Welcome to Voss.

[Ryn'Dhal]

Voss​

Ryn'Dhal had received word of a new Padawan being sent to him. By no means a preordained Tutor-Mentor relationship, it was an opportunity for the two to meet, to interact, and see if his temperament, methods, and skill-set would work with that of the Learner. The Padawan would have received a datapad with instructions listing where to meet with her prospective Master, and it was in this location he waited.

Out in the gardens, where other Masters and Knights were engaging Padawan in various group lessons, Ryn'Dhal was wrapping up a lesson in floating meditation, the art of surrendering oneself to the Force in their quiet moments. Having dismissed his students, he resumed hovering in place a solid foot off the ground, helmet firmly secured, and tail 'concealed', blending in with the colors of his armored robes as it wound about his waist.

It was in this manner the prospective Padawan, known to Ryn'Dhal only as [member=Naadi Maaro], would come to find her prospective Master. Lost in his inner-thoughts, deep within the Force.

 

[Nadi Maarow]

Naadi had lived almost all of her life thusfar on Voss, in the temple, and had not yet been chosen as a Padawan. She was now a young adult, significantly older than the normal age at which an youngling initiate would be selected by a knight or master. She had since then taken to tending to the temples various gardens and Grandiose hallways and chambers, as well as keeping the mice under control (by hunting and capturing them for her food). She might not have had a green thumb, but she didn't think she was that bad at it.

Messing about with a bendy purple tree that was turning shades of brown and yellow and red, which meant that it was dying (again.... She had re-planted the 12 foot tree twice already). Naadi's left ear lowered in mild annoyance as she set aside the pruned away branches into the much underbrush. Another jedi walked up to her, a Master. "Naadi, there is a Knight who wishes to see you." and was then handed a datapad.

Naadi was curious, her ears perked forward and her whiskers fanned out in interest. Looking at the datapad, it showed the location as being the eastern atrium. Wondering what the issue was, she exited the North Balcony gardens. Bounding down the epicly large T-staircase on all fours, with the datapad in her belt, she quietly entered the eastern atrium, and looked about for .... A masked man, apparently floating in intense meditation. He stood out starkly, his white robes bold and almost glowing, against the Atrium's backdrop of dull stony colors, green and brown of plants, and afew splashes of color here and there.

Looking around for some obvious problem, such as maybe uprooted bushes, or a broken or dry fountain, she saw nothing that needed tending to. Irked and confused, she decided to wait for the Masked Knight to emerge out of his trance. Having a seat on the brick floor, she patiently waited, amusing and distracting herself by levitating and stacking little pebbles and gravel with the Force.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

His tail unfurled from about his waist, and was used literally as an extra appendage as he propelled himself up from the seated position to stand before the Padawan. The largely neutral faceplate angled towards the young felinoid, tail flicking about behind him idly as he took in the sight. She didn't seem quite like himself, various traits more feline in nature than his own. Giving a nod, as she'd likely get to her feet herself, he'd offer a polite bow in greeting.

"Padawan Maaro? I am Knight Ryn'Dhal. It is a pleasure to meet you." he began, stepping towards the female, before turning his datapad to her for her observe. "Is this data about you correct? Skills learned, proficiencies exhibited in exams, and the like?"

When she's affirm the data, the masked Knight would pass the datapad off to his tail, which tucked the pad into his belt. Meanwhile, gloved hands tapped upon his faceplate in contemplation, before giving a nod, as if making a decision.

"Padawan Maaro, what would you say to an trial mentorship from me? I shall teach you for a time, and after, say, a few weeks time, we shall reevaluate, and see if you wish to continue learning from myself?" he asked, faceplate angling to one side observing her response, not just physically or verbally, but also within the Force.

[member="Naadi Maaro"]​

 

[Nadi Maarow]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

Naadi watched as the Knights fur belt unfurled itself from around his waist, and became a tail. A part of her became happy and excited at meeting another feline Jedi. As they both stood up, and her abandoning the handful of rocks back into the shallow waterfall fountain (made out of an abandoned shallow bowl sink). She returned the bow, and he spoke.

"Padawan Maaro? I am Knight Ryn'Dhal. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Her ears went sideways as she was taken aback at being again prospected to be a padawan. Naadi had nearly completely given up on advancing in jedi rank. Part of her wanted to soar in happiness, but she swayed her tail and felt skeptical and cautious. She observed the data on his datapad, and saw that it was her test scores from her last retrial, about 5 years ago. She had passed most of the tests relating to physical prowess and Force abilities, but struggled with other aspects. "Yes, these scores are correct." she quietly said, in a flat manner.

