Private Why Are We Here

[Vrahni Suncatcher]

Location: Tython


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How long had she been out here? The afternoon sun had begun its descent, indicating it had been quite some time. Moreover, Vrahni questioned why she was even here. Not on Tython, because she already had an answer to that. This spot specifically had drawn her out and beckoned her to come day after day. And so she did. The days passed and nothing ever came. Exercising patience was rarely a problem for the Padawan, but there were some days she came out here with the thought that the Force might be pulling her leg. But, she still came.

Sitting alone in the clearing, a few medium-sized rocks floated around her, directed by her use of the Force. Slow and steady. Vrahni slowly reached out with her palm, guiding the largest of the stones so sit in front of her. One after the other they were stacked accordingly by size. It was a simple exercise to keep the Padawan on her toes.

Once the task she had set for herself had been completed, she figured it was nearly time to pack up for the day. And she would have, had another presence not been felt nearby. Had Vrahni's senses been more attuned to the Force, she may have detected it sooner. However, there was a lingering feeling that who or whatever was approaching was not making an effort to conceal themselves.

Finally. Is this what I have been waiting for all this time? She thought to herself.

Myri

 

[Myri]

Why was she here? Maybe it was the presence she discerned and felt immediately lured to it. Perhaps it was just because she desired a new place to stay, away from the troubles the galaxy had. Myri's life as a Jedi was over; she could finally carry on with her new life. But for the first time in her life, she did not comprehend where to go. It was like multiple doors had just closed, and infinitely more had just opened. Most people her age would find a friendly backwater planet and retire. And why shouldn't she? Myri had lived a long life as a Jedi now; she could finally relax.

But something in the back of her mind told her that wasn't where her life would go. Retirement didn't sound too appealing, just sitting around and getting fat. But neither did getting involved with anything? She shook her head and stepped off the ship.

Tython

When Myri left the order, she chose a random planet, got on a transport, and just left. She didn't bring much, excluding her lightsaber, and didn't fetch any of her old garments. Myri just wanted to forget about being a Jedi altogether entirely. And any likeness of that would make her more...

Angry

However, when she strode off the ship, she felt a presence. Myri could have overlooked it and wandered away, but something was different. Something desired her to go there. Her body just moved on autopilot, and she began walking to where it was. The presence got more substantial, and eventually, she reached a clearing. Myri glanced around, and her eyes landed on a young woman. Was this what the presence was? Myri approached her cautiously, not communicating anything.

Vrahni Suncatcher

 

[Vrahni Suncatcher]

There were few places in the galaxy as special as Tython. Locations that facilitated one's connection with the Force weren't unheard of, but this was the birth place of the Jedi. One could feel the connection all around them, in the ground, even. It was the reason she was here, searching for the answers to questions she did not know and some that she did.

What made a Jedi who they were? It was a question long burning in her mind. Ever since her Master died, it was the truth she sought out without her former mentor.

When the presence came to a stop, Vrahni arose from her position on the ground and clambered to her feet. Before she even turned around, the Force was at work, sensing everything around her. She was exceptionally strong, for a Padawan. Wasn't she? I am. It was that hubris that led her to this predicament in the first place, master-less and her training incomplete. As she continued to reach out, something felt...Off, but there didn't appear to be any danger.

Vrahni turned to come face to face with the woman that had approached her. She was much older and stood a few inches taller than herself. The Padawan's eyes shifted to the weapon that clung to her side. A lightsaber. Vrahni herself did not carry one, but there was no mistaking the young woman for anything other than a Jedi. The traditional robes of the Order wrapped around her as though they were meant for her.

"I wish I could say I was expecting company, but truthfully I wasn't sure what I'd find out here." She said, presenting a lithe smile to the stranger.

Myri

 

[Myri]

Myri nodded her head in acknowledgment. Myri could tell she was a padawan, precisely because she was young. But as she conveyed herself as often as she could, don't judge a book by its cover. "I wasn't expecting to meet someone like me out here." She lingered, looking up at the sky, then glimpsed back at the young woman. "I was hoping for some quiet at least." Myri sighed heavily, she didn't want to sound rude, but she assumed she wouldn't have to deal with more Jedi company after leaving the order.

