Meditation 101

[Corvus Raaf]

The planet was different. Lothal was no Ossus. But due to the hard work of so many, it had many of the same things.

Inside the underground Academy was a large room. And in the middle of that space was a faithful reconstruction of the Meditation Pavilion that was her favourite place on the planet she called him for over a dozen years.

So logically it was an ideal setting for the class. Truth was, the building was one of Master Luke Skywalker's favourite spots on Ossus and — given the nature of the lesson, seemed perfect.

So she waited for the learners to arrive...hoping the temptation of learning about Moving Meditation, Center of Being, Meditation of Emptiness, Floating Meditation, Alchaka, Emptiness and any other Abilities they may choose to learn would swell the numbers.
So she sat there, violet eyes closed, her standard brown Jedi cloak folded on the ground next to her. She loved Meditation and once the learners understood how varied an useful the Ability was, she hoped they would too.

And she waited for them to come…

Spoiler

Open to any Light-sided Jedi, regardless of Order (or even if you’re not in an Order)

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"Hello, Master."

Dune reported in with a bow and stood before her, waiting for others to file in. Meditation too was something he did a lot of, having a number of extra hours a day thanks to no need for sleep. He enjoyed the act, finding it refreshing and it helped him find his centre. It also had the benefit of deepening one's connection with the Living Force.

Despite learning how to meditate since the age of four, the Bith thought about new forms and ideas. Different ways of achieving his goals. Some beings said that variety was the spice of life. Why not, he mused, it will be enlightening and maybe even fun.

 

[Raya-Tat]

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Corvus Raaf"]

"Look out below." She said it while gliding in and moving on the floor while she came up from a crouch over one or two padawan with a grin on her face as the large bushy tail went back and forth behind her. The thin membrane under her arms retracting a little and pressing against her arms while she looked over at the other padawan and the grandmaster cracking a large nut with her teeth crunching it. "Thank you for this grandmaster." She fell in line and the small teenager was looking around seeing the other padawan before she was bringing her tail around and rubbing her cheek with it.

 

[Ben Corscifine]

Ben entered the Pavilion quietly and slowly, surveying the room as he came in. Ben spent precious little time here, but it really was quite a beautiful reconstruction of the famous and ancient Pavillion that had been on Ossus. Ben wondered silently if Master Raaf found the similarity comforting or disturbing, given her feelings over the loss of the Ossus Temple. Still, as he entered and found the Grandmaster waiting, eyes closed, he could not tell if the Pavillion's serenity emanated from the structure itself or from Corvus.

Ben was not, by any stretch of the imagination, skilled at meditation. In fact, he found it pointless. He knew that this was wrong, but it was an opinion he had failed to shake in the early years of his training. Now that malignant idea had grown into an unconscious block in his training.

A block he hoped his Master could help remove in this class.

Perhaps learning different practical applications for the broad Ability of "Meditation" would help Ben in finally taking to the training. As he approached the gathering of Master Raaf and the padawans, he was pleased to see [member="Dune Rhur"], a peer gifted in mental clarity by any estimation Ben was in a position to make. Ben had a respect for Dune's calm demeanor and practical mind, even in spite of his jealousy over natural Bith intellect. There was another padawan present with whom Ben had no experience. She was small, with a large, bushy tail. Between her teeth she cracked a large nut.

Interesting.

Silently, Ben joined the others, bowing to Master Raaf. Her eyes were closed, but he didn't want to take any chances with his quite-perceptive master. Anyway, she deserved his courtesy. He admired her greatly. He smiled at Dune and took a spot next to the young Bith, awaiting Master Raaf's lesson.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Raya-Tat"] [member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Corvus nodded as each Jedi arrived and took up a place. "Please, talk amongst yourselves. I'll be starting the lesson soon, but we'll wait a few more minutes to see who else might wish to join us. And whilst we wait, please consider which forms of Meditation you would like to learn. We won't finish until we've covered them all."

