Log:Lira: TK Practice 3
Qutha teachs Lira sand painting on Arisnar.
OOC Date: May 15, 2023
Location: Arisnar
Participants: Lira'una, Qutha Buvu Pah
It's very likely that whoever designed this area intended the phrase 'walk along a stone railing and look out at the ocean beyond' to mean walking /beside/ the stone railing and not actually /along/ the stone railing.
And yet.
As the sun descends towards the horizon, the wind whips past, playing with the hem of Lira'una's black robes. There's still plenty of light to see, but the sky is just beginning to hint at a change of colors and there's the constant roar of the surf in the background. She steps precariously atop the stone railing that separates the balcony from the ground beyond, arms stretched out to her side for balance. On the floor of the balcony at her side is a metal, four-legged spider that clicks along with her. Atop the droid sits a datapad playing instrumental jazz.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnyqOI4K2DA
After a few steps, she dips forward, hands finding purchase and allowing her to smoothly flip one leg over and then another, coming back upright with that grace that Twi'lek's are so known for.
And Lira seems entirely comfortable up there until a Nautolan youngling comes jogging over, a big smile on her face.
"Lira! Can I try that?!" comes the young voice.
Lira turns, eyes widening a little in surprise, her purple lips softening into an embarrassed smile as she hops down from the railing. "Nyla! No, I'm just... setting a really bad example. Let's start with a shorter fall than the second story, yeah?"
"No young'ns on the railin'. Only profes'nal acrobats or thems who're considered Knights."
Solving the issue, neatly, though he clearly seems unhappy having to throw out titles. Qutha is moving along with his typical amble from the main halls. The sight of the dimming sky repeatedly calling his attention with a notable consternation tinging his demeanor. Approaching with his hands folded before him, the Zelosian's path moves along the railing until he, almost casually, places one hand on it and lifts himself in an elevating walkover to standing more face to face, rather than face to knee.
"Meditation work?" brow lifting and his head tipping to one side, he looks to the droid with the music playing and then back out across to the ocean.
"Or more'va a relaxation time, I shouldn' wunner?" hands folding before him again, sleeves of his robes sliding to cover them.
Lira smile softly as she turns to watch Qutha's approach, blue eyes alight with warmth when he speaks and then smoothly mounts the railing.
"Are you a /Knight/ ?" the Nautolan girl, maybe eleven years old, asks when she looks up at the petite Twi'lek.
"Nowhere close," Lira laughs softly. "I'm the professional acrobat. Why don't you go find Kailan? I'll catch up with you guys in a little bit."
Once the youngling is trotting off on her quest, the Twi'lek girl glances over to her droid and raises a hand, lifting the datapad off of the top of the droid with the Force and guiding it quietly through the air until she can grasp it and stop the music.
"Probably more the relaxation than the meditation," she answers. "But it helps calm my nerves and keeps me focused on the moment, regardless. It beats sitting and worrying about what might happen." She pauses, then. "Nobody's complained, have they? I wasn't trying to cause problems. It's just... really pretty, out here."
"See, when y'us kin hear th' Force... sittin' an listrnin' is jus' as good. But yer'll git there in time." no scolding in his tone, more of a suggestion for 'how to spend time' from the zelosian. Looking first to the children going off when bid and then back to Lira he offers a nod to the datapad, "Gittin' a might easier now, eh?"
Hands unfolding so that he can motion to the datapad and then he looks out over the view again, the sands specifically. Brow creasing and his hand moves again, twisting into a shallow looping pattern and similar 'cuts' begin forming on the beach, similar to if someone had dragged a stick through them to make the designs.
"Sand paint'n may's be another good method to practice as well, reckon." nodding down at the beach, Qutha's countenance becomes thoughtful. "If'n y'don' like how it looks... yer can easily start over." hand sweeping to the side and below the sands 'brush' over. Wiping away the aimless creation. All the while he looks back at her, waiting to see what Lira does.
A touch of deeper purple reaches Lira's cheeks at the mention of sitting and listening to the Force as a better way to spend her time than walking along second-story railings, and she nods. She knew he was right. That much was obvious in the way her blue eyes dipped coyly. She was still /avoiding/ that past-time in favor of /doing/ something, even though she obviously knew she needed to spend more time meditating sans jazz or the million other little ways she had to distract herself from the quiet of her own mind.
