tushanshu_logs | OPEN: Luke at the turtle's head

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OPEN: Luke at the turtle's head

Characters: Luke Skywalker and OPEN
Date: Mid-August during the heat wave
Location: The turtle's head
Situation: Luke's been meaning to visit the turtle's head for a while but after hearing the news from Wan about the path of light he's decided it's imperative that he see it for himself.
Warnings/Rating: None, but please do consider filling out the form on Luke's permissions post here if you haven't already. He's capable of a lot of mind-read-y type stuff.

The turtle's head has piqued Luke's interest since he first heard about it. The idea of an altered state of mind has made him wary but he's willing to try it before passing judgment. Perhaps he can negate some of the effects, if even a little bit.

Then he heard tell of the path of light that appears only to some. That is definitely worth checking out.

The heat wave has caused him to leave his cloak behind and even shop for clothing of a lighter design, both in color and in weight, somewhat resembling what he used to wear in the desert. Luke's lived in the scorching heat most of his life and knows how to deal with it well. Once properly dressed it bothers him very little and hasn't affected the time he spends outdoors much. He even bought himself a dorky hat. Luke's far less concerned about fashion than he is about keeping cool and he knows that protecting one's head from the direct rays of the sun is a key part to avoiding the worst effects of the heat.

Once at the turtle's head he finds a comfortable spot to sit cross-legged and begins to meditate, eager to see this path of light that Wan spoke of. He's maybe a bit too eager and it takes a few minutes before his Jedi trance sets in. That patience thing is a work in progress.

Around a half hour in and Luke awakens with somewhat of a start.

((Feel free to hop in at any point; reaching the turtle's head, during meditation, or after meditation.))

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It's been some time since Enjolras has practiced the meditation, the beginnings of it, at least, that Saint-Walker had taught him, but, after realizing the absolute foolishness involved in practically daring Evandau or Malicant, if they could have seen the responses he'd left, to punish him, it was clear there was work to be done and it was work he needed to get done himself.

A little disturbed by his reaction a few days earlier, and maybe a bit ashamed, he had started for the turtle's head himself, to clear his mind a little, with Taraja in tow, and was surprised to see a vaguely familiar figure there. He did not remember names well, but he did remember their conversation. As that was, it made finding an opening awkward even as he seemed to be coming out of things.

Taraja broke the silence first, making her way over toward Luke.

"It's the man you were so STUPID with!"

The hatching pointed out, rolling her head from side to side in that manner that she'd taken to, which meant that Enjolras was obviously lacking in something or other. If nothing else, it was incredibly humbling.

"Taraja!" Enjolras hissed, ducking his head a little. Really, this was not a way to frame a decent conversation when things were somewhat awkward between you and another person.

"I apologize if we are disturbing you." He added. "We've come to clear my head a bit."

Even in meditation Luke can sense the other presences approaching. It doesn't awaken him immediately but as Taraja's telepathic voice breaks through his trance Luke slowly comes out of it. He blinks a few times and then assesses his new companions.

It's a little different seeing someone in person than it is seeing them through a video feed. It takes Luke a moment to remember where he's seen the man before but it eventually clicks. There's no immediate feeling of discomfort at the memory but Luke does catch a little bit of second-hand embarrassment through the Force.

He smiles at them both in an attempt to smooth over the residual tension, with an extra little grin at the baby turtle as he thinks they're ridiculously cute. Luke doesn't hold anything against the other man as their prior conversation had only been a minor annoyance through misunderstanding. No harm done. Without even thinking about it Luke sends out a wave of comfort and calm through the Force. These days it's become second nature to him to do so, as if it's no different from speaking soothing words to someone. Except Luke's much better with the Force than he is with words so this is his convenient alternative.

"Not at all. I've only been here a few minutes, just trying to see what I can see. Have a seat."

