Qyrisa

Qyrisa entered the traning room, though she was hesitant. She should have been there almost two hours ago and Qaela was not one to accept tardiness. Qyrisa knew it would be pointless to tell her sister why she was so late. She had gotten lost in meditation and had achieved a new level of consciousness. While it might anger her sister for the moment, she knew that in the long run the meditation would help her grow in the Force. As she entered the room she tried her best to remain unnoticed. She had no knowledge of Force Stealth though and knew her sister would feel her presence immediately, no matter how wrapped in dueling she was. Qyrisa stood off to the side of the room and saw her sister and the man Ca'Aran in the midst of an intense duel. Qaela never was one to take even the simplest of practices lightly. Qyrisa thought to herself. Her sister had always approached every task with the utmost dedication and never left anything undone. It was not the way her sister operated. Qyrisa knew that she would need the very same philosophy if she hoped to grow into a powerful wielder of the Force. Qyrisa stood near the wall of the training room and decided it was best to remain uninvolved until her sister called her over. She could only hope her punishment would not be too harsh. Qaela wasn't one to unnecessarily use force to instill a lesson, as Teyati was.

Several days had passed since the in the training room between Ca'Aran and Qaela. Qyrisa had gotten herself involved in the battle, but was quickly surrounded by guards and forced out of the fight. She had known better than to try and take the gairds and she simply watched the display put on by Ca'Aran. He had touched raw power and it had gotten the better of him. The fight had ended with both her sister and the Black Sun Vigo collapsing and the fight had actually intiated the birth of the children Qyrisa was carrying. The delivery of the children had occured a few days ago and since they had been born Qyrisa spent a lot of time with them. Qaela had been struggling to recover since the children had been born and a part of Qyrisa wondered if she was even trying to hold on. She feared that her sister had no will to live, to hold on. Her sister could survive this, that much Qyrisa knew, but it was a matter of her desire to hold on. Qyrisa was awaiting direction from Qaela and she would not go on until her sister gave her orders. She was still far too untrained to do anything on her own. She needed guidance. She needed to learn, to grow stronger. The slow recovery was beginning to frustrate Qyrisa. I have no time for delay. I must learn to control my powers amd grow stronger! Despite her internal frustrations, Qyrisa showed no outward signs of annoyance.

Qyrisa had watched the exchange between her sister and Ca'Aran. She had made no move to intervene, but instead watched how Ca'Aran reacted to Qaela's method teaching. She had never seen her sister this emotional before, but she liked what she was seeing. Emotion was something that was always missing from her life. Teyati was cold and manipulative, but she always kept her emotions hidden and in check. Never had Qyrisa seen Teyati's temper, which had only served to make Qyrisa fear her more. Yet right now Qyrisa was watching Qaela embrace her emotions and use them to fuel her moves. She knew that her sister was walking a fine line. There was a precarious balance that must be maintained at all times. If Qaela repressed her emotions she would never know true power, yet giving into her emotions would turn her into mindless beast. One must be the master of themselves. This is the lesson Qyrisa took away from everything. As the two continued to duel, Qyrisa watched Ca'Aran's movements. He was utilizing a very defensive, reserved style, which Qyrisa knew her sister would easily take advantage of. Qaela was extremely intelligent and could easily put things together. If an opponent showed the slightest bit of hesitation or left themselves exposed in the most minute way Qaela would instantly notice and pounce on her opportunity. Sometimes Qyrisa believed her sister saw things in slow motion. It was as if she was able to stop time and study an opponent or problem from every angle. Of all the duels the sisters had under Teyati's guidance, Qyrisa never found herself the victor. No matter what style she employed her sister knew it's weaknesses. This was just one of many things Qyrisa had to learn before she could become a powerful warrior. The two opponents had reached a pause. Qaela was waiting for Ca'Aran to make his move. It felt like days and Ca'Aran had still not made his move so Qyrisa decided to intervened. She reached out slowly with the Force and focused on Ca'Aran's lightsaber. She muttered a simple spell and watched the hilt fly across the room and into her hand. Ca'Aran had been focusing solely on Qaela and therefore easily relinquished control of his weapon. Qyrisa waited to see if he would challenge her for his weapon or if he would surrender. As Qyrisa stole Ca'Aran's blade she looked over at her sister to gauge her reaction. She hoped that her interference would not anger Qaela.

