Private Perfect Imperfection

[Amani Serys]

Jedha

Amani wasn’t supposed to be away from Silver Rest right now, and most certainly not supposed to be out of Concordia space. It was the first time she ever lied to the Jedi, sneaking out at night to ensure her escape went smoothly, with only EmTee in tow. It was surprisingly easy to convince him at least, all she had to do was tell him that if he really was supposed to take care of her, then he would need to follow. That at least spared her from being snitched on to one of the Masters. Of course, she would still have to face them when she returned, and every second she was away made her feel more sick. This one was not used to breaking rules.

The hooded padawan leapt down from her ship, the dust kicking up under her feet and blowing away in the harsh winds. “Miss Serys, are you sure this place has what you are looking for?” EmTee asked, hopping down beside her.

“Yeah, I can sense some inside.” Amani shifted through the dunes of sand, spotting the cave entrance dead ahead as she crossed over. Going into yet another cavern did not exactly excite her, but she had little choice. She cautiously crept into the mouth, darkness enveloping them with just a few steps inside, the only illumination she received being the lights coming from EmTee’s face. She had no lightsaber to aid her, and that was exactly why she was here. This cave had kyber crystals further inside, and it was time to earn a new one.

Amani could have sworn she was alone. And yet, a tugging feeling itched at the back of her mind. The feeling you get when it seems like someone was watching. She tried to cut it off, pressing onward in silence.

Barrien Siegfried

 

[Barrien Siegfried]

MIDVINTER

After the fight on Yurb he had been drained and quite injured. Many wanted to tend to him, but his allergy to bacta and ryl korr had made it impossible for anyone who wasn't a healer to do much. In the end they had wrapped his wounds with anti-biotic ointment and left him to rest. It was all they could do. He did not wish to stay and allow a healer to spend copious amounts of time working on him, and since he had given up part of his life force to Amani Serys they wouldn't be able to fully heal him.

So he went to the place that most closely reminded him of home, though did not stay where he had before. At that particular moment he was sitting on the edge of a bed, clothed in pants only, and was re-applying his bandages after switching to new ones and applying new antibiotic ointment. As he was doing that he felt he was being watched, but when he looked around he didnt see anyone, at least not at first. Something was definitely amiss, though.

Stretching out with the Force he suddenly found himself looking at Amani like she had appeared right in front of him.

"Amani?" he questioned. "What is this? What are you doing? I know you should still be resting and reaching this far across the galaxy is too much."

 

[Amani Serys]

Barrien Siegfried

Amani nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard her name, yelping and whipping her head around to see her fellow Jedi now behind her. "Barrien?! W-what are you doing here?!" She stumbled backwards, catching herself just barely from falling prat first onto the stony floor. The padawan clutched at her ribs as a wave of pain set in from the sudden movement, her voice now wheezing. She knew for a fact she never saw him nearby, there was no way he could have been that stealthy. Not to mention his apparent situation. She gave him a bewildered look, "What are you.... doing.... in general?"

EmTee looked at his patient quizzically, "Miss Serys, are you talking to someone in particular? Perhaps you are suffering hallucinations. I told you we should have just stayed at the temple! Where you would still have access to your medication!" She was far too confounded by the situation to respond, but noted the fact that EmTee had seemingly no idea what she was referring to. "I-I'm not... trying to do this. I don't know... what's going on." Rather obviously she was doing something she wasn't entirely supposed to, given her demeanor, which held more than just startle from Barrien's sudden appearance.

 

[Barrien Siegfried]

"I'm not sure where you are, but you and I aren't in the same place," Barrien assured her.

It wasn't possible for him to see her surroundings, but he had the feeling she was somewhere potentially dangerous and powerful. That much he could feel through whatever the connection was between them. Like her, he wasn't at all familiar with what was going on, but as he didn't feel as if energy was draining from him, and she said she didn't do it or know what was going on, he could surmise only one answer. It was an obscure facet of the Force and in his reading, he'd only heard about it being orchestrated by Darksiders, but it seemed possible that it could also form more naturally. After all, twins seemed to have a similar connection.

"As for what I'm doing, I was changing my bandages. Since I'm allergic to bacta and ryl korr I have to heal the traditional way: over time. I'm on Midvinter at the moment, sitting on a bed in one of the Inn's. It seemed a good place to rest and relax for a while. Now as to what is going on here, I think when I was healing you, and I transferred some of my life essence into you to keep you alive, it has formed a connection between our minds, and it has now manifested itself."

