Private Boy Meet Fish

[Ideon Taldrel]

He'd tried his best to avoid leaving his room again ever since the last time he had ended in a bit of roughhousing... Okay, maybe roughhousing was putting it mildly. Ideon was lucky indeed that the other boy had regenerative cells, otherwise how would he explain that away?​

​

Would he have?​

​

Once again he'd waited until most of the Station was asleep. Once again he crept out of his bunk, daggers upon his belt. Once again he scurried his way toward the Garden. Rhia had been trying to get him to go there, to meditate and help to regulate and come to terms with his emotions, but he'd been pretty resistant. To make her happy though he'd meditated in his room, even with her at times. The last thing he wanted to do was make Rhia unhappy with him. She was already unhappy with so many other things, after all.​

​

The gardens were quiet, and exhibiting a night cycle. A projection of stars lay overhead, and to the shipwright's credit it really did feel like he was stood barefoot on some random world in the Galaxy, staring up at space. He approached one of the pools of water, and sat down on the edge of it. His feet hung over the edge, dipping into the water. It was cool, but nice; refreshing.​

​

His hands itched to pull free the daggers again. Glancing this way and that, he tried to make sure no one else was around so that a repeat of last time didn't happen. Still he was enjoying the solitude for once. His feet swished this way and that, and he watched the ripples form atop the surface of the water in response. A little while longer, then he could see about drills.​

 

[Qae Shena]

Yes, most of the station was in fact asleep. It was the best time for someone to be able to actuate whatever it was that they were planning on doing, all things considered; without the distraction and hubbub of noise and life and things, there was nothing that detracted from the purity of silence. Qae was a huge believer in that particular time of night for that very reason, as he loved the cool air, the lack of sound, and the fact that he had the freedom to do whatever it was he wanted without others coming in and disturbing him.

Bonus points, it was a great time for him to be able to think. Thinking was something he’d had decades to do, in very small doses; now that his mind was recovering well, and his body only partly behind, it was an opportunity for Qae to be able to think, move, feel and exist. Readjusting to life as a whole wasn’t as easy as it had once been, but he’d get there in time.

It felt as if hours had passed since he’d been floating on the surface of the garden’s pond. He did that, sometimes, even if he’d been a sunken wreck for so long. He was a Nautolan. Water was his natural habitat. Here he knew he could enjoy being in the water and let his body just… be.

However, the moment he heard footsteps approaching, he decided that he didn’t want to be disturbed - so he let himself sink. By the time Ideon entered the gardens, he was well under the surface, and not moving an inch. It was almost like he was asleep. By Qae’s reckoning, he could have waited until the kid left and left it at that. However… it didn’t look like the kid was going to budge.

So, he did the next best thing. Feth it.

Suddenly, as if a shark leaping from the depths, Qae jumped out of the water at full speed, head breaking the surface of the water first. His plan was to terrify this poor kid and have some fun with it because, well, he was now a grumpy old man and this kid had disturbed his naptime. He landed on the grass, hands out like a monster, trying his best to be some sort of cheesy holovid cartoon villain so that he could make him scared. Or something.

”RAAAAAAAARGH!”

Living the dream.

Ideon Taldrel

 

[Ideon Taldrel]

There he was, sat minding his own business, in the quiet hours no less, when out from the depths of the water beneath his feet a great sunken monster leapt up and tried to eat him!​

​

Ideon cried out, fell back against the grass, and immediately reached for both his blades. They were out of their sheaths and held within his hands before he could fully process what was happening. He was soaked by the splash of the body jumping from the water, his heart was beating a thousand beats a second, and his face was contorted into a strange mixture of shock, fear, and anger.​

​

With the blade he clutched in a backwards grip with his right hand he made to swipe toward the beast roaring at him. Of course in the interim he realized it wasn't a beast at all, but a Nautolan.​

​

Tell that to his hand, though, which was moving on instinct.​

​

Qae Shena ​

 

[Qae Shena]

An instinctive hand was the best hand. However, as Qae realised he'd upset probably the wrong kid, it was a little surreptitious that he began moving entirely of his own volition. Years and years and years of muscle memory, trained in everything from the most advanced Echani forms to being forced to practise shockboxing live for bloodsport, meant that even his muscle memory was better.

