Private Master & Apprentice: Introduction - Eyes on the Past

[Rinoi Ssiv]

The Eye of Ashlanae - Knossa, Ossus

The Eye of Ashlanae, the heart of Knossa, and a nexus point for the Force. It had also been the center of Rinoi's life for that week. Everyday he spent on Ossus was spent meditating and reflecting at the Eye of Ashlanae. He needed answers as many religious men did. He needed a retreat as many soldiers do.

After his encounter with the New Imperial Order on Ringo Vinda and the prison break on Yinchorr, Rinoi was feeling conflicted. Conflicted with the Rebellion, the Galactic Alliance, and even the New Jedi Order. But more so than those, he was feeling conflicted with himself. What was he doing? Where was he going? How does this end? These were the questions he wanted answered. These were the reasons for his trip to Ossus. He wasn't letting the force guide him. He was letting his moral compass guide him, and he had a feeling that it wasn't guiding. It was blinding.

So at the Eye of Ashlanae, Rinoi searched his feelings and focused on his connection to the force. A week was spent in meditation. No distractions, material, physical, or mental. Still the answers to his questions eluded him. He opened his eyes and stepped away from the point he hadn't all week. His only realization was that he had been asking the wrong questions, and it was time to begin searching for the right one.

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Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Ossus​

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Like many times before, Kyell found himself on the transport shuttle between Jedi Temples again. Without a Master, consistent teacher, or Jedi he could train with, he took matters into his own hands and attended classes wherever he could. But while the Ossus Praxeum was likely able to help with that, he didn't really come here today for classes.​

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Mostly, Kyell was looking for his own places to meditate and train because he felt like he had fallen behind the other Padawans. They always seemed confident and ready to handle any situation with their developed skills, but what was he good at? He only felt confident in his skills as a musician and he didn't believe that was going to help anybody.​

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So with his backpack on that contained his important datapad, and a flute in his hand, he quietly made his way up to the Eye of Ashlanae, a place he had never visited but heard about. Maybe there he could figure things out for himself, so he sat down quietly and began to play his music. The rhythm, the melody, the key — all were determined by the environment around him, the people and their emotions, and how the Force felt to him.​

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Through his music, he was able to fall deep into the Force.​

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Rinoi Ssiv ​

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[Rinoi Ssiv]

That was when the music hit him. It grabbed him, and stopped him in his tracks. He felt the sound point at him, and then it didn't. The feeling came in waves as the sound flowed back and forth across the Eye. Rinoi thought the song was strange. It was grand, but subtle and winding. One instrument, but a chorus of sound and emotion came with it.

He looked to find its source. After a long listen and a walk led by his ear, Rinoi spotted a young man, about a solid decade younger than himself, with a flute in hand. When he found the man responsible for the song, he found something else. He wasn't sure what it was at that moment but in time he was sure to find out. He felt his surprise and curiosity echoed in the music. With the thought in mind, he sauntered across the Eye and approached the young man.

He didn't want to interrupt so he took a seat nearby, experienced what he could of the sounds, and waited for the young man to take a break.

And when he did, "Interesting trick, Kid. Where'd ya' learn it?"

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Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Ossus​

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Even though his music responded to the man's curiosity and presence in the Force, Kyell himself wasn't overly aware that someone was listening to his playing. He was too immersed in the Force and the melodies that echoed through his mind. And while he took note of how they changed, he wasn't quite at the level yet where he could easily interpret it all. ​

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There was simply too much to listen to.​

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But eventually, his song finished with a long descending melody, and he opened his eyes to see that a man had been listening quietly. It startled Kyell at first, who almost jumped up a little, but he quickly settled back down and smiled somewhat awkwardly. The music was a more personal thing to him as well, so he wasn't quite sure what to think of people listening to it.​

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After the question was asked, he began to frantically dig into his backpack until he found his datapad. He started typing away and when he finished up, he showed the display to the Jedi Knight.​

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{"I can't talk, but I taught myself how to play the flute using files from the archives."} he explained, not entirely aware that Rinoi was referring mostly to what he had been playing.​

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Again, Kyell typed away as something else popped up into his mind.​

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{"I'm Padawan Kyell Laysel, it's a pleasure to meet you."} Once had shown the display again, he'd offer the Knight a bow to show his respect for a fellow Jedi.​

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Rinoi Ssiv ​

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[Rinoi Ssiv]

Rinoi watched as the kid hurriedly pulled his datapad from his backpack, typed a few words in, and flashed the display. It made Rinoi smile to be in that position again. The Deja Vu of it all was funny. After all, the typing of words on a datapad was how he had communicated with his master a few long years ago. It took him back.

