Private Finding The Calm Within [Kyra Perl]

[Caedyn Arenais]

The Silver Rest,
Home of the Order of the Silver Jedi,
Kashyyyk.

​

It had been a few days since Caedyn Arenais had led a group of the Order's students in a Class on emotional awareness and the importance of self-discipline, however during the session, the young Jedi Knight had been exposed to a certainly vulnerable and insecure Empath among them. Kyra Perl was as bright as any student within the Order of the Silver Jedi, however her empathic abilities quickly set her apart from the group and Caedyn wasted no time in pointing out the significance of her emotional instability during the lesson.

Kyra's influence upon her had them all feeling a little defensive as Caedyn had pegged her, singling her out as an example to be made and there too was an important lesson to be learned. Just how easily an empath can rally others to their cause. Caedyn had his doubts in whether others saw the benefit of the example, as opposed to being distracted by Kyra's embarrassment and frustrations projected across the group. Kyra needed some guidance, and so Caedyn had asked her to come and meet with him for a follow up session.

The Silver Rest was well known to him, the Jedi Knight having served a few years under the Silver Jedi Order before making the return to Svivren and reestablishing the Enclave there. Moving through the halls, he wished to find a quiet place out back of the large facility where they might share in a private discussion within the garden sanctuary. Kashyyyk held a wealth of natural life, a beautiful world of green land, tree's taller than most buildings, forests and woodlands spanning as far as the eyes could see. It was plain to see that Caedyn had a secret love for nature and the outdoors...

Finding a comfortable seat upon one of the benches overlooking the garden clearing, Caedyn activated his Datapad and began to scroll over the latest news out of Svivren while he awaited Kyra's arrival.

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra had left him waiting. And waiting. And waiting. She was so late, in fact, she had hoped he had figured her a no show and left on his own! It was only when she felt the hour had grown late enough that she moseyed on through the garden path, looking over her shoulder like a jumpy rabbit. She came only so she could say she did. She had sensed what the knight had called her over for.

She also sensed he was just a visitor.

The troublesome padawan thought herself very smart at avoiding one of those talking-tos for the foreseeable future! It wasn't as if he'd remember a girl ditching him half a year from now and seek her out for retribution.

Kyra was sure she had it all figured out.

Kyra scattered through the garden clearing, eyes wide as she checked to make sure the area was clear. Upon noticing Caedyn still lingering in place, she froze, eyes wide.

Clearly calculating fleeing. Could she outrun a knight? He looked old.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

The Silver Rest,
Home of the Order of the Silver Jedi,
Kashyyyk.

'It's rude to keep a Jedi Knight waiting like this...'.
​

Caedyn was seated with his eyes closed, body calm and relaxed despite the tone of his voice as his words penetrated the mind of Kyra Perl much in the same way that her emotions had been invoked upon those of the class he had led. Was there a lesson in this? Certainly. Though he wasn't certain the girl would be willing to see it.

Caedyn had never had to have been strict with anyone before now, truth be told. Most people had gotten along with him rather easily as he had always done his utmost to be respectful and compassionate towards others; Yet what he had witnessed during the lesson had concerned him greatly and now the feelings and intentions that he could sense rolling off of Kyra's aura so unrestrained did little to further argue against the need for a private session. Or the several that he would be strongly encouraging those of the Silver Assembly and her Superiors.

If she ran, he would not follow. This was to be her choice, however her complacency to be such a risk would also speak volumes in the eyes of her peers, Caedyn was certain.

 

[Kyra Perl]

Oh she was in trouble.

She could feel it radiating through the air. Was that his disapproval or a premonition? Hardly mattered. She would have ran if she didn't feel that would make it worse. She swallowed hard, her palms turning clammy as she approached. Just as before, her feelings hit the air. The was the most peculiar sensation, as if her species tendency to emit a relaxing aura had twisted with her force abilities.