Qyrisa had spent her time in her temporary personal chambers enjoying the various pleasures available to her. She had spent time snacking on the wide array of exotic delicasies she was provided. The swarms of males around her all desired her attention, but she had no interest in them sexually. She had instead requested a massage from a particularly handsome human male. He had tried to remove her clothes, but she insisted on a simple shoulder and upper back massage. The endless hours sitting cross legged in a meditation pose honing her skills in the Force had left her sore and she figured she might as well use what was at her disposal. After several minutes she felt herself drift away as the man worked his magical hands. After what felt like hours Qyrisa stirred from her peaceful nap. She felt incredibly refreshed and she knew this would be one of the last times she would feel this way. Qyrisa knew the road ahead of her would be grueling and filled with nearly impossible tasks. Yet she also knew that great power would come from this. Qyrisa suspected that Qaela's intentions were to make her more powerful than any other Nightsister had been. She still felt uncomfortable with the role she would be filling, but she knew with time she would grow into the power. As Qyrisa looked up from her chair she saw two figures walking towards her. She couldn't make out their identities immediately, but as they came closer she recognized them as her sister and Ca'Aran. The man was carrying several training drones and Qyrisa immediately knew what they would be doing, but she waited for Qaela to explain it to her.

Qyrisa was impatiently pacing the ship. They had been out of hyperspace for several hours now and had yet to receive a reply from Ca'Aran. She was itching to get on with the mission, but instead they were just waiting. Part of her anger stemmed from knowing she had little time to catch up to her sister's skill level and therefore she wished to use every moment to improve. The entire trip here Qyrisa had practiced with the drone and done the few other simple exercises her sister had shown her, but Qaela refused to teach her anymore. She knew she shouldn't be so annoyed by this, but she couldn't help it. After ten minutes of pacing Qyrisa retreated to her quarters. She would continue to hone her developing Force skills while they waited.

Qyrisa nodded as her sister talked. It hadn't even crossed her mind to lash out at Qaela for puttin her in an unfair position. Qyrisa knew she was the pupil. She was the weaker of the two and any resistance towards her sister's commands would likely bring harsh punishment. The bond between the sisters was strong and Qyrisa had no intentions of shattering the loyalty they shared. "Sister if I might ask, what will become of the Sisterhood when Teyati is removed from the picture? Will you be assuming leadership or have you already chosen someone new to fill her position?" Qyrisa thought about telling Qaela of her desire to lead the Sisterhood and bring them into power in the Galaxy, but she worried that Qaela might misread her ambition.

Surprisingly, with the addition of the blindfold Qyrisa was able to see where the drone would shoot the bolts with much better clarity and focus. She figured the lack of distractions was the cause for that. However, the binding of her legs made her movements more awkward and she had to constantly adjust her weight to remain upright. Consequently, she found herself able to block the bolts, but only just barely. A couple of times she brought the blade up, but her awkward positioning only allowed her to just hit the bolt and sometimes they would still hit her. The stings were still more painful than they should be, but Qyrisa was able to effectively block them out with the blindfold. Qaela let the test go on and Qyrisa continued to consistently block the bolts. The only time one managed to hit her was when she couldn't bring the blade up to a proper angle without the risk of toppling over. She was amazed at how restricted her movement was with just a simple binding of her legs. She almost fell over a few times, but she managed to maintain balance and keep herself up. Though she could tap into the Force with greater clarity her physical restrictions seemed to come close to countering that. There's probably a lesson in that somewhere Qyrisa thought to herself. Qaela always found a way to implement a lesson on something into every drill. It was one of her sister's strengths. She was a talented teacher who could find a way to make a lesson accessible to anyone. Not to mention her knowledge which is deeper than the snow on Hoth Qyrisa thought with a slight chuckle.