Rinoi could remember the sound of Master Vovvaer's claws tapping the screen. She would always say, "Until you learn Shyriiwook, get used to seeing this datapad because there is no way I'm letting a translator taint such a beautiful language." She was a stubborn old bag, but in an endearing way. It was times like this that reminded Rinoi of how much he missed her. The relationship between Master and Apprentice was a special one. He missed that too.

"Pleasure to meet you too, Kyell. My name is Rinoi." The Knight said as he reached out to shake the young Jedi's hand.

"Good on ya' for learning to play that way. Few people have that level of dedication at your age. I know I didn't. Probably still don't," He laughed. Jedi or not, he could be impatient and flighty. "I'm not much of an archives guy myself. I find trial, error, and action can be as effective of a teacher as any."

"What do you think? Is there anything in the archives you think can't be learned?"

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Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Ossus​

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Kyell was used to all kinds of responses to him being mute. Jedi were usually quite understanding but some Padawans would give him odd looks here and there, and especially his method of using a datapad to at least say something was strange to some. So to see the man smile and not be bothered by it at all was a bit of a relief to him.​

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The Jedi Knight then introduced himself and Kyell reached for his hand to shake it. The compliment about his music quickly brought a smile to his face and he'd chuckle alongside Rinoi when he talked about the dedication it must have taken. But in reality, music was probably one of the only things that came somewhat easy and natural to him.​

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So when the question was asked, he grabbed his datapad and knew exactly what he wanted to type.​

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{"I've failed to learn Telepathy... it's just not working for me."} he said and it briefly made him frown. As a mute, it would make learning things from Jedi so much easier but perhaps the biggest reason behind his strong desire to learn it was that he wanted to talk to Ara Sheridan with Telepathy. She became his first true friend not long ago, and the idea of being able to talk to her more easily was encouraging him to really try the whole Telepathy thing.​

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{"Outside of music, I struggle with a lot of my training. The datapad has helped but it's still not easy to work with others."} Which is why he sat and practiced alone more often than not.​

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Rinoi Ssiv ​

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[Rinoi Ssiv]

Rinoi thought Kyell's situation was curious. Mute, and failing to utilize telepathy. The knight knew of many force users in a similar boat. Making up for one's "shortcomings" was a common use of the force. Some made it look easy, others did it with great struggle. He couldn't help but wonder what was holding Kyell back.

With a contemplative sigh Rinoi searched for a few compassionate words. "Wipe that look off your face, Kid. It's breakin' my heart," He didn't sound very compassionate. He'd have to try again. "And don't lie to yourself like that. Failure would mean you've given up, and that look on your face tells a different story. You clearly care about this which means you ain't done yet." There it was.

"You want my advice, Kyell?" The question, more rhetorical than anything else. "Ditch the datapad. You've gotta' commit. It's a great tool but you can't let it be a crutch. You wanna' work with others, you've gotta' work with others," He paused. A second to think about how his words could be found in at least one of the archives entries. Rinoi didn't think Kyell needed words. What he needed was action.

"You mind if I see your flute?" Rinoi held his hand out for Kyell to place it in. If he did, Rinoi would just up and walk away with it. Out of the Eye, and out of the temple, unless he took it or told him to give it back, and not through text on a datapad.

