Stray Cat Rock Part 1 (Aika Kawakami)

[Matsu Ike]

@[member="Aika Kawakami"]

Matsu listened and was kind of saddened at the idea of Aika not doing anything under her master being confirmed was... Difficult to take, a padawan needed more the just to meditate. Granted she did the same regiment with meditations coming first but she also worked on teaching them techniques that could be learned and reflected on during that time. The jedi master raised a hand and placed it on her students shoulder as she spoke. "There are plenty of jedi who have been in your situation... It is all about what you decide to do with it Aika. Time to come out of the shadows and stand brightly in the light and so. I know what we shall do, to teach you that is. The other things will have to be worked on but... but I think."

Matsu let it trail off and looked up into the air as she started to float and looked down. "You studied meditations, so show me the floating meditations Aika and join me up here please. We will work on some different skills before moving to defense and offense. Neutral techniques that are quite helpful when everyone is taller then you and your able to enjoy the sights on Coruscant without glass between you."

 

[Aika Kawakami]

In her mind, she tried to figure what other things her master could mean. Before her thoughts even began too add up, she noticed something that she hadn't seen in some time. Matsu was floating on air. Aika couldn't even remember the last time she saw such a thing, but it wasn't anything she hadn't done herself in the past. She gave a slight nod to her master before closing her own eyes and exhaling. Her mind quickly shifted from the topic of what she hadn't learned, to the thoughts of herself levitating above the ground. It would take only a few moments before her feet left the ground, bringing her legs up and essentially sitting cross legged on the air as she hovered above the ground. Her eyes reopened to see those of her master's, a slight smile upon her own face. "I'm ready if you are, Ike-sensei."

@[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

@[member="Aika Kawakami"]

Matsu looked upon Aika as she did the floating meditation, her student was doing quite well at this at least and the jedi master floated behind Aika as she touched her shoulders and went higher. Using the force and her own power to lift them up into the room. "Now stand up and focus on floating. I will hold you and can catch you but focus still. The air and gravity are still there but with the force you can for a time ignore the effects of it. The rules are bent without breaking just yet but there is more, feel with your hands and feet and air currents. Seend how the force manipulates them to push us up. This is one of the first lessons to altering the environment. To know the world and see how to change it. It is one of the greatest things I have learned and with it, you can work to alter far more things."

 

[Aika Kawakami]

Aika looked at her for a moment before flashing a rather wide grin. "Oh! You mean levitate without crossing my legs? As if flying, correct? I can do that." The young girl couldn't do much, but was exceedingly proud of what she could do. A small exhale came from her lips as she uncrossed her legs, allowing it to seem as if she was standing on the air itself. These were the things Aika had learned. To focus herself, to center her own energy on herself or other objects. It may have even been the reason she had been given knight status. Maybe someone saw potential in her that she herself didn't see. Who knows? The fact was that Aika seemed to be brimming with confidence. At least, for now.

@[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

@[member="Aika Kawakami"]

"Yes very good." She had found something the girl was good at, very much so in fact and it was a good thing. For a moment there she was kind of worried but this was good. it meant they had some common ground as it were and Matsu went around Aika and remained there suspended while nodding. "Yes just like that, though I do mean actual flight. When we reach Coruscant I shall show you Aika, there is so many wonders in the force and this... Will let you see the beauty of the worlds, help you get a book or two when in the library and when needed you can get away from a fight easier. Not many would be able to follow you if you go up into the air to escape." Matsu clasped her hands behind her back whil waiting and eyed Aika with a smile. "Now that your up here, I want you to work on your focus. Strike up a conversation and work on your diplomatic skills."

 

[Aika Kawakami]

A diplomatic conversation? This would be the first time she'd ever tried such a thing. Aika tapped at her chin with her finger, her smile lightening a bit. "Uh...well, I suppose each planet should be represented fairly so their voice could be heard. No matter how underdeveloped the cultre may seem, everyone's has a voice and deserves to be heard." In all honesty, she didn't know if what she was saying was right or wrong. The girl was simply saying what she thought was right. She also didn't realize that she was getting closer to the ground by the second. IN thinking up a topic for conversation, her focus had all but completely shifted. Which meant another problem found. Aika sucked at multi-tasking.

@[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

@[member="Aika Kawakami"]

Matsu dipped down and held Aika as the girl thought, she would have to work on that as well and now. Now she was hearing some good thoughts. "Very good but where are the troubles in that? The voice of an entire people can only function if there is agreement. Balance out what the people want with what they need, if we could fulfill the wanting of the galaxy and make everyone happy it would be lovely but we cannot. There is far to many voices crying out to be like this group, then that group wants to be higher then another. It is an endless cycle of greed and petty thoughts that one who wishes to help must be able to navigate and keep track of. First step is multitasking which you need to focus on." Matsu worked to think how to explain it without her closing her eyes again. "Feel in the back of your mind for that cord, that part of you which is focusing on levitating... Then hold it in the back of your head, never let it slip or stray."