It had been harmless growing up-- her tangible energy had merely made her charismatic. Now that she was undergoing stressors, it was a different experience altogether.

Kyra stood before him, eyes downcast as she wrung out the ends of her shirt.

"Oh, sorry, was that suppose to be earlier? I thought you meant to start now," she lied, her voice tight. "We can reschedule if you got a place to be. I dun mind."

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

The Silver Rest,
Home of the Order of the Silver Jedi,
Kashyyyk.

"The longer you put this off, the more at risk your friends are of being endangered by you" Caedyn responded with a flat tone, his eyes opening to cast a watchful gaze upon the young woman. He wasn't enjoying this, the need to be stern with her, though he did a better job of guarding his emotions than she did.

"It's a concern to me that you do not seem to take this seriously enough, and to be honest I'm a little disappointed that no one has pulled you aside sooner" Caedyn elaborated, wishing to state the importance behind the issues she were facing. "There is nothing wrong about what you're going through, these talents that you have. You are clearly gifted, but you need to apply more dedication before someone gets seriously hurt. Because it will happen one day if you're not careful".

From what he'd witnessed thus far, he didn't expect that Kyra Perl would take this without argument. He presumed that she'd see this as a harsh criticism of who she was, as opposed to his wish to advise and help her with controlling her abilities. That didn't deter him however from speaking the truth. His class hadn't been enough, so she clearly required a rude awakening of sorts.

 

[Kyra Perl]

He was right in his assumption. Free from the eyes of her peers, Kyra's mortification flowed freely from her. She reeled back, his words feeling like a thousand slaps across her face. She had expected his chastising-- comments on her lack of commitment, her attitude, tenacity to get herself killed by not accepting a master. She had heard it all before, even had angry lightening shoved against her face mid tirade.

He was not the first Master to try and break through to her. Certainly, the last one's questionable methods in the woods of Kashyyyk had left her more unswayable than ever before.

She had not been braced for him to pull in the lives of her friends.

"I will not!" She practically spat. "I would never! I'm a jedi, not a sith! I wouldn't hurt my friends! --who are you?! You don't even know me!"

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

The Silver Rest,
Home of the Order of the Silver Jedi,
Kashyyyk.

"Not directly, yet yours is a stronger influence upon others due to the nature of your abilities" Caedyn countered her argument calmly, explaining the probably risks further; "All it would take is the involuntary sharing of feelings such as fear, anger or anxiety during a mission, that could result in a fatal mistake that could cost someone their lives. This wouldn't be something you had chosen to do, yet would still be a consequence of your lack of control and self-restraint" he watched Kyra Perl closely, hoping that she might see the logic behind his concerns. And if not, there were certainly further incentives that might persuade her to take these concerns more seriously...

"On the other hand, with the appropriate control over your talents, you could empower and rally your peers in the right circumstance. Perhaps were there to be conflict, your bravery or sense of hope could be used to spur them on and give them greater calling to exert themselves for the right reasons" he pointed out, "A form of battle-meditation, though not requiring nearly so much effort...".

"You can choose to be an asset to your friends, or you can otherwise continue to risk their safety" Caedyn informed her, his tone shifting to take on a greater sense of precaution and insistence, wanting to portray the importance behind her actions and eventual decision; "Either way, it's a choice that only you can make. As are the consequences".

 

[Kyra Perl]

Kyra reeled, gaping like a fish out of water. Her mouth worked for words, but her thoughts moved too fast. Noises of disbelief and indignation hitched through her. He used reason and logic, and surely anyone else would have been able to pause for a moment and to hear out his point. But Kyra was not like the other padawans, there was not an ounce of humility in her. She strove for attention and affection in everything she did; she needed it, almost desperately. The words of faith about her future potential were lost. It was hard to hear the compliments when the conversation started with warnings and doubts over her person.

