Gardens

Wherever Zakis had ventured, Zafara was usually not far behind. More times than not, it was an accident, a magnet within the Force that drew the twins’ presences together. At least, that was perhaps the best explanation for it. Nonetheless, Zafara wandered the second floor. She acknowledged and admired the beauty that this planet, and many others, offered and enjoyed the flora as though experiencing it for the first time. Some may have complained of Felucia's humidity and heat, but those with an eye to see it would find that some of the most beautiful things could only be found within the uncomfortable and the extreme.

As Zafara looked to a colorful flower, bursting with vibrant colors of purples and yellows, only natively found here on Felucia, she found herself reflecting over these things. Her own meditations, so to speak. And with it, her mind drifted towards the fall of the Jedi Base so long ago. In a way, that fateful day was no different than these plants. A terrible, extreme event, brought on by the cruelty of the Sith. However, it summoned her need to grow within the Jedi Order, and she was not the only one. The Sith may have hoped to find conquest over the Jedi that day, but instead, they only helped them flourish. The Base was now a Temple, padawans now knights, knights now masters. Like these plants, the pruning of the old was necessary, to bring about growth as a whole. The thought resonated a quiet laugh as she moved on within the garden.

Casting a glance over a waterfall to the floor below her, she saw an all too familiar figure meditating. Her smile took a more lighthearted, mischievous form as she followed the river to its edge, keeping her footsteps light as not be heard by her brother. After a moment of reflection, Zafara then propelled herself over the edge with a little helping hand from the Force and landed easily and gracefully mere feet from him, although still with a sudden and loud enough 'THUD' as her feet hit the ground. "Funny to have found you here," she laughed, hoping to have startled him -- at least a little bit -- from his meditations.

Letting out a satisfied laugh as she startled Zakis, Zafara crossed her arms over her chest as her smile widened.

"Yes, but you should be in the archives studying. Or in the training wing, honing your skills with that odd piece of equipment you call a weapon," she teased, motioning over the saber pike he had sat down nearby. "We're not Masters yet. We still have a long way to go.

She never kept it a hidden fact that she preferred a single, standard saber over what she considered more superfluous or flashy weaponry and forms. Even under her joking, though, she knew her brother was a force to be reckoned with, regardless if his weapon of choice was something she viewed as an exotic.

"And no, I wasn't just trying to be mischievous," she laughed, although she couldn't argue the fact that it was her first reaction upon finding her brother meditating. "I feel as though I've gone through all of the interesting texts in the archives countless times already, though. All the truly interesting stuff is locked up tight, and only a handful of Master Calmcacil's elite Masters have access. I can only imagine what's back there..."

She sighed at that thought as she leaned back on the bench. Maybe one day, she would have clearance to those items and the knowledge they held... but with a shrug, she tilted her head back and glanced over once more towards Zakis.

"So with little else to do for the time being, I figured I'd try to clear my mind and wander through the gardens. I'm starting to understand why you like it so much here."

Walking side by side with Mark Shadows Sorrows , Master Starflight moseyed the meditation gardens, taking in the subtle beauty that radiated peace throughout this section of the Temple. It was here that she hoped she could urge the young Padawan to quiet his mind, at least long enough to open himself up to the Force. There, she hoped, he would discover a piece of the truth he sought. Master Crawford taking a nasty fall after a bout of unconsciousness -- all over a seemingly innocent song once believed to be made up by the Master Jedi.

Taking in a deep breath, Kalli smiled a bit more warmly than she would have otherwise shown another. She deeply enjoyed her time meditating here. It was something she hoped the share with Mark, to hopefully guide him to use this place not only today, but any other time uncertainty seemed to cloud his understanding or judgment.

“Tell me, Mark, have you taken time to just wander around the gardens before? Do you have a favorite spot, or shall we find one today?”

