(no subject)

[complicatedliar]

Who: Anyone who wants to hang on the Iskaulit
Broadcast: nah
Action: Iskaulit mingle, darlings
When: All day every day (at least for the month)

[We're drifting, so it's a perfect time to make use of the many fine establishments on our common ship.]

Comments

barriss offee

[ontrial]

[ aaaaand now she's restless. the last system had felt good for her, natural, and now that she's confined to ships again, barriss is getting out more than she did her first drift week here. she's still dodging crowds, granted, and keeping to herself, but you may find her ghosting around the library once or twice or even, in what some might consider the dead of night, setting up a run at the obstacle course for herself. after all, she'll have to start kicking herself if she falls out of shape and challenging her agility is the best way to keep that from happening.

more often, though, she's in the garden. usually she's just sitting on one of the paths, apparently meditating. if you're tending any plant in there and finding it's grown a little more than expected this week, that was probably her. she'll probably pick a few struggling plants and hang out near them a while, too, using the force to perk them up.

last but not least, she does drop by the meditation room now and then, especially when she's asked someone to meet her there. ]

Meditation Room

[forcesensitive]

[Finn is one of those who finds himself meeting up with her in the meditation room. He's curious about another friend of Ahsoka's, and though he's been nervous about working with the Force--he thinks Ahsoka is probably greatly overestimating any ability he has--it might be good to get someone else's perspective on it.

If she's looking, the impression she'd get from him is a mix of confidence and questioning, a young man who's still trying to figure out his place in things. His Force ability isn't strong, not compared to someone like Anakin or Rey, but try as he might to deny it it's most certainly there.]

Hey! Barriss, right? I'm Finn.

[ontrial]

[ almost always paying attention in the force is a habit barriss only breaks under certain circumstances, so she's pleasantly surprised to feel finn coming. or at least it was someone strong in the force she didn't know, and that was enough to have her getting to her feet to greet him. while she trusted ahsoka, she hadn't really been sure just how sensitive her padawan was until now. ]

It's a pleasure to meet you, Finn. [ and she's curtsying, because more old habits die hard. ] I've heard so much about you.

[forcesensitive]

Nothing too bad, I hope. [It's mostly a joke. Mostly. Finn's aware he's not exactly what a Jedi would call orthodox in any way.]

Ahsoka said she thought you might be able to teach me something? [He scratches at the base of his skull, looking self-conscious.] Or at least try. I don't know if I'd be any good at whatever it is.

[ontrial]

And I don't know that I'll be any good at teaching it to you, but we can both do our best. [ she gives him a reassuring smile, then tips her head to the centre of the room, where she already has a candle that can sit between them. ] Come sit with me.

[ because for all the things barriss is, she's still an orthodox jedi in enough ways that it seems important to give a lesson like this sitting in meditation poses. she'll be on her knees, hands folded in her lap. ]

[forcesensitive]

[Following her lead, he takes a seat and looks at the candle curiously. Frankly, the last time he'd been around a candle was when he'd decided to perform a rap exorcism on his communicator to get rid of evil spirits per Davesprite's advice, which had really been more of something fun to do than an actual ceremony.

But he does take a meditation pose, since he's been practicing with Ahsoka. Most of the time he doesn't even fall asleep.]

Okay. So how should we start?

[ontrial]

[ she hums a moment, not wanting to jump into something he can't follow, but also not wanting to question ahsoka's skills out loud. ]

How does meditation with Ahsoka usually go?

[forcesensitive]

[Finn describes a very legit-sounding guided meditation intro, since Ahsoka actually does follow Jedi standards. Which I am totally not sure about, but he knows perfectly well.]

So like that?

[ontrial]

That's a perfect start, yes. [ she offers a little shrug, part of her explanation. ] She's so fidgety when she meditates, I wasn't sure if she was encouraging you to cut corners or not.

[ there's a definite playfulness to her tone, though. just overly serious barriss teasing her friend. ]

Let's try clearing our minds together and see what direction comes to us. I have no set lesson plan here.

[forcesensitive]

[Finn gets a bit of a smile.] I think trying to help other people is her way of trying to make herself do it right, too.

[And then his expression relaxes as he follows her instructions. It's not actually too hard for him to get into a meditative state most of the time - it's a milder version of that invaluable Stormtrooper skill, standing around in formation until something exciting happens or during a long speech or during transport. So clearing the mind isn't hard for him - it's whatever's supposed to happen afterward.]

