fandomtownies | Fandomtown Park [Tuesday afternoon]

Enjoying the brisk Autum air of the park, Aayla is walking by and sees Inara. She bows politely and smiles.
"Miss Serra. A pleasure."

"Aayla," Inara replied. "Please, call me Inara. 'Miss Serra' sounds very formal. How've you been these last few days?"

"My appologies, Inara. I have been taught to address people in a formal way." She walks to her side. "Things have been alright. The hotel is quiet, and everything is generally peaceful. How are things with you?"

"I had an enjoyable weekend. It doesn't look like the week will be anything near as peaceful, though."

A look of confusion crosses Aayla's face. "Do you mean due to the murder investigation? Or is there something else that would cause trouble in town?"

"The murder investigation, the state of mind of the townspeople and the students..." Inara sees the Jedi's confused look and asks, "There was an announcement on the radio about a suspect for the student's death. It's another student."

"I'd heard that this morning... Do you think the townspeople and students would start suspecting each other because of this?"

Inara considers Aayla's words. "It's possible," she says. "I think it's more likely that they might start questioning themselves and their own judgement. A murderer in their midst and they didn't know or realise? Someone they trusted who killed a friend?"

Her shrug is wry. "It's a betrayal of trust - and a betrayal of their belief in their own good judgement of people.

"Of course," she adds, "It may be that they shrug it off and never think twice about it."

"Perhaps. I wonder which would be the bigger tragedy." She shrugs as well and sighs.
"Have you tried the form I showed you earlier?" Aayla asks, turning to Inara.

Inara smiles. "I have. I'm still a little uneasy on the balance in some of the movements, but it's a pleasant change from my usual routines.

"You mentioned a 'force' several times while you were explaining the form to me the other week. I'm not I understood what you were meaning: the chi or life essence of all beings or something else?"

"It is essetially similar, and extremely complex. Not even the highest Jedi master to have ever lived could understand it completely. It is not only part of living things, but flows through all things, animate and inanimate. The Force can help you do many amazing things if one can understand it and be trained to use it.
The forms are meant to help you concentrate on that, and quiet your mind so you can hear The Force inside speak to you. It's a very amazing experience." She pauses. "I don't know what it's like to those who haven't been trained to know The Force, however."

"Well, I don't know what it's like to those who have been trained to know the Force," Inara said with a little laugh. "But the way I feel chi is a sense of steadiness, of deep calm and...like an anchor in the centre of your being. A sureness of movement, like water flowing from the mountains to the sea. Your Force would be the same as that, I imagine, only stronger."

"An anchor, and wings... It's a connection that transcends all things." Aayla looks pensive, a small smile on her face.

The other woman's thoughtfulness registers with Inara. "I can't imagine having that kind of connection with everything," she says. "Have you had it all your life? Do you mind speaking of it?"

Coming out of her deep thought, she regards Inara for a short while before laughing a little, saying, "I don't mind talking about it at all. Most people here are very curious about The Force and what it's like being a Jedi. I was found to be Force-sensitive at a very young age, as most Jedi are. I was then taken from my native planet to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant and trained my entire life to become a Jedi." She pauses. "It is possible for those who are on distant planets to be Force-sensitive and not receive training. The ability then remains immature and unrefined. This can be dangerous, because without proper training, use of The Force can be very dangerous and lead to the Dark Side."

"I take it that the Dark Side is not a good thing?" Inara asks.

Aayla's expression turns very serious. "Most certainly. It clouds your mind and brings you to think only of yourself. The selfish pursuit of power, when coupled with Force abilities has been very disasterous, leading to wars and countless deaths. However, it's easy to fall prey to it, so a Jedi must have the utmost commitment and discipline."

Inara can understand that. "Thinking only of oneself is dangerous at any time. When someone has powerful influence as well... Does it happen often?"

"Not recently, thank goodness. At least not severely. There have been a few who have left the order, but we don't talk about them too much." She looks away for a moment. "However, there have been times in which the Sith, servants of the Dark Side, have gained power. Nevertheless, the Jedi have survived and prevailed."

"Tens of thousands of bones will become ashes when one general achieves his fame," Inara murmurs.

Aayla thinks about what Inara had just said. "A very poetic way to put a sad occurrence... It is regretable for all those who have been taken from us by one's pursuit of power or glory." Her expression is not that of remorse, per se. It seems more contemplative, more devoid of emotion than a normal person would be.

Inara frowns slightly. "'Regrettable' isn't the word I'd choose," she says, careful to sound mild. "A tragedy for the perpetrator, the victims, and those who loved the victims, maybe."

Noting Inara's discomfort, Aayla tries to clarify. "My appologies if I sounded cold. I do not attatch myself to others, because that most often leads to jealousy and greed, which pulls one to the Dark Side. I do not mourn the loss of those who pass to The Force. Their absence affects me, yes, but not in an emotional way."

It's certainly a different way of looking at the world. Inara's not sure she could manage that kind of dispassionate distance from life. "It seems...difficult," she says. "How do you manage it?"