"Sometimes."
Lira smiles as she answers that question, slipping the now-quiet datapad into a pocket of her robe. "Most of the time. I've been practicing.. a lot.. and trying to focus on what you told me about moving the energy /around/ it.. rather than worrying about the weight. That's helped a lot."
There's a little tilt of her head, though, as the lavender girl watches her mentor and then looks out to the sand, her smile brightening as she watches the cuts start to form.. and then be swept away.
"Oh, that's.. cool!"
Excited to try it herself, she looks out to the sand and bites her lip, raising her hand and concentrating on the beach in the distance. She moves her fingers, obviously trying to reach out over that distance to move the beach like Qutha had, but nothing happens. It's just too far. Or there are too many sand particles. Or /something/ .
"Tryina move er'thin' at once?" watching the sands, and the lack of movement. A faint smile touching his features, he nods slightly, "Think'a th' Force... formin' a hand... like yers. Or mayhap think'a holdin' sommat y'could draw'n the sand with." nodding slightly, "Breathe." looking out into the distance still, his eyes focusing on nothing but seeming to notice everything before him by the way they tick to movement.
"This'ns where med'tatin' comes handy t'whatcher wanner do... Focusin' on naught, n'jus' formin' pictures in y'mind t'cast int' th' Force." nodding again, Qutha finally looks back to her, "It takes time... n'them things y'wanna quiet th' world wit, they's only different distractions. They's give y'sommat t'listen to that y'wants to. But because yer tryina hear it, whether y'mean to'r not, it blocks out the music've The Force."
A hand sweeping out to the sands, "Jus' gotta train yer ear t'hear it. The energy that moves through'n binds us. It sings, it speaks. It creates music or quiets... But th' Force knows whatcher need, more'n you does."
Lira takes in a breath and lets it out slowly, still watching the wind whip across the surface of the sand, easily moving around the particles as she listens to Qutha. The music of the Force. Like the jazz.. it had a rhythm to it, a smooth flow, a quiet sort of peace.
"I am one with the Force, and the Force is with me," she recites softly, letting her eyes sink closed in her focus.
Instead of focusing on the individual grains, trying to move them all at once to make a picture, she focuses on a path, picking a point in the distance and then drawing her hand back towards her like she was drawing a rake through it.
It's nothing fancy. It's just a line. But it's there, and she can /feel/ it form a little trough in the sand towards her. It brings a smile to her lips -- a kind of understanding gleam to her eyes when they open again and look over at the man beside her.
"Have I told you how good of a teacher you are recently?" she asks, a grin tugging at one corner of her lips.
"Nah I ain' aught special... Jus' 'sperienced." head ducking sightly, green creeping up his neck to his cheeks, but he keeps his attention on the sands that have begun to take shape, turning slightly and balancing on the railing still, hands folding before him again, "Bur there y'go... Visualizin's importan', many things is importan'. It's overwhelmin' 'n complicated n'yer gonna wanna throw y'hands up... say's its impossible."
Qutha nods to himself and looks sidelong to Lira now,
"But that'll pass, in time... n'yer learnin' quick 'nuff." eyes back to the sky, towards the slowly darkening sky, but he makes no movement to leave or indicate they should stop.
"How's 'bout yer try again... See ifn' yer can add more t'it."
Lira nods, turning her gaze back out to the beach. It was still hard for her. There were so many distractions -- not the least of which, the wind moving the sand as she was trying to visualize what she was trying to accomplish. The water was crashing up on the shore and retreating. A few blue birds with white tails swooped by overhead.
She was struggling, again.
And the chirp of her comlink didn't help. << "Lira? We could use your help on the south wall." >>
Those that had shown up to help were already being put to use, keeping an extra eye out on the perimeter or sometimes filling in helping with students while the more experienced teachers helped with other things.
The girl let out a soft sigh, dropping her hand and plucking her comlink off of her belt. "On my way." She smiled up at Qutha, then. "I'll get back to working on this next chance I get. Promise."
