Shade
"Phew!" I wipe the sweat from my brow. I didn't know that running away and hiding from a Cathar could be so hard, even if she's a half-blood. Their sense of smell is considered one of the best, same as their hearing. I'm not even going to mention their stamina and agility. So the fact that I hid myself in the Force didn't help me at a-a-all.
Stop! I feel a disturbance behind my back. The moment I turn around, someone crashes into me and immediately pins my arms to my chest.
"Got you!"
Fuck!
"Now you won't get away!" Vess was breathing hard, but a victorious smile played on her lips.
"How?!"
"A Force jump." I shift my gaze to the far end of the corridor. To bypass my locator, she would've had to move much faster than we were taught. Focusing on the emotions of that mug, I realize just how screwed I am. Her instincts hit her in the head again, and she's hunting me like a cat hunts a mouse. She's enjoying the process immensely, and now that she's caught me, she clearly isn't going to stop. And given that she has no brakes right now, and won't for the next takeda, I'm genuinely scared.
"Shade? Vess?" Zeng asked, standing a meter away from us. Lifting my head, I spot Ramiry beside him. On the other side is Feng with some Twi'lek girl behind him. Lina stood nearby with some guy, looks like someone from an older cohort.
"Guuuys…" I brighten up like they're family. "Save me! She's going to kill me!" I yell for help, but the moment the twins take a step toward me, Vess raises her eyes to them. The guys freeze, then take the same step back.
"Oh, Shade, I just remembered, we were offered to go watch some performance. It'll be in an hour on the main square—drop by if you want," and they bolt.
"Traitors!" I shout after them. "I'll remember this!"
"Well then, sweetheart, here we are alone again." She licks my lips, and her free hand reaches for the buttons. So. Looks like there's no choice.
I send a light pulse through the Force, and Vess collapses unconscious onto my chest. Thanks, Mom, for the lessons… who would've known how I'd end up applying them.
"Phew. I've got a feeling these are going to be a long two weeks," I comment, lifting the girl into my arms. How did she handle it before? Although… I think I saw her taking some pills. Hm…
Shaking myself, I push the thoughts aside and focus on Vess herself. Instincts layered over her own feelings and topped off with teenage hormones… brr… a terrifying cocktail. And she really could've lunged at the guys too (I mean, remove the obstacle) and then continued her business with me… right there in the corridor.
"No-no-no!" I shake my head again. "Screw that! Screw thoughts like that."
But I made a note for the future. For the next two weeks… no, three—no stunts like that, or someone's going to snap again, and not necessarily her. I'm not made of iron either, and when you've got a treasure like that in your hands, all sorts of bad thoughts crawl into your head whether you want them to or not.
"God damn it!"
That little devil finally shredded my self-control. If up to this point I'd still been holding on somehow—thanks to training—now… well, whatever, it's a natural process, and almost… no, just positive. Yes. That's different. Let's look at the picture from that angle.
Besides, at least be honest with myself. I liked her. I liked her a lot. The other thing is that I kept forcing myself into a corner. M-m-m. Well, damn.
***
"And where's Vess?" Lina asked when I got back to the others.
"Resting. Got a bit tired," and in front of my eyes a picture pops up of how, even asleep, she kept reaching for me, and if she managed to grab me, she'd squeeze so hard you couldn't pry her off. Though, to be fair, when she's sleeping with that kind of smile, the kawai meter steadily creeps upward.
"R-our?" Gris shook me by the shoulder.
"It's fine. Just spaced out a little."
"I can even guess what on," glancing at that smug mug, for some reason I wanted to punch him in the face. "Ow!"
"Thanks, Rami."
"Always welcome," the girl beamed, while the guy demonstratively puffed up.
"So what kind of performance is it?"
"Ir-iru ea-e-ur."
"No damn idea, huh? Uh-huh."
"Shade, what does your constant 'damn' even mean?"
"A vegetable. An all-knowing one."
"Actually, Masters from other temples have arrived. Each of them will demonstrate their mastery," Lina spoke up.
"How do you know?"
"I asked," she shrugged. "Unexpected, right?"
"Indeed."
The Masters at the performance they showed us really commanded respect. A Master from Vur Tepe showed the gathered crowd a blade made of a special steel and skill at wielding it. A Master from Kaleth showed unique knowledge of history, tactics, and ancient teachings. Few appreciated it, but I clearly saw the great value of that knowledge. Not even that—those lessons were priceless! History teaches, and they're the ones who can help with that. Old teachings can open up details behind current questions, and tactics are the ability to plan a chain of correct actions that will lead you to victory. In short, it sharpens your thinking.
I made a note to myself that in the future I absolutely have to visit Kaleth. And I also wanted to walk through the Old City—curious what my father dug up there. And the Order of Starfarers is worth looking for: even though Tythonites don't like them—and the dislike is mutual—the guys might have some special knowledge. Dad didn't deal with them for nothing, did he?
Next up was a Master from the Temple of Bodhi. The Temple of Art. He performed with a group of boys and girls, dancing different routines to music. Honestly, those hit everyone. Guys were drooling over the women, girls were sighing at the sight of "grown-up" guys. Their movements were mesmerizing, creating the illusion of a single living… mechanism? M-m-m, more like a single figure. And it was astonishing.
