Private Sewing Seeds

[Tiir Sareck]

Asog was a barren world - thousands of years ago it had been despoiled by the Sith, transforming a fertile habitat into what it is now: An irrelevant blip on the galaxy, forgotten by many.

Except for one man.

Tiir had felt it, a calling from the Force, guiding him to the dead world, telling him it was time to sew the seeds of new life.
He had spent quite some time on the world. His impact was small, seemingly irrelevant, though - to him? The act of restoration was init of itself the reward.
A small pocket of life had remained on the world before his arrival - Tiir simply encouraged it. Starting from withered plants and near-extinct life-forms, he would enact the will of the Force by giving back to the world what was taken from it.

First came grass, then fruit bushes. Petrified saplings gave rise to towering trees, which sheltered the birds now dwelling in the sky - which now feasted on the returning insects.
Algae and Fish filled the small lake Tiir had settled by, nurturing a small ecosystem.

Asog had become Tiir's passion project. He would give to the world, and the world would give to him.
The hermit would heal sick animals, aid the plants in their growth, and in return - he would eat the fruits.

And, when it came time for him to rest? He would enter his cave, and sleep. Sometimes he would wake up years apart, other times he'd be up the next day.
Tiir trusted in the will of the Force to wake him when needed, remarkably without worry despite the unpredictability of his departures.

So, it came to his surprise when he awoke one day with a simple knowledge.
Rising from his makeshift bed, he was greeted by a morning visitor - a bird whom he'd nurtured long ago.
It greeted him with a pleasant coo. The old man pet its neck.

"We'll be having a guest today, be on your best behavior." He teased his old friend.
With that, he approached his kettle, taking it and walking out to the small lake.
Filling it with water, he returned to his cave, setting it on a pot hanger, before using the Force to make it boil.

It had been quite some time since he last had a visitor to his little corner of the galaxy.
He hoped his guest would appreciate his special tea.

Chen Yi

 

[Chen Yi]

Chen Yi had come to Asog as much for an exercise as for a journey. A test of his own understanding. If even a world remembered only as barren and broken had lessons to offer, then perhaps every place in the galaxy did. A planet razed by the Sith a millennium ago should have been little more than cracked stone and dust. It seemed the perfect place to look beyond appearances. Yet something felt… wrong.

He had been dropped in one of the more desolate regions of the planet several days earlier. To his eyes, it was everything the stories claimed: barren, silent, lifeless. But when he stilled himself and listened through the Force, he found no emptiness. There was a quiet rhythm beneath the surface, faint but undeniable. So he chose a direction. Not because the Force commanded it, but because every journey had to begin somewhere.

Six hours into his walk he found the first clue. A patch of moss no larger than his hand clung stubbornly to a weathered stone. Chen Yi crouched beside it, studying it in silence. Confused. Curious. Pleased.

That evening, while a small fire chased away the chill, tiny insects drifted toward its warmth. Another thread. Another reminder that his first assumptions had been wrong. Perhaps that was the lesson Asog wished to teach him.

By the following day, the signs became harder to miss. Tufts of grass interrupted the cracked earth. Shrubs appeared where only stone should have stood. A lone bird circled overhead before continuing in the same direction he was already walking. Coincidence, perhaps. Or perhaps every living thing was responding to the same quiet current. He did not know. He only knew that life seemed to gather ahead of him.

Now, as he packed away his modest camp at the edge of a woodland that should never have existed, Chen Yi found himself smiling. How arrogant it had been to call an entire world dead. It still had a heartbeat. He simply hadn't known how to listen.

 

[Tiir Sareck]

The old man sensed it - the arrival's presence stood out like a sore thumb. Tiir had been attuned to nearly every life form on the planet like the back of his palm. What stuck out to him most was his force sensitivity. It had been some time since he'd sensed someone of a similar caliber.

As the kettle hissed, he stopped - letting it naturally simmer as he was no longer heating it.

He exited his cave - and took some old bark from the forest floor, two fallen branches with leaves still attached, and some of the dark mud from the lake - fashioning it into a mask.
He had decided today was the day to put his old legs into action, as he began scaling up the side of his cave entrance, hiding on the top and awaiting his guest to clear the tree line.

Once he did so, Tiir rose to his feet, arms held high as he used the force to project his voice - as a loud booming terror struck the surrounding space of the lake - trees shaking, and the surface of the water rippling with intensity.

"I AM THE GREAT FOREST SPIRIT! GUARDIAN OF ASOG! WHO DARES TO ENTER MY DOMAIN?!"

