Private Blind Leading the Blind

[Judah Lesan]

.

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Cinjay Saito

Judah was tired. He was dirty from a long day and the better part of the previous night spent sifting through the rubble of the bomb site. The New Way had enacted their brand of terrorism on the planet far from where many thought it would be. In some ways it had left the Jedi exposed. There was a degree of hubris which the Jedi still clung to, a difficult thought considering Valery Noble was a good friend of Judah’s. It had reached the point where the Jedi knew if he was asked to take a seat on the council, he would, if only to help steer them away from whatever deficiencies had allowed this breach.

His face was covered in soot. He could see it in the reflection which stared back at him. Tired eyes bore into his soul, almost as if he was trying to tell him something. Judah looked at himself for a time before reaching into the water with a splash. Cold water cupped in his hand as the man tossed the refreshing liquid onto his face. It would not clean every bit of dark ash from his skin, but it would be a start, a reminder that very little in life was permanent.

The footfalls of those around him alerted him to the fact he had returned as most of the classes for the day were being dismissed. Hunger pains reminded him that he had not had a meal since sharing one with Valery the day before. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he began to make his way through the rest of the courtyard toward the cafeteria where he hoped to find something hot and edible to sate his appetite.

Judah mumbled something under his breath as he reached the long line. Time moved slowly as he waited for his turn to gather up whatever it was they were serving that day. Part of him wondered if he had made a mistake in returning to the temple. Life on Corellia, Naboo, even his ship, had seemed to suit him better. Judah was a free spirit, and nothing about temple life spoke to the man he was.

He grabbed a meal to go, and cup of caf to help him stay awake a little longer. There were reports to fill out yet, and they could not wait. While Valery had not wanted to discuss his findings over their breakfast, Judah still had to inform her of what he knew.

Nothing.

His eyes glanced over one of the padawans as he passed by. She was young, a face he did not recognize. He wanted to continue, but something stopped him. The force pulled at him as he stopped. Her face flashed in his mind once more.

Blind? Perhaps she could see what he could not.

Judah turned to follow, calling out as he did.

“Excuse me… how well can you use the force to see?”

Judah was anything but shy, and as usual could have used a little more tact.

 

[Cinjay Saito]

Temple Cafeteria, Coruscant
Tags: Judah Lesan
Appearance: x

Monastic life was an adjustment to be sure. One that grew exponentially more frustrating by the minute.

She was under no illusion that going from trained-mercenary to shining-Jedi within the span of a month would be easy. And for that very reason she'd held out on the whole "social" aspect of the Jedi for as long as possible. In the very likely case she found herself needing to slip back into obscurity. However upended her original impression of the Jedi had become, skepticism was still alive and well. Flourishing even.

Rolling her shoulder after getting her ass sufficiently handed to her in her most recent bout, the kid pushed through the cafeteria, intentions set on stomaching whatever hot meal was being dished out. Afterall, she didn't often get the chance down in the slums of Coruscant. But before that dream could be fully realized, someone stopped her in her tracks. Or ambushed more like.

"Excuse me… how well can you use the force to see?"

She blinked up at the man, an eyebrow quirked in reaction to how unceremoniously the question had been hoisted upon her. She'd indulged such inquiries before, after all they were rather inevitable. Not being one to take any precaution to hide her scarring, it was more often than not a beacon for unwanted attention. But this time the question wasn't posed by some gawking youngling with minimal social awareness and a macabre curiosity to satiate. His voice was probably a good twenty octaves too deep for that to be the case.

She almost thought to ask him to repeat himself, to provide some buffer for her to tailor a response. But there was no real point in respecting social formalities. He'd been perfectly deliberate, and clearly had something weighing on his mind, so why waste precious time?

"Poorly." She shrugged with a faint huff of amusement, "I don't think you could exactly rationalize what I do as 'seeing'." The Force certainly aided her handicap but it by no means served as a substitute for actual experience. "I mean the Force just- shapes things for me, it always has. Maybe with pretty abysmal precision, but it's not nothing."

Regarding the man before her, she couldn't wrestle down her curiosity. He was a new face in the mix, likely some Master she hadn't yet run into. "I might have above-average depth perception, but I can assure you that's not enough context to work off of if you want me to take a guess as to who I'm talking to." With something of a light-hearted jab at him forgoing an introduction, the girl crossed her arms expectantly.

"Unless you'd care to introduce yourself?"

​

 

[Judah Lesan]

.

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Cinjay Saito

Her response had caught Judah off guard. She did not seem shy at all in regards to insinuating he had been too preoccupied to give her his name. It caused him to smirk, though it was clear she was not going to see it.

"My apologies," he stated. "Master Judah Lesan, though we can dispense with any formalities. I'm not too keen about them."

Judah only seemed to care about such titles when he was required to, or it happened to come in handy. In this instance he was not sure either were the case, so for time being he was simply Judah.

