First Reply Forest Sounds | Alderaan

[Jalen Kai'el]

Forest Sounds
Alderaan
Tags: Open

Jalen played music for all different kinds of reasons.

Fun, relaxation, expression of complex emotions... and sometimes to lose himself in the moment. He had lost his lightsaber now, an item that he had held very dear to him. A conduit of light that let him protect the weak. Now it was gone, whisked away by an agent of the darkside. That followed by the stress of keeping up with the demands that fell upon him as a healer added up. Jalen needed to escape it all for a while.

So here he was. Perched on a hill on the lush planet of Alderaan, surrounded on all sides by towering pines. His force sight began to blur, the auras of all things blending around him to form a soft cacophany of background noise, all drowned out by his hallikset. Each pluck of it's strings lifted a weight off of his soul, sending his spirit to a place with no struggle. No pain. It was all just sound, flowing together like droplets in the ocean. He liked to be in this place. It helped the young man relax, gather himself back together so that he could face the galaxy. After all, even without eyes it was bleak out there.

Rest was good.

There was lots to think about when his small escape came to a close. Visions from an unknown being, reclaiming his lightsaber, and of course a return to the fires of conflict to heal the wounded. All of that could wait for now. Jalen wanted to stay in this moment for just a bit longer...

A bit longer would do just fine.

 

[Osiris Thul]

---

Shadows passed over the young Jedi like storm clouds.

"I'm afraid you've strayed from Organa lands, my friend."

Flanked by twin honor guards, the Duke of House Thul crossed both arms. Strange music on his family's borders drew him to this place. Swinging one leg over the riding thranta he'd landed on, Osiris dismounted with genteel flourish. He looked down upon Jalen Kai'el wearing a haughty expression before dismissing his sentinels. Their mounts leapt into the sky, the riders confident their liege could handle a blind child.

"One of Count Alicio's wards, I presume?"

Osiris knew better than his guards. He sensed something about Jalen. Something inside of the boy was awake. Something powerful.

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Alderaan
Tags: Osiris Thul

​

Jalen let out a sigh.

He was only about 30 minutes out from the capital. There was no way he had wandered onto some prick’s estate in such a short distance. But here he was, looking down on him as he got off some kind of flying mount, a creature Jalen had felt before on a previous visit. And almost immediately he started talking about… Organas? And Alicio?

“Yeah, I don’t know what a ward is,” the young man shrugged. “And I haven’t met that guy. Just lookin for a place away from Aldera to get some peace and quiet.”

Jalen promptly stood, throwing his hallikset over his shoulder and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“But I guess that isn’t here,” he decided. “If you wanna point me in the direction that leads off your land I’d appreciate it.”

The padawan just knew this guy wanted to start problems. Rolling up with guards, talking about no longer being on Organa land. He didn’t want anything to do with whatever the dude was itching to spout. He frankly had better things to be doing with his time.

 

[Osiris Thul]

---

"My mistake then," the Duke stroked his chin, "I'd be glad to provide guidance of course, although there are few lands more peaceful on Alderaan than those of my house."

Osiris instinctively struck a pose, his cape fluttering on the pastoral breeze. He studied the instrument Jalen Kai'el treated with careless ease that only came with much practice. A perfectly sculpted eyebrow raised in something almost like curiosity. He didn't make a habit of accosting every tourist who wandered from the capital, but something must have drawn him here.

"You are a musician?"

Nuzzling his thranta, Duke Thul retrieved a masterwork alderaanian flute engraved with electrum. Swirling heraldic patterns glinted brightly in the sunlight. Osiris pressed his lips to the mouthpiece and attempted to imitate the melody he'd just heard.

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Alderaan
Tags: Osiris Thul

​

"I'd be glad to provide guidance of course, although there are few lands more peaceful on Alderaan than those of my house."

"That can't be by a large margin though, right?" Jalen remarked with a frown. "I fly down here to take hikes all the time. The most disrupting thing I've ever ran into out here was a bird."

Well, and a snobby guy who flew out of the sky, but that was neither here nor there. His aura seemed to shift, like he was... gesturing. Not that he knew what the man was even doing, of course. Did he know that Jalen was blind? It was rather obvious, the young Jedi thought. After all, it was right on his face. Maybe that was just a noble thing. Out of touch with reality or whatever. That was a good enough explanation.

And then he proceeded to pull out a flute and start playing. Jalen took a mintue to process it all, recoiling from the whiplash. Once he finally got to processing the man's talent, it was... okay. Definately had an ear for music, but...

"Try shifting it up a key," he suggested. "Higher notes lend well to a piece with a more upbeat energy, and you can hit octaves I can't. May as well take advantage of the higher pitch."

Jalen began to play, matching in a lower registry to highlight the difference. It was a good pairing of sounds, and should the commit to a keychange they'd have at least a momentary harmonization that would be quite pleasant to the ear. He had been asked if he was a musician after all. There was no better way to show it.

 

[Osiris Thul]

---

"There are few sounds so sweet," Duke Thul boasted, "As one of my people's flutes in the right hands."

Countless lessons had transformed young Osiris into a competent flautist, but each note sounded very technical. It seemed like his instructors had not dared provide too much criticism. He began to harmonize with Jalen Kai'el and it did indeed create a more energetic tune. Choices grew less certain whenever the notes diverged from his brief recollection, but the duke still attempted to follow along.

"I did not mean to frighten you," he almost apologized afterwards, "Your braid, I recognize the tradition. Count Organa has long been a true friend and patron of the Jedi."

Osiris failed to mention their house's ancient rivalry. Beyond the cosmopolitan boundaries of Aldera many old tensions simmered between aristocratic bloodlines. Some blamed politics for the royal family's dispute with House Thul. Others contested lands. Origins now lost to time until only a habitual grudge remained.

