Private The Strange Leading the Blind

[Jalen Kai'el]

The Strange Leading the Blind
Lothal, Jedi Temple Ruins
Tags: Dreidi Xeraic

​

Jalen wasn't exactly thrilled about going back to Lothal. It's where he grew up, and ultimately where his life would be changed forever. The loss of his sight... the burning of his home... these things haunted him, but it was deemed to be a necessary step in his training to return, much to his dismay. This was supposed to be a simple mission. He and an older padawan, who would take charge on this outing, were to descend into the ruins of the temple ruins on the planet and recover a holocron. Supposedly, it was a record of the building's history, which was certainly more anticlimactic then knowledge of intergalactic importance. Jalen didn't mind that. He'd rather not be filled by any more anxiety than he was already fighting. They just needed to get in, find the holocron, and leave. Preferably to never come back.

He sat in his seat on the transport, anxiously plucking at the strings on his hallikset. Usually music calmed his nerves, but it wasn't helping this time. What about the passengers around him? Were they looking at him? Judging? Everything felt so blurry.

Ding

Confused as he was on his surroundings at all times, he at least knew what the ringing meant. They had arrived. Pretty soon they'd be making the trek out to the ruins of the temple. Jalen's head continued to spin. Not once on their trip so far had he spoken to his elder padawan, even to give his name. He was far to preoccupied, lost in the anxiety and overwhelming confusion of his mind and surroundings.

Jalen very much wished he could simply return home.

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Location: Lothal
Tag: Jalen Kai'el

Arriving at Lothal, Dreidi had kept tabs on things from her previous trip here. Ensuring that the roaming criminals had permanently ended their raiding and that the outskirt villages were settling into some form of peace. There seemed to be good from what she could see, though the shouting of Iris and the judgement from her still played on Dreidi. She limited the harm, she ensured that the people were safe and that peace could be achieved. Did she kill a single being to achieve that? Yes, but from her upbringing and the philosophies that she saw, one life to ensure the many achieve peace was crucial.

Perhaps she had been wrong when she thought that though. The longer she was around the other Jedi of the Galactic Alliance, the more she felt a belief of staying her blade. It wasn't an idea she had been completely sold on, the witches, her family in the Ascendancy and CIS, to say their teachings are wrong was something she refused to believe. It just might not always be so black and white from what she could tell.

She was on a transport with a fellow Padawan. Who seemed not to speak, or at least had very little to say. There seemed to be a lot of turmoil coming from him through the Force. Dreidi nudged him, "focus on a single thing. Easy to be overwhelmed and experience sensory overload, focus on the beating of your heart or the feel of clenching your fists." Dreidi offered some insight, having similar experiences and hating the draining experience of being overwhelmed.

When they arrived, Dreidi stepped out and inhaled the fresh air, it smelt so differently to the recycled air of Coruscant. "I'm Dreidi Xeraic. Faster we find the artefact, faster we get home." She could sense his desire to rush home and she was curious as to why but would not push it. It felt strange to come on the adventure if you did not enjoy such activities...

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Lothal, Jedi Temple Ruins
Tags: Dreidi Xeraic

​

"focus on a single thing. Easy to be overwhelmed and experience sensory overload, focus on the beating of your heart or the feel of clenching your fists."

"Oh," Jalen reacted with a frown.

Did she understand what he was thinking? An empath, or just really good at reading faces. It seemed sound enough advise. It was much easier to focus on a single thing anyways when the sensory of color couldn't distract him. She went on to introduce herself. Dreidi Xeraic. Her aura was strange. Humanoid in shape, but distinct. There seemed to be something else in her blood that made her aura different.

"I'm... Jalen," he responded, once again forgetting to give his last name. He was rather poor at doing so.

Strange. She seemed to know he didn't want to be there, leaning much more into the camp of being an empath. Jalen himself was an empath, or at least to the extent that the chaotic auras he felt around him allowed. They were smaller details that seemed easy to miss, and he was certainly having trouble reading Dreidri.

"R-right," Jalen stammered with a nod.

And with that, they were off, setting out towards the ruins by foot...

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Dreidi nodded her head, "well met Jalen." She offered a smile then noticed the look in his eyes. It was a look shared by her mother and her older sister. It was a look that Dreidi thought one day she could share with them. Dropping the smile, she knew it added nothing and would not necessarily help the situation. Instead, she placed a hand slowly on his shoulder to give him plenty of time to react, reject or speak his discomfort if he wished.

"Well, your skills with Force Sense and Force Sight, should prove useful in ensuring we find it quickly. I know my mother would always find me faster in hide and seek than my father ever could." Dreidi commented, not saying outright that her mother was the same, for she did not know this Padawan to know if the condition was remotely similar. Just that the Force compensated and could be superior than normal sight can be.

Walking, "so, what type of Jedi do you wish to be, Jalen?" She asked, curious to know more of the boy. "I am aiming to be a guardian, saving lives by defeating those that threaten the peace we seek to protect. Might sometimes be a bit aggressive with it." She chuckled, attempting to be a bit more conversational to coax Jalen from his shell.

