"] [member="Amilthi Camlenn"] [member="Jerek Zenduu"]

Tiland nodded as the boy spoke, noting his blindness, as another two entered. "Welcome, please, sit." He set out a few more chairs and tea before settling himself in a seat of his own before looking back to Eriond.

"Ah, that is the purpose for your visit, but why do you seek such a thing?" His voice was gentle, low. "Often our purposes lie deeper than what even we believe." He let the words sink in as he poured the now-steaming water into the pot. The fragrance of tea wafted from. "And that is the first lesson of the Light Hand." Tiland held up his own hand. "As Jedi, in our hands we carry the strength to exercise compassion and the strength to exercise resolve to defend. But we must understand ourselves and our own motives before we can take action."

The old Jedi paused again to give the tea the slightest stir. "It is in within ourselves the most difficult conflicts lay. Do we respond to ourselves with resolve? Or with compassion? Do we know ourselves well enough to know the right choice?"

 

[Jerek Zenduu]

Focused as he was on guiding his smaller charge, Jerek didn't pay much attention to the other occupants of the small tea shop until he heard a voice speaking to them. It drew his attention, and the padawan studied the wizened speaker. He was shorter than the boy had expected, a thin, angular face that narrowed to a groomed, grey beard that framed his mouth and chin, puttering with a set of what Jerek presumed to be teaware. Some of the masters at the Ossus temple had drunk it, though he had never tried it then, and the smell of the steeping leaves drew him back to those days. Paired with the old Jedi's appearance, the padawan could almost imagine the man as one of his old masters.

Perhaps he was and the boy had simply forgotten.

Jerek had surely forgotten his manners, as Eriond inadvertently showed him up with his greeting, dipping his arm as the Sephi boy bowed respectfully. Jerek dipped as well, old patterns returning to him, though distant and unfamiliar now. "I also come to learn from you, Master."

Leading first Eriond to the indicated seat, and then taking an adjoining one himself, the teen mused over the Master's question. The words cut deep at him, words he knew were intended only to provoke thoughtfulness, instead stirred up feelings of shame. Why was he here? Despite his restlessness at the nomadic existence he now led, Jerek had come to see normality in it. He had been on his own so long, away from the Jedi and their teachings. What was the point in returning now, if he had so easily walked away before? Had his absence merely even been a divorce of convenience at all?

Jerek distracted himself by taking one of the proffered cups, filled with the steaming liquid he knew only from a distance. Now it was before him, in his very hands, and the padawan looked deep into the brown liquid. It swirled in the cup by its own volition, dancing to a tune of a melody unknown. His thoughts joined in, whirling and prancing in his head, touching only briefly before they dashed away again. He could make little sense of either, and the earlier feeling of calm faded away.

Closing his eyes, the teen raised the cup to his lips and tipped it gently, letting the liquid pass his lips. It was hot enough still to burn, but he barely felt it. The taste, however, was intense enough not to be ignored. Earthy and floral at first, but then a rush of wooden bitterness washed over his taste buds. It consumed them, spreading like wildfire and drenching his mouth in an acrid, dry sensation. He had enough discipline to contain his reaction physically, but Jerek still looked down into the tea cup dourly as he drew it away from his mouth.

"Right now, Master, probably neither. I'd say disappointment is more accurate. This is not at all what I was expecting," the boy admitted, more to himself than as an answer to the ancient Jedi. He looked up from his cup, looking toward the Master but focusing instead on a point behind the man. The room seemed to blur at the edges of his focus, but the object of his attention still eluded him. "Nor am I, really. I'm not even sure why I really came here now, except to escort Eriond."

[member="Tiland Kortun"] | [member=Eriond] | [member="Charlie Nooran"] | [member="Amilthi Camlenn"]​

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

Apparently, this was a pop quiz.

The young Sephi was presented with a question. Then another question. Or, was it the same question? Just phrased differently?

Tilting his head to one side, the space elf had only just begun to process the first question when he was presented with the second and found his train of thought going off the tracks as he tried to keep track of just what he was supposed to be answering.

Jerek seemed to keep it straight, though the boy wasn't sure that he understood the answer that was given any more than he had the question that had been asked.

Sliding his arm over to touch Jerek on the arm, the young Sephi leaned to one side and asked, "What's resolve mean again?"

It might help if he understood the words that were coming out of their mouths.