Besides, he'd died once. A little stab wouldn't kill him. Twin knives? No problem.

Fourth form.

Slide left and rotate the hips to pass the blade, sink centre of mass a foot lower than it was as the right leg extends out with the pushing motion the body is already following. Rotate the ankle so that the right foot stays flat and parallel to the floor as it lifts just enough to clear the ground and the height of the incoming lead foot, brushing just over the top of the foot to intersect with the ankle with a slight upwards scoop. The inevitable bend in the left knee allows for a pushing motion where the offending foot could be scooped up, the Echani now back to fighting height, and ready to deliver the next counter-blow. The fish moved like lightning - as if he were back in the water - and none of this was even a trifle. For a dead man, he still knew his techniques.

Qae's tattered and scarred hands were already up, willing to defend himself, unafraid of the twin blades that were entirely plausibly now on the floor. If not, well, too bad, hey. Qae didn't care, so long as he wasn't bleeding.

And then he burst out laughing. The psychotic fish man was just laughing his damn head off now. A change of propriety, sure, but he couldn't help it at all.

"Oh feth you should have seen your face, kid," Qae chided through bursts of laughter. Then, as if a rubber band stretched and snapped back, Qae was entirely serious in the next moment. The dramatic tone shift was almost jarring. "Good reflexes, though. I like you. You'll go far."

Ideon Taldrel

 

[Ideon Taldrel]

Afraid that he was going to wind up stabbing yet another random stranger aboard this station, and fully aware that he couldn't stop the motion of his hands in time, Ideon did the next best thing. Even as Qae moved to react, the boy simply loosened his grip on both of his blades. One topped right down to the ground by his feet, and the other he snatched with the opposing hand before it could meet a similar fate. It was over fairly quickly, in the blink of an eye one might argue.

And in that same time the stranger Nautolan who had sought to scare the ever living chit out of him was now on his feet, after a crazy display of footwork that left the kid with wide eyes. The fish's hands were up in a guard, and Ideon's one hand which still gripped a blade in a backward grip lay in a lower guard of its own, held closer to his chest.

It was a stand off.

Until it wasn't.

Laughter was the first thing out of the pond-fiend's mouth, laughter and mirth-filled words that only served to make the boy redder. Not in embarrassment, no, he was visibly shaking with rage. Then a shift. A serious expression and tone, as praise was handed out. That was all the more jarring, and the rage melted into confusion. His brows furrowed, and he took one step back. Or more, slid back with a dancer's grace.

A sense of frustration was pushed forth from boy to man, not quite telepathy but certainly something which ran parallel to such. "Not... funny. Fish." The words came through gritted teeth, and with a hoarseness that spoke to Ideon's infrequency of speech. In that moment he was much too annoyed not to spit something into existence, though.

Qae Shena​

 

[Qae Shena]

Fish.

Levia.

Ashla and Bogan, how he missed her.

In that moment, Qae's heart sank. It was only she that dared call him Fish; only she that he allowed to call him Fish, for even Spencer and Ashin had not elected to do so beyond a very small amount of teasing on their parts; only Levia Sol, first true Je'daii student of Qae Shena, had ever, ever managed to get away with that name, with her archaic and broken means of speaking, with nothing but adoration for the Nautolan that had invited her on a life-changing journey that set in motion the events that brought the Je'daii Order to the station that they were now on. If he could have had any three people at his side now, it was her, Spencer and Ashin. The rest he could have dealt with - but those three, of all, Qae missed beyond his wildest dreams.

However, he had to stay grounded in the present, where this young knife-wielding man seemed to be incredibly irate at Qae's little display. His antics would probably get him hurt or killed at some point in the near future, but the fact that he was handling the situation reasonably well seemed to indicate that he'd be fine to deal with this in a manner of his choosing.

His hands, now that Qae was satisfied his opponent was sufficiently disarmed, finally dropped to his side, then folded quietly behind his back. "Kid, don't stress. I have no need to fight an opponent that just disarmed themselves. I'm not concerned."

What did not escape Qae's notice was the fact that this one could project emotions. That was a decidedly Force-sensitive trait; while it was raw, unrefined, like the unpolished stone, it showed that this one was no mere knife-wielding street urchin. Just the kind of kid that Qae tended to accidentally take in.

