Noventa - A Star Wars Story

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"And with you," she said, leaving the witch to her meditations.

/scene?

"I trust in the Force. Should anything happen, I'll be ready. So, yes, I will be fine." She smiled, and bowed her head. "Hopefully they will listen to reason, and wish to undo the darkness that has been released. Your diligence is commendable, Quinn." The With seemed to be beaming as she looked at her. "May the Force be with you."

"I could. Will you be alright? Oh, before I leave... I'm pretty sure I know who took the book. I'll try and find out more."

The Witch tilted her head, and then nodded. "Good. Think you can make it back yourself?" She raised an eyebrow. "I... think I'd like to meditate in this place. To contemplate what my path should be."

She smiled. "I hope so too. The rest of what I need should be easier to find, at least."

It was an incredibly short walk, for how long it seemed the initial journey had taken. The Witch was waiting, her arms folded across her chest, leaning against the cavern entrance, meditating. Turning, she looked to at Quinn, sensing the air of calm around her.

"I won't ask what you saw. It isn't my place. But I can sense that you've found something within yourself. I suppose the rumors I heard about this place were true." She smiled softly, kicking off of the cavern entrance. "Hopefully we can stand against the coming darkness."

This was it. What she had been looking for. Finally. She moved to pick it up, holding it in her hand to gaze on it for a few seconds before securing it away.

"Thank you," she said to the air, giving one final look around the area she was in... before heading back the way she'd came.

As you get closer, you can feel something around you, a sense of calm that just permeates your mind and body, uplifting you. The windchime sound continues to grow and grow, until you find the source of the glow. It's small, a treasure, really. Resonating with you in the Force.

Perfectly shaped, a subtle, blue-white hue to it. It seems to shine specifically for you, here in the dark.

A crystal.

Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Yet the impact it makes in the Force, the resonance of it, is beyond measure. And it is beautiful.

She kept her eyes closed for a while, trying to reflect on what it all meant. Letting go of things. Acknowledging them but not being bound by them. Not dwelling on them so much that they become a burden. Committing to it; rather than let doubt eat away at it.

Finally, once she'd fully emptied her mind and spent a few more moments like that, she opened her eyes and saw the gleaming thing. Slowly, she walked toward it.

"A Master of mine told me once that there is no try. Do, or do nit. You must commit to it, or that doubt will creep into everything you do."

The Mikkian master gently touched Quinn's face, and nodded. "The Force will be with You. Always." The words whispered, as the Master closed her eyes, and Quinn was left.

Alone. In the Darkness. Just with her thoughts.

Until...

A gleaming thing could be seen, at the edge of her field of vision.

"I think..."

She closed her eyes.

"...I'll try and let the past be the past."

"Attachment... can be a good thing. But left unchecked, it can lead to jealousy. Jealousy leads to Fear. Fear to Hate. Hatred to Anger. Anger leads to suffering." She pursed her lips, shaking her head.

"It can mean you won't be able to carry on because you carry all your burdens with you. We Jedi... were wrong. To not allow affection, relationships, to deny family. But it is the dark part of those emotions we feared. And that clouded our judgement. We had our own things we did not let go of..."

"And if I don't? What happens then?"

"You are doing it." The Mikkian spoke up, beginning to walk with Quinn, moving down the shore edge. "Just trust it. Sometimes, understanding comes after the fact. In the moment, one cannot ponder the mystery. One just lets it be." She turned more fully, as the hands came up to Quinn's shoulder, before she leaned in, pressing her forehead against her student's.

"IOne must let go, completely. Even if it means letting go of things we want." She stepped back.

"From this point on, I have nothing else to teach you. But you have to let me go, to let go of worry from your obligations and your fears of family." The smile was sad.

"But if you do, you'll never hear me again, like this."

She looked down at the water, a bit perplexed that she hadn't noticed sooner, and then looked back. Listening, coming closer.

"I understand. No fear. But how do I let the Force guide me? Sometimes I don't understand what it's trying to say."

Her Master moved away, the mists forming back around Quinn, and for the moment, there was nothing. It was at this time Quinn would notice she was standing ankle deep in a pool, the water comfortably warm, rippling with droplets hitting it from above. "They can only take you back because of that fear. Your desire to not rely on others is commendable, but... they can be your greatest strength." Her masters words echoed around her, before the Mikkian appeared deeper in the room, at the edge of the pool. An ephemeral glow surrounded her, as she tilted her head.

"The Future, always in motion, as one of my masters taught me. Your vision could come to pass. Or it could not. All you can do, is trust the Force, and let it guide you, Quinn." She waved her over, wanting her to move closer. The sound of chimes could be heard, but these only felt within Quinn's mind.

"I had a vision," she said. "In the forest here. Of a bounty hunter. A mandalorian maybe. I think he's coming for me, to take me back. I don't want to be afraid of that anymore. That's why I'm here. So I don't have to rely only on the people around me while I run away. Again."

"But I am. I'm with you. You carry me with you, every where you go. You've brought me here." He placed a hand on Quinn's heart, looking down at her, the sensory tendrils swaying slightly in the mist. "And you'll always carry me, as long as you keep worrying and not trusting the Force. To not believe in the abilities you already possess, to feel you always need something more." Her smile was soft, and sad. "You're afraid. Afraid of losing things to the darkness, afraid of your past. You... you can't be, anymore. It isn't the time for that."

She blinked.

"What?"

She blinked again.

"...Master? You can't be here."