Strange, and potentially problematic if it happened during a time when he was intimate with someone. Or in the shower. Or a variety of other places. Potentially the same with her. This could be awkward.

"Where are you?"

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Barrien Siegfried

Amani winced in vicarious pain at the idea of having to heal entirely without bacta or ryl korr. Her own injuries were hell to get through as is. The breathing troubles slowly subsided as Barrien spoke, giving her a chance to steady herself. "You... gave me your life essence?" Her memories of the end of the battle were still vague, and she understood she would have been unconscious at that point. She also understood that it was Barrien who got her to safety, though she didn't quite realize just how involved that role may have been. It... made sense, she supposed. Certainly strange. And unfortunate if it couldn't be controlled. Amani came to a similar conclusion as Barrien regarding any potential awkwardness. The padawan's face flushed and she shook her head, muttering a decidedly un-Jedi-like word under her breath. This was already awkward enough to her.

Barrien asked her where she was, and she jumped on the effort to change the subject a little too eagerly, "Uh, Jedha. In a crystal cave." She facepalmed hard, the smack echoing in the cave faintly. Very nicely done. Not doing great at the whole keeping a secret thing. Amani made her way further into the cave as if to try and get away, stuttering to explain herself, "It's not a big deal! I'm just getting a new kyber crystal."

"Shall I begin contacting medical services?"

"N-No, EmTee! I'm not hallucinating anything. We'll be in and out before anything bad happens." She winced again, hoping Barrien didn't hear that last part, but knowing he almost certainly did.

 

[Barrien Siegfried]

"I had to in order to keep you alive and I couldn't let you die. I had my reasons for cutting my life shorter in such a way," he assured her.

His own reasons. Reasons he would decidedly not share for the time being. Reasons he may never share. Not that it particularly mattered in the moment. He couldn't allow her to die and he hadn't. She was alive thanks mostly to the help of the Lervon that had rushed to assist when they saw him. All he had done was kept her from dying before she could get the help she really needed. He deserved nothing for it and would not ask for it. It was, after all, his duty to help.

When she mentioned Jedha and the crystal caves he frowned. Not the safest of places on a good day, but she was still recovering. She spoke to a droid, he could tell by the name, and he knew for certain she had left when she shouldn't have.

"If I weren't on the other side of the galaxy I would board a ship and come to you right now. You should be resting. You sacrificed much in the battle, and the things you did will have drained you. A crystal could have waited. And why Jedha? Would not Ilum have been safer? At least the temple there still stands."

He didn't like it all, but he knew she wouldn't leave and that he couldn't reach her in time to be of help. Instead, he focuses on maintaining their connection. Maybe he could guide her at least.

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Barrien Siegfried

Amani was shocked to hear how casually Barrien explained his actions, "You really shortened your own life from that?" It pained her to think that he would do that. "You didn't... need to do that." She didn't know how to react. She wanted to thank him, but couldn't find a way to express it. It hardly seemed fair for him to have to do that, and she was at fault. Her own reckless behavior led to it all. She wanted to say sorry more than anything.

When Barrien tried to bring logic into it, she went on the defensive. "Hey, I've rested plenty! I need to do this so I can get back to being a Jedi!" She threw up her hands, "I don't know! Jedha just... made sense! I felt it." She pushed further into the cave, gliding her hand against the cave wall as a guide. A few moments passed before she tensed up and sighed; Her frustrations were getting the better of her once again.

"Barrien, I... I'm sorry. For the battle. For everything."

 

[Barrien Siegfried]

A nod was the response to her question. He had less need of a long life and she was younger with a bright future, whether she saw it or not. Truthfully, he was rather proud to see her fighting through her injuries in an effort to return to service. It showed an incredible fortitude and dedication. It also showed him that despite her lapse, she was still intent on staying with the light. He had been worried about that bit. There had been quite a lot of falter in the battle.

He put away his bandages and things and sat cross-legged on the bed, regarding her as she walked. Her outbursts were ignored. Under the circumstances they could be expected and he wasn't going to chastise her for letting her temper best her. It was better for her to realize it and calm herself, which she seemed to do, as she spoke again, offering apology.

"You reacted as you felt best and did what you felt you must," he said, voice gentle and calm. "You needn't apologize to me. I would do it again if need be and I regret nothing. Your life is important, just as all lives are."

Reaching out a hand, he touched the vision of her and found it surprisingly tactile, as if she were really there. His hand touched her forehead and then cheek.