[member="Ben Corscifine"] - [member="Raya-Tat"] - [member="Dune Rhur"]

 

[Ryker Wylde]

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Ben Corscifine"] [member="Raya-Tat"] [member="Dune Rhur"]

Slow steady strides carried him into the meditation chamber his deep black robes, Stripped from fallen Sith, Flowed freely behind him as he walked. He'd chosen to leave his battle armor onboard the WyldeStyle while he was in the underground academy, Hopefully he wouldn't need them. He kept his own force aura suppressed so as not to give away his alignment, Only Master Corvus would be able to know for sure whether or not he were Jedi or Sith, The others would just have to guess.

The young Togruta would look around for a moment and then nod to Master Raaf before making his way to the front of the room and setting down softly. His hopes for the lesson were that the meditation techniques would help to curb the temptations and pull of the darksider.

 

[Raya-Tat]

[member="Ryker Tal'verda"] [member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Ben Corscifine"] [member="Dune Rhur"]

The padawan looked at the other two had come in and she was watching them while she stood there with a nervous smile listening to the grandmaster while she brought her fingers up tapping them together nervously instead of moving. The glide in here was awesome and fun but she might be a one trick pony offering a smile before she was getting another nut with her large tail on the side of herself. She looked at the Bith with a look moving her tail back and forth while she spoke softly wodering who he was. "So ah hi, who are you." She offered a smile with her large, over developed front teeth before she was speaking. "I am Raya."

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Ben Corscifine"] [member="Raya-Tat"] [member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Ryker Tal'verda"]

Dune greeted Ben amicably and turned his attention to Raya when she spoke to him. "I'm Dune and this is Ben. Pleased to meet you." He gestured him himself and his human friend in turn. He turned his attention to the Togruta newcomer.

Wearing dark robes, hinting at some nefarious connection, the orange-skinned alien was also masking his presence in the Force. The Bith frowned in spite of himself. Although the Grandmaster wouldn't allow a Dark Sider to traipse around the Temple, he didn't like it. What was the newcomer playing at, he wondered.

 

[Ryker Wylde]

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Raya-Tat"] [member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Ben Corscifine"]

He could feel their stares boring through him like a blaster bolt through paper as he sat waiting for the lesson to begin. Allowing his curiosity to finally get the better of him he slowly drew hi.self to his feet and turned to face the others, His deep black eyes peering from behind the Malraas bone mask that covered his face....Hiding it from the world around. When he finally spoke his voice was no louder than a whisper yet still held a dominate tone to it..... "Is there a reason you're staring at me with such discontent Padawan?"

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Ryker Tal'verda"]@Raya-Tat@Corvus Raaf[member="Ben Corscifine"]

Dune regarded him levelly before responding.

"You wear a mask both literally and in the Force. Your robes look and feel of the Dark Side. Sith Lords traditionally have such accoutrements. You'll forgive my...misgivings."

The Bith also didn't like the newcomer's tone of voice nor his body language. He was playing at Dark Sider, Jedi Knight or not. The apprentice didn't like the subterfuge. For the same of the peace, he let it drop as he made a deferential bow of his head.

 

[Ryker Wylde]

[member="Raya-Tat"] [member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Dune Rhur"]


He chuckled softly before raising his hand to his face and slowly lowering the malraas bone mask allowing those around him to see the scars that violently cut from his forehead to his chin nearly bisecting his right eye. His tone just as soft and dominate as before as he spoke once more..... "I wear the mask to hide the marks left on me as a result of my fall to the darksider, And as for the robes, Mine are armor plated and heavy so I pulled these from my collection of robes taken from fallen Sith that fell to my blades......I assure you Padawan, I'm not going to hurt you" With that stated he once again placed the mask back over his face.

 

[Ben Corscifine]

[member="Ryker Tal'verda"] [member="Raya-Tat"] [member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Dune Rhur"]

As Ben greeted the alien girl with a nod and smile, having been introduced by Dune, he silently wondered to what alien species she belonged. Ben never liked to admit not knowing things, but clearly her bushy tale and pronounced front teeth were not of any species that he had encountered in life or in his studies. As he prepared a probing question, a fellow student in dark robes approached Dune very directly.