[ontrial]

[ finn probably has a point, about ahsoka, and that makes barriss smile a little as she closes her eyes and settles herself. slipping into meditation is easy for her, but she makes sure to stay aware enough of finn that she can sense him there, aware of how his own progress is doing. ]

Much like being aware of where your body is in relation to danger, being aware of the condition that your body is in is very important for a Force User. I'm sure Ahsoka's told you that one of my areas of specialty is healing and while it comes easily to me, anyone sensitive to the Living Force can learn it. [ in theory, at least. ] The basics are in being able to identify how the Force flows through every inch of yourself- and your patient. How aware of your body are you, Finn?

[forcesensitive]

Aware of my body?

[His question is probably also his answer. Finn doesn't usually think of things that way, so he has to ponder it and when he answers he speaks slowly.]

Danger--when I'm fighting, I know exactly what condition I'm in. What I can do and what I can't. I get a little of it when I'm practicing, but in a real fight it's strong. I feel like I can sense every muscle I got. Is that what you mean?

[ontrial]

That's exactly what I mean, yes. [ there's praise in her voice, just enough of it that she reminds herself of her own master. ]

What you need to be able to do is to have that awareness even when your life isn't threatened. It should be as natural to you as being able to identify your thoughts as you have them. And when you can do it to yourself, you can read another's body the same way you can read their emotions. Does that make some sense?

[beardstrokes]

[ Obi-Wan has found himself spending more and more time in the Interfaith Chamber. He doesn't have a good reason to leave the Huntress and old memories keep him there. Still, it's disheartening to know all the people that he got to know and care for had all vanished. He hopes for the best, but thinks of the worst.

But now was not the time for that, as he lights some candles and waits for Barriss to arrive. ]

[ontrial]

[ barriss doesn't make him wait long, arriving when she intended to and more composed than she has been in ages. usually, she makes a point to keep herself dulled down in the force- emotions there but significantly muted. in the drift fleet, she's been doing her best not to feel like anything in the force.

today, she's even and calm and it's not even forced as she greets obi-wan with a smile. ]

Master Kenobi. Thank you for agreeing to meet me.

[beardstrokes]

[ He tilts his head in acknowledgement, a smile playing on his lips. ]

Anytime, Barriss. How are you?

[ontrial]

I'm... well, actually. And yourself?

[beardstrokes]

[ Well everyone on the Huntress is gone, his weird truce with the First Order ran into some bumps. So the usual, in Obi-Wan's trainwreck of a life. ]

Not too shabby, I suppose.

[ontrial]

So long as things have plenty of room to get worse, we must be grateful for that. [ it nearly sounds like a luminara-ism, amused headshake and all. ] Drift week is a good time to appreciate it, too.

[beardstrokes]

[ It catches his gaze before Obi-Wan replies. ]

I'm all for appreciating the little things in life.

[ontrial]

We must, sometimes.

[ she gestures at the candles he's been tending to. ] Is there anything I can help with, while I'm here? I admit I don't visit all that often.

[beardstrokes]

I'm surprised. I find this one of the most calming places on the Fleet. I suppose the Gardens are decent, but with all that artificial life and air, it never feels right.

[ Granted, Obi-Wan is more connected with the Cosmic Force, moving with the flow of events and motion rather than the cycle of life, he has a healthy appreciation for it. ]

But I'd be happy to have your assistance with lighting these candles.

[ontrial]

[ barriss nods, grabbing one of the candles and stepping it away to use it to light the rest. ]

I actually haven't spent much time on this ship at all. I was trying to stay to on the Golden, all things considered, but- [ but she can only hide from anakin so much. this last system has proved full well that she can't, because the force simply won't allow it unless she's constantly vigilant. ] But then I got used to leaving my ship almost daily and now I feel as though the garden could use some attention, so I've mostly been there.

[beardstrokes]

[ Obi-Wan shows no surprise or indignation toward Barriss' statements, though he does file them away for later. ]

Well, I usually manage this place along with two others. It's open to everyone and we refurbish the supplies.

[ontrial]

That's good to know. If you're in need of an extra keeper, please let me know and I'll do what I can.

[ there's a sense of obligation in the offer, but barriss is still such a jedi that she would perform any tasks asked of her here. when did she ever rebel against an instruction at the temple? ]