"Do you know Tialga Hath Fallen?"

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Alderaan
Tags: Osiris Thul

​

"I wasn't really frightened," Jalen frowned. "I'm just antisocial."

That was a good way to put it. Besides, he was a field medic. There wasn't much that scared the young man, short of harm coming to his family. He continued to listen to what the man had to say.

"Well yeah," he shrugged, "His wife is a Jedi, and that isn't mentioning the force-sensitive history of the family. I mean, everyone knows the old stories from the revolution."

It had shaped the course of the entire galaxy. Organas and Jedi were linked up countless times across time and space. It seemed natural for such support to continue for the forseeable future. A union between the count and Master Amani really only solidified this relationship. He remembered that party, even if he hadn't gotten the chance to meet the councilmember's husband. The kick he recieved on that day still gave him tremors.

"Tialga Hath Fallen..." the young man echoed. "I think it's popular for funeral processions, yeah? There are a considerable amount of Alderaanians enlisted in the defence force... I've heard it at a few memorials for people who passed in the war too."

He'd probably hear it a lot more in his lifetime too given his profession. Jalen's work delt with the aftermath of conflict. Healing those who could be healed, but a lot of times easing the pain of those in the process of passing. Conflict could bring out the ugly side of life. Perhaps that made such a tune bittersweet.

 

[Osiris Thul]

---

"Too many," Osiris agreed, "Those were dark times."

His jaw clenched. Ancient tales of the warrior queen's triumphs rang in his ears, but Duke Thul saw flashes of crimson lightsabers on a burning world. How could anyone still believe in the light after what he'd seen and done? Everything his people had fought and died for had been a lie. Osiris tried to banish such black thoughts with a forced smile.

"I will teach you something more hopeful then."

Osiris took a deep breath and played the first few notes to Sweet Lady from Alderaan. High above them a pair of thrantas circled on lookout. He drifted off key then found it again. By the time Thul paused to take another breath he'd set a lively tempo clear enough for Jalen Kai'el to follow.

"My people have a tradition known as the Ceremony of Waters," the duke said at last, "Will you share a drink with me from Alderaan's rivers?"

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Alderaan
Tags: Osiris Thul

​

Jalen sighed.

The war was a dark time, but it was a time that had passed. Those who had fallen in battle did so to protect their home from the fate that had befallen Csilla and Panatha. Everyone knew the risk of bowing down to the Maw. They were a cult that desired nothing more than to destroy the Galaxy itself. There would never be light again with such a threat left to fester. It seemed that, emotionally speaking, this fellow had yet to cross the bridge of acceptance.

Not that it was his place to say this, but it was an observation.

He insisted on teaching a new tune, one that Jalen followed along to in the tempo that the man had layed out for him. Jalen followed very well in turn, not missing a beat and improvising rather well to keep the pace. He hadn't had any kind of training, this was second nature. The mention of a Ceremony of Waters came next, which he cocked his head at in interest.

"Sure," Jalen shrugged. "Sounds important. Not an honor I've been offered before..."

It would be rude to say no.

"Oh, Jalen's my name," the young man finally stated. "I'm a field medic."

The healer part was implied. He was a Jedi after all. That was the title he had that connected with people far easier. Everyone knew what a field medic did.

 

[Osiris Thul]

---

"Charmed," the noble cleared his throat, "You address Duke Osiris Thul, Warden of the Castle Lands, Sword of Kaamos, and Lord of Tides."

With another cape flourish, Osiris clapped both hands and a few moments later one of the duke's honor guards dismounted bearing ceremonial goblets. They asked Jalen Kai'el if he required assistance but Osiris was already hiking towards a nearby stream. He removed his belt including a sleek blaster still holstered and ceremonial sword in its scabbard then tossed them all away.

"This is a local custom. Few families still practice it. First we must set aside our weapons in the name of peace."

His honor guard also discarded their blaster. Duke Thul stretched out his hand.

"May I see your lightsaber, Jalen?"

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Alderaan
Tags: Osiris Thul

​

That was a title.

Jalen dismissed the aid of the guards with a wave, following after Osiris. He didn't need their help. He could get around just fine on his own. The Duke explained the practice, setting aside weapons before partaking in the sritual. Seemed fair enough. The problem only came when he asked a rather unfortunate question...

"May I see your lightsaber, Jalen?"

"Don't have one," Jalen sighed. "Mine was stolen. I've taken a vow to not carry weapons in the meantime, so I haven't constructed a new one."

That was a fresh wound. The skin that had been grafted on where his own blade had sliced through him still burned. It wasn't exactly a pleasant topic for the young man, but there was no sense in being dishonest.

"Uh, I got a scalpel," he noted, drawing it from his medical kit. "Is that a good stand-in?"

 

[Osiris Thul]

---

"Stolen?" Osiris frowned, "How unfortunate."

Shock etched itself across the duke's chiseled features. Even after leaving the Order, he had not been able to let go of his lightsaber. Hidden on the grounds of his family estate, the kyber crystal still called to him in dreams. He did not need the Force to sense his question made Jalen Kai'el uncomfortable.

"I suppose it will have to do."

Osiris plucked the scalpel from Jalen's outstretched hand then tossed it carelessly into the grass. He bent down next to the stream, careful not to stain his fine clothes, and plunged a delicate hand under. Ice cold temperatures provoked a brief grimace.

"Let the waters flow over you," he instructed the padawan, "Listen carefully."

The duke began to hum a very old tune. It was simple folk melody, but the care with which Osiris conducted the ritual made it sound far more heartfelt than Sweet Lady of Alderaan. This was recited from some deep memory. He motioned for Jasper to hum along, then with his free hand dipped a goblet into the River Wuitho.

"Now we must give thanks to these waters for the life it sustains. Speak whatever comes to mind."