"Speak your mind, Amani. I can tell that much weighs on you. This hunt for a crystal is more than you think it."

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Barrien Siegfried

She didn't know how to respond to his words. It felt sincere. The conflict made her head spin. He justified her actions, but at the same time, she knew others were affected by it too. He was willing to give up a part of his life, but he should've have had to. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Amani pushed onward, using EmTee's light to guide the way until she hit a blocked path. A solid wall of cold stone preventing further travel, but she could sense it. There was more behind it. The crystals were there, so close yet so far. And with no lightsaber to cut through it with, she threw up her arm in frustration. Barrien reached out, and the unexpected contact made her shiver. She reached out in turn and touched his arm as if to confirm that it was real, sure enough, the sensation was at least. Amani's voice wavered, "I don't know. I just..." Her frustration began to boil up again, and she turned at hit the wall in frustration, a faint phenomenon in the Force triggering for her as she did, though she made little note of it yet. "I don't know! I don't know what I'm supposed to say! What I'm supposed to do! I want things to be... normal!"

 

[Barrien Siegfried]

"Calm, Amani," he said, having felt the Force tremor.

He didn't know why he felt it, but he did. Something in the way she had reached out. To be fair, he had no idea her path was blocked because all he could actually see was her. Knowing she had stopped didn't really mean anything to him. What did was her frustration.

"I know you are frustrated. I know you want normalcy, but the life of a Jedi is never truly normal and we must remember that. It is the very nature of who we are that we could die at any moment inthe course of our duties but we accept this because people need us to."

This whole projected connection was strange and he felt this would be a lot easier if she had been near him. Especially that tremor. What had that been?

"Calm your mind and just talk. Say whatever is there, whatever lingers. Doubts, fears, frustrations, questions. It is best to speak them to someone who will listen and understand. I want to help you but you need to let me do so."

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Barrien Siegfried

Amani paced back and forth, mind racing for an explanation, a way to express what she was feeling. Really, Barrien telling her to be calm only made her more upset, but the rest of his words managed to get through to her. She stopped in her tracks, eyes downcast and wetting with tears. Just let everything out.

“I...I want everyone to stop treating me like a kid!” She swung around to face him, a wave of emotion emanating off, creating a ripple in the Force that quaked around her. “I’ve been a Jedi for ten years and nobody cared! Now my arm gets… ripped off, and suddenly everyone wants to coddle me, and pity me!” Her words were venomous, just as much to her as it was to those hearing it. Laced with confusion, frustration, and scorn that had bottled up over the course of a long decade of life, finally being released. She cried out to anything that would listen, her voice trembling with every confession she brought to light.

EmTee tried to approach her, raising his hands, “Miss Serys, please try to calm down! Don’t say such things! I only want to help you.” The poor droid was exceedingly confused by the situation, but just as concerned for the girl as ever.

“Where was all that pity when my parents got sick, and died?! Where was that when I got sick, and almost-” Amani choked up on her words, tears flowing freely now and she continued to unconsciously pour the Force into the area around her. “It’s too little, too late. Now I just want to be left alone. Nobody bothered then. Why should they bother now?” She knew deep down she didn’t really want to be alone. But now it felt like her only defense. As if it was her way of somehow ‘getting back’ at people for not being around when she was young, even if it was only hurting her more in the process.

Amani swung around and hit the wall again, the Force energy she had been emitting creating a crack in the wall close to where she hit, the same spot as the fissure she felt earlier. Pressing her head against the stone, her breathing slowed and her tone died down, “I’m supposed to be a healer. Now I ruined everything, and I’m stuck here, hurt, needing people to help me when I could be helping others. People rely on me to do my job, so when I can’t? And it’s my fault? That’s just more people I failed.”

“Miss Serys, I-”

“Would you please, stop calling me that!” Her voice flared up again as she faced EmTee this time. “I’m so tired of hearing it. That name hasn’t meant a damn thing in ten years! I don’t get a family! Why?! Because it was the ‘will of the Force’?! I was supposed to move on, just like that?! I don’t even get a Master!”

Amani exhaled loudly, falling back and slumping against the wall. She hid her face down behind her knees, closing herself off. EmTee crouched down beside her, carefully placing his arm across her shoulder for comfort. “I’ve always been alone, ever since. I’ve been Amani. Just Amani. Ever since...”

 

[Barrien Siegfried]

Barrien said nothing. She spoke and then paused several times over and he allowed her the space to grt whatever was bothering her off her chest. It seemed a little of this and a little of that but modtly it seemed that she had been largely ignored by the Jedi ever since coming to them. No help during loss. No master to guide her. She had been forced into loneliness and it was killing her necause it was never what she had wanted. She didnt want to be alone, she wanted to be wanted.

