Unexpected Meetings... (branch-off from Jedi Party, James Prent) (COMPLETED)

[Figrin D'an]

Lost in recesses of his mind, Figrin was nearly motionless as he stood on the balcony. A light breeze skimmed past his face... the cool night air was refreshing. Beyond his own physical self, it was nearly the only external influence for which the Jedi had any perception. His concentration was too deep to acknowledge little else.

The strange headaches were becoming more frequent. The pain could be controlled with limited effort, so long as he could clear his thoughts. It was a nuisance that he was slowly become used to. Whether or not that was a good thing was very much debatable. But, the Jedi Master was stubborn. He enjoyed a few degrees of self-sufficiency, and he was not suffering in other areas because of the inconvenience. In short... it simply wasn't that important.

Yes, he thought, the air is what I needed. I feel better already.

It was a bit of a conceit, but one that he didn't mind. Be it in fact the night air, or his mental fortitude at work, he did feel better.

[James Prent]

James escaped the terminally boring 'party' and reached the balcony, digging in her tiny clutch for a cigarette before the doors closed behind her. She lit up, and took a reassuring drag, eyes lightly closed, unaware that she was not the only one outside.

The diminutive padawan rested against the wall of the building, letting the cool air wash over her. Then something registered within her, and her eyes opened, taking in the other occupant of the balcony. He seemed to be concentrating on something, and she didn't want to bother him. Her bare feet scrunched up underneath her, and she pushed off from the wall, walking towards the railing.

[Figrin D'an]

The Jedi's mind slowly began to relax as the pain faded. Like a gradually expanding bubble, his awareness permeated out from him as he returned to the physical world. The cool metal of the railing on his hands, the clothing he wore for the evening, the noise of the Coruscant night... it all became part of his reality once again.

As to, did the presence of someone else on the balcony.

A Jedi... the Force presence was strong enough, to be sure... someone he did not know, however. A padawan, he deduced. The other presence was consciously attempting to be quiet as it moved towards the railing. Figrin detected the smell of stim smoke.

He continued to look out into the night, motionless except for a few strand of hair that waved in the wind.

"That's a rather nasty habit you have going for yourself." he finally spoke, without turning to see who had joined him near the railing.

[James Prent]

Two more drags and the stim was spent. Smoke wafted slowly out of her mouth as she flicked the butt off the balcony.

"That's a rather nasty habit you have going for yourself."

She rubbed her fingers together, and nodded, "Yeah, I know." James turned around and rested her elbows behind her on the railing, facing the festivities inside. It was cool and quiet out here. "Old habits die hard, as they say." She was already pulling out a second cigarette.

[Figrin D'an]

Figrin glanced over his shoulder, only to see the young woman ready to light up again. He closed his eyes for a moment, and visualized the scene though the Force.

As the woman casually brought the cigarette up to her mouth, it was deftly plucked from her grasp, and floated in front of her face. For a few brief seconds, it twirled slowly in place, in an almost taunting manner, before darting into the Figrin's open hand. He held up the stim stick, examining it closely while rolling it between his fingers.

He turned at last the face the woman. She was short, quite thin, and young... early 20's, he guessed. He recognized her face... he had seen her around the temple before... but like so many, her name was unknown to him. Something that he would be sure to remedy, he thought.

"You know...," he said calmly, "there are ways to teach yourself to break such habits. You have the ability to control your body on a higher level than most people will ever know. You just have to want to do it."

He stepped toward her, opening his hand. The cigarette rested on his palm.

"It would be a shame to lose a Jedi before her time."

He smiled.

[James Prent]

She licked her lips, and turned slightly so she was facing him. "Yeah, I guess you're right." The stim lay on his open palm, teasing her with its inaccesability.

James bit her lip, lightly closed her eyes, and imagined the cigarette flying into her hand. It didn't, of course, it was too small, and her concentration was severely lacking as of late. She stepped closer to the older Jedi, her feet cold on the stone balcony, and picked up the stim off his hand. "I don't know how to control my body like that though. I've only been here a few months." James looked at the cigarette, and then stuck it back into her tiny purse. Later.

"M'name is James. I guess you needed some fresh air, too." She smiled and put out her hand.