"Qae Shena. Je'daii Master. You have promise - and you have a name."

It was not a request.

Ideon Taldrel

 

[Ideon Taldrel]

Ideon waited a little while longer, even once the Nautolan's guard was lowered, before sheathing the weapon still in his hand and calling the other up from the ground to sheath it also. Without the blades in his hands he felt a little weird, his hands became fidgety, but he knew better than to pull them out again. He didn't want to fight this fish-man. He hadn't wanted to draw them in the first place.

He'd just been scared chitless.

The boy nodded once to the man's declaration that fighting wasn't on the agenda. Then listened as a name was given, and a rank. A fellow Je'daii? He supposed he shouldn't be too surprised, given that he and Rhia had come here seeking precisely that. Still, there'd been a larger presence of non Je'daii here on the Station.

This Qae fellow seemed to want his name in return, which made Ideon grit his teeth some all over again. Talk, talk, talk, was that all that people wanted to do? He considered taking a leaf out of Arlo Renard 's book and going the telepathic route, but thought better against it. Instead he settled one hand over his own chest, to indicate who he was speaking about, and forced one more word from his mouth.

"Ideon." A pause. A sigh. "Je'daii." Another gesture to himself.

He pulled a face after the fact. How much more talking would he be expected to do in this place?

Qae Shena​

 

[Qae Shena]

"Oh, good."

The mere mention of the J word was enough to make very sure that Qae was now paying a lot more attention to Ideon. To know that this kid had received Je'daii teaching of some sort was entirely reassuring... then again, this was a Je'daii station and the kid seemed like he had been here for a while. Ideon certainly had not been lost in his approach to the gardens. This, much like he, had been a measured effort.

"Good, you know what we are. Saves me effort explaining."

The sardonic smile that crossed the fishman's lips was unmistakeable; this was going to be a very, very, very good day after all. Well, night. It wasn't day yet.

"Do you have a Master, currently? I'm rather curious as to how you know our teachings."

Ideon Taldrel

 

[Ideon Taldrel]

The fish seemed pleased to know that he was another Je'daii, which left Ideon wondering just how few Je'daii there actually were left in this place. This was a station made by the Judges of the Outer Rim he knew, their order had just been gifted a section of it on account of Cotan's joint affiliations. That was what Rhia had said, at least, what she'd found out in order to convince Vero that they should reemerge into the Galaxy and come here in the first place.

And they had found at least a handful of Je'daii here. Did that make it worth it, though? Was sacrificing their Master worth what little they'd discovered in the process?

Ideon wasn't so sure. But it wasn't as though he could go back in time and change things.

Another question was posed his way, and this time thankfully it was a yes or no question. So he shook his head, and conveyed feelings of grief from himself to the fish in hopes that it might answer his question without the need for words. No Master, not anymore. But that wasn't really enough, was it? Because he wanted to know how he'd come to learn their ways.

And emotional impressions would not be enough to inform him of such.

The boy stepped forward, closing some of the gap between them, and reached out to touch the fish. If he stopped him of course he wouldn't proceed, but if he was permitted to he'd slowly flow images through his own mind and into the older Je'daii's. Not quite telepathy, just vague impressions at best. Ideon certainly wasn't trying to glean anything from the man. Just help him to better understand.

He gave impressions of a Je'daii Ranger and his fellow student Rhia, of being raised away from the strife of the Galaxy and taught the ways of the Je'daii at the hands of Vero Shif. And then an impression of all that had happened to tear them apart, of the Kiffar's sacrifice when he pushed the pair into an escape pod so that they could survive when he couldn't.

It flashed by quickly enough, and once it was done he stepped back again. Didn't meet the man's gaze this time though, just sort of stared off at a spot in the garden. The water, probably.

Qae Shena​

 

[Qae Shena]

The visions that Qae saw-- which he welcomed openly-- were very interesting to the Nautolan. It was an impression of the interim time of the twenty years, time that Asha had not filled him in on completely, things that he was now witnessing that informed him of just how much the lore that he and his fellow first-generation Je'daii of the new era had been preserved perfectly.

It made him proud. If nothing else.

