A bored Zorren. (Thurion)

[Soran Kron]

Soran walked aimlessly around the grounds outside of the Silver Jedi temple, poking the ground every few steps with a large stick he'd found. The young Zorren looked around the area around him, a little pond to his left, a patch of trees in front of him and to his right, and the temple behind him. He'd only been here for a few days, but the initial excitement of seeing new places and meeting new people had already worn off. Greebit, the only person that he knew, had gone off to find his parents... That's what he said, anyway. Something about the way he said it made it seem like he was hiding something. Soran didn't know anyone else in the temple, and the few people he'd walked up to, wondering what the heck they do all day here, had been busy. He'd gone exploring, but they kept telling him he wasn't allowed to go certain places... So he went outside. And there was nothing to do out here either.

Soran sat in the grass, scowling over his shoulder at teh temple behind him. He wanted to get back to his parents, wherever they were. Not sit in some big building in the middle of no where just becausethey said he was 'special'... He sighed, watching a grasshopper hop along in front of him. Now what?

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

The grasshopper kept bouncing along, until suddenly it landed in an open palm belonging to a tall, bearded man with blonde hair. The palm was raised up towards the little boy for him to watch the grasshopper up-close. "This little fellow isn't the only one wishing to escape this place, is he?" came a voice belonging to the man, powerful yet kind. He'd kneeled down by the boy as he caught the grasshopper, now sat beside him in the soft grass.

"How come you're sitting here by yourself? Where are your friends, your classmates?" he then asked, curious as to why a youngling was not caught up in studying or training like so many others were. He was pretty sure he already knew the reason, but he wished to hear his answer nonetheless.

[member="Soran Kron"]

 

[Soran Kron]

Soran slowly looked from the hand the grasshopper landed in, up towards the man with the long hair. As soon as he spoke, the young boy averted his eyes, glancing back down to the grasshopper that wriggled around in his hand. How did he know...? As [member="Thurion Heavenshield"] asked his second question, Soran looked up again, meeting his eyes for a brief second before staring back at his lap.

"I don't have any classmates...." He frowned. "And... I don't know anybody here.."

He wasn't sure who the man was, but he seemed nice enough. Maybe he was a friend of Greebit's.

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

"Well, we'll have to do something about that, don't you think?" A wide smile appeared on his lips. "I'm Thurion", he then said, holding out his hand in greeting. "Now you're not alone, anymore." He then watched the grasshopper in his hand leap off, landing in the grass in front of them.

"You miss them, don't you? Your parents, your family?" he asked, looking down at the boy sat beside him.

[member="Soran Kron"]

 

[Soran Kron]

Soran glanced up at [member="Thurion Heavenshield"], with a smile appearing on his face. "My name's Soran!" Soransmiled up to the tall man, but quickly averted his eyes to the grasshopper as he spoke again. How did he know? Did he talk to Greebit? The young boy's eyes slowly rose again, and he gave a small nod. Truthfully, he missed them terribly. He'd never been away from them for more then a few hours... And he had no idea when he'd see them again. Soran looked back to his feet.

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

He watched Soran process his question before nodding his answer. The boy seemed too shy to look at him for long periods of time, which was fully understandable; he'd been tossed into a whole new world, one of duty and introspection, among other things. Dealing with one's feelings was paramount to succeeding, for good or bad.

"You're lucky, you know", Thurion then said. "Not just because you were selected to join the Order, but because you have parents who love you." He crossed his legs in the grass. "Use their love to strengthen you, rather than have it weigh you down in times such as this. They wouldn't want for you to succumb to homesickness so soon, would they?"

He gave the boy a pat on the back and a light ruffle of his hair. "I'll be your friend, if you'll let me. I'll teach you whatever I know, and you will never feel alone again. Sound good?"

[member="Soran Kron"]

 

[Soran Kron]

Soran continued to look down at his lap fo a few moments, contemplating what Thurion said. He was right... they wouldn't want him to worry. And he was sure he'd see them again soon... Greebit just had to find them. In fact,t hey were probalbly looking for him right now. That thought cheered Soran up greatly, and when he looked back up to Thurion he did so with a wide smile. The smile stayed put as Thurion spoke again, and Soran nodded. "Sounds good!"

