daozhangs | ic inbox, ryslig.

( he recalls where his hand was moved to light said stove, so finding the table beside it is no trouble - though his thoughtless searching touch does guess the wrong side of the stove at first before finding the box on the other, a misstep that he pays no mind to (such small bits of troubleshooting barely register with him, at this point) as he listens to the question at hand. )

We were, ( he confirms. ) A cultivator's abilities vary quite a bit based on the strength of their golden core and whomever was their foremost teacher - but such things as firestarting and the most basic formless qi attacks are, I think, somewhat universal.

[Obi-Wan grimaces a bit as he watches Xingchen grope around, looking for the box. Resisting the urge to help him. He is able to find it though and thus the nymph is at ease once again.]

That’s impressive. For all our abilities, that is something that Jedi could not do.

[Though there is a word that sticks out in what Xingchen just said.]

If I may ask, what is qi?

( for all that it's worth, xingchen hardly considers such things as the wordless search for the box a struggle of any sort. the things that matter, he does with relative precision. the things that matter less, he relegates to some hind part of his focus, perhaps fumbling lightly but never quite feeling any sort of duress over it. those who spend any real time around him tend to stop paying attention to such things. it only really occurs outside of his own home, anyway - within the space he himself has kept tabs on, he can operate nearly as smoothly as if he isn't blind at all. )

Mm, if you'll forgive the metaphor, qi is as the blood of the spirit. Just as the body is kept alive and moving by way of blood coursing through it, qi shifting through our meridians keeps our spirit alive and healthy as well. I would say the golden core is like the heart, but even those without golden cores - those who aren't cultivators - still have qi within them. But as a young cultivator grows his or her golden core, it becomes the heart through which all qi flows and grows stronger.

( he gave daryl a bit longer an explanation, to be faced with a carefully polite lack of proper comprehension - and so this time, xingchen opts to break the concepts down into parts and offer each part as a question calls for it. it's not as if they don't have plenty of time to converse. )

[Obi-Wan can't say he knows what it's like to be blind, and he hadn't known very many that were. The closest thing he comes to it is being without the Force, which deprived him of a view of the world that he was very used to. It was painful, and difficult, though he was still able to function just fine as any normal human being. It seemed cultivators had some similar abilities too. He couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to lose your abilities and have to deal with blindness. If it were him, Obi-Wan knows he would struggle, and it's that thought that has him feeling overly concerned for Xingchen. Even so, he was trying not to be obnoxious and kept his fretting to himself for the moment. Instead he listened as Xingchen explained.]

That actually does make a lot of sense, and sounds almost familiar to me in some ways. What are meridians?

[His mind couldn't help but try to associate it with the similar sounding midichlorians. Could it be similar? Or was it something entirely different?]

( it's true, perhaps, that obi-wan would struggle - but even after so brief a time knowing each other, xingchen (perhaps naively) has utmost confidence that obi-wan would find his way in the world in such a situation. one would be surprised how quickly a person finds a way to make their world livable and sustainable, especially when that person was resilient to begin with. )

As qi flows through the body, the meridians are the rivers which carry it. ( if he only properly knew of the web of blood vessels beneath the skin, he might compare it as such and keep the parallel intact, but this is the best he can offer with what anatomical knowledge he has. )

[Obi-Wan definitely doesn't really understand, since he's not in the same situation as Xingchen. While the Jedi definitely wants to respect his new friend, he can't help but worry about him either. Xingchen might have to spell it out for him thought at some point.

While Xingchen might not see it though, the nymph is definitely looking at him with interest at the brief explanation. His analogy making perfect sense to the Jedi.]

That is fascinating, really it is, as it sounds not unlike what I know from my galaxy.

[Glancing at the pot that was just starting to steam a little bit, he then decided to elaborate.]

You see, where I'm from, there is an energy called the Force which is in all life. Some of us are born with a rare sensitivity to it. We can feel it flowing through us much like you describe. It is tiny organisms in our body called midichlorians that allow us to feel and use it.

