Private Call to the Clouds for Rain

[Efret Farr]

Fortunate that it was just that.

"Even an annoyance you can learn to tolerate." Then she nodded. "Yes. I'll join you. I'll give you a minute before I bring you into the echo."

After Astri closed her eyes again, Efret did the same. She moved a hand onto the bangles that she still wore. She felt the desert sun and water droplets on her skin once more, and it was almost as if the muddy floodplain trembled under the feet of roaming elephants. The image she had been seeing before being interrupted was a very faint outline of slightly darker black against the back of her eyelids. For now, she kept it at bay, focusing on not her own, but Astri's breathing. Though she did not reach for the Force to hear it, she could almost see swirling patterns of the girl's exhales and inhales also on her own eyelids.

When she thought she had given Astri enough time to adjust to the new feelings she had, Efret shifted her attention to the bangles' memory. As the oasis expanded back to life in her mind, she directed it to envelop Astri too.

And then they were kneeling on a solid, bare patch of soil near the water.

Astri Elyse​

 

[Astri Elyse]

Tag: Efret Farr

Astri let out an inaudible sigh of relief—well, actually, she supposed any sigh of relief was inaudible to the Jedi Master. Point was, though, she was glad that Master Farr was willing to give her another chance to try... and even more glad that her own mess up hadn't come at the cost of a long lecture. Most times she failed were accompanied by something like that.

She closed her eyes, and tried again. It took a little longer, this time, for Astri to feel that cold breeze. Probably because she was looking for it, she assumed. Her brief time with the Order had already taught her that the Force was as elusive as the answers to her questions were. Fitting, then, that Master Farr would be the one to both give her the beginning of those answers, and give Astri her first real experience with the Force.

And then at some point, the cold breeze vanished, replaced by the sound of water, and a gentle mist across her face. Astri opened her eyes—or did she?—blinking, suddenly finding herself seated at the edge of a river.

She turned to Master Farr, still present despite their new surroundings, bewildered.

<I don't understand. Where did the meditation room go?>

 

[Efret Farr]

Efret opened her eyes and looked at Astri. <Room out there,> she replied, pointing up to the sky. <Don't worry. We return whenever you want.>

She stood up then, offering her hand down to help Astri do the same. <This #Upsa:i Oasis.> She pointed again, this time past Astri in the direction where the water flowed from. A dense thicket of riparian palm trees blocked the view upstream. <There my village, but not in this Force echo.>

Suddenly, Efret felt a spurt of warm air against her neck. She indicated up at the elephant she knew was not behind her. <This #Gurrat,> she introduced, fingerspelling his name. <Sign name Gurrat.> She then signed it as she had in the meditation room: 'elephant' with a G handshape.

He rested the tip of his trunk on the top of her head.

Astri Elyse​

 

[Astri Elyse]

Tag: Efret Farr

Astri was still bewildered and lost.

Two minutes ago, she was in a sparsely decorated room. Now, she was standing at some kind of river oasis. Master Farr had explained that she used psychometry as a way to interact with her home and her past, but Astri's mind was still unable to wrap itself around what was actually happening. Logically, she knew she was still in the room—Master Farr even explained as much.

That didn't change the fact that it felt like she was at this river. She could feel the mist on her face, the gentle wind passing over her skin, the heat of the sun above... unimaginable. Then there was the large creature behind Master Farr, resting its trunk on her head. Astri had never seen or read anything about it: large, stocky, with thick grey skin, tusks, floppy ears, and that long trunk that had spouted water earlier.

"This... I... is amazing?"

She sounded dazed, even to herself. Then she remembered that the Jedi Master couldn't actually hear her, and so she turned to her to sign.

<Gurrat.> Astri signed slowly, copying Master Farr's fingers, <what is he?>

 

[Efret Farr]

<Hungry rascal,> she signed with a smile before reaching down to the side to run a hand through the reed grass. She grabbed a handful and yanked, then brought the bushel towards her head.

Gurrat, who had been playfully sniffing Efret's hair, let go to instead take the grass from her.

<Elephant,> she answered her seriously. She crossed over to Astri, where she turned to watch Gurrat as he ate. <Watch him. Like play.>

Upon finishing chewing, Gurrat held his trunk out towards the two Jedi.

<Ahh. He want more food.> She tsked, though she was still smiling sincerely. <Lazy.>

Astri Elyse​

 

[Astri Elyse]

Tag: Efret Farr

<Elephant?>

While the letters were familiar to Astri, the arrangement of them were not. She was less questioning this creature's name, and more confirming that she had signed it right.

She watched as Master Farr ripped up some reed grass, and offered it to the elephant. He wrapped it up in his trunk to deposit in his mouth, and Astri watched with eyes the size of dinner plates. He was so... majestic. Also like a hundred times her size, which was also incredible. She'd never have seen something like this if she'd stayed on Eshan.

She supposed that, technically, she wasn't seeing it now. It was... something something the Force? Astri had no idea how to really explain what she was experiencing.

But... she figured if Master Farr could rip up grass and offer it to the elephant, then she could too, right? Astri gingerly reached out for the reeds, feeling them with the pads of her hand as surely as if she were actually present on this planet. She too ripped them up, before coming to stand right at Master Farr's side and timidly offering the bushel to Gurrat.

He was very imposing close up. But... she technically couldn't be hurt by him if he technically wasn't here, right?

That didn't make her any less nervous, hand trembling slightly as she held out the grass.

 

[Efret Farr]

For a moment, Gurrat didn't do anything.

Then he snorted softly, flattened his ears against the sides of his head, and gently took Astri's offering.

<He like you,> Efret signed, recognizing the animal's body language. He had noticed Astri's nerves and had tried to make himself less intimidating. <That good omen.> The master turned to Astri. <My community associate elephant with cloud. When need rain, celebrate them. Start life for crop and start new chapter for you.> Efret smiled. <I happy you here.>

Astri Elyse​