| Karth·DeQora | Date: Thursday, 09 May 13, 0:16 AM | Message # 1 |
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| A marble sat upon a small stone pedestal, elevated above the flowing vegitation that lined the walkways of the temple gardens. The boy sat cross-legged in front of the display, a gangly thing no older than fourteen. His eyes were shut tight, slightly-crooked teeth biting down on his lower lip as he struggled to focus. The marble shuddered and spun, the space about it churning mightily as the small bauble shot high into the air before the boy's blue eyes shot open. It clattered to the steel floor with an unceremonious crack, rolling over to the young apprentice and stopping at his boot, taunting him.
"Wrong again," another voice picked up from behind the student. There was a distinctly alien quality to it, a bit droning and masked by a vocal modulator. An imposing, tall Kel Dor stepped out from behind, arms folded within the dark cloak of his robe. While a human such as his Padawan could not accurately gauge the composure of an alien such as he, the disappointment in his voice was palpable.
"It shouldn't be this hard!" Karth protested, clapping his hands on his knees in outward frustration before burying his head in his palms. The thick Coruscanti accent pierced through the serene night air around them like a laser through plasteel. His Master made yet another, deeper noise of admonishment, circling around the young human and waving his hand. The marble that had caused the boy fits soon returned to the pedestal.
Karth stared, rather dumbfounded, as the simple lesson was reset. And when his master spoke, it was as though he was speaking through his very soul, every word instilling deep within him a well of begrudging respect and bitterness. "How did you do that?!" He exclaimed, mouth agape as his gaze shot over to his teacher.
"You're trying to move the marble itself," was the only response. Thel Vaan, the Jedi Master that taught the most by teaching so little.
"That's the point of the exercise, I thought."
"The point of this is not to move the marble, but to show you how to manipulate the space around an object."
Karth blinked, trying to process that information. "But you told me to-" he awkwardly clears his throat, trying his hardest to keep his voice from cracking as he starts to imitate the Kel Dor. "Move the marble, Karth, that's my only requirement for today. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it." When he'd finished, he coughed as his throat struggled to re-acclimate.
The older Jedi couldn't help but chuckle. Disappointed as he was in his Padawan's rather remarkable lack of progress so far, the boy was certainly entertaining to teach. "And you will, eventually. I hope."
A deadpan response. "Oh, that's encouraging."
"Try again, and this time find the space the marble fills. Try and move the field around the matter, and not the matter itself. Telekinesis is something relatively easy to master, and thus far a shiny rock has bested you."
De'Qora snorted, flashing the alien an expression of mock contempt before training his eyes back on the infuriating 'shiny rock'. His posture straightened, his eyes closed and he quietly takes in a soothing breath, the air around the marble vibrating and causing the tiny sphere to float a few inches above the stone.
Slowly—painfully and deliberately slowly—the boy opened an eye. The look of pure, unbridled success that washed over his features for that briefest of moments soon abated as the marble clattered back to the stone. Karth's expression could only be described as that of someone having just witnessed a horrific speeder crash. His fist clenched in his loose-fitting tunic sleeves, head hanging as he could only sigh. To his credit, Master Vaan remained silent, clawed digit tapping idly at one of his mandibles.
"Better." He finally admitted, patting the boy on the head in what was most likely the most affectionate gesture he could muster. But Karth remained downtrodden, drawing up his knees so his forehead could rest against them, arms folded over. His words were muffled, but discernible.
"Only managed it for a few seconds.."
"A small victory is a victory nonetheless, son."
"Tell that to Dani. Saw her move a few chairs last week. Chairs, as in, more than one. I can't even lift a stupid marble."
He'd never heard a native of Dorin laugh before, but Karth quickly surmised that he never wanted to again. Sounded almost like a fish cackling into a rebreather, rather unsettling at the end of the day. Vaan's next words came out rather hesitantly, but his tone was reassuring. "Daneira's farther along than you in telekinesis, it's true. But I saw the look in your eyes when she won the practice bout last week. You were proud."
"Well yeah," the boy admitted, looking up from his knees and searching his master's black eyes for any sort of rebuke. There was none to be found. "Of course I'd be proud of her, she earned it. Doesn't mean I can't be a bit jealous that she's further along, does it?"
"No, I suppose not," the elder conceded, bending knee to place a comforting hand on Karth's shoulder. "But you'll catch her soon, of that I have no doubt. You're meant for great things, son, doesn't take the Force to see it."
The apprentice chewed on that thought, but he didn't appear entirely convinced. "The greatest master to ever not levitate shiny objects?"
There was silence for a moment before Vaan broke out into a quiet, brief chuckle. "The greatest ever," he reiterated, patting his student on the shoulder before he rose back to his feet, brushing the dust off his robes. "Get some rest, long day of not-levitating ahead tomorrow."
As he watched the Kel Dor leave, Karth's eyes settled back on the marble. In one fluid motion he rose to his feet, attention channeling directly at the polished stone. It struggled again to rise, only to fall short one final time. He sighed in resignation, straightening out his tunic and turning on a heel, defeated and licking his pride as he left the gardens.
It was a moment later that the marble slowly rose, hovered for a moment and then settled back again on the pedestal.
Karth De'Qora, Jedi Knight.
"It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end." ~Ernest Hemingway
Message edited by Karth·DeQora - Thursday, 09 May 13, 0:22 AM |
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