Luke had already picked a few brains about the exact effects of spending time at the turtle's head and seemed to get different answers each time. Some people rave about it like it's a place of pure enlightenment. Others speak of unpleasant side effects like clouded judgment, almost as if being drunk. Another opinion couldn't hurt. Maybe seeing the effects on another person first-hand would help.

"Do you come out here often?"

It is different,indeed. There is something so much easier about meeting someone live, and in person, instead of through the consoles that seems to make things much easier. It may be the presence of Taraja, too, who looks rather pleased to be at the turtle's head, probably trying to connect with Asti herself, which is really quite adorable. Enjolras can imagine her telling her siblings all about this later on.

As for the question, really, not so much at that.

"I think I may have come here once before. It used to be that I was able to clear my mind in the water sector, but it hardly seemed enough the last time that I tried it. So, here instead."

Enjolras did have to admit that the air around here was different, just a little, though.

"A friend of mine, who is no longer on the island, seemed to come here a lot. There was a point where Asti came to him in a dream, after the fact.I also know he found a lot of peace, here.

I must say, I do feel something of Asti's...this is going to sound incredibly strange, but his presence itself. Not long ago, he visited those of us who care for the hatchlings in a dream. This feels, somewhat like a...diluted is that word I want, I think, diluted version of his visit. Of course, as that was Dreaming, it was a little...easier to work with, and to sort out."

At the moment, the rush of feelings, even though he knows it is less than he has dealt with before, is rather overwhelming, leaving his head to spin a little. How strange it is so different, though.

Luke nods sagely. He's not surprised at all by anything Enjolras says. "That's not strange to me at all. I can feel everyone's presence around me at all times, including Asti's." Asti presence feels bizarre because it always seems to be following him wherever he goes (for an obvious reason) but he definitely detects that distinct presence too, along with all the others.

He tilts his head thoughtfully at Enjolras. "Would you say your visits here leave you feeling more enlightened or more subdued? I've heard some things that make me a little nervous, that spending too much time here can cloud your judgment."

"Can you?" That is rather reassuring. Enjolras finds himself relaxing. There is a part of him from home that still trips him up sometimes, when it comes to matters of belief in everything that happens around him, so that is something of a good reassurance.

"A bit more subdued, from my experiences." He admits, "The last time I was here, it WAS to calm myself a bit, and it did help with regard to that. I am not sure that I walked from it enlightened or anything of that sort, really."

As far as belief goes Luke knows he's probably seen and even done some slightly more out there things than a lot of other people, and even he's been surprised a few times since he got here. It's a lot to take in.

Still, he's determined to figure out just what goes on out here at the turtle's head. Maybe different people see different things.

"Have you ever had a vision here? Something like what you said you saw in a dream? Or was it just afterwards?"

That is a truth and of itself. There are times Enjolras realizes that the entire time he's been here is really, only explainable to those who live here too now. If he were ever able to go home to a different fate than death, it would be too strange to explain even a quarter of this to his other friends, whereas here, he could, most likely, find a stranger who has been here for a while and have a conversation completely make sense. It really is pretty strange.

"Afterwards, for the most part. At least when it comes to visions. I suppose that it does different things for different people, or it may be that I have simply not come through enough. I did actually meet up with Taraja close to here. That is, it is where I heard her voice for the first time,so there is something to it. I am still uncertain what it is. It feels..."

Enjolras pauses, listening for something, maybe, or thinking things through before continuing. "It is different than being present in a state of Dreaming. Were you here, already, the last time that Tu Vishan docked? There were some Dream realms there. This feels...a bit like they did, though more rooted in a solid reality. Dreams tend to feel a bit more fluid, with some flexibility to them. Here, that is definitely earth beneath my feet. In a dream state, it might be, or feel like, anything."

With everything else he'd been trying to work on, Carlos hadn't yet had a chance to actually visit the turtle's head. But it was still an important part of his research, and he hadn't forgotten. So dressed in his lab coat and with a bag full of assorted instruments and scientific devices he made his way there.

