Soothing Reflections

[Dire Wolf]

((as for the position and actions of Keilara, I have asked Bunny via IM for these permissions ^_^, this is also for said Sniper Cookie Bunny))

Rhissai had been walking from the High Council chamber after a particularly long and boring day when she felt a kindred presence about. She decided to follow this presence to its source, she had felt the same one a few days before this. It was but a few minutes of walking about the temple before she could feel the specter. Only, this was no wraith... it was a girl. Rhiss seen her quite awhile ago in the council chamber, and could feel the lack of confidence within her.

More than a few days prior to these events Rhissai had felt the kindred, albeit younger, presence from a distance. She gave the presence, which she determined to be a young knight or old padawan, a reassuring push of emotions. This push was also followed by an expansion of her own awareness to ascertain the location and exact identity of this presence. It was a girl, barely twenty one, with an all-too-familiar weight on her shoulders. Rhissai had felt a similar feeling weight, even to this day: it was the death of one's master.

She was an older Theelin padawan, one that was building her lightsaber at that time... she also could feel the presence of Master Took in the area. No doubt the wise master was there to oversee the padawan learner as she constructed her lightsaber. It was for this reason that the Jedi Master elected not to approach the girl at that particular moment in time. She could only imagine the berating that she would give someone, even Grandmaster Beleren, for interrupting a rite so sacred and personal. So she decided to approach the girl eventually, should the Force will it, and it did.

So now back to what Rhissai was doing at that moment rather than a few days or weeks prior, which was walking towards the wing of the temple that held the many meditation chambers. A chillingly beautiful voice singing filled her ears with every step she made. The woman looked around at the other people as they passed... it did not look as if they could hear it as well, it was at that moment that she discovered what the Force wanted of her.

The singing felt as if it was coming straight from the very soul of the vocalist, and likewise it was profoundly affecting Rhissai's own inner self. The nearly sixty year old Jedi Master was nearly brought to tears from the beauty of the song, the almost... sadness... almost... to be honest the raven haired woman couldn't tell exactly what she felt from the spectral words that filled her ears. She had always been one that was strangely and powerfully connected to emotions, but that was not necessarily her fault. The Aphithiri tended to be strongly connected to their own feelings, be it anger or happiness, and even years of Jedi training hardly countered the strength of her emotions.

Rhiss finally came to the door that was the source of the hauntingly beauteous voice, it grew so loud that she thought that her own eardrums would burst. So cacophonous that she could barely stand it, so vociferous that she wanted to do nothing but turn away... but she couldn't. The words which were once so clear where now so loud that they were little more than unintelligible screaming.The Force willed her to come here, it wanted her to go into that room... and so she would. Rhissai slid her hand over the pad that acted as the door nob on the sliding door. The slab of plastisteel slowly slid open with a pneumatic hiss, revealing the blond padawan as she sang.

The vociferous piercing yells in her ear quickly ceased the very second that her boot touched the slate grey surface of the round room. The Force was so strong in the rotunda, so strong as a matter of fact that it was quite obvious to even the youngest initiate that the other occupant of the room was in deep meditation. Rhissai didn't have the audacity to break such a communion with the Force, such things were sacred...

… she could only imagine the berating that she would give someone, even Grandmaster Beleren, for interrupting something so sacred...

[Keilara]

Kei had chosen to meditate in a far room this morning. She stretched out on the floor, flinging her hair out behind her. Her eyes closed, she allowed herself to sink into meditation as she had been taught, her mind stretching out, finding the currents of the force as though it were drops of water falling into a lake, the ripples created causing reverberations in the force that lead straight back to her.

For a little while she allowed her mind to stretch as far as it could. Hearing and feeling everyone in the temple going about their daily routines- from the children, some playing and others training, to the older members of the order. A soft hum started from within her, winding its way out to pull her focus in closer. She had a purpose with this meditation... She wanted to try and focus her mind into blocking out her sadness and her fear. The two emotions cropped up constantly in her training, consistently holding her back and causing frustration.

She had found it easier while building her lightsaber to see the force in her meditations as a constantly flowing stream. The other minds and feelings she encountered were like smoothed stones the water simply rushed over. And the tune she hummed flowed with it. She had no idea when she started or when she stopped, but when at last the song faded away from her and her eyes once again opened they took a moment to focus and she winced against the light.

"Mmmm... always so bright after meditation..."

She sat up, rubbing them gently only just becoming aware of the other presence in the room. With a startled gasp she leapt to her feet and turned.

"M-Master Rhissai... It's an honor"

Kei bowed and sighed silently.

