(D3 MM) O'vala's Debate

[O'vala Aeser]

Well, that could have gone worse. O'vala paced back and forth, once more seemingly incapable of being still. "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is... There is..."

[Murah Bakash]

"Nervous, O'vala?" Murah inquired in a gentle tone as she opened the door and saw the pacing young woman.

[O'vala Aeser]

"Oh hi! Uh, naw, I just can't stay still. You know that, right?" she said with a clearly nervous chuckle. "I can try to sit though, if that's what you want. It's totally okay either way. Yeah."

[Murah Bakash]

"That's alright, you may choose to stand up and move about if it makes you more comfortable." Part of it reminded her of Knight Corvin when he was younger.

Murah herself took a seat and smoothed out her robes.

"There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force," the older Mirialan recited with ease and looked to O'vala. "Is there a part of the Code that matters more to you than the others?"

[O'vala Aeser]

"Oh, passion. Serenity." O'vala had a bad case of shifty eyes as she thought about her relationship with Avilea. Did I seriously forget one of the reasons I dumped her?

"Chaos, harmony." The youngling rocked back and forth on her feet. "I think the last line is what my sister thought. Well, before she died. Or rather, joined the Force."

She didn't notice her fists tightening. "That has to be it, right?"

[Murah Bakash]

"It is difficult to know the minds of others, even more so for those who have now joined with the Force," Murah smiled thoughtfully as she watched O'vala's reaction. "But the question is which one matters to you, not your sister."

[O'vala Aeser]

"But what matters to me is what my sister thinks. I can't just let her memory just go." O'vala took a deep breath. "What was she thinking?"

[Murah Bakash]

Murah's expression was very sympathetic. "I know she is very important to you, O'vala, but your sister would have wanted you to find your own path through life - no jedi's journey is the same."

"Onera is unique, but so is O'vala."

[O'vala Aeser]

"Clearly it's not the same. She figured it out and I can't even lift a pebble," O'vala concluded, all of her pep drained out and replaced with defeat. She tried to go back into a restful squat but instead fell on her butt. "Ow."

[Murah Bakash]

"Oh dear," she had a brief look of concern as O'vala fell on her butt, but she could quickly determine that it was a harmless fall.

"Shall I let you in on a secret, O'vala?" Murah asked after a moment of thought.

[O'vala Aeser]

O'vala pulled her legs into a butterfly stretch and sighed. "Okay. What is it, Master Murah?" she asked without much enthusiasm.

[Murah Bakash]

Murah leaned forward slightly after glancing to the side, her voice lowering a little as it seemed like it was going to be a big secret. "I wasn't able to do much at all myself with the Force when I was your age. Couldn't even lift a pebble myself. It wasn't until a year after I became Master Reikiss padawan that I finally managed to really do something."

[O'vala Aeser]

"How did you become a padawan then?" O'vala sighed. "How am I going to? The trials have been really hard."

[Murah Bakash]

"Because like you, my teachers and my master saw potential in me. The great potential to become a jedi," Murah spoke in reassuring tones to O'vala. "Like Master Reikiss would say to me; some buds bloom later than others."

[O'vala Aeser]

"That's not really fair." O'vala crossed her arms. "I dunno, all the others seem more capable than me. And there're even others I think might do better who aren't going through the trials."

Avilea. She had some talent with the Force, at least. But talking about her more in-depth seemed like a bad idea.

[Murah Bakash]

"Is it not?" Murah tilted her head a little to the side as she regarded O'vala. "Life is rarely fair, even for Jedi. It is why the teachers try to consider each student individually... some people, even if they are very talented with the Force are not nescessarily ready for the responsibilities of a padawan, or possess the maturity that is needed. There are after all young students your age who have not been chosen to undergo the trials this time around, each one for different reasons."

She straightened again and looked at her calmly. "For you, I believe this is how you will grow to reach your potential. You're devoted and strong-willed. But it is all up to you since the trials begun... as my master would say: we've tilled the earth and nourished you this far, but we can't force you to bloom."

[O'vala Aeser]

O'vala lowered her eyes. "What happens if I fail? Do I get to try again next year or is that just, well, it?" The youngling bit her lip. "Being a Jedi is all I really have now."

[Murah Bakash]

"It depends... on you," she said, her tone somewhat comforting. "Do you really think this all is a clear-cut race to win? That there are no variables?"

[O'vala Aeser]

"I dunno what this is, honestly. I just go to trials and hope I do okay." O'vala sighed. "I got so many questions wrong and broke my saber. It doesn't seem to be going well."

[Murah Bakash]

"Sometimes that is the most we can do when we are being tested," Murah chuckled. "Go in and hope we will do well."

Her long and slender hands folded together neatly in her lap. "Don't let a rough start get you down, though. During the trials, there will be many obstacles and many points where you feel you aren't going anywhere. And those moments are as important as your triumphant ones... as there will be many moments as a Jedi too when you don't feel like you've won, because there aren't always clear-cut scenarios of success or victory."

She looked at O'vala with a more serious expression. "Especially not in a fight."