Faction Facets of the Force (SJO)

[Edward Sinclair]

He had been away for a few weeks now, making trips to various worlds in an attempt to gather additional support and resources for his cause to end slavery. Things had been rather haphazard in their success with some worlds more willing to aide him than others. Some worlds were still deeply entrenched in their archaic structures, using slave labor to do their bidding. One day he would return to these worlds and show them the error of their ways and free those that were subjugated to such a life.

But he pushed such thoughts and concerns to the back of his mind as he walked into the dining hall, having arrived slightly late. Thankfully, his usual formal dress attire meant he had not needed to take time changing into a different set of clothes after landing. He had headed straight here and made his way through the crowd, exchanging nods and greetings with various passersby. That was, at least, until he spotted Xian Xiao .

He made his way over behind her, doing his best to remain unnoticed as much as possible. He slipped his hand into his cloak then, before taking hold of a rainbow coloured rose and presented it forward in front of Xian from behind her back.
"It's been a while... You're still as remarkable as ever..."

 

[Griet van Vliet]

What was obvious was that Griet just wasn't a master for a whole lot of padawans. And accounting only made it worse: even Subject 648 Slipknot would have realized as much. It's easier to teach financial responsibility to someone that never handled money than to someone with a proven track record of irresponsibility, she thought. But then, a newcomer ( Edward Sinclair ) came around and started calling for someone else present ( Xian Xiao ). Only, after listening to Or'Fol Moric about the major issues of history, it was clear that Griet was not the most comfortable discussing history. She would barely know the history of Iokath, beyond its early history being a cautionary tale about arms races, but not much after the destruction of the Six Gods beyond the early settlers of the post-Gods era coming in to the Valley of the Machine Gods (and presumably the other four known inhabited regions of Iokath) primarily from five worlds: Ossus, Dantooine, Corellia, Onderon and Zakuul. With that said, she went closer to Or'Fol and whoever Or'Fol was speaking to.

"Iokath: it may be a good spot for learning more about the consequences of arms races"

 

[Aurelion Nova]

Interacting with: Sebastian Sebita

Open to all

As Aurelion idly peeled a sliver of some fish onto his fork and chewed on it, eyes downcast and taking in the world through a mental haze, his body began to feel heavy with the onset of an episode of mental isolation. A familiar, cold static settling over his mind as his emotions began to swirl and mix into something wholly numb. Unfortunately for Aurelion the numbness would not be the only emotion, nor the most intense one, he would experience in the beginning of his time here. As Sebastian Sebita approached him and Aurelion raised his head to see who this stranger was he....never really saw him. Sebastian's words cut into Aurelion's heart like a knife. The well-intention of the Jedi Master being wholly lost and consumed by the traumas of his past and, rather than see the man sitting before him, Aurelion's eye widened as he instead saw a familiar, glowering, disapproving female face glaring at him. His limbs all but going numb with fear as he stared through Sebastian as if he were a monster, a nightmare made manifest, and Aurelion's chest heaved as he blinked rapidly.

Everything Sebastian said beyond those first sentences were lost as they tore open old wounds, matching nearly verbatim the chastisement he had oft experienced as a child, joke or no, and it was all Aurelion could do to keep himself upright and somewhat steady. Without a word would Aurelion stagger to his feet and wincing away from Sebastian as if he had been physically struck, murmur out what was likely a polite, ingrained, drilled-into-memory excuse for him to leave before he shuffled himself out of the dining hall altogether. His legs only able to carry him out the doors that opened for him before he collapsed just outside. His back pressed against the wall of the hallway.

Leaving interaction with: Sebastian Sebita

Aurelion panted quietly, eye squeezed shut, and drew his knees up to his chest as he hugged them tightly. Forehead resting on his knees as his ears sagged limply. His body quaking lightly as he struggled to wrest control of himself back from his emotions. A tiny, pervading sense of darkness emanating from him as he shook like a leaf in a hurricane.​

 

[Iston Voronwe]

He turned to Master Voronwe. Slip listened to his story and his explanation. Huh, Slip was kind of confused, but he got the gist of it. "Wow, a planet affected by the Force?! That sounds really cool!" He admitted. "But, wait, day and night come at certain and set times, because of the rotations of planets, it doesn't matter if it was balanced or not, as day and night would still come no matter what. How does this all work?" He asked, his head spinning. Then, Master Voronwe answered his question about voices. Well, that was a confusing answer. "Well, people say my 'hallucinations' come from my mental illnesses, but I don't think so, sometimes it feels like they are really there, just in a place in the Force where no one can see or hear them. Like... they are real, just things from the Force, that appear to me for some reason. Do you understand what I'm saying? Cause I sure don't." He said.