[Figrin D'an]

He took the young woman's hand in a firm, but not overbearing, handshake. James..., he thought curiously, that's a bit different.... The thought trailed off...

"Yes, I did indeed need some air, and this is one of the best locations to do just that. My name is Figrin. Although most of my friends call me Figs for short."

He looked down at James' purse, and made a slight gesture with his hand.

"Everyone must start somewhere. It will take patience, but in time, you will find you will be capable of many things."

[James Prent]

"I suppose..." She turned away from the other Jedi, and leaned out on the railing, gazing at the night lights of Coruscant. Her clutch purse dangled out over the edge as she considered what else she wanted to say to this man.

Nah. Why waste conversation? It was nice and quiet out here, and they'd both obviously escaped the monotonous small talk of inside.

She stared at the trailing lights of the traffic lanes, and -

"No! No! Leave him out of this!" James put forth a hand, and Jax was screaming....screaming and crying.

"Momma! Mommaaaah!" His small face was screwed up with tears streaming down his chubby cheeks.

The flat, monotone asexual voice intoned, "Keep your nose in your own business, Jedi bitch." A purple-ish lightsaber ignited with a hum, and James fumbled with her own, a green blade extending.

The sabers clashed, and then a Force push threw her backwards. Her saber clattered off to the side...and she saw for the first time that they were surrounded by tables and chairs. Tables and chairs... Everything was indistinct, yet clear, as the purple lightsaber slashed down, bisecting the Jedi...

James was leaning out, a blank look on her face...and then started to tip forward as she died in her vision.

[Figrin D'an]

His back turned to the railing, Figrin glanced to his left, looking out into the night towards district transport hub. The bright orange-yellow flares of sublight engines could be seen easily, even against the building lights of the megolopolis. He stared for a few moments, thinking of nothing in particular. It occured to him how pleasent it was to look out into the depths of the night, and not to have anything of seriousness to ponder. It felt good. Even more so, it felt good to be in the presence of someone whom shared that same sentiment. The young woman had been quiet for a short while, just as he had. Perhaps they both sought the same thing... an temporary escape from the presence of those that just couldn't appreciate a good period of silence.

On that thought, he turned back towards James. She seemed to be in a trance, her face stolid, her mind all but blank. Her body as rigid as a board, she began to lean foward over the railing...

He reacted quickly... reaching out and grabbing her shoulders, pulling her back to near vertical, and away from the railing. She was dazed, and unresponsive. He shook her lightly.

"James? James! Are you alright?"

[James Prent]

James jerked her arms, slapping the Jedi away from her in a panic. "Leave me alone! I - !"

She blinked... and then shook her head as if to clear it. "I...I'm sorry."

[Figrin D'an]

His mouth opened and closed in a moment of mild confusion. He shook it off, a deep concern replacing it in his thoughts.

"It's alright... you seemed to black out for moment, and you almost fell."

James was still disoriented... there was an uncomfortable silence as she regained her bearings. Figrin didn't want to presume, but he had a hunch, and he felt comepelled to help.

He spoke in a slow, comforting voice.

"You had a vision, didn't you?"

James looked up at him. He could see the fright in her eyes... she was hesitant to respond.

"Many Jedi have visions... if you tell me what you saw, I can help you."

[James Prent]

She nodded slowly. "Yeah...I've been having visions. They used to come at night, but now during the day too." James rubbed her hand over her face, and sat down abruptly on the cool floor.

Figrin knelt in front of her as she buried her face in her hands and started crying.

[Figrin D'an]

He reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Whatever you saw... it doesn't mean that is what will happen...," he spoke softly. "Visions can be powerful and emotionally draining experiences... what you saw may not be what you think you saw."

Her eyes peeked over her fingertips, still red and welling up with tears. Figrin grasped her hands, and she allowed them to be pulled away from her face. He directed them together, allowing them to clasp together between them. His own hands rested around James', holding them tightly.

"You don't have to be alone on this," he empathized. "Please... tell me about the visions."

[James Prent]

The tiny nineteen year old girl choked down her sobs, and sighed a deep, shuddering sigh. Figrin's calm voice soothed her, and she looked up at him again, her nose catching a slight whiff of the champange that had been spilled on her dress earlier.