"Is there anything I can help you with Master?"

[Dire Wolf]

Rhissai closed her eyes and smiled slightly, simply listening to the lyrics of the song that the padawan spun. Her soft words were so hauntingly beautiful (and powerful) that the master honestly wondered if it were these songs that were the source of the girl's strength. The woman drifted her awareness about the large circular room, feeling out for the Force inside the room. It was thick... almost oppressive. Rhiss could feel the weight of Kei's signature press against her slightly with each powerful word.

The woman only smiled at the pressing weight. It was rare indeed to sing while one meditated... surely that meant something. Surely, the Force was trying to guide her towards this young woman. If it wasn't, why then was she the only one that could hear the singing? The yelling? Then walk into the room and hear the very same soft voice that the yelling started out as. That alone would dispell any thoughts of insanity that may have been brought up.

So in the end, she trusted in the Force.

She had just ended the above line of thought when the final syllable that Keilara sung drifted beautifully to her ears. The woman opened up her eyes serenely, almost as if she herself had been meditating, and looked over at the girl that she sat next to. Rhiss slowly expanded her awareness outwards towards Kei, just enough to get a bearing on her signature... and how it felt. It was surprisingly familiar. To be honest... the more that Rhiss saw of Kei the more that she realized just how much of a kindred spirit that the girl was.

The Jedi tilted her head ever so slightly as the girl shot up to her feet with a gasp. Rhissai let a small, but wry, grin purse her lips and contort the features of her face as the girl spoke. The black haired woman pondered just how to answer that question rationally as she planted her feet on the ground and straightened out her legs. Once the tall woman stretched out to her full height of nearly 5'10” she gazed at the padawan, offering a warm smile.

“Don't speak like that, Keilara, I might start getting embarrassed. And as for your question, well... not really, no. I was walking to my quarters when I felt drawn to this very room by the Force itself.”

Rhissai's eyes involuntarily raised up to the ceiling as she pondered what she was about to ask. The Force was truly leading her to this girl, and not so much the room she resided in, that much was beyond obvious. But the reason as to why it was guiding her towards Keilara was not, however, beyond obvious. The woman had a serious hunch as to its reason... but she wasn't entirely sure just yet.

“Is there anything that you'd like me to teach you? I am well versed in a few lightsaber forms, and even more areas of the Force.”

[Keilara]

Don't speak like that, Keilara, I might start getting embarrassed.

The young girl quickly dropped her eyes, a blush creeping up her cheeks and a sigh escaping her. Even in trying to do the right thing it turned out wrong. And she did so hope that Master Rhiss hadn't heard her singing. She herself hadn't heard it since she was little, and though Master Oona had told her it was lovely her desire not to disappoint was sometimes so overwhelming that not having heard and approved of her voice herself she was reluctant to have others listen to it.

Is there anything that you'd like me to teach you?

The masters voice cut across Kei's thoughts and she resisted the temptation to clasp her hands behind her back and draw pictures on the floor with her boot like a child. She was in her 20's, not 5. For a moment Kei pondered the question. She had yet to go through her trials, her lightsaber having only recently been completed. If she was honest with herself, Kei could admit that she found comfort in Rhissai, the force seemed to flow off her and into Keilara in peaceful waves... almost like being at a lakeshore.

"I-I have to prepare for my trials. If you have the time Master, I would appreciate any help you could offer me."

Kei raised her head to look at Rhiss, hope clearly visible on her face. She was afraid of having another woman as a master, but she was drawn to Rhiss, found comfort being in her presence even as she was nervous.

[Dire Wolf]

Rhissai gave a slight sigh as she saw the padawan's face flush a beat red, then drop her eyes. It was far to hard for a woman of her position to joke with someone so young and more or less devoid of confidence, so she would stop joking. The woman may have looked imposing with her long raven black hair and the deep red tattoos on her arms and shoulders that were covered by a maroon gloves that ran all the way up to her upper arm.

A slight sting slashed at the area of her shoulder that Mako impaled but a few weeks before as she repositioned her arm into a more comfortable position. The events on Illum had disturbed her beyond words. How her former Dark Jedi Master discovered her location and got so many underlings in his clutches was beyond her... no. Not just that... it was unsettling. The woman shook her head ever so slightly, throwing off those thoughts. Now was not the time for trying to figure out why. Now was the time to figure out if this girl would make a proper padawan. '

Rhissai thought on Keilara's question for what seemed to be a millennia, it almost looked as if the green eyed woman was doing nothing at all. But if one would look into her eyes one could tell that the proverbial gears where turning in that head of hers. After a long moment a slight smile cracked across her otherwise stoic face.