I could see with my own eyes how a cute Sith girl, to the beat of drums and stringed instruments, praised her ancestors, putting the Force into every word. It flowed across the area like an invisible light breeze, reaching into the deepest parts of your soul and stirring them. I caught myself getting goosebumps, and a light smile shining on my lips.
Then there was another performance… though more precisely, an exhibit. To music, they displayed works of art created within the walls of the Temple of Bodhi. Here I couldn't hold back and was among those who applauded the Masters standing up. Elegant white sculptures, made with filigreed precision, perfectly repeated the contour of the body—both female and male. Everything stayed within propriety, but great Force, some of the sculptures were right on the edge of overt eroticism. The female ones in particular.
The paintings, on the other hand, placed more emphasis on history. They captured certain scenes of the past reconstructed from chronicles. Professionally reconstructed, I should note. And all of this, to one degree or another, hummed with the Force. M-m-m, I don't think I'll ever reach that level—I'm not an artist, after all. But I'll definitely copy down a couple motifs for myself—for example, that hard drum rhythm mixed with strings is gorgeous; you could even stage a march to it.
Next came a Master from Anil Kesh. The Temple of Science. He demonstrated unique Force techniques and explained, in simple terms, how they're developed. He showed a few interesting mechanisms, like a mobile holodrone—a small sphere that flies where it's told and then plays a holo-message. The Temple also works with alchemy and various living creatures.
He even brought a couple critters along just to show what kind of little monsters those science maniacs can produce. And of course, they were freaks you'd have to look for even on Tython. I didn't expect anything else—we didn't have enough wildlife already.
After that came a representative of Mahara Kesh. The Temple of Healing. This individual, right before the crowd's eyes, healed a number of fatal injuries on a chimera provided by the previous participant. After that, he went on and on with a long-winded speech about the value of Force healing. Everyone was moved, especially Rami. She practically caught fire with the desire to enter that temple, and it's easy to understand why.
Stav Kesh. The Temple of Martial Arts. The Master from that temple demonstrated a whole set of combat techniques to the kids—both unarmed and with weapons. It looked impressive, but it didn't impress me much. What they showed was, let's say, "mediocre" techniques. Mom taught me to strike to kill. If not kill, then at least disable. So if I do enter there, I'll step right over the beginner course. At minimum. And honestly, the healers look far more interesting—the ability to heal yourself on a battlefield is priceless. Or the Temple of Knowledge? Hm…
The last to perform was a Master from Akar Kesh. The Temple of Balance. The Master from that temple didn't show any special tricks. He didn't put on a show and didn't make pretty speeches. No. He simply and directly stated that the Force is no joke. And then he explained the consequences of going too deep into one side or the other. He explained it clearly, with examples on a holoprojector. Even I got hit by it, and I was the one who already knew about the consequences of using only one side—but that was just the tip of the iceberg.
As it turned out, those who go TOO far into the light become phlegmatic vegetables who don't give a damn about anything, and those who go into the dark become real maniacs whose bodies decay right before your eyes. As I later found out, the Master started right away from the final stage, and then gradually demonstrated the process of change, pausing on details by which you can tell how far it's gone and whether it can be reversed. What's interesting is that by all points it looked like I'd gone far into both the dark and the light. A paradox, isn't it? The guys understood that too and eyed me suspiciously, but kept quiet.
After the performance, our group approached the Master to clarify that point.
"Master Yum!"
"Yes?" he turned his attention to our group.
"Tell us—what if a single being has some of the listed traits from each side?" I ask him.
"That doesn't happen," he answered confidently, but seeing our faces, уточнил, "Or do you know something like that?"
"The thing is, one acquaintance of ours can flare up very easily and punch someone in the face. Also he's not exactly soft-tempered, and sometimes it's very hard to talk to him, especially when he's not in the mood—though that's rare, thankfully. But at the same time he'll help someone in need for free and will never refuse if he's asked," Feng explained. "And you can only envy his calm. In very rare cases…" How interesting… but is that really a problem? Is he changing? Did he get dark circles under his eyes, or maybe his voice changed? What's wrong with him?
"No, Master. He remains himself," Rami spoke up. "His voice is bright, melodic, pleasant to listen to—especially when he curses in his native language." Here she snorted into her fist, and the guys smiled. I was starting to blush. "His face is handsome, and his character stays at the same level."
"Then you have nothing to worry about. Your friend is simply being himself. Not trying to construct some other persona, but simply showing his true self. That's all. And the sharpness is most likely age-related." He looked our group over and smirked. "If that's all, then I have to go. All the best."
The Master gave a slight bow; we returned it.
"Thank you."
"All the best, Master."
"Good luck, Padawans," he winked at me at the end and walked away.
"So, happy?" Lina asked.
"Yeah. All right, shall we go?"
"Grooo, i-auu."
"Yes, Gris. We wouldn't mind grabbing a bite either." I led our group to the dining hall. Too bad Vess didn't see it—the show really was interesting.