 

[Aika Kawakami]

The words of her master drifted into her ears. In a way, they echoed thoughts that Aika was having herself. Her focus no longer lied in her levitation, but in her thoughts. Things that had been wandering about her mind for some time. If it wasn't for Matsu holding her, she would already be standing upon the ground. Actually, she was wondering why she had been having such thoughts as of late. Without realizing it, Aika had become far more aware of things that were going on around. She was able to perceive things more clearly through the force, thought it wasn't something she was doing herself. Somethings had to be said, and hopefully they wouldn't lead to any trouble for her.

"Sensei...I've been thinking. Something....many things, simply aren't right. And i can't understand how others don't feel the same way. The Jedi, the Republic as a whole, accepted the Empire as allies so quickly. After all they've done. I'm glad there is peace, but it doesn't feel like it's real. Both sides were too accepting of the terms. What if this is simply another plot by the Sith to eradicate the Jedi and Republic? How can we stop them if we've let them come this close? Sith in the Jedi Temple? Imperials speaking during Senate delegations? Ike-sensei, I think we're putting ourselves in danger. And I hate to say it, but perhaps the Jedi have become too trusting. What do you think?"

@[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

@[member="Aika Kawakami"]

Matsu looked at Aika and listened to each word the young woman said. In the end she was more correct then she knew, it wasn't just something foolish it was something dangerous. It was a joke if she had ever heard one and the jedi master nodded her head in agreement. "You are correct in all things, everyone knows this is a ploy by the sith. That the Republic is jumping at the chance for a perceived peace, is willing to claim we are getting a better deal then the sith then sits there while they take world after world pressing closer. Children with ideals are fine but when they are put in charge of things.. You get this, stagnation and fights to keep the status quo, jedi questioning not just the order but the republic they swore to protect. It is a problem the sith shall exploit when the treaty is broken and then as the galaxy is plunged into war and chaos again... We shall see how many want to aid us. Omega has all but written us off, they see this as a betrayal of everything if not more, the other enemies of the Repubic mount in secret using more treaties and pacts. All to abuse it then claim it was allowed."

The jedi master looked upon the girl as she went back down to the floor and stood there. "It is a reason why we must be better, why we must have sanity returned to the republic and the jedi. As much as fighting can be terrible it is the only thing the sith wish to do. They will build machinations of war and we will praise a supreme chancellor for her ideals, they will move closer to the Republics heart and we will sit waiting for the inevitable attack knowing our ships, out numbers dwindle. Or we go after each other it is one of the reasons I dislike being in the company of half the order. Bigger egos then a sith lord but righteous indignation. A bad combination indeed but hearing my grievances with the order is not always good. Perhaps there is a grand plan for when the sith attack, perhaps there is secret stuff we have done to be ready and we just do not know it." The small look on her face said it all, the jedi master had lost some faith in the council more so in the Republic. Metalorn could have been theirs but instead all they did was decide to do nothing. People died and it was for nothing.

"That is why Aika when and I do mean when the time comes you will have to be stronger then the others. Someone the jedi will listen to because they do not listen to the masters. Council is not sought with experience it is sought from children who have never left the walls of the temple, it is sought from men who have lived so long they only care about stroking their own egos and children who like to believe they are the center of the universe with the force. When they are small. So we shall work to make sure your ability to talk to people and make them listen is well earned."

 

[Aika Kawakami]

Aika's ears were open, and absorbed every word the came from her master's lips. It relaxed her heart a bit to know that not just anyone, but Ike-sensei not only understood but agreed with her. Both the Jedi and the Republic had let a known enemy into their house, and through the front door nonetheless. It forced her to not only think, but begin to question things. She'd always believed that there was no need to question those in the Senate or the Jedi Council. Now, she'd seen so many of her peers leave and even a Jedi become Chancellor. On the surface, it certainly seemed like the Jedi were somewhat making moves to control all of the Republic. But Aika didn't want to allow her mind to go down that path. She didn't want to imagine what horrible turns things may take if the Jedi were indeed pushing for more control.

