"Reach out with your feelings Anakin, let them fill the room like my voice does now, bouncing off the walls and the two of us. All the while keeping your breath in tune with the Force, let it guide your pace and awareness in this moment."
Master and Padawan sitting in a quiet room facing each other, even with the chaos surrounding them they meet during one of Anakin's free moments every day. Some days it's book work, others it's physical, but today is a different form of practical exercise.
"Take those feelings and sensations and focus them on the disc between us, let them surround it, feel all of it. The smooth edges and the little cuts and nics along its body, let the Force show you all of it."
The boy's face slightly scrunched with focus and closed eyes, his breathing calm with recent practice.
"Use those feelings to guide the disc upwards."
The simple silver disc starts to unsteadily rise from the floor, gaining surety in its motion and stilling.
"That's good, bring it up to the level of your eyes, Anakin. That's it. Now let your feelings hold the disc right there and open your eyes."
Vibrant blue eyes meet ice blue with the thin disc slightly blocking his vision.
"I did it!" The boy's exclamation drops his focus, causing the disc to clatter to the floor. Leading to a chagrined smile, "Oops."
Callera's chuckle and smile brings further embarrassment to the boy. "It's okay, Anakin. I had a similar reaction the first time I saw that I was the one moving an object." Standing up she motions for the young boy to do the same. "Get up and stretch a bit and then we'll work on it again."
He nods and stands before going into the simple routine the Temple had taught him to start limbering up.
"What caused you to want this to be our lesson today?" Callera's voice curious yet firm.
"I'm trying to catch up with the others, and when I was following the Master's instruction, I either barely nudged the rock or sent it across the room," Anakin's voice turns sheepish, "I hit Morae in the face hard enough to bruise his cheek."
"You got a little impatient and put a little more into it than intended.."
His affirmative grunt is all the confirmation she needs.
"Just like when you're making repairs, take the time to do right, Anakin. Impatience and frustration can lead to mistakes."
"I know, Master, but I feel so left behind sometimes and I need to catch up."
"You are catching up, Anakin. Everyone learns at their own pace. It took me a year of learning about the Force to lift even a disc of that size, but only two months to start manifesting my blades."
"Maybe that's Velle's problem..."Anakin's voice trails off as he finishes his stretches and looks at Callera.
"Velle?"
"She's a creche mate, and has been with them since the beginning. She really knows her books and when we're meditating we all feel her, but when she tries to lift anything bigger than a small coin nothing happens for her."
"One of my mentor's was like that but had a gift with other facets of the Force that more than made up for it."
"What do you mean?"
"Master Corran Horn, was a brilliant pilot and detective before he learned he was sensitive to the Force. Only took the time to learn about the Force because his wife was kidnapped."
"I thought Jedi couldn't marry?"
"Some affiliate Orders are different when it comes to marriage and degrees of attachment. As long as the Jedi remembers that the Force comes first, being married was fine in my Order." Callera reaches out through the Force and lets the disc slowly dance between and around them. "But time and again as he learned about the Force, the ability to move objects eluded him. So in a group exercise he took on a challenge, to lift a massive boulder, feeling that being so focused on the smaller things was closing him off from the Force. And according to his wife Mirax, he was right and wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"He never lifted that boulder, and as of when I saw him last he couldn't even pull his lightsaber to him. But what he did that day, was make them all think he had moved it."
"He cheated?" Anakin's eyes wide at the implication.
"Not quite, my Padawan." Callera's voice tinged with affection, "He literally made all of his fellow students and their Master think he moved it with the Force. He had a gift to use the Force to cast illusions for others to see, and only by opening himself up so fully to the Force was he able to discover where his talents truly lay."
"Do you think that Velle could be the same?
"Maybe, or maybe she has other talents in the Force that aren't considered 'usual' like..." She trails off and looks intently at Anakin
"You with your blades or how the Force helps me with machines and piloting."
"Correct."
"Will you take me to visit your affiliate once we can leave the Temple?" Anakin's innocent question freezes her in carbonite.
"They're lost to me, Anakin." Callera's eyes start to shine, "Lost to me in the sands of time and weaves of the Force. I'm the only one here." Her body starts to shake and her knees give out. She'd pushed this too long, too far. Each immediate crisis to focus on, but no more. Master's Ti and Streen, Master Cligahl, Jacen, Jaina, Tenel Ka, Master Horn, all of might still exist in the Force, but its small comfort as it finally hits.
"I'm sorry!" Anakin's panicky voice brings her tear-streaked eyes back into focus.
"You've done nothing wrong, Anakin." Her words choked out between sobs, "It's been one thing after another and I, I, I hadn't really admitted it in here." She gently taps her heart, "that they were gone." After tapping her head she continues, "Up here knew, but the head and the heart can be out of sync." Her voice slowly growing stronger as her tears slow down. "But I do know they would have loved to have a chance to know you as you are right now. How could they not, when you're a bright kid who's willing to learn and a heart of gold wanting to help others." Moving her knees back into a meditative posture as she uses her black vest to dry her tears, before looking at the young boy.
"We've only got fifteen minutes before I Iose you to the maintenance bays, let's get some more work done on your control before then." She moves the disc to the ground between them as Anakin seems conflicted.
"Do not worry, my Padawan. I will take the time to keep grieving later, but if we both want out of this temple..." she locks her sad yet determined eyes on his. Ice blue to vibrant blue his eyes firm up as he kneels in front of her.
"You better, Master. Helping you, heals...
"Myself." Both say with a soft smile before Callera starts her guidance again.
'I may not have set out to be your Master Anakin, but I'll swear on the Book of Law that you will be ready to face what trials the galaxy throws at you.'