Qaela brought out the drone and prepared it for the drill. When she was finsihed Qyrisa stepped forward and raised the wooden sword into a basic defensive position. The drone simply hovered there and had yet to send out a bolt. Qyrisa used this time to attempt a spell to guide her movements. She felt a sensation similiar to words being on the tip of her tongue or seeing a person she knew, but struggling to put a name with them. She jerked her hands up and to the left leaving the blade horizontal, but the droid had fired a split second before she gotten her hands up and she felt an uncomfortable sting on the outside of her right wrist. She let out a curse, but did not let one failure deter her. Qyrisa continued the exercise, but she never managed to have consistent results. She would block 2 or 3 bolts successfully, but then her mind would start to focus too heavily on maintaining the spell and she would lose focus on the drone and receive another irritating stinging bolt. The stingin would force her mind to focus again, but eventually she would slip again and begin to think instead of feel. When in battle one did not want to only use their emotions to fight, but it was also never beneficial to completely block them out. The art of battle rested in knowing when to trust your gut and just feel and when to think and stave off your emotions. Qyrisa continued to practice even though her skin was so sensitive that each bolt that struck her skin felt like an explosion on her skin. It was as if her skin had been peeled away and she was having acid poured on her. She gritted her teeth and tried to bear through the pain as best she could. If she were to give up now she would have a very short life to finish livig. Qaela would not tolerate anything below success. Failure might just earn Qyrisa a trip out of the airlock. As Qyrisa continued with the exercise she felt herself slip into an altered state of consciousness and it was as if she were no longer a part of her surroundings. She could see events unfolding in slow motion and she was able to block each bolt with precision. Unlike her previous attempts she managed to remain consistent and blocked at least 30 bolts in a row. Surely Qaela would notice her progress and end the training soon. They had no time for Qyrisa to spend practicing things she learned. Qyrisa had to get things right the first time and continue that perfection from this point on. She knew that things were completely serious from this point on. She was no longer on Dathomir, but was now under Qaela's guidance.

Qyrisa heard the chimes sound and knew that her sister wanted her for something. She got up from her cross-legged meditation and exited the room. When she walked out she saw a large space had been cleared in the main lobby area. Her sister was standing in the middle of the room an she was holding wooden swords. Qyrisa immediately knew that her sister was going to begin teaching her the basics involved with wielding a lightsaber. She walked over to the middle of the room and her sister handed her one of the wooden swords. As she did this Qaela dropped down into a fighting stance. Looks like we're skipping the introduction. Qyrisa thought to herself dryly. She gripped the sword in what seemed to be the most logical way and got into a basic fighting stance and waited for her sister to begin the lesson.

As Qaela finished up the last bit of her business with her clone, Qyrisa began to think about what she would want her clone to be like. She was still uncomfortable with the thought of a clone, but she knew that it was her only option if she wanted to continue on. Bringing the Witches of Dathomir into power on the intergalactic scene was her overall focus and having clones ready would only serve to support this. Qyrisa walked over to the clonemaster to begin the process of developing her clone. The clonemaster took her over to a large datapad and began asking her several question. He asked her what age she would want the clones to be at maturity. Qyrisa stopped to think for a moment before replying, "I want one clone to be 20 Standard years old. The other clone I would like to be 16 Standard years." She wanted to have the chance to live the life of a teenager again. She would have the mind of someone much older, but would still possess a healthy amount of youthful energy and questioning. When the clonemaster asked about physical attributes she knew what she wanted without hesitation. "For the clone that will be 20 I want nothing changed. I want it to be an exact copy of how I am today, except for the age. As for the 16 year old clone, I woukd like for her height to be reduced just a tad and I would like her natural strength to be upped. I don't want added mass though. I'd like to keep a ladylike figure." The clonemaster was busy punching all of this into the datapad and without looking up he asked about the physical appearance of the younger clone. Qyrisa began to run off a list of traits, all of which fit the basic model of beauty for humanoids. She was going to use any advantage she could. The clonemaster asked a few more questions and then told her that everything that was needed was there and that they were finished.