"Ike-sensei. Is it right to question the Council? The Chancellor? The Senate as a whole? Part of believes that the Republic we once served doesn't exists. Almost as if there's far more going on than we're seeing. So many have left, and so many call the Jedi corrupt. Is it just blind ignorance? Or it possible that the Jedi Order is no longer what we thought it once was? Was all an illusion? I mean, having the Council on equal footing with the Republic is one thing. But having a known Jedi as the Chancellor just...seems to stray into such dangerous waters. What do we do?"

@[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

@[member="Aika Kawakami"]

"I think you are wiser then you realize Aika. Normally one should not question the council, they are the wisest among us. One should not be involved with the Republic, it is not out place, we serve and protect it but we do not... Should not control it. That what we have done is find a loophole in "Jedi do not run for office" saddens me, that we act like it is the second coming of a chosen one brings a tear to my eye and that the majority of the galaxy see it but our order chooses to be blind to it. These are not the jedi we expected, ones able to detach and have different ideals. If you disagree your not welcomed for your viewpoint you are shunned or chased, if anything currently we have shown ourselves to be more power hungry then our eons old enemy."

Matsu continued to look at Aika as she patted her shoulder. "We do what the jedi have always done Aika, we protect the people and try to leave politics where they belong. How well we do in all of that is anyones guess but it shall be something interesting to see when the time comes but questioning the council's decisions is not wrong Aika, you have the freewill to do it. You have the choice of what you wish to believe and learn and if you find the order is becoming something. There is the option of staying where you are or leaving, a choice not to be taken lightly either way but one we each have to make at a time like this. I will support you either way and would teach you regardless, I do not abandon my students ever. If anything it would only show you are becoming an adult."

 

[Aika Kawakami]

"So, then the Jedi are wrong. And I'm just as wrong for blindly following. Maybe the Jedi Order I imagined didn't truly exist in the first place. Or maybe, during all the time she spent on Coruscant, she was simply ignorant to what was happening all around her. As perceptive as Aika was, she couldn't pinpoint where things had gone wrong. She couldn't tell when she had stopped noticing everything around. When did she become so self absorbed that she couldn't tell what was happening in front of her own eyes? The Republic was seemingly failing, as were the Jedi, yet she couldn't tell which had caused the initial rupture. Was it the Republic for being unable to select a suitable Chancellor that could last a full term? Or was it the Jedi for being so quick to grab what was seemingly the most powerful position in the entire galaxy?

"Maybe the Jedi...no. Maybe the Republic isn't right. Maybe I should finish my training away from it all. I don't know anymore..." Aika took a seat on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest as her eyes stared the ground before her. The whole ordeal was sending the young girl for a loop. Twisting her mind and causing mounds of confusion. "I just don't know what to even think anymore. But...you agreed with me. That means you believe I'm right in what I said. So, Ike-sensei, why do you stay if that's how you feel? Or, I guess I should ask how do you manage to stay and deal with it all? If the flaws are so obvious that even I can see them, why does one such as yourself remain here? I don't get it.."

@[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

"I stay Aika because the galaxy needs good people and because my children while smart should be raised in a place of peace. The jedi order protects that peace as best it can but yes it is failing, it is stumbling and faltering because of those in charge. Because of those who care not for the people but their own... Position, my former padawan has shown me more of himself now then ever before. He has revealed beneath his arrogant and foolish ego is one just as power hungry willing to dishonor his fellow jedi. I stay because the galaxy needs jedi Aika ones who will try to help with no thought of what they get out of it, ones who wish only for the people to be safe. Depending on who you talk with that can lead to many names, or ideals but it all comes around in the end."

Matsu placed a hand on Aika's shoulder though and gave a smile. "Perhaps though there is a different path, I find myself wanting to travel as it were and take my daughters with me. I have a ship, I have an invitation to join Alli Wren at her estate or a dear senator on Hapes, you could come with me and let some time away from the jedi clear your head. See if it adds perspective to what you want to do further down the line."

 

[Aika Kawakami]

Hearing the words of her master and feeling the hand on her shoulder, Aika looked up to meet Matsu's eyes. Invitation seemed exactly what she needed. A chance to clear her head without others putting there own ideals into her mind. A chance to finally see the galaxy through her own eyes, and in time, make her own decision. She couldn't help but smile as she nodded happily. After all, who knows what this could lead to? Her future finally seemed open, and for the firs time since joining the Jedi, Aika couldn't predict what her future held for her. Admittedly, it was a comforting feeling.

"Yes! Yes, Ike-sensei. I think that sounds like an idea that would greatly help. I would love to go with you. Even if it is only for a time. Maybe I'll be able to figure out what I should do in regards to both the Jedi and the Republic. even if it means openly defying the council. I believe this greatly improve the clarity of everything. Maybe we'll even be able to see where the problem truly lies."