Iston cackled as Subject 648 Slipknot interest deepened into the subject. “Right you are my boy, but does one simply stay in the dark forever, or the light? This does not necessarily lead to balance. When we put the weights on the scales, they always tip in our favor.” He continued to listen to Slip as he spoke on his visions. The boy at this point Iston thought must be so used to others thinking odd of him, he found it brave of Slip to discuss this matter. Iston stroked his beard as he paused and pondered on the young boys predicament. “Slip — in my experience, I can’t say I completely understand where you are coming from on that part.... but, I do understand being pulled so strongly by something you know in your bones it’s something. I believe you child. Tread lightly — seek council — and trust your instinct.” Iston cleared his throat as he stood, his bones aching from sitting so long as he smiled warmly at slip. “My young lad — I rather enjoyed your questions and look forward to seeing you grow. If you ever need anything, I’m never too far to ask.” Iston nodded his head slightly as he began to felt pulled towards the hallway. Ashla was moving, her presence stirring within him as he entered the hallway. He went a ways, turning down the hallway — the metallic ring of his beskar cane heard all the while as he came upon Aurelion Nova . Iston felt the turmoil from deep within as he looked down, a warm smile on the old mans face as he spoke, sounding and appearing to have been caught off guard. “Well hello there young one — I apologize to have bothered you, but I came out here for a breather and am now wondering if you would indulge this old man and provide me with some company? No need to talk, we can just sit here — sometimes a gathering can be a bit much.” Iston sat down on a bench directly in front of Aurelion — his hands once again resting on the beskar cane, his features now slightly hidden in the cool shadows of the hallway.

 

[Sebastian Sebita]

Location: Leaving
Objective: Try to be nice l Leave before I cause another issue.
​

Seb felt quietly hurt that the boy in front of him not only hadn't responded to his well meaning attempt but had also left instead. Quietly ignoring Subject 648 Slipknot question to him about the force sensitive children he got up and began to leave the dining hall. Perhaps he had made a fool of himself that he had the ability to teach anyone and in the back of his mind he wished the padawan Aurelion Nova well in whatever course life would take him. Even if one day that meant they might meet on the battlefield one day.

Who knows where their paths might lead. Seb knew his didn't lead to a padawan of any kind who was unwilling to seek him out though. He had tried for his sister Asaraa Vaashe and now she couldn't say anything because he simply no longer cared about teaching. Returning to his ship he would set a course for Drogheda, his home, at least there he wouldn't be confronted by any form of padawan who might lead him to help them only to leave him by the way side. Perhaps neither a jedi nor a sith was really right for him but that was a thought for another time.

 

[Aurelion Nova]

Iston cackled as Subject 648 Slipknot interest deepened into the subject. “Right you are my boy, but does one simply stay in the dark forever, or the light? This does not necessarily lead to balance. When we put the weights on the scales, they always tip in our favor.” He continued to listen to Slip as he spoke on his visions. The boy at this point Iston thought must be so used to others thinking odd of him, he found it brave of Slip to discuss this matter. Iston stroked his beard as he paused and pondered on the young boys predicament. “Slip — in my experience, I can’t say I completely understand where you are coming from on that part.... but, I do understand being pulled so strongly by something you know in your bones it’s something. I believe you child. Tread lightly — seek council — and trust your instinct.” Iston cleared his throat as he stood, his bones aching from sitting so long as he smiled warmly at slip. “My young lad — I rather enjoyed your questions and look forward to seeing you grow. If you ever need anything, I’m never too far to ask.” Iston nodded his head slightly as he began to felt pulled towards the hallway. Ashla was moving, her presence stirring within him as he entered the hallway. He went a ways, turning down the hallway — the metallic ring of his beskar cane heard all the while as he came upon Aurelion Nova . Iston felt the turmoil from deep within as he looked down, a warm smile on the old mans face as he spoke, sounding and appearing to have been caught off guard. “Well hello there young one — I apologize to have bothered you, but I came out here for a breather and am now wondering if you would indulge this old man and provide me with some company? No need to talk, we can just sit here — sometimes a gathering can be a bit much.” Iston sat down on a bench directly in front of Aurelion — his hands once again resting on the beskar cane, his features now slightly hidden in the cool shadows of the hallway.

​

Aurelion hadn't been outside long when he heard the rhythmic, metallic tapping of a beskar cane striking the floor. Each thrum of the cane's kinetic energy through the floor echoed with Aurelion through the Force and, soon, his heartbeat slowed to match that rhythm in his ears. Raising his singular, pale blue eye Aurelion looked up at the warm smile of an elderly man. Aurelion's pointed ears were tucked down nearly out of sight in the shadow of the stranger and Aurelion quickly averted his eyes from Iston Voronwe in an ingrained, trained response of polite deference. Aurelion's mouth had no sooner opened to try and explain why he didn't want company to talk to when the stranger mentioned they didn't need to talk at all. This made Aurelion's mouth snap shut and, after a tiny, silent moment that seemed to go on forever.... he nodded both in approval of the man's presence and agreement to his statement about gathering being a bit much.


