Light and Life

Light and Life
Date of Scene:	04 May 2024
Location:	Canto Bight Spaceport
Synopsis:	Sertil gives Cayde some guidance.
Cast of Characters:	396, Cayde Alexis

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Sertil (396) has posed:
Sertil notices that none of the other Jedi have gone after the Padawan... and while damage control and the public image of the Order is important, one must never lose sight of the importance of individuals. And thus he disentangles himself at the first opportunity and makes his way out of the casino and out into the spaceport, reaching out with his senses, listening to the winds and putting his own good intentions into them, trying to establish contact with the young man.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Unfortunately, there are too many other people out here due to the convention, and it's quite difficult to locate him in that sea of so many other presences. But upon arriving at the port, Sertil will spot the boy heading toward the docks. Looks as if he's literally just trying to go home immediately...

Sertil (396) has posed:
Sertil can't detect the boy through the Force... but it turns out that his eyes work just fine, and he catches the Padawan making his way towards the docks. He begins to follow, his longer strides likely allowing him to catch up without too much difficulty. "Padawan, please. There is no need to run so quickly and so far," he says in a calm, confident voice.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Sertil manages to overtake Cayde easily enough. The teen looks up at him, and although his face betrays no emotion, the older Jedi can tell that he feels terrible about himself. And also that this wasn't the first time he'd inadvertently created a mess of some sort. [It was my fault] he signs, confirming Vlaven's earlier accusation.

Sertil (396) has posed:
Sertil nods serenely as Cayde confesses his role in what happened, able to feel the guilt radiating off of the young man. "Is that so?" he asks, his eyes kind as he looks down. "How about you tell me what did happen? I caught flashes of it in the Force, but... there was a lot of things happening at once, and rather quickly," he says, gently guiding Cayde over to a spot near a wall where they will not be in anyone's way.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde follows him, but he seems to be struggling with how to explain exactly what did happen. Which leads to even more feelings of inadequacy. He tries to hide them, but to the elder and more experience Jedi, it's still pretty obvious. The padawan just sighs. [I...do not know] is all he can offer.

Sertil (396) has posed:
Sertil nods once more. "Young man, you are hardly the first Padawan to cause a scene, nor will you be the last. For that matter, full grown Jedi cause such scenes sometimes. Close your eyes. Take these feelings swirling within you, acknowledge them, listen to what they are telling you... and then let them go. They are the past... calm yourself, center yourself within the Force," he says, his voice taking on a calming tone as he himself reaches out to do the same, trying to find his center and help Cayde find his own center.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    That was true...it just felt like this every time he tried to go anywhere crowded.

    He closes his eyes as requested, trying to do all that...but he always got stuck on the acknowledging part and ended up skipping to the letting go or pushing away of some kind.

    Opening his eyes again he looks back over at Sertil. [I am okay...thank you]

Sertil (396) has posed:
Sertil waits patiently for the Padawan, no sense of hurry or anger whatsoever from the older man. "Good. Now... can you tell me what happened back there? I got a sense from that advisor... a very dark sense indeed. But if I am correct in my guesses, you got a more direct look at him. So please, tell me what you experienced. Take your time, I have nowhere else to be," he says.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde nods and holds out a hand, as if expecting him to take it. He'd never been very good with words, and for such complex matters, it was always easier to just show it...at least for those who were familiar with Force communication. And physical contact always did make it easier.

Sertil (396) has posed:
Sertil takes the offered hand in one of his own, his grip steady and firm. He opens his mind to the young, mute Padawan, accepting whatever is shared... and preparing for the storm that it is likely to stir up, if his guesses are correct. Such a mental connection makes it easier to communicate... but also to share strength, if the situation calls for it.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    As Sertil joins his consciousness to Cayde's, it's as if time is being rewound. Back to some time ago at the convention. However, it is all very confusing and difficult to sift through. The crowded racetrack is like a sea of thought, emotion and sensation, even larger and more chaotic than the one he'd just encountered trying to find the padawan.

    But yes, there'd been something off about Vlaven Emissarius. Sertil will witness a series of visions of what might be Vlaven's memories, that appear to involve his inward disdain toward the Chancellor, although it's not clear if that disdain had ever been outwardly expressed to anyone or not. Anyway, at some point, it seemed that Cayde had become trapped by something, and had been desperately trying to wrench himself free, so hard that it hurt. But in the process he'd also gotten himself entangled in the Chancellor's mind as well. Perhaps that was the reason for the panic attack.