"I asked because the bombing which happened recently here on Coruscant. It's my case, and I am stuck. We are missing something in the rubble, a key piece of evidence that none of us are finding with the methods we have available to us. It's kept me a little frazzled, and when I noticed the scarring it dawned on me that you may be able to 'see' what we cannot."

It was worth a shot. Natural sight, or even force aided methods, could only see so much. Even though Force Sight was something any of them could use, those who relied upon it for their vision seemed to use it in a more nuanced way, beyond what many force masters were capable of. Perhaps she would be willing to try regardless of her lack of confidence in her own ability.

He folded his hands and held down in front of him. He was pondering the question he wanted to ask, or see if she would simply volunteer. Beyond that, she was new to the temple, at least to Judah. He needed to be careful to see if the force might be at work in a way beyond what his current tunnel vision permitted him to see.

"If you wanted to take a look at the bomb site it would get you out of the temple for a little bit…"

 

[Cinjay Saito]

Location: Jedi Temple
Tags: Judah Lesan
Appearance: x

​

His disregard for etiquette, while not unprecedented, surprised her. Most of the Jedi she'd met up until now clinged to titles out of some blend of ego and tradition.

"Then I guess we have something in common." The girl acknowledged, her initial impression softening before she went to offer her own name. "I'm Cinjay Saitio. Padawan Cinjay Saitio- but I assume that probably goes without saying."

He then dropped his proposal, which prompted an equal measure of surprise and interest from the girl. Of course, by proximity alone the bombing was committed to memory. But she hadn't engaged much with the aftermath or her shell-shocked peers. So there happened to be a blossoming terrorist organization underway? Big shocker. From her vantage point, every move the Jedi made seemed to piss off someone new.

Her brow furrowed in a brief look of consideration, "This thing you're looking for, you want me to fish it out?" Despite her inclination to remain aloof, something unidentifiable compelled her to do otherwise. It wasn't out of respect for authority, she did in fact have the gull to refuse. And in most cases she would- But, for whatever reason she couldn't turn him away.

At his attempt to lure her, a faint look of amusement shadowed her face,"Yeah I'll take the bait." With a shrug for added measure she readjusted,"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least curious."

Whatever confidence she placed in her own ability hardly mattered. He was out of options.

"Are there any working theories as of now? Like if it's some sort of residual catalyst from the explosion?" Ever so curious, she wasted no time trying to narrow the scope of operation, poking at the threads deliberately. It was clear what he wanted from her. And perhaps if she was in his position she'd wager the same bet. Either way she intended to make herself useful. "Lead the way."

​

​

 

[Judah Lesan]

.

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Cinjay Saito

Judah nodded. Of course he wanted her to fish it out considering he had just asked that.

"You're going to see what others cannot. There may be nothing there. I just have a feeling there is more."

Whether trusting a feeling was a good thing or not, the Jedi master had often known his own gut to be true. He felt the way he did about things for a reason, even when he seemed indecisive. More often than not circumstances were better when he trusted his own intuition over the sound advice of others who were more conservative in their view of the Jedi Code, or what it meant to be a Jedi.

Judah was a Jedi Shadow for a reason. It was an elite path, one not every sentinel could handle. Like many, he understood the dark side because Shadows often used certain dark side techniques in their learning. His commitment to the light was strong not only because of his resolve, but because he knew what the dark side itself could lead to. He tasted it every time he brushed against it.

He motioned with his head, assuming she could at least make the movement out. A Jedi was never truly blind, and over time her sight would improve as she practiced using the skill. She would learn more as she pushed her own boundaries with it as well. Her own imagination was her only true barrier.

"Yeah, so the bomb site is not that far from the temple. If you aren't in the mood for the stuff from the mess hall, there is a greasy spoon diner near the crime scene. It may not be better for you, but I promise it will taste better."

He led down the hall to where he could requisition a speeder. Jumping into the driver seat, Judah waited for the girl to get into the passenger seat before starting the engine and taking off.

"So, how long have you been here?"

The ride would be good for small talk and getting to know the newest Padawan to the temple.

 

[Cinjay Saito]

Location: Jedi Temple
Tags: Judah Lesan
Appearance: x

​

At his promise of food she couldn't restrain a grin.

"Hey, I'll gladly risk the clogged arteries. Beats having to stomach whatever the mess hall pulls out of their ass. "

Trailing him to the speeder she followed cue and slinked into the passenger seat right as he tossed out an ice-breaker.

However superficial the question was intended to be, the girl almost seemed to squirm under the perceived weight of it. "Uh- maybe a handful of weeks at this point. I'm relatively fresh-" Her answer was short, negating any background to how or why she'd joined the Jedi in the first place. That still happened to be a raw nerve. One she'd deflect on as much as possible.

Taming her hair into a ponytail as the wind sped around them, the girl's expression lifted to some extent. "Not to mention I'm out of my depth in every conceivable way." The girl flashed a small self-deprecating smile, "Your guys' deep-seated pacifism isn't exactly my MO."

