Home on The Range

[Darth Empyrean]

______________________________

The move had taken a week, despite the promises of the crew to bring what little furniture he had over in far less them; but it had finally managed to complete with little in regards for further delays. The estate itself was Maliphant’s personal project, using the wealth he had taken from places like the Shadowport in the Outer Rim Coalition’s Pergitor system to change the entire nature of the facility; mostly bringing it up to date and further altering it to accommodate the new ‘family’ that was to live within.

Various rooms had been set to offer the group everything they desired, with all the room to grow they needed, fitting that of a mansion more than that of the apartment they had just moved from. Between Odona, Thesh, and the newly aquintated Nilia, the facility was somewhat empty besides the small army of droids maintaining the facility in every aspect; even going as far to make the group their meals when so requested.

It was the early morning, the sun rising on the horizon and illuminating the jagged edges of the red rock canyons, reflecting vaguely off Maliphant’s eyes as everything was covered in a soft orange glow. The Sith sipped on his coffee as the wind brushed past him, throwing aside the alabaster ponytail and jostling the sweat pants he wore. Steam rose from his small black cup as he watched a distant deer-like creature leap and bound through the bushes, finding a small escape in that which was nature.

He’d been up most of the night, as dreams and visions kept him awake. His face however, didn’t show his lack of sleep, but he pondered them still, the face of ones such as [member="Irajah Ven"] or [member="Marcus Itera"] kept picking up, never forgiving. There was a story to be told within those dreams, but none of them could be made out, only that they were a mystery to him.

A painful one at that.


[member="Nilia Saavilin"] │ [member="Thesh"]

 

[Lief]

It was strange, to be sure, coming to this new place.

Where previously Thesh had been responsible for keeping the apartment in clean, working order, since the move those responsibilities had been stripped from him. Instead an emphasis had been placed on self-study, alongside his usual lessons and training sessions with Odona and Maliphant. It was rare at this point to see the boy go anywhere without at least one book in his grasp, his trusty pocket-basic-dictionary in his robes or open on the ground beside where he sat (and Thesh almost always sat upon the ground), lost within works of fiction or the annuls of time. Within teachings of those long since dead, yet living on in the memory of their scriptures.

Slowly but surely he was making his way toward freedom, a freedom he had never known even back on Ession. His place was not to clean, or to bring home credits, or to watch over siblings, or to keep their flock safe. It was to grow, to serve but in other ways, and he hungered for more though he was not one to complain. For what was there to even complain about?

That day, Thesh had been up before dawn. His curls were particularly untamed that morning though he made no attempts at rectifying that fact as he made his way quietly through the forebodingly large estate. A small tower of books lay within his grasp, on all manner of things from The Rule of Two to Alchemical Techniques. The latter had truly caught his attention, and even as he walked it was opened on the top of the stack and every now and then - when he was certain he wouldn't run into a door or a droid - he'd read a line or two. Or three. He couldn't help himself.

It was quite a sight, to see the all-too-small boy hefting around so much reading material, in fact his first day in Maliphant's care had seen him struggle to hold as many books and in fact he had dropped them. Now, though, their weight felt far lesser.

Out into what was becoming a bright dawn he stepped, quite ignorant to the fact that the balcony of choice was presently in use, and after taking a few feet he slumped down to the ground and lay out the books he'd be reading excerpts from throughout the day. The dictionary was placed just before him, and that same tome on Alchemical Techniques was settled into his lap ready to be read in the morning glow.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

As the distracted pitter patter of feet interrupted his morning gaze, Maliphant turned his gaze towards the small form of his growing apprentice, a faint smile forming on his lips. They’d been together for some time now, the slow growth of his apprentice more visibly by the day as he turned into a young and exceptional pupil to his tutelage, something he appreciated more by the day. The boy had yet to disappoint, and it encouraged him to offer him more and more of what Maliphant held close to his chest, the knowledge he’d kept for so long.

Walking towards the boy, he leaned down, glancing over the book he was reading before speaking, his tones carrying a soft exhaustion that permeated through the distant cries of birds and ever present roar of the waterfall far from the compound;

“You’re growing into a fine young man, Thesh.”, he said with a soft, reassuring smile.

“I’m proud of you.”

He let the words hang there for a moment, watching Thesh for any emotion before resting a hand on the boy’s shoulder, only to stand once more and glance to the cliffs outside the home;

“What’re you learning now?”

[member="Thesh"] │ [member="Nilia Saavilin"]

 

[Lief]

Caught off guard by the fact that his Master was present, and mentally scolding himself for not focusing more on his surroundings, Thesh drew his gaze up the length of Maliphant's body and met his gaze as the compliments were sent his way. Though he had yet to admit as much - and likely never would - he lived for such moments when he pleased the man responsible for his freedom, wanting nothing more than to make him proud wherever possible.

Although he had not come out, books in hand, to do so, and so Maliphant's words made the boy swell with pride all the more.

He didn't say anything at first, never quite knowing how to respond to praise, yet when the question came his excitement regarding the book was much too palpable for him to hold back for very long at all.