“I would love to aid you in your trials, Keilara. Master Took helped you build your lightsaber if I remember correctly.”

The master gave a warm smile at Keilara after speaking, taking care to radiate peace and tranquility through her presence in the Force.

[Keilara]

Kei smiled as the Jedi Master agreed to help her and nodded quickly.

"He did. It's finished."

Her eyes fell for a moment before she forced them back up to meet Rhiss'. Her lack of ability with a lightsaber was still very much a sore spot.

"I'm admittedly not very good with one though. Master Oona and I were too busy and too focused on dealing with quarrels to spend too much time on it. I have advanced a bit from the teachings I received here as a youngling, and I know a lot in theory. I just don't have the practical application."

She bit her lip to stifle a sigh before taking the plunge and being honest

"And I'm not all that interested in it honestly. I've not gotten to truly look and see if I'm talented in any other aspects of the force. And while I know that it's a crucial part of our training it just seems far to easy to follow a path of violence when one has the ability so easily within ones grasp. There are so many other abilities that could help in a fight and instead everyone is so quick to draw their lightsaber."

She stopped short, horrified that she had once again let her mouth run away with her and blushed, dropping her head.

"Forgive me Master Rhissai. I don't mean to sound more knowledgeable than the council or ungrateful for the training."

[Dire Wolf]

Rhissai nodded slightly at her padawan... her padawan. She has only been able to say that about two other beings in this galaxy, and one of them was dead. The woman silently vowed to herself to neot let that happen to this girl, though it looked as if Keilara was more than capable of handling herself. Though it was quite obvious that the girl had next to no self confidence, which was a major problem.

She had often said that confidence was both the key and the bane of Jedi, too much and a Jedi grows full of themselves and dies from underestimating the enemy, yet too little and the Jedi sets barriers on his or her powers. In truth, the only barrier that the Jedi have power wise is the ones that they themselves set. She listened to the girl speak, then apologize for speaking her mind, a wide smile only cracked across her face as she shook her head slightly, dismissing the apology.

“Don't apologize, Keilara, there is no need. It is a good thing to speak your mind, as well of your interests and situation. Its alright that you are not the greatest lightsaber duelist of all time, as for myself... I am not nearly at the level I should be, considering my time with the Jedi. I can train you in the Force considerably more, though. That is the aspect of Jedi training that I have focused on.”

The woman paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to proceed. It was somewhat surprising that Keilara didn't know her strengths, even at this age. Rhissai knew that she was suited towards the abstract areas of the Force from the day that she started to work on them as a youngling all those years ago. To not know one's gifts in the Force after nearly so many years of training... to be honest she was amazed. She would fix it, though, maybe start with testing the girl out in each of the areas... then hopefully she could gauge her strength in each one.

Then it hit her. Perhaps Keilara didn't have a particular “gift,” maybe she was levelled out... equally strong in all the areas. Rhissai thought on it for a brief moment, being a jack-of-all-trades was a good thing. While she may not have been particularly powerful in one area of the Force, she was not weak in a single one either. That was one of the many explanations as to why she didn't know her particular strengths or weaknesses at such a late stage in her padawan-ship, however, and she wouldn't favor a one until she saw the girl in action.

“Alright, I will take you on as my padawan to finish the your trials. I might as well make it official, care to follow me up to the council chambers?[coor=white].”[/color]

Her question was, in fact, rhetorical. If Keilara did want Rhissai as a master than she would follow her up to the high council chambers. That was where Rhiss would formally take Kei as her padawan.

[Keilara]

A bright smile flashed across Kei's face as Master Rhiss agreed to take her on as a padawan. As the woman turned and left the room, the padawan quickly followed after her.

Though she was wary of having a woman as a master again, the desire to be with someone who was a woman was overwhelming. There were just some needs and discussions that only two girls can meet and have. Guys just didn't... understand. And as much as she tried to ignore it, Kei was desperate for a mother figure. Master Oona had filled that need and then died. Kei had been unprepared and while she accepted the loss, it didn't make it any easier to function without the only mother she'd ever known.

If the council allowed her to become Rhissai's padawan, Kei swore to herself, she would follow the woman anywhere.

[Dire Wolf]

((Short post *shrug* doesn't need to be terribly long. No sense in putting in a filler.))

Rhissai walked up to the Jedi high council chambers with a certain bounce to her step. It had been the better part of a decade since she had a padawan, and the Dace was such a shining example of a Jedi Knight... she only hoped that she could serve Keilara half as well. Despite the fact that Rhiss would only be guiding Kei through her trials.