The past few days had been rather productive for Qyrisa. While they were making the journey to Kamino her sister had started to train her in the ways of the Force. They had started with very simple tasks, such as levitating a caf cup and moving chess pieces from across the room. The first day or two had been mostly successful, though she never could defeat her sister in chess. After about half of a Standard week, Qyrisa was growing more and more competent with her skills in the Force and the simple tasks she had struggled with only days before. She was learning at an incredible pace, even by her own high standards. She did not want to tell her sister this, but she was beginning to think that she had a more natural connection with the Force than Qaela. She felt that with enough training she would be stronger in the Force than Qaela ever could be, but at the moment she was careful not to let this confidence turn into cockiness as they would negate all potential she had. I must not let on that I have a stronger sensitivity to the Force. Raw potential is nothing compared to intelligence. Qaela always will have me beat there. The training that she had gone through on Dathomir had been physically exhausting, but Qyrisa's introduction to the Force left her mentally drained after every lesson. Qaela spent a lot of time in the cargo bay with her clone and it was during this time that Qyrisa would practice her Force skills. While nothing had been said between the two sisters it was known that after Qaela completed her quest she would no longer have a reason to live and it was then that Qyrisa would take her place. There was not a lot of time for Qyrisa to fail with her training. She had to perfect everything Qaela taught her. The two had spent some time trying to figure out more to the bond that they shared, but little progress had been made. The original thought that it was merely a connection the two possessed due to their relationship as sisters and all that they had endured together as children was currently the only theory that seemed to make any sense. A few days later the two arrived on Kamino. They went to a smaller cloning facility, which was no surprise to Qyrisa. Qaela always took the route which would put her near the fewest people possible. She had never been one for attracting crowds around her or allowing someone to track her, but that was not to say that she was awkward in the company of others. She had a way with words and knew how to bend others to her will. They exited the ship and headed towards the clonemaster's office. Qyrisa donned a simple brown robe and kept the hood up so she would not have to make eye contact with anyone and could avoid conversation. With her weak social skills stemming from her isolation from the outside on Dathomir she tried to avoid speaking to others at all costs. She was also afraid that if she were to speak to one of the Kaminoans she might say something to ruin the chances of Qaela getting her clone. Qaela argued with the man in his office for nearly half of a Standard hour. Qyrisa stood in the corner and watched how Qaela interacted with the man. It was obvious that Qaela had grown accustomed to using her looks to negotiate, but with a Kaminoan that would get her nowhere. Qaela eventually stood up and angrily walked out of the office when the negotiations were not going her way. Qyrisa simply nodded to the man and followed after her sister. Qaela stormed up the ramp of the ship and marched towards the front of the ship. Qyrisa knew better than to follow her sister with her current mood and retreated to her room to continue honing her skills in the Force. Qaela would fetch her when she was needed anyways.

More stream of consciousness   The critical moment of insight Arises without warning A brilliant sunrise preternatural Without preceding dawn Tantalizingly close to the infinite Yet never quite reaching her lips As time's formerly ceaseless flowing Abruptly stops And never was or is nor shall be The past fades to an abstract concept So far removed from the realm of experience As to be rendered meaningless Academic Absurd And the once cherished and anticipated future Warmly nurtured and carefully groomed Is now nowhere to be found Forgotten Forsaken As the mind remains focused on no particular thing Content to be absorbed in the simple joy of being Aware Alive  Meanwhile the warm night With her dense humidity darkened silence Cut occasionally by raucous motorcycles and automobiles That are quickly overcome By her quiet emptiness and soothing warmth Provides the rhythmic background for this scene Like the rolling waves on the ocean Or breathing while asleep Or thinking while awake So easily overlooked and taken for granted While hiding there inconspicuously in plain sight An integral part of this experience She lends her subtle hues to the painting Demanding nothing in return (What could she possibly need?)  And it is in this spacious magical moment That a solution to the problem arises From the unfathomable depths of inner realms Only it isn't really a solution to a problem at all It is this crazily inexplicable explosion of creativity That lies beyond all concepts and words All things and forms And contains within its essence the solutions To all possible problems Conceivable by the mind that asked the question That prompted its emergence And it creates myriad new classes of problems in its wake Effortlessly providing their solutions as they arise Gratis Overwhelming the waking the mind Which responds unsurprisingly With its lazy habitual fear and limitation So that only a solution to the problem arises In this spacious magical moment  The creativity underlying these inner realms is inexhaustible Here, abstract problems and their solutions become intertwined Intermingled Inextricable Dancing together until they no longer feel separate Until there are no problems or solutions anymore Just the joyous thrill of spontaneous creation On infinitely many levels and in all directions Magnificent Magical Thereby escaping the limitations of every particular manifestation  They dance for us until we no longer find them significant But they do not disappear as it may seem To the casual observer Not accustomed to introspection Untrained Undisciplined They just leave the squalid rooms of our impoverished minds And continue their dance Somewhere else A place where they feel loved and at the center of the universe A place that is not a place at all The center of the universe is not a place It must be crowded though Since everything has this feeling of being here And there is no place on this Earth that is what it appears to be How can there be any places at all When there are no boundaries   But how the hell am I supposed to apply this to solving my problem The student asks in hysterical angry naked frustration Disconcerted Demoralized Discombobulated An answer comes without hesitation Who are you And what is the nature of this problem That so troubles you But the answer is misunderstood And seen as a question That presents new problems So something more must be said In a futile attempt to express that which is intrinsically Inexpressible Ineffable Infinite The mere existence of this problem In your mind Implies that of its solutions In our mind So don't burden yourself with the false presumption That you must somehow create a solution Fashioned by your own calloused hands From nothing When it's really more a matter Of knowing where to look It's not your place to solve the problem directly It's enough to understand it Precisely Purely Perfectly Then if you look with a calm open mind You will find the raw materials for a solution Satisfactory for your purposes Were always there All around you And that you can use your innate abilities To fashion something of beauty That carries within it The unmistakable aroma Of yourself The purpose of these problem solving sessions Is not merely to teach you to solve certain kinds of problems Who would waste their time with such nonsense It is help you find within yourself The source of all creativity And the power of expression So that you can use them in your inimitable way To create something beautiful Enchanting Exquisite Eternal  Â

