[D3 MM] Debate Class - Eir

[Eir]

After completing the written portion of the knowledge trial, Eir was directed to another room to await one of the masters. She sat, back straight and very still, even though her mind was less-than calm, wondering who would walk through that door. Hopefully it will be Murah, or Chriala, or even Knight Corvin, she was worried what would be expected of her if it was Jaric, though.

[Corvin Zell]

"Well well." The gravelly voice that came from the doorway was easily recognizable. Corvin was there, leaning against the frame, arms folded across his chest. As always, he was dressed as though about to go on an expedition, wearing a combination of greens and browns, eschewing the Jedi robe in favor of a hooded green traveling cloak.

He continued. "Not many would have heard of a ysalamiri. Pretty good." He gave her a nod. "You ever seen one?"

[Eir]

Eir’s stomach did a backflip at the sound of Corvin’s voice, and she looked up into his face. Fighting the urge to shake her head emphatically, “not in person, only pictures in the archives. I thought it was interesting, that’s why I remembered,” she explained.

[Corvin Zell]

He nodded. "Well, you'll get a chance, later on. It's..." He frowned. "It's a weird experience, being around one. You'll see. I think it's good to try, though."

Unfolding his arms, he walked into the room, moving as quietly as ever. Looking at Eir, he shrugged, half grimacing, half smiling. "So, a debate. You got anything on your mind?"

[Eir]

Roughly ten thousand individual thoughts flitted across the girl’s mind, but there was one that stood out, “Knight Corvin, these questions about vergences, holocrons, ysalamiri, do they have something to do with where we’re going for the trials?”

[Corvin Zell]

Corvin grunted. "Not exactly a debate topic. But... fair enough."

He moved to a nearby chair, reversing it with one hand. That done, he sat backwards, arms resting on the back of the chair. "If there's a ysalamiri where we're going, I'll be as surprised as anyone. Same with the holocron. But a vergence..." He gave her a slow nod. "Yeah. That's why we're going. Have you ever felt one of those before?"

[Eir]

This time Eir did shake her head, trying to recall everything she could about vergences, “I’ve read a little bit, but that can’t actually compare to experiencing one. Have... have you been there? where we’re going, I mean.”

[Corvin Zell]

Corvin nodded. "Sure have. Back when I did my trials. I've wanted to go back. Looks like I finally get my chance."

His eyes narrowed, a sympathetic crease on his forehead. "I'm not gonna tell you not to be afraid. Vergences are weird things. But... don't be afraid of being afraid, if that makes any sense."

[Eir]

“I—” Eir stumbled over her words, “I don’t think I’m afraid, exactly, but,” she frowned. “A few days ago, Byron said that we should not feel nervous, that, in an indirect kind of way, I shouldn’t hope to do well.” There was clear confusion in the girl’s expression, “he said that whether we should succeed or fail is the Will of the Force. He made it sound like there was nothing we could do that would change the outcome. He made it sound like there was no use in trying our best, because our destiny was already set.” As these thoughts came pouring out, there was something like relief in her tone, as if she’d been holding the words in for too long.

[Corvin Zell]

Corvin's eyes narrowed further. "Do you think he's right, or he's wrong?"

[Eir]

Corvin had said not to be afraid of being afraid, and that is why she’d felt safe in blurting out her concerns. She regarded the handsome Knight for a time and concluded that, whether this was part of the trials or no, it would be best to speak honestly. “I don’t think he’s right,” she answered softly. “The Force is in everything, even those things that are wrong,” she began to elaborate, “I have faith in the Force, but only if I also have faith in myself that I will use the Force for good.” Passion rose in the young arkanian’s voice, though not the volume, “destiny is not set in stone, for even stone can be worn away by time. I want to do well in these trials, because I want to do good in this galaxy.”

[Corvin Zell]

Corvin waited patiently, his eyes studying Eir, both as she gathered her words and as she spoke them.

Finally, he nodded. "That's right. The Force guides us, and everyone has a destiny. But we also have choice. Will. Trust the Force, but trust your instincts, too. We have to draw from within ourselves, not just without." He nodded again.

He hesitated, looking away a moment, then back to her. "What did you mean, that the Force is in everything, even in wrong things?"

[Eir]

“The Force is all things,” she repeated, “even the Sith draw on the Force and twist it to their desires. The Force is in slavers and criminals, it is in the parasites that attack the roots of ancient trees and drains them of their vitality. The dark side of the Force can even form into a vergence of temptation and corruption.”

[Corvin Zell]

Corvin scowled, but he nodded. "Yeah. That sounds about right. The Sith bend and twist the Force, use it in ways that it wasn't meant to be. And the Force does bind together all living things."

His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "That's not a bad topic, actually. The dark side. There's a lot of argument about whether the dark side is part of the Force, and is necessary, or a perversion, or a bit of both." He shrugged, spreading his hands. "What do you think?"

[Eir]

Things were straying from areas of Eir’s studies, and she was more cautious in answering now, “I... think that I believe the dark and light sides of the Force to be sides of the same coin.” She frowned, thinking, “the Force is not like light, the dark side is not merely the absence of the light side. Perhaps the dark side is the natural result of greed and hate. Perhaps the light side could exist without the dark side, but in the sense that all the ills of the galaxy would need to be eliminated first, all the poverty and hunger and selfishness.”

Sighing, Eir paused, “I’m not really answering the question, am I?”

[Corvin Zell]

Corvin chuckled; a low, rough sound. "Yeah, that sounds like quite the job, huh?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's not a simple topic. I don't have the answers. It's just a test of the mind."

He shifted a bit in his chair. "I guess the next question is... how do we deal with it?"

[Eir]

It took all of Eir’s willpower not to wriggle in her seat like a pleased puppy when Corvin laughed, smiling tentatively at the Knight. “With the dark side? or with the ills of the galaxy?” She didn’t wait for clarification, however, before offering, “first, we must deal with the ills in ourselves. We must free ourselves of the greed and selfishness that would corrupt our intentions.”

“Though that is easier said than done,” she admittedly sheepishly.

[Corvin Zell]

"Both. All." Corvin waved a hand.

He grunted again. "There have been times when Jedi have tried to harness the dark side for good purposes. Doesn't usually work well." For a few moments, his lips pressed together, as though he were about to speak, but he shook his head.

"What about the Sith?" He asked suddenly.

[Eir]

The question threw Eir for a loop. A number of times, it looked as if the girl was about to speak, but didn't, until finally she sighed. "That depends a lot on them, doesn't it? Even if everyone was worthy of redemption, even if there were no crimes to great as to be irredeemable, the Sith would have to want to be redeemed."

Eir's expression grew troubled, the glow in her eyes seeming to dim, "when we were at war, the answer seemed much simpler: defend the innocent. Now there is peace, and we accept the Empire as, well, as our equals; but it sits so uneasily in my heart to know what they have done, and it doesn't feel so easy to forgive."

[Corvin Zell]

"Yes," Corvin agreed, rather tersely; it wasn't entirely sure which part he was agreeing to. Eir would see his hands tighten on the back of the chair for a few moments.

He frowned, considering. "Well, how about this. Maybe that's like a form of attachment. And forgiveness is like letting go of an attachment.

A moment passed. "But attachments are only bad if they have influence over you. It's okay to remember. What do you think?"