@[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

@[member="Aika Kawakami"]

Matsu gave a smile to that, she was glad for the chance to continue teaching Aika. Even more so that her student had made the choice from her own thoughts, not being tempted or prodded well maybe a little but not enough to force her. Defying the council was something most great jedi had done at one point or another if nothing else it showed she was on the right track. "Then I will welcome you Aika, the Harlequin shall enjoy your spirit and my daughter will like having a friend." Matsu kept her eyes on Aika with her smile and humor while holding her fan up. "Now come we have talked much and there is still plenty you need to learn. Try and use the force as I showed you, don't force it manipulate the air currents you create."

 

[Aika Kawakami]

It seemed that time had actually a great benefit to Aika. In all the time she had spent inside the Jedi Temple and around the Senate, unknown to her, she had become acutely aware of the things going on around her. From the Jedi finding a loophole to gain the position of Chancellor, to noticing the increasing arrogance of several of the Masters. While she still hadn't come anywhere close to her potential as it related to the force, she had something that many didn't. Awareness. Without realizing it, she'd noticed so many things by simply watching, listening, and questioning. It was quite the leap forward, though not the type that would be noticed by the untrained eye.

Aika practically leaped to her feet to continue the training, her lips curved into a warm smile. A deep breath was exhaled as she closed her eyes, doing as she was told previously. Imagining a imaginary cord attached to her being, she mentally grabbed hold of it, using it to pull her up from the ground in her own mind. Physically, her body lifted from the floor, albeit slowly. Nonetheless, her body continued to rise from the ground. some would probably question why someone at a knight level would have less than basic combat skills, and yet putting such focus into her telepathic abilities. It was abnormal, to say the least. Then again, Aika was far from normal.

@[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

@[member="Aika Kawakami"]

Matsu watched Aika's face, observed her features and all the thoughts that were on the surface. She seemed confident and proud of herself. It was a welcomed moment that Matsu felt quite Aika doing it, she rose up and Matsu went back a little hovering in the air as she gave a simple nod of her head. Questioning the jedi was one of the things all had to do, it was a sign of growing in your knowledge and the force. Her eyes drifted upon Aika while she held her hands up to let the force bring her hair up while she sat there. "Now that you are able to do it, push the force below you to move the equipment. Let it flow over you." The jedi master crossed her legs while she rolled small whirlwinds in her hands. "Now you try."

 

[Aika Kawakami]

Aika blinked a few times as she stared at her master. "So....you want me to make the stuff levitate?"

It was nothing too difficult for her, though this was the extent of almost all of her training. In previous lessons, she had learned to suspend objects in the air as she meditated. The major difference now, was that be was already floating herself. Having to divide her concentration between herself and the objects was something she'd never done before. Or even thought about doing for that matter. But, for now, this was the task at hand. A small breath was exhaled before she looked at the objects that sat on the table before her. A simple was probably best for something like this. She squarely put her focus on the half cup of tea she had been drinking from earlier, though she made no attempt to raise it from the ground. Instead, she glanced back to her master.

"Uh....maybe we should skip this lesson for now, Ike-sensei."

@[member="Matsu Ike"]

 

[Matsu Ike]

@[member="Aika Kawakami"]

Matsu gave a nod of her head at that. She still wanted Aika to continue the lesson but the girls confidence seemed to be or maybe it was more she thought things to much. A problem few others could claim not thinking at all sometimes. Oh a puzzle this was and how to make the pieces fit for teaching a girl who's master only taught her the barest essentials, then the council promoted to knight with little to know training it seemed but her student wanted to be a peacekeeper be one of the diplomats of the order who didn't use a saber or weapon aside from her words. That was a useful skill she could nurture. "Very well then we shall come back to it later for now lets work on your diplomatic skills. Pretend I am a visiting Atrisian diplomat. There has been a problem, an insult of some kind. How do you handle it?"

 

[Aika Kawakami]

Internally, Aika gave a light sigh. Knowing that her master was on her side and gaining the offer to venture about the galaxy had given her confidence a rather large boost. However, it wasn't large enough to get her to try something she'd never even thought of doing before. Now, the theme had switched in a way. Instead of trying levitate anything, the focus had shifted to her diplomatic abilities, or lack there of. With the given situation, Aika tapped at her chin as she gathered her thoughts. Diplomats were generally well-respected, and most would not sit well with being disrespected. That alone made this situation a sensitive one.

"Hmm....well, first off, it would be necessary to to find out how you were insulted. And by whom. After which, I would have need to find out what would be needed to bring both sides to the same page. Right?"

@[member="Matsu Ike"]