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Lothal, Jedi Temple Ruins
Tags: Dreidi Xeraic

​

Jalen very much took note of the hand on his shoulder. Encouragement, no doubt, but all it really did was make him feel more awkward. Like a lost little kid, which he sort of was to some extent. But, Dreidi did mention something afterward that peaked his interest...

"Well, your skills with Force Sense and Force Sight, should prove useful in ensuring we find it quickly. I know my mother would always find me faster in hide and seek than my father ever could."

She picked up on how he "saw"? Strange... Was this mother of hers blind like him? Regardless, her faith in his abilities was greatly misplaced.

"I-I'm not really that good," he admitted. "I-Its hard to find specific things without getting overloaded by feeling everything else."

That and he though too much, which made him rethink and that made him panic. Not a good chain of events. Jalen knew it all to well, but he couldn't ever seem to stop his mind from running wild. He was very glad when Dreidi changed the subject, needless to say. He didn't really feel like talking about his anxieties today.

"I'm training to be a healer," Jalen answered. "I-I... wanna save people... and everyone else seems to want to go out to the war front."

Nobody seemed to want to be a healer these days. It seemed necessary. Vital. Something that could give Jalen purpose. That and he really didn't like the idea of having to kill someone. That was too much pressure.

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

His doubts of his abilities and capability was something that Dreidi could understand. Adjusting to life could be tricky and it was never easy to have the Force overwhelm you with new sensations and imagery. "Well, the best I can offer is to learn to block out the white noise. Focus on allowing things in slowly, over time you will be able to focus and adjust like it is completely second nature but for now, one step at a time. Similar to learning how to walk, you can't expect to just start running off, gotta wobble, fall, and grow steadier on your feet." Dreidi mentioned, she wanted to assure him that things will and can get better.

"Healer?" Dreidi checked she heard right then gave positive energy through the Force to let him know that she liked the idea. "Being a healer is a great idea! Still gotta learn some combat but being able to heal others, prevent reckless fools like me from dying is a really important cause!" Dreidi stated chuckling deeply, a little self-deprecating humour to keep spirits high.

Pausing at the entrance of the temple, "so, you know what we are meant to be looking for?" Dreidi asked, revealing her lack of information about what they were hunting. She kinda signed up all excited and not thinking too much about it.

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Lothal Jedi Temple Ruins
Tags: Dreidi Xeraic

​

Her advise on focus was... strangely specific. Jalen wondered if there was something she had said that he hadn't been doing. He had been blind for a while, after all. Sure, he had improved his force sense by a good ammount, but not as much as one would expect. Or at least, not what he expected. He'd have to think on it.

"so, you know what we are meant to be looking for?"

"Uh," Jalen began with a confused frown. "A-a holocron. It's supposed to have old temple records on it. History and stuff."

Strange. She hadn't read the report? Jalen had listened to it multiple times in preparation. Maybe he was being too prepared for missions? All that thought did was fill him with more anxiety. It didn't linger for long, thankfully, as the pair would soon be at the foot of the temple. Jalen could feel it very well, natural-seeming spires rising into the sky, a central spire forming the main structure. Already the interior was giving off an overwhelming sensation in the force. It made Jalen's stomach turn ever so slightly.

"I guess this is it," he concluded.

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Holocron? Well that wouldn't be too bad. Shouldn't have strayed too far from the archives and she doubted that they would face much, if any resistance on the way there. Just head to the archives, pick it up and go home. Simple. Perhaps too simple but simple allowed for adjustments and creative thinking from Dreidi's viewpoint. "Well, if it's a holocron we need then best that we start in the archives. If it isn't there then we are likely gunna have some real frustrations in finding it. Especially since no one should be around taking holocrons around here." Dreidi commented.

She led the way towards the archives, or at least the direction thay she assumed the archives would be located at. Looking around, Dreidi inhaled deeply, wondering what the temple would have been like occupied and busy. Filled with Padawans pursuing their chosen paths and Jedi Knights and Masters developing the skills into mastery, offering insight and wisdom. Seeing Jedi temples in disrepair was never an easy thing for her to see.

"I always feel sadden by the emptiness of Temples like these. The missed opportunities and the unfortunate events that lead to the abandonment of such Temples. How about you?" She asked Jalen, curious to hear his take on the matter. "How do you feel walking the empty halls where once so many dreams were built?"

Jalen Kai'el

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Lothal, Jedi Temple Ruins
Tags: Dreidi Xeraic

​

As they entered, Dreidi assumed that such a holocron would naturally be in the archives. Jalen couldn't refute the logic there. It made sense. Why not start in the most obvious place? It wasn't long, however, before a strange question was posed...

"How do you feel walking the empty halls where once so many dreams were built?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "Strange, I guess. It feels somewhere between being in a castle and a graveyard."

On the one hand, an air of importance and mysticism. On the other, the less mystical aura of death and abandonment. It was a good analogy, at least in his head. Jalen didn't exactly resonate with the 'missed opportunity' sentiment, but he understood what she meant. It just seemed impractical to dwell on something that couldn't be changed.

