Between Here and There (Dhel)

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

(Open to denizens of the the Manka Cats Rule. Expecting a few.)

One thing Dhel had not been entirely prepared for was the cabin fever of spending longer periods of time with a small crowd on a small ship with no place to go find fresh air or a cup of caff made by professionals.

Training was kind of a welcome distraction, though all kinds of different frustration rolled into a ball.

Who ever knew that breathing properly took training? Dhel settles to her seat, finding that point where-probably-she wasn't going to finish with a foot all pins and needles from falling asleep. "Anything special this time, or just...trying to feel again?"

She had to admit, it was both disconcerting and wonderful to be able to feel the life on the ship. The sense of connection was comforting as a brush along her arms, and still so new and unnatural as to sometimes feel like that brush ran the wrong direction.

[Deonis Harik]

Deonis was finding himself to be a patient instructor especially as he did his own meditations exploring the light side of the force and the tranquility that came with it "Once you can reliably sense around you we will move to something more advanced. You need to be able to call upon the force at a moment's notice."

He sat next to her "there are two ways to immerse oneself in the Force. One is to empty the mind. Calm the soul. Find inner peace. Emotional control. I still struggle with this." He said with a grin, though he had been getting better "That Meditation will bring about the light side. The other is to instead focus on your emotions don't still them. Enhance them. Your passion. Your hate. Your anger. Focus on them and make them stronger. Fan the flames in a sense. This will immerse you more in the dark side of the force." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Neither is good or bad. Both are just part of the force. Some think there are two different things but they are simply two sides of the same thing. The living force isn't light or dark. Those are easy words to frame feelings. But the force just is." He took another deep breath.

"To understand the force. We must understand this." Another deep breath "now see if you can feel the Force."

[Sholua Tempes]

"Easier, more tempting, the Dark Side is."

Sholua grinned from where she was sat, cross legged, on the table.

"As an old teacher of mine used to say, but Master Yoda was not wrong the Dark Side is easier to obtain but far harder to control, and . . . "

She bit into a crunchy piece of flatbread.

" . . . you'll need to ignore distractions! Which is what I am right now!"

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

Ok..choices. She wasn't unaware that he'd laid them out like that on purpose, not telling her where to go. Probably for the best, really.

"You know, focusing on passion is...distracting when you're *right* there," she says with a grin of her own. She almost asked which way he was going this time, but it wasn't like she could follow along, exactly. And then there was crunching.

She gives Sholua a dirty look from half-lidded eyes before closing them. Maybe she could use that irritation to follow hate?

No, better to avoid that path for now. If she's got the harder one, well the easy one is even easier then, yes?

OK...eyes closed, she breathes, at least that's starting to come naturally, the slow, regular breaths signaling something within of what was expected to come next. The methodical review of herself, feeling where she was in this space, fingers and toes relaxing and her thoughts following inwards to end at breath again, except she thinks about her stomach and wonders about making something for lunch after this and...empty, empty, empty...not worrying about what's in the fridge... *crunch* or on the table

With a small sigh, she starts again. How did anyone ever get fast enough to do this at a moment's...nope, empty

Third time's the charm?

[Deonis Harik]

Deonis smiled a little at Shoula's antics "yes. No matter which you are using Ignoring distractions is crucial." He took a couple more breaths "find something to focus on. You're breath for example. Focus on it. Or the beating of your heart. Something." He took another breath "once you can focus on only that you tune everything out. Then slowly tune that last thing out. Leave your mind empty. Open it to the Force."

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

Before she starts again, a very distracting question occurs to her. "How do I know I've found it? Or is it just one of those things you can't mistake for anything else?" She figures she can open her eyes since meditating is pretty unpossible while focusing on answers. She glances at Sholua's food before pointedly returning her attention to Deonis.

[Deonis Harik]

He thought for a moment "it is different. You should know it when you feel it. It is said everyone experiences it didifferently. Some might feel it like water flowing from thing to thing. Some a summer breeze encompassing all life. Some light or just raw energy. The only common thread I have heard is that drawing upon the dark side feels of cold, the river becomes icy the summer breeze turn to winter winds. Regardless how you feel it. You will know when it is upon you."

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

Again she settles, following her breath with greater focus this time. A memory surfaces of one of those trips with friends to the Badlands, lying out in the dark silence looking at the stars, to tired to think as everything but the stars fell away and it felt like she'd grown or expanded somehow to meet them.

She lets the memory fall away without a distracted sigh this time, but it's chased off that persistent awareness of her breath, leaving a curious sort of nothing. Then something like that warm Badlands breeze tickles the tips of her ears with something that reminds her of being young and still open to the world turning out better than it has any right to. Potential? It feels a bit like a breeze but also potential and the surprise of it catches up her breath as her eyes fly open.