Aurelion would sit there in silence for a long moment, the whispers of Bogan evident to Iston's senses, would coil and radiate from the young boy. Though in a strange, muffled sense likely unlike anything Iston had ever seen before. Like the whispers themselves were both amplified, and being quieted by, the negative emotions that usually empowered them. As if it were almost..... strangling itself. While the light of Ashla the boy drew to himself wavered and cracked, shattering and splintering even as he attempted in vain to harness it to calm himself. Like a child that continued to try and build a sandcastle in the wake of a violent surf... over and over again. A strange dance of both whispering darkness and shattering light, both seemingly at home with the boy but both falling apart in his presence.

It was only after a short time of silence that Aurelion would glance up at the resting, elderly man and finally murmur. "Y-You wouldn't want.... to try and train me... Sir." A single tear fell down into Aurelion's lap and he wiped his eye, his voice low and hollow, not unlike those Iston would have heard from soldiers who knew their fate on the battlefield. His long, pale throat worked as it swallowed and he coughed lightly, eye squeezing shut. "I'm sorry if I..... made a scene. I knew... I shouldn't have come to something like this....."
​

 

[Iston Voronwe]

Aurelion Nova

It was quiet, eerily so as Iston gazed toward the young boy. Bogan was here, but... darkness as Iston had learned over a long lifetime was just an absence of light — and Ashla was here as well. The boy lacked Bendu, or balance — something necessary in order for one to be whole, and this boy was drowning in his own imbalance. This boy was almost a physical representation of why the Tythans had, depended on balance — otherwise there whole existence was at stake. Iston reached out through the force and cast his own presence if willing onto the boy, balance — peace, a calming effect would be felt. Iston would speak, but only through the force. << Focus on my voice — allow it to be a single thought, now turn that thought into a ball of light... all other lights, all other thoughts, focus on smothering them — focus on my voice. >> Iston was guiding Aurelion through a simple mediation, one that would help him for now, to recenter and further refocus himself. << Allow my voice, the light to fill your mind. With each inhalation, it gets brighter... focus on it filling every dark corner of your mind.>>



If Aurelion had followed suite — he would feel recentered. Istons eyebrow raised, pondering the question from earlier, to teach him? “Before I answer anything boy — how do you feel?” He paused, giving him a moment to respond, hoping the mediation would have helped. “You know nothing of me... nor I you. How do you know I’m capable of being a good teacher?” He was curious to see hear his answer.

 

[Aurelion Nova]

Aurelion stayed completely silent as Iston sat across from him. The old Jedi's presence didn't necessarily bother the young Padawan, but he was definitely conscious of Iston Voronwe sitting there the entire time. When Iston reached out to Aurelion through the Force Aurelion jumped in surprise, his eye closing tighter in concentration and it would be very obvious to Iston that Aurelion had trouble perceiving or communicating effectively with him. From Aurelion's mind Iston would feel what would be best, and could only, be described as 'cold static'. Iston's words radiating out like a gentle warmth against this feeling and Aurelion would tense up as Iston encouraged him to focus on his voice.

Aurelion would, however, try his best. The static of his mind became a bit clearer, the wavering uncertainty and fractured mirror-like surface of his emotions clearing somewhat. There was, however, a tipping point. As Iston encouraged Aurelion to focus solely on the light of his voice things began to turn for the worse. A coiled, tightly wound knot of darkness seethed and raged within the boy at this light, standing in stark contrast and defiance to the preachings Iston encouraged to Aurelion.

A low, deep-seated coil of emotions hissed back at Iston from the depths of Aurelion's mind and Aurelion himself whimpered. As Iston questioned how Aurelion felt now he would simply shake his head head and chew on his lip before answering. "E-Exposed..... weird..... fragile....." Were his only answers to Iston's first questions. Though the older Jedi's second statement and further question only confused Aurelion. He supposed he had assumed Iston's intent for approaching... though it didn't seem too far of a guess considering Iston's age and the purpose of this gathering to begin with. Even so... was there anything about the old Jedi that stood out to Aurelion?

Aurelion glanced up, took in Iston's form for the first time as his singular eye swept over Iston's cane, his grizzled but kind features, before Aurelion focused on his eyes. Iston would be able to feel a subconscious effort on Aurelion's part, a gentle, wispy probing of Iston's emotions and presence in the Force, something done without Aurelion even realizing it. Aurelion would then blink rapidly after this sensation passed and would answer. "Y-You... You've seen things....and you still try to help. Even though, l-like you said, you don't know me." Aurelion would shrug passively, his eye downcast as he gave his best answer.​