2007-12-13 - Of Steak, Corellia, Yaala, and the Force

The native music on Ord Mantell is an ecclectic mixture of big brass and twang. Very odd - unless you were raised on Ord Mantell. The band that plays the music is center stage here, slightly raised. Two metallic instruments and two string players.
The seating in the cantina is mostly along its periphery and a diverse group of patrons is spread among its many booths. The bar is just to the side of the stage and servers hustle back and forth, bringing drinks and food to customers.
Tuil sits in one of the booths as he listens to the band play this evening. The place is not yet truly jiving yet as it is still light outside and the people are finishing their day's work. But the Jedi has time to relax and enjoy a bite to eat as the band warms up for the coming evening's set.
The music encompasses the next figure to enter the cantina. The soft blue cloak, sand clinging to it sways and settles as the figure pauses. Stepping aside to let another exit, the hood is slowly removed. Dark ebon hair spills out and the woman shakes it slightly, her face covered by a teal cloth wrapped around her mouth.
She lifts hands to that then too and pulls it down. She draws a deep breath and a moment after, begins to scan the Cantina, taking slow steps inward to mingle with the patrons.
Tuil glances up from starting on his meal, a steak from some kind of local domesticated animal. He notices Aure by the door and motions for her to join him at his booth. The Jedi turns back to his meat and begins carving it up into pieces.
The motion is caught out of the corner of her eye and Aure turns. She smiles softly, fleetingly even as she then wends her way through the crowd. Arriving at his table, she remains standing, "Knight Lindo, it looks like you are enjoying yourself."
She slides into the seat across from him and unclasps her cloak, letting it fall from her shoulders to pool behind her.
Tuil takes up a bit of meat and holds it up. "It is tasty enough. It could use some seasoning and sauce though." He shrugs and takes a bite. As he chews, he looks to Aure and asks, "What brings you here? Did you need to see me?"
Right to business. Aure nods, "Yes, I had wished to speak with you. About your request to have me seek out Yaala'ani." The padawan watches him eat, pausing before she continues, "I can not. I do not feel it is my place to be involved with this and I do not agree that the Jedi are." She folds her hands in her lap. "I do not agree that you have engaged this yourself, Knight Lindo."
Tuil considers Aure's words as he chews. After swallowing, he asks, "What do you mean by not having engaged this myself?"
"I do not think we should be involved, any of the Jedi. CorSec is there for that reason. And the people of Corellia need to stand for themselves if they think what is happening is wrong." She gives a shake of her head. "We are peace keepers and there has yet to be any need for peace. The problem is political and the Jedi must not become involved, Knight Lindo." She pauses, "That is what I believe." Aure watches him.
Tuil nods slowly. "I am not your master and it was only a request. If you feel that this is not something that concerns you, very well." He sets down his fork and knife.
"It is.." she replies softly, sitting up a bit straighter. Aure looks at the Knight, "Why do you become involved, Knight Lindo? Why do you seek to aid Ksar Antilles request?" Curiousity gets the better of the padawan.
Tuil answers readily, "The Corellians have faced much with bombings and civil strife. If someone is hiring off-worlders to travel to Corellia and paying for their citizenship just so they can vote and be off again, that is not fair to the Corellians whose world it is. You speak of peace, but we are also defenders of justice."
"Then should they not take care of that themselves, Knight Lindo? No one is bombing now and I do think that Senator Ani is a good person. She has every good intention. Look at what she has done for Ryloth." She quiets then, giving a tilt of her head. "I mean no offense Knight Lindo."
"Are your feelings clear on this matter, Apprentice? I know that the senator was close to Apprentice Orin and honored him after his death. You speak of your opinion that the senator is a good person. What does the /Force/ tell you?" Tuil leans forward and watches closely.
Aure meets his gaze then, studying his face and drawing a slow breath. "She is troubled...but she is entirely a good person." She then matches his gaze, her own understanding behind it. "I was troubled...does it mean I am a bad person, Knight Lindo? Before I went to Orin and Obi-wan with my experiences, i was just as worse off as she is. She has good intentions."
Tuil shrugs and comments, "There are some cultures in the galaxy who have the saying, 'the road to hell is paved with good intentions.'" He pauses for a moment and collects his thoughts, perhaps even gauging the Force... After a moment, he goes on, "You feel strongly that there is good in Yaala and that she has good intentions. If you do not wish to become involved in what you think is a political matter, perhaps you may still speak with Yaala, but as one who is walking the path who may show the beginnings of it to another who follows and needs guidance. There are too many beings in this galaxy who seek to rule other beings... Trust in the Force and consider."
"Knight Lindo, I am a padawan, I can not lead her in the way she needs to be lead...she does well otherwise. It is in the Force she needs guidance and I am not ready to offer her anymore than she already knows." Aure watches Lindo, her gaze narrowing as she tilts her head and then says softly. "When I sense Yaala'ani, she does not seem any more different than you. Right now." There is a considering look that passes over her face. "If your saying is correct, Knight Lindo, then even the Jedi are on that road."
"The Jedi walk a different road than those around them. What you sense of me differs in that I am aware of the Force and all its nuances and know the tightrobe I walk, as we all do, through this life. Yaala I have spoken with several times and she sees her power as a means to an end." He shrugs and notes, "As for your status as an apprentice, it would not be correct for you to teach. But you may act much as Orin did in serving as an example." Tuil smiles slightly and finishes, "If you feel that is beyond your abilities at this time, then at least heed the council's wishes and return to your master before any discover that you have left his side."
"My Master knows about this actually, and he allows me to take care of myself. A Jedi is a great thing, one who lives and breathes and must think for his or herself. I am doing that." Aure continues to meet his gaze. "And as for instructing Yaala, it is not becuase I do not believe I have nothing worth teaching her or it is beyond me to lead as an example, I do that as myself, not with the Force. When she is ready, when the Order things she is ready..then she will lean more of the Force." She gives a shake of her head, "I do not believe it is so easily won, this knowledge of all the nuances, for as the galaxy changes, so does the Force." The mirialan offers a faint smile. "And when Yaala and I have spoken, she does not seem to wish to use her powers for any such means."
Tuil sits back slowly and smiles slightly. "The galaxy is always changing and so does the Force. Be mindful of your words' import as what you stress today turns into something different tomorrow. May the Force be with you, Aure."
Aure lifts a brow, "Then it seems we agree on something." Inclinging head lightly, the padawan then returns, "The Force be with you as well, Knight Lindo." Waiting a moment longer, she then slides from her seat at the booth and stands. She pauses then, turning back to him, "I hope whatever you find out on Corellia works out." She lifts the cloth around her face to brave the desert again, followed by the hood of her cloak before turning and weaving her way back towards the exit and then out.
Tuil shakes his head and turns back to his steak.
Category:December 2007 RP Logs