"It's a pleasure to meet you anyway." She said, strolling towards the padawan. She stood in front of her and presented a hand to shake. She showed a small smile as well. At least the woman was pleasant and wasn't hostile. Then again, most Jedi were instructed to be kind and friendly towards each other. Myri wondered what a padawan was doing out here, particularly one without her master. Perhaps she was asked to wait for her master, and they would return later. Or maybe she was just alone; it wasn't her place to judge.

Vrahni Suncatcher

 

[Vrahni Suncatcher]

The Padawan's grin grew from ear to ear, etching a semblance of pleasantry across her features. These days it was becoming increasingly rare for her to interact with others in the Order. Mostly of her own accord. Attachment was something that came easily for Vrahni, no matter how hard she tried to separate her feelings.

"If we were always met with expectance life would be awfully dull, wouldn't it?" She jested with a chuff. "What brings you out here, anyways?" She asked. Vrahni's gaze shifted towards the older woman's lightsaber. It was certainly the weapon of a Jedi, but she had a feeling that they were not a typical member of the Order.

Once her observance was over, the gesture of a handshake was met. Reaching out to accept the greeting, Myri would find that Vrahni had quite a frim grip for such delicate looking hands. A nod was given in agreement before she continued, "My name is Vrahni, by the way." She introduced herself, withdrawing the hand and returning it to her side. She was still curious why the force had led her out here to this spot, supposedly for this meeting. Patiently, Vrahni awaited what was hopefully an answer.

Myri

 

[Myri]

Myri smiled and nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Vrahni; I am Myri." When she shook her hand, she felt the padawan's grip and was surprised, but her expression didn't show it. At least Myri was accurate in thinking there was more to her than what was observable. Myri let go and pondered the question that was asked. She lingered a moment, attempting to form the words.

"If I'm being entirely honest. I don't know know what I'm doing here. I'm supposed to be in retirement, but I felt a presence, which led me to you. I thought my life would be over after I left, but I guess the force had other ideas for me." Myri did not want to tell the young padawan the full details of why she left the order. The real reason was too painful.

Myri looked unhappy for a moment, but it quickly changed as she showed the young woman a kind smile. Myri took a seat on the ground. Then she lay on her back with her face examining up at the sky. "Most masters would say some wise stuff right now, but that's not my style." She took a coin out of her pocket and fiddled with it. "I'm always open to meeting new people and making new friends, however."

Vrahni Suncatcher

 

[Vrahni Suncatcher]

Vrahni mulled over the woman's words for a moment. At first, she could not place a finger on what she felt was off, but Myri quickly revealed that answer. When she left. Retirement. It wasn't very often that someone gave up their life as a Jedi. This revelation only gave rise to more questions. However, she thought it rude to prod into another's business and there didn't appear to be any threat present.

"We all have our own paths to follow. I'm sure that whatever lead you here was for a good reason." She replied, noticing the fluctuation of emotion. The Force wasn't needed to discern that much.

"In any case, I'm glad that you did come. I've been waiting for you for nearly a week." By now, she was sure of it. What other reason could there be for this meeting? "I have a feeling that we were supposed to meet each other, Myri." Chance? Luck? Those were not things that Vrahni believed in. A Jedi knew the Force guided each of them towards its will.

Following in what she assumed to be Myri's casual nature, Vrahni took a seat next to the stack of rocks she had built with the Force. It was a small feat, but one she was proud of. Taking another hint from the woman, she looked upwards to the sky. She felt so small down here.

"If I have learned anything in my time as a Padawan, it is that wisdom comes in many shapes and forms. Sometimes it is not words that are needed." She looked to Myri with a grin. "My master taught me that." Little did she know at the time, that it would be the last one they would ever teach her.