Sertil (396) has posed:
It is always disorienting to perceive someone else's thoughts, and even more so when they are in someone with less discipline. Sertil does his best to remain mentally strong, to be a firm rock within this storm of emotion. He feels it all along with Cayde in the recollection, the sea of life, and then the turbulence of Vlaven Emissarius... such intense disdain for the Chancellor. And then the sensation of being trapped, of not being able to pull back from Vlaven's mind, and accidentally reflecting that disdain towards the Chancellor. It fits with what he perceived earlier, and adds definition to the whispers he had heard in the winds of the Force earlier. He shares his own insights with the Padawan, his sense that something was wrong with the Associate Treasurer, that he knows more than he should, that he had disliked the convention from the start.

The Council should be told about this, there is no doubt. Political infighting is a constant within the Republic, but this has a different feel, not just of someone vying for greater position but of someone who may be a true threat to stability. He will have to send a message to the Council when he has concluded his business for the evening, but for now he still has a Padawan whose master is absent and who needs guidance.

"The picture becomes clearer... thank you, Cayde. We must proceed with caution... and with clear heads. There may be more at play that we do not fully see. There is no passion, there is serenity. Anchor yourself within the Force when you feel this happening... let it move through you, do not attempt to move it. A Jedi is a tool of the Light, not its master," he says.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Yes...Cayde had been aware that Vlaven hadn't liked the idea of the convention to begin with, and thought it was waste of money. Where he would've rather had that money spent instead...well that hadn't quite been uncovered.

    He nods, withdrawing his hand and glad that the projection hadn't caused any...distress as it often did with those not familiar with Force communion. There's a pause, and he frowns pensively as if he has something to say but is unsure how to say it. Finally, he signs [I had to show him the truth...]

Sertil (396) has posed:
Sertil ponders for a moment, then pulls out his lightsaber, igniting it, the green glow washing over them both. "Truth, my young friend, is like the blade of a lightsaber. It is capable of saving someone from certain destruction, of freeing them of things that entrap them. It is capable of defending yourself or others, repelling attacks of falsehood. But it handled clumsily... it can also be a weapon of destruction, one which causes harm. When you receive truth, you must use it judiciously, never in haste, and never guided solely by your feelings. There is no emotion, there is peace. What you did, reflecting such malice directly on a mind not trained to handle such intrusions, did not in fact illuminate the Chancellor's path but rather blind his eyes and weaken his mind. I want you to ponder... not hastily, take your time... and tell me how you could have better used this truth," he says, his voice remaining calm and soft, not chiding but instructing.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde frowns pensively, indeed giving it some thought. He'd wanted to stay out of it, truly...but for some reason he couldn't.

    Perhaps he could have just sent a message later? But he'd been so afraid that if wasn't able to extract himself from Vlaven's mind, the results would have been disastrous. [...I thought I had to]

Sertil (396) has posed:
Sertil extinguishes his blade, returning it to his belt. "The truth needed to be communicated, I do not disagree. But direct mental communication is not easy for those not trained. And you were not alone, were you? Myself, Knight Xialla, Master Windu... any of us could have assisted in getting the information across with our words, if the Chancellor did not understand your signing. You are among friends who seek to serve the Light and Life as you do. But instead, you allowed panic and that feeling of being trapped to overwhelm you, to control your actions. As I said... you need to practice anchoring yourself within the Force, of finding and keeping your center, of allowing the galaxy to move around you and only moving when the Force directs you to," he says.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde sighs. He'd thought it was the Force...but he still can't fathom why he hadn't been able to withdraw when he'd wanted to. Of course, it wasn't the first time that had ever happened. But still, that's when the fear had kicked in.

    [I know...I am sorry]

Sertil (396) has posed:
Sertil nods, reaching up and giving Cayde's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Go home and meditate on what has happened. Speak with your master about it. These are the experiences that shape you into the Jedi you will become. We have all made our mistakes, all had our problems we have caused. You must not let them define you... move forward, trust in the Force," he says, releasing the Padawan's shoulder.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Right...he'd heard that a lot. But, he'd made...a lot of those. More than most. However he doesn't push the issue.

    Cayde just nods. [Thank you]

Sertil (396) has posed:
Sertil chuckles. He can guess what the Padawan is thinking without need of the Force... but he also knows that pushing further right now is unlikely to accomplish much good. And he does have a message he needs to send to Coruscant. So he simply says, "May the Force be with you," and turns to go to the room he has booked on Canto Bight.

Cayde Alexis has posed:
    Cayde hesitates, watching Sertil go. But eventually, he decides to head back to his accommodations, too.