Sol had called over to meet up with his meditation companion. He picks out an isolated booth, but fortunately the place was still busy even this late.

Hopefully enough to not have too much attention but still some privacy

His stomach rumbles, reminding him how long it had been since he ate. When a server comes over Sol raises a hand. "Fries tubers and soft boiled eggs in shell. I'm not picky about the type so long as they are drippy"

It was a cheap meal but a staple. The Gank leans back into the booth to wait.

The Mikkian arrives a few minutes late at the restaurant, easily finding the one she's looking for after a quick scan of the place. With a quiet, gentle but plain smile, she makes her way to the table he's sitting at, still keeping her hood up.

"Sorry for the delay, friend. Still finding my way around."

As the server comes by again with Sol's order in tow, she quickly orders too. Water to drink, and then a baked tuber - locally grown, the server explains proudly - served with 'Bellionas goat' cheese, a herbal sauce and some vegetables. For something with "goat" cheese, it's surprisingly cheap - which leads the Mikkian to wonder what 'Bellionas goat' were actually like...

Maybe she'd have a chance to find out.

She then nodded at him, signaling form him to start eating. "So... a calling", she attempts as a way to pick up their previous conversation again.

"I picked the word with care" Sol's order arrives and he nods at the server with thanks. In a smooth motion, he reaches behind his head and removes the mask covering his face. What lies beneath is a predator's face, like that of an enlarged fox with yellow eyes and fangs protruding from a muzzle. Solork picks up an egg and pushes his tongue through the shell, lapping at the yolk beneath. When finished, he runs his tongue around his chops.


"When I was a cub, my clan implanted an communicator within me. With a thought, anyone of the pack could share their thoughts in an instant, moving of one accord. When they" Sol pauses, regret tinging the next word "were gone, there was a great absence. And then, it was as if there had been a whisper where there had once been shouting. Quiter, subtler, but no less real"

Sol nudges at his tubers. "I was taken in, for a while, but the Guardians of Whills. They managed to teach me a few things before I needed to move on. What about you?"

Solork Tan wrote: ↑

Wed May 05, 2021 10:28 am

"I picked the word with care" Sol's order arrives and he nods at the server with thanks. In a smooth motion, he reaches behind his head and removes the mask covering his face. What lies beneath is a predator's face, like that of an enlarged fox with yellow eyes and fangs protruding from a muzzle. Solork picks up an egg and pushes his tongue through the shell, lapping at the yolk beneath. When finished, he runs his tongue around his chops.


"When I was a cub, my clan implanted an communicator within me. With a thought, anyone of the pack could share their thoughts in an instant, moving of one accord. When they" Sol pauses, regret tinging the next word "were gone, there was a great absence. And then, it was as if there had been a whisper where there had once been shouting. Quiter, subtler, but no less real"

Sol nudges at his tubers. "I was taken in, for a while, but the Guardians of Whills. They managed to teach me a few things before I needed to move on. What about you?"

She apparently shows no surprise as the face behind the mask is revealed, her eyes set on him the whole time while he tells his story - and nodding with some sadness as he mentions the loss of his pack.

A nod at the end indicates she feels what he means by the 'quieter, subtler' whisper - not exactly like he did, most likely. But... she understood that.

"My story is... convoluted, I suppose. I was born in middle class family in Mikkian - a warrior and a politician, as my late mother said. I remember a bit of that life - and of my dad. I remember him and some others in our family speaking of 'links connecting everything', but didn't think much of it back then. It was... a calm time, I guess. Naïve. Easy. Not for long, though. I remember dad and mom commenting the death of a Mikkian Jedi and what it meant for us. Tiplar - not sure if she and her sister were known outside Mikkia. At any rate... they tried to keep those conversations from me, but I heard them at times. Wasn't long before dad said we had to move. "

"It was... rushed. He and ma got what they could, dad got us into a transport. I had no idea where we were going - 'some friends would help us' was what dad said. Seemed like a long trip at the time. Was only 9 then... so I had no clue, really. We went to the Great Grand Run, stopped in Cerea, soon took to the Spar Trade Route" - she says the names with an odd look on her eyes, as if she's not really thinking of their meaning, more just remembering words mentioned as the story played in her mind. "When we stopped again, in the Endor moon I think it was, I heard dad and mom speaking again. Dad thought he was being tracked. So as we finally reached Bakura a week or so later, he told us to find the friends who'd help us -he'd have to keep travelling..."

She nodded at the server as her own food arrived, slowly moved the vegetables around getting them mixed with the sauce.

"That trip was the last time I saw him.", she says, keeping her eyes down and moving the food around for some more time. After finally taking a bite, she goes on again.

"Life in the Bakuran capital was much harder than before... but we managed, I guess. Learned a good deal. About poverty and prejudice, among other things - first-hand. Made me think for the first time about the meaning of Balance - and how talk about it can easily be faked or turned into bullshit."