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Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Ossus​

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Kyell blinked at Rinoi's first statement, clearly uncertain as to how he should feel about those words. But the Knight quickly followed up with some wisdom that made the younger man smile. He had dealt with being mute all of his life, and while it no longer really bothered him all that much, he was very determined about finding better ways to communicate with people. His music was one way, and Telepathy would be the next big step for him.​

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Yeah, he wasn't giving up.​

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The Jedi Knight then offered some more advice and after a brief pause, requested Kyell's flute. Not thinking much of it, he offered up his flute, expecting the Knight to show something or teach some lesson with the instrument at its core. But... he just started walking away. Again, the younger man blinked, this time with even more confusion in his expression.​

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Wait...​

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Kyell raised his hand as if he was requesting the man to stop, but he didn't. His path would take him out of the Temple, and Kyell quickly got up to follow him.​

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Wait, don't-​

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For the first time in..., he couldn't even remember how long, Kyell was actually getting frustrated. He was in control enough not to get angered, but who does this Knight think he is? What would Ara do in this situation? Okay... maybe he shouldn't do that, but he was starting to get desperate, and his emotions flowed out through the Force, connecting with the Knight.​

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<T> "Stop." It was a single word, but one that echoed between their minds.​

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Rinoi Ssiv ​

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[Rinoi Ssiv]

Rinoi led the young man through the temple, its grounds, and as far as the path to the outer docks. He kept himself open to the feelings of the padawan along the way. He could feel the small hint of frustration coming from the padawan along with a smattering of other feelings that laid in the background.

The closer Rinoi drew to his ship the more he hoped Kyell would succeed. After all, he didn't need the padawan's flute. The force knew he had enough clutter on board his ship. Knick-knacks and trinkets from travel, relics, holotapes, and datacrons as far as the eye could see. What he didn't need was a token of his shortcomings as a teacher and the knowledge that he had stolen from a padawan. That kind of thing was generally frowned upon, but it wouldn't be the first or last time Rinoi "liberated" an item from someone else, intentionally or accidentally. But before Rinoi could make it to his ship the young man's word echoed in his mind.

The instruction to stop was emotionally charged. The boy cared for his flute, for the music he could make with it, and for the way he could explore the force with it, at least that's what Rinoi thought.

You've got it! Now lock into it if you can. Rinoi's word's bounced back through the connection Kyell opened up between them. It would be easier to communicate as they both focused on it, but there was no guarantee the connection would last. The knight turned on his heels. His hand was extended toward Kyell. The flute was loose in his grip and aimed at Kyell ready for the padawan to take back. "I thought I was gonna' have to leave the sector before you asked for it back." He teased hoping the young man wasn't too upset with his stunt.

"Forgive me for the theatrics, Kyell." The knight requested. "I just thought it would be better to give you a reason to succeed." He shrugged. "Like I said earlier, action can be an effective teacher. Looks like I was right." Rinoi grinned, but not because he was pleased with himself, but because he was pleased with the lesson. It was one taught in true Vovvaer fashion. The Jedi Master always taught her lessons under pressure and it would seem she passed the habit down to her former student, Rinoi. It could be annoying but it was a setup that always worked for them. Now he'd make it work for others until he found his own teaching style.

On the path to the outer dock was where the two Jedi stood, or sat as Rinoi lowered himself down and onto a set of stairs that would climb up to docking platform 1B and to his ship, The Lamplight Ethnologist. He looked toward his ship and then back at Kyell. The gears in his mind began to turn.

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Kyell Laysel​

 

[Kyell Laysel]

Location: Ossus​

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He did it.​

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Kyell could hardly believe it but the singular word he projected into the Knight's mind had gotten the man to stop and turn around. He wasn't even sure anymore how many times he tried to use Telepathy before, but it never actually felt like he was getting closer to making work. At least, until now — he could finally feel that bridge between minds and felt some confidence in his ability to do it again. Now he knew what it felt like, so he'd be able to replicate it again, even if it was a demanding thing to do with his lack of training and experience.​

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<T> "I..." He wasn't even sure what to say and reached for the flute that meant so much to him. The frustration and emotions that echoed through the Force before began to fade, and the smile that formed on his lips made it quite clear that he was excited about what just happened. He really did it.​

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Rinoi then sat down on the stairs and for a moment, Kyell watched him, his mind heavily in thought. But he joined the Knight a few seconds later and looked down at the flute in his hands.​

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<T> "You were right," he confirmed before his eyes shifted back to the Knight, filled with joy. He was working hard to keep his focus on the man's mind but luckily, he wasn't trying to keep Kyell out, so he'd at least be able to hold on a little longer.​

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<T> "So many have tried to help me, but nothing ever worked. Until now...." he paused a moment and smiled even brighter, ​

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<T> "Thank you for helping me."​

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Rinoi Ssiv ​

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