"Relax"
By: Elisia Melouet - Padawan
Kylas Thoamis - Jedi Master

Location: In Space towards the Landro System
Date: Saris 16, 3 ABY

***

Elisia had her few things packed. Her heart was in her throat. This was stupid. Why was she accepting another master? It would just be one more person to betray her. She knew the answer. She wanted to believe in something. She wanted to belong somewhere.

Elisia stepped out the door. "Kylas?" she called softly. She reached out with her thoughts as well as her voice. It bothered her that she could not sense him until she could see him. She had been able to sense Kace for quite some distance.

"I am right here young one. There is no need to fear me," he said stepping from the shadows and walking forward. "Are you prepared? Where do you wish to go from here? Your life is about to take a grand journey." He smiled.

He offered to carry her bag for her so they could make up time. "Shall we depart?"

Elisia let him take her bag. "I do not know where to go. I place myself in your hands." It was a hard admission for her. However, she knew to learn, she had to let go and give him control.

"Very well. We shall make a journey to a nearby star system, the Landro system. There are several planets there with small isolated colonies; we can begin your training there undisturbed." He smiled as they walked to the space port. He looked at the young woman, she was afraid to not be in control and angrier because of it. "Such anger should not be turned inwards, young one," he said as they reached his ship, a Correllian modification similar to the M.Falcon with differences.

"I am not angry, I am terrified. There is a huge difference," she stated quietly. She looked over his ship with approval. "I can pay for fuel or food if you need me too."

"There is no need young one, we have the supplies we need for the journey." He rested his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, and handed her her bag. "Find the quarters you desire and make yourself comfortable. I'll prep us for launch."

"Could you not call me that?" she asked carefully. "I am not a child anymore." It bothered her and it, in her mind, was the major reason she had lost Kace. She hadn't been worldly enough for him.

"Elisia, you must stop doubting yourself." He looked at her. "Now get going. You'll feel better when you get settled in." He opened the main hatch and walked in.

Elisia frowned but did as she was directed. She found the smallest cabin and claimed it for her own. She still liked small spaces. She sat on the bed and pulled out the picture of her mother. She stared at it for the longest time and then set it on the table. Her skill at drawing was improving, her art supplies were amongst the few things she still possessed. She sat and thought about her new master. She didn't know how to take him. His words were often large as if they meant more than what he said. She pulled out the saber Kace had given her and put it next to the picture. It was a reminder both good and bad, but important to her nonetheless. The ship had powered up and so she remained on the berth until he came for her.

Elisia, you need not think of the berth as a holding cell. You have free rein of the ship, so go where you please and explore, his mind reached out to her as he cleared with the harbor master and cleared the atmosphere.

She made the connection back easily, for he had initiated it. I don't think of it as that. I just like close quarters. She knew why and was no longer ashamed of it. However, she did wander her way up to the cockpit as she liked to watch pilots fly.

Kylas sat back with his feet up on the controls with a small deck of cards in his hand, constantly shuffling them. He had removed the jedi robes and wore a more casual navy blue tunic and black slacks. He punched a few calculations in and engaged the hyperdrive. "Welcome. Have a seat."

Elisia was slightly taken aback at his more casual appearance, though he did appear less ominous now. Elisia sat down. She loved to watch the stars streak by. It was exhilarating. It was the one place she didn't mind the fact that everything was wide open and large. Space still seemed small somehow. "Does the High Princess know I am with you yet?" she ventured to ask.

"Perhaps, I don't know." He looked over at her and smiled. "I was supposed to bring you back, but I figured you have a lot of not so good memories of that place, and I don't want you dropped into someone's lap who can use you before you have the ability to defend your own will and choose for yourself," he added and started tossing cards into a small bucket on the console.

"Everyone wants to use me. I don't understand why. I have had to run ever since I could remember." She looked at him sadly.

"I know it hurts, and I'm sorry for making you run some more, but right now, it's important. You have to learn first and then fight your way and stand rather than run." He rested his hand on hers giving a quick squeeze for support. "How you holding up?"

"Are we running? I thought we were just going some where quiet?" She looked at him with concern. "As for holding up, I am fine. I am tougher than most give me credit for."

"In a manner of speaking we're running, just taking you away from your 'home' and past for now." He looked at her. "Are you sure? Tell you what, tell me everything that is running through your head at this exact moment."

"I am afraid I have made a bad choice. I am worried about Evie. I don't know why this High Princess is suddenly so interested in me as I have never met her. It is all just kind of swirled in there." Elisia avoided the biggest thing haunting her. She knew he could sense it so did not feel the need to speak of it.

"And his betrayal, well, let's try to answer some of those concerns. One I can't tell you if you've made a bad choice, not yet anyway. Two, your sister is fine for now. Three, the High Princess is of no concern at the moment, and your lost love, should not burn away your heart the way it is." He looked at her.

"I cannot help what I feel," ahe said, looking at him puzzled. "I mean, every time I think of it, it hurts or I get angry."

