Private Blind Navigation

[Astri Elyse]

Tag: Jalen Kai'el

Oh no, it was happening again!

Astri was just looking for the training rooms, out of a simple curiosity. She was going to have to use them eventually, right? May as well know where they were. Except in her search, somehow, she'd found herself in the Healing Halls. Which, if she was being honest, was also a really neat place to be, and she was certainly interested in exploring a little. But this wasn't where she was trying to be, and trying to read the map on her datapad was like trying divine the meaning of life from a couple of knuckle bones!

Not exactly a simple thing.

To her credit, Astri did her best to press herself up against a wall whenever someone passed her by. The last thing she wanted to do was get in the way, especially if it was a nurse or a Jedi Healer coming her way. They had patients to attend to, after all, and Astri would never forgive herself if their care was interrupted by her failing sense of direction.

"Aww man..." she let out an uncomfortable whine, "why am I so bad at this?"

Astri looked back down at the datapad, trying to find her bearings for the umpteenth time... and promptly bumped into someone.

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Astri Elyse

Delta-7​

Astri looked back down at the datapad, trying to find her bearings for the umpteenth time... and promptly bumped into someone.

Jalen wasn't shaken by the sudden intrusion of his space. Skinny as he was, he was certainly tall enough and had trained for long enough to keep his footing. Squirrelled away in his work again, listening to reports of the full aftermath of Tython, which was sure to be his immediate concern in the comming weeks. It wasn't a surprise that he let himself get bumped into. He certainly hadn't been paying much attention to the space around him.

But it seemed he wasn't alone on that front.

Short, young... maybe Echani? He did his best to read her aura and get an idea for who they may be. A new student perhaps? They certainly didn't seem familiar to himself.

"Lost?" he asked with an exhale. "Healthy folks don't frequent the Halls of Healing unless they're lost or doctors. You don't seem to be the healer type."

 

[Astri Elyse]

Tag: Jalen Kai'el

"I-I'm sorry!" Came her anxious voice, immediately.

Oh, how stupid of her! Why hadn't she just pressed herself up against a wall, and stood still while she checked her map? The people here in the Healing Halls were busy, and the last thing they needed was some ditz like her to interrupt them! She'd have to exercise more caution, and more spatial awareness going forward. For now, though, the best thing to do was to apologize and stop bothering the boy in front of her.

"Lost?" he asked with an exhale. "Healthy folks don't frequent the Halls of Healing unless they're lost or doctors. You don't seem to be the healer type."

Except... the boy had basically just pegged the reason she was here in the first place. Maybe... maybe she could ask him for directions? It meant bothering him a little longer, but maybe that was the best course of action. He could help her get out of everyone's way.

"U-um... Yeah..." She trailed off quietly, pulling her datapad to her chest, "I haven't been here very long, and I keep getting turned around. I was trying to look at the map on my datapad... and then I ran into you. I'm sorry if I've interrupted something important."

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Astri Elyse

Delta-7​

"It's fine," Jalen assured with a shrug. "I was just listening to warfront reports. I can do that any old time."

Jalen tucked the datapad he had with him away in his robes, He'd do his best to at least give a reassuring smile. That was what people did to be friendly, right? Regardless, she really hadn't been a bother. Jalen probably needed something to distract him from everything he had been reading through. Warfront reports weren't very light.

"What's your destination?" he asked. "I know this place pretty well. Shouldn't be too big of an issue."

And it distracted him a little longer, in any case.

 

[Astri Elyse]

Tag: Jalen Kai'el

Astri stayed silent as Jalen mentioned listening to reports about the war. The looming threat of an invasion had everyone on edge—she had figured out that much in just her few days here. In all honesty, she herself probably shouldn't have been on Coruscant, but she'd yet to be approached or ordered to evacuate to one of the other Temples. She didn't blame the Jedi though. Most people didn't notice her, unless they absolutely had to.

She preferred it that way, honestly.

"What's your destination?" he asked. "I know this place pretty well. Shouldn't be too big of an issue."

"I, umm, I was looking for the training rooms?" Astri pulled her datapad to her chest, a little embarrassed, "I must have taken a wrong turn. Or two. Or three..."

She needed help. She was so bad at navigating—which was something about herself that she'd only recently discovered, after she'd left the only home she'd ever had, and been tossed into the unknown.

"Y-you don't have to take me there though!" She added suddenly, "you can get back to your reports. But, umm, could you maybe help me figure out this maaaaa—"

Astri trailed off as she finally noticed the boy's eyes. How had she missed the burns? Had she been that enveloped in her own problems?

"I'm sorry." She said, very quietly.

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple
Tags: Astri Elyse

Delta-7​

"Y-you don't have to take me there though! You can get back to your reports. But, umm, could you maybe help me figure out this maaaaa—"

"I'm sorry."