 

[Tiland Kortun]

[member="Jerek Zenduu"] @Eriond

Tiland nodded as the two padawans spoke, fingers steepled beneath his chin. He listened, assessing their responses and shifting through their presences in the Force. They were young and still seeking themselves.

"The first step in the Path of the Light Hand is to know yourself." He stepped across the room to an open section of the room. "And in that we must reflect within ourselves and the Force. Come, join me in the next room."

Tiland picked up the staff where it rested against the wall. It clicked across the floor into the room next to them, where a small collection of wooden mu ren zhuangs were placed around the room. "To know ourselves we must submerge ourselves in the Force. The Way of the Light Hand is a path that draws from within yourself."

He paused to stroke his beard and ran a hand along the well-worn posts. He rapped one knuckle on the wood and listened. It echoed in the room for a moment before settling down silently. "Find the rhythms of movement within yourself."

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

The voice of the old master was moving.

The boy's head turned, though not to follow the strange figure with his eyes. Truth be told, Eriond was having a hard time discerning the master in the Force. He spoke Basic with a fluency that made the Sephi assume him to be human or near-human. Yet, the presence was quite different from that of Jerek beside him. There were others as well, though he hadn't heard one of them speak as of yet.

But the master was different. It was a mystery that was gnawing at the peripheral of the boy's senses, even as he tried to pay attention to what was happening.

He waited until Jerek got up first before he did. Still anxious at the idea of crossing a shop by himself, the boy allowed Jerek to lead the way, before he crossed over toward the adjacent room.

Within the room, he heard a sound as of one rapping their knuckles against wood. The elven boy cocked his head to one side as he considered the sound. In his mind's eye, he had a perception of an object in the room.

No, several objects.

"You refer to how the Force moves through us, Master?" the youngling asked. He glanced up, but whether he was looking even remotely in Tiland's general direction was a total crap shoot.

[member="Tiland Kortun"] | [member="Jerek Zenduu"] | [member="Amilthi Camlenn"] | [member="Charlie Nooran"]​

 

[Jerek Zenduu]

Obligatory Soundtrack​

The master was talking in circles, as far as Jerek could tell. To know himself, he had to submerge himself in the Force? But to do so, he was supposed to draw from within himself? The boy shook his head, confused at the old man's riddle. If he could find himself from himself, he surely would have done so by now.

Instead, he trained his focus on the wooden posts around the room. They held small sticks fused to their sides, jutting out at odd angles. He had seen these before, but had never trained on one himself. It was, to put it simply, a rather crude mechanism for training. The posts just stood there, unmoving. At least a droid could provide some challenge, even if their movements were slow or predictable.

Not to mention that the posts wouldn't even hold up to a training lightsaber without taking damage.

"Is this supposed to be a meditation exercise, or a training exercise?" Jerek asked idly, turning finally to face the master again. His face held a sour expression as he glanced from the posts back to the master. "I hate to say it, but it kind of feels like the dark side has a better gym than us."

[member="Eriond"] | [member="Tiland Kortun"]​

 

[Amilthi Camlenn]

"Master Kortun." Amilthi greeted the ancient anzat with a polite bow, her hands folded in front of herself. She smiled softly. "I'm glad to see you well. It's been some time since Deneba."

It was curious that so few had followed the old mystic's call. Perhaps the galaxy's turmoil had swallowed and entangled them and made them believe that they had no time for the man's slow and deliberate ways. The ones who had come, apart from herself, were young, driven, perhaps, by curiosity, and not yet so sensitive to feelings of gravity and urgency. They would require more attention, and Amilthi kept in the background quietly, gracefully accepting the cup of tea that was offered her. She was a strange presence, dark and intense with her black robes and piercing eyes, but resting in herself and unthreatening.

Master Kortun's words, though their meaning seemed lost on the younglings, made perfect sense and cut right to the core of why Amilthi was so interested in the discovery. More than once Amilthi had been accused of being too focused on herself, but to her it had always seemed that complete mastery of the self was a prerequisite for finding connection to, and one's place in, the universe. And while she was very proficient with her lightsaber, she had less of an intimate connection to it than some other Jedi. On some level, it had always seemed preposterous that she relied so much on this tool external to herself to exercise her power.

Amilthi regarded the wooden training implements with some curiosity. She had never seen such a thing, but it didn't take her long to make sense of them. While a sparring partner or at least a droid would be beneficial for more advanced practitioners, it made sense to first entrain specific movements with some simple tactile feedback.

