Day 001: A Beginning

[ladyofthesands.livejournal.com]

She was early, a whole hour early, but she used her time wisely to stretch and prepare herself in this Jed-Eye-like space.  There were no discs to fight, so she did the long meditative routine that was her own.  It was dance and form, smooth, perfect movement that wasted no energy.  It was something to be lost within with its clean lines and sweeping gestures.  She was centered, aware, and felt the Force clearly.  She understood, now, that one did not take the Force like one would take a weapon.  It was used like a sense--like the stretching of the mind to read thoughts and to sense danger.

Now, she felt as if she were playing a children's game with it, letting it lead her through her routine, letting it guide her movements.  Surrendering control.  Arha continued on even after she picked out Obi-Wan's tread.  Her final turn brought her before him, where she slid into the root position, sitting with her legs crossed.

And then flashed him a smile of greeting.

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[jedimacguyver.livejournal.com]

"Good morning, Pawadan," said Obi-Wan, and returned the smile warmly, "I see you're up early. Ready to work?"

He loved this part, when their eyes would light up and they'd look so eager, expecting to be taught all the wonders of the Jedi world, to hold a lightsaber in their hands, and to do double backflips, or whatever it was impressed them most. He loved the way they always groaned when faced with their real first lesson, which was much less glamorous. Perhaps that made Obi-Wan a bit of a sadist, but there was no denying that a small trick now would keep them on their toes, later.

[ladyofthesands.livejournal.com]

"It is a good morning, one of great promise," she said in a quiet voice. Her expression spoke for itself and her eyes, with the eagerness. "I was ready to work before I slept and I am the same now." Her chin tilted slightly. She had no expectations and she was quite ready to work until she no longer had enough strength to do anything at all.

"What shall you teach today, Master?" she asked, her eyes settling on his face with every shred of her attention.

[jedimacguyver.livejournal.com]

"Here," Obi-Wan threw her the bit of rubble he'd picked up and shaped on the way. It had once been some kind of plaster gap-filler for a crumbled wall, and now it was a off-white ball, about the size of Obi-Wan's fist, and weighing perhaps as much as a baseball of similar size. It wasn't perfectly round, but it was nearly so, and flat on one side so that it would not roll of it's own accord.

"Today, we begin to learn the basics of the Force. Once they are trained, some Jedi can bring entire star cruisers out of orbit with this ability. And it all begins with this," Of course, Obi-Wan neglected to mention that this was not something done by ordinary Jedi, or indeed even those with remarkable power, such as Anakin, but that was a moot point. It was possible, and it was a grand image, "Seat yourself comfortably, and put that where you can see it."

[ladyofthesands.livejournal.com]

Arha caught it easily and turned it about in her hands, letting her fingers glide over the ball until she had its texture, weight, and the presence of it firmly lodged in her mind. She put the ball down, some distance in front of her where she could not reach it with a hand.

And, with a nod, she reseated herself comfortably, her body relaxed and her mind alert. Doubt and disbelief she put aside, fear of anything, too. They were not needed and most unwelcome.

"The impossible becomes possible," Arha murmured, "with much practice."

[jedimacguyver.livejournal.com]

"Now. Close your eyes and simply breathe," Obi-Wan's voice dropped a few decibels, soft and even, as if soothing a small child to sleep, "Feel the world around you, the shape of it, the flow of the Force around everything here. When you can sense the ball in front of you, just gather a little of that flow around it, if you can, and give it a push."

[ladyofthesands.livejournal.com]

Her eyes closed and she settled down into that space where there was nothing but the ebb and flow of life around her, the shape of the walls, the impression of Obi-Wan in front of her, the decks of the ship. Arha took a moment, maybe more than one, to pull herself away from it all until she found the ball.

She nudged the energy around the ball and it immediately dissipated.

Arha tried it again.

It was there and then not. Again, too, the same results. The impossible, she thought, will take time. She did not expect instant success, nor should she have. It was like reaching for something and having it moved each time you went to grasp it. Her eyes opened after a moment to take in the position of the ball, which had not changed.

She closed her eyes again.

Here she would remain, determined, until she was forced to go elsewhere. Arha tried once more and failed.

[jedimacguyver.livejournal.com]

Quietly, Obi-Wan seated himself across from Arha, mimicking her pose and said, "Here. Let me show you. No one gets this right on the very first try."

A gathering of power, like a nimbus glowing a ripple in the fabric of the Force that lifted the ball silently and apparently without effort in time to the motion of Obi-Wan's hand. He held it there until she opened her eyes to see the gesture, then let the ball rest on the floor again.

[ladyofthesands.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps not the twentieth time," Arha said with a soft sigh. She studied the way he held himself, the way he moved, the way the Force felt when he used it. And yet, as she tried it once more, it slipped away from her. Again. Again. Again. Like sand through her fingers.

He did so easily, like hefting it in a bare hand, and yet it remained out of her reach like a sugared cactus fruit reserved for someone else. Arha refused to be disappointed and redoubled her efforts. Like new muscles never used before, she would work on this until it was nothing but muscle memory. Again, again, again. Failure, failure, failure.

And again.

The feel of it was better each time she tried, more familiar, but it did not come to fruition. Again! She bore down upon herself once more, keeping each facet of her body and mind aligned, and then she reached yet again. This time, the shape of it was defined and almost perfectly solid. She could feel it.

And she failed, again, to even nudge it.

[jedimacguyver.livejournal.com]

"Easy now, don't hurt yourself," came the soft teasing, "It will come, eventually."

Obi-Wan settled down to wait. Ah, this could almost be peaceful, a nice quite day to recenter and reflect, and listen to the soft pings of the Force as Arha tried her best to make the inert move to her will. Many had trouble with this, but not, he thought, for the same reasons she did. Arha had something of the Force in her and that was the fault of Luke, and Obi-Wan himself. It wasn't enough to do much, not yet, but maybe it would grow, with practice.

[ladyofthesands.livejournal.com]

Arha said nothing, though she opened an eye to peer at him for a long moment. She closed it, her expression one of deep determination, and kept working. It was no small thing, this. It required skill, patience, and the will to not move until what was done for this day was done. Again she tried, again she failed. Always the Force slipped away from her as if telling her to do it again, to strengthen her senses, to use and build and keep grasping.

It was as if she were a child again, just starting out with prana bindu. The pinkie toe would not bend without the other toes. And so she had practiced for months. Months and months as a child. If it took as long to move the ball, she would do it, for she was committed to this.

Again, again.

And again.

And again.

Time itself would pass, but she gave no indication of stopping on any account. Flexing and building and working, this was what she did. She would not break unless Obi-Wan said she must, nor would she give away any indication of weakness. Nothing came, but the image of the ball became sharper, more focused. Each time she tried, something else sharpened.

And that pleased her.