A good look into her now her hood is pulled back will reveal a wooden trinket with the symbol of the Cosmic Balance religion - but with holes on the black and white sides - dangling from one of her tendrils.

"I made some friends. Me and mom made do. Then two of my friends went away - one to a monastery of sorts, one to an elite school - in name of 'balance'" - her voice when saying the word definitely suggests this is not a kind of balance she actually believes in. "Imperial presence was increasing. Mom fell ill. We had no means to pay for her treatment."

She shrugged, her head focused on the food.

"I decided it was time to learn elsewhere, see other sights. Started travelling around the planet... and they started in earnest. Visions. Feelings. Conscience of things others didn't seem to notice. I felt... 'lines' connecting people to others and to things. Felt emotions like colours in them, at times."

She raised her eyes again for a moment, then looked at the food again as she got a bite of the "Bellionas goat cheese", tasting it carefully, but soon getting another bite.

"When Kurtzen natives took me in... life with them provided a different perspective." He can see her face easing a fair bit. "A different perspective on 'balance', too. A more... harmonic, peaceful way, close to nature. Their outlook made things easier, made things make more sense. A year or so later, I met him. Sh'tari, a Galandan H'kig follower. He... told me he could help me understand it all better. Understand myself better. And... he did, in many ways."

She looks at him again, her deep blue eyes showing some emotion, but she quickly controls them.

"So I've leant what they meant, at least a bit - the 'lines' and 'feelings'. Learnt how to control... myself. My emotions. Easen the suffering. The H'kig teachings too of course... and we've discussed at length what they mean, what 'balance' means, and how it all connects."

Some more bites of her food.

"But then, the usual story. The Empire was ever more present in Bakura - and we knew we might endanger those who had taken us in. Had to be on the move again - and I was alone again. I... hope to see him again. Them. Sh'tari... and dad I mean. But for now... I travel, try to learn more... and find my path."

She looks at him, shakes her head.

"I'm sorry - that was a long story. Told ya it's convoluted. Hope I haven't made you too bored", she says with a gentle, but awkward smile.

OOC:
REALLY sorry about the delay -_-' Took some time finding some more stuff for her story, and been posting little in the last two days. Hope you'll bear with me!

Sol nibbles on his food as he listens, but he loses a good bit of appetite as Zim's story goes on.

"I'm sorry. It never gets lets painful does it? I had heard that time heals all wounds, but that wasn't true." He steeples his fingers and leans his chin on them. "It saddens me just as much to think of my kin, but the pain comes less often. I have things filling those spots where there was nothing but void, the rough edges sanded"

"You are not alone in your agony coming at the hands of the Empire. My kin had been hired to do their dirty work, only to be betrayed." Sol takes bite of tuber, the skin crunching on his teeth. "For years, I wanted revenge, but as I dwelt on my own pain, I realized the pain I must have inflicted upon others. I like to think that most deserved it, in some way or another, but could I actually state it with any certainty?" The gank shakes his head. "I chose to bury the being I had become, but doing that didn't solve the problem...it simply delayed my reckoning with those parts of myself."

The Gank sucks out another egg in a smooth motion. "I am capable of terrible things Zimrzala. My lessons have not diminished that capacity. They have, however...made me the think about the nature of that capacity, and that capacity does not make inevitability. I choose to be a Guardian: one who repairs what has been broken, who protects so that the break can be healed. And in that capacity, I have found my way to Bellionas"

Sol studies Zim for a moment. "So, visions? Is that what brought you here?"

Solork Tan wrote: ↑

Fri May 07, 2021 7:34 pm

Sol nibbles on his food as he listens, but he loses a good bit of appetite as Zim's story goes on.

"I'm sorry. It never gets lets painful does it? I had heard that time heals all wounds, but that wasn't true." He steeples his fingers and leans his chin on them. "It saddens me just as much to think of my kin, but the pain comes less often. I have things filling those spots where there was nothing but void, the rough edges sanded"

"You are not alone in your agony coming at the hands of the Empire. My kin had been hired to do their dirty work, only to be betrayed." Sol takes bite of tuber, the skin crunching on his teeth. "For years, I wanted revenge, but as I dwelt on my own pain, I realized the pain I must have inflicted upon others. I like to think that most deserved it, in some way or another, but could I actually state it with any certainty?" The gank shakes his head. "I chose to bury the being I had become, but doing that didn't solve the problem...it simply delayed my reckoning with those parts of myself."

The Gank sucks out another egg in a smooth motion. "I am capable of terrible things Zimrzala. My lessons have not diminished that capacity. They have, however...made me the think about the nature of that capacity, and that capacity does not make inevitability. I choose to be a Guardian: one who repairs what has been broken, who protects so that the break can be healed. And in that capacity, I have found my way to Bellionas"

Sol studies Zim for a moment. "So, visions? Is that what brought you here?"

