Private Rough Beginnings

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Shirayan Temple - Naboo
Outfit: Rough, tattered brown cloak, simple robes
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, practice saber
Tag: Seris Travin-Avaron

Aileni ducked, weaved around punches and parried a couple more. His guard was high and Aileni was adjusting for his growing height as well as understanding his strength and speed. Everything seemed to be getting stronger. His skills seemed to be getting sharper. But it wasn't just training, it wasn't things clicking into place like with his Jedi training, it was his body developing in ways that he hadn't expected. His limbs were longer, muscles were denser and he could feel the power. It was the reason that he was training with droids over people right now. The droid could also provide feedback on the improvements that he was making in a more clear and well defined manner.

His punches flew fast as Aileni spotted the opening in the movement of the droid. His strike hit hard enough that the droid stumbled backwards a little. Aileni then pressed the attack harder. Voice devolved to growls and grunts, his eyes turning dark and feral as he continued to launch into his attacks. Punching with everything he had as he heard the howls of a beast within him. Pleased with how much Aileni was embracing in the moment. The droid was doing the best it could to avoid the attacks, to avoid the dangerous blows but the armour coating was denting and crumbling to his fists.

"Pause, the training session has been completed." The droid stated.

Aileni launched a punch, then seeing that the droid was not responding to the fight any more, he growled and howled in frustration. "Why did you stop?! I need to fight more!" Aileni punched another time into the droid, punching the plating even further. His blood boiling at this point.

"You have a meeting with a potential new Master in a few minutes, you need to leave and attend that meeting." The droid replied.

The young Padawan panted hard, staring, glaring at the droid. He huffed in frustration before heading to his water bottle. "Report the difference to last time."

"Your skills have increased drastically. Your raw strength is bending durasteel. Speed has increased and your ability to dodge is sharper." The droid reported, "however, aggression has significantly increased. Something to be cautious of Padawan Aileni, you tread a fine line with the Dark Side."

Aileni bit his tongue on that. He knew what the droid was saying was true but that didn't mean it wasn't a bitter pill to swallow. Drinking the water heavily, he used his cloak to wipe the sweat from his body. "I best get going." Aileni grabbed his belongings and left the dojo. The Padawan put his cloak on and walked through the hallways, his mind lingering on the report. His body was definitely getting stronger, better. But he was getting angrier, he was pushing towards the darkness that laid inside him. Even knowing this, Aileni wasn't sure how to stop walking that path.

Arriving at the meeting point, Aileni looked around, not even sure who he would be looking for.

 

[Seris Travin-Avaron]

A soft, measured voice broke the silence before Aileni ever saw her.

"Padawan Aileni."

Seris stepped from the alcove beside the training hall doors, posture composed, hands loosely folded at her waist. She had not been standing there long—she never intruded on private struggle—but she had arrived early enough to sense the turbulence still rolling off him in heated waves. Even from a few paces away, his anger crackled faintly in the air, sharp at the edges, unfocused at the center.

Her green eyes swept over him, not judging, simply seeing.

"You came directly from training." It was not a question. His shoulders were tight, his breath shallow, and his force aura unsettled. "Your body is still in the fight."

She gave him a moment to breathe, to realize she was giving him space, not crowding him.

When she did approach, it was with the same calm she brought into collapsing tunnels and panicked crowds. A presence meant to steady rather than confront. "I am Seris Avaron," she said gently. "You requested a meeting with a potential Master. I am here to determine if our paths align."

Her gaze lowered briefly to his still-clenched fists before lifting back to his eyes. "You are stronger than you were even a week ago. Faster. More precise." A quiet beat. "And more troubled."

No accusation. Only truth offered like an outstretched hand.

She moved to stand beside him rather than in front of him, positioning herself as an ally rather than an obstacle. "The droids can measure your physical limits," Seris continued softly, "but they cannot teach you how to carry what is growing inside you. That requires guidance. Control. Understanding."