Glancing down at him, she upheld her smile as she watched him closely to witness his reaction. It was then that she silently gave him the reins, allowing him to now guide them throughout the gardens. Whether it was near the waterfalls or rivers, or by a particular flora group that caught his attention, it didn’t matter to Kalli. All that did was that the boy would find a place he could feel the most at ease so that she could begin this informal first lesson with him.

Kalli’s smile brightened even more as Mark appeared to grow a bit more excited. What more, that he had a place he seemed to find peace within. As he briskly walked off to find it, though, the woman couldn’t help but shake her head and laugh quietly towards herself. Ah, the youth, so easily excited with the energy to support it. In a way, she had hoped he would take more time to truly look around rather than to have just rushed right to his favorite place here, but all in all, she wouldn’t complain.

“An interesting location…” Kalli murmured as she looked over the bright plant.

It was native to Felucia, as many of the more exotic and brightly hued plants were. It was a puzzling planet that Kalli had to get used to, after growing up in the bustling urban world of Coruscant within the Jedi Temple there, when it was still standing. It reminded her of those days so long ago, but only briefly. Turning her attention back to Mark, she wondered why this place spoke to him in particular, but that would be a lesson of meditation for another day. It took her several weeks before she was able to discover the reasons for her own peace at her preferred spot here.

Sighing, Kalli glanced around at the surrounding area one final time. Pleased with his choice, she nodded her approval. It was quiet with the steady trickle of the flowing river to help guide one off into their meditations.

“Very quick,” she commented as she took a seat far enough from the red plant to give him his own space, but close enough for comfortable communication. “I’m glad that you young ones still find time to visit the gardens in your free time.”

Kalli inhaled deeply again as she took in the peaceful aura that filled the area. Now would come the more difficult task for such an energetic young one.

“So tell me, Mark… has anyone ever led you through a meditation exercise before?”

Kalli hummed thoughtfully as she listened to Mark explain his little experience to the exercise and why. With a slight nod in understanding, she kept her expression calm and gentle despite the otherwise strange pang in her chest to the news. He hadn’t been assigned a Master yet. She inhaled deeply again, with the slightest sharpness, before she exhaled, pushing out the rather inconvenient emotions that could muddle this exercise.

“Soon enough, I’m sure,” Kalli reassured with a quiet smile. “I’m sure Grand Master Calmcacil is simply looking for the perfect fit of a Master for you.”

She couldn’t help but wonder at her own words, though. The perfect fit of a Master. Ever since Viv had been knighted, Kalli had dismissed the idea of taking on another Padawan, at least for a while. The Echani still kept her hands full from time to time. Still, if Mark was anything like those of the name he still carried...

Dismissing the thought from her head momentarily, Kalli pushed onwards. She would meditate on all of this later.

“I’ll help you this time then,” she encouraged before continuing with a lighthearted chuckle, “First rule: no talking throughout the exercise. If you have anything else you want to say, go ahead and get it out of your system now before we begin.”

Smiling, she watched Mark as he settled in before she would begin to guide him into a meditative state.

Kalli hummed as her smile brightened. It was somewhat of a common question with the young ones. Viv had asked the same question so many years ago. In truth, there wasn't a clear answer to that question, at least not with words. To put it simply for a young mind proved a welcomed challenge Kalli had nearly forgotten about after all these years.

“As I’ve said, the Force works in mysterious ways,” Kalli reiterated, much to her enjoyment.

The Force worked in mysterious ways. They seemed like mere words to those who didn’t truly understand, but the deeper one delved into it and began to understand it, the sense and meaning this explanation would suddenly take on a such a greater meaning. Kalli surely could have tried, as she did with Viv, to explain the feeling of the river's current, the life of the flowers all around, the heartbeats of every living student and Master within the Temple, the rush of Felucia as a living being -- all the way the feeling as though the universe itself rested within one's mind as though they were all one and the same. Pushing further outwards until finally... sheer quiet, where the Force would speak in a realm unimaginable by mortal imagination or comprehension. However, all this was something that needed to be experienced, and thus, Kalli pushed onward.