"Padawan Maaro, what would you say to an trial mentorship from me? I shall teach you for a time, and after, say, a few weeks time, we shall reevaluate, and see if you wish to continue learning from myself?"

Inwardly, she steeled herself against the perhaps-imminent failure to be eligible for being a Padawan, after the trial period. "Yes, we shall try it." she said, still calmly businesslike. Part of her did quietly enjoy being called 'Padawan', though, and so she did not correct him to address her as 'Initiate' or some other functionary title of the jedi organization.

However, she would still remain skeptical and reserved about it.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

Smiling, he reached up and removed his helmet. Revealing his own, pronounced feline features to Naadi. Her feelings betrayed her misgivings, and as such, she would see an almost apologetic expression on his face. "I fear you misunderstand. I am not putting you to a test here. I am going to do my best to teach you the best I can, and should I be failing at that, you may elect to leave my tutelage."

He smiled, his expression warming, ears peeking forward. "It is not for my benefit that I seek to train you, but for yours." he explained, hands gesturing open, welcoming.

"On that note, Padawan, what lesson shall we start with today?" his tail began flicking, eagerness clear in his posture, his keen eyes, like molten pools of gold, glittering with thinly veiled joy. This was good. She deserved the chance to grow, to shine, and Ryn'Dhal was happy to give her the chance.

[member="Naadi Maaro"]​

 

[Nadi Maarow]

She was pleasantly shocked when he revealed that it was not her he would be testing, but himself, apparently, and for her benefit no less. "It is not for my benefit that I seek to train you, but for yours." he explained, hands gesturing open, welcoming. "On that note, Padawan, what lesson shall we start with today?" he said, quite happy with himself, given his demeanor that she could read.

Settling down abit, she decided to try to take it easy on the pessimism and just see how things went, no strings attached. "Om.... How about meditation. That's hard for me still. Everything is so distracting." she admitted. Naadi had a hard time focusing on Meditation and Oneness Within The Force, because as a feline, the world around her was so in her face, with noises, and smells, and colors and shapes. Even her thoughts ran a mile a minute ! (unknown to her, and ironically, basically the same lesson he had just finished with his other two padawans.)

Even here in the East Atrium garden, she could see the brown and gray details of the trees, smell the perfume of flowers (and Ryn'Dhal, now that she made an effort to actively notice), and hear others just beyond the chamber, and elsewhere within the Atrium, however otherwise obscured by plants, hills, and stone walls they might be. She could even feel the slight sensation of wind on her fur, being lightly kissed by the ambient air drifts.

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

He couldn't help but chuckle. The way the muscles of his face pulled back into that pleasant expression, Naadi would likely be able to readily tell that it was a natural expression to the young Knight. He smiled freely, and often. He sought the joys in life, and as such a person, he brought the brightness out of even some of the dreariest circumstances.

"I know all too well of your plight Padawan Maaro. I have felt the pull of my interests, especially during meditations, in my earlier days of study." He did not sound even remotely condescending as he spoke, explaining himself. "Though, for me, more so than for you, it was imperative that I learned and mastered Meditation as early as I could." He gestured to himself, before continuing. "Believe it or not, I am a Felacatian. I possess a genetic abnormality which causes my current appearance. But, I still possess my races polymorphic tendencies. And.... well... Hyperspace travel is more than moderately strenuous upon us. We shift involuntarily under great stress, and when shifting involuntarily, we tend to.... lose ourselves...."

He trailed off momentarily, eyeing his clawed digits for a moment, before shaking his head free of the thoughts. "So, as I said, I needed to learn to Meditate as a matter of survival. You, on the other-hand, need to learn to master Meditation, as a stepping stone to greater success. Do not view any of shortcomings you may have encountered due to your keen senses as failures. Tests and tribulations stand as hurdles, as platforms for advancement. One does not grow more capable without failing sometimes."

He tapped his finger to his lip for a few moments, before cracking a grin. He held up his helmet, opening it so she could see within it. "This is my helmet, which I'm capable of deactivating its audio and visual receptors, which helps to produce a tranquil environment for meditations. I would recommend, should you decide to get your own to try, to be sure to set regular alarms to bring yourself out of your meditations, lest you lose yourself too deeply and miss important appointments, jobs, or classes." He'd state, chuckling again. He offered it to her, ears angling slightly as he sized her up. "You may try it if you wish, though, it might be a little more snug for you...." They were close in size, though the female stood taller, Ryn was more massive, though the tight density of his musculature belied exactly how much more massive.

[member="Naadi Maaro"]​

 

[Nadi Maarow]

She accepted the helmet and looked it over. It mostly consisted of a simple mask, and afew more panels of head-covering, with electronics primarily consisting of audio receptors and holographic display lenses in the eyes. It was light, as if made mostly of duraplast and leather, and whatever weight there was, was mostly from the electronic components. "You may try it if you wish, though, it might be a little more snug for you...." he said.