Her breathing stayed steady—an anchor for him, a reminder that not all storms needed to be met with force.

"Walk with me, Aileni." Her tone remained level—inviting, not commanding. "Tell me what you felt in that last exchange…not what you did, but what you felt." Her voice was a gentle scaffold, something sturdy for him to lean against while the heat inside him found its shape.

Aileni Ifor Xeraic

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Shirayan Temple - Naboo
Outfit: Rough, tattered brown cloak, simple robes
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, practice saber
Tag: Seris Travin-Avaron

Seeing Seris, Aileni was surprised that someone so put together, calm and confident was available for a Padawan. Aileni was probably someone that many saw as a problem or potential problem with how he acted and the way that he pushed himself. "Master Seris, pleasure to meet you." Aileni bowed politely, demonstrating that he understood how to address and act around those of a higher rank than himself.

"My body is probably always in fight or flight mode. Danger can arrive at a moment's notice." Aileni countered. Part of being a shadow from what Aileni had learned was to suspect that danger was around any and every corner. It was something he had also developed from living on the dangerous world of Dathomir. A monster lurked around any corner and nothing on that planet was particularly friendly.

When she commented on the strength and speed, Aileni tilted his head, surprised that she knew this. "Who told you that?" Aileni wondering who he needed to converse with about sharing things about him without his consent. Aileni had been working hard to keep his drastic progress from getting around too much. He was never one for bragging and Aileni did not think too much on it since everyone was going to improve a considerable amount from at the beginning of their training.

"Of course. Which is why I need a Master. Does not mean that everyone else believes they are the right person to handle the way I am." His eyes looked down at her, firm and old gaze, "so what makes you think that you can handle me?" Figuring if Seris intended on being his Master that he had a right to question her as much as she was questioning him.

When asked about his thoughts during the last exchange with the training droid, Aileni shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure thoughts really came to mind. Just a need to punch harder, faster. A need to burn every bit of energy and frustration from the day." Aileni mused aloud as they walked. "Why does it matter?" Curious where this line of questioning was attempting to lead into.

 

[Seris Travin-Avaron]

Seris acknowledged Aileni's bow with a measured inclination of her head, the motion restrained but precise, the kind of courtesy that recognized rank without creating distance. She walked beside him at an even, unhurried pace, hands loosely folded behind her back, her posture composed in a way that neither demanded attention nor allowed it to drift from her for long.

"The pleasure is mine as well, Aileni," she said calmly, her voice level and unforced. "And you are correct to question me. A Padawan who does not question their Master is not exercising discernment, and discernment is as vital to survival as skill."

She allowed several steps to pass before answering the rest, not out of avoidance, but because she wanted the words to land without haste. When she spoke again, her tone remained steady, but carried more weight.

"You are mistaken about one thing," Seris continued. "Your body is not always in fight or flight. Your mind is. The distinction matters more than you realize, because the body can be trained to respond, but the mind must be taught when not to."

Her green eyes shifted briefly toward him, not sharp or accusatory, but observant in the way of someone who watched patterns rather than moments.

"One is instinct," she added, "the other is habit. Instinct keeps you alive. Habit determines what kind of life you lead."

When he asked who had told her about his strength and speed, Seris did not smile, nor did she bristle at the implication. Her response was immediate and unembellished.

"No one told me," she said. "I observed you." She gestured subtly with two fingers toward the direction of the training ring they had passed earlier, the motion small but intentional.

"Your acceleration shortens your stance, your shoulders initiate your strikes before your hips complete the rotation, and your recovery favors momentum over conservation," Seris explained evenly. "Strength and speed are not secrets when they leave consistent patterns behind, and you leave very clear ones." There was no judgment in her voice. Only fact.

When Aileni asked what made her think she could handle him, Seris stopped walking. She turned to face him fully, not imposing herself, but fully present in a way that made the space between them feel deliberate rather than accidental. Her gaze held his without challenge, without retreat.