“It’s something that you’ll know. Trust me, and the Force.”

Kalli spoke in a whisper then, her quiet smile shimmering in her eyes. In truth, she was excited to show this realm of the Force to Mark, to any young Padawan who had yet to be guided into this type of one-on-one meditation. The chances that he would succeed wholly in sinking into the energy of the Force were slim, as very few Padawans had the patience to reach that level of inner peace and stillness. Kalli wasn’t about to reveal that much to Mark yet, though, as to not discourage him from trying. Still, even most Padawans can end up feeling within the current of the Force, which was the most encouraging beginning to continue practicing. Just like any art of the saber, all such things would take practice.

“Are you ready to begin?”

“Good.”

Humming her understanding, Kalli breathed in deeply as she closed her eyes and fell silent for a few slow breaths. Once she had prepared her own mental state in guiding another into this new realm of meditation, only then did she begin her murmured instructions to the young padawan.

“Close your eyes… and focus on your breathing... Inhale… and exhale… Focus on the feeling of air filling your lungs... and expelling it… Expelling every worry... every distraction... Breathe in life... and breathe out your concerns... Nothing else matters right now...”

Kalli spoke rhythmically and calmly, taking her own breaths as she led him not only through instruction but by example. The first step, releasing all other thoughts and focusing on a simple task that one always took for granted. Breathing, something many never took much thought into. Placing the mind on such a simple task, though, would help release the thoughts on anything else that might plague the young boy’s mind. Master Crawford. His mother’s song. His lack of a Master. His past training. None of it mattered right now. Nothing mattered now except to breathe.

Just like that, Mark seemed to achieve something from the very first lesson in meditation. Where Kalli only heard the same stillness of the garden, something seemed to reach out to Mark. Although he was quick to break his calm state of mind in his excitement, it was expected from such an inexperienced Padawan. While some Masters might have disciplined their students, Master Starflight took her own approach in such manners -- correcting their course with encouragement instead of discipline. In time, the students would grow to create their own discipline, but her job, at least right now, was to keep them hungry and excited for growth. Kalli exhaled before she turned and peeked open an eye to glance over at the young Padawan. Despite his guilt for breaking out of the exercise, she smiled at his question, although tilting her head questioningly.

“I didn’t hear anything, young one,” she said quietly, although her voice hinted with a warm laugh. “Perhaps you should get back into that meditative state in the way I just taught you, and we’ll go into the very next lesson. If you hear it again, maybe it is the Force trying to speak to you... but you must be willing to listen.”

With a gentle twitch of her lips upwards into an encouraging smile, Kalli turned away and closed her eyes, again flowing her mind back into a meditative state. She hoped Mark would follow along, especially now that he was starting to ‘hear’ something even after the very first lesson.

Following the Jedi Knight through the temple was like taking a trip down memory lane for Achiira, remembering the first time she entered the Academy back home, remembering the feeling of belonging and purpose, the feel of the light side of the force. The temple here was truly stunning, and she could tell a great amount of effort and force went into the construction, one thing she really admired about the Jedi and their way to perfect and capture true tranquility and peace.
They passed many locations, the dining hall in particular would be remembered easily since it had been a few days since Achiira ate a proper meal, but her mind was drawn away from this as they entered the Jedi Temple Gardens.

Her eyes widened as Alexia spoke and a great smiled wiped across her face. The gardens, from the floor she could see, were breathtakingly stunning, the sound of artificial rivers, fountains and waterfalls enhancing the stillness and quality of calmness one would expect within. Achiira could sense the energy from the flora around her, putting her into a state that is normally achieved through deep meditation. She turned to face Alexia.

"Knight Alexia, thank you kindly for allowing us to view this sacred place, it really is beautiful. I feel honored to be here. The light side of the force is so magnificently strong here, and I look forward to taking a closer look around."