"But meeting new people is nice too." She said, redirecting her own words back to Myri's comment.

Myri

 

[Myri]

Myri looked at the sky for a moment and then glanced at Vrahni. What did she mean by that? "My apologies Vrahni but I think you have the wrong person. I'm not really anyone special; I'm just an old gal who doesn't know where she's going in her life." She then looked back up at the sky. If they were going to form any friendship, Myri should inform them of the whole truth. It would spare any unkept secrets.

She took a deep breath; this wasn't going to be easy to talk about at all. "I left the order because there was nothing left for me there. All my friends are dead...and my Master is dead. I thought I could carry on and keep being a Jedi, but I started getting angry. I started lashing out at everyone and everything. I used the dark side of the force." She told her, utterly ashamed of herself and incredibly sad.

"I eventually decided that I couldn't keep being a Jedi anymore, not with the person I'm slowly becoming. So I left and never looked back." She then looked at Vrahni sitting up. "So that's the reason I'm here; I'm just trying to move on and go somewhere. But wherever that is, I have no idea. My path is clouded, and where it will lead, I do not know. I can say without a doubt that I am not the person you are waiting for." She said, brushing her silver hair back.

"Your Master must have been a very wise man. I can tell he did a good job too. You are more perceptive than me, that's for sure. From the way you act and carry yourself, I think your on your way to becoming a great Jedi." She said optimistically. She then frowned a bit. "Sorry about ruining the mood didn't mean too."

Vrahni Suncatcher

 

[Vrahni Suncatcher]

Vrahni placed her palms behind her, splaying out as she looked upwards. She listened carefully to the words being spoken. Finally, the pieces were beginning to fall into place. As a member of the Jedi Order, there were many things she could learn there. Myri's experience was a path less traveled on, however. From using the dark side of the Force, to losing her master, to leaving the Order, it was exactly what she was missing. Perspective. Too often the Padawan's thoughts were drawn to these topics.

"Thank you." She replied to the compliment. It appeased her sense of pride and self worth, but that wasn't very Jedi-like of her, was it? The woman beside her seemed friendly enough, but unlike her, Vrahni was not so eager to open up. "Forgive me for asking, but is there anything you would have done different?"

Death was a natural part of life, but having previously been a part of the Order, she assumed Myri already knew that. It was a difficult fact to accept, but something most Jedi would have to deal with at some point of their lives. The Padawan fell silent for a moment, refraining from looking over towards her company. It was a difficult topic for her, as well.

"My Master died too, a few years ago." A lump formed in her throat. All those things that the older woman spoke of, they were everything Vrahni feared she would become. She did not want to become like Myri.

Myri

 

[Myri]

Now there was a question she never considered she needed to answer. To be frank, Myri didn't understand what she would have done differently. Maybe if she hadn't lived so long, perhaps if she died young, she wouldn't have turned to the dark side. In a way, age makes you bitter and cold. Or maybe Myri was just broken from the start. "I don't really know what I would have changed. Maybe if I had died alongside my friends, then none of this would have happened. But I'm here now and I can't change the past so I'm trying to move on. Sorry I'm not the person you're looking for."

Myri looked up at the sky and admired how pretty everything looked. Maybe Myri will find her new destiny on this planet, but she wasn't entirely sure about that. Nothing made sense anymore. Everything was so simple and easy when she was back at the order. You just had one job to do, and you weren't alone in doing that job. You had friends, and you had a family. Myri knew that attachment was forbidden, but she got too attached to her friends. They were her family. And now they were all gone.

Vrahni Suncatcher

 

[Vrahni Suncatcher]

Vrahni sat in silence as she looked upwards, lost in thought. She had also lost someone close to her, but she never gave up. That just wasn't her. However, she was beginning to wonder if she might turn out much the same should she experience so much tragedy for herself. That was her biggest worry when meeting new people, getting attached. For a Padawan, it was a difficult feeling to overcome.