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

Every thought the boy had was noticable on his face, and he ended up with a wide smile at his proposition. It made Thurion smile in return, keeping a hand atop Soran's head as he leaned in to give him tiny peck on his forehead. "I'm glad, then", he said with the same enthusiasm.

With Soran's mood restored, Thurion reached down to pluck a single pebble off the ground and let it sit in his palm. More pebbles joined it, and before the little boy's eyes they started to move, trembling and shivering as if caught by the wind. Slowly they lifted off his palm, circling around eachother as they went higher and higher before lowering themself around Soran. He now acted as the center of gravity, with all the pebbles circling him like planets would a sun.

[member="Soran Kron"]

 

[Soran Kron]

... Soran's jaw literally dropped as the pebbles started flying around [member="Thurion Heavenshield"]. After a moment, with wide eyes, Soran managed to get his voice to work... kind of.

"How- What- You... How?!"

The young Zorren just stared at the rocks as they rotated around Thurion, obviously amazed. He'd only been at teh temple very briefly, and they had not yet explained to him why he was 'special'. He'd never heard of the force, of what it was or what it could do. He was completely baffled as the pebbles, seemingly on their own accord, just decided to start flying around Thurion.

"H- How....?"

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

He chuckled at the pure amazement Soran displayed. So innocent to what the Force could do that it melted his heart. He reminded him of himself at his age. "There are many life philosophies, Soran - too many to count, in fact; some believe in one or several gods, some believe in pure chaos over lawful authorities, and some believe in nature and choose to live secluded lives in great forests or on top of mountains", he said, stating but a few examples. "But those of us who they call Jedi believe in the 'Force'."

The circle of pebbles widened, until they now included Soran as their centre being alongside Thurion. If the boy reached out he would be able to touch them one by one as they floated by in slow motion. "The Force is in all things; plants, rocks, water, fire, the wind... But above all it resides in us. Me, and you", he said, poking Soran with his index finger in a tickling fashion. "It grants us wisdom when we seek it, as well as strength and courage when facing our fears. Most of all, it grants us peace and serenity; if you let it, the Force will comfort you when feeling sad, and keep you company when feeling alone. These are but a few things I will teach you, in time."

[member="Soran Kron"]

 

[Soran Kron]

Soran continued to watch in amazement as the rocks slowly revolved around [member="Thurion Heavenshield"], hanging on to every single word the Jedi Master said. He slowly outstretched a hand as the pebbles began to move around him, poking one with an extended finger and watching it float away slightly as it continued it's orbit. Soran stared in astonishment at Thurion, then back to the pebbles, then back up again. "And you can.... You can make rocks...." The young boy continued to gape at the pebbles. "The force... the force is in the rocks?" He glanced back up towards Thurion, and tilted his head to one side, very much like a dog does when interested in something. "Why can't I see it?"

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

The question he posed was not a silly question - far from it, in fact; who wouldn't want physical proof that what you believe in is real, and not just some trick? Everyone believes more in what they actually see rather than what they hear, or feel or think. "You cannot see the Force, because we are part of it as it is part of us. Just as the rocks, the grass we're sitting on, the trees and the clouds above."

He raised an eyebrow. "You can't see what is inside you, yet you get by just fine not fully knowing what makes you function. It's like machinery; you don't need to know how all the pieces work to accept and appreciate what it does, do you?" The pebbles now stopped rotating around them and gathered infront of Soran, hovering in place for him to pick up should he wish to.

[member="Soran Kron"]

 

[Soran Kron]

Soran frowned, and glanced at the pebbles hovering in front of him, cautiously poking one. "But if it's in the rocks and grass and everything... why aren't they always flying around?"

Soran looked back up to [member="Thurion Heavenshield"]. "And if it's in me... why can't I make the rocks go flying?"

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

Thurion turned to sit opposite of the little boy. "Well, that's because you haven't learned how to, yet. It takes time to even grasp what the Force is or what it can do, much less learn how to use it. No-one in this vast galaxy can ever hope to comprehend the limitless opportunities it can provide you, and I pray no-one ever will; imagine what horrors a person could inflict upon others with that much knowledge and power at his or hers fingertips? Ugh!" His body shivered in a mockful manner at his own words, making sure the boy would not linger on the subject for too long.