"Your master did the right thing," Qae said, after a moment of long silence. "I would have done no different."

The Nautolan contemplated the boy, considering. He was no different to some of his other students. Actually, as Qae thought about it, he was no different to any of his students; Levia, Teio and Quinn - three mostly-primitive people, and they had been more receptive to his teachings because culturally they were raised to act on instinct, a trait that Qae prized highly. Understanding that one needed to be able to trust their gut was so valuable that Qae would have traded much for it.

However, his gaze went to Ideon, and it paused there. The kid wasn't looking at him. But Qae saw through that facade. The kid was good. Definitely much like himself, in all honesty.

"Do you want to continue that training?"

Thr question was heavy, certainly - but Qae asked it nonetheless.

Ideon Taldrel

 

[Ideon Taldrel]

Mention of his Master and the choices which had been made had the boy bowing his head ever so slightly in agreement and resignation. Vero Shif had done more for the pair of students than they'd ever given him credit for, done more for them than they'd ever thanked him for, and now that he was gone they were left with regret above all else. They should have been better students, they should have focused more, trained harder... Should've, would've, could've. What use was that, though?

It wasn't going to bring him back.

Silence stretched between them after the fact, and he could feel the Nautolan's gaze upon him as he stared at the pool. Then all at once a question was posed; Ideon did not respond immediately. He chewed on the inside of his lip, a faraway look in his eye.

Then, finally, his gaze shifted back to the man's. He studied him for a long moment, his face, his form, his scars, and then he nodded. Allowed a sense of affirmation to flow between the two of them.

Did he want to continue his training?

More than anything, in truth. But with Vero gone how would that even work? Rhia was old enough to continue the journey for herself, to begin the trials they had been prepped for. But Ideon?

Ideon had come to the group later. He wasn't ready for all of that. He was still too impulsive, too driven by his emotions, too raw and unrefined. Most would see those as bad traits, but Vero never had, not inherently.

And this stranger seemed to regard him differently to many others too. Could he trust him?

Ideon wasn't sure. But... Maybe it was worth finding out.

Qae Shena​

 

[Qae Shena]

These wildling kids were always weirdly quiet sometimes. Words weren't their strong suit, which was fine. Let them think and stew in the depths of their own emotions, Qae figured. It was a little like that sometimes when you just couldn't tell what was going on or what to do. He'd been there and done that plenty of times to understand that this was not an ideal situation for them. There was, with no question, a lot of hesitation and uncertainy playing through this kid's mind and the Nautolan wasn't about to mess with how much he could feel the waves of emotion pouring off him.

It seemed like he was in, though.

"Right then. How about I leave you to the late-night brooding, and you come and find me in the morning when you're ready to go? I'll probably get some breakfast bright and early and then be here."

It seemed like a reasonable compromise at the very least. Kid could make up his mind properly and, if he didn't turn up, then that was that. Problem ended. And if he did turn up, well, he could find out what this kid knew and work with it from there.

And then send Asha a message with a million questions asking her the short version of what he'd missed in the last twenty years so he didn't look like an idiot.

Ideon Taldrel

 

[Ideon Taldrel]

The Fish gave him an opportunity to think on it, alluding to the fact that he'd give him some space for the rest of the night. Come morning he could choose whether or not to meet him back here in the Garden.

It was a lot to think on. Ideon wasn't entirely sure whether he was ready for this again so soon after losing Vero but if not now then when? He couldn't hide away in his room and stew forever.

He sent a wave of affirmation toward Qae, showing that he understood what was being offered, and inclined his head into a respectful bow. When the Nautolan eventually left, the boy began to focus on his drills, avoiding the water lest the man try to scare him from the depths again.

Somehow he couldn't put it past him to try again, even though he'd seen him leave.

Ultimately he didn't last long before he scurried back to his bedroom. Therein he called upon Rhia, and the pair sat and talked - in so far as Ideon was willing to speak - for a few hours. Everything here was so fresh and so new, it was strange and overwhelming. It would have been easy for him to retreat further, to hide away, he doubted anyone would blame him.

And yet the girl encouraged strength in the face of adversity. She would not let him back down.

And so come the next morning, bright and early, Ideon would once again approach the garden. Sheepish, still a little uncertain for what lay ahead, yet with a small amount of excitement and anticipation welling up inside.