Once up in the chamber the taller woman put her hands on Keilara's shoulders while she looked about the room, scanning each of her peers. It never ceased to amaze her at how she was chosen to sit among the most powerful beings in the universe... the Force was nearly a tangible object in the room from their mere presence.

“Noble members of the High Council, I wish to take Keilara Starwind as my padawan so that I can guide her through the trials. I would like to ask if the council has any words against my choice,” she paused only to snake a tendril of thought out to each of the Council Members. There was no need for Keilara to have an inkling at her past, “considering my past I believe this to be necessary.”

She inhaled slowly, waiting for the Council's decision.

[Jace]

Contemplation, Acceptance, rejection, reflection, they were the outcomes to most of his daily matters. Though tedious in nature, it was quite necessary for the Order to function. In fact, it was the reason the High Council existed. Through Jace's studies earlier in his life, he had learned that the council had started as nothing but a gathering of Masters. This 'inner circle' had no set place unlike they did now, instead they met on various planets throughout the galaxy. The years had created a more structured council, one which Jace had been elected.

No matter how seemingly trivial the matter at hand, Jace put forth all his efforts towards it. The Jedi Master had always had a strong worth ethic since the days of his childhood. His old master had always warned Jace about the dangers of becoming complacent. Thus the Jedi strove daily so that he could accomplish what was required by him. Jace's appointment to the council only spurned him onwards. He had been granted an honor to be seated alongside some of the strongest and wisest Jedi of the Order.

With all of us may the Force be, and may the peace of this temple be ours, a place open to thought and speech, a realm of mutual respect, and a haven of shared noble purpose. Let us take these seats together, with no one above the others. May we work together, free from the restraints of ego and jealousy, at this gathering and all others to come

Though the mantra of the council rang in his head, he could not bring himself to agree with it fully, at least at first. The relatively young Jedi had been granted a seat among these leaders of the Order, how could he possibly be their equal in wisdom or strength?Instead, Jace did what he always did, he pushed himself harder so he could meet the expectations of the Order. He buried himself in the Archives as he had once done as a child, he consulted other Masters, he trained harder than he ever had before.

Thinking that no greater honor could be bestowed upon him, he had been wrong. Grandmaster Eris had suddenly fallen into a coma, one from which she may never wake. It was a trying time for both the Order and Jace personally. This was a woman who was wise beyond measure and then suddenly struck down. She hadn't been killed by some powerful Sith but by some unknown illness from which she may never open her eyes. The Jedi master wasn't sure which was worse. It had happened so close to the events on Korriban, from which his friend Vreem Took, had discovered something Jace had feared for some time. Jace had almost felt that the events were connected somehow, the Force worked in mysterious ways. He knew that the Order needed a new leader, he had never expected it to be himself.

The same line of thought had constantly been running though the new Grandmaster's mind. Each time he would dispel them, reminding himself that he could not afford to doubt himself, not as the leader of the Order. This time as he returned to the present, he sensed a familiar presence, a welcome one. She was one of the few people that Jace called a friend. High Council member Rhissai'arckan seemed to be quite happy, more so than usual. Undoubtedly because of the young girl that accompanied the Jedi Master. It didn't take a good friend to realize the purpose of the two that stood before them.

His assumption was soon verified as Rhissai spoke her part, requesting to take the girl as her padawan. A second more subtle request came through his thoughts, and no doubt the others of the council. There was much about the woman's past that he did not know, yet he knew enough to understand her reasons. Moments of silence passed as the council meditated on this decision. Jace soon looked up and around at his fellow members of the council. They each met his gaze which was more than enough for him to gather their opinions. There was no disagreement on the current matter at hand.

"Very well Master Arckan, the council hereby recognizes Keilara Starwind as your padawan. We wish you luck in your training, May the Force be with you both"

[Dire Wolf]

((again, short and erm... can't really say the other "sh" word I had in mind >_>, but its all I can muster atm. Really, I apologize for this post. Its terrible >_<))

Rhissai looked among her peers after the words rang from her mouth, it seemed that they were at least thinking about allowing her to have another padawan. Which was good, to be honest she saw something of herself within Keilara. Something told Rhiss that Kei wouldn't have to wait long to go through her trials. Not long at all. Then Jace spoke, granting her request to take Keilara as her padawan. Her heart soared and a great big smile cracked across her lips as she nodded slowly.

"Thank you, Grandmaster Beleren, masters of the Jedi council. I will teach her to the best of my ability."

She turned her attention towards her padawan, sending a few warm emotions her way, and gently guided her out of the room.