The tiniest flicker leads the way

[Rianna Organa]

Rianna moved to stand at the end of the bed, she looked at Ian he was shaken by the experience and his revelation or recognition that he believed the tormentor of this vision was himself.

That was quite eye opening. There are many reasons people see themselves as the destroyer.

"This vision that you are seeing, you must realize that it could all be a metaphor. This world could be where a great change is to take place, or that it is there you will face your greatest fear. It may not mean you will destroy the planet."

Even though it seemed the planet was most certainly the target, Rianna had hope that it was a twist within Ian, perhaps a confrontation with Kevin to deal with what he had done to Ian's family. The destruction of an old Ian to birth the new.

Perhaps it was too soon to identify this world knowing that it was within reach only told Rianna she needed to train Ian for the moment when he went to this planet, and faced whatever event was to happen.

"Do you believe you are meant to destroy that world?"

[member="Ian Milàn"]

 

[Ian Milàn]

[member="Rianna be Ar'klim"]


A metaphor. Could a metaphor have more than one meaning, Ian pondered.

“Destroy the world, Master?” Ian asked. “I can’t imagine doing so. It seems too great a part of me to even consider such a thing. I’ve wondered if it is possibly the force itself trying to warn me of my potential to fall to the darkness.”

Ian realized he had harbored an unhealthy anger towards the jedi; plus, the attraction he’d felt when he confronted the dark sphere on the red planet. Yes, he felt very vulnerable to the seduction of the dark side.

He looked at her curiously, “Has the force ever warned you of anything?”

He looked at the mythosaur medallion in his hand. “I feel this was crafted on the planet it displays. At first I thought it might be Mandalor or one of the other worlds the Mandalorians have claimed in the past; but, after studying their history I realized that Mandalorians have roamed the galaxy. It could have been made by a home-sick warrior anywhere they have traveled.”

Ian sighed and his head fell. Why was he talking so much? He just wasn’t this chatty, but, he had more he needed to share.

“Master, is a sense of place important for a person to hold? Because, if it is, I don’t have one.”

He mentally kicked himself. That certainly didn’t explain anything. He tried to explain.

“I was born on Mustafar but I’m not a Mustafarian. I’ve lived on Corellia but that doesn’t make me a Corellian.”

He watched her for confirmation that she understood his meaning and continued, “Most of my life I assumed my parents were from Corellia. After my father died, I tried to find any relatives we might have. There was no record in any database I could access - and I tried as many as I could find – that my father even existed. The preemployment documentation he provided to be employed proved to be fabrications and there was no other trace of him… anywhere.”

“Out of curiosity, I made a similar search for my mother. Her background was almost completely expunged also. One document we could find made reference to her immigrating from Zolan. Nothing more.”

“I paid a genetics lab to test my DNA and see if a phenotype could be identified and guide me to an area to search for more information. They determined that I was near-human – 92% of the galactic standard. They reran my sampling three times. Each time the resulting phenotype was slightly different. Needless to say, they were intrigued after they confirmed that their equipment wasn’t malfunctioning. They wanted to do a more in depth analysis but I never returned. A friend confided to me that they were reporting the information to the Corellian government. It was sounding like they wanted to hold me for study.”

“Perhaps I shouldn’t worry about it, but, not knowing is a constant nag that never goes away.”

He looked at Master Ar’klim trying to read her reaction to his revelations. Would she think less of him. He knew that he had the potential to be an extremely powerful force user which pleased him. It also frightened him when he imagined that power turned to the darkside.

“Master, you now know more about me than anyone else in the galaxy. I… I hope you aren’t regretting taking me as a student.”