Aayla shrugs a bit. "I've been trained for years to hold this mentality. The incredible amount of discipline a Jedi needs cannot be acheived if one is succeptable to emotions and passions. If I start to feel these, I step back and train or meditate for a while. I've realized that though these emotions are 'natural', they are very undesirable due to their consequences." Her voice is serious and firm, and a feeling of age beyond her years is apparent in her demeanor.

After work, Aaron took a stroll through the park, just generally thinking about stuff. Every so often, he'd get a big dopey grin on his face and duck his head, which would set his hair falling over his face. On these occasions, he actually let it hang over his face, like he was hiding his expression behind it. Eventually his hand would rise to push it out of his eyes with a motion so practiced it was almost as if his body was running on autopilot.

Halfway through the park, his footsteps faltered and then stopped. His face rose to the sky with a jerk and his pupils dialated slightly. His fingers ticked as if doing some form of arithmatic, and then his hand snapped closed into a fist. His face first drained of color and then flushed a bright, bright red. Fingers uncurling from the fist, his palm rose to meet his head as it lowered, thunking into his brow. The heel of his palm rested between his eyes as he muttered to himself, "Oh hell.. highschool.. Aaron, you are one big dumb bunny, and that is a fact. For the love of.."

The muttering became indistinct. Because he was too polite to say some things loud enough for anyone to hear him.

[ooc: I'm completely open to RP, so feel free to come poke the big guy who's talking to himself. *g*]

Inara was on her way back to the Fourth Sin after her conversation with Aayla, but wasn't really paying attention to where she was going, her mind already on the details of tonight's client.

So she didn't notice the young man until she'd almost bumped into him.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I should have noticed where I was going."

Shaking his head to clear it, Aaron looked down at the lady, bringing his mind back to the present. "Oh.. hi. No problem. I take up a lot of space."

"Not at all," she replied, studying his face. "Are you okay? You look a little...distracted."

He'd just begun to recover from the scarlet on his face, but the lady's question sends the blood rushing again. He tilts his chin down, letting his hair flop forward over his face again. "Yeah, I'm ok. Just realized I'm being an idiot, is all. I'm a guy, it's probably hardcoded in my genetics for me to be completely stupid when there's a female involved." He sounded slightly exasperated with himself.

Inara didn't quite manage to hide her smile. "In the interests of politeness, I won't comment," she said. "However, if there are things you'd like to discuss or sound out with someone who has a little experience in dealing with relationships..." She takes out a card and offers it to him.

Scrubbing a hand through his hair and rubbing the back of his neck, Aaron adds quietly, "Yeah.. Thanks for not commenting. My own mind is giving me an earful." Reaching out, he gingerly takes the card and blinks at the address. "Uh. The.. um.. Sin? Isn't that kinda ah..uh.. " He falters, not able to actually say what he thinks that place is.

"It's a brothel, yes." Inara retains her composure.

"I'm a courtesan by trade, but I'm also a trained counsellor if you don't have a problem with the other work I do, Mr...?"

"No, no," he assures hastily, "Got no problem with it. Just, I.. uh.. haven't ever been in one. Is that, uh, where your office is?"

"I don't strictly have an office at the Fourth Sin. If I've had to see people before on counselling matters, then I saw them in one of the sitting rooms of the establishment, or met them in town. The sitting room provides privacy, but in town is sometimes preferable for people who aren't so comfortable in the building."

His hand rubs back and forth across the back of his neck, "Yeah. I probably would be more comfortable somewhere.. not there." He adds quickly, "No offense meant, but.. It'd be awkward. I don't think my mind would be, ah.. on my problems."

"Well, my voicemail (http://www.livejournal.com/users/serra_inara/414.html) is listed on my card, so if you'd like to meet somewhere else - park or coffee shop or store, just name wherever you're comfortable."

"That'd work." Aaron smiled lopsidedly. "I'll let you know after Saturday. I might be able to get my head straightened out by then. Or.. I don't know. I just met her, so this is all pretty .. as I said. I'm being stupid."

"The heart is never stupid," Inara said. "A little confused, rather passionate, and sometimes very insistent at convenient times, but never stupid."

She smiles. "I must be going. Try not to be out too late - the Fandomtown PD will be sending out patrols before it gets too late."

Aaron blushes fiercely, but doesn't say he's not sure it's his heart he's thinking with. "Yeah.. you're probably right."

Smacking his forehead, he adds, "And see? My manners are just not on tonight. I'm Aaron Boone, by the way." He holds out a hand in a delayed greeting.

Inara laughs. "Inara Serra," she says. "It's been lovely talking to you, Mr. Boone."

"Likewise, Ms. Serra. Thanks for taking an interest. It helped some to just kinda hear myself telling me I'm being a dork," Aaron laughed quietly. "You gonna be ok on your walk home?"

"Yes," she said. "But thanks."

Aaron nods to her as she leaves, and then turns and heads home, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Fandomtown Park [Tuesday afternoon]

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