She was doing herself no favors, blinded by the gut response his words had brought about. She was furious. "I-You- I would never hurt my friends! And I'm sick your lot trying to twist me up and blackmail me with their lives! I did just fine at Kintan! I don't have to put up with this; you aren't my master. I'm out of here!"

Perhaps Caedyn had never been spoken to like this by a padawan before. It certainly wasn't respectful, or appropriate. However there was a bit of trauma in her response to him. The yelling. The anger. She had learned it from someone. As she threw it at him there was a spark of fear in her chest-- a need to run and escape, before he overpowered her and forced her to do otherwise.

She expected the worse from him. She had heard only the worst in his words.

She turned sharply on her heel, intending at once to obey the urge to flee. Not again, her body seemed to plea.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

The Silver Rest,
Home of the Order of the Silver Jedi,
Kashyyyk.

"I-You- I would never hurt my friends! And I'm sick your lot trying to twist me up and blackmail me with their lives!
I did just fine at Kintan! I don't have to put up with this; you aren't my master.
I'm out of here!".
​

It wasn't the first time someone had mentioned Kintan, though Caedyn hadn't been there nor known of the events that transpired. All he knew in the moment was the outburst from Kyra Perl in what seemed like more than just a little distress. She'd flown into an upset. Such blinding emotion, she only saw the negative, or at the very least it was all that Kyra was willing to acknowledge and focus on.

Sighing pensively under his breath, Caedyn soon replied with a simple sentence, doing nothing to stop her from her decision; "If that's what you want". As it were, the Padawan remained safe within the Silver Rest, so there was plenty of time and opportunity for her to mull things over without risking her personal safety in say a field assignment for example. She was younger than he was, and he understood the struggle to some degree. If she felt that time and space was for the best then that was her right to choose.

Remaining seated, Caedyn glanced down and reached for his datapad, turning on the device. The glare of the screen illuminated his face some as it flickered to life and for all intents and purposes, he appeared calm and the outside and willing to move on with his day.

 

[Elise]

Weeks later​

The terms of this meeting were not easy for Elise. She did a lot on Silver Rest, but the thing she cared after the most was the development of the padawans. One in particular had been on the council's radar for months, and their concern was only growing with each report that came through. The request sent to Caedyn was not unheard of, but it was unusual. The last time the woman had reached out to the Knight for his assistance, it had over the well being of many padawans.

Now, it was for one in particular.

She waited with her hands folded on her lap, the woman sitting on a bench under a blossom tree in front of the Halls of Healing. She was often found there, a healer herself. Instead of waiting for the visit indoors, Elise took to the sun, breeze streaming through her hair.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Caedyn Arenais had never before been summoned by the Council of the Silver Jedi Order, and so naturally there were a few concerns on his mind as he approached the Assembly Chambers, namely the concern that he may have had a complaint made against him in some form.

To his knowledge he hadn't acted in any way inappropriate of Jedi standing, and his interest and efforts toward the students and their learning had been genuine. All the same, Elise had called for him and so he had no choice but to answer. One did not refuse the Assembly after all.

Entering into the Council Chamber, Caedyn approached the center of the room and lowered his head in a formal bow of greeting and respect to that of Elise, every part the manner of Jedi etiquette when meeting with one's superior.

"Greetings Master" Caedyn spoke as he stood upright, offering a small smile; "You called for me...".

 

[Elise]

Elise followed in behind him.

She took her seat, nodding to him in greeting. She sat there alone today, Silver's attention split between the many threats on their borders. "Knight Arenais, thank you coming. I know it was a long way." She gestured for him to make himself comfortable, the talk she planned a little bit of a long one.

"I have heard only good stories about your work with our padawans. Unfortunately ... we have been having trouble with a group of ours. I am sure you are familiar with them, I asked you to teach a class on emotional awareness with them recently."

She gave him a tight smile, aware of what had occurred.