"I am not here to handle you," she said quietly but firmly. "You are not a volatile device that needs containment, nor a problem to be managed." She did not raise her voice, yet the certainty in it was unmistakable.

"I am here to teach you how not to burn yourself hollow in the pursuit of being useful," Seris continued. "Because that is what happens when effort replaces understanding."

Her expression softened slightly, not into indulgence, but into clarity.

"You asked why your thoughts during the exchange with the training droid matter," she went on. "They matter because you did not have any, and while that can be effective in short bursts, it becomes dangerous when it is the only state you trust." She lifted a hand gently, not to interrupt him, but to steady the conversation before it rushed ahead. "This is not a flaw," Seris said. "It is an early warning."

She resumed walking, trusting that he would follow without needing to be told. "When you fight only to empty yourself of frustration," she continued, "you are not releasing it. You are reinforcing it. The Force does not neutralize what you bring into it; it amplifies it, reflects it, and teaches it how to grow."

Her gaze returned to him, steady and grounded.

"I chose a consular path not because I lack strength," Seris said evenly, "but because I learned that unexamined strength consumes its bearer long before it ever saves anyone else." There was no pride in the statement, only conviction born of experience.

"So I will answer your question directly," she finished. "I believe I can guide you because I will not demand silence where you need understanding, nor mistake restraint for weakness." She paused, allowing the words to settle rather than pressing past them.

"But if you train under me," Seris added calmly, "you will learn why every strike must have intention beyond release, and why the Force is not something you outrun, but something you learn to stand within."

Her eyes met his again, firm, patient, unyielding in their steadiness.

"Now," she said, returning the conversation to him, "when you imagine yourself as a Jedi Knight, tell me this. What do you protect first when everything is at risk? People, ideals, or yourself?"

The question was not a test. It was an invitation.

Aileni Ifor Xeraic

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Shirayan Temple - Naboo
Outfit: Rough, tattered brown cloak, simple robes
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, practice saber
Tag: Seris Travin-Avaron

Aileni listened, absorbing everything that was being said. He didn't attempt to interrupt or interject, it didn't seem to be the correct action to take since the Jedi Master was explaining the approach to training and answering the one question that he did previously ask. It was a lot to take in but Aileni was absorbing it all and taking the necessary time to understand and figure out how best to respond to everything.

"Habit can be formed due to the necessary circumstances that build such behaviour to the person." Aileni stated, tackling the statements one by one. "I was raised on Dathomir, fight or flight was survival there. Yes, I can a clan, a parent, who kept me safe the best they could. But danger is in every environment there." Aileni explained, he was not someone who had a cosy life, a safe life.

Fighting or running away from danger was something he knew was also important as a Jedi, even more so as a Jedi Shadow.

"The strength in my punches... It is something new. I was always more about using a bow." Aileni confessed, he knew that there was going to be more practice and training he would need in melee combat to get more skilled.

Shaking his head, "I did not say I was frustrated. I was empty of thought. It was not frustration, anger, joy or serenity. It was emptiness." Aileni affirmed, he was not frustration with the statement but he was determined to clarify things and ensure that Seris did not mistake his attitude as something it was not.

He was not attempting to outrun the Force, in fact Aileni wished to learn as much as he could about the Force.

When asked about what he wanted to protect as a Jedi Knight, Aileni shrugged, it was a question that was years away and something he wasn't too sure that he knew how to answer. "The Force. The balance. People. All three in equal amounts because peace requires all three to be safeguarded." Aileni stated, the methods to achieve such things were something that he sometimes found even more difficult to answer. "Why is it that you ask about that?" His eyes narrowed as he looked over to Seris, wondering what she was attempting to figure out about him.

 

[Seris Travin-Avaron]

Seris did not interrupt him. She let his words finish, let the space after them exist, not as pressure, but as permission. When she finally spoke, it was without haste, her tone even, grounded, and unmistakably attentive.