This whole affair was likely to be tedious, it would take a long time to get some knowledge out of the old master without losing the young ones completely. And one of them, unruly, seemed poised to make himself a bit of a nuisance. But Amilthi reminded herself to be patient, and looked at the boy with a fine, enigmatic smile.

"Why do you think there is a difference?"

[member="Tiland Kortun"] | [member="Jerek Zenduu"] | [member="Eriond"] | [member="Charlie Nooran"] | [member="Jyoti Nooran"]

 

[Tiland Kortun]

@Eriond @Amilthi Camlenn [member="Jerek Zenduu"]

Tiland paused to return Amilthi's bow slightly, but his eyes were focused on the two padawans, while a faint smile spread across his face. "Indeed it has. I am glad you were able to make it." He waited for the youngsters to finish filing into the area and to stop moving.

"You ask a good question, young Eriond, but not quite." He rapped the wood again. "I refer instead to the way that the Force moves us." He strode back towards the center of the room, hands clasped behind his back. "The Force is inside us and outside us. We must respond to the will of the Force and its movements, not to move ourselves against the Force."

He paused and turned to look at Jerek. "Why do you separate training and meditation? They are not a distinct exercise and these are meant for both." He swept his hand across the room to indicate the other supplies. "That is because this is not a gym. This is a place of moving meditation."

 

[Jerek Zenduu]

Jerek opened his mouth to reply, and quickly closed it at the master's retort. Jerek gave the man serious consideration, before his eyes wandered to another point in order to let himself think on the words. He had always viewed the disciplines separately, in fact, that's how they were taught to him in his youth on Ossus. Was this some aspect that more advanced learners were shown, something his departure from the structured training regime had left him without? Or was this something that Master Kortun —the boy thought that's what the Jedi woman had called him— had come up with himself?

"How do we do moving meditation?" the padawan asked, the gears of his mind still turning. He glanced over to his companion to see if he had any inkling, but he shouldn't have bothered. It wasn't as if the younger boy was going to have much more insight if Jerek hadn't even had that teaching yet. "When I train, that's usually what I'm focused on. Where I am, where my opponent is, how my body's moving, how he's moving, our weapons, the forms I'm using, what technique I should use to counter him, or just when to move into another technique. That kind of thing."

The boy went on, "And when I'm meditating, I'm in one place. Usually sitting or lying down, and I don't feel in control of my body at all. So how am I supposed to move when I'm meditating?"

[member="Zak Dymo"] | [member="Amilthi Camlenn"] | [member="Tiland Kortun"]​

 

[Amilthi Camlenn]

Amilthi hesitated for a moment, asking herself whether she should let Master Kortun explain in the terms he wished to. Perhaps it was arrogance, but ultimately she did not trust him to explain the matter lucidly in rationally deconstructive terms that made the smallest steps clear to the uninitiated. It was a common problem even among Jedi masters who were highly skilled themselves.

"Think about a familiar movement like walking: you know well that you can do other things while walking, because the act of walking does not require constant conscious interference. One of the things you can do while walking is observing the process and all the sensations it generates. That is walking meditation, the simplest form of moving meditation. Here the movement forms the object of meditation. It is also possible to do this with more complex movements, including the forms of lightsaber practice."

There was no impatience in her voice as she explained. It was rather as though she actually enjoyed laying out the whole structure.

"What Master Kortun has in mind is a more complex manner of moving meditation where you pay attention not only to the movement itself, but also to the process that generates it, and where in fact the activity of meditating changes that process because it makes you aware of new ways of generating movement."

"I'm sure you've experienced a very simple form of that many times when you were sitting or lying down and meditating. You've been in the same position for a long time, and suddenly you observe that a desire to move, say, your leg has arisen and punctuates your flow of experiences. You can do many things with that, and normally you would perhaps contemplate it and recognise it as something not to act on. But you can also act on it and observe that. The state Master Kortun is referring to is something like this: you listen into yourself for motions suggesting themselves and then execute them, in sequence. That sequence forms your object of meditation. The idea is that when your attention is properly focused, you will start to see movements suggesting themselves that you would otherwise not have noticed or thought of. But it may take some considerable practice to get there if you've never done any form of movement meditation."

