Under the Waterfall

[Kella]

Sellah Bellae was a creature of action. She was also a creature of heart.

She lacked the gift of perception, but fortunately was blessed with the knowledge of that fact. She couldn't be quite sure how Ekerin was coping with all that had happened, from joining the Blades to traveling to new parts of the galaxy, but mostly, with what had happened on Rhen Var. But she did care, and in Sellah's world, that translated to doing something.

The idea had come to her while she herself was on Gorgon, on a day off by herself to recuperate after the battle. She'd fared rather worse -- physically -- than Ekerin had, and had left him in the care of Grek for the chance to settle her mind and nurse her wounds. Her mind did settle, and she realized that bringing Ekerin to Gorgon would be the perfect thing.

It was a tranquil place, away from the hustle and bustle and lingering pain of the Blades outpost, which made it a great place for training. Sellah hoped the combination of the location and the disclipline of training would help Ekerin work through any lingering insecurities from the battle. Even if Ekerin were having no trouble coping, training was never a bad thing.

So, she'd brought her Padawan here. A broad waterfall crashed down from a rocky overhang, tossing up spray that soon settled into a wide, shallow pool. Twenty meters or so from the base of the fall, the land dipped away, and the pool drained into a small river that wound off into the jungle.

Sellah and Ekerin stood at the bank, overlooking the pool.

"Are you ready to begin your training?"

[Twysper]

Ekerin stood quietly at the edge of the pool, taking the time to reflect once again on the events of Rhen Var. He had killed people-- Sith; but still people. Apprentices like himself, just on the other side, and twisted away from the light. Had it been their fault that they were where they were?

His clawed hand touched the hilt of his lightsaber tentatively. It was, as often quipped by older Jedi, his life. His life had killed people...

The Amaran blinked back away from his melancholy trance feeling disheartened. This was not productive meditation.

"Are you ready to begin your training?" His master asked, breaking the ambient stillness of the clearing.

His blue eyes peered up at Sellah somewhat guiltily, because the padawan was pretty sure she could read his mind most of the time, and she would not be pleased with what he was feeling.

"...Yes master." Ekerin replied, head following the downward path of the waterfall distractedly.

[Kella]

"What do you feel you need to improve the most?" Sellah asked. It was a question she'd heard often from her master. She now understood that this approach allowed the student to improve his confidence, while it gave the master a starting point from which to watch for other areas in need of improvement. Sellah had always respected her Masters, but the more time she spent with Ekerin, the more she appreciated their wisdom. It was an incredible, intimidating mission, raising a Padawan, even with a student as good as Ekerin.

Even moreso. Sellah desperately did not want to ruin his training. Though, she had faith that, like in all things, the Force and her teachings would show her the right way.

As Sellah waited for her Padawan to think up his answer, (as she'd always had to spend lots of time thinking, when her master asked her) her senses automatically wandered the clearing, taking in all the sounds and smells, mapping out all that there was to know.

She'd have to test Ekerin on that later.

[Twysper]

The Amaran set to thinking. He enjoyed lightsaber combat the most of all practice activities, but it was also one of his strongest areas. Perhaps something peaceful and based in the Force was a better alternative. Almost immediately, the padawan knew what he wanted to practice.

"Teach me how to protect things with the Force." Truth be told, Ekerin didn't feel up to saber practice at all. The cylinder attached to his belt felt more like a weight dragging him down than a supremely useful icon of the Jedi. Hopefully he could take his mind off it by applying himself to Master Sellah's lesson.

[Kella]

Sellah's muzzle scrunched. She hadn't quite realized that open-ended questions often got unexpected answers. Hm. She'd have to remember that.

"Me too," Sellah said, whiskers twitching. "But I don't know enough about Protection skills to teach you anything."

Though Sellah had no temptation to lie, the words still put a sour taste in her mouth. She did not like that she was not skilled enough to teach her Padawan something he needed to learn. She would have to study, and learn more things, so that she could be a proper teacher to Ekerin. An yet, she could not leave him with nothing, for he might feel he'd asked for the wrong thing.

"But," she hastily added, "I can teach you how to protect with your blade. As my master said, it is as much a guardian as a weapon."