 

[Rianna Organa]

[SIZE=12pt]It was good he didn’t see himself as a world destroyer that to her meant he still maintained a level of confidence about himself, and his abilities.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]She listened to Ian as he spoke, it was important to listen as important as it was to sense his emotions. Emotions were a credit and a danger how many times had those words been spoken over the years. He wanted to know if she had ever had a warning.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]She looked into his face the open need to know, “The force can give you warning, and yes to answer your question I have been warned. I know you don’t want to hear this right now” She kept her face serious, concerned. She did not want to push him until he was more comfortable, but she could not allow him to go too long. “meditation can help you with clarity, when you are ready”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Rianna considered the item, there was a small problem with what he said, if it was true, “Mandalorians traditionally are nomadic, it could have been crafted in many places.” Rianna moved slightly walking gave her time to think, to bring her thoughts together.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]“And it may not have been crafted by some of the Mandalorians but by someone to give to a Mandalorian. There are many skills among the mando’ade but I’ve not seen too many who can do this”[/SIZE]


[SIZE=12pt]She had considered the market, and if there would be a marking on the reverse to identify the craftsman, when she was ready to handle the handle she would look.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=12pt]A place to hold onto. Like home? As Ian told her the story of trying to find his true heritage, she imagined that yes the Corellians probably did want him for study. It was not unheard of, but Rianna herself had to admit that she would be curious as to what the other 8% was.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Odd she thought of Arla just then. “No Ian you should find out. My adopted daughter Arla has been going through something similar. She was raised on Tattooine under the most awful of circumstances, having been found alone there” Rianna couldn’t say abandoned she couldn’t imagine someone abandoning a child.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]“Arla feels incomplete without knowing her parents, and having questions of why. You may always have the question of needing to know, so that you know who you are, it is a sense of self, more than of a place” Rianna took a deep breath.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]“It would seem my padawan” he was a grown man hard to call him Padawan, but that was his title. “You were destined to learn from me. Perhaps we are both to learn something from a journey together”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]There was much ahead of them, and Rianna was growing to understand that this relationship would be as close a one as she shared with another long ago. Force help them both at this moment, “Ian there are answers out there it may take some time, but we will find them”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]She was sure that his journey would include many others as he found himself. She wondered in the end when he had the answers how it would affect him, and those around him. Already she had an inkling of foresight, but said nothing. Ripples of events were not finished, and what she saw could change.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]“Are you feeling better?” She needed to make sure he was ok, she looked at the piece again, “Would you mind if I hold the piece?”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Was she ready…she hoped so.[/SIZE]


[member="Ian Milàn"]

 

[Ian Milàn]

[member="Rianna be Ar'klim"]


Ian immediately felt an empathy for this Arla, a person he had never met. “At least I knew my parents. I can’t imagine how badly I’d feel if I hadn’t had them in my life. I… I’d like to meet her someday.” Why exactly he wasn’t sure…just that he felt he should.

“I agree, Master. I feel the journey will be necessarily long because I have much to learn before I feel I can successfully face the challenges I will find on that world,” he confessed indicating the medallion and by implication the world it demonstrated.

Holding the medallion up as if examining it, he added as he placed it on the tabletop for her to examine and handle as she desired, “I think this might be a force artifact. I certainly feel a stronger connection to the force when I activate it. It has never resisted me so you should have no problem at all with it. I wonder if it would show the same thing if you activate it, or, if it attunes to the individual.

Ian sat back and made himself relax. He was still connected to the force so he closed his eyes and observed Master Ar’klim’s force presence; trying to see how she manipulated the force and the object.

 

[Rianna Organa]

"I would like for you to meet her [member="Ian Milàn"] I think you two would be good friends if nothing else." At the very least she didn't know how Ian would take to the Rally Master even given her circumstances of birth. Whatever that world had that waited for Ian, Rianna hoped she would be able to teach him the tools he needed to survive.

Force willing.

She wasn't concerned about it resisting her, she was concerned about what it might show her. Her hand hovered above it as she contemplated whether to go through with picking it up. "I always hesitate at picking up an item, the emotions that can come from something are at times overwhelming" Rianna lowered her hand slowly heat, she could feel heat but that had to be from Ian holding it.

Rianna took a deep breath, and then laid her hand on the object. the force gathered quickly connecting her to the object. Images slowly came to her mind, shadowy ghost like images, with whispers.

Rianna could feel the presence of something as it approached step by step What do you seek Jedi Master?

Rianna did not open her eyes she did not move, The meaning of the mythosaur

A soft laugh filled her mind Come and find out, you know the place, the time will be sooner than you know

And then Rianna withdrew her hand, she could not feel good or evil but there were strong intentions. She looked at Ian, "How long have you carried this again?"