He understood that all too well. Yes, he had family, but only one of them cared about him in any fashion, and his sister hated him. His father was a monster, his mother was dead. His extended family had pawned him on a small village and left him to rot. It was never what he had wanted and he had suffered for it, but when he had come to the Jedi he had found purpose and companionship in goals. And he had been fortunate to have a great master in Corvus, something Amani had never had.

And then there was that power spike he felt from her. Familiar, yet he couldnt be sure without seeing. Still...

When she cut off he gave her a moment longer to make sure she was done speaking. It was a lot to think about and process. It was a lot he was taking on, but he was willing in all aspects. It was merely a matter of whther she was willing to move past her heartache. It was a matter of whether she could find purpose again.

"To be fair I didn't know you until just before Yurb, so I wasn't goven much opportunity to help you prior," he pointed out before rising and moving to stand in front of her. "I don't see a child when I look at you, Amani. A child would not sacrifice as you did. A child may know how to care about others, but they wouldn't be able to make the choice to sacrifice yourself as you did. You aren't a child and I will never treat you as such, so know that when I speak to you it is only from a place of greater experience and not me talking down to you.

"I dont believe that you want pity, and I doubt you would have enjoyed it if you got it when your parents died and you were sick. Pity hurts almost as much as the loss. I know from experience. You see when I was close to your age I lost my mother. The world I come from is controlled by the Empire and they brought a plague with them that attacked and killed her. I didn't handle it well and I ended up killing an Imperial officer, something I would never normally do. Then I left to find my father only to discover that he was a monster and that my siblings hated him and one of them hated me for being related to him.

"I found sympathy from others, but sympathy cuts to the bone and leaves you with nothing but shallow sentiment. I was still the outsider with little understanding of technology and no knowledge of the galaxy. I, like you, was alone. But I found strength in a friend and teacher, my Master, Corvus Raaf, and I came to the realization that even though life felt worthless for me, even though everything was against me, I had a purpose and the strength to uphold it.

"I am a Jedi, sworn to protect the innocent and help those who need it and so long as life courses through my body that is what I will do even if I must go it alone."

He reached out and set his hands upon her shoulders. Though neither was actually there, and it must have looked really odd to the droid.

"The truth is you are alone only if you wish to be. The family Serys may be no more, but you always have the opportunity to find or make a new family. You aren't alone and you never will be so long as I live. I will also gladly teach you everything I know if you wish it. Do not fear failure. We all fall so we can learn to get up from it and strive to do better. Nobody is perfecr and nobody ever will be. You are still a great Jedi, Amani, and you are destined for greater."

He lifted her chin and pointed at her eyes.

"Tell me what you see. You may not realize it, but you've done something to your surroundings with the Force. What do you see?"

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Barrien Siegfried

Almost immediately Amani felt like she wanted to take everything she said back. To try and defend herself from what would almost certainly be a lecture on the Jedi Code, or the Force, or something like that. Instead, Barrien offered something else. As he spoke, she slowly relaxed, carefully absorbing every word. He gave her a story of his own. A story of loss not entirely unlike her own.

The truth was, she loved being a Jedi. It was a dream come true from the stories she heard as a child. And after her parents died, leaving her alone, the Jedi were the ones who reached out first. It was a Jedi who saved her life in the first place. For that, she was forever grateful. She clung to the Jedi Code, dedicating herself to their ways because it was all she had left. Helping others in the same way she had been helped was how she tried to cope with her loss. Though it evidently never truly went away.

Amani finally raised her head, peeking up at Barrien when he offered to teach her, and when he assured her of her potential. “...R-Really?” The padawan sniffled, eyes shifting downcast to the floor. Barrien lifted her chin, and she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, trying to regain composure as he brought her attention back to her surroundings. For the moment at least, everything else could wait and she could finish her task at hand.

EmTee gave Amani a concerned look, and the mirialan nodded to him, “I’ll be… okay.” The droid’s usual chipper demeanor returned, and he gave her a hug, catching Amani off-guard with his suddenness. She gave him an awkward half hug in return, relishing in the affection nonetheless. “Thanks, EmTee.”

“Of course, Amani!”

