Barris was tired.
Very, very tired.
It was like her whole body was dragging her down, begging her to just lie down for a second. She blinked, suddenly realizing that her eyes were drooping. NO. This was meditation, not nap-time. And besides, she was sixteen, not six. She wouldn't need naps. She shook herself.
Concentrate, Barris.
Focus yourself in the force. Let it flow through you. You are the window, the force is the sunlight. Illuminate the darkness. She could feel it now, tendrils of the force wrapping protectively around her, like blankets. Warm, soft, sleepy blankets. It was so soothing, the Force, and so, soo black with her eyes closed. She could just fall asleep...
Barris bolted upright, her connection broken. No. She mentally berated herself. You are a Jedi. You will stay awake. She snorted. Sounds like she was trying to mind-trick herself.
Barris closed her eyes again. Let it flow through you. Like water, through a small stream, not an ocean. Do not let it overwhelm you. There. Perfect. She could feel the people around her, the plants around her. Everything just felt so... so Alive! She flet that same life awaken her, and she nearly laughed with pure joy. It had been awhile since she felt this way, as if she could do anything, be anything. She was a Jedi.
The leaves of the green Juniper trees, the bark of the strong oak, the petals of the roses, the prickly leaves of the wild dandelion. She could feel it all... everything! And it was wonderful. Like swimming through the buttery rivers of the Golden Falls, hidden in Alderaan's highest mountains, the force seemed to be everywhere. In fact, It was everywhere. Even in the water of the room of a Thousand Fountains. Bariss could have stayed that way forever, content, but once again she felt herself dozing off. She opened her eyes, and just as quickly, the sense of energy faded leaving her exhausted and empty, like a husk.
She was just so, so tired.
This time, she didn't fight sleep as it pulled her down, down, down.
~(o)~
Master Luminara Unduli walked through the gardens. Barris was supposed to meet her here, to meditate. But where is her apprentice? She wondered.
She could feel Barris's presence, a small blue light in the force, the ends tinged with growing exhaustion. She really had to talk to her padawan about getting more sleep. The Jedi Master spun around, taking stock of her surroundings. She needed to know where she was to know where her wayward apprentice was. She sighed, knowing that she had know idea where she was. Master Luminara had been here several times before, but the paths always seemed to never be in the same place, like they were flowing, moving with the force. The trails right now were jagged and sharp, and many a times she had to suddenly turn right or left or risk trampling a flower in order to get where she was now. The plants too, were different. What were once willows were now Ginkos, and what was once a daisy was now a yellow weed, barely a plant. The color scheme too, was off. Instead of pastel daisies, lavender, honeysuckle and allium, only roses, poppies, and tulips remained, their petals darker than blood.
She fought the growing sensation of unease. She was being ridiculous. The scarlet topiary was probably just for some obscure holiday. The gardens weren't trying to warn her. Still, she recalled, the war turned worse and worse every day. As did the force as well, clouded by the dark side. Maybe the gardens were just a reflection of that.
She looked at the ground. See! There was a yellow dandelion, finally something that was not red. She bent down to pick it up, but the sharp leaves guarded the stubborn weed. The Jedi pulled back, noticing that this was not the only plant guarded with thorns and needles. It was another warning. She shook herself mentally. This was ridiculous. She was comparing a war to flowers. Flowers, of all things.
A soft snore echoed through the nearly abandoned room. The Jedi master whirled around, her eyes locating the source, preparing to reprimand the disrespectful student, only to find Bariss slumbering on the ground, half sitting up as if in mediation. A slight scowl rippled across her face. Her padawan, falling asleep while meditating! It was shameful! She was about to wake Bariss when she hesitated, looking at her. She just seemed so... peaceful. And peace was a rare thing in a time of war. Bariss just seemed to get darker and darker every day as the fighting continued. She deserved some peaceful sleep.
So with a sigh, Bariss's master levitated her padawan into the air, out of the room of a Thousand Fountains, down the many hallways, and up into her to her quarters.
"Goodnight, Barriss."Luminara said, and left her apprentice to dream of the Force, the fountains and the golden falls in Alderann.
And for a moment, the flowers next to where that the young girl had slept, turned a beautiful blue, before they were once again consumed by crimson.