( that first statement certainly piques his interest, and xingchen's head tilts just slightly to listen as he finally thinks to right his pushed-back sleeves to their proper billowing length.

obi-wan discusses the force - an alternative qi, from the sound of it so far. the rare sensitivity to this 'force' of his could arguably be the mere capability of forming a golden core... while common folk are arguably able to form a weak one with diligence, very few of them are privileged with the spare time to spend meditating and training instead of toiling away, especially for such meager results when compared to the golden cores of those with cultivator bloodlines. )

This does sound quite familiar, ( he agrees, lips curling faintly. ) Those born with this rare sensitivity - what becomes of them after that? ( an exceptionally broad question, but such is necessary when he knows very little of obi-wan's world as a whole. are there sects of such people? temples which train in use of the force? does it run in families, or is it sporadic throughout the population? xingchen can't help but wonder how deep the parallel runs. )

[That question brought a moment of pause, because answering meant delving into the not so distant past. Everything that he knew was no longer reality.]

They would be identified at a young age and brought to the Jedi temple for training. Such was the case with me when I was three years old.

[And most were brought even younger than that. A concept that many outside the order thought strange or even cruel, and yet it was just the way of things for them.

The whistling of the water pot then broke the air and Obi-Wan reached to take it. He then poured the boiling water into the serving teapot that already held the herbs for the brew. Allowing it all to steep as he placed the water pot back on the stove and turned down the heat.]

( just the one temple? either it's an obscenely large temple or there are far fewer with force sensitivity than there are cultivators.

they pause briefly to let obi-wan get the tea steeping, which he seems to do well enough on his own despite his sensitivity to heat. xingchen can't help but wonder if he's simply enduring his sensitivity so as not to ask anything further of a blind man - but the deed is done one way or the other, and their conversation is resumed. ) I'm impressed that children so young have the discipline to learn.

[Oh it is definitely an obscenely large temple. About the size of an entire town and then some where Xingchen is from. As for the heat, it's not really so much that, that bothers him. Unless it gets too hot of course. It's more that an open flame can hurt him. He is keeping his hands well away from the stove's burner. Catching fire or getting burned would certainly be more detrimental to him than it would most anyone else.]

Discipline is essential to our ways. So they are taught that from a very early age.

[A smile came to his face as he remembered his own childhood, growing up in the Jedi temple.]

Children are still children of course, but to be a Jedi one had to start learning almost from birth.

( one had to start learning from birth. cultivation must also begin at a fairly young age in order to be as successful as it can be, but it's not the end of the world if such a thing doesn't occur. xingchen himself started a bit later, if only by a couple of years, and made up for the discrepancy by virtue of his dedication.

it begs the question, ) Is your Force difficult to control? ( do they 'have to' learn from birth for reasons of safety? or is that simply how long it takes to lay the groundwork to be a jedi, specifically? )

[With a few minutes having passed, Obi-Wan decides that the tea has had enough time to steep and begins pouring it for the both of them.]

Some things are more difficult to learn than others and each of us had our different talents.

[Some being better at healing for instance while others excelled in lightsaber combat, and still others were particularly gifted with foresight.]

Though without training one would never realize their full potential. At worst they wouldn’t have sufficient control and could accidentally hurt others.

( xingchen hums a quiet 'thank you' hum as the tea is poured, not wishing to interrupt obi-wan's explanation with words of his own. in so many ways, this 'force' sounds much like cultivation, but in other ways they're quite different. a cultivator only loses control of his temper or grief, never his cultivation - short of an outright qi deviation, that which is granted by cultivation is always firmly within a person's grasp. perhaps this is because it is a part of them, while the force seems to be something borrowed from the world around them.

a world xingchen still knows very little about. )

I'm curious to know more of the world which so uniquely parallels our own, ( he says, the fingertips of both hands resting light on the teacup now (a cultural behavior, obi-wan can likely assume - if he has shared tea with jiang wanyin, he would have seen a similar two-handed approach to such a small cup, at least early on).

xingchen recognizes what a broad request that is, so he adds, ) Anything at all which you'd like to share, I'd be interested to hear.

Let me know if you would like any sugar or honey.

[This said as he watches Xingchen to pick it up. The tea itself is definitely an herbal with an earthy taste with some floral notes. Obi-Wan had taken great care in choosing and harvesting the plants he used. As a nymph he was particularly sensitive to that.]

Well there's certainly a lot I could go into.

[As he finished pouring his tea, he added a touch of honey to his cup before lifting it to his lips thoughtfully.]

For starters I suppose, where I'm from is much more technologically advanced. Instead of rolling on the ground, our vehicles fly. In fact, we have ships that travel through the stars.