He could do this...

But was the Fish going to be there as he'd said he would...?

Qae Shena

 

[Qae Shena]

And Qae was there. Seated on the edge of the water, just staring into it. He did that. Apparently, knowing that he was near water-- despite being stuck in it for way too long-- was very reassuring. However, here he was, waiting for Ideon, and the kid did in fact turn up.

He pushed himself off the floor with a grunt using his amphistaff walking stick, the snake-head hissing a little as he did so, and then looked to Ideon. "Good to see you, kid. How you doing?"

Ideon Taldrel

 

[Ideon Taldrel]

Much to his surprise the man was in fact there waiting, sat beside the same pool he'd scared Ideon from within the night before. He wasn't quite so feisty feeling today, he hadn't come here to blow off steam or slice and dice with his blades, he'd come here with a different purpose. A nerve-wracking purpose, in truth, given all that he'd been through as of late.

But it led to a slightly more level-headed youth.

He bowed his head by way of greeting, just as Vero had taught him, and then his hands fidgeted by his side.

Ideon sent a wave of affirmation to the question through the air between them, then tilted his head to one side curiously. He pointed at the man, before inhaling what seemed to be a fairly difficult breath. Then he did as he hadn't the night before. The boy actually spoke.

"You?" he inquired back, not so ignorant to have not seen that he was contemplatively watching the water. Oftentimes that meant someone was deep in thought, no? Well whenever Rhia stared off that's what it meant. One solitary word, but it was a huge step forward. These days the only person Ideon spoke to was Rhia, and even then he preferred to just use his emotions as opposed to his words.

Qae Shena

 

[Qae Shena]

The positive energy was certainly better felt than experienced and Qae was grateful he'd learned some really basic mental powers; his telepathic skills were effectively non-existent beyond that. Asha had gotten through to him with an incredible amount of brute force; this was way more requisite on his ability to sense, which was... well, it was okay at best. Qae put all his stock into physical manipulation of the Force, but as of now that was failing him. Maybe he'd re-skill some day to deal with that.

"Good. Decent night's sleep and a half-decent cup of stimcaf is getting me through this morning. I'll introduce you to Asha Hex and her magical teapot some day, but I've no clue where she is right now. You'll meet plenty of fellow Je'daii, if you haven't already."

Woe betide any who thought they could fight the indomitable power of the Teapot.

"Not gonna bore you with questions, so I'm gonna put you through your paces first. Come take a seat, show me what you know of the Force. Show me your greatest strength and your biggest weakness. Or, at least, what you think they are. We'll go from there."

No way Qae was gonna talk philosophy with the kid yet - Ideon was an action taker, not a thinker. Better to cater to his level. Especially when that level was a preternatural disposition to instinct.

Ideon Taldrel

 

[Ideon Taldrel]

Qae's immediate response had him nodding his head, sleep was good - caf' less so, but then Rhia wouldn't even really let him try it. Either way he hated the smell of it. But when he mentioned Asha the boy grinned, and sent forth a feeling of familiarity with the name. He'd met the woman a few times now, here and there, she already had known Rhia which made it an easy gateway. Never had one on one time with her, but he had drank some of her tea.

He could attest to the usefulness of the teapot. Even for a kid so filled with rage it had done wonders.

At the Fish's request he stepped forward and joined him in the grass, taking a seat across from him. His hands naturally rested on the edge of his knees; clearly he was no stranger to more calming methods, because it was very obviously a meditative stance. Vero had drilled into him the importance of such, lest he be overcome by the intensity of his emotions.

Qae wanted to see where his strengths lay, and where he felt he was the weakest, insofar as the Force was concerned. He pondered on that for a moment, before catching the sound of a bird in the trees nearby, whistling away as it was. Ideon turned his head ever so slightly toward it, spying it through the branches, then watched as it left its perch and immediately spiraled down toward him.

It rested on the fingertips of his now outstretched hand, and gazed at him with a sense of familiarity and understanding. As though somehow it were sentient, which it very clearly was not. A moment longer, and then it took to flight again, only to glide toward Qae and flutter before him. By this point Ideon was positively beaming.

