Private Bazaar of the Four Winds

[Zaiya Ceti]

It took Zaiya a moment to gather herself, grappling not only with the situation at hand but also with the unfamiliar flood of emotive communication. It had been ages since she'd connected with someone -- or something -- in such a profound way, stirring a melancholy she hadn't felt in ages, unaware that it had been due to the Force that such a resonance existed. The bittersweet melancholy at feeling that again temporarily rippled the vibrant rosy glow dulled to silver and gray, though the Kyber crystal continued to emanate joy in Aris's presence.

"Oh... sorry... just..." Her voice caught as she struggled to articulate her feelings. Meeting Aris's gaze, she sensed his discomfort despite his stoic demeanor. Swiftly, she gently placed the crystals on the table, and as their connection severed, the vibrancy of her hues dimmed, leaving her feeling drained. Above all, she didn't want Aris to feel uncomfortable or think badly of her after how nice and helpful he had been.

"As a Lovalla... we communicate through familial bonds, expressing emotions through the shifting colors of our skin and projected hormones. When we bond with someone, our colors and emotions synchronize." Her confusion mirrored her bewilderment. "But when I held your crystals, especially this one," she gestured to the Kyber crystal, "I could feel its resonance... but it wasn't for me."

Her iridescent cobalt eyes studied Aris with a mix of curiosity and wonder.

"It's for you. Your crystal's emotions -- joy, support, with a hint of sadness. I don't know why, sorry... this is new territory for me. Lovalla do not typically have a resonance with anyone or anything outside of our bonded kind. It doesn't make sense." Bewilderment danced over her skin in canary yellow and amber hues, once again emitting her own emotions instead of the crystal.

 

[Aris Noble]

She was communicating with his Kyber?

Aris reached up to rub his chin in thought. He'd stopped focusing on the actual conversation they were having, now that there was a puzzle before him. By all accounts, someone without the Force shouldn't be able to communicate so clearly with Kyber. It wasn't a hard puzzle to figure out that she was able to use the Force, or at least that was a larger part of her species.

From what he knew about Iris, a former Padawan of his mothers, she was skilled at directly bonding people through the Force for various reasons. Even Vera had figured out how to do so to help him find the crystal that had become his Entropite. So was it just part of her species? Or was it more just her? That was the puzzle then that he wanted to figure out.

"The Force bonds all. I've heard of an ability that can form those kinds of connections with anyone, Force sensitive or not. Perhaps your species isn't as limited as you were lead to believe?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

"So the resonance I felt has to do with the Force?" Wonder, confusion, and awestruck bewilderment painted Zaiya's expression, her skin shifting through hues of amber, smoke, citrine, and teal.

But why with a crystal? Why not with... like.. a tree? she mused, attempting to unravel the mystery. Aris suggested that since the Force binds everything and everyone, Lovalla may not be restricted to feeling emotional bonds solely with mates or kin. Then again, it made sense; Lovalla were extraordinarily rare, a species doomed to extinction due to their low birth rates and the rarity of being able to find another of their kind with whom they could bond. Was this another way to do so?

If so, that was life-changing for the orphan Lovalla, who had been unattached from social bonds since her parent's death on Commonor. Without their passing, Zaiya could not shine as brightly or feel the emotive connections that her kind so desperately needed.

"Wait... does that mean I can bond with others who are not Lovalla?" The mere thought ignited a radiant burst of hope within her, intensifying the luminosity and vibrance of her hues. Her skin took on a pearlescent rosy gold hue, and her markings were illuminated with bright blues and glowing aqua highlights.

This time, it was Zaiya's turn to transmit sheer joy through the Force. The vibrant hues of her skin danced in emotive delight, and a kaleidoscope of aqua bioluminescence radiated from her.

Immediately, the young teenager leaned forward on the table, her wide blue eyes latching onto Aris's green with excitement.

"How do I learn more about this Force?" If she could learn more about it, she might know how to experience what she felt with Aris's Kyber again.

 

[Aris Noble]

"That'd be my guess? I'm not sure how exactly that all works, bond through the Force I mean, but I know that Iris can bond with people to a degree where they can end up the same person."

Or something like that. He didn't pay too much attention simply because he didn't use the ability himself. For what it was for him though, he didn't understand why she was so excited about it. She was glowing again, which meant that there was a lot of joy being felt. Excitement. Did bonding matter that much to her? Her species already seemed very open about their feelings just by how their skin color changed, so why did they need to further share those emotions through something like a bond?

It didn't make a lot of sense to Aris, but he wasn't going to pretend that it should. Or ask her, since he really didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

"I would say go to Coruscant and become a Jedi, but I am biased about the Order. There are others who can teach you about the Force, but I don't know who else is exactly trustworthy. Would your professor know?"