"You're fine," Jalen insisted, very quickly brushing off the awkward moment. He didn't seem to care. "Happens all the time."

Eventually one learned to grow thick skin after a while, and Jalen was no exception. He had to deal with stubborn ass soldiers dying on the battlefield on the regular. It was hard for him to get worked up about much these days in regards to things that clearly weren't ment to be personal. He'd turn, facing in the direction of the North-facing hallway at the nearby intersection.

"Come on," he continued, seeming pretty set on helping. "Training halls aren't far. I suggest you pick out a landmark to remember along the way."

That usually helped folks out. Jalen felt the energy of the temple, which guided his path. The building spoke to him, in a way. That wasn't something that was the same for everyone. A strength of not needing sight, he reasoned.

 

[Astri Elyse]

Tag: Jalen Kai'el

Astri breathed out a quiet sigh of relief, thankful that this boy wasn't offended by her very obvious social faux pas. How had she missed the fact that he was blind, and how had she asked him to look at a map for her? Oh, it was mortifying! It was bad enough that she couldn't pay attention to her surroundings, but to not be able to pay attention to the people in front of her either?

She pulled her arms tighter around herself.

"Come on," he continued, seeming pretty set on helping. "Training halls aren't far. I suggest you pick out a landmark to remember along the way."

"Thank you," she said quiet as a mouse, before realizing that she'd never introduced herself, "I'm, umm, Astri? W-what's your name?"

Introductions should not have been as hard to her as they were. But meeting new people had always been difficult for her, and talking to them was even more of a challenge. What was she supposed to even say? How did people do small talk? Oh, this was so awkward! But she figured all she could do was try.

"Do... you spend a lot of time in the Healing Halls?"

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant
Tags: Astri Elyse

Delta-7​

"Name's Jalen," he shrugged. "Jalen Kai'el. Can't say I spend much time in the halls of healing. I don't exactly fit well here. I'm a bit more of a... field medical specialist. I'd much rather be out doing something than waiting around here."

The older padawan begin leading her in the direction of the sparring halls. He moved with instinct in his motion, as though he had walked this path a thousand times. Jalen, of course, didn't need eyes to tell him where to go. The Temple itself spoke to him, leading him through its winding forked paths in the direction he wanted to go. It was easy to get around when you took the time and listened.

"I suggest you take note of landmarks," Jalen suggested. "I... hear there are a few statues that are unique to this route that people use."

That was probably helpful, right?

"I can only assume that you're new here," the padawan continued.

That was a safe bet. First timers had it rough typically.

 

[Astri Elyse]

Tag: Jalen Kai'el

So he didn't spend a lot of time in the Halls of Healing. Astri had just happened to nearly knock him over on the one day he had been there. That was just her luck, really. But, in a round about way, it was also good luck. Because now she had someone to guide her to where she was trying to be, a-and... maybe a new... friend. She didn't want to be presumptuous, but she didn't have many of those. It'd be nice to have another.

"I suggest you take note of landmarks," Jalen suggested. "I... hear there are a few statues that are unique to this route that people use."

"R-right! Thank you... I am new here, yes."

Oh wow, she'd already forgotten the twists and turns Jalen had already led her down. But she double down and started to pay attention now, eyes doing their best to take in halls that looked familiar to every other gosh dang hall in this oversized temple. How was she meant to memorize a path when everything looked the same—oh, hey, there were those statues Jalen was talking about.

Though, upon seeing them, and realizing that Jalen couldn't, she did have a question.

"U-umm..." She started timidly, knowing her next few words were weighted, "c-can I ask? How do you navigate so well without your eyesight?"

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant
Tags: Astri Elyse

Delta-7​

"c-can I ask? How do you navigate so well without your eyesight?"

"That's... a bit hard to explain the first time around," Jalen remarked. "The Temple tells me where to go. Places like this, or anywhere in general, is charged with energy. The force moves through all things, and it interacts with those things differently. The Jedi Temple itself is... strange. Its almost like a living organism. I suppose with thousands of years of force history it could be alive, in a way..."

Did that make sense? Probably not, but it was sort of how it worked for him. It was really the only way he knew how to relay what it was that he experienced. It was hard to describe it in the same way that one might experience sight.

"The Force can show you a lot of things," he continued. "I'm sure you'll learn a lot more about what in your training. I'm not exactly good at teaching in regards to that sort of stuff."

 

[Astri Elyse]

Tag: Jalen Kai'el

Astri found her eyebrow slowly rising into her hairline during Jalen's explanation, uncertain of how to visualize what he was saying—which was funny, considering she was the only who could actually visualize anything. She kept that joke to herself though, and was actually a little ashamed at having thought of it. But then she realized what he was actually describing: the Force.