"Aperion, currently," the boy explained, closing the book over his finger in order to examine its cover, "Specifically ways to tap into it, Master, to alter the very fabric of creation." As he was speaking, his eyes seemed to light up. It sounded almost too good to be true, yet whether it was fact or fiction mattered not to the boy in that moment. While he didn't doubt it was something his Master had already read, and thus understood, he could not help but want to speak more on the subject, in fact he was practically bouncing where he sat. Of course, that was only figuratively speaking. In truth he sat quite still. "I hope you don't mind, Master, I found this book within the library and I've hardly been able to put it down."

A change had come over the boy more recently; he'd opened up, was more prone to conversations with substance rather than short and automatic responses. He'd caught up on his regular old education rather swiftly, though even so he kept the dictionary on hand as many of the books he preferred to read used archaic and superfluous language. Thesh suspected it was to make themselves seem more noteworthy and learned, but he didn't mind. It was fun to learn the meaning of those longer words.

Needless to say, his confidence had grown. Especially around the close-knit group of people he resided with.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Darth Empyrean]

“I don’t mind at all.”, he said as he took a small sip of his coffee, glancing back to the boy.

“So long as you can understand what you’ve written, I have no qualms about it.”

There was little he wouldn’t entrust with the young acolyte, knowing full and well that the more interested in a subject he was, the more likely he would comprehend what it was he was reading. It was the only chance they had for a self tutored child to truly understand what they wrote; but to fall into such subjects so early with such zeal was not seen often, even within the Academy's. Although he was sure Thesh would do well in one now, he had a faint doubt they could push him as far as Maliphant could on his own, even though the act of training an acolyte was all new to him as well.

It's what he had Overseer Seki to talk to for, her aging knowledge a small gift imparted on him to help teach his personal apprentices with haste.

His attention slowly drifted back to Thesh however, looking over his fledgling features. The boy was at the cusp of puberty, and pressing ever further into young adulthood. It’d only be a matter of time before he questioned his emotions, his wants and needs, and who knows what else. Maliphant only hoped he’d have the ability to control the child, as the rate he was moving thus far was exceptional. He feared the day might come that he isn’t able to restrain the boy, and action would be taken.

“You know Thesh, some say that Aperion is what is directly manipulated to form many Force abilities. Telekinesis, Lightning, Combustion, all things that have a foundation in its control.”, he said with a nod.

“Some Sith dedicate themselves, and their entire lives, to the study of just this aspect. What do you think of that?”

[member="Thesh"] │ [member="Nilia Saavilin"]

 

[Lief]

Sheets of paper could be seen jutting out of the book here and there, page markers filled with notes. Some of the sheets were even transparent, giving the illusion that he'd written over the page itself and allowing him to underline and make notes about very specific lines of text without damaging the book itself. He'd gotten quite the system in order, and while it may not have been the traditional route, while it may not have made sense to someone else, for Thesh it was perfect. Allowed him to spill his mind onto the page without too much added pressure.

"Thank you, Master," the boy said, glad that the book wasn't about to be taken from him until a later date. It was a heftier book than most he had read to date that was certain but all that meant was that he'd take a little more time and care to read each page, sometimes reading the same page numerous times over until he fully understood and digested what it was trying to say. He couldn't imagine having to finish only part way through the book, unsure of when he'd study from it again.

He listened as Maliphant began a series of statements which culminated in a question posed to the lad, and after giving it a few moments of thought he tapped the spine of the book still closed over his finger and glanced out over the landscape which lay around them.

"I think that it's interesting, Master, though Aperion is just one of the aspects which makes up the Force, which makes up life, and matter. I don't know if I personally could ever risk limiting myself like that..." Not that the boy had a necessarily outstanding grasp of the Force at present date, though he learned more as the days passed by, and in truth his studies surrounding such had already begun to surpass his knowledge of the blade, "To never draw upon the Anima, or the Pneuma? To toil with the threads of reality, yet not life, animation, conscious thought?"

The wonders of the mind was something he craved knowledge on, even in his presently innocent state - for Thesh was far from cruel or malicious - he wondered what it would be like to bend minds, and thoughts, and matter, and life itself to his will. To take back the power which he'd been without for countless years now, to hold such a sway over the Force and the threads it weaved throughout the Galaxy.

"Though..." the boy finally came to say, quieting his mind from all of the excitement he was throwing its way, "Mastery of all is significantly more impossible than Mastery of some. So perhaps it is wise of them to focus on just one aspect, to know it so intimately."

It was definitely something to think about, that was for certain. Perhaps researching those that dedicated themselves so strictly to one aspect over another might prove fruitful, to see the culmination of their efforts.

One thing was for certain, though, Thesh had never been quite so passionate about a thing before, at least... Never so vocally, and never around his Master. Perhaps it was their new home, and the releasing of so many secondary and more menial duties, which had brought it about, the breaking away of that slave-like mentality which had haunted him for years.