And it's lost, but not exactly. There's some sense that it's still there, just out of earshot. There's wonder in her eyes meeting Sholua's across the space between them. "Ok..I know...do it again..." she says quietly, letting her eyes close again.

It's still not something that she'd be able to do at a moment's notice. But it's faster this time.

[Deonis Harik]

Deonis for his part sees the break through maybe feels it a little, focused as he is on the force at the moment. He says nothing but watches Dhel with a happy smile as she excitedly opens her eyes and then settles herself to do it again.

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

Still sensing it there, she's quicker to find it again. The hard part is just pausing there, experiencing instead of trying to place meaning on the feel of breeze, on the changes in warmth or direction. Her hands, resting on her knees, shift as if trying to to hold something then relax at the futility.

She's afraid that speaking will snap her back again and hums a bit instead, quiet and low on an exhale to see how that works. And while her focus wavers, it doesn't break.

(Mind if I ask you two what you think Sense would pick up of your character in this idiom? I realize it doesn't exactly work like "You can sense and ID folks" at this point, but it's fluffy eplogue time.)

[Deonis Harik]

The breeze flowed over her ears and toward Deonis swirling around him gently as he was channeling it himself it moved around him greatly she just more sensed it felt him there next to her.

On the wind came warmth, happiness, friendliness, desire, pride and a few other positive thoughts. She would sense pride he felt at Dhel's breakthrough and fondness toward her, affection with deep roots.

[Sholua Tempes]

At some point the crunching from the table had faded. Obviously Sholua had finished eating, or had she?

There was another mind in the void now. With a faint sense of music and the rhythmic movements of a slow dance emanated from the table. Not a dance of passion, but one of centering, the dancer knowing their place in the world.

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

There's a comfort to those, a familiarity as if she had felt something of this before without really being aware of it. Dhel smiles, hands relaxed. There should be more though, but maybe they're too far away? It's hard to have a real sense of distance on the wind.

About to ask, and see if she can hang onto the awareness while doing more than humming, there's a sudden jolt of something else. Like a dust devil chasing leaves in a focused swirl of energy as Manka comes zipping through, across the table without even looking at Sholua's crumbs, onto the couch, pausing on the back to crouch and look around with wide eyes that were all pupil before hitting the ground behind and zipping away with way more noise than warranted by her size. The zoomies were upon her.

The connection holds as Dhel giggles, feeling the whirl of cat vanish, which answers that question at least. Carefully, slowly, she says, "I guess, there's a range? Good. Be kind of overwhelming feeling the whole galaxy."

There's worry in her tone, "Deonis, I'm getting...feelings, kind of thoughts? Is that ok?" It seems a bit invasive, somehow, and she can feel the connection shiver and recede with that fear of doing something wrong; not just wrong, but bad.

[Deonis Harik]

Deonis put a comforting hand on her shoulder "do not worry Dhel. The force can allow you to see into another's mind. If it's an ability you wish to cultivate. You likely are getting them from me because we...share a bond." They had been training, among other things, for some time now. "It is easier to pick up from those not hiding and who you are close to. As you grow in that power you need less, connection, from what I've seen."

[Sholua Tempes]

"And sometimes the Force just throws something at you, and it's either dodge or follow the Vision to the end."

She was back to eating the flatbread again. Cronch.

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

The fear brings a hint of chill on the breeze, the contrast making it easy to pay attention to. The hand on her shoulder is grounding, and Sholua's distraction both welcome and curiously well-timed. "Might want to talk about the, ah...ethics of poking in people's minds later. I'm feeling a little conflicted at how comfortable it was with you."

She opens her eyes, feeling the sense of them dim and the 'wind' fade into the background.

"How do you dodge when it's connected to you?" She asks Sholua.

[Sholua Tempes]

"Less dodge and more sever the connection, although there is something to be said about if the Force chooses to show you something then you should look at it. Don't expect to understand it though, neither side is straight forward on imagery at the best of times."

She took another bite of bread.

"But . . . if you feel a sudden command to duck . . . then I would. If I hadn't ten years ago then I would not be here now."

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

Still feeling a bit unfocused on the outside world, or split between them, Dhel nods. "Was that command kind of the same thing as just now, catching thoughts or feelings? Or is that a more direct thing?" She weighs what she's trying to say for a moment. "Like the difference between thinking and actually talking? Except all of it's up in your head, I guess?"

[Sholua Tempes]

"That particular command was either my Master sending me a dying warning or the Force itself. Not like I can ask him anyway."

She shrugged.

"Well not yet."

[Dhelih Dotaivi]

Blinking in some confusion. "That's...a thing you can do? Eventually? Or you mean, when you die?"

Dhel's family didn't really ascribe to any of the religious bits floating around the galaxy, so she'd only given the whole topic of an afterlife as much thought as tipsy bar conversations or oddly vehement pillow talk forced on her. Granted, this whole magical Force/life/touching everything stuff made such questions seem a little more worthwhile than they had been.