She nods at his words again, getting a mouthful of her own food or another during his pauses.

"The pain... it is there, I guess is the best way I can put it. It exists." She gives a long blink, then looks into the Gank's eyes. "I can offer you Sh'tari's words on this - they helped me some, or so I usually think. He said something like this - 'Pain, desire, suffering - they exist. They are there, and the more you try to pretend they aren't, the more you'll suffer. So acknowledge them, accept them for what they are, and you can continue."

Another bite of the cheese.

"So... I guess time can heal...? But it won't usually do it by itself."

Some vegetables.

"I... can only imagine what you've been through, Solark. I imagine the pain you inflicted may have added to the pain you felt, even. And... I can only find admiration for your resolve. Becoming a Guardian when you've got used to causing destruction is a great change." She nods at him again, her blue eyes kept down a bit and showing great respect.

"If I may ask... do you believe that change brought you... peace? Or eased the pain?"

After another bite, she finally answers his own question.

"As for what brought me here... as I said, I've been seeking my own path. For a bit over one year now. More specifically, though... what pointed me towards Bellionas were some friends. They said 'something was going on'. Mentioned a name. Said they'd heard 'someone' was having visions indicating something going on here. Not much to go on from, granted. But seeking one's path often starts from very little - based on this last year at least.", she adds with a grin.

Zimrzala Skalirz wrote: ↑

Sat May 08, 2021 12:38 am

"I... can only imagine what you've been through, Solark. I imagine the pain you inflicted may have added to the pain you felt, even. And... I can only find admiration for your resolve. Becoming a Guardian when you've got used to causing destruction is a great change." She nods at him again, her blue eyes kept down a bit and showing great respect.,
"If I may ask... do you believe that change brought you... peace? Or eased the pain?"

"Well, not a capital G Guardian. More like...one who guards. I haven't taken monastic orders or anything." There is a lightening to his voice at the question. "But yes, actually. I met a man who had become so consumed by his suffering that he was lashing out. He had been hurt, taken by people who encouraged that pain, hatred and self loathing and it had burned him out entirely. He wanted to die and thought that the best way to do it would be at the hands of two friends of mine. "

"I'll say right from the start that I couldn't help him. I was not skilled enough for that. But one friend, Leah, she could still see the good in him. I did my best to keep my friends safe while they talked him down. At the end, I learned that he had been grieving. Grieving the loss of the person he loved most, and that loss and grief had transformed him into a shadow of what he had once been. I saw myself in that, and saw what I might have become, had I been found by someone other than the Guardians of Whills."

Sol sips his caf. "The man is still a bit of a wreck, but apart from brooding, he's come around. It turns out that people who isolate you and break you down to be their servant aren't picky about telling you whether your lover actually survived. Have I done more good, or hurt more? Maybe. Only time will tell. But I have needed to learn patience with seeing the result"

"As for what brought me here... as I said, I've been seeking my own path. For a bit over one year now. More specifically, though... what pointed me towards Bellionas were some friends. They said 'something was going on'. Mentioned a name. Said they'd heard 'someone' was having visions indicating something going on here. Not much to go on from, granted. But seeking one's path often starts from very little - based on this last year at least.", she adds with a grin.

Sol nods. "I don't exactly have much to go on, really. As for my own gifts, I'm afraid that it's nothing that will seem flashy or lead me somewhere special. I had always been brought up to train my body, for me it's just...expanding myself. Metaphysically. If that makes any sense"

Sol swirls his caf.

"I suppose I should ask before I offer to help: what is it that you want from this place? I mean, I want to help, would enjoy helping...and I like to think I can help, but if I assume, I am not helping you, I am trying to mold you into what I think is right"

Solork Tan wrote: ↑

Sat May 08, 2021 1:10 pm

"Well, not a capital G Guardian. More like...one who guards. I haven't taken monastic orders or anything." There is a lightening to his voice at the question. "But yes, actually. I met a man who had become so consumed by his suffering that he was lashing out. He had been hurt, taken by people who encouraged that pain, hatred and self loathing and it had burned him out entirely. He wanted to die and thought that the best way to do it would be at the hands of two friends of mine. "

"I'll say right from the start that I couldn't help him. I was not skilled enough for that. But one friend, Leah, she could still see the good in him. I did my best to keep my friends safe while they talked him down. At the end, I learned that he had been grieving. Grieving the loss of the person he loved most, and that loss and grief had transformed him into a shadow of what he had once been. I saw myself in that, and saw what I might have become, had I been found by someone other than the Guardians of Whills."