 

[Ian Milàn]

[member="Rianna be Ar'klim"]


Ian scowled, perplexed at what he’d sensed as he observed Master Ar’klim’s interaction with the medallion. He had no notion of the communication she had received but sensed a force presence within the medallion that rose up and challenged her. All the time he had held and manipulated that mythosaur, he’d sensed no such presence.

"How long have you carried this again?"

“I was given the medallion when I was 14, Master… so that makes it about eight years,” Ian answered. “It was usually packed away, I rarely actually carried it around with me.”

Still immersed in the force, Ian picked the Mythosaur up again and held it, studying it intently. He didn’t sense anything of the presence Master Ar’klim evoked.

Sighing, he put it back on the counter top. Was he too weak in the force for the… what was it anyway? Like a holocron gatekeeper? … presence to respond to him? The way the medallion responded to him otherwise he didn’t think that was it. Maybe the presence just associated him with the medallion and didn’t see the need to challenge him. In a way, he wished it had. He was wildly curious about the entity and its purpose and would love to have been able to have a dialog with it.

He smirked as he remembered something Kevin kept telling him over and over… curiosity killed the padawan. Perhaps he was naïve and should be cautious where he stuck his nose. After all, he didn’t even have a light saber to defend himself with. Well, he did, but that was another strange story.

 

[Rianna Organa]

[member="Ian Milàn"]

"Eight years" she repeated as she looked over at it again. It had been sometime since the force manifested a presence so strong that it would taunt her and challenge her. If this was an object of the force it could be one that tested each individual separately. The ability to change as each force user held it, or it had a set purpose for Ian and did not want her interference and therefore challenged her.

Rianna looked over to Ian, "something is troubling you?" curiosity was good and bad. She herself had gotten into trouble with her own curiosity. It had not gone well.

 

[Ian Milàn]

[member="Rianna be Ar'klim"]


"Something is troubling you?" Master Ar’klim asked.

Ian shrugged. “Nothing more than an intense desire to know what is happening and where I am headed. I can’t help but feel that I am being used for someone else’s purposes.”

He sighed and added, “Be that as it may, there is one other thing. When you asked if the Blackguard gave me anything I didn’t immediately think of it because I’m not positive they did. Just a moment… let me find my bags and I’ll show you.”

He quickly left the bridge and found where his bags had been stowed and dug through them until he found what he was seeking.

Returning back to the bridge, he placed a rosewood box on the table before Master Ar’klim. He opened the latches and opened the box revealing an ornate light saber.

“I received this about the time I graduated from the university. It didn’t have a name of who sent it, just that it was for my next graduation… when I killed my first Sher Kar.”

He reached a hand out to pick it up and the hilt practically leapt from the box to his hand. “It always seems glad to see me,” he quipped.

He pointed it up in a safe direction and activated to blade. It was shimmering opalescence – grey and black.

“I think it has a Kraydt Pearl as a crystal. The color of the blade reminds me almost exactly of the orb on the red planet.”

He deactivated the blade and returned the hilt to the box pushing it to the center of the table top so that she could examine it if she wished.

 

[Rianna Organa]

"I hope you are not being used so." It was possible though that someone could saw what she could see in [member="Ian Milàn"] and developed their own foul purpose for him or they were drawing him to a place to make a choice. A choice that should have been made a time ago having been derailed by the teacher.

But now when he mentioned that he had another item to show her, she was curious as to how he had forgotten it so easily. Perhaps the mythosaur was more interesting, she watched him leave. She wished at the moment things were clearer in regard to him, she wished that there was something that would stop tickling the back of her senses. The force was wanted to show her something that would be revealed during her own meditation.

When Ian came back he carried a lovely box but what was inside was truly the treasure. It was not like anything she had seen crafted in this modern age. It reacted easily to Ian, it was truly an extension of himself. "lightsaber is a part of us, an extension of our arm, integreted as part of our being" Rianna watched in wonder as the blade came to life, not since her readings on Corran Horn had she seen a blade that was different from the traditional colors seen among the Jedi.

Rianna looked down into the box as Ian slide it towards her. Placing her hands palm down on the table she leaned forward to look closer, "How does it feel in your hand?" Rianna looked up from under dark lashes, as she contemplated the weapon before her.

