To Pass the Torch (Emily Kao)

[Veino Garn]

Veino sat cross-legged with his back against an ancient tree that stood on the brink of a calm pool, waiting for [member="Emily Kao"] to arrive. He took a deep breath, settling himself in the Force. He had to be calm for this meeting. Nothing would be good by appearing nervous on a meeting such as this. First impressions could set the stage for the entire future.

Hence the pool. It was peaceful and calm, though a current running through it from a nearby stream could make it dangerous and unpredictable to the unwary during storms. Not unlike the Force. Plus it soothed his nerves. Teaching still scared him. It was still so new, and he felt so unequipped for such a momentous job. How could anyone prepare another for everything the galaxy would throw at them? It looked like he would be learning a a well. But then, the best teachers always did.

 

[Slot 20]

Emily strode confidently toward the large pool. Today was the day when she'd finally get to meet her master. If there was one thing that excited her, it was meeting her teachers. When she saw him sitting underneath the oak, she stopped before him. Nervousness suddenly flooded into her. She bent into a bow. "M-Master Garn? I'm Emily. Emily Kao. You're new Padawan?" She said, her voice shaky.

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Ah, that nervousness upon meeting the new teacher. He remembered that feeling very well. That memory had never left him.How had his master responded then? With kindness and gentleness. His was the first step into a hard, dangerous life. Kindness of any sort went a long way.

"Hello, Emily, please come and sit," He spoke softly, and with a gentle smile that was not quite as sad as many of his were these days. Perhaps in her generation the galaxy could be better. He wasn't sure that it could in his anymore. That was why they taught, he supposed. In the hopes that the students would learn from their mistakes and make everything better. "We'll just talk for now, at least for a while. Then I will see where your skills stand and go from there."

He lowered his shields. Completely. He had not done that for a long time, but he needed to know her. Know whom she was and how she responded. The thought was quite intimidating. She was nervous now. As was to be expected. The rest would be so much more though.

 

[Slot 20]

Emily obediently took a seat next to Veino. She glanced at him, and then at her lap. She didn't quite know what to say, or what to do, for that matter. She hadn't had a master for a long time. "Ummm...... So, hello, I guess. Uh......Nice weather we're having, isn't it?" She said. She face-palmed internally. Seriously?? Did she seriously just bring up the weather??

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino nodded, looking upwards now with a genuine smile, despite being overwhelmed at her emotional response to that comment. A lot of memories were tied to that one as well. Weather was a good point though.

"It is good weather. Very calm. Very serene. It is at peace. Yet, a storm can blow up at any time.," He gestured to a distant cloud wall that indicated a front was moving in, "Like that for example. We are the same way. If we are not careful, a storm could develop and destroy us. Now, not all storms are evil. They contribute to the health of the ecosystem, and are necessary with the rain they provide. Too much clear weather, and the system dies from drying out. Too much rain, and it drowns." Now for what he found the most annoying part as a student. "What do you learn from that that relates to us?"

 

[Slot 20]

Emily thought for a moment. "The storm is our emotions. If there are not enough, than we are hollow, or dried out. If there's too much, then we go insane, or drown." When she said it, it sounded like it made sense. But then again, what if it meant something else entirely? What if she was totally wrong? Ugh......

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino nodded slowly, "Very good. That is one of the things I wanted you to get out of it. There is one more. It's very basic, and doesn't involve the Force at all. It's about life." This other one would be the foundation for everything else he tried to teach her. Lessons were everywhere. One only had to look for them.

 

[Slot 20]

Emily continued to think. Life..... "Ummm....... The storm is like war." She said.

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino didn't answer. He sat there listening, letting her think it through, pull it apart, and see it from different perspectives. While the clouds could be war, but it was an entirely different direction than he was thinking. It had nothing to do with war, conflict, or the Force. It was more about learning.