"Is there a reason you're staring at me with such discontent Padawan?" the man asked, exuding confrontation.

Who does this guy think he is? Ben didn't mind people being to the point, but something about this young newcomer struck him as unnecessarily abrasive. Maybe Ben just didn't like not being the tough guy in the room.

Dune was not a fighter; Ben worried that he may have to do something to defend his friend from this dark-clothed individual. The Bith responded levelly, "You wear a mask both literally and in the Force. Your robes look and feel of the Dark Side. Sith Lords traditionally have such accoutrements. You'll forgive my...misgivings."

Surprised by Dune's solid and direct callout, Ben stifled an excited gasp-laugh and choked a little on it. Good for you, Dune. ​However, Dune immediately assumed his normal state of pacifism and bowed his head cooly. Not Ben's style, but probably for the best. Frankly, Ben hadn't really noticed that the Togruta had been masking his Force presence. He had figured that the alien was just not particularly strong in the Force. Ben wondered how best to approach the situation, and elected to simply introduce himself and end the conversation. He didn't want to make any trouble in front of his master, after all.

"I'm Ben Corscifine," he interjected, looking into the eyes of the masked Togruta. "Let's all play nice here, okay. This is supposed to be a calming environment."

 

[Ryker Wylde]

[member="Ben Corscifine"] [member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Raya-Tat"] [member="Corvus Raaf"]

He respectfully returned the bow to the duros as the human male approached, Ryker could sense the inner struggle of the male and merely smiled at him and nodded his head before answering in his dominant whispering tone.... "I am Ryker of the mandalorian clan Tal'verda.....And to answer your question Padawan, I think I am a Jedi Knight who was being stared at with great discontent."

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Ben Corscifine"] [member="Ryker Tal'verda"] [member="Raya-Tat"] [member="Corvus Raaf"]

The Bith regarded his friend as he interceded, attempting to break up the tension. "Well met, Jedi Ryker Tal'verda. I'm Dune Rhur," he replied politely. 'Ah, it begins to make sense' the apprentice thought as the Togruta showed his scarred visage. The Dark Side was said to take as much from it's adepts as they did from it.

"I am not afraid, Master Jedi. Fear is the path to the Dark Side."

Dune smiled as he quoted the legendary Grandmaster Yoda's aphorism.

"Clan Tal'verda," Dune said with a nod "Ah, Mando'ade. Akaanir pirusti!"

Fight well, he'd said. One of the handful of phrases in Mando'a he'd learned.

 

[Raya-Tat]

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Ryker Tal'verda"] [member="Ben Corscifine"] [member="Corvus Raaf"]

She had remained quiet and was on the edge of her seat while moving with her tail flicking back and forth before she stood behind Dune and near Ben looking at the togruta as she spoke. "Nuts?" She said it to cut the tension with a knife while a few of them were in her hand and she cracked them loudly for a moment. If the other man was of the darkside she was certain the jedi grandmaster wouldn't allow him and endanger them. She might have him as a test but risking her students would be bad for a number of reasons least of all lack of students meant no new ones. So she remained there before wondering what types of meditations there were to learn.

 

[Ryker Wylde]

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Ben Corscifine"] [member="Raya-Tat"]


He nodded to the tailed female and softly plucked a but from her hand and popped it into his mouth with a smile before turning back to the Both and chuckled loudly at his words..... "Ha ha ha, You realize that the end of that statement is " Die with Honor"....yes? He liked this bith, He was odd like Ryker and Ryker liked odd people.

His attention then turned back to the tailed female with a curious look in his eyes as he asked quite bluntly... "I really like your tail.....May I touch it?"

 

[Togo]

Togo stepped into the area where they would train, looking around to see the many other Jedi. He hadn't met many people, as he was secluded for most of his life, but now he has a cause, and the Force would guide him to its will. He moved over to where everyone was standing as they waited for the lessons to begin. He kept an open mind about everything he had learned, knowing that he had much to learn in the arts of the Force.