When arrives, someone else is already there - Luke, if he remembers correctly. Who appears to be meditating - or possibly sleeping, Carlos isn't familiar enough with meditation to tell - so Carlos leaves him be and gets started, although he finds that now that he's here, he doesn't quite feel the same intense need to understand everything that he usually does. It's still there, but it's somehow...calmer, and while he's taking readings with his instruments he keeps stopping to actually appreciate the view.

And it's after one of these moments, when Carlos is checking the readings on his danger meter that Luke startles awake.

"Ah - I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Carlos asks, with a sheepish grin.

Edited 2014-08-18 21:21 (UTC)

Luke blinks a few times before suddenly turning towards the presence he'd sensed the whole time, though it takes a moment for him to seem like he's really all there. The trance always takes a while to wake up from fully.

"Uh... no, actually I knew you were there I just--... I've been in meditation." Luke closes his eyes and lowers his chin to his chest for another moment, taking a deep breath in and out before looking up at Carlos again. This time he seems a bit more awake.

"I think I just saw it. The path of light."

"The path of light?" Carlos echos. He looks around, just in case this path of light is a scientific phenomenon that he's managed to somehow miss.

There's nothing. Just the turtle, and the ocean. He turns back to Luke.

"Ah, is that a technical term? A kind of meditation? I've not heard it before, but then the furthest I've ever gotten with meditation is falling asleep, so my knowledge in this area is rather limited..."

Luke gives him a shrug and a shake of the head. "I don't know what kind of term it is, that's just what others have been calling it and that's exactly what it looked like to me. It was a path of light on the water directly in front of the turtle, as if Asti is following it."

Of course the water out in front of them has no such path on it at the moment but Luke seems to be watching it as if he's waiting for something else to happen. "Wan said that it took meditation to see it but he didn't give any other kind of specifications. I didn't think it would actually work the first time."

[Contrary to what some believed, Aya did leave the laboratory on occasion.]

[Sometimes, it was not even for business purposes. Though she thought it important to check up on the status of the local technology at semi-regular intervals, particularly ever since the latest program to restore Network security had been activated, she was also well aware that social interaction was equally important. Particularly in a place that did not automatically judge her for her nature.]

[Her flight patterns eventually took her to the Turtle's Head, where she spotted a relatively familiar face. He appeared to be resting, though her scanners could not immediately indicate whether or not he was unconscious or merely appeared so. Not from this distance.]

[So she landed at a spot nearby, taking care not to make too much noise as her boots touched grass.]

[Not too long after Aya lands is when Luke is startled awake by his vision. He sits in silence for a moment, staring out at the water beyond the turtle's head, trying to process what he just saw.

It also takes him a moment to realize that Aya's there, even though he can still sense her presence in a way. She doesn't feel human at all but he can separate her from his surroundings just as easily. He just doesn't realize who it is until he turns to look at her but he's not startled by her at all, being rather used to having androids hanging around him.

Once the haze from his meditation begins to seep away and he remembers how to talk Luke nods to her in greeting.] Hi. Did you catch that? [He has no idea what she might make of his startled awakening but he's eager to share the story with someone.]

[If she were to know of his sensors, she may have suggested it was her energy he felt. It was constantly flowing, constantly supporting the construct of her physical form. Nearly limitless, and self-recharging to a degree.]

Catch what?

[Her eyes immediately traveled upward, thinking that something had fallen.]

[Luke gives her a somewhat excited half-smile, amused at her response.] I think I saw it. The path of light, the path that the turtle's following. [He returns his gaze out towards the water, searching the horizon but the path seems to have faded from his view for the time being.] I heard about it from Wan but I wasn't sure what to expect. It's just that though, a path of light. Out there on the water.

[Luke looks back to Aya, definitely excited by now. This is evidently a big deal to him.]

[Her first instinct was to search for remnants of a shooting star...but then he mentioned the water, and her gaze lowered to the glassy surface.]

