Private Cliffside Tea

[Darlyn Excron]

The Force had a strange habit of luring people to listen, if they could, for the strangest of reasons. Go here, do this, do that, though it gave no real 'orders', only a gentle pull, a guiding hand. Guidance like this was something that those, like the Jedi, sought to follow in service to their order, and certainly no small number believed those like Darlyn couldn't hear or feel that guidance. Of course, he certainly could, though he did often put less stock into it, and thus followed it less than he perhaps should. Today though, today he found both his curiosity peaked, and soon enough, himself in his ship. Taking to the skies and above, he took to the call, and set his course for... somewhere. He didn't really know, even as he took the jump into hyperspace.

He just let the Force guide him.

Eventually, he would leave hyperspace, up above a planet, tropical or continental perhaps... it looked lush, beautiful perhaps, even from space. Somewhere down there.. he made way to land on the planet, watching the atmosphere give way to the planet's surface itself, revealing the forests, canyons... rolling valleys, his impression from space was right. Eventually he felt it was time to set the ship down, and landed atop one of the cliffs overlooking a green valley, and began to wander, quietly for a minute, until reaching where he felt the need to go. There was another here already, someone Darlyn hadn't met before, nor recognized from somewhere else. Curious as to who it may be, Darlyn found himself a spot to sit, just far enough away to be respectful to the stranger, and looked out over the valley.

"It's quite a beautiful little valley out there, isn't it?"

Tiland Kortun

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Darlyn Excron

Tiland rolled his neck slowly as he sat on the cliffside, overlooking the edge. A long valley stretched below him, singing gold in the sunlight, and rich with the perspective of life and possibility. A sensation trickled behind his neck and he tilted his head slightly, sensing the presence of whoever was coming. Dark, but not the usual feeling of a Sith. Other tradition? None in particular? But no great threat, not even a hint of danger.

Something many of his comrades would find inconceivable. He turned and looked over his shoulder as the newcomer approached and sat. There was something familiar about the face, but nothing he could put his finger on. Instead, he gestured to the grassy sward next to him.

"It is, please, come join me. I'll set some tea on. Jedi Master Tiland Kortun, pleasure the Force has brought us together this way."

 

[Darlyn Excron]

Darlyn didn't feel as he usually did around Jedi, when the man introduced himself formally. Normally the phrase 'Jedi Master' would immediately trigger paranoia and fear, even if it was just at the very back of his mind. Yet here, that wasn't the case. Sure, he couldn't deny that part of him was still there, but there was something else too. This Tiland Kortun fellow was, doing something right, surely. Not one to ignore his offer, he simply nodded, and moved to the grassy sward, nodding his head in thanks as he got himself situated.

Might just be his words and tone already implied this would be a pleasant day, that could be it.

"The pleasure is mine, Master Kortun. President Darlyn Excron, though I suppose my title is quite meaningless out here, isn't it?" He gave a small, amused huff at his own comment, partly to indicate it was a joke and, partly because he actually was amused by it. Low-ball as it was for humour. "Tea does sound lovely though, it has been far too long since I shared a cup with anyone."

Tiland Kortun

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Darlyn Excron

Tiland nodded and pulled a small, portable brazier from his satchel and poured extra water in. He hummed softly to himself as he twisted the knob, letting a small beacon of flame emerge and begin to heat the water. He listened as the newcomer spoke, and simply nodded, hands sifting through the satchel as he pulled out the small satchels of herbs and tea leaves, as well as a mortar and pestle.

"President, you say?" Tiland said, raising an eyebrow as he gazed around the area. "Of where, might I ask? And as for titles being meaningless," He laughed warmly. "Are not all titles inherently worthless, except as labels for concepts?" He grinned and shrugged. "Though I have known more than a few Jedi Masters who would be horrified to hear me say such a thing."

He leaned over and inspected the tea as he crushed them, wafting the crisp scent into the air before nodding, and then dropping them into the water as it warmed to a boil. "What brings you here to the far reaches of the Rim? While my tea is delectable, I would hardly consider it traveling all the way here for." His eyes twinkled at the comment as he settled himself more comfortably on the grass.

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"If someone's so attached to a title and the 'power' it gives, do they really deserve them?" He chuckled a bit, amused to say the very least to be sharing such an opinion with a Jedi, of all people. A people build almost entirely upon titles and labels, and here they both were agreeing to their meaninglessness. "Though I do have to say mine comes with responsibilities, if nothing else. As for where, I'm president for Commenor, out in the Colonies. Lovely place, very welcoming, good brandy."