No, thank you, ( he replies, regarding sugar or honey. he enjoys the simple taste of tea itself, and beyond that, sweet things have lost most of their appeal as of late.

so instead, he listens with tea in hand as obi-wan speaks of advanced technology - a concept which, admittedly, xingchen hasn't the faintest clue how to picture properly aside from that which he has experienced here - and then of vehicles which soar through the stars.

his brow knits under the edge of his bandaging in an amused sort of puzzlement. ) 'Through' the stars? Are they not as a tapestry wrapped around the world?

[Obi-Wan can respect the desire to have tea with nothing added. Xingchen is a purist! Obi-Wan meanwhile enjoys having a little honey in his.

He pauses though at the man’s clear lack of understanding about cosmos. That’s to expected though as he seems to come from a primitive world.]

Far from it, my friend.

This world and all others I know of are spheres that hang in a void that we call space.

Each world, that is a planet, circle around their sun or multiple suns. The stars are other suns that are very far away and have their own planets that circle around them. Each such arrangement is known as a star system.

( pardon xingchen, processing this concept for a long moment, though he takes a sip from his tea to fill some of it. (it's quite good so far, but it's also too hot to properly taste the flavor just yet.)

the question he finally settles on is, ) And that's every world? ( every world, even his own, is a sphere hanging in nothingness, somehow circling another sphere hanging in nothingness, despite having no sentience and no tethers by which to connect them? )

[Patiently giving Xingchen time to absorb all of that, Obi-Wan quietly sips at his own tea. He knows full well that it’s a lot for someone who wasn’t aware of what could lie beyond their world. Even for those who knew it was still an experience when you first traveled outside your home planet.]

Yes. I could go into the science of it all, but that would take a great deal of time.

[Much more than just one afternoon of tea. So he would try to keep it simple for Xingchen unless he really wanted to learn about such things.]

No, that's quite alright, ( he assures with a faint shake of his head. ) I'll take your word on the matter.

( another sip of the tea, then he sets it back on the table, fingers still wrapped around it. ) It must be difficult to navigate, then? In a realm without constellations to look for? ( xingchen himself has alternative methods for obvious reasons, but he can't imagine a whole star-traveling group of people resorting to his own makeshift means. ) Unless advancements in technology have solved that, as well.

Actually we have complex navicomputers that calculate the route for each jump into hyperspace.

[Obi-Wan paused thoughtfully as he quickly realized he would have to explain that as well. Everything that was so common and ordinary in his galaxy would probably seem strange to his friend here.]

Each planet and star system is very far away from each other, so we travel through what we call hyperspace at speeds faster than light.

We use hyperspace lanes to travel through space much like you would walk on a road. That and the navicomputers keep ships from colliding with each other or whatever else might be out there.

( though the words and ideas presented are entirely comprehensible in a conceptual kind of way, xingchen can't even fathom how such a thing might even be thought up, let alone put into practice. he wasn't even aware that light had a speed. )

I'll admit, this is all... very much over my head, ( he says, ) But it's uplifting, in a sense, to hear all of that which humanity is capable of if you give it a bit of time to work. ( he takes another sip of tea now, and finds that it has finally cooled enough to properly appreciate the flavors.

it earns an appreciative little 'mm', and - ) My friend, you have quite a knack for blending tea. It's rich, but not overly bold.

[Obi-Wan smiles a bit to himself as he thinks. Knowing that where he’s from would be hard for his friend to imagine, and yet it was often taken for granted back in his home galaxy. There were definitely things he missed having in this place. Things that made life easier.]

It took us a long time, and it certainly has its rewards. Though there is often a price for advancements in technology as well.

[And while Xingchen can’t see it, the nymph’s eyes light up at the compliment to his tea. Though he is clearly pleased as he speaks.]

Thank you, I’m glad that you like it.

[He then places a small bag of the dried tea in front of Xingchen which he had already prepared in case he did enjoy it.]

Here. As I promised, you can take some with you.

ic inbox, ryslig.

it was even capitalized, autocorrect is clearly demanding Nerf gun action

Or it’s a scruffy looking Nerf Herder!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

p.s. re: other tea party, should we do a new starter for post-gosalyn too for efficiency purposes?

no subject

no subject

no subject

WELCOME TO YOUR PRIVATE CHANNEL, XIAO.XINGCHEN. FOR SECURE COMMUNICATION, USE 018.07.154.55 * XIAO.XINGCHEN has joined 018.07.154.55 <XIAO.XINGCHEN> You have reached Xiao Xingchen. <XIAO.XINGCHEN>** I am often away from my laptop, but I will do my best to answer as soon as I'm able.