First Reply Pilgrimage [Open to a Jedi Padawan]

[Corazona von Ascania]

[ Bettany Sal-Soren + One Additional Padawan! ]​

Ahch-To

The journey up the mountainside wasn't perilous, but one that the Padawans might find…uncomfortable.

Largely because they were each burdened with a heavy sack to carry.

Cora walked just ahead of them, with hands clasped neatly behind her back and her steps steady.

"The nexus here is neither wholly Light, nor wholly Dark," she explained. "It is split between the two. The caves below house the Dark, while the peak is bathed in Light.”

You couldn't have one without the other. To truly know the Light, one must first touch the Dark - but that wasn't today's lesson. Not entirely.

The temple loomed in the near distance, awash in soft sunbeams that broke through the clouds. A sense of calm permeated the air, suffused into the Force in a way that felt ancient.

Probably because it was.

Cora glanced behind her, quietly observing the Padawans.

"How are you two faring?"

 

[Kito]

//: Corazona von Ascania //: Bettany Sal-Soren //:
//: Attire //:

Kito was quiet, her hand resting on the hilt of the ancient, blessed blade at her side. It was rare for her to work with others, especially other padawans, but she valued it. A chance to make connections with others made her heart jump. For too long, she had often worked alone, faring well against Sith and others who didn't understand her rhetoric.

She exhaled slowly, eyes wandering, taking in the area they stood in. Before Kito felt it, the blade vibrated… welcoming the warmth of the nexus that was close. The heavy pack on her didn't weigh much, and the Shaper was still just as agile. Her feet caught the edge of the mountain as they climbed. She kept up with the Master as well as she could.

A brief pause as she tilted her head.

"Was the split on purpose?" She questioned. To her, it didn't make much sense for there to be a light and a dark… the dark was evil, it brought events that only caused suffering.

Why would Ashla want this?

Her weight shifted as she became uncomfortable knowing that this may have a purpose — one that went against her line of thought in her early years of being a padawan.

 

[Bettany Sal-Soren]

Location: Ach-to
Objective: accompany Cora
Tags: Corazona von Ascania Kito

Bettany was not used to being someone's pack mule, carrying this bag was a job for servants, not nobles, even if some circles though royals outranked nobles (the didnt). Part of her wondered whether Aiden Porte had something to do with this assignment, perhaps as a punishment for going to Mon Gazza withiut telling anyone. It wasnt all bad though, Bettany had an admiration of Corazona von Ascania that had begun when she was only a child, learning about her to play her in a biopic. She had met her in passing a couple of times since, but this was the first time they had interacted properly.

"I'm fine master, its just like going out camping." she had camped, bot carrying her own back pack but she had done it. At least she felt like she looked the part, she had had a new outfit custom made after spending some time at the temple and happening on what she thought was the right look. It was sort of based off an officers uniform she had seen, but with her own flair. And of course, a personal shield emitter built into the lapel and shoulder for a little extra protection, at her lawyer's advice.

"I suppose its balance, isnt it?" she replied to Kito "For universe to be balanced, for every light place there must be a dark place." it was a misunderstanding of the intent of the term balance, but it made sense to Bettany.

​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

To Kito's question, Cora hummed thoughtfully.

"I couldn't tell you."

There were many questions she did not have answers to. Maybe someday, she would.

"Perhaps the Seers would have some insight," she offered. "All that I know, is that this is the way that they are; and that is how we must take them."

It might've been an unsatisfying answer, but she gave the pair a kindly smile over her shoulder. Bettany was dressed impeccably, and though she was unaccustomed to shouldering heavy burdens, did so well. By contrast, Kito didn't seem to struggle under the weight of her pack at all. A testament to her training.

"Balance, in a way," she considered. "Aspects that lead to Darkness - like fear and hatred - will always exit. They are natural and normal, but they shouldn't guide us. Balance doesn't eliminate those feelings, but the control they have over us."

Cora tilted her head in consideration.

"Perhaps Ashla left the mirror caves below to us as a reminder."

She turned her attention back towards the mountain's peak, where the Light would burn the brightest.

"Today, we'll be meditating at the nexus with the hope of imbuing certain objects within its Light. Have either of you visited a nexus before? Light or Dark?"

Kito Bettany Sal-Soren

 

[Kito]

//: Bettany Sal-Soren //: Corazona von Ascania //:

Kito's lips pursed tightly. Neither answer was satisfying, but she would accept the Master's over the Padawan. Balance was something the Jedi of old searched for, even prophesied over. In the end, the chosen one who was supposed to bring balance only brought destruction.

To seek balance was almost criminal to the Ashlan padawan. Though it was these beliefs and those that often coursed through the galaxy that kept her from what she truly desired.

The sound of her shifting fit filled the small silence as she mulled over the words. The pack was light, and it was curious that Master had asked if everything was okay. Kindess was abundant in this group — another oddity that Kito hadn't wrapped her mind around.

Despite the kindness, the girl was still an outsider. Hopefully, things would change soon without interfering with the holy mission she was tasked with. Cora continued the lesson, speaking now in greater detail about balance. It seemed her fellow Padawan was onto something correct.

