Jedi Academy

It was a bit of a walk to get to this particular meditation chamber. It was far out along the edge of the mountain. But it was easy to find, in no small part due to the scent of freshly burning incense which wafted out through the open ornate doors.

Elegance in simplicity was probably the motto of at least one of the people who had carved the temple. Sure, in parts it was "hey, why not put a giant statue here", but here, it was elegance in simplicity. Clean lines of stone, geometric patterns carved into rock, simple at first glance, but they drew the eye in. And in...

Master Murah stood, looking out the window overlooking the ridge of the mountain. Master Chriala stood too, her head angled in roughly the same direction. Perhaps she was using the Force to observe the same things master Murah could see with her eyes. Or perhaps she was observing something else altogether.

Moments later Mir arrived, pulling his hood back as he stepped into the temple. His ears twitched as the cloth brushed over them. "Good morning Masters." the young farghul bowed at both of them, his tail firmly stuck between his legs. Not that the two could have seen it as he wore the long robes many in the order seemed to favor. As a kid he had learn to hide his tail - the bullies he had grown up with had had their way with it more than once.

Byron arrived for some meditation after the events of the previous day he felt he needed to center himself; so much had happened that he wanted to reflect on the events and see how they fit into the larger tapestry of the Force and the Universe. It helped that meditation was like napping, and he was good at napping so obviously he should be good at meditating.

The prelude to her volunteer duties as a babysitter earlier that day, Esla was present for the meditative session. Casting her gaze to the floor, she dipped into a curtsy to honour the masters in the room before joining the others.

"Good morning, students." Master Chriala said, not turning around. She remained like that, otherwise silent, as the students found their place in the room.

She turned around suddenly, angling herself towards the group. "How curious." She said, without elaboration. "I am wondering. What brings you here this morning?"

"A lesson." Mir replied with a nod, squinting his eyes a little bit.

"An elective lesson." Chriala said with a nod. "So I must imagine that there is more to it. Is there?"

Murah didn't quite roll her eyes, but she did have an amused smile as she watched Chriala get up to her antics. She took a seat on one of the cushions, giving a nod to each student.

“Calm before the storm,” Zanja, who’d slipped in near the back of the room, suggested a bit dryly.

"Every lesson is a lesson." Mir misquoted some jedi master. "Uh... but not every lesson is a mistake." He glanced daggers at the horny girl as she spoke out. Not that his answer had been any better.

“I did battle with Mandalorians last night, Master Shan has said that violence scan take a toll on the mind and I wish to reflect on my actions and center my thoughts. I do not doubt it will be last time I will have to defend others,” he said thoughtfully.

"Hmmm..." After a moment, Chriala smiled. "It is important to always keep in mind why you are where you are. Even when meditating. Especially when meditating. How can you find your place in the universe when you do not even know where you are?"

With only a little stiffness, she knelt on the ground. Mats were all around, for just this purpose. "Please. Go ahead. Find your center. Begin to empty your mind..." The scent of incense was stronger, closer to the ground. Chriala took a deep breath.

Mir shuffled down, happy that he could ignore Zanja for the time being, though that worried that she stood behind him. Who knew what she could come up with. His tail bristled a little. Sighing, the young and pluffy jedi-to-be closed his eyes and tried to empty his mind.

Esla gave a momentary glance at the discussion and body language of others before settling down to meditation exercises. She took off her shawl, folding it up neatly before sitting down on the mats cross-legged. Her gloved hands rested atop her knees as she closed her eyes.

Speaking of storms, Mir looked like he’d had a brush with some atmospheric electricity, he was so puffed up. Zanja made sure to position herself out of range of his twitching tail. The last thing she needed was to get tickled while she was trying to meditate.

She folded herself up on a cushion, taking a deep breath and pushing her shoulders back. The heavy incense made her wrinkle her nose a little, but she closed her eyes and settled In.

"Now." Chriala's voice was soft and even. Relaxing. "Bring your senses inward. Focus on yourself. But do not close yourself off from the world around you. This is not closing the eye, but turning it around to look inward."

A metaphor that perhaps worked better when you had no eyes, but the point stood.

Esla perhaps learned early on that meditation didn't come from expecting to appear or closing one's eyes tightly enough that you could see your eyelids, but rather reflecting on the nothingness that calm brought. Appreciation of the calm she could understand but introspection was perhaps something that didn't come as easily. She let out a small breath and stopped her mind from wandering too much. If she thought about cramping of her legs from crossing them too long, she had gone off-course.

Byron closed his eyes and tried to focus on the heartbeat of the universe.

Mir closed his eyes and focused inwards. For a monent he thought he could feel the void within byt then realized he was actually just hungry. Shuffling where he sat, Mir drew deep breath and tried again, his tail forming a letter S against his back. Mir hoped it looked serene.

Master Chriala gave them some time, letting them grow comfortable, and focus inward.

"Now... begin to reach out. Not with your senses, but with your inner eye. Feel the Force flowing through you. All around you. Follow it.

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(Special GM dispensation: everyone go ahead and roll Foresee at one more die than you normally would. This probably means one. If you get a positive result, you may describe your own awesome meditation)