"You are correct," she said calmly. "Habit is forged by circumstance, and Dathomir is not a world that allows complacency. Survival there teaches awareness quickly, and it teaches it deeply."

She inclined her head slightly, acknowledging his lived reality rather than dismissing it.

"I am not asking you to unlearn what kept you alive," Seris continued. "I am asking you to understand when that same instinct no longer serves you, and when it begins to dictate instead of inform."

They resumed walking at a steady pace, her steps matching his without effort.

"Fight or flight is a response," she said. "A Jedi must also cultivate choice. The difference is subtle, but it is everything."

When he clarified that what he experienced was emptiness rather than frustration, Seris did not contradict him. Instead, she adjusted her approach, meeting precision with precision.

"Then let us name it accurately," she replied. "Emptiness is not the absence of emotion. It is the suspension of it. That state can be powerful, but it is also vulnerable if it becomes your only refuge."

Her gaze shifted briefly to him, not probing, simply present.

"The Force does not object to emptiness," Seris said. "But it will ask what fills the space afterward. If nothing does, the next sensation to arrive tends to take root too easily."

At his admission about the bow, there was no surprise in her expression, only quiet acknowledgment.

"That explains your preference for distance and momentum," she said evenly. "A bow rewards patience, awareness, and timing. Your transition to close combat will feel unfamiliar, not because you lack ability, but because your instincts were trained for a different rhythm."

She did not soften the truth, nor sharpen it unnecessarily.

"We will address that through structure, not force," Seris added. "Skill adapts more readily when it is guided rather than driven."

When he answered her question about what he would protect, Seris slowed, just enough to give the response the gravity it deserved. She stopped again, turning toward him fully.

"That answer tells me more than you realize," she said quietly. "Not because it is correct or incorrect, but because you placed balance at the center rather than yourself."

Her expression remained composed, thoughtful.

"I asked because every Jedi eventually discovers which of those three they will sacrifice first when pressed," Seris continued. "Some say all equally, until the moment arrives that demands a choice."

She held his gaze steadily, without challenge.

"Your answer suggests you are still searching for where that line exists for you," she said. "That is not a flaw. It is the beginning of discernment."

At his final question, her eyes did not narrow, nor did her posture harden. If anything, she seemed faintly pleased by it.

"You asked why I question you this way," Seris said calmly. "Because technique can be taught quickly. Philosophy cannot. And power without clarity does not become wisdom with time; it merely becomes louder."

She let a brief silence settle before concluding.

"If you train under me," she said, voice steady and certain, "you will not be told what kind of Jedi to become. You will be taught how to recognize when your instincts are guiding you, and when they are governing you."

Her tone softened just slightly, not indulgent, but sincere.

"That is the difference between survival and stewardship," Seris finished. "And it is why we begin here."

She turned and began walking again, confident he would follow, leaving the question open not as pressure, but as an invitation to reflection rather than defense.

Aileni Ifor Xeraic

 

[Aileni Ifor Xeraic]

Location: Shirayan Temple - Naboo
Outfit: Rough, tattered brown cloak, simple robes
Equipment: Dathomiri Energy Bow, practice saber
Tag: Seris Travin-Avaron

Aileni shrugged his shoulders, "it's a response based on gut feeling, on instinctive feeling. Does the Force not guide our instincts? Does it not enhance our awareness of dangers and details in our surroundings?" Aileni asked, he knew that it was a bit of a bull-headed move on his part to be arguing that the way he currently is, that this is a path guided by the Force and therefore could not be wrong, but there was something about the desire to change him or the way he currently was that had him defensive about it all.

He listened when Seris talked about the emptiness, about the fact that things could take its place or take root in his mind controlling the way he perceived a fight or perceived the motivations behind his actions. It was somewhat understandable but he also knew that there was a lot that he didn't know about himself or the way his body was developing that made him believe that things were happening without emotion or forethought but there was stirrings of things inside him. Somewhere deep within.