Several weeks had passed since Qyrisa had begun her training. After her first attempt at the gauntlet, Qyrisa had become more serious about her training and in the last few weeks had made significant progress in regards to her ability with spells. She would go out every morning to the field and would spend several hours mastering spells. On some days she would practice simple spells to the point of being able to use them without hesitation. It was only in the last week or two that she had made any sort of progress with the more complex spells. She had learned that she had a natural affinity towards healing spells and Teyati had made her focus on these spells. Over the weeks Qyrisa had done the gauntlet several more times and the last three times had been successful, though she had broken at least three of her ribs on the last attempt. Qyrisa's latest challenge to herself was to practice the healing rituals on herself to speed up the healing process. Qyrisa had been outside for nearly four hours and the temperatures outside were becoming uncomfortable hot, but Qyrisa didn't seem to notice. She was lost in a spell she had been attempting for several days now. The average person would have grown frustrated and quit by now, but Mother had almost literally beat that trait out of Qaela and Qyrisa when they were younger. When faced with a continuing problem Qyrisa would approach it from every angle possible and with every ounce of determination she had until she had found the solution. Finally after nearly four hours of practice Qyrisa began to feel her side tingle and knew that the spell was working. She had to be careful to maintain focus on the spell. Last time she got this far she lost focus in her excitement. She continued to chant the lines of the spell for another ten minutes until she grew too tired to remain focused. She stopped chanting and slumped down. She barely had the energy to stand up and when she did she saw that Mother was standing on the edge of the open field watching her. Qyrisa summoned the energy to walk over to her. "Mother I have made great progress with the healing spell you taught me." Qyrisa said with enthusiasm. She hoped that soon Mother would be giving her her first mission off of the planet.

Just noticed a few areas where I screwed up word order, but it's no big deal. And thanks for the feedback. I have other stuff I might post here. Mostly stream of conscious poetry.

Acceptance Fear The sharp electric jolt that kept me up nights Transformed by the sunrise into a soft black cloud of madness That dragged me down days Drove me through endless cycles of boom and bust Gloom and mistrust Until I became convinced that her forgeries were real Always hiding in the background Wanting to remain anonymous Yet revealing yourself at the most inappropriate moments And me, blissfully unaware yet knowing at some level That you were waiting there on the periphery I just didn't know your name back then Ecstasy We dined together quite comfortably in luxuriant décor But you were always in a rush to go and see some other lover Knowing all the while how much I hated to be left alone Yet knowing as well that I gave you my tacit consent I wanted to be with you always But you said ”œthat's not how it works”