[member="Tiland Kortun"] | [member="Jerek Zenduu"] | @Eriond | [member="Charlie Nooran"] | [member="Jyoti Nooran"]​

 

[Vorhi Alestrani]

[member="Tiland Kortun"] [member="Amilthi Camlenn"] [member="Jerek Zenduu"] [member="Zak Dymo"] [member="Charlie Nooran"]

Of course, Vorhi Alestrani was late. Truth be told, one of the nice things about being an archaeologist was that you could be half an hour late and it wasn't the end of the world. The ruin was still there--most of the time. But of course, the blind Oracle had been late, even after having been invited by probably one of the few people in this sector who didn't think him entirely mad. Just, mildly mad. Which was accurate.


Still, the errant master slowly entered into the room behind the others, watching them discuss it. No need to interrupt. Not yet. These were promising pupils. Three very young ones. One that was older, but not as old as himself. And Tilund. Of course, every Mestarii was also an Oppila. You could learn from those you called student as often as you would from a master.


He smiled slightly at Amilthi's explanation.He then reached out his hand and waved to Tilund. "Sorry I'm late, friend. I'm afraid I was a touch distracted by some missives from off-planet. I see some others have heard of your methods as well? Good. As much as I enjoy comparing notes with you, I do like seeing how others learn as well," he said with a slight smile.

 

[Tiland Kortun]

[member="Vorhi Alestrani"] [member="Amilthi Camlenn"] [member="Jerek Zenduu"]

Tiland blinked in surprise and studied the young padawan, before unclasping his hands, and bringing them in front of his body, his tea-cup safely cradled in one hand. His mouth opened and closed for a few moments, but he paused as Amilithi spoke up and explained. Tiland nodded with a smile.

"Indeed! That is an excellent explanation. You could have quite a career ahead of you as an instructor, young Camlenn." Tiland took a sip of the tea and examined it for a moment. "And I will say this, young Jerek. If you rely upon your mind when you train, when you fight, you will be too slow. You must trust the way the Force moves you and how it prompts it your instincts."

A familiar voice spoke from behind him and Tiland turned. "Vorhi! I am glad you could make it." He clasped Vorhi's arm in welcome. "Indeed." He turned back to the others. "To practice the moving meditation, try and meditate as you drink the tea. Clear your mind and focus your senses on the experience of the tea. Use what you have learned in meditation and bring it to bear as you act, as you move. The Light Hand relies upon existing in a state of constant meditation."

 

[Jerek Zenduu]

Drink the tea?

Looking down into his empty hands, Jerek realized his teacup had been left in the other room. From where he was standing, the teen could just barely see the cup sitting where he left it on the table. He looked at it scornfully, annoyed both at its present absence and its contents. The memory of the wooden taste was still on his tongue, and from behind closed lips he scraped it futilely against his upper teeth.

Still, Master Kortun wanted the tea to be used to practice the moving meditation. With all the caution thrown his way over his honest skepticism towards the practice, the immature part of Jerek was reluctant to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing him try it, especially here in front of others. Then again, he reminded himself, he came here to learn something new, he might as well make the most of it.

That didn't mean he couldn't still be a little immature.

Rising on the balls of his feet, Jerek launched forward, imbuing his steps with the Force to speed their pace and recovery. Holding out his arm as he passed the table in a tight arc, the padawan grabbed hold of the teacup and picked it off the table, completing the rest of the arc to circle back towards the training room. The liquid inside the cup jostled and threatened to spill out before Jerek stilled it with the Force. He was quickly back inside the training room, stationary once more, but this time with the teacup in his hand.

The teen allowed himself a momentary grin of pleasure before raising the cup to his lips again and taking a quick sip. Just as before, the liquid was dry and acrid, and it coated his tongue with a sensation he didn't like at all. The tea was also cold now, and somehow that made it even worse. Jerek tried to keep his face from betraying his emotions, and however successful that was, he carried on.

Stepping back away from the adults, the teen held his teacup before him, cupped and supported by both hands. He closed his eyes, drawing himself away from the world around him, letting his senses and thoughts fade out as he had done countless times before. Entering a meditative state had never been much of a problem for Jerek, but as his thoughts slipped away, one of the last centered on a worry over how he was going to move while in a meditative state.

[member="Zak Dymo"] | [member="Amilthi Camlenn"] | [member="Tiland Kortun"] | [member="Vorhi Alestrani"]​