"Unfortunately, there is one pupil whose progress has only further deteriorated. ...I sense you know who I speak of," she assessed softly.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"Unfortunately, there is one pupil whose progress has only further deteriorated.
...I sense you know who I speak of".
​

Caedyn nodded in confirmation. The lesson with this particular group had proven interesting, a certain empath whose inability to control her emotional influence upon the others had resulted in an shift of concentration, distracting her peers and ultimately resulting in her abandoning the lesson when Caedyn had sought to point out the issue.

"Kyra Perl" He answered, pausing momentarily to gauge whether or not he had been correct. "She has a lot of potential, however proved to be difficult during the lesson and later when I called her for a one-on-one session. Both incidents resulted in her leaving" Caedyn explained, placing his hands behind his back and standing at ease. His posture upright and attentive to the meeting at hand.

"I got the distinct impression that her behavior during the session was the result of something more...-It certainly seemed like an overreaction to our conversation, although I don't know her well either" he elaborated to Elise, looking to the Jedi Master for further insight. The subject had become quickly specific in it's focus, making it easy to see where it was going. She was concerned for the young woman.

 

[Elise]

Elise nodded in relief, glad to see he was already familiar with the problem. "Her record is dotted with incidents like those. At first we thought it was just because of where she came from-- a good family name, wealth-- the adjustment can be..." Well, he could understand. "But no. The girl was making progress, we had asked another Master to take her under their wing and she had seemed to settle in the way we like to see. ...And for reasons I cannot quite pinpoint, she started digressing. Even before the battle of Kintan, where she was present."

Elise took a deep breath, careful to try and paint the full picture to Caedyn, because what she was going to request of him was no small thing. A mentor ship of any kind was consuming, and to walk in blind helped no one. "Since then, there's been many incidents in the field. You can see all the events here, in her file." She briefly gestured to a datapad sitting in sleep mode on the table.

"You see, the master we assigned to her has started to fall ill. And despite his reported efforts, she will not work with him anymore. She growing more ...hostile. And I fear that if someone cannot reach her, I will have to..." Elise's features pinched, her heart aching.

It was not something she wanted to do to any padawan. The decision was life altering, and damaging to a degree that she was starting to worry Kyra was incapable of healing past.

"I am worried about her future. You've met her. What do you think."

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"From what I've witnessed so far, the biggest barrier is convincing her to let her guard down. I feel as though were that to happen, we'd have a far greater chance of getting through to her...-Her hostility strikes me as a reactive instinct. She seemed very defensive, it was as if I'd backed her into a corner" Caedyn spoke his thoughts freely airing them without any effort to conceal or carefully portray his feelings on the matter.

"As you know, I myself came from a background of wealth and political influence. There was always an element of needing to prove myself, but I don't recall ever acting in such a volatile manner such as she has. Then again, I'm not an Empath either" he pointed out, seeking to cover all evident points in their discussion; he didn't wish to sound wholly negative towards Kyra Perl 's future within the Order of the Silver Jedi.

Reaching forward to take the datapad in hand, he spoke up in further question as he accessed the suggested records and data-files containing her history to date; "May I ask who the former mentor was, or is that private information? Speaking with them could shed some light on the situation" he suggested, glancing over the young woman's class schedule, looking at potential periods of leisure where he might gain an audience with Kyra between lessons.

Elise

 

[Elise]

Elise was silent for a pause. "Master Yurioc. She came to us one day, reporting that he kept confusing her with others. Forgetting her name, time of place ... We can confirm he is in the early stages of dementia, a fact which should not yet get in the way of a bond between Master and Padawan, and yet..."

Yurioc's temper was a known thing, his passions showing clear as in inside any meeting he attended as Speaker of the House. Elise had not considered that Kyra might have absorbed that from him, that her own temperament might be a reflection of her bond with him. She looked at Caedyn with a little more hope, the connections he made encouraging her to push the pairing further.

"If she could just stop lashing out-- the others could be reassured of their concerns. The anger inside of her, she needs to overcome it." Elise sat back, her shoulders slumping slightly.