Which, by the looks of her fellow, she was surprised. The girl seemed too clean, and the pack sat awkwardly on her back. Kito kept her thoughts to herself, trying not to make too many judgments.

"Why would Ashla do that? Doesn't Ashla want us to only look to the light?" Kito questioned, her tone trying to find the absolution that she had been taught the past few years.

"Fear and hatred should be things we're taught to avoid…to be better than…" Words of her former Master lingered in the back of her mind — despite his words, she still found those feelings lingering.

Maybe… Cora was right?

Her eyes wandered back towards Bethany. She offered her hand.

"If it's too heavy, I can carry both." Kito tried to smile, though the effort wasn't the best. ”It seems difficult.”

 

[Bettany Sal-Soren]

Location: Ach-to
Objective: accompany Cora
Tags: Corazona von Ascania Kito

Bettany shook her head. She had never visited a Nexus, she had heard of them, knew what they were, sort of anyway. She looked at Kito . "Maybe Ashla never did it, it just is." She didnt buy into the idea of a sapient creator, to her the force was just a part of the natural universe, and as such everything that existed just did. "Someone told me that the darkness is always there, its like a room with no windows, you can turn on the light but you cant turn off the darkness... sorry." she laughed at herself for quoting silly spiritualisms she had heard. "And its fine, its not that heavy, just awkward. Im not a big camper." she realised she had let Corazona von Ascania get a bit ahead while she discussed the dichotomy of the force so caught up.

She stood next to the blonde. "What sort of items are you planning to imbue? What will that do to them? I have a necklace at home that someone told me can help you heal faster from sickness. I got it at a festival in went too, no idea if its real. Pretty though." she chuckled.

​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora slowed her steps, listening to the Padawans with quiet patience. She gave them their space to think, space to question. She hadn't had the chance to be among Jedi apprentices since the Alliance's dissolution. In looking for answers, Kito had still remembered her kindness. And Bettany offered her thoughts, calling on a proverb that helped to illuminate her own interpretation of the Light and Dark. One corner of Cora's lips couldn't help but pull into the suggestion of a fond smile.

Maybe the kids really would be alright.

"It's good to find technique to avoid anger and hatred. But I wouldn't say that we should be better than any emotion – fear, joy, fury, and love – they're all a part of the humanoid experience. The further we stray from them, the less we understand the people of the galaxy that we aim to protect. Becoming too detached from life was an error that our predecessors made."

As for the boon to experiencing negative emotions…

"Think of it like immunity. When your body is exposed to a pathogen, it learns how to fight it. The next time you become infected, your body can fight it off much more easily. We explore feelings like anger and fear so that we understand them. And if we can understand them, then that lessens the power that they have over us. Avoid them outright, and when you inevitably feel them, it'll make the pull to the Dark that much harder to resist."

Cora's voice was conversational, and her tone invited commentary. She didn't have the final say – that was up to the Force.

Bettany's question came just as they reached the mountain's peak. A small stream ran through the cracks and crevices; tremendous in its power despite it's rather benign appearance. The nexus. She motioned for the Padawans to put down the sacks she'd burdened them with, then unwound the rope closure from the nearest one and reached inside. She retrieved a metallic stake, cylindrical in body that tapered down to a pointed edge.

"Songsteel spikes," she announced, balancing the weapon in her palm for the pair to see. "I intend to imbue them within the Light of several Force vergences. The hope is that they will become mobile methods for purification – place them near a corrupted artifact, or even surround a cursed temple, and drive the influence of the Dark away."

Kito Bettany Sal-Soren

 

[Kito]

//: Bettany Sal-Soren //:
//: Corazona von Ascania //:

Kito took her hand back. She understood the need to do things on your own, but she still made a mental note. As much as she didn't want to, it was hard not to establish an absolute boundary. Her offer of help wouldn't come again — unless she was told to. If anything, she was more embarrassed about the offer.

Her mind wandered, and her silence remained as she tried to understand everything the Master was explaining. It seemed there was no absolute answer, no one truth that could justify everything. Kito made a note of it, wondering quietly again about the small nomadic group that had taken her in as a child. Emotions weren't something she was used to relying on, knowing too easily how they could spin her shaping out of control.

As she let the pair talk, Kito looked at her hand as a small flame manifested, dancing along her fingertips. Emotions… they were like an infection. She repeated the thought quietly. The more she was exposed to them, the easier they would be to ignore or manage…

Her brow furrowed at the thought. She knew what love felt like… even now, separated from the person she loved, she could feel that warmth. It burned brighter than any flame she could produce. Kito didn't want to lose that intensity nor feel it for someone else.

The thought felt alien to her.

Kito kept to herself; it seemed her fellow padawan was more familiar with the Master. It was okay; she figured they were too unlike to pursue a friendship. Kito had already tried and was nicely rejected.

Shaking her head, she followed and loosened the pack from her back. It was set down carefully as she rolled her shoulders back, and a hand rubbed the base of her neck. Fingertips gliding over old wounds, punctures forming small half-moons. Upon realizing she had slipped her tunic, Kito fixed herself and caught up to the pair in time to hear about the stakes.