After his little stunt, the booming voice began to laugh - not one of malice... but of... wheezing? Like the sound one's father would make after a particularly bad pun. The voice died down as the old man slowly removed his mask to reveal a face filled with joy, his fit of laughter continuing until he put his hands on his knees.

His voice returning to normal, he spoke once more:

"Apologies, I simply couldn't resist! I haven't gotten to frighten a visitor in quite some time."
Afterwards, he slowly began to scale his way back down the side of the cave.
"Come closer! I'd prefer not to shout!"

Once he'd made it down to the entrance, he approached the man with a smile, before offering a handshake.
"You can call me Tiir. Come, I sensed your arrival - I hope you're no stranger to a good cup of tea and pleasant company."

With that, he turned back to his cave, entering the space and getting things prepared as he awaited his guest.
"What brings you to this little pocket of life? I haven't seen a starship in the sky for many rotations, let alone anyone bold enough to land."

Chen Yi

 

[Chen Yi]

Tiir Sareck
Chen Yi paused at the edge of the treeline as the booming voice echoed across the lake. Leaves trembled, the water rippled, and for a brief moment he simply stood, taking it all in. His gaze wandered upward toward the figure perched above the cave.

"…Impressive," he admitted, before the thunderous proclamation dissolved into wheezing laughter. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"So the Great Forest Spirit has a sense of humour."

He returned the bow with one of his own before accepting the offered hand. "Chen Yi." His grip was gentle, though his eyes lingered for a moment on the old man's dirt-stained hands before taking in the thriving forest surrounding the cave. The answer to the question seemed written in every tree, every blade of grass, every bird that called overhead.

"I came looking for a dead world." His gaze drifted back toward the woodland. "Instead, I found a living one."

Following Tiir into the cave, Chen Yi slipped his walking staff from his shoulder and rested it carefully beside the entrance before taking a seat where offered.

"I would be honoured to share a cup of tea, Master Tiir. It seems Asog has already begun teaching me before we have even spoken."

 

[Tiir Sareck]

His guest had made a good first impression. He appreciated the acceptance of his humor.
Despite his answer, the old man was still curious what he'd sought to learn from a dead world.

Tiir let out a slight chuckle at the mention of his former title.

"Oh please, "Master Tiir" is so formal. Just call me Tiir. Those days are long behind me."
Moving the kettle over to a small table, he poured the tea into two clay cups. The first for his guest, then one for himself.
"I was a master once, long ago. I used to be quite the folk-hero, if you will. Dashing into harm's way for the protection of the innocent, crossing blades with the Sith on the odd occasion. I was reckless in my youth, now? I trust in the force to guide me. It's a better teacher than anyone at the academy, I'll tell you. Even now, I find myself learning new things. I trust in its will, to guide and wake me as it sees fit. At times I question it, though I have learned it is best to simply... trust."

Once his tea had cooled slightly, he took a sip, the herbal remedy soothing the old man's nerves as he reclined slightly.
"Ahh... nothing like a good cup of tea, is there? You could search the galaxy far and wide for any source of wealth or power, and yet nothing would leave you satisfied. I've learned to appreciate the insignificant."

Looking back up at his visitor, the old man squinted for a moment before continuing to talk.
"But perhaps you're familiar with the concept of trusting in the force as well. After all, what could lead you to such a world as this except for it? To find yourself drinking tea next to a tired old man? I know it's not wealth. Asog has nothing left worth taking anymore. You've mentioned teaching, perhaps to learn? But what did you expect to learn from an old dustball?" His tone wasn't mocking, the way he leaned in seemed genuinely curious.

As he gave Chen the floor to speak, his bird friend had returned, perching on his shoulder.
"Excuse me, continue." He murmured as he stood, approaching a small wicker-basket, containing an assortment of berries, which he now began to feed to his feathered friend.

Chen Yi

 

[Chen Yi]

Tiir Sareck

Chen Yi accepted the cup with both hands, taking a moment to appreciate its warmth before drinking. "It is very good tea." He smiled.

"My master told me that if I wished to become wise, I should travel." His eyes wandered toward the trees outside the cave. "I thought I understood what he meant. See enough worlds, meet enough people, and eventually wisdom would simply… happen."

He laughed quietly. "So far, I have mostly discovered how little I know." He looked back toward Tiir. "I came to Asog because I thought even a dead world must have something to teach. Instead, I discovered it was I who was mistaken."