"The first rule of a Jedi is to always go with the moment, focus on that and work your way out from there. Emotions usually tend to bind you up and you're not in control."

"So a Jedi does not feel?" she asked with concern.

"No, they do, but you have to know when to separate your emotions, control them and not let them control you." He looked at her. "There has to be serenity."

"I don't know how to find that. I have never known that." She looked at him with almost longing.

"Well, the Jedi Code states in one part that there is no emotion, only serenity. I don't agree with that." He stood up. "You must find balance, a way to direct your energy where you want." He stood up and offered his hand. "Come on."

Elisia gave him her hand and let him pull her up. "You asked in my apartment if I wasn't taught the code. What is the code?"

"The Code is the governing body of the Jedi. It explains how to use the basic concepts of how the Jedi exists. There is no emotion, only serenity. There is no strength only balance, there is no death, only the force." He smiled and walked behind her.

"What does that have to do with my drinking alcohol?" she asked, puzzled.

"Alcohol clouds the mind, takes balance and serenity away from the Jedi." He leaned against the wall. "You don't need any more turmoil in your mind than what you already have."

That made sense. "Okay, I can accept that," she said thoughtfully. "Where were we going?" He had stopped.

"We are heading for the Landro System. The autopilot has control." He looked at her. "You are afraid?"

Elisia laughed. "No... Us...right now. You said come and we left the cockpit... Now we are standing here because..."

"I wanted you to tell me what you want from this arrangement." He looked at her.

"What I want?" She was silent for a long moment. "I guess I want to not be afraid anymore. I want to not have to run all the time. I want to have some control of my life. " She looked at him to see if that was enough of an answer.

"In other words you want power?" He looked at her.

"Not over others, just over my self." She didn't care about other people. She just wanted to be left alone.

"Good." He looked at her and walked behind her. "We will start by showing you forms of martial arts to help with meditation." He stood again and walked behind her.

"Okay," she said. She had accepted him as her teacher, so no longer felt any qualms about what he chose for them to do.

He placed his arms along side her, the tops of his hands pressed into her palms. "Follow my movements." He began a slow and fluid motion pressing his body to hers directing her to follow.

Elisia was uncomfortable with their position. So she had a hard time relaxing with his movements. She was stiff and had a hard time following him. She was not used to being touched.

Kylas shook his head. "Relax and take a deep breath. Just let yourself move freely." He almost laughed, but held a straight face. He found this almost amusing. She was like a robot.

"I am trying," she hissed. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She tried concentrating on his movement rather than the touch.

He moved his body and pivoted, trying to get her to stop just acting like a bean pole. His twisting movement tested how far she could move in a stiffened state.

Elisia had a hard time following him. Though the longer they were in contact, the easier it was becoming. She took a deep breath and pushed her thoughts away, concentrating now wholly on his movements.

"Good. Now, keep moving, focus on the rhythm, rather than the movement itself." He placed his hands on her hips to see her movement was still steady.

Elisia had managed to push her own thoughts wholly away and so followed his lead. She was teachable once she relaxed. The relaxing was the hard part. She followed his guidance with greater and greater ease.

"Good." He smiled and pulled away from her slowly. "Maintain your focus."

Elisia focused totally on the rhythm and motion. She was lost in the rhythm and was ignoring him completely.

Kylas smirked. "Though you remain focused, you must remain aware." He tried not to laugh as he leaned over her shoulder and blew on her ear.

The feeling of his breath made her stumble and she blushed furiously. "How do you do both?" she said with a frown.

"Well, one, keeping your eyes forward would be a good start. Two, don't get lost in the moment." He looked to her. "And thirdly, you need to keep your mind as well as your body relaxed." He shook his head. "I have never seen anyone struggle so much just to move."

"Perhaps that is because I have rarely ever been totally relaxed," she said with a frown.

"Really? Go sit down in the ward room. I'll be right there." He shook his head. "I will give you something to relax."

She looked at him, puzzled, but did as he directed. She entered the room and grabbed a seat. It bothered her that she could not make herself relax. But she had been so keyed up for so long that she wasn't sure if she even knew what that was.

He walked into the room with a small platform under his arm, a small bag slung over his other arm, and a towel. He set the towel and the bag down upon the table and folded out the platform as it hovered. He pulled out a few rods and cracked them as the smell of incense filled the room. "Okay, um...don't take this the wrong way, but could you disrobe and put the towel over you and get on the hover bed? I'll be right outside. I'll give you a massage and teach you meditation techniques."

"Okay." She waited till he left and took off her clothes. She was very nervous about this. She climbed up on the table and pulled the towel over her. She was stiff with fear when he entered. You didn't have to be able to read someone to see it.

Kylas walked in. "Okay, now you need to try and stop breathing at hyper speed." He pulled some bottles of oil from his bag and opened one. He poured the oil into his hand and started to massage her feet. "Let your mind stray."