"How do we imbue the force in these?" Kito nodded towards the stakes. They didn't seem to have crystals on them, and to her knowledge, that was the only way — mostly done during lightsaber construction.

Her demeanor shifted, her brow furrowed again, revealing her slight frustration.

"Master, I'm sorry to continue the previous conversation, but I don't understand…" Again, embarrassed.

"If emotions are like an infection, why do we want to feel them? Even good ones… wouldn't that dull the sensation of them… like love?"
Something ate at her, her crimson gaze flickering towards the ground.

"What if the feeling feels too good… what if it's for someone the galaxy doesn't want you to love…?"

 

[Bettany Sal-Soren]

Location: Ach-to
Objective: accompany Cora
Tags: Corazona von Ascania Kito

Bettany smiled at this question from Kito And and interjected without turning her head. The studio welfare people had gone through this with her before during her roles. "Think of it as more of a vaccination, if you let yourself experience your feelings and the things you enjoy in a controlled manner now, then you wont snap later. Its ok to cry a little bit now if it helps you stave off a full breakdown later." that is what she was told when she told the woman that she was afraid to cry in case the producers didnt think she could cope with the part she needed to play.

Her last comment caused Bettany's head to snap round and she raised a salascious eyebrow. "oooh... who is it?" she smirked, now just wanting to focus on something definately up her human teenager wheelhouse.

She should probably focus on the spikes, or the nexus, or her training, but gossip was fun, and feeling like she was privy to another girl's secret was a special feeling that Corazona von Ascania would feel riding on Bettany's force aura, the thirst for something jucy and to hear something naughty. Perhaps the secret writer (Bettany would die if she found out that this was the case) would see a little something of herself in that.

To her credit, Bettany did at least glance at the songsteel spikes so she knew that they had something to do with them. But she was certain that could wait at least a few more moments.

​

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"We place them in the stream," she instructed, retrieving one spike and laying it into the shallow water. The current might've been a trickle, but it was akin to veins of Light flowing through the Force. "The waters here are suffused with the Light from the nexus. The longer they remain here, the more the Light will suffuse into them."

There was something unnerved about Kito as the girl spoke. To her apology, Cora could only smile kindly. She certainly empathized with being a confused teenager trying to find her way in a religion that seemed as vast as it was complicated.

"Asking questions is how we learn," she said simply. A nod was given to Bettany, hoping that her comparison would shed a little more light on the answer that Kito was looking for. "Fear, anger, love, and joy are all emotions that we're meant to feel – it is important that we understand them, and listen to what they're trying to tell us. But if we let them control our actions, they can lead us into a Dark place."

Cora placed another stake next to the first, feeling the cool water rush over her fingertips. "As they say, the dose makes the poison."

Then, Kito posed a question that she hadn't expected.

What if you love someone the galaxy doesn't want you to love?

Bettany chimed in, and Cora could understand her girlish curiosity. "Padawan Sal-Soren," her name was said with a measure of admonishment. "Padawan Kito does not have to tell us who she has these feelings for. She can tell us as much – or as little – as she likes."

It was an open invitation for Kito expand on her worries, if she so chose.

Kito Bettany Sal-Soren

 

[Kito]

//: Corazona von Ascania //: Bettany Sal-Soren //:

Kito paused; she didn't understand the other Padawan's excitement. The joys of sharing secrets and having them put on display were not something Kito found enjoyment in. Looking towards Bettany, the confusion was written in the girl's face.

Was this a trap? Was this how the Jedi found out about her dalliances on Jutrand?

Her lips parted to answer, feeling cornered and knowing that there was no sense in lying. Yet, the Master stepped in and saved Kito from spilling her guts to the Sal-Soren girl. Kito's mouth shut quickly as she looked to Cora. The woman had already answered most of her questions.

There was too much information to think about. To assess and try to understand. She believed what she was holding on to was forbidden, and in truth, it probably was… but maybe the galaxy was more forgiving than either of them knew.

Kito's attention moved from Bettany, not wanting to look at the other Padawan much longer. She feared that if she did, the girl would assume she was the target of affection.

The thought made Kito's nose wrinkle; she couldn't hold a candle to—

"I'd like to keep that to myself." Her head tilted, a bit of the strain and stress releasing from her shoulders. The aloof nature of the ronin returned.

Her gaze looked towards the Sal-Soren girl, almost assessing her.

"I fear that Padawan Sal-Soren might get too much enjoyment out of it."

She didn't trust the girl not embellish the small details of Kito's life. They were on a mission, and she had caused enough of a distraction.

"So in small doses? These emotions are something we must learn from… the good and the bad?"

The thought seemed acceptable to the Shaper, even though she disagreed with it. She'd have to ask her Master… the woman potentially knowing more than she should about the young K'paur's affections.

Lily was a smart woman; it was hard to hide things from her.

Moving closer, Kito looked towards what the Master had brought with her to embue.

"Are they protected from corruption? Or could a Sith shift their alignment or nullify it?"