[member="Darth Maliphant"]

 

[Nilia Saavilin]

Bastion, Harper's Respite, Undetermined Time
Quiet Contemplation | Interacting with [member="Thesh"], [member="Darth Maliphant"] ~ Castle ~ "Sick of all these people talking, sick of all this noise."
——————————————————————

Bastion seemed to be like any other world.

Which meant it invoked absolutely nothing in Nilia except a distinct reminder of how much she missed Eadu's storms.

The way that Wild Space world could paralyze was incredible, an experience worth seeing once. The only respite found was when it snowed instead of rained, and even then, that never lasted long, and days of sunshine were even rarer, perhaps only a few times a year. Bastion didn't seem like a world that saw much of any natural elements except the sun, which panged her inside.

What she would give to safely return to Irenic, her city, to see their rare snowfall.

Being an apprentice, student, acolyte, whatever-the-word-was, it was an entirely different experience to anything she'd ever engaged in before. Diplomatic training hadn't been as hard or confusing as this, navigating the shark-infested waters of the Sovereign Senate had been a dream compared to this. Now she had to expand and open her mind to new but not entirely unknown elements, tap into something that had always been present within but utterly ignored until her adult years.

Fitting with the theme of a relatively lazy day, Nils opted to dress in something a hair's breath away from sleepwear, a robe only denoting the fact it was a little more casual. She prided herself on always dressing and appearing to her absolute best, but today she didn't care. Her burgeoning senses guided her through the halls of her new residence, in search of company. And it didn't take her long to come upon Thesh and her new Master, silent as a ghost, not wishing to intrude but clearly interested in their topic of conversation nonetheless -- After all, her only experience with the Force had been a bond and some rudimentary 'feelings'.

How much more was there?

 

[Darth Empyrean]

As the boy went on, Maliphant did little to interrupt him, every moment his vocalized his thoughts another chance to cement those in memory; and every chance to instill in the child a strong capacity to learn and discuss such with those he trusts was a victory. A small smile crept onto his lips, hiding it faintly behind a psuedo sip of his coffee, though eventually giving in and taking another gulp of it down as the sun rose ever higher on the horizon.

“Everything you say is true, but those who focus on one only due so out of necessity…”, he said with a faint hint of intent.

“The truth of the matter is, Thesh, there is absolutely no limit to your abilities should you dedicate the attention required to refine them. While you’ll always be stronger in some aspects, consider the numerous books written on Darth Sidious-”, he continued as Nilia walked onto the balcony to join them, without his knowledge.

“Sidious was a man who accomplished much, but his knowledge in the force was exceptional. His writings are extremely hard to come by, but there are a few that teach almost everything he knew, and to say he limited himself to only one area of the Force would be… Well, ignorant. He was a great Sith, and a greater tactician.”

“I’ll see if I can’t get a few more documents on him next time I’m at the market…”

As he said that, his eyes slowly drifted to Nilia, offering her what smile he could. She seemed tired to the Sith, though the curiosity in her gaze was more than enough to catch his attention. A quick glance to the sunrise, and he looked back on the older of his apprentice’s, speaking low for the sake of the morning’s lazy nature;

“Goodmorning, Nilia. Did you sleep well?”, he said with a genuine curiosity.

[member="Nilia Saavilin"] │ [member="Thesh"]

 

[Lief]

______________________________________________________________​

​

Bastion, The Outer Rim Territories // Harper's Respite​

Discussing Force Theory // With [member="Darth Maliphant"] and [member="Nilia Saavilin"]​

♫ // Peel the scars from off my back​

I don't need them anymore​

You can throw them out or keep them in your mason jars​

I've come home​

______________________________________________________________​

As his Master turned it into a teachable moment, Thesh sat and drank it all in.

He found himself encouraged and inspired by the man's words, with those old shackles no longer weighing upon his soul the boy had begun to yearn for a future of his own creation, to grow in strength and in knowledge. If dedication was what it took to reach those lofty aspirations then the boy would continue on as he already had been, two-fold now that his other duties had been taken over by non-organic forms.

At the mention of Sidious the boy turned his sights back down to the book in his grasp. While it was not one of Sidious' own works, it drew heavy inspiration from his teachings and that name was one he'd read multiple times throughout the chapters he'd glanced over so far. Which made sense, after all those three aspects were his own thoughts on the matter. Who knew if that was the way things really were, and if it provided a focus, an angle from which to approach the subject, then did it really matter?

Half of the battle with the Force, he had come to discover, was visualization and comprehension, though that was not to say remarkable things could not be brought to fruition on complete accident either, though the latter was typically out of a primal urge for survival... When one was pushed to breaking point.

"I will learn all that I can, Master, and all that I must," at this point he too had noticed Nilia's arrival on the balcony though for a moment he remained preoccupied by the conversation they'd been having, "But what necessity could cause some to narrow their focus?" He pondered that for a moment, before settling on an answer of his own, "Are there some who are physically incapable of drawing upon certain aspects?"

He turned his head then to where his co-Apprentice was standing, and offered her a rather bright smile. "Nilia!" he began, by way of greeting, though some of that cheeriness seemed to dwindle when he looked upon her more tired, and arguably somber countenance. "Is everything alright?"