My apologies, but I cannot see anything.

[He shakes his head in response.] You shouldn't be able to right now. I think it has something to do with meditation and maybe not everyone can see it, but I didn't even know what I was doing. I just focused on Asti and everything around me and then there it was.

Actually... [he glances around, seeming to be looking for something] I don't even know how long I was out. [The sun doesn't seem to be in a very different position from when he first got here so supposedly it wasn't that long. He always loses track of time while in meditation.] Do you know what time it is? [Being without a portable chronometer has proven to be annoying.]

((It would probably be somewhere around late morning-ish.))

[Oh. Meditation. Saint Walker had taught her a few of the beginning tricks to the art form, but Aya was still too much of a novice to fully understand how to hone such inner abilities. She could do nothing but trust Luke at his word.]

Yes.

My scanners indicate that, local time, we are but an hour and fifteen minutes shy of high noon.

[When Luke arrived, he would find among those already there a familiar face. Wan had been the one to mention the paths of light that could be seen when he meditated. What he failed to mention was that when he meditated, his own eyes lit up with a bright glow. He was not yet able to slip his spirit from his body, so he was aware of the other presences. But he was also very focused on watching the great path and searching for any that may intersect with it during the Great Turtle's swim. Which meant he was not as aware of anyone who might approach him.

Maybe he could see the light because he was already glowing it up?]

That start wouldn't have anything what so ever to do with the fact that there's a flying lemur currently trying to rifle through any pockets Luke might have, would it?

Momo had tried to get Luke's attention when he was in what appeared to the lemur to be a meditative state, but to no avail. Much like Aang, when Luke wasn't home...he really wasn't home.

Only thing to do then is check for ~~traps~~snacks.

Even as he comes out of the trance with a sudden start it takes several moments for Luke's head to clear and he appears to sit in somewhat of a daze. He blinks a couple times and then finally realizes there's something moving near him. Or rather, practically on top of him.

Luke doesn't recognize the creature but it certainly doesn't look threatening, just curious. It's managed to jam a little hand into one of Luke's pants pockets and he squirms away. "He-ey! What do you think you're doing? Sorry, I don't have anything for you."

Instead he holds out a hand to it in case it wants to get a sniff of him. "Well you seem a little too friendly to be wild."

Momo's head tilts to one side, as if weighing the man's words for the amount of truth they hold. Tentatively he sniff's Luke's hand, right before he gives them a quick lick. Just...to see if maybe he's lying and has the taste of food on him.

Luke chuckles softly at the animal's response. "Yeah, definitely friendly." He searches the surrounding area and reaches out with the Force to see if he can sense anyone nearby. "Did you come out here with somebody or do I have to take you back to town?"

Momo sits up a little bit straighter, though whether it's the Force reach out or Luke asking if there's someone else around that prompts it is unclear. He does, however look in one specific direction, just past the bridge towards the turtle's shell.

Someone is coming. And while that someone doesn't quite register as a fellow Jedi, he does ping as powerful. Powerful and familiar.

"Momo?" Aang calls from just beyond line of sight.
Airbenders can make their voices travel far when they need to.

It doesn't take long for Luke to get a return on that other presence not too far off. He recognizes it instantly as one of his roommates. One he hasn't gotten a chance to know very well but he's grown accustomed to sensing it nearby and its familiarity is strong.

Luke rises to his feet and searches through the trees down across the bridge in anticipation of Aang's arrival. He addresses the little creature who seems to perk up at the call. "Is that who you came out here with?"

Momo takes to the air for the amount of time it takes Luke to stand, and then he perches on the man's shoulder, his tail wrapping gently around his neck.

"Mooooomoooooo-" Aang calls again as he appears through the break in the trees. "Oh! There you are." He smiles at both the man and lemur as he continues to walk closer.

"Hi."

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OPEN: Luke at the turtle's head

Hi, Person I Frustrated!

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Reaching the Turtle's head

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