Her apprentice is so glad to be upright and walking. She's still a bit sore, but she's not going to let that get in her way. She's a proper Lord now, time to go obviously be a Sith Lord in public. It's not very hard. Just being within a hundred kilometers of this blasted academy reminds her of how much she wants to burn it to the ground, being in it - definitely fuels her Sithy aura. No one's going to doubt that she's a proper Sith Lord. All the better. Maybe next time she can avoid a fight entirely, and not have to drop a building on someone.

Of course, there needs to be something more on the agenda than 'stalk around the hallways ominously.' She must have a reason to stalk through the hallways, otherwise it just seems like a ridiculous power play. Well. A tasteless power play. It might be nice to visit the library; it had been an excellent ally when she'd been here. She might as well revisit it. And she can verify that everything contained within it has copies in Occlus's records, while she's at it. It would be very annoying if some idiot added a book thoughtlessly without someone updating Occlus's records.

She arrives at the library and begins looking through the available books.

Everything seems to be accounted for.

A group of acolytes arrive, presumably sent on a task by some overseer. They... try their best to avoid getting in the way of the Sith Lord currently browsing.

One girl maneuvers silkily around the stacks when she spots Callida approaching, despite carrying a double-ended warblade almost as tall as she is.

... Huh. That's an odd weapon for an acolyte to have. That's not standard issue. She wonders, vaguely, where and how she got it. Clearly she wouldn't have it if she didn't know how to use it, and if she didn't know how to use it well, she'd probably be dead by now. Because this fucking academy.

She supposes it doesn't matter very much. It's not like she's here looking for an apprentice, and she doubts the girl would appreciate being called over by a Sith Lord for idle curiosity. Callida returns her attention to cataloging the books present. Or - well, she attempts to. The niggling desire to get someone else out of this fucking place - is definitely present. Nobody should be here. If she could, she'd get them all out right now and blast the place from orbit. Unfortunately, she's not allowed to do that. She doesn't feel she's particularly ready to take on an apprentice herself, but - well, she could potentially recommend a candidate to Occlus. If they were a good one.

"... Acolyte," she says, after a pause. "If I may - where did you earn that?"

(Best to get the reason for the addressal out in front, so the girl doesn't have to wonder why a Sith Lord's talking to her at all. She's not interested in terrorizing anyone.)

"...The tomb of Ajunta Pall, my lord."

"Were you already trained in their use?"

"Yes."

"Thank you. I apologize for the interruption, you may continue your task."

"Thank you, my lord." She skedaddles.

Yep. A perfectly reasonable thing to do.

She didn't want to keep the girl any longer. Not when she could be