"I met this little boy - Jax Tondry - about three months ago. He was with his dad...we talked a little, and I had my first vision. It was about Jax, and he was in trouble...or something. He's always screaming. Well, in the visions, y'know? Not in real life." James smiled tremulously as a leftover tear slipped down her cheek.

"Anyway, Jax likes me a lot...and I've been watching him for Pierce, his dad, when he's out of town. I'm not sure who his master is, but he's always going somewhere." James frowned, her story was getting off track. Figrin waited patiently as she collected her thoughts again. "Anyway, that was the first one...and they've been getting more frequent. And they all seem t'be the same. Only sometimes I see slightly different things... They're getting longer too."

James looked back down at the ground, and gently pulled her hands away from Figrin's, wiping at her eyes.

[Figrin D'an]

He listened intently as James described the events leading up to the visions. The child... it seemed that the child was the key figure, somehow triggering the response. It was not unheard of for certain Force sensitive beings to have a level of attachment that would cause psycho-synaptic response... but it was usually between between twin siblings, or perhaps a mother and child. James appeared to have no connection to the boy, beyond her friendship with his father. Figrin would need to learn more, but for the moment... an explanation escaped him.

There was something else. The Jedi Master sensed that James was holding something back... perhaps something that disturbed her too much to mention. The truth would have to come out eventually, but at a more appropriate time, he decided.

"James... listen to me... I know that these visions make you feel vulnerable... you can't control them, you're not sure what they really mean... it's only natural to be afraid. But you have an inner strength than can help you. You just need to learn how to use it."

She shook her head a little, as if she didn't believe what he was proposing would be possible.

Figrin sighed. He looked at James, still shaking from her vision experience. He wasn't quite sure why... but something welled up inside him, an inate desire to do whatever it took help the young woman find the answers she needed. He didn't know James before fate had them share the same balcony, each seeking solitude on a night of social gathering. He knew nothing of her past or her life. Yet he felt compelled to help her. He spoke, almost before he really knew what he was saying.

"I don't know what the future may hold... I am no seer. If I could give you the answers, I would surely do it. All I can do is promise to seek those answers with you, and a guide... and as a friend. I know so little about you, and you know little about me... but my instincts tell me that I can help you. And I will... if you will let me."

[James Prent]

"Okay..." James looked up, her body calming as it usually did after a vision. "I just wish I knew why...that's all."

She pulled herself to her feet, and leaned on the railing again, staring rather blankly at the traffic streams. "Master Figrin...if I see something in a vision, will it certainly happen?" Her eyes tracked over to his.

[Figrin D'an]

He folded his arms, and took a deep breath. He needed to be careful with his words.

"No. The future... even for a Jedi... is not always what is envisioned. For even the most skilled student of the Force, not all can be foretold. What you saw experienced was a culmination of many things... perhaps some vague picture of what is to come, but influenced by your own thoughts, your own bias and your own fears. It is a difficult task, even for a disciplined mind, to filter out the noise created by one's own mental influence."

It was a mostly-truth. Figrin left out what he knew would frighten her most of all. So rare was it for any Jedi potential to have such powerful extrasensory experiences. He wondered whom had first meet her when she came to the temple. He wondered of her master's knowledge of this matter. There was no denying what stood before him, be she small in stature and scared of the unknown. James was gifted... very gifted. That gift, left untamed, would be dangerous. She would need guidance... and she would eventually want answers.

His thoughts went back to the boy... Jax. He was the spark that began all this. But why? How? So little made sense. He would need to talk to the boy's father, Pierce. It would at least be a place to start. For now, though, he needed to know more about James herself.

"Are these visions the first time you've experienced... unusual mental abilities?," he questioned softly.

[James Prent]

She shook her head. "The reason I came here in the first place is because I had an accident at the diner I used to work at. I was upset because of a customer who wouldn't leave me alone, y'know, and ...well he wouldn't go away, and the night was bad anyway."

James hesitated, and then finished her story. "I broke every single dish in the place. All the dishes in the cupboards, all the glasses, everything in the dishwashers, and everything on the tables. I got fired. I used to wake up from nightmares when I was little and find things all over the floor. It scared me then, but I always picked everything up before my mom saw...

