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| - Meditation Room -- Jedi School The arched doorway from the Dormitory frames a simple wooden door. The rest of the domed Meditation room follows that example, simple. The tan walls blend to the tan floor. At the top of the room are thin windows to allow in light and at the touch of a button can bring in a soft breeze to cool the mid-day heat. But they remain high and out of sight to avoid distraction. Lying around the room are various pillows, ranging large and fluffy to small and flat. During the evening hours light is provided by a series of sconces along the walls. Another arched door at the west end of the room leads to the gardens. The scent of dirt and growing plants blows in when the door is open. Lounging on one of the large pillows, the Princess files her index fingernail with a small white shell. The old woman at the marketplace had told her it was a Krayt Dragon scale, but Leia didn't really believe her. At Aubrey's address, she looks up, her long tresses now loose falling behind her shoulders. "What?" Incredulous at the question for a moment, the usually poised woman is caught off guard. "I...I suppose joyful." Certainly she was in the throws of being in love for the first time, and the victory was hard won and satifying. Leia even indulges in a genuinely fond smile. Regarding the woman student with her dark brown eyes, she qualifies her answer. "But then...there wasn't much time to enjoy it. To me, to many...it's still not over. I don't know if it ever will be." The Jedi Master's sudden appearance in the arched doorway is silent and unexpected, but it only takes a few seconds for him to move inside and come to stand just behind and to the side of his sister. The black cloak is draped over his shoulders, in stark contrast to his sun-bleached hair and tanned features which make him appear somewhat younger than he has in a long time. Luke's arms fold across his chest, a strong horizontal line from which the robes fall to graze his equally black boots. "It wasn't a battle that was won without sacrifices," he says somberly, casting a glance over to Aubrey. "It was a relief, and we celebrated that victory, but I felt anything but victorious." A rustling comes from a gigantic pile of pillows in the corner. Ethan had found sleep a fleeting thing lately, waking earlier than usual to stumble down into this chamber to meditate. He had been gaining some skill at Luke's meditation techniques as a side effect, and typically had fallen into a deep slumber after he was finished running through them. Today was no different, having woken at 4AM, meditated and practiced his breathing for close to 5 full hours.. skipping breakfast and then crashing hard in the corner and sleeping half the day away. Raising his bleary head from the pillows to squint around the room. He appears as a lazy womprat poking its head out of the burrow to sniff the cool afternoon air, "Wha?" he croaks to no one in particular. His mouth feeling like a Tusken had taken a bath in it. He runs a hand through his disheveled hair, straightening to a sitting position and focuses his eyes on the group.. slowly. One of his boots was off and he frowned at it sitting cock-eyed on one of the frillier pillows. "What time is it?" he adds, slowly reaching for the errant article of clothing. In another corner of the room, Cort hunches over a piece of archaic parchment. Sketching the design of some strange contraption, he answers Ethan out loud. "It's nearing the twentieth hour..." His work continues, sketching diligently with his pencil. Occasionally, he stares at the piece thoughtfully, then adds a bit more to his masterpiece. The apprentice seems to have been at work all day - Either training or laboring, as his face is a bit dirty and his clothes look as if they haven't been washed in days. His pale hands carry the smudges of his drawing. He seems to be in a better mood today, in comparison of the last two days, a faint smile twisting upon his thin lips as he draws another line across the sheet. Aubrey looks between Luke and Leia as they give their rather sober answers, and her brow draws down into a slight frown. The whole galaxy seemed to feel Emperor Palpatine's death almost as if poised in anticipation. It seemed almost logical that those that were closest to the event and most integral in bringing it about that they'd feel that sudden burst of new hope more than anyone. Aubrey was just opening her mouth to ask further on this when Ethan's rumpled form emerges from the pillows. Her frowning eyes are directed at him then, and after a moment, her features soften. She says in a light tones, "Time? Why, it's late tomorrow, almost the day after. You completely missed today." Exhausted from exercising in the opressive heat and light of the twin Tatooine suns, Tholt quietly enters the area slightly out of breath. His shirt tied about his waist reveals his slight but toned build. Finally out of the unbareable suns, he reaches up and undoes a thin band of dark cloth from his eyes, and slips the veil into the length of his mane to tie it back. As his sight adjusts to the more comfortable level of brightness, he spots Luke and brings his fists together at the knuckle, and touches the gesture to his forehead. After saluting, he shyly lingers by the entrace... always fearful of intruding. With empathy, the New Republic Councilor looks up to her twin as he speaks. Some times she wonders at his growing eloquence, wonders who really is the diplomat in the family. The banter of the students is mostly ignored, serving only as an excuse not to dwell on regrets or sorrows. Leia reaches up to take Luke's hand. "Well hello," she greets him with a smile that bespeaks their sibling love. From her floor position, she prepared to either guide Luke to her side, or rise to greet him. Choosing the latter, she stands and embraces him briefly, remaining at the Jedi Master's side. Returning her gaze to Aubrey, she feels compelled to add, "Even now there is a new threat to peace. There is no rest, no respite for those truly dedicated to the cause. The war goes on despite many who enjoy a