She smiled at the droid, very much noting how he addressed her this time and sighing before returning to her work. “R-Right, um…” Amani reached out her arm to the crack that had formed in the wall, the ripple in the Force still present. “I see… I’ve seen this before.” Amani ran her hand across it, directing a small amount of the Force into it, making the crack widen. “Barrien, ever since the battle, I notice these strange faults, if you will, in the Force. Little… imperfections. Sometimes on objects, sometimes on people, too. I’ve even sensed one on… my shoulder.” She glanced over to her left shoulder, a sensation both similar and different to what she felt on the stone wall. “What does it mean?”

 

[Barrien Siegfried]

"Yes, really," he assured her.

Truth was more powerful than lies and always would be. When he said she didnt want pity he knew he was right because he had been in that position before himself. What it boiled down to was a realization that other people coukd understand how you felt and empathize with you rather than sympathize. Sympathy was grwat, but it was just fluff with little actual effect at the end of the day. Empathy was having understanding and showing a physical affectation.

When she regained herself, he stepped back and she examined her surroundings. What she described seemed somewhat familiar to him, but he wasn't entirely sure why.

"Hmm. Let me think for a second."

He walked back to the bed and sat down on the edge of. A hand rested with fist beneath his jaw and chin, the elbow on his knee. This required deep thought and deep thought required the proper pose.

The reason it sounded familiar was because it was. Over the ten years since he had left Oaken Dawn he had spent a lot of time reading through old Jedi texts and studying holocrons in the various Jedi temples that he travelled to. There were a lot of techniques and abilities out there to be learned, and there were some that just couldn't be learned without having the innate talent for them. What she described harkened back to one of those, which meant she had an innate, and rare, talent.

"What you see are fissures; cracks in the makeup of those items. Everything has a weak point, even the strongest metal. Those with the ability to see them can make the strongest metal shatter as though it were glass. The faults you see are those weak points. If you apply the Force to them you can affect them. Break stone, mend unseeable wounds, things of that nature. Aside from the one at your shoukder, where else do you see them? Can you use it to your advantage?"

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Barrien Siegfried

Amani smiled and gave Barrien a small bow as he assured her once more. "Thank you." What had once been a burden for her entire career as a Jedi finally felt like a weight falling from her shoulders. Not absolute, there was still so much she felt conflicted about, but she hid these doubts for now. It was progress, at the very least.

While Barrien sat down in contemplation, Amani closed her eyes and stood still, focusing on the Force she felt in the wall. Her mind relaxed, though Barrien's insight quickly got her excited. Wait! She had heard about this before. The many hours she had spent pouring over Jedi texts were paying off once more. Her focus nearly broke as she opened her eyes, "...Shatterpoint?" She lit up as she realized it, "They're shatterpoints!" Her mind raced through different theories and explanations. Being able to percieve such phenomena was indeed not a universal talent, and the possibilities it presented were numerous. Why her? Why now and not before?

Barrien drew her attention back to the present, and Amani quickly composed herself once more. "Right now? There's a fissure in this wall in front of me. I don't have any other way through, but I know there's something behind it." She placed her hand back against the cold stone, focusing on the shatterpoint that had formed. "So... you're saying I could bring this wall down, just like that?" The padawan had half a mind to go for it right in that moment, but she wanted to wait for Barrien's go-ahead first. Being reckless had caused problems already, and he had done more than enough to earn her patience now.

 

[Barrien Siegfried]

Well, things had certainly gone smoother than he had thought they would when she had first been upset. Of course there was still the matter of her use of the darkside during the fight on Yurb, but he felt it unwise to expressany questions about it. After all, hadn't he done something similar when he had killed the Imperial officer on Oaken Dawn after his mother died? Such things were easy to come and slower to go, but he figured it was better to set a positive example than chastise her over it.

She might talk about it on her own in time.

Her voice caused him to look back to her when she mentioned the word Shatterpoint. Yes, that had been the name of it. Somehow it had slipped his mind even though the practical ability had remained. Names didn't matter much when using the Force except in teaching or looking for teachings on a subject. The ability itself was rare. For her to have it meant she was a rare Jedi indeed.

"Yes," he said in response to her question. "You can, but be careful. Just because you can break the barrier before you doesnt mean it won't fall and do you harm. Influence it from a safe distance if you can."

It could be holding back a rockslide, after all.

"Use caution the further in you go. There could be other things than just crystals on the other side of the wall."

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Barrien Siegfried

Amani heeded Barrien's advice, taking several steps back before refocusing. "Right. Caution." The thought of getting this far only to be buried under a rockslide was, to put it mildly, rather unappealing. "Hey EmTee, you can still reach emergency comm channels from here, right?"