 

[Ian Milàn]

[member="Rianna be Ar'klim"]


Ian paused, unsure how to explain how it felt when he held and activated the light saber. “As strange as it looks, it’s very easy for me to hold. Actually, when it’s activated it’s like it’s just a part of my hand. I really can’t feel it at all then.”

A contrite look feel upon Ian as he admitted, “Even so, it’s not like I have any idea what to do with it… other than the obvious I mean. Kevin never taught me anything about light sabers or any of the forms.”

Ian knew there were several reasons involved. First, he had had no interest in learning how to fight when he was a youngling and Kevin first came to train him. Second, being in a remote location like the complex on Mustafar, Kevin really didn’t have the normal things used at the jedi academies to train padawans such as training sabers and droids for drills; nor were there any others his size and age to train with. Finally, and probably the most telling, was Ian’s mother didn’t want Kevin to train him to fight and he complied… probably against his better judgment due to their relationship.

He looked at the saber hilt and asked, “Do you have any idea what the dragon symbolizes?”

 

[Rianna Organa]

His words were well chosen it seemed he was becoming a bit more at ease with talking with her. She did not judge anything he said only took his words applied his emotions and then her knowledge, "but perhaps we should look further into it in case there is more meaning for a culture that I have not encountered"

Kevin it seemed had been very keen on other things with Ian the more Ian talked of his former teacher the more she wanted to meet him and put him in his place. Perhaps by now he had left the order completely, only time would reveal that answer.

"I can teach you basics when it comes to using a saber but in truth I would need to locate a blade master to teach you combat if that is what you wish. My healers' oath often conflicts with combat." She believed Ian would understand.

It was exquisite for certain a dragon, "usually a dragon is a symbol of power or strength in most of what I have come in contact with." She thought on it a bit more, "some see them as mystical" Rianna looked still at the saber so much work. "Perhaps if it is a krayt dragon pearl inside it is representative of a culture that sees Dragons in a representation of something or someone in their society. The saber powered by a dragon, the hilt a representation of the dragon, and the person who wields it is..." she paused the word hung in her thoughts, then two words, "leader" the other word was savior. She did not speak it that would put undue pressure on Ian.

He was certainly complicated and presented to her challenges she had not faced in a long time. Black guard, mysterious DNA, a weapon of some age, and an item that represents the mandalorians. What was the common denominator..mostly Ian, but there had to be more to it. It all began somewhere and with a purpose.

"Have you ever read something and felt a sense of déjà vu?"

[member="Ian Milàn"]

 

[Ian Milàn]

[member="Rianna be Ar'klim"]


"Have you ever read something and felt a sense of déjà vu?"

Ian gave Master Ar’klim a grin and answered, “Only if I’m reading it a second time.”

Doing his best not to laugh at the look of consternation on her face, he quickly added, “I think I know what you mean. Did I ever read a description of a place and it seem familiar, like I’d been there before?”

He was thoughtful, giving the question the thought it deserved based on the revelations he had made to her so far in their short journey. Try as he might, nothing came to mind. “I’m sorry, I can’t think of anything, but, I’ll keep the question in mind and see if I remember anything.”

“Perhaps if I could enter meditation and not be automatically drawn on my repetitive force vision, I could study questions like that in better detail.” Many of the mental obstacles he had allowed to plague him since his parents’ divorce were dissolving in the desire to learn. There were so many things about the force he wanted to know now; so many skills to challenge – he was anxious to learn without fear of his past pitfalls.

“Can a master and a student share a force vision, Master Ar’klim?” he asked seriously. Perhaps if she could accompany him to the red planet, she could help interpret what they encountered there. He knew of no other way to rid himself of that fear.

 

[Rianna Organa]

Rianna laughed, "A good book always deserves a second read Ian" They were both being a little silly as she gave him her best oh really look. As Ian described the sense of deja vu, "sometimes it isn't reading it you're standing there and you feel as though you've been there before"

She listened as he answered, "Yes keep it in mind" Rianna believed there would come a time when Ian might feel that sense. Sometimes she felt as though she was repeating an action that had taken place before.

Could they share a vision? "I wonder if dream walking could be modified to follow a vision. In principle it is similar. I" she had to consider what she was saying remembering that he was still young, and very new to the force. But if she could see through his eyes it might help her to understand.