The atmospheric shift as they approached ground zero hung in the air like some thick black curtain. Devastation regrettably lingered in the stretches of rubble, clinging to the unbroken swaths that held an untold amount of secrets. And more likely than not a body or two. Even without being able to see how the destruction practically touched the horizon line, she could feel its immensity in earnest.

"I-" The girl blinked in response as Judah continued his charted path, "I had no idea it was this bad. So close to the Temple too." She almost mouthed the words, deafened by the onslaught of wind. "That's a karked-up way to wage psychological warfare. Butcher innocent civilians as a supplement for your actual target just near enough to where they can see the smoke burning."

"Message received-" The girl grimaced, a feeling of bile rising in her throat with each passing moment. It was a display of disgust and empathy that almost caught her off guard. She was typically rather desensitized to these things, after all she'd seen plenty worse. But something about the air felt artificially sinister, worming its way into her mind like an invasive parasite.

​

​

 

[Judah Lesan]

.

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Cinjay Saito

“I promise it will be better.”

Food. It was a universal way to break through a tough exterior, especially when cafeteria food was a common denominator. Judah was glad the girl was easy to talk to at least. His icebreaker garnered more than he had hoped for. Clearly the girl liked to fight. Pacifism did not come easy to her, but it did not for Judah either.

He laughed.

“I’m a shadow. Pacifism is not my strong suit.”

It was a short answer, but enough for Cinjay to realize Judah was not someone she had to worry about being herself around. If anything the statement was given so she would feel free to share her opinions on the matter. Most of the Jedi pushed pacifism as an ideal, but one they never lived up to. Most days Judah found the majority of them to be hypocritical, even if he also thought they were the best hope the galaxy had of not imploding upon itself.

Judah let her talk as he processed the surroundings. The rubble was one thing to see, it was another thing to experience through the force. It was the tragic reality of the fact the padawan used the force as her eyes. She was going to feel more than she saw. Judah did not envy her, nor did he take for granted the position he had put her in.

For a moment he let her feel it. She had to adjust to it in order to move on to what he was going to ask. While she had admitted she was not as skilled as she needed to be, Judah knew enough as a Jedi Master to guide her through what he was looking for. Her natural ability to use Force sight was a better starting point than what Judah would be able to muster. If this was farseeing perhaps he would not have enlisted her help. Judah still held onto that skill as an option. Sight was the better choice for now.

He took in a deep breath and sighed. It was almost too loud as it broke the monastic silence between them.

“When you feel ready, I am going to need you to try and push past the overwhelming feeling this place is projecting. It is a lot to take in, I know, but if you will let me, I can help guide you through it.”

She would likely not see his smile, but he offered it anyway.

“Just let me know when you are ready.”

 

[Cinjay Saito]

Location: Jedi Temple
Tags: Judah Lesan
Appearance: x

​

While her brows pinched together skeptically at first, a streak of resolve managed to seep through. Perhaps if she were still the person she’d been a select few months ago, she’d have shrugged it off without a second thought. But whether or not she’d admit it, the Jedi’s coveted sense of duty had slowly rubbed off on her. Like water eroding rock.

In place of a verbal response Cin nodded, eyes vacantly fixed on the surrounding debris as if with that lone action the rubble would oblige and spit up exactly what they were looking for. Of course, knowing it wouldn’t be that easy she shut her eyes in a loose attempt to mediate, corralling her senses before letting them fan out with enough guidance to keep her alert. Gradually, her impression of the landscape deepened, whispers of emotion quieting until all she was left with was base instinct. With the mental block of rubble slowly disbanding, she fought to keep her attention still, waging a steady battle against distraction.

After a prolonged moment, her efforts finally seemed to pay off.

At the very edge of her awareness, something stirred, its force residue nestled deep within the rubble. With a grimace of effort she tried to focus on it, making a vain attempt to discern more detail. Nevertheless, It evaded her like an eel, slipping her grasp every time she reached for it.

With a huff of frustration, the girl withdrew. “You’re right- there’s something here. I just can’t make out exactly what.” While there was certainly something of interest floating in her peripherals, it wasn't like she was in any position to make sense of it. Leave that to the Master.

Cin hesitated a moment. Judah had no ulterior motives brewing, she knew that. But scouting out a bomb-site for him was one thing, allowing him access to her mind was another. Even with Master Noble she’d been fickle, shying away from so wittingly allowing herself to be in a vulnerable position. She wasn’t one to bank her trust in people on day one. While time amongst the Jedi had certainly softened her rough exterior, it hadn’t changed who she'd been prior to the order. It likely never would.

But that didn’t change the fact she was still at a loss. She likely wouldn’t scrounge up anything of use without Judah’s guidance. Trying to smooth over her apparent indecision she reached out to Judah, offering what she saw before continuing to concentrate on the source. Still ready to recede at a moment's notice.

​