"If you had died then, you wouldn't be here talking with me." She said, glancing towards the woman. "I suspect that you still have a role to play, Myri." Even now, there was much Vrahni had taken away from this conversation.

"But you should know, you are not alone." Despite hardly knowing one another, Vrahni would offer her friendship. It was more than that. She had once made a promise to herself to stand up for others. To be there for them. That was why she worked so hard to be a Jedi. And right now? This woman needed a friend.

Myri

 

[Myri]

"Thank you. But you need not worry about me. I'll be fine." What was she doing? Dumping all her emotional problems on a stranger, she just met? It was inappropriate and insulting. She mentally scowled as she brushed her hair back. "It's no big deal at all." Myri searched for some way to change the conversation. She didn't want to continue it any further. "Do you really think that this is the work of the force and that we're supposed to meet?." She asked, thinking that would be a better topic to discuss.

Myri thought destiny a lot during her time as a Jedi. When she was younger, she felt destined to live her whole life as a Jedi with her new friends. How naive she was. Life was too cruel for even a simple life like that. Or maybe it was because she stopped listening to the force altogether. Blaming your problems on something else isn't good. Myri had chosen her life, which was the hand she was dealt with. She cannot blame anyone but herself. Still, it hurt thinking about it.

Vrahni Suncatcher

 

[Vrahni Suncatcher]

There was tension rising in the conversation. She could feel it. "Very well." She replied, taking the hint she was given. When questioned, Vrahni opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She sighed. It was difficult for her to speak about the Force without bringing up the topic they were attempting to move away from. As a Padawan with little experience, the loss of her mentor and the impact it had on her was still one of the biggest defining points in her time as a Jedi.

"I do." She said, nodding. She went on to explain, "I trust in the Force and allow it to guide me, where ever that may be. For the past week, it has been to this exact spot." Vrahni lifted her hand, pointing to other small constructed towers of rocks like the one sitting beside her. There were exactly seven of them, dotting the area. One for each day.

"I have had a strong connection with the Force since I was a child. It's why I was assigned to the Master I was. He helped me to understand it. To control it. Without him, I would still be a scared little girl with no idea what I was doing." Vrahni paused, looking away to hide the pain of speaking about it. "And then he died." She took a deep breath. Even now, it was difficult not to let that attachment consume her, but she pushed through it. "My training was left incomplete and so I have nothing left but to trust the Force." Vrahni shifted her gaze back towards the woman. "So yes, I believe that we were destined to meet. If I had not followed my instinct, I would not be here right now."

What the future held for the two, she did not know. The will of the Force acted in strange ways, bringing people together at strange times.

Myri

 

[Myri]

"When I was younger, I would have believed all of the stuff you just said. But now I'm not so sure anymore. But I guess it's good that we were able to meet because maybe I could use some guidance or anything." She paused, looking at the young woman again. "I am so sorry about your master Vrahni. I'm sure he was a good person." She wanted to offer some physical comfort, maybe even hug her, but she decided that wouldn't be that appropriate. Perhaps she could provide some emotional support instead, "Would you like to talk about it? You listened to me, so at least I should return the favor."

The pain of losing people you care about is something she could relate to entirely. She knew what it was like to have your whole world crumble around you because of losing someone. Even just losing one person can change you for the better or worse. Myri didn't know why but she didn't want her new friend to end up like her. When she lost her first friend, the first mistake she made was that she didn't talk to anyone about it. Myri didn't even talk about it with her master. If only she had spent more time with him. Then the pain wouldn't hurt as bad. But today is no time to dwell on the past when this girl needed her now.

Vrahni Suncatcher

 

[Vrahni Suncatcher]

Vrahni found the woman's words troubling. Not that she offered to speak on the matter, but the parts about believing in the Force. At the moment, that was near inconceivable to the Padawan. It left her wondering if she would turn out like that one day, for a moment. She was a fighter and there was no place for doubt in her heart. That was the reason she had made it this far, despite all the setbacks placed in her path.

