Back to the Beginnings

[Taeli Raaf]

Taeli was excited to start learning the White Current, well more of a subdued excitement than anything else. Connor had gone back to the Silvers to deal with some emergency or other, she wasn't entirely sure. Still, while he was away, she wasn't going to let that rain on her parade so to speak.

She was currently sitting in the place that she had first met [member="Nohemi Allaneh"] when they first arrived on the moon, the tranquil glade that carried the sound of the forest and rushing water. She figured this was probably as good a spot as any to actually start learning how to find the ebbs and flows of the Force that the Fallanassi called the White Current.

Meditating peacefully, she would wait for her teacher to arrive or make herself visible. One of the two, she wasn't sure which it would be.

 

[Nohemi Allaneh]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

The wind would sway the leaves, rustling them from the ground and lifting them into the air. Off in the distance, the sound of a nearby waterfall would soothe the senses. There was something about being in this tranquil environment that allowed one to dive easier into meditation and focus.

It was exactly the sort of site that Nohemi would begin to teach Taeli her first lessons.

Much like before, one didn’t hear the White Order Adept arrive as much as she simply appeared. It was not meant with ill intention, there was a purpose to it. It was as much as a safety precaution as it was simply her way.

“Good morning, Master Raaf.” her cordial voice would float over towards the brunette. The diminutive, but regal form of the Fallanassi stood at Taeli’s right, her hands lightly clasped in front of her belly, right over left.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Nohemi Allaneh"]

Taeli opened her eyes and smiled as the smaller woman appeared to the visible eye. It really was such an impressive set of skills, the Fallanassi illusions.

"Good morning," she said, returning the greeting. "I hope I picked a good spot for today's lesson. I found it quite peaceful last time, and as I didn't know if there was anywhere else you find suitable or where your village might be, I decided to wait here. Also, my apologies that Master Harrison isn't here. He received an urgent message from the Silver Sanctum and had to depart."

She was still slightly concerned what might be going on, but she couldn't let her mind dwell on it. Connor could take care of himself, well most of the time anyways. He did have that unfortunate habit of biting off more than he could chew.

"So, might I ask what you have planned for us today?" she asked.

 

[Nohemi Allaneh]

“That is quite alright,” Nohemi would reply in turn to the notice about Master Harrison. There appeared to be a deep bond between the two, a sense in the current perhaps? However, that was none of the Fallanassi’s concern. Instead, Nohemi would take note of the brunette in front of her.

Slowly blinking, she appeared to take into consideration the Jedi Master’s query.

“To learn of the White Current, one must first learn to discern it. Feel it.” She told her plainly. “Our methods allow us to manipulate the current based on our necessity - however, it has its limits. Once the adept makes contact, it has the potential of dropping that illusion.”

Nohemi took a deep breath.

“For example, you managed to find us here -- but it wasn’t through the current. Training, will allow you to sense when the White Current has been used.”

“We will train you to first interact with the White Current in order to recognize when it is being used first. “

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Nohemi Allaneh"]

"That certainly sounds like a good first step," Taeli replied with a smile. She was trying very hard not to let her excitement build up to such a level she would start bouncing in glee. That would just look weird for a near 30 year old woman to do in front of their new teacher. "I do have one question though. Does the White Current stop usage of other Force abilities that are more mainstream or can one use it in conjunction?"

It was more of a curiosity for her than anything else, but she felt it should be asked before they really got into the meat and potatoes of the lesson. That way, it was out of the way and they could focus solely on Taeli learning how to discern the White Current around her.

 

[Nohemi Allaneh]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

"The White Current in and of itself can be a drain on the facilities." she would explain to the Jedi Master. "It takes an immense amount of concentration, even for a Fallanassi, " most large-scale White Current techniques were more ritualized, and could take longer, and require more focus.

"The greater the task, the higher the need for focus." she would continue to elaborate. "There are some tasks that would require more than one Elder, and also require their presence to maintain it."

She gave a small pause, letting that linger. Then she continued.

"It may be used for illusions and mentalism, but may not be used for physical enhancement, telekinesis, energy manipulation and so forth."

It was so curious, how gracefully still the young brunette would stand there, simply discussing while they were surrounded by the spender of nature.

"To perceive the White Current is to be aware of the deepest currents of the Force, the kind that involve patterns of reality and planets and ecosystems and galaxies."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Nohemi Allaneh"]

"I thank you for the explanation," Taeli said, bowing her head in respect to the smaller woman. Taeli was aware that she would probably only use this for smaller illusions, per her promise that she wouldn't reveal what she learned to others. Still, having the ability to cast illusions and hide yourself in a way no one had yet to figure out how to detect was just so interesting.

Hearing Nohemi explain what the White Current was made Taeli think of the deeper currents that could be found in oceans across the galaxy, the currents that dictated where the waters flowed and ebbed. It was almost as if the Adepts thought their White Current was the sort of thing that guided the Force, deep down where most could not see it.

"What must I do first to begin learning how to commune with these undercurrents?" she asked.

 

[Nohemi Allaneh]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

Now they would commence the first lesson.

"The first step is to be able to detect the White Current." Nohemi said simply. It would sound far simple than it would be, but the Jedi Master had already some experience. At least, in being able to detect subtle nuances.

"The Fallanassi focus solely on the mind, spirit and body, and how these three entities formed a single individual." she would explain, her voice a calm soothing tone amidst the distant sounds of waterfalls. "These studies and explorations gave way to the discovery that these three aspects flowed and formed eddies and whorls within the Force. The practice and manipulation of these eddies and whorls is the White current."

A gesture would beckon the Jedi Master to please shut her eyes.

"Much like with Jedi Meditation, a Force Adept in the White Current first starts by discerning these altering flows. It is much like the current of a river, a more precise focus. Once you are able to notice and sense the subtlties of those eddies... we can expand your sphere of awareness and, eventually, teach you how to alter it."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Nohemi Allaneh"]

Taeli nodded, listening to Nohemi's words as she described the Fallanassi beliefs and the White Current. Closing her eyes, Taeli let the Force wash over her. She knew she could not force the issue. To locate the subtle eddies and currents, one had to let the Force move around them, to let it flow naturally.

She let the sounds of nature fill her senses, the crashing of the falls... the sounds of the birds and animals around the glade. As she became acclimated to their presence, even those sounds faded away... the Force was all there was. Slowly, she could feel the gentle push and pull of the Living Force flowing around her, perceiving the shifts around her form and that of Nohemi.

She had always been a natural in tuning things out to the focus at hand. From the libraries on Lorrd to studying ancient scrolls and tomes for the hidden gems of both the Sith and the Jedi... she let her mind still completely, her breathing slowed.

 

[Nohemi Allaneh]

[member="Taeli Raaf"]

Nohemi quietly observed the Jedi Master seep herself into that meditation. It would take time for her to truly be able to distinguish the current, but until then, it would be a process. Patience was a virtue that the Fallanassi had come to learn early. Slowly, Nohemi's shoulders rose. She took in a deep breath, letting the cool air fill her lungs. Within that breath she could smell the crispness of juniper, the moisture in the air. Even the moss that lay scattered at their sides. The powerful illusions that the Order of the White Current manipulated carefully detailed such minor inclusions. It was a way to coax the mind, inorganic and organic alike that the picture they weaved within the current was there.

"Good." Nohemi would encourage gently. "Now dive deeper." she was able to notice the first push and pulls of the Force, but she would have to be able to mentally distinguish the differences. If she could do that, then perhaps she would notice the shift of the currents around her actively moving. Swirling within this little nook that they stood. Perhaps, a sign of an active illusion?