Naadi put the helmet on, and not only was it snug, the inner lenses didn't exactly line up. Her face was significantly longer than his, even though they were both feline. Gently prying the helmet off, she returned it to him. "It is very interesting. I presume you made it yourself ?" she said.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

"Not quite. It was custom fit for me, as part of a suit of armored robes I acquired from Sasori. Master Ike's company... they produce equipment for Jedi." From his satchel, he drew out a small, faintly luminescent cube. "A Telchek. Useful in aiding in using the Force to heal. Another of her designs."

He nodded after a few moments of quiet introspection. "I would like you to come with me. Into the forest. There is a particular clearing I've more or less adopted as my personal training grounds. A quiet, serene location. Only the sounds of nature, which is a lot easier to meditate through, than the sounds of the temple. I will show it to you, and there, I recommend, you go to seek quiet for mediation, if you ever feel the need."

He began towards the nearest treeline, before glancing back to the Padawan. A warm, friendly smile was upon the feline face, ears still ever on the move, as that black tail swished through the air excitedly. Little got the furred Jedi amped quite like getting out into nature.

[member="Naadi Maaro"]​

 

[Nadi Maarow]

Exiting the temple right behind Ryn, Naadi also became pleasantly thrilled at being outside. She enjoyed the wild woodsy sounds and smells that washed over her, the feel of the grass and leaves and dirt under her paws, and most of all, the ambient feeling of everything around her being just so Alive in the Force.

"I would like you to come with me. Into the forest. There is a particular clearing I've more or less adopted as my personal training grounds. A quiet, serene location. Only the sounds of nature, which is a lot easier to meditate through, than the sounds of the temple. I will show it to you, and there, I recommend, you go to seek quiet for mediation, if you ever feel the need." he said, offering her a somewhat secret place to meditate and develop and practice her skills in the Force.

Following him into the treeline, she found herself deep among the many sorts of colorful and bendy trees and shrubs, almost as if under a roof or in a tunnelway, but with soft sunbeams poking through and scattering rays of light to and fro. She was looking at a pearlescent green-blue bird as it flew by, and not watching where she was going - and promptly hooked her foot on a vine, tumbling into a soft muddy area where water had pooled and seeped into the ground, making it soft and soup-like.

Splosh ..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3bptxiQo-g

Getting up from the mud pool, she was very Not Amused at being unexpectedly wet, and now as brown as the ground. "Is there a stream near this clearing ?" she asked sardonically.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

He frowned as the Padawan went down, not at, but for her. "Yes. A stream, and plenty of sun to rest, warm, and dry in. Come, we are not far."

The path was not particularly easy, but once one knew where to go, it was a simple enough location to find. A broad, beautiful expanse of soft grass, with a single, large tree off-center near the middle of the large ring-like clearing, with a gently babbling stream cutting in from the North, hooking around the tree, before exiting the clearing to the east. Ryn'Dhal smiled as he entered this domain, his 'home away from home', if you will.

The only sound were the gentle rolling of the water from the stream, and the breeze playing through the branches and the grass. Occasionally a bird could be heard, but by and large, it was quiet.

Serene.

"Here, Padawan, you can come to find the external quiet, to help you find the internal quiet. It worked for me, I am confident it will work for you. Just take your time, and find your harmony."

[member="Naadi Maaro"]​

 

[Nadi Maarow]

Naadi looked about the clearing, and smiled, momentarily forgetting her mud-splattered-ness. Her eyes alighted on the tree, its main branches were tall and bent, as if reaching both near and far, with a large branch jutting out in midair. It looked very climbable.

Looking at the stream, which had washed away the soil and was now in a furrow of rock, lined with fitted rocks, with a small burbling waterfall and a sort of pool or pond area. Naadi went over to the pool, and slowly inserted herself into its brisk coldness, letting the water run all of the mud out. Once her clothes were clean and her fur was its natural black and white, Naadi exited the water and shook herself mostly dry.

Now a frizzy, very fluffy cat, Naadi smiled and purred and stood in front of Ryn, happy and contented. "This is a very nice place. Thank you for showing it to me." She said appreciatively.

Naadi leaned abit and looked at the tree with obvious curiosity, her ears poking forward and the tip of her tail twitching lightly. Going over to it, she walked around the tree and looked at it from all the angles. She had an idea on the flat branches, that extended out into midair. The main mid-air branch, which split off into 5 other branches, looked nice and flat and kinda wide, good for perching and practicing meditating on.