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

When Aris mentioned someone named Iris who could bond with someone so someone so deeply that they felt like one entity was both bewildering and a little scary to Zaiya. That was a consideration her kind typically had. While Lovalla didn't form bonds as intense as that, their connection still granted them a symbiotic awareness of each other, far more intimate than merely understanding emotions through color cues.

Lovalla younglings lived with their parents until they found a mate, learning to establish the social bonds and connections her kind craved. Then once mated, a Lovalla's color shifts would synchronize, and an empathic bond would form, allowing them to sense each other's emotional states even over short distances. However, this bond came with risks. Prolonged separation could dull their colors and even lead to depression or death for long-bonded pairs.

For Zaiya, who lacked a living family, the prospect of reestablishing such a connection again was tantalizing. Just the thought of feeling connected to someone was enough to stir excitement within her.

When Aris mentioned Coruscant and the Jedi Order, Zaiya hesitated, uncertain if Dr. Izar could provide any insights. "I don't know if Dr. Izar would know... I can ask her." Maybe he knew of other professors or had connections for other options, but if she already knew Aris...

"Is there a difference between the Order and others?" she asked, her skin rippling with amber and citrine hues as she contemplated the question with curiosity.

 

[Aris Noble]

"There are some differences. Beliefs mostly, on what the Force is and what it means to be able to use it. The Jedi I'm part of believe that it's our duty to help people because we do have this gift that many don't. Some others have different takes on that. Some stay insular. Others are more.. Dark, and treat the Force like a tool to harm people." The Sith stood out there, but he knew there were other beliefs similar enough to be a problem. Which he was trying not to be super judgemental on with his answers. Facts were the best in this case, as he was well aware of his personal bias towards the Jedi.

"I would certainly speak with whoever is your caregiver before choosing anything like the Jedi, though. It's not a school you graduate from, it's a life."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

"Oh no, I wouldn't want to learn from anyone that thought that it was okay to harm people." Zaiya firmly shook her head from side to side, her multicolored hair swaying along her shoulders and arms. Lovalla, while not pacifists, very rarely turned to violence unless a family member was threatened. At the thought of there being other organization that wanted to harm people, Zaiya immediately shook her head no, decisiveness registering over her skin as a dark orange ripple over her mottled stripes and a brief flash of a blue glow.

Hearing that the Order was an organization that strived to help people sounded much like a humanitarian group, at least until Aris mentioned that it wasn't like a school or university but something one does for life.

"For life? Like a vocation?" Zaiya inquired, confused again, as gray and silver glints rushed over her skin in bewilderment. Was it like a tenured professor position only for humanitarian services?

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris ended up smiling a little. He didn't think anyone like Zaiya would want to hurt other people, but to hear her be so adamant about it did make him somewhat happy to be right. And there was yet another color for Aris to remember for an emotional chart of some kind. Maybe it was too much of cheating, but he wasn't the best at understanding people normally.

"Yes, and more. It's a religion, a job, a life. Being a Jedi is a big choice to make."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

By now, Zaiya propped her elbow onto the table and held her chin with the palm of her hand. Oh, she was still very much interested Aris's light saber, the crystals, and how it worked, but her attention was now fixated solely on this Force and how it can get her connected with others again. For a Lovalla, those ties meant everything.

"That... sounds like a lot." Zaiya's expression twisted in contemplation, amber rustling over her markings as she followed up with, "So wait, you mentioned your master is a Jedi. Does that mean you are one, too?"

Had he made that decision to do all of that himself as well?

 

[Aris Noble]

"I am, yes."

He'd only said Padawan before, so he wasn't too surprised that she didn't put that together with the Jedi, given how much she didn't seem to know about them as it was. Aris went back to further dismantling his lightsaber on the workbench, this time to clean it rather than show her the inner workings. "I wasn't sure it was something I wanted to do until a couple years ago, but now I can't think of anything else I'd rather be."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Oh, so he was one?! Intrigue went flickering over her markings as she watched Aris work on his saber, this time it appeared to be due to maintenance of some sort. Torn between asking him what the maintenance consisted of and why he made that choice, Zaiya vacillated with a flurry of bright orange and rich amber hues before asking, “So why did you make the decision to join the Jedi?”

Her fingers itched to reach out and inspect more parts but she held herself back as it appeared Ari’s had a specific process he was following. A strum of her fingers on the table and she continued to observe him work.

 

[Aris Noble]

"My parents are both Jedi. I've been watching them for a while now, trying to decide if I wanted to follow them or not. And then I did. Not because I wanted to be like them though, but because I want to help people, and I believe being a Jedi is the best way for me to." For him, it was that simple. There was a lot of knowledge to be had within the Jedi halls, from historical to science to even the various forms of a Lightsaber. He could do a lot with them, but he could do most of that anywhere else too.