"The rocks aren't flying around because it is not their natural state of existence. Have you ever seen floating rocks before now? Judging by those big eyes of yours, I'd think not", he teased, nudging the boy playfully. "The Force allows you to do extraordinary things, with time and practise; we don't want you to toss rocks around at random, do we?" He tore some strands of grass from the ground and dropped them on top of Soran's head with a silly grin on his face.

[member="Soran Kron"]

 

[Soran Kron]

Soran grinned at [member="Thurion Heavenshield"]'s playfulness. He was beginning to like this guy. "Wait... So does that mean I can do that thing with the rocks too?" Soran smiled wide, and brushed the blades of grass away a moment later, laughing. "You're funny." Soran said, matter of factly, still smiling, before returning to his earlier question, his face displaying a mixture of excitement and seriousness. "So... I can do what you did...?" He glanced at the hovering pebbles for a few moments, and scrunched his eyes shut, looking as if he was concentrating as if his life depended on it. Nothing happened. Soran slowly opened one eye, glanced at teh pebbles, and frowned, before looking at Thurion. "It didn't work..... How'd you do it? Do you have to think a magic word or something?"

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

The boy's admiration and fascination was, frankly, adorable. He watched him close his eyes and do everything in his power to make the pebbles move, which looked ridiculous up-close. After he'd given up he posed another question to his teacher, and Thurion couldn't help but laugh.

"No secret word, I'm afraid", he said with a pat of the boy's head. Without warning he then grabbed hold of Soran and lifted him off the ground to place him in his lap. His weight was virtually non-existant to Thurion's great physical strength, so the whole thing would've gone by pretty much unnoticable.

"Do not worry yourself with the moving of rocks, just yet, Padawan. It will come in time, with practise and patience. I was just a year older than you when I learned how to, although I had a... brilliant teacher", he said, thinking back to when he and Kära would meet in secret on Coruscant to teach eachother what they had learned. They were some of his most treasured memories.

[member="Soran Kron"]

 

[Soran Kron]

Soran laughed as he was scooped off the ground, though his eyes kept flickering towards the pebbles. If he could make them move the way [member="Thurion Heavenshield"] could! He'd be like a super-hero! Soran turned back to Thurion as he started talking, tilting his head to the side again in his confused yet curious manner. "What's a Paddy-wan? Is it like the Force? Does it help lift rocks like that?" A hopeful smile appeared on the boy's face. Maybe he coudl figure out how to do it after all!

[member="Thurion Heavenshield"]

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

"It... does, in a way", he answered his question. "Being a 'padawan' means you're training under a senior Jedi, like a knight or a master, which is me." The pebbles then stopped circling and floated to land in Thurion's open palm right before the boy's eyes. "And only though hard training will you be able to do what I can do, and that includes making pebbles fly", he continued, followed by him blowing playfully into Soran's ear.

"But that's for later. For now - you're it!" He got up on his feet and put Soran back down on the ground before running off, making sure the little one could catch him if he wished to.

[member="Soran Kron"]

 

[Soran Kron]

Soran tilted his head to the side as he explained what a padawan is. A knight? Like in stories? [member="Thurion Heavenshield"] was a knight? Soran, with a curious expression, opened his mouth to say something when Thurion suddenly put him down and ran off. Soran laughed, his questions forgotten for the moment, and ran after him, his tail showing itself from under an overly long robe for the first time, wagging back and forth like an excited puppy's; one of the few signs that Soran wasn't human. "Wait up!"

 

[Thurion Heavenshield]

The playful chase took master and apprentice through the many blossoming trees of the temple garden, and the air was filled with the sweet laughter only children could produce. When the youngling would catch up to the elder, the roles would switch and Thurion would then give chase to the little boy. To create equal footing, he would barely trot along to match Soran's speed.

Faking being out of breath Thurion awaited Soran by one of the trees, and when the little one would tag him he instead picked him up to settle him atop his shoulders. "Now do you think this place is just filled with boredom, Soran?" he asked the boy atop his shoulders, tilting his head to look up at his joyful face. "This whole area could be your playground, should you wish it to. And I'll be here for whenever you're feeling bored or alone", he continued as they made their way back to the courtyard and the temple itself.

[member="Soran Kron"]