Elisia's mind wasn't straying anywhere. His movements were indeed relaxing, but she couldn't take her mind off the fact he was touching her and she was unclothed. She focused on her breathing, finding more comfort in slowing the rhythm and therefore was able to slowly pull her thoughts off her state of undress. His movements were gentle and she soon found that it was pleasant.

He lifted one leg and smoothed out her muscles with his palms. "The incense and oils have different blends of berries. The sweet smell always helps me to think of a quiet meadow of forest." He smiled and rubbed her calf deeply.

"I have never seen a forest," she admitted softly. Her breathing was slow even now and he could feel her muscles slowly losing their tension.

"Really? I didn't know. Well where we are going is in an isolated forest world." He smiled and continued to massage her calves, lifting one leg, then the other, focusing on her feet. He even tickled the bottom of her feet a little. "I hope you like it there. I find it peaceful." He moved his hands to her knees and massaged the sides of her knees.

"You don't know anything about me, do you?" she asked slowly.

"I know some things, some of your darker moments, or at least can guess them by the way you react." He moved his hands to her back and applied a little more pressure to the center of her back and smoothed her skin out to the sides of her body.

Elisa wasn't sure why she did. Maybe it was the relaxing motions of his hands and the ease of his voice. But she began to speak. She told him of her mother's capture when she was six, her escape from slavery, living on the streets, her capture and sale to the brothel, her life since then. She talked about meeting Kace and Dargus. When she got to Kace's betrayal, she hesitated and then told him of that as well. Her eyes were closed, her voice soft and relaxed. For the first time, the remembering did not bring fear or anger. Her mind was open, allowing him to experience her memories as she spoke, allowing more detail than her words.

"I'm sorry." He apologized for all the wrongs done to her. All the pain could have broken her. He wondered if it still would, knowing his own past as experience. His hands moved over her shoulder blades and to her sides and back to her middle back, up along her spine to her neck.

"So am I," she said quietly. He could feel her muscles truly loosening. Her words were slow and relaxed as well.

"How do you feel?" He massaged her neck and over her shoulders. His massage became gentle as he moved over her neck and down her upper arms.

"Tired," she answered. "I am suddenly very sleepy. It feels very good."

"Very well." He smiled. "Do you wish to go to sleep?" He smiled and returned to her feet, massaging them gently. "You have had a trying time the last few days."

"I think so," she said, her voice giving way as her mind slid into a dazed state.

"Well, can you stand?" he asked, continuing massaging the backs of her thighs. "Or are you enjoying this too much?" He smirked. "Like I said you must be relaxed but alert."

"I will admit this feels very good. But, I can stand," she answered quietly.

"My next question is do you wish to stand?" he replied. "I can carry you back if you want and tuck you in," he answered with concern. "I want you to relax as much as possible this voyage, for when we reach Landro, your training truly begins."

"I am not dressed," she pointed out. "I should dress."

"All right. But I could carry you, eyes shut. I know this ship like the back of my hand." He massaged her thighs and down her calves and back up her thighs.

Evie was too relaxed to put up much resistance. He heard a murmured 'hmmm'. She had indeed relaxed. His hands felt like magic and her muscles felt at ease for the first time that she could remember.

He walked around and kneeled by the table, his right hand massaging her neck as he looked into her eyes. "I suppose 'Do you want me to stop' should have been the first question." He laughed a little. "You really are enjoying this aren't you?"

"I wasn't at first. But... It was heavenly. I think I could sleep a week now," she admitted with a soft blush.

"As long as you're enjoying it." He smiled and stood up. He felt a sense of calm from her. He let his mind open for her to casually read as she wished. He felt she needed to know him as much as she wanted to. He ran one hand on the outside of her leg and the other along her inner thigh as he massaged up and down her leg deeply.

Elisia felt him open up to her. It was more reassuring than the easy movements of his hand. To know that his path had not been easy either was a reassurance that even Kace could not give her. Kylas had crossed and returned whereas Kace remained in a tentative state in the middle. Elisia lost track of time as she experienced both the rhythm of the massage and the opening of his mind.

Kylas wasn't paying much attention to the movement of his hands anymore. He concentrated on surfacing his memories and thoughts for Elisia. His hands moved over her other leg and he pressed his hands up to the curve of her buttocks and his fingers lightly pressed her lower sex as he started down towards her knee again.

Elisia tensed immediately. Her mind shut and he felt a sudden departure from the relaxed state she had been in. However, she said nothing.

Kylas felt the barrier like a brick wall. Then he realized what he had down. "I'm sorry." He bowed and quickly retreated. He returned to the cockpit and took his seat, taking off the autopilot.

Elisia slowly got off the table, her mind confused. He had withdrawn immediately, which was reassuring and yet he had trespassed in the first place. She was still very relaxed physically and slowly dressed. She made her way back to her small cabin and curled up. Her mind was too numbed by all that had occurred to really focus and she soon drifted off into a deep sleep.

Kylas thumbed his hand off the console. "Fool," he cursed to himself. He may very well have lost Elisia, the last chance she had at freedom of choice and her own sanity because he was careless.

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