"But visions? No. Master Lysce is teaching my slowly how to control the Force, and because of her...because she doesn't talk audibly, my mind has been doing a lot of stretching lately. I dunno, but maybe that's causing it. Maybe I'm just not getting enough sleep." She grinned, willing some of her fear away. Fear leads to anger. It was dangerous, and she was gripped with fear after a vision. Something to work on...

[Figrin D'an]

He thought deeply for moment. He knew of Salemn Lysce's rather strong telepathic abilities... maybe they were a factor in this complicated puzzle. But, he doubted they were solely responsible for what was happening to James. Jax was still the key.

He stepped up the railing, and stood next to the diminutive woman.

"You hid your abilities from your parents..." he replied, a statement more than a question of confirmation. "You know... Force sensitivity often runs in families... have you ever considered consulting your parents on the matter? They might have some answers for you."

[James Prent]

She chuckled at that, and then seeing the question on his face, she explained. "I was adopted as an infant. I went through all the files last year, trying to find my roots, but the records were apparently destroyed. I have no idea who my birth parents were."

James shrugged, "So I don't know anyone with any answers."

[Figrin D'an]

Figrin nodded in acknowledgment. The puzzle seemed to get just a little bigger with that revelation. Or perhaps more accurately, the pieces got smaller. James appeared to be someone without a past... her heritage seemingly erased. There would have to be traces somewhere, though... difficult to find maybe, but certainly existing somewhere.

Such concerns would be for another time, however.

He looked at nothing in particular as he thought outloud.

"I know how that can be... the confusion and frustration that can come from not having those answers. I wandered the galaxy for more than a year in my youth, searching for my own answers... not knowing who, or what, I was. All I knew was that I was different, and that difference made me an outcast in my society. There were times I seemed to have no direction, no clues... no hope. But, when I finally found others like me, and found a home, I knew that the answers would come in time. They did... and I finally had a purpose."

He paused in reflection, then looked at James.

"Your answers are out there, James. There is no better place for you to be to seek them out."

He smiled.

"You will find them... just as I found mine."

[James Prent]

"I hope you're right." She looked out over the cityplanet for a few minutes in silence, and then turned, and looked inside at the party. "I guess I should go back inside..."

James wiggled her bare toes on the tiled ground, and then explained, "I broke the strap on one of my shoes right before I got here. Instead of trying to fix it and be late, I just ditched 'em both."

She grinned, and then sighed. "I don't like parties much."

[Figrin D'an]

He laughed lightly.

"In that case, you'll be in luck. We don't often have parties as a group. Tonight is definately the exception to the rule."

The Jedi adjusted his cloak as the wind picked up.

"I have some contacts that are good at digging up hard-to-find information... I'll see if they can find something about your family. It may shed some light on what is happening to you. In the meantime, I'd like to talk to Pierce, and meet his son."

He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Don't be afraid to seek me out if you need help, James."

He bowed to her, before turning to head back to the main hall.

"May the Force be with You."

[James Prent]

She returned the half bow, and then looked back over the railing at the skyline. All life seemed to serve her were more questions. Who were her biological parents? To be honest, her adoptive parents were wonderful...she couldn't complain a bit about them. And other than her search last year for her roots, she'd had no desire to find them.

Who would want to find the people or person who'd given you up? She'd been told nothing at all about the woman who'd given birth to her. Was she a single parent with no way to care for a child? Had James simply been abandoned on a corner? Parents died in a car wreck? All in all, she'd never thought that it really mattered. But Figrin seemed to think that heritage was important to a Jedi...and maybe it was.

Perhaps her biological family would be able to provide answers to the questions she had. James scrubbed her hand over her face and sighed. The visions were starting to wear her thin. She'd had two now in which she'd died...

Always in motion the future is. And yet...the fact that dying was a possibility was really terrifying. James took one last deep breath of the night air, and re-entered the banquet hall, letting the warmth and noisy talk envelop her like a blanket.

Whatever the future held, she was in a good place. These people would watch out for their own, and she was one of them. She looked at everyone smiling and laughing, and let a smile creep over her lips. "May the Force be with us all."