"Or we cannot instruct her any further. We need honest reports, Master Caedyn. We need to be sure the others are safe." It was a dark connotation, but he would understand it completely.

Potential could go either way. Good or bad. Kyra's was being judged now.

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Caedyn hadn't seen Yuroic since he and Asaraa Vaashe were both full-time residents of the Silver Rest. He was like a father-figure to her, and also completed her training where Master Dragonsflame could not. The news of this onset of dementia was unfortunate, and given that he had not heard, he wondered if his Girlfriend had. That would be a discussion for another day however.

"Just so we're clear..." he began to reply, though paused in a moments consideration; "Are you asking me to train Kyra, or simply reign her in?" he questioned, as it hadn't been entirely clear. His experience was limited compared to his Father's and it was easy to question himself in times such as these. He still had a long way to go as a Jedi Knight, yet part of their responsibility was taking on a Padawan, something that he had yet to do.

"This will also see her venturing out of Silver Space regularly" Caedyn pointed out; "The Outer Rim isn't as civilized as the Core and Mid-Rim, there's always work to be found for a Jedi". Though the experience could frankly do Kyra some good if she were to learn to restrain herself and practice some self discipline.

Elise

 

[Elise]

Elise gave him a tight smile. "That is up to you." Elise understood that she was giving the knight a hard case, and she understood even more the importance of healthy master and padawan bond. She would not force anything on him, nor Kyra. "Though, I would read up on the last report before you approach her. There was recently a run in with a sith cult. She was found working with them, her partners life being used to force the behavior. We do not know how far it went," she warned.

"Not to... add pressure to the situation, as delicate as it already was. I know you have your own to attend to, I wouldn't ask if I didn't feel it would help. Please, just do what you can. The rest will be in her hands."

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

"Though, I would read up on the last report before you approach her.
There was recently a run in with a sith cult. She was found working with them, her partners life being used to force the behavior.
We do not know how far it went".
​

Caedyn frowned at the mention of the Sith and Kyra's involvement; She was young and still far too impressionable. More so with her partner's life in the hands of a cult. This was good information to have on hand however, he hadn't realized that Kyra was involved with anyone. Another detail that could potentially lead to problems further down the line, where passions could run so deep.

"I'll look it over before I meet with her again..." Caedyn agreed, though his words faded with a sense of reluctance about him, pausing before adding "I'll save making any decisions until after I've met with her however. I'll want to hear her side of the story". The report was of course beneficial to have, but he wasn't the type to make a decision based upon that alone. He'd learn more through studying Kyra herself and being able to gauge how effected she had been through their personal interactions.

The thought of taking on an Apprentice was a prospect that came with mixed emotions for Caedyn. Part of him felt gladdened by the thought of it, the company and someone to pass on his learnings to; Yet they would also be a product of his flaws and failings as much so as his strengths and accomplishments. He would have to learn how to balance these aspects in their training in order to empower them in area's where he himself was not strong.

"I will send you a follow-up report once I've met with the Girl" he informed Master Elise, lowering his head in a slow and conclusive nod. "If there's nothing more, I shall contact her shortly...".

 

[Kyra Perl]

And there was nothing else to say.





Kyra has been saying less herself since being rescued with Acaadi from a sith cult. She had been avoiding him, and the others, since being released from the halls of healing. Not that she saw a need to be there to begin with.

She wasn’t the one that had been tortured by sith.

A part of her felt guilty for leaving Acaadi to mend without her support. He had always been there for her in the past. She could only hope he understood why. She was protecting him. From herself.

The others had no problem enjoying each other’s company. The padawans In her class were sprawled out in the sun, taking their midday break as a chance to sunbath and socialize. Kyra remained on the steps of the building, her gaze distant as she ignored the cheerful sight of her peers on the lawn. In her hands she fiddled with something. A blue crystal.