"Of course, Amani!" The droid smiled for a moment before his look turned to one of concern, "...Why do you ask?"

"Oh, Just in case something... goes wrong."

"Oh dear."

EmTee rushed over behind Amani, anxiously watching over her as she outstretched her hand once again. She closed off her surroundings and connected to the ripple on the wall. It was sturdy, formed over who knows how many years, but the cracks that she had created earlier proved that its foundation was not impenetrable. A weak spot, capable of being exploited. She poured the Force into the ripple once more, this time with control. All at once, the cracks spread across the entire wall formation, and the stone exploded outward with a burst of energy in the opposite direction, creating a thunderous crash as rocks gave way and tumbled into the other side of the cave. The sound was enough to immediately put Amani one the defensive and pull her out of her concentration. Thankfully, the wall seemed to have given way without much danger. No cave-ins yet, at least. "Woah..."

Amani took a few careful steps forward, admiring her feat as well as what lied beyond the wall. A collection of kyber crystals had formed on the walls and floor of this room, untouched for who knows, likely as long as they've existed given the lack of an entrance. The prospect was exhilarating. Soft twinkling colors from the various crystals gave the room a faint light, and the padawan stepped in further to examine. She felt the pull of the Force more strongly now, but it was not from any of these. There was another that called just further ahead. "This is amazing,but... none of these are mine."

 

[Barrien Siegfried]

Barrien waited, watching her actions. He could feel her focusing, and then the explosion of power that emanated from her. It seemed that she was alright after. That was good. There had been quite the possibility of something going wrong. Shatterpoint was a powerful ability and if handled improperly it could cause serious problems. But of most import, it could shatter things that seemed unbreakable. Mandalorian Iron. Phrik. Nothing was impervious to the ability which made it dangerous and marked the person that could use it. People with that ability could be quite sought after. Sometimes people with bad intentions would come after them.

She moved on and he could tell she was searching around, but as he couldn't see her surroundings he didn't know what it was. At least not until she spoke. Indeed it seemed there were crystals around her, but apparently not HER crystal.

"Keep going until you find it, then," he said as he stood and walked over to where his shirt was. "Don't let the power of the space blind you."

The shirt coming on caused him pain, but he sighed and ignored it thereafter. Healing wounds for him was a long, arduous process that left him with scars, of which he had many. He took it as penance for his shortcomings. Each one was a reminder that he needed to be stronger.

Amani Serys

 

[Amani Serys]

Barrien Siegfried

Amani pressed onwards into the cave, passing several crystals, none of them calling to her. She sensed Barrien's pain through the Force, glancing back at him and raising a brow, "Are you alright?" Obviously the battle at Yurb had done a number on him, and given his intolerances, it would no doubt be a difficult process. "You know, I-" The padawan's voice trailed off as she saw something ahead of her. A glow in the distance, and the call of the Force. Amani ran forward, EmTee not far behind. This was it, what she had been searching for.

The light grew brighter with each step, finally she stepped into an illuminated chamber. In the center was a radiant cyan crystal, notably glowing more than the other crystals around it, and it called to her. "Wow..." Amani stepped forward, reaching out but not touching it, as she connected to it through the Force. It was the one. She pulled at it telekinetically, and the crystal flung towards her, as though it were magnetized to her presence. The bond was forged. She gently took hold of the crystal, carefully examining its every detail before smiling to herself. "I did it." She turned back around to Barrien, EmTee already giving her a standing ovation.

 

[Barrien Siegfried]

A smile and a nod.

"I will be fine in time," he assured her.

Pain was trivial. In the grand scheme of things he was positive that he would survive. And while he did know she was a healer, as he was certain she was about to say, he did not wish to interrupt her quest or make her come all the way to Midvinter to see him. Not that he would be opposed to it, but he was certain that wasn't really what she wished to do. Plus it was a long trip and she had a lot going on in her life as it was.

At least she appeared to find what she was looking for. It wasn't long before she held a crystal in her hands. A powerful one, at that. He nodded his head, appreciative of her endeavor, and gave a clap of his hands as well. Whatever trouble she had gone to, whatever pain she still felt from the loss she'd endured on Yurb, it hadn't stopped her from going to undertake her task. There was a small sense of pride that welled within him. She was his apprentice now, but she was also his friend, and he felt proud of her in both capacities.

"You've done well, Amani. When I return we should spend some time together and talk further, but now that you have a crystal, please go back to the temple."

Amani Serys