Don't Listen To The Space Wizards

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

The creatures slowly wobbled towards Aela, moving without trepidation or a hint of fear.

The largest of them reached her, its great open maw reaching towards her with its tongue sticking out. The creatures licked her, leaving a trail of slobber down the side of her face. She giggled, and pet the nerfs head, scruffling its hair and giving it the attention that is so clearly craved. The other nerfs did the same, wandering over to her and offering their attentions.

It was odd, but the explanation was a simple one.

“She has a gift.” Soliael whispered to the Twi'lek. “My mother was the one to discover it with her when she was only four.”

Soliael mused for a second. Quietus had brought that interesting bit of news, apparently Aela had very readily tamed a Skreev that had been bounding around the cages, something that had taken him years to master. A smile drew on his face as he bragged about his daughter. “To her, a raging nexu is like a house cat.”

They did in fact have a Nexu at home, one that Aela had tamed.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera watched the girl as she remained against the frame of the entryway, intrigued by Aela's innate ability to calm, attract, and manipulate the Nerfs with ease, smiling at the future potential she had to hone and use the ability to its' full effect.

"That she does. It's quite impressive for someone her age, but I am sure I don't need to tell you what you already know."

She watched the girl as she continued to play with the beasts for a while. Ossus didn't typically receive many visitors, and even less that held any relative interest in the animals. The Jedi didn't have much pressing business for the day, so she was content to let the girl sit and play for as long as she desired. Though her curiosity of Soliael was peaked. He didn't speak much, and seemed pretty well guarded about himself. She didn't want to offend him by prying too much into his personal affairs, given that he was married to a Jedi master. Had he be a total wildcard she may have pried into things, but as things stood she didn't feel right asking too many personal things unless he openly shared them.

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

A slight hint of smugness entered the air around him, though he said nothing else for the time being as he watched his daughter play with the heard of Nerfs.

It was only when the strange creatures began doing tricks that Soliael let out a small chuckle. Aela using her fingers to direct the creatures into doing barrel rolls. The former Sith Lord chuckled slightly, then looked at the Twi'lek.

“I never had her talent in this sort of thing.” He explained quietly. “Neither does Kira. It's funny how the force works like that.”

Of course Soliael knew exactly where Aela's talents came from, just like he knew where Maleah's came from. Both of the girls held their talents from their grandmother, a woman who had been taming Drexl and Skreeve since before he had been born. Though that wasn't something he was about to share with Seraphina.

“Do you test the younglings here for...talents?” Most held some specific skill set in the force, though not everyone did.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Soliael's words brought a smile to Sera's face, as she related to what he had just said.

"Nobody in my family is Force sensitive. My...talent for it was discovered entirely on accident. It involved dolls, and throwing them without my hands. Scared my father, really. The Force does always find a way though."

The Twi'lek looked on as the Nerfs performed odd tricks that would normally be entirely unorthodox for them. She shook her head, imagining back to when she was a child, and the amusement she would have taken in the joy of being able to command an animal in that manner.

"Tests? Yes and no. Younglings are given aptitude tests, nothing more strenuous than basic Force applications to gauge their control over their abilities, or lack thereof. They are then separated out into groups, telekinetics, seers, healers, etc. Their training is more directed towards these inherent talents, however we do not subject them to forced regimens. Everyone receives the same basic training in the Force and the first saber form. From there, they receive classroom lessons as younglings given by various Masters, and once they graduate to a Padawan learner, they are more or less free to choose their own path, or follow that of their master."

[member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]

It made sense, and in a way it was simple and effective.

He supposed it gave the Jedi the illusion of choice, allowed them to do as they pleased and learn what they wanted. Briefly he wondered just how much they could learn, if that knowledge ever lead them to temptation. Of course a few had, he personally knew Jedi that had fallen to the darkside of the force. He knew full well the effects of craving too much power.

“And you?” Soliael asked almost nonchalantly.

There was a curiosity to his tone, though it seemed he was hardly paying attention. Instead he was far more interested in what his daughter was doing.

 

[Aela Talith]

The little girl giggled.

“Come here you!” The little girl laughed as she jumped straight into the pen. She didn't notice her father taking an unconscious step forward, nor did she really care. Instead she hopped into the pit and began to chase after the largest Nerf within the pen. The creature let out a huff, and then began to run away, skipping slightly as the other Nerf's dispersed in front of it.

Aela chased after the large Nerf, laughing and giggling, eventually tackling it. The massive creature did not sway of course, instead it simply stopped moving, as if Aela's touch had frozen it. The little girl grinned, nuzzling her face into the creatures neck and petting it gently.

An air of calm settled around the Nerf pen.

“Shhh.” She whispered to the creature. “It's okay.”

The articulate little girl continued to soothingly pet the Nerf, the others gathering around her and nuzzling her slightly, as if to welcome her among them. It was an odd sight, and perhaps worrying to some, though for Aela who had stood in a circle of Skreev and felt nothing but adoration this was nothing.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

Sera raised an eye as Soliael prompted his brief question, unsure of what exactly he was referring to her opinion of. "And me? What do you mean?"

Her attention was then diverted to the girl jumping into the pen of Nerfs without a care in the world, shouting after it as if she wanted to catch it. Judging by her excitement of the beasts and her lack of desire for much else, the Twi'lek began wondering if she came all this way from home simply to play with some animals at the Jedi temple. Nerfs weren't exactly rare beasts by any stretch of the term, so she couldn't imagine that this was some kind of rarity for the child.

All the same, if she wanted to sit in the pen and play, Sera would stand and watch. Unless some crisis demanded her attention elsewhere, she was content watching the kid enjoy herself.

Moving a bit closer to see over and into the pen she observed the girl speaking to it, consoling it while the others drew closer. For a moment she smiled, considering the possibilities of commanding a sort of Nerf army with this little talent of hers. Her momentary daydream of a Nerf army was cut short when her subconscious reminded her that most of these animals would be Nerfburgers sooner or later for the staff at the temple. Probably best not to inform the child of that though.

[member="Aela Talith"] | [member="Soliael Devin Talith"]

 

[Soliath Devin Talith]

[member="Seraphina Shel'tah"]
(Not posting Aela, presumed training Nerf army)
Soliael simply smiled, content to watch his daughter.

Of course he realize the would have to move on eventually. Probably better to do so sooner rather than later, after all they did only have a limited amount of time. “I meant your own talents.”

There was no beating around the bush here, why bother? He would volunteer any information about himself if the Jedi asked, he expected she would do the same. Though of course secret were tantamount to...whatever it was that they did here. After all the Sith had attacked Ossus more than once and had even conquered it for more than half a decade, he suspected that any secrets they had left here, were well hidden.

Not that he was after secrets.

 

[Seraphina Shel'tah]

The head-tails draped behind her shoulders adjusted slightly, curling ever so gently around her neck while she thought about herself and the question [member="Soliael Devin Talith"] had asked.

"My mind is my talent." She paused, considering the best way to word the intention. "I've been gifted with an affinity for telekinesis since I was a child. I've spent my life since joining the Jedi building on that. I've a few other lesser specialties, but that is most prominent."

She smiled, the Twi'lek knew that she wasn't distinctly the most powerful telekinetic that the galaxy had ever seen, but she had devoted quite a bit of time to specifically training that, while incorporating it into her Form IV Jar'kai style of fighting. "So you said that she didn't learn this from either you or Kira? What talents of yours have you taught to Aela? And if you don't mind my asking, what are your intentions for her when she gets older? Is this something you intend to teach her to keep guarded unless necessary? Or is she to become a fighter or defender for some government or ideal?"