"He was." She quickly replied. "And we could all use a little guidance at some point." It was a big galaxy out there. When the question came, Vrahni nodded in response. "For a while, I did struggle with his death. We were close, but eventually I did manage to work through it. It made me stronger." There were times where it felt like a difficult thing to swallow. "However, there are times when I think that I could have done more. If we hadn't been separated at the time, he may not have died. If it weren't for my own arrogance, I would have been there with him." Not knowing what could have been different would always be the most difficult part.

"I became a Jedi to help people, not to let them die because of my mistakes." Vrahni hoisted herself up from the ground and made her way over to Myri. Her hand was extended outwards to help the woman up. "Let's take a walk, shall we? I want to show you something." In the end, she thought it did no one any good to linger on such thoughts. The Force was her ally and she would show that to Myri as well.

Myri

 

[Myri]

She accepted her hand and stood up. "I don't think you should be so hard on yourself, you were young, and you're still just a padawan. You'll be able to do a lot more good when you become a knight." She paused, then spoke again. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend your view on the force I don't want to propel my viewpoints on you. Whatever you believe in I will respect that." It was wrong to express blatant opinions on someone who had just started their training. Myri accepted that whatever life holds in store for you, you make that path yourself. The force doesn't control your destiny. You make your destiny. But she had to admit the power she felt was enticing.

Myri wondered where the padawan was taking her. Maybe she would try and change her viewpoint on what it means to be a Jedi again. But in all seriousness, she was tired of being a Jedi, having to listen to the council's orders all the time. The view on attachment was troublesome in Myri's opinion. Being close to your friends or even having a romantic partner doesn't make you weak. It makes you stronger, and that passion and that love make you stronger. She wished that Vrahni didn't follow the views of the Jedi so literally, but it was her path, and Myri had no right to judge what way she would choose to take.

"If you don't mind me asking, where are we exactly going?"

Vrahni Suncatcher

 

[Vrahni Suncatcher]

Myri was right about one thing. She was hard on herself. It was how she got through the day, the weeks, and the years that had since passed. Vrahni pushed herself each day to deepen her connection to the Force. It was the glue that held her together, preventing the Padawan from completely succumbing to her emotions. She said nothing of this when it was mentioned and a faint smile replaced words.

Tython was a verdant world filled with temperate scenery. The clearing they were standing in was a prime example of this, but there was far more to see. Vrahni turned away, gesturing for Myri to follow. "Don't worry, I haven't found you offensive at all." Each person had their own view on things and as large as the galaxy was, it was unrealistic to expect every force sensitive to follow the ways of her Order. "In fact, I find other's point of view refreshing. It helps to know how others about the Force." She was no scholar, but she did wish to understand it.

In truth, even Vrahni did not know where they were going. One of the planet's forests loomed in the distance. The Padawan reached out with the Force, allowing it to guide her senses. As it tugged her along, Vrahni looked over her shoulder at the woman. "We'll know when we get there."

Myri

 

[Myri]

"Well I trust in your judgement so I'll follow you." Even though they had just met, Myri felt she could trust Vrahni with anything. The padawan was readily accepting and wasn't a stickler like other Jedi and sith she talked to. "So I noticed you don't have a lightsaber? Is there a reason why you don't carry one? You don't have to answer I was just curious." Myri noticed that Vrahni didn't have a lightsaber at all. Maybe she was still in the early stages of her training and has yet to make her own. Or perhaps it was an entirely different reason. Like Myri said earlier, it wasn't her place to judge what path each force user takes.

Myri looked at the woods with a bit of discomfort, but she knew that Vrahni wouldn't lead them astray. Myri did wonder what was in the forest. It looked interesting. But she asked mentally what exactly was in there or what people or animals they would encounter. If they weren't going to go in there today, she would explore it in her free time. Myri would probably stay on Tython until she could properly set up a place with a bit of base of operations. Then she'd go explore some other planets maybe run into some different people. But the last thing she needed was a fight. Myri didn't feel comfortable with it but she would defend herself if the situation called for it.

Vrahni Suncatcher