It might not have seemed too sensational, after all birds could easily be trained without the use of the Force, but it wasn't as though there were a multitude of other animals in this place, only those of the avian variety, so he had to make do. And either way, large or small, aggressive or passive, Ideon loved them all and found comfort in their company.

And yet the question had also been asked of his greatest weakness. That was a little harder to divulge if only because there were simply too many things he'd never even attempted. How could he know what he was terrible at if he hadn't tried, well, everything?

Still he pondered some more, releasing the bird from his influence so that it might return to its small flock, before nodding once to himself. Funnily enough what the boy had struggled with the most was perhaps what most people began their training learning. It was one of his first ventures into the Force, too, though he'd been unable to do very much of anything with it at first, and Vero's inability to actually show him how hadn't helped.

He plucked a stray rock from the ground, small enough that it fit within the palm of his hand, and held it in place. Stared at it... The thing seemed to wobble a little, then lifted just barely from his hand, before it plopped right back down. The kid didn't even bother to try a second time before he dropped it back into the grass, and shrugged.

Ideon was much more the empath, far more suited to influencing others, than he was the sort to connect with the environment around himself. Not for a lack of trying, that was.

Qae Shena

 

[Qae Shena]

There was an ironic disconnect between the two of them, Qae noticed as Ideon flexed his abilities; Qae himself was much more in tune with the physical world around them and Ideon was very much mentally capable. That much had been evident since day one and the Nautolan was not one to ignore such talent. Be that as it may, Qae still had some ability to influence the mind and would inevitably have to find a way to influence this young apprentice in ways that would allow him to foster his own development.

And, to be fair, the whole bird thing was kind of cool.

"I get it," Qae said, leaning on his stick as he did so. It was still kind of early and the old bones just didn't work the way they used to without a solid kick in the pants. "I'm thinking that I don't really need to put you through your entire paces, and I'm not gonna try and drown you in philosophy and ideas when you communicate those ideas in feeling. This is a little different for me, I have to admit."

Pause.

"What does being Je'daii mean to you?" he asked. Perhaps an imprint would suffice.

Ideon Taldrel

 

[Ideon Taldrel]

Mister Fish seemed downright exhausted, even after his cup of caf', which had the boy frowning softly with concern. Maybe he was just old, sometimes older people tired easily. Truth be told though it didn't seem like a mental exhaustion. So maybe the caf' had worked.

He was pulled from his wayward thoughts by the man's voice, and his head tilted slightly to the left as he regarded both him and them. At the mention of this being a different kind of tutoring Ideon let out a soft feeling of apology, though oddly there was no embarrassment tied in with it as one might expect. He'd long ago learned to accept himself for who he was, if he had cared too much about how others viewed him he would probably have buckled long ago and resorted to speaking like the rest of them for the majority of his interactions. But that wasn't where he felt most comfortable. That wasn't where he flourished...

Still he could understand the difficulties it presented for another. He could recall even how difficult it had been for Vero to begin with, and that man had been a master of sense.

After a brief pause, a question was posed. Ideon leaned forward and set his elbow atop one of his knees, then his chin onto the hand of that same arm. It was a question he'd never once thought about, in truth, one he certainly did not have an immediate answer for. What did it mean to him?

Well in the most simplest of forms... "Family" the boy strained to speak, unsure of how else to express it; with that said, after the words came an impression of Rhia, and of Vero, their little ragtag grouping which had scoured the Outer Rim and grown alongside one another. Grief joined that thought, at a father figure lost, but he did not lament for long before returning to fresher thoughts.

It couldn't just be family though, could it? No, there was more to it than that. A few more impressions were released, sheer and sometimes difficult to obtain determination was first to join it, a desire to grow and develop. It hadn't been an easy road for Ideon, not with how intense his emotions could spark, but there had been patience and grace afforded to him all the same. Room to breathe, to grow.

The boy was quickly realizing, however, that impressions alone might not cut it for such philosophical talks. He sighed, shifted his head so that his cheek was against the palm of his hand and not his chin, and then his gaze drifted back up toward those treetops, away from Qae.

"Change," he said, brows knitting together as he avoided the Nautolan's gaze, "Good change..." Ever in motion, ever Striving for more... Yeah, that's what it was to him.

Qae Shena