Sol sips his caf. "The man is still a bit of a wreck, but apart from brooding, he's come around. It turns out that people who isolate you and break you down to be their servant aren't picky about telling you whether your lover actually survived. Have I done more good, or hurt more? Maybe. Only time will tell. But I have needed to learn patience with seeing the result"

The Mikkian nods with a respectful, serious expression on her face throughout his story. She kept thinking what she could say to all that... but didn't find much, really.

So she just looked into his eyes, hoping the gesture would properly convey her respect and admiration for the man's journey. After the last few words, she gave him a slow, long nod. She knew patience was not an easy lesson to learn... and from her experience, it was one that had to be learnt over and over again.

But when it did seem like one was progressing, it was a rewarding one. It brought a sense of peace greater that actually meeting a goal. So whenever she met someone trying to come to terms with it... she had nothing but respect.

Solork Tan wrote: ↑

Sat May 08, 2021 1:10 pm

Sol nods. "I don't exactly have much to go on, really. As for my own gifts, I'm afraid that it's nothing that will seem flashy or lead me somewhere special. I had always been brought up to train my body, for me it's just...expanding myself. Metaphysically. If that makes any sense"

Sol swirls his caf.

"I suppose I should ask before I offer to help: what is it that you want from this place? I mean, I want to help, would enjoy helping...and I like to think I can help, but if I assume, I am not helping you, I am trying to mold you into what I think is right"

She then stops to think for a moment, taking the time to get some more of her food. When she next speaks, she's looking down instead of in his eyes.

"It... does make sense, Solork. My training with Sh'tari involved much about learning to make my own body and mind be... sufficient. Self-sufficient - in both a metaphysical an practical sense. So... I think I understand what you mean. But... in terms of gifts, I've been trying to train my body as well as my mind, but the latter has always come more naturally. Trying to find peace - and to expand this peace to others. Although... I've learned this can at times all I can do is to get others tired. Sh'tari always said this was a dangerous gift, as it could as easily breed violence, if I can't control myself... so that's something I try to take seriously. Peace and Balance."

She takes a final bite of her food, looks at Sol's caf and seems thoughtful for a moment. Maybe some tea?

"But... what I want from here? I suppose... it's the same as I've been looking for in the last year. A path. Self-understanding. And... to help."

As the server walks by, she calls them and asks for a herbal tea.

"As I mentioned... I've come here because some friends pointed out something important was going on. What Mara said today... I feel that may be it. Or there may be something else. One way or another... trying to find my own way while helping this place to bring peace sounds... right. So I guess that's what I hope to do, if I can."

As Zim speaks, Sol keeps tightening the grip on his mug of caff, taking constant sips. At the end, he feels the ceramic shatter in his metallic hand, the last dribbles rushing onto the table as he frantically pats it down with a napkin. "Oh kriff, not again!"

She's so close. You could tell her! Tell her about the others. Tell her that there is a teacher on the planet! And then she'd-

Sol pauses.

And then she would have a teacher that has her own ways. She would be exposed to people that know her secret. They would be exposed. All for something you want for her. The Dark Side is insidious in all things, especially helpful

"I'll tell you something Zimrzala: I have always struggled with what has gome easy to you and vice versa. Would you enjoy working with each other on our weaknesses? I am looking for a place to meditate and train while we work on the "project", can i pass that along?"

Solork Tan wrote: ↑

Tue May 11, 2021 10:12 pm

As Zim speaks, Sol keeps tightening the grip on his mug of caff, taking constant sips. At the end, he feels the ceramic shatter in his metallic hand, the last dribbles rushing onto the table as he frantically pats it down with a napkin. "Oh kriff, not again!"

She's so close. You could tell her! Tell her about the others. Tell her that there is a teacher on the planet! And then she'd-

Sol pauses.

And then she would have a teacher that has her own ways. She would be exposed to people that know her secret. They would be exposed. All for something you want for her. The Dark Side is insidious in all things, especially helpful

"I'll tell you something Zimrzala: I have always struggled with what has gome easy to you and vice versa. Would you enjoy working with each other on our weaknesses? I am looking for a place to meditate and train while we work on the "project", can i pass that along?"

The Mikkian's eyes shifted to the cracked mug, but she kept silent and apparently unfazed.

Something was definitely troubling the Gank, that much was clear. But... Was it something she said?

And could she maybe help him ease whatever it was that was affecting him?

In a way, she thought she could. But... Would that really help? She wasn't so sure.

Her mind was still discussing that when she heard his words - and she nodded, with a silent, but sincere smile. After some time, she adds some words to her assent.

"I think that's a very good idea, Solork.". She nods again. "Do you have any place in mind already? I haven't had the chance to explore much beyond the middle city yet."

Sol opens his maw, his tongue derping slightly at the thought. "I am beginning a sweep of the surrounding countryside. If I find a good place, you will be the first to know"

She nods again, now with her tea in hand. "Thanks, my friend. I will do the same if I come upon an interesting place myself."