His fingers rested against the warm clay cup. "My master also taught me to pay attention. To notice the things others walk past." A small smile returned. "On Asog, it was moss. Then insects. Then birds. Every answer led to another question." He inclined his head slightly. "And now those questions have led me to your doorstep."

After a brief pause, he added with an amused glint in his eye, "Though I confess, I was not expecting the Great Forest Spirit."

 

[Tiir Sareck]

"Not many do - thankfully though, you weren't the poor soul I accidentally startled into running back to his ship. I wonder why he came here?"
He finished his statement rhetorically, taking a sip from his tea.
"So, 'spontaneous wisdom'? Enlightenment, If you will? Quite the concept. I can't say I've ever had such revelations before. Things come to me when they come, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly."

Once his bird friend was full, he walked back to the table, sitting down.
"You may hold him, if you wish. I'll warn you though, he's a nuisance. Aren't you?" He teased the bird. It let out a soft coo in response.
He smiled like a proud father, holding the bird in the middle of the table.
"Found him with a broken wing a few years ago. He has his own little family now, I've gotten to see the hatchlings on the odd occasion. He and his missus are quite protective, but they care for their young."

After a brief moment, Tiir smiled softly.
"I'm glad you're able to look beyond appearances. If you'd like to, we could get out of this cave and go for a walk. It's nice out this time of day. Besides, as good of an opportunity as any for you to tell me a bit about yourself."
He leaned forwards slightly.
"Speaking of...?"
He left the door open, figuring it best to let his guest dictate what he wanted to disclose.

Chen Yi

 

[Chen Yi]

Tiir Sareck
Chen Yi smiled as he watched the bird hop confidently across the table. "He seems to have made a full recovery." He reached out slowly, allowing the little creature to decide whether it wished to approach him before gently scratching beneath its beak with a single finger. "I think I'll leave him with someone he already trusts."

Rising to his feet, Chen Yi collected his walking staff and rested it lightly against one shoulder. "A walk would be wonderful."

As they stepped from the cave and onto the winding forest path, he took a quiet moment to admire the canopy overhead before answering Tiir's unfinished question. "There isn't much to tell." He smiled faintly. "I was raised in a small monastery. Not one you would have heard of. My master believed the best lessons couldn't be found inside its walls, so when he thought I was ready, he sent me away."

His gaze wandered to the trees around them. "'Travel until you become wise,' he told me." A quiet laugh escaped him. "I suspect he knew that would take quite some time." After a few more steps, he looked toward Tiir.

"So now I walk. I listen. I help where I can. And every now and then, I find someone willing to share a cup of tea."

 

[Tiir Sareck]

Tiir nodded, listening, a smile forming across his face as he told his story.

"Story of my long, long, life." He murmured in reply. "Just swap the teacher for an invisible presence you can't see."
It was a bit shocking - the old man didn't even need a cane. Despite looking about as ancient as a tomb, he was still remarkably fit.
He continued striding, unintentionally gaining before slowing back down.

"I'm thankful you weren't expecting some grand escapade in coming here. I've not much to offer, save an old man's snark disguised as wisdom."
He chuckled at his own joke, before glancing to Chen, tone more serious, solemn. "Still, it's nice to meet someone. I-... I don't often get to keep friends, though, not through lack of trying. Sometimes I'll simply... wake up too late, and never get the chance to say goodbye."

He was silent for a moment, though continued walking. It wasn't until he stopped beside a tall timber, sitting down against it to rest, that he allowed himself to speak once more.
"So, you're the space-fairing student. What do you suppose you ought to learn from Asog, and this old coot? If the force wants to teach you how to keep a good garden, it certainly has a funny means of doing so. Though - I suspect that isn't the reason you were led here."
He leaned back against the timber, looking up at the sky.
"Truthfully, I've never been a very good teacher, nor a good learner. Why, I was rather stubborn and brash when I was your age... perhaps more so than I am now, but still stubborn."

Before Chen had answered, Tiir added, hand held upwards as if trying to touch a cloud.
"There is wisdom in your master's words, though. Much more can be learned out in the world than in the halls of some academy. But - on occasion, there is a time for both." With a smirk, he glanced back down at Chen.
"I think you can tell which I prefer."

Chen Yi

 

[Chen Yi]

“I don’t know about not keeping friends. Look around.” He gestured at the forest. “What about that bird you nursed back to health?”

He continued to walk. Observing the forest. The insects. The vines growing from trees. “I don’t really have an idea of the lessons I wish to learn. If I knew what I needed to learn, I’d already be wise.” He paused for a moment. “Or so my master used to say.”

“I can help tend a garden.”