"You know how to fight with your fists?" Aileni asked, curious since she did not hold herself as a fighter when he initially took notice of her. The Jedi Master seemed more akin to a consular, book focused type over someone who would get scrappy or bloodied.

As for her response to his answer, it was somewhat predictable that the answer would garner some views on what she believed it spoke of Aileni. Whether those views would be true or not, he would not reveal. To Aileni, it was far more interesting to see how others think he would speak or behave on a matter rather than correcting them on how he actually felt. It allowed Aileni to play around with either reinforcing those beliefs of him or giving him ideas on where he can break the mold.

"What is the line for you then?" Aileni asked, curious if the Jedi Master had discovered that for herself yet or was still searching. He did not feel the need to mention that there was a line already formed in his mind. He knew which would fall first in the pursuit of preserving peace.

His head tilted as he followed, "and what is here exactly?" Curious to know where it was that they were starting from.

 

[Seris Travin-Avaron]

Seris did not stop walking when he spoke. She allowed his words to move with her, matching the steady cadence of her steps, letting the silence between them stretch just long enough to show that she was listening rather than preparing to counter him. The corridor ahead widened into a broader training annex, pale light filtering in through high stone apertures as dust motes drifted lazily in the air.

When she answered, her voice carried no urgency, only consideration.

"The Force does guide instinct, yes," she said calmly, her gaze forward. "It sharpens awareness, heightens perception, and draws our attention toward dangers or truths that might otherwise go unnoticed."

She turned her head slightly toward him then, not to challenge his reasoning, but to draw him into the thought she was shaping.

"But instinct and impulse are not the same thing," she continued. "And while the Force can illuminate what lies before us, it does not replace the responsibility of discernment. It amplifies what already exists within us, whether that is clarity, fear, resolve, or hunger."

They slowed near the edge of the annex, and Seris rested one hand lightly against the stone railing, posture composed, neither guarded nor casual.

"When you act because something feels wrong and must be stopped, that is instinct responding to imbalance," she said. "But when action is driven by the need for release, for dominance, or for the sensation that follows, then the Force is no longer guiding the choice. It is only empowering it."

At his question about fighting with her fists, there was the faintest shift in her expression, not amusement, but recognition born of experience.

"Yes," she answered after a brief pause. "I know how to fight without a blade, and without leaning on the Force to do the work for me."

She did not rush to explain, allowing the admission to stand before continuing.

"I learned because there are places where a lightsaber escalates rather than resolves," she said. "And moments where drawing on the Force too freely blurs the line between necessity and indulgence."

Her gaze drifted briefly across the annex, thoughtful.

"Being bloodied does not mean being brutal," she added. "And restraint, despite how it is often mistaken, is not the absence of strength, but the discipline to decide when strength should remain unused."

When he asked about the line, Seris came to a complete stop.

She turned to face him fully, green eyes steady and open, offering neither judgment nor reassurance, only honesty.

"The line is not identical for every Jedi," she said quietly. "Each of us must recognize it for ourselves, because it forms at the point where intention, power, and identity intersect."

She paused, allowing the words space to settle rather than pressing them forward.

"For me, the line appears the moment I stop consciously choosing my actions," she continued, "and begin justifying them only after they are already done."

Her voice remained even, unflinching.

"When strength becomes an explanation instead of a responsibility, and when power starts answering questions it was never meant to solve," she said, "that is where I stop myself."

At his final question, she inclined her head slightly, indicating the space around them, the stone, the light, the quiet tension still lingering in the air.

"This," Seris said, "is where we begin separating what the Force gives from what you choose to take."

Her gaze met his again, calm but intent.

"Here is where you learn which impulses belong to the Force," she finished, "and which belong to you alone."

She did not move after that, leaving the silence intact.

Not as a challenge, but as an invitation for him to decide how he would stand within it.

Aileni Ifor Xeraic