She drummed her fingers against the table as she thought, "I could try it, the worst that could happen is it would fail" Yes even Jedi Master's failed at things, not everything went perfectly.

[member="Ian Milàn"]

 

[Ian Milàn]

[member="Rianna be Ar'klim"]


Ian gave Master Ar’klim a thoughtful look; both concern, uncertainty and trust clearly showing in his eyes. He thought that the worst that could happen would be that she couldn’t accompany him and he would be drawn on that one way vision to face the dark sphere again. Even that thought caused confused emotions in him. The opalescence in the sphere consisted of dark gray and light gray – dark and light. Was this another test? Perhaps he shouldn’t fear it as he had since the Blackguard first sent him there. Or did they? Perhaps they simply provided the ideal conditions for a vision and his destiny took him to the red planet. ARG! Too many questions!

Ian stood and placed his hands behind his head; twisting and stretching his upper back and shoulders trying to relieve some of the ache that came from colliding with the bulkhead. Thinking of going on the force vision again caused an involuntary shutter.

“Master Ar’klim, I was under the impression that force visions were rare events. Why can I slip into this one so easily?”

 

[Rianna Organa]

[member="Ian Milàn"]​

​

Rianna picked her head up and stopped drumming her fingers on the table straightening herself up to her full height she gave thought to the question. She could see within the aura that surrounded Ian the doubt that moved within him. He had questions for which she currently did not have answers.

"Force visions true ones are rare. The ways in which the force moves to speak to us is and remains at times quite the mystery." Rianna wanted to make sure Ian had plenty of time before jumping into a situation that he was not prepared for.

"Perhaps one reason is because you are not fully trained and the force seeks to guide you Anakin was quite the prodigy without training. I need think on this before I say too much and give you an answer that could turn costly."

Rianna suddenly missed the temple and all the information that was there, perhaps the temple of Voss or Tython would be helpful. "Perhaps we should look to visit a temple, what do you think?"

 

[Ian Milàn]

[member="Rianna be Ar'klim"]


“Visiting a temple would be interesting, Master,” Ian responded. “Do you have one in mind?” Ian’s opinion of the Jedi included that they were as unable to agree on principles and doctrines as much as any other group of sentient beings – thus the various Orders and groups about the galaxy. He wondered how freely individuals interacted with Orders other than their own. “Is there a temple within Mandalorian space?” He had no reason to think that there was an order of Mandalorian jedi; but, he would prefer to be in a protected locale. He feared that there would be jedi that would find him too much of an enigma and would want to study him just as Corellian intelligence had.

He cocked his head to the side and his eyes glazed for the briefest of time. “Perhaps we should return to the bridge. Our first course adjustment is due in 2 minutes and I prefer to be present to observe for abnormalities during the transitions.” Seeing her acceptance he led her back forward and resumed his seat at the navigator’s console. He was sure the nav computer would make to course adjustments flawlessly, but, he preferred to observe; especially in a ship he’d never flown in previously.

He sat quietly, his eyes observing the readouts and displays; yet, he also began observing the ship on another unconscious level. He watched the ship through the force as if he were suspended above it in space and observed each transition in the course change. Content at its completion, his presence retreated back to his body and merged with his other senses. Satisfied that the nav computer had performed nominally and they were properly inserted into the second leg of their hyperspace travel, he made a mental note of the duration of time until their next waypoint was reached. He turned to see what Master Ar’klim was doing, ready to resume their conversation.

 

[Rianna Organa]

She did there was a temple of Voss of the Silver Jedi and while she was not a member of their order there was no reason why she could not use their resources to read through some of the records. “I was thinking of Voss. It’s out of our way. There is an academy on Tython. The Jedi Order is with the Republic.”

She had to stop when Ian asked if there was a mandalorian temple. Her dark eyes looked upon him, “Ian I should tell you that there are some mandalorians who do not like force users” Yes she thought even recently there had been a debate about whether trained Jedi would be allowed among the Vod. Such mistrust had grown to that level.

