enter if you dare (i'm kidding we're 80% approachable)

[theroadwarrior]

Who: Crew and visitors for the Starstruck!
Broadcast: None!
Action: The SS Starstruck
When: March! And, y'know, until the next mingle too.


[EVERYONE GET IN HERE AND MINGLE AND STUFF OKAY.]

Comments

[resnipstance]

[Well, that immediately puts her on the defensive.]

I didn't think you were going to hex me! Whatever that means.

[lord_wizard]

[He has a bad habit of playing into people's expectations, even when they're not good. Especially then.]

Cast a spell on you. Of the harmful variety. Or whatever your Sith equivalent might be? Your people aren't unfamiliar with sarcasm, are they? [He sighs, rolling his eyes slightly] It's simply that you still seem uncertain of my presence. It must be something.

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka crosses her arms.]

I don't think you're going to hurt me. You've had enough chances. It's just-- your presence in the Force, it's-- it doesn't feel... good. [Pause. Then:] Actually, it feels bad. [Blunt as always.]

Doesn't anyone shield on your planet?

[lord_wizard]

I...[It easy to see when it hits him. Eyes widen at first and then quickly shutter. She'd said she didn't think he'd hurt her, but he was. Simply by being here. The casual cockiness of his tone is quashed instantly, resembling]...yes, actually. It's just very uncommon. We can't sense other wizards, not unless we are actively looking. Most of the time, the only way to recognize another is to be in the vicinity when their magic is in use, or through touch.

And as you can see...[He spreads his arms wide, twisting his forearms so that brilliant marks on them]...for me, hiding has rarely been much of an option.

[resnipstance]

What? [Ahsoka has seen all kinds of different aliens and cultures in her time. Tattoos and markings, no matter how varied, will never be a surprise to her.] Are those supposed to be something special, in your world?

[lord_wizard]

[He nods] In my part of it, yes. They are a lot of things. They mark me as a Cabaline wizard and a mark of the oaths I took. They are a badge of office as much as they are a warning. And, in some senses, they are also chains. To anyone it would matter to, you can recognize a Cabaline wizard within a hundred feet by these marks alone.

[resnipstance]

Oh! I see...

Well. Would you like to learn? Shielding, that is. It's not hard.

[lord_wizard]

It's not? [Somewhat bewildered, but hopeful]

Are you sure? Our...abilities...operate rather differently. There are some techniques I heard about but never had reason to learn. I might be able to develop something on my own, but it would take time. Months, perhaps. We could try your way in the meantime.

That is...if you can endure my proximity. [Which is somehow both snarky and sullen all at once.]

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka crosses her arms, looking distinctly unimpressed.]

I'll manage.

[lord_wizard]

[Felix takes a long, deliberate breath, presses a finger against the bridge of his nose, then tosses his wash rag onto the counter before he looks at her again. It's often difficult to balance guilt with his more hateful impulses.]

Where would you suggest we start, then? How does it work for you?

i'm sorry this is SO OLD

[resnipstance]

Traditionally, just about every Jedi exercise starts with meditation.

Have you done it before? It's boring, but... it's good practice.

no worries

[lord_wizard]

[This gets a nod, at least. There's a certain amount of relief that they share this common ground, and with it comes the hope that this might not be impossible]

Yes. I'm acquainted with the technique.

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka brightens immediately.]

Great! That makes things easier, then.

Hmmm... it's easier if I show you rather than explain it to you. Let's go to the cargo hold. People won't disturb us looking for food there.

[And she turns and starts off on her own then without waiting to see if he's following.]

[lord_wizard]

I was going to suggest the same.

[He follows after at a respectful distance, silent for the moment as he recalls the time when he'd first been taught to do this. The ancient Iosephinus Pompey makes quite a contrast to Ahsoka, but if there's something she can really teach him, then he won't sneer at the source.]

[resnipstance]

[Ahsoka wastes no time then-- when they get to the cargo hold, she finds a comfortable spot to sit on top of a box somewhere and does so, cross legged.]

Okay. I assume you know how the first part goes.

[IE, she doesn't have to walk him through guided meditation.]

[lord_wizard]

[He reminds himself not to bristle at what he perceives to be some implication about his skills, mostly looking at the floor as he takes a seat there, affecting a similar pose though likely with far less grace.]

I do. Unless you wish to have me meditate on something on particular first.

[He won't be able to do a deep trance and be able to hear her give instructions, which is always a concern if this is going to work at all, but there is no reason it won't, either.]

[resnipstance]

Hmm. That might be a good idea, actually.

As you begin, try to focus on the energy around you and within you. Try to observe the flow of it.

[lord_wizard]

[It's good that her visualizations are generic enough for him to shape them as he sees fit. The best metaphors, in his experience, were those that were the most open to interpretation.

He closes his eyes and allows his mind and body to relax, clearing any other thoughts as an artist would start with a perfect void as a canvas. It's easier when he's asleep, so it takes some time. The steps are familiar, which helps, but ironically the most basic part has become the most difficult. On his own, he no longer needed to linger in this state, but often stepped right past it to what he was doing. He resists the urge to call up his construct-city.

Soon enough, however, he starts to build the picture in his mind. Himself, just as he was sitting, but in the void. He imagines the energy as well, a glowing halo twisting around him, pulsing with a life all it's own. This is just a framework. It won't meaning anything until he links his magic to it, letting it take the shape as vines would along a trellis.]

I have it.

[It's the cue to continue, and hopefully her patience has lasted long enough]