more...provincial life." Ethan frowns at the answer Aubrey gives him, tossing her a playful dirty look, then pokes at a lump under the pile of pillows, obviously Bram. The lump growls as it is poked. "Blast it.. why didn't you wake me?" he says quite comically to the lump, which sticks its furry head up and seems to answer him in a high pitched whine emanating from the Nek's throat. It then licks the hand that poked it, followed quickly by a nice slurp of the jowls. Ethan snorts and tugs on his boot, finally getting his wits about him and standing. Walking across the pillows like little fluffy landmines, he peeks over Cort's shoulder. "Nice.. what is it?" he says, still somewhat oblivious to the others in the room, notably the Princess, whom he catches sight of out of the corner of his eye and assumes is Feylin. The acute perceptiveness of a Jedi novice is always an amazing thing to watch. His only clue that it is not Feylin, is the distinct difference in accent. He couldn't imagine Feylin using the word Provincial.. no matter how cute she was. He turns slowly to peer at Leia, finally recognizing her. "Your Highness." he says, in a half whisper, now truly wishing he hadn't fallen asleep in here. He reddens faintly. As always, Luke finds himself more at peace when his sister is nearby, and he returns her embrace as she rises to greet him. Despite the somber topic, he finds himself smiling down at her even after she loosens him from her arms. "Unfortunately the war's not as over as we had hoped back then," he adds wryly, hooking his thumbs into his belt. His eyes drift across the chamber, glancing at each student in turn. When Tholt approaches him, Luke responds with a polite nod of his head, trying to put the alien boy at ease. Then amusement sparks in his gaze as Ethan makes his way to the spot Cort has chosen as his own, and then recognizes the Princess. "I guess there are a couple of students you haven't been introduced to yet," he asides to Leia. "This is Ethan Katana, and Thorn-Olt Sidarta." Cort is about to show Ethan his latest work, when he, just like Luke, turns his attention to Leia. "THIS," he practically shouts to get Ethan's attention, "Is going to be our new training device for when we're done gawking at the Princess." He smiles broadly, taking back his spotlight for the time being. Flattening out the parchment on the floor he points to various points in the schematic. "It will help us develop not only our balance, but our ability to use skills and those lightsabers in tough situations. I think this will help us out a lot, if Master Luke let's us build it." He looks around the room to see if anyone actually cares about this or if they want to go wookiee over the princess. With its proximity to the garden and the raised cooling vents that provide a nice circulation to combat the sweltering heat, it's not surprise that the Meditation Room has become one of the most favorite rooms on the compound. Large enough to accomodate a fair number of people, it even has pillows rather than chairs, which are so much more accomodating to sore muscles after a rigorous exercise. Nevertheless, the shear number of bodies now taking up the space combined with the lingering heat from a later Tatooine afternoon has made the area just a little stuffy, at least for Aubrey's tastes. She rises from the pillow she'd been lounging on with only a little stiffness. The look she gives Cort is a cool one, as if she'd just caught him tracking mud across a clean floor. She shakes her head slightly, then turns back to Leia, saying in response to her words, "Even Jedi need to rest. I'll be right back." This last addresses to everyone, giving each person in the room a quick smile, counting their number in her head. Aubrey then takes her leave, exiting through the door opposite that of the Garden. Tholt bows humbly as Luke motions for him to enter the chamber, and is offering a smile and nod to the students he recognizes. With all the commotion, poor Tholt gets the introductions a just a bit mixed up as he nods his head to Ethan, addressing him as "Princess," before bowing to Leia as he smiles and refers to her as "Ethan." He continues to smile as he quietly backs to a wall, trying to get out of the way so everything can proceed smoothly. Smiling at Ethan's stumbling greeting, she nods in his direction as Luke makes the introductions. "Hello," her ginger tones emit and she takes in the dramatically quoiffed grey man, Tholt. His backward bowing bring about a small and charming grin on her still light features. "Very pleased to meet you both." It is only when Cort interupts the pleasantries that any of the newly met here witness Leia's well known glare as it is directed at the blonde bombast. He was owed that from yesterday's meeting and Leia was good at keeping tabs of such things. She withdraws the look rapidly, however, and attempts to smooth out and redefine the moment. "Please, everyone. When I am here, I am a learner, too." She looks to Luke for confirmation and a bit of back-up before any tension manages to erupt. She needs that equality in this place to allow herself to enjoy the benefits of their mutual energies. "If anyone can't just call me Leia...then, well...off with their heads!" Her quip is greeted with mostly silence and she show a half-smirk to Luke in good humor. "That was a joke," she says rather helplessly. Ethan smiles softly at Leia's quip, then shrugs lamely, "Sand worms." he tries to explain, jerking a thumb toward Cort and attempting to inject some humor into the situation, "..once they gnaw into the brain.. it's all over.." he smiles wryly, flopping down onto the pillows next to Cort and eyeing the drawing again. "An intriguing device. I'll help you build it Cort." he adds furtively. Bram however, busies himself with snuffling around in the corner, and barking loudly while spinning in circles. Someone must have dropped some of yesterday's bread, or hidden it on purpose rather than eating the mess. He shouts at Bram, "Hey, cut that out." then grins sheepishly back at the twins, "See? He's got sand worms too. They make you crazy."
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