“Mandalorians have no love of the Republic either right now. At one time they fought side by side, my own riduur [member="Ordo"] fought for them. But it seems those relationships have been forgotten. “ Rianna was not sad it was confusing how quickly the winds changed. “Politics were never my field. But I do not believe the Grandmaster [member="Kiskla Grayson"] would tell me I could not use the libraries of the Jedi.” Rianna had saved Kiskla’s life not that would be why Kiskla would give them permission but because Rianna believed they were still friends. She did not focus upon the fact that Ordo had been possessed by the Dark Lord of the Sith and everything that happened after that. She tried to keep her sadness about his severing himself from the force he could no longer feel it in his life. The cost of redemption even though the Mand'alor [member="Azrael"] knew of the possession. No of these things she did not speak that was her burden to bear and it was her great sadness.

“If we are that close then yes we should return” Rianna pondered so much. She had to keep all these things in mind when it came to Ian.
Keep in mind that he has a mistrust of Jedi. It was a good sign that Ian could monitor the computers and the placement of the ship when not in the cockpit. But she had to keep in mind the things that connected to Ian.

Keep in mind he is in possession of two artifacts that could very well have ties to the mandalorians and the black guard
Keep in mind that he is having visions when touching the one artifact
Keep in mind she still had to train him

She looked over at Ian he was most certainly the most complex padawan she has ever had. Even when she trained a young Jedi from another galaxy there had been so much to remember.

Rianna had wanted to stop on Balmorra to see Arianna but perhaps that would have to wait.

“Ian of all the things which are happening within your journey which one do you think is the most important right now?” Rianna asked not because she could not make a decision but because whatever was most important to Ian would continue to work on his mind and he needed to know that she took all of this seriously. That his training, and his balance within the force was important to her Ian needed to know this. This was how she would begin to mend Ian's relationship with all Jedi.

What she wanted would mirror what he needed to grow into a strong Jedi Knight.

[member="Ian Milàn"]​

 

[Ian Milàn]

[member="Rianna be Ar'klim"]


“Tython is relatively close, but, it borders on One Sith space. Is it secure enough to visit?” Ian asked. He wasn’t sure where Voss was located, but, he thought it was a very long flight somewhere out the Perlemian. Ian was disappointed to hear that the Mandalorians distrusted the jedi. Somewhere in the back of his mind, though, he wanted to take that distrust as a sort of vindication for his feelings towards the jedi. His growing regard for Master Ar’klim caused him to feel guilty when he had such thoughts. He reminded himself that generalizing about any groups, including the jedi, was unfair and would be wrong as often as not.

“Ian of all the things which are happening within your journey which one do you think is the most important right now?”

Ian thought about that question long and hard before he answered. “I know the red planet is significant and the hologram of the planet is a clue I can’t interpret at this point. That said, I don’t think they are the immediate priority.”

Ian stood and paced as he continued, “I know my training was flawed. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I can see it clearly now. At this point I’d prefer to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he did the best he could. He was just a knight so maybe he wasn’t skilled enough to provide comprehensive training to a padawan. Whatever the reason, things were skipped or ignored and I only have a vague idea what all they might include.”

He stopped and faced her as he continued, “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I think my training is my first priority. I feel some type confrontation lies in my future and I don’t want to be limited in my options when that time comes.”

 

[Rianna Organa]

Rianna would not say that as a Knight that his trainer should of had some skill but whatever had happen was now in the past she could only hope that he had not gone on to train others, and she needed to heal the rift that the actions had caused within Ian.

"It is a wise choice Ian, for with training you will be more ready to face whatever the future holds" It also meant time for her to research and give a more informed evaluation than to guess. 'Let us begin with some training here then, we will continue our current path."

Rianna looked over to Ian, "Let me teach you to heal yourself, it is a difficult thing to be able to look within yourself, but it will help you should you ever be in trouble" Rianna moved slowly carefully as she thought about the easiest way to do this.

"Come with me back here, where you can sit on the floor" She wanted for him to focus on the task, "We can decide where to go as we move through this task" She smiled softly at him.

[member="Ian Milàn"]​

 

[Ian Milàn]

[member="Rianna be Ar'klim"]


Ian stood and joined Master Ar’klim finding a place to sit on the deck at the rear of the ship’s bridge. Healing was one of the things Kevin had begun to teach him. Ian could see the usefulness of it and was curious how his new master would approach it. He made himself comfortable and tried to relax as he waited for her instructions.