"The Force can show you a lot of things," he continued. "I'm sure you'll learn a lot more about what in your training. I'm not exactly good at teaching in regards to that sort of stuff."

"I've learned a little bit," Astri confirmed, "from Master Efret Farr but... not enough to really grasp what you're trying to explain. I-I'm sorry."

And he'd gone into so much detail for her too! Astri felt guilty for asking that of him, only for most of it to go over her head. She ought to spend time in the archives, she thought, where maybe the holocrons and datapads filled with information might beat some understanding into her. Because as it was, she felt like she was lost in a maze, trying to navigate what the Force was and how to truly interact with it.

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant
Tags: Astri Elyse

Delta-7​

"Don't apologize," Jalen stated rather plainly. "Asking questions is a good instinct. Getting more information about something you don't understand isn't a bother. There's no harm in asking. I think this is just a situation where experience is the best way to learn."

There were other things he could explain very well, at least from the perspective of a knowledgable and well-meaning senior. Some things were just not as simple, however, and as much as he had experienced he was still a padawan. The difference between when 13 and 18 was noteworthy growth, but he had way more life to live. There was no way he was going to have all of the answers for whatever he was asked. At the very least he was happy to explain what he could.

"It's hard to imagine what you can't see," he admitted. "It's more of a feeling. As your mind gets more used to its connection to the Force you'll come to understand..."

He tilted his head back as he lead her to the training halls.

"Looking to get some sparring in, I assume?" the young medic asked. "Lots of folks are lookin to hone their skills with Coruscant under threat..."

 

[Astri Elyse]

Tag: Jalen Kai'el

"It's hard to imagine what you can't see," he admitted. "It's more of a feeling. As your mind gets more used to its connection to the Force you'll come to understand..."

"People keep telling me that..." She said softly, "that I'll come to understand. I wish there was a book or some kind of research paper that just explained it all to me."

Astri had heard this before. Many times, in fact, since she'd come to the Order. At first she had found it to be an annoying response, seemingly coming off as being intentionally vague and cryptic, when all she was looking for were some answers. But the longer she was here, the more Astri was coming to realize that the Force couldn't be described simply. Everyone she'd met experienced it in a different way, felt it in a different way.

Jalen probably had a view of it that was just as unique as Master Farr's.

He was right about Coruscant being under threat too. With war on the horizon, Astri was sure that her people were honing their skills, and preparing themselves for the inevitable invasion. Maybe that was why she was really looking for them herself: to make sure that she was prepared too.

"Sparring is... to my people, it's a form of expression just as much as it is a martial art." She admitted, "it's not just how we protect ourselves, it's how we come to understand one another. So I guess... I'm looking for a little piece of home."

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Coruscant
Tags: Astri Elyse

Delta-7​

"Echani, yeah?" Jalen asked. "I had a feeling from your aura. The order has a fair number of Echani in it's ranks."

He gave a shrug as they continued walking.

"Had one from my class I knew," he continued. "Never wanted to spar me though..." Jalen very quickly brushed that aside. "Anyways, it makes sense to want to connect back home. Not everyone has the luxury of being able to travel all of the time. Everyone adjusts in their own way."

Jalen could only offer so much help in that regard. He didn't have a family or home planet that he could go back to, at least not like other people did. His brother was a Jedi, his parents were a dead guy and a cloning tube, and his childhood home were well and properly reduced to ash by now. It wasn't exactly something that he was going to be able to provide good insight on. He tried to think of potential others who could help... but nothing immediate came to mind.

His generation really had terrible parents, huh?

"So what made you come here?"

 

[Astri Elyse]

Tag: Jalen Kai'el

"Echani, yeah?" Jalen asked. "I had a feeling from your aura. The order has a fair number of Echani in it's ranks."

"You could tell that?" Astri canted her head, which she realized was pointless, "just from... the Force?"

That was cool. The Force could do so many different things. She wanted to ask how that worked, and how he could just feel where she was from. But, considering her sheer lack of knowledge about the energy field that bound the universe together, Astri figured she wouldn't understand the explanation. Until she had received a modicum of proper training, such mysteries would probably remain beyond her ability to grasp.

Maybe she'd ask Master Farr for help.

But then Jalen was asking why she'd come to the Order. It was a simple explanation, really.

"My mother was a Jedi... but, um, she died during the war with The Maw." Astri brought her useless map to her chest, grip on the datapad tightening, "and, well... I keep accidentally throwing things with my mind, and I want to learn how to control myself so I don't' accidentally hurt someone..."

She'd given Father a black eye, telekinetically tossing a book at his face, all because he'd startled her by accident. She still felt guilty about that.