He bowed respectfully to the Master, and glanced at the other Jedi in a humble attitude. "Here for the lessons I am, greetings. Togo, my name is." Togo then stood back and began to wait for the lessons to start. Glancing at how tall compared to he was the other Jedi were.

[member="Ryker Tal'verda"], [member="Raya-Tat"], [member="Dune Rhur"], [member="Ben Corscifine"], [member="Corvus Raaf"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

@Togo@Ryker Tal'verda@Raya-Tat@Ben Corscifine[member="Corvus Raaf"]

"I didn't realise that." the Bith replied "I'm only familiar with a few phrases in Mando'a. A fascinating culture, the Mando'ade."

He meant that, the Mandalorians were indeed very interesting. Neither following Light nor Dark, inclusive of all species and loyalty to nothing except clan, family and Mandalore itself. Famous bounty hunters, brave warriors but good engineers and designers too. Not quite as good as the Bith, he knew, but that was hardly fair. His species were among the galaxy's oldest and widest travelled giving rise to a need for such professions.

He looked over to the squirrel-tailed apprentice and smiled, trying to put her at ease. He could feel the nervousness radiating from her. "Don't worry, Raya. It was just a simple misunderstanding on my part." He looked over as the latecomer arrived.

"Hello again, Togo. You were at Jedi Cathbodua's healing class too."

 

[Ben Corscifine]

[member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Togo"] [member="Ryker Tal'verda"] [member="Raya-Tat"] [member="Corvus Raaf"]

Wow...Bith buddy knows everyone...

The conversation was progressing so quickly that Ben hardly could find a time to interject. It wasn't that he minded, necessarily, it was just that it seemed as though he were antisocial or something. Every new Jedi that entered the room was introducing themselves to Dune, and Dune seemed to know exactly who they were.

I mean, true, he mostly showed up to the class because Master Raaf was clearly not impressed with his mindfulness, but still.

Ben took a handful of nuts from Raya and chewed them loudly.

Good. Protein is good.

All of a sudden Dune and the Togruta were speaking in Mandalorian. Ben was mostly self-conscious of his own ignorance of the language, but also self-consicous that all of a sudden he and Dune were best friends. Also, apparently Ryker could read his mind, because he had answered a question Ben was sure he hadn't asked aloud.

Dune was his friend. They were going to laugh off that bully together.

Whatever. Ben wasn't upset.

I'm not upset. I'm just here to meditate.

It was a weird morning for Ben.

"Oh, wow, healing. Awesome. Yeah. Bet that was cool." Ben had nothing real to say in response to Dune's greeting of the small, new padawan who had entered the classroom. So, for whatever reason, he said that.

Pfft. I can do healing.

He couldn't do healing.

 

[Corvus Raaf]

Once she was sure that all that were due to arrive, had arrived, she smiled. Starting to speak was always a good way to ensure any late arrivals turned up!

"Thank you all for attending. This class will be slightly different in that I have no set agenda. Rather, I'd like you all to introduce yourself to the group and tell me which forms of Meditation you'd like to learn before the class ends. Then I know which ones to cover. The beauty of the Force is that is is slightly different for all of us. The downside of the Force, as a teacher is that...yes, it's slightly different for all of us. I'll show you how it works for me. For some of you it will be the same, for others, you may have to adapt it slightly. You'll soon know." She smiled again.

"So, I'll start. If you don't know me, I am Corvus Raaf. Please just call me Corvus. I have been a Jedi now for what...over twenty years? Before Ossus, and my dozen or so years there, I was on Corellia - the planet of my birth. And I'm here to teach rather than learn - but if anyone has any tips, I'll gladly use them for my own techniques going forward."

[member="Ben Corscifine"] - [member="Dune Rhur"] - [member="Togo"] - [member="Ryker Tal'verda"] - [member="Raya-Tat"]