fandomtownies | The Park, Friday Afternoon

Did Kanan look tired today as he made his way into the park? You bet Kanan looked tired today as he made his way into the park. Yesterday's jello rain had caught him off-guard, and he'd spent far too much of his day getting tarps up over the Escape and then heading to the scrapyard to do the same for the Ghost, before doubling back to try to clean the ships from underneath those tarps before that gunk started to harden there. Sure, going fast enough in-atmosphere would just burn it off, but his ship in particular had jointed wings, and you couldn't burn anything off if you couldn't unfold them. Not to mention the worry that some of that might have made its way into the inner workings, and then there was the chore of uncovering them again, and...

Suffice it to say that being the maintenance man on a pair of freighters meant that he had his work cut out for him whenever the island's weather decided to get a little weird.

Which was why he was meditating in the park this afternoon, honest.

It wasn't sleeping, it was just... kinda close to it, that was all.

Though, really, he could probably stand to get some more of that sleep stuff, too.

[OOC: Open!]

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Rey was not tired. But when she got there, she took a seat across from him in the same pose and waited.

She stil didn't start this stuff on her own.

Kanan quirked a small smile at that. Pulled himself back to... well, to himself, and then opened his eyes and gave Rey a small nod.

"Afternoon, Rey," he greeted, and then mused, "you're always so patient waiting for me to finish what I'm doing. You're always welcome to join in, you know."

"I know," she said. "I just... don't have anything to ask it."

And she was exceptionally good at patience.

Kanan considered that, and then nodded faintly.

"Sometimes," he offered, "I don't have anything to ask it, either. But just reaching out and connecting to the Force, just feeling that I'm a part of something bigger? That's been good for me in a lot of ways, these past few years. Why save making a connection for only when I want something?"

Rey paused.

"I think that's how I do things like find dark side caves by accident," she said.

Jack wasn't tired though she was a bit sore. Didn't stop her from plopping down sideways next to Kanan and using his arm as a backrest, though.

You know. Meditating.

And that one kind of gave Kanan a moment's pause, too.

"Hm," he replied. And fell silent for another few seconds, thinking that over. "Maybe we'll work on meditation without a purpose, but maybe with a little more... direction."

Kanan Jarrus, you start talking about the dangers of the Dark Side this instant.

...

Nope. He was bad at that.

And that really just prompted a soft laugh out of Kanan. He even leaned a little bit in that direction so that they were propping one another up, a bit.

"Hey, Jack," he said, eyes still shut but a grin on his face.

~~At least Dark Rey was probably just a vision. Everything's fine.~~

"I've only ever done it otherwise with some focus in mind," she agreed. "...And I'd rather not connect too much with the island by accident."

Which was what she'd done on Ahch-To, and when Anakin Skywalker warned you not to do something... it meant listen.

"Yeah, the island is..." Kanan glanced down at it. "Probably better left not getting too close to, if you enjoy your sanity. The things that live here, though? The animals and the trees, the people? Just feeling yourself be a part of that? That might do you some good."

"That sounds kind of nice, actually," Rey said, smiling the tiniest bit.

Jack tipped her head back on his shoulder to smile up at him. "Hi ickle. Are you meditating or napping?"

Kanan gave a little answering smile to that, and then gave a nod toward her.

"Would you like to try that today, then? Open up to the life around here, not just the ducks?"

"Meditating," Kanan replied, faintly amused. "Mostly. It was a busy night last night. If the Force is giving me permission to nap while I meditate, I'm sure not going to turn it down."

Kanan, that wasn't how meditating worked and you knew it.

"So you need a nap, is what you're sayin'," Jack teased him, "Go ahead. I'm here. I got your back."

"Sure," she nodded. "Just... focus on something?"

"You've actually got me tempted, there," Kanan admitted. "How am I going to explain that one away to anybody who shows up today looking for a lesson?"

He was supposed to be all responsible. It was weird.

"Just focus," Kanan agreed. "Without focusing, if that makes sense. Be aware of what's around you. Feel it living, breathing. It's like... listening to the leaves in the trees. You know you're a part of the same world as they are, but you don't need to pay attention to each and every leaf in order to appreciate that."

Rey nodded, and closed her eyes. This part had never been difficult, and only seemed to be getting easier.

"I have leaves in my head now," she warned, because her instinct was to start off focusing on the nearest tree and expanding outwards.

She didn't know why she felt the need to warn him.

"So far as things to have in your head go, leaves aren't so bad," Kanan offered. He closed his eyes as well, started to reach out. "That's not a bad starting point, actually. Think of yourself as a leaf. Think of every other living thing on the island as a leaf, too. The Force is the branch that connects us, feeds us. We're all a part of the same tree."

Rey took a breath, and focused in one little leaf, and how it connected to the branch, a little tenuously because of the season, and how the branch connected to the next leaf, and the next.

Part of her was a little tempted to wave the branch a tiny bit, but if any of those leaves fell she was going to feel bad.

The metaphor was a little imperfect because of the fall, but Kanan would figure out some way to bring it all back around again if given half a chance to mull on it, too.

"What are you feeling right now, Rey?"

"It's a lot," she admitted, eyes still closed, "but not overwhelming. This is starting small."

"You don't explain," Jack pointed out, "I'm here, I tell them you're deep in meditation and they're gonna have to wait a little while. What is it with you two dumbasses and not sleeping lately? I really am going to throw you in a room with a bed and weld the door shut one of these days."

Kanan nodded his agreement.

"You don't have to go any bigger than you're comfortable with," he said, gently. "And it might take some time before you feel secure in just letting go and feeling everything. I grew up doing this, and it was still overwhelming for me to come back to, after a while."

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The Park, Friday Afternoon

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