 

[Slot 20]

Emily continued trying to think. What could it be? Was it a metaphor? Was it a symbol for something greater? Or.... Was it just a storm? An enlightening detail in nature that kept everything balanced? She didn't know. She didn't have the answer for him. This embarrassed her. She blushed a little and stared down at her lap. "I....I don't know," she mumbled reluctantly.

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino nodded, a surprises smile on his face. There was a lesson here he hadn't thought of. It was an outstanding one though, and worth learning. "You just brought up an entirely new lesson they had not occurred to me, Realizing and admitting we don't know so,etching is the first step to learning something, It also helps learn humility. Remember the lesson. It will make things much easier. The one I was thinking of though was that life is full of lessons if you look on them and reflect. Never stop learning. Always, always be a student." He have a comforting smile. "I learned those two lessons the hard way as well. It just took me a couple more days to figure them out."

He paused to let her digest those lessons and chew them over. They would take a while to sink in. The first would probably take a few years. The second hopefully yes. How next to continue though was the question. "Do you have any questions for that I can try and answer?"

 

[Slot 20]

Emily nodded, hanging on Master Garn's every word. So she should always be a student, and never stop learning about the things around her. And, it was a good thing to understand and admit that she didn't know some things. Alright. She could remember that. Now, for the questions. "Okay, um, well... I've been having trouble with my Force technique lately. With Swords and sabers I do perfectly fine, but when I try to use the Force in battle it's extremely difficult. I meditate about it alot, but I can't figure out what to do. Can you help me, Master?"

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino nodded, pleased with the question and her response. She was receptive and again, willing to admit not knowing something. At was fortunate. Otherwise things would be far more difficult.

"Yes, of course I can," He glanced at the sky again,thinking back to the various lessons on it and his own experience before reaponding further, "When you reach out to connect with the Force, what does it feel like?"

 

[Slot 20]

"Under normal circumstances, perfectly easy. I just clear my head, block out everything around me, and it works out just fine. But when I'm fighting, it's all jumbled and barely within reach. Like, I try to pick up something using the Force, but drop it two seconds later." Emily explained.

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino nodded slowly, considering the description. That wasn't uncommon by any means. It happened to just about everyone. It had certainly happened to him.

"Practice on maintaining that focus hen when not in combat and it will help during combat. Blocking everything out isn't a very good plan though. Be aware of everything. Feel the Force in everything. Feel it's connection between all living things." He paused to consider how best to explain it if his previous statements didn't make sense. "Practice would be the best way illustrate this, I think."

 

[Slot 20]

"But, how do you focus on it when you're fighting for your life? If you lose concentration for a second, you're dead." Emily spoke out of experience. It was very difficult to feel the aura of Force energy from a person who is at the same time swinging a blade at your head.

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino nodded, "That is an excellent question, and the answer I found seems backwards. You don't worry about the lightsaber. You don't think about it. Focus on the Fprce and the rest will flow from there. It will guide you and your blade in evasion and counter-attacks." He gave a small shrug and leaned back, considering. "Every time I focus on blade work and lose thenflowmofmthenFprce, I start losing. When I focus on the Force, I do much better."

 

[Slot 20]

Emily nodded. She didn't quite understand how that worked, but she would reflect on it nevertheless. She sat in silence for a few minutes, just listenng to the wind as it passed through the limbs of the tree. Finally, she spoke up again. "Do you....Um.....Have any questions you want to ask me?"

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino let her think about it. He watched birds flit by, feeling the soft ripples they left in the Fprce as they moved before being swallowed into the wells that were trees. Then she asked the question, and he looked back over to her, thinking about this. "Is her anything I should know about you now rather than later? Or just any parts of your life you feel are important to knowing you?"

 

[Slot 20]

"Uh-well-um, that's not really....... You don't have to........" Emily stuttered. She smiled, blushing out of embarrassment. That was stupid! If he had anything to ask her, he'd say so. She didn't need to ask hm about that!

Veino Garn