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

"Your parents are Jedi, too?" intrigue colored the markings over her cheeks in an amber hue. If Aris's parents were Jedi, then it made sense to Zaiya that he would follow suit; Lovalla families tended to maintain the same vocation from parent to child, mainly because of the vast amount of time their tight-knit family groups spent, so it was natural for them to have similar interests.

"So your entire family is part of the Order and a Jedi?" She continued to watch him work on his lightsaber, curious on the different parts and what they served to make it work.

"What made you decide that being a Jedi is the best way to help people?" and what would that look like for Aris Noble ?

 

[Aris Noble]

"Most of my immediate are, yes." If they avoided his father's side of the family entirely. He wasn't going to go into that though, instead just confirming that at least those old enough thus far were Jedi among his siblings. Better to focus on her other question. "I've watched my parents be Jedi for a long time because they had asked, and I said I wanted to make sure I knew. And watching them, seeing what they do and how they help people, it only made sense to me. I'm strong, much more than someone should be. And I want to use everything I am to help people."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Hearing Aris Noble relay how his parents let him come to his decision by observing and not forcing the issue onto him made Zaiya beam, her smile brightening as she observed him. Her fingers lightly rapped her cheek, chin still held aloft by the palm of her hand, leaning in close as she braced herself on the modification table.

“I like that. That they let you observe and come to your own decision,” she relayed, tucking a wayward strand of ombré colored white, cobalt, and magenta streaked hair behind the shell of her ear, joy flickering over her markings in a lovely shade of teal. Especially since they all seemed to want to help others. For someone who was missing community and the minding of others when it didn’t fall under academia that was nice to hear.

“What do you mean that you’re stronger than someone should be?” Did he mean emotionally or physically? Zaiya wasn’t sure. But she hoped that it wasn’t an intrusive question.

 

[Aris Noble]

"The most literal I can, I suppose. Even among my peers I'm far stronger than I should be. It is very useful, but also very dangerous if I'm not careful." Aris paused his tinkering for a moment with a faint frown. He could shatter boulders with a single punch, but he did not want to shatter people like that. He let out a breath before going about putting the lightsaber back together, piece by piece in the same methodical way he'd taken it apart.

"They have been very helpful in teaching me. The Jedi and my parents."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

Zaiya didn’t need color hues or emotive bonds to understand that Aris didn’t want to unintentionally harm anyone with his strength. He was very mindful of it, and it appeared that what they were teaching him as a Jedi was helping.

He seemed serious and quietly reserved, but there was definitely a lot of thoughts, concerns, and emotions that Aris carried. He just wasn’t like Zaiya, who shone every thing she felt for all to see, heart on her sleeve.

“Great strength is a wonderful thing to have. You can help many with it. I can’t do the same, I’m far more physically weak and robust than others, comes with being a Lovalla,” it didn’t seem to bother Zaiya though. With her cheerful disposition she was just happy to help however she could.

“I’m glad you are able to learn ways to learn to be careful with it. That you are conscious of it and don’t want to harm anyone is the biggest hurdle.” Zaiya genuinely meant it, smiling softly at him as she looked into his green eyes, the teal over her markings melding into a vibrant and calming turquoise of contentment.

“So what else have they taught you so far? Can anyone learn?”

 

[Aris Noble]

"A lot of physical things. Like how I could increase my body heat. How to harden my body. I can't do a lot with the Force, but what I can they really help me learn."

He smiled faintly as he started to put back the last couple of pieces of his saber before refitting the wooden grip that made up the handle. "I imagine anyone can learn. And there's a lot more people who can actually feel the Force can learn in turn. Things I don't even know how to describe, if I'm being honest. It's.. Whatever rules the world seems to have, the Force has it's own that can break and contradict them."

Zaiya Ceti

 

[Zaiya Ceti]

“Oh that sounds fun and interesting,” Zaiya beamed, observing Aris reset his wooden handle back on. What type of wood was that? Oh, now she wished she had been paying better attention. Although if she was being honest, Zaiya was enjoying just having a conversation with the other teenager. She didn’t know anyone her age at the university; they were all staff or older students. Being able to make a friend was just as exciting as Aris’s saber.

“Seems that it all focuses on your body,” Zaiya mused, then asked with innocent query, “Is there a reason why you can’t do much with the Force? Does everyone only have specific things they can do? If so, how does one know what they may be able to do with it?”

All the questions were incoming now.

 

[Aris Noble]

"I can be strong and fast. Even heat my body. But that's it. I can't feel the Force really, and I can't influence it outside my body. It's like I'm.. Blocked, I suppose."

That was the best he had for exploring it. There was no denying he had a comnection to the Force, but it was as if the natural flow that should've been there had a heavy filter keeping him from properly feeling it. Not that he was bothered. He had his own skills to focus on.

"You'll only really know by trying, though."

Zaiya Ceti