He watched Tiland work on the tea as he spoke, noting how he most certainly seemed to take it seriously. Not too unlike his 'sister' had, though as evidenced by how long he was talking on it by hand the two still were leagues apart. When he spoke again, he considered how best to put it into words. Why he came out here, so far away from home, to this spot. It took a moment or two of deliberation, before all he could offer was a shrug. "The Force, if you would believe me. I felt a call to travel, and let it guide my route here. Beyond that, you might as well try asking the cosmos yourself, yeah?"

Tiland Kortun

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Darlyn Excron

“Ahh,” Tiland said, “The conundrum between those who have power and those who deserve it.I have studied a great many ancient treatises and texts debating that question, but none of them have an answer. And the even more fundamental question, is it the title that grants the power or the conception of power.”

He considered for several moments, studying the water carefully as small bubbles began to appear. Another nod and inspection of the tea. He raises the bowl to his face and examines the texture, the size of each particle, and the evenness of the ingredients before smiling and setting it down.

“President of Commenor?” His eyebrows knit together for a few moments before letting a sad smile spread across his face. “I was close friends to the former king and queen, although I worked most often with Veriere. I did get to see Kay again, briefly, before she departed the physical realm.”

His eyebrows raised at the answer and he considered the many possibilities and implications of the words. After a moment, he met his eyes settle on his companion. “I believe it fully. For it seems the Force has called you on a journey, perhaps a quest of some kind even. It is not uncommon, I belong to two different organizations who function entirely upon such guidance. But as to why and why it brought you here, that is something you will have to discover for yourself. As for me, the Force brought me here and told me to wait several days ago, and now I see it was for this meeting.”

 

[Darlyn Excron]

"Those who have power oft deserve none, yet dictate who is allowed it and how much. Everyone afraid of losing it to someone else deciding only they get to be powerful. Master, Lord, Dark Lord, Grandmaster... I find if they cling to titles for power then they themselves lack power that matters. The power to subjugate or protect only matters when you have something worth more than your words on a nametag."

He was watching Tiland carefully, the way he observed the tea while making it. He took it very seriously, that much was clear, and while Darlyn could sort of pick up on what he was probably looking for, he wasn't quite certain he'd be able to replicate his dedication. He seemed satisfied by what he found, and set it down, before commenting on his brief connections to..

Of course bringing up Kay and Veiere brought a dark pit into his stomach, wiping away any joy, fake or real, on his face. He turned his gaze down to the ground in front of him. "Life isn't fair." For that one sentence, his voice felt hollow, emotionless. He couldn't put emotion forward about the topic without breaking down, and now was not an appropriate time. That was all he could manage on the subject for now.

The silence that followed for a brief moment was long enough for him to regain the composure to reform his outward appearance, carefree and delighted at just about everything, even if he wanted to just curl up in the dark now. "Well, I'm not usually one to listen. Too much to do, places to be, politics to hate. Can't just tell my cabinet I'm heading out on a Force quest now can I? They'd never understand, even less so if they bought into whatever a Jedi told them about it. Ah, no offense." It, honestly hadn't occurred to him he could offend this rather nice man by saying something bad sounding about Jedi. "Still... about questing, or journeying, or whatever, would be nice if the Force could be a little more direct sometimes. I've never been one for social ques from people, cosmic forces are a lot harder to understand."

Tiland Kortun

 

[Tiland Kortun]

Darlyn Excron

Tiland simply nodded as the tea finished steeping after several minutes and poured out two cups, carefully. He chuckled at the comment for a few moments as he deftly finished the preparation. "Power is both an illusion and an ineffable truth of reality, depending on how one defines it. As well as the linguistic questions of if words are prescriptive or descriptive."

He set one cup before each of them and sat back, cupping it in his hands as he considered his unexpected tea partner. The man seemed to have a grudge against Jedi. Which, he was not alone with. Many in the galaxy undoubtedly did. The irony was his position on Commenor and thus with the Concord, an organization founded by Jedi.

"Nobody ever said it was fair," Tiland said mildly, but his voice was rich with sadness as he considered the thoughts behind the words. Then the man's mood shifted and Tiland made no comment on it. It was something good to notice at least. "Sadly the Force is rarely direct in its messages and guidance." He laughed, this time rich and deep with joy at the thought. "And it is one of the most frustrating things to try and interpret all of them. But a Force quest, I can understand. It is my entire life, one might say."