Maybe that's just how he felt about his past bleeding in to everything else.

Jalen did feel slightly bad. His attitude was definately bringing down the mood. If he wasn't so miserable all the time, maybe trips like these could be enjoyable. The boy reasoned that he should apologize to Dreidi... Later though. Not now.

"Are we close?" Jalen asked.

He had good reason to. Holocrons stood out to him. They were composed of thoughts. Memories. Distinct and strong in the force. There was a definite lack of such a thing ahead of them.

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Dreidi nodded her head, it was a similar feeling to what she felt as she looked around the halls. "Curious to think that Jedi lived full lives here and now its cobwebs and gathering dust. Perhaps the NJO will extend out here and restore the temple some day." Dreidi mused out loud as they wandered around together.

Curiosity had Dreidi checking out the other rooms on their way to the archives, curious to see what was about and if there might be anything of importance or any creatures lurking around to be wary of. "So, wanna tell me some more about yourself?" Dreidi asked in a curious tone. "Might help pass the time I suppose." She shrugged with her hands in her pockets as they walked.

When he asked if they were close, Dreidi stopped and looked to him, "you tell me. Use Force Sense and tell me if you can sense it close or not." It wasn't her role to test him or train him. She was far, far from becoming a mentor but she knew he needed to be pushed more, especially if he wanted to be able to do his work.

Work that Dreidi knew was important. "If it isn't in the archives then I will let you hazard a guess where to search next." Dreidi offered.

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Lothal, Jedi Temple Ruins
Tags: Dreidi Xeraic

​

"So, wanna tell me some more about yourself?"

"I'm not really that interesting," Jalen answered. "But... I do play music. Sometimes. To pass the time."

There, that was something. He wasn't being a complete downer. As they entered the archives, Jalen's suspicions were confirmed. No holocron, not that he felt. When Dreidi asked, he took a moment more to feel the room before relaying this information.

"No holocron," he stated. "I... don't know where to look next."

He frowned. Something was wrong. There was a different feeling, faint but still present. The lingering essence of something that had passed through the archives recently...

Or someone.

"Someone's been here," Jalen relayed. "We... we aren't alone."

That was a terrifying prospect.

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

When Jalen mentioned that he was into music, Dreidi perked up very excited and intrigued. "What instrument do you play? Any particular genre you prefer?" Her body shifted to focus more on Jalen, slightly distracted. Music was so important to Dreidi, "I'm a singer, I play some guitar too. Tried my hand at writing some music too."

Looking around when he mentioned that he couldn't sense the holocron. There was nothing she could obviously detect either which backed up his claim. The sense of another was troubling and meant that they had to be on guard. "Keep calm, and let's follow the trail. Keep on guard though since we have no idea who or what took the holocron." Dreidi warned as she unclipped her Lightsaber and held the hilt ready.

She didn't ignite, not yet, she didn't think it was necessary yet but she slowly wandered forward. Trying to keep the mood light, "so, why are you so harsh on yourself? Being able to play instruments and enjoying music is super interesting." Dreidi pointed out as they walked.

Jalen Kai'el

 

[Jalen Kai'el]

Lothal, Jedi Temple Ruins
Tags: Dreidi Xeraic

​

"Any genre, I guess," Jalen shrugged, "But I prefer quiet stuff a little."

But it wasn't long before the big question came...

"so, why are you so harsh on yourself? Being able to play instruments and enjoying music is super interesting."

"I... I dunno," he answered a little defeated, "I... guess I don't really like talking about myself all that much."

Some might say that spoke to a 'humble disposition,' while others might find that sad. Jalen didn't care either way. He just didn't want to think about his past. Being back on Lothal already made it hard enough not to. It was already a struggle to fight back the memories trying to creep past the back of his mind. Something quickly took his attention off of it.. An aura, one that he could identify at that.

"Human male," Jalen stated, "Late thirties I think. I... think the holocron is with him."

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Tag: Jalen Kai'el

Nodding her head, "not being tied down to one genre is good. Allows you to be more versatile and adjust when you need to. I try a few different ranges but mostly stick to rock." Dreidi mentioned, "I found music helps with calming my emotions and allows me to express myself more freely. Especially when I use to panic and be terrified of hurting others if I had an outburst or something." Dreidi was hinting at her innate skills with Force Scream that she had spent years focusing on reducing that potential.

"That's understandable, not always easy to be open about yourself. Especially with strangers. But don't worry, I won't share anything you say." Hoping that will alleviate some of Jalen's nerves and such. When he mentioned he could sense someone else, Dreidi closed her eyes and attuned to the Force to help her sense what Jalen was seeing.

"Okay, seems that's the guy we need to follow. Be on guard, keep your Lightsaber to hand. Don't know if this is a Sith, smuggler or fellow Jedi so gotta be cautious and assume to worse." It was a cynical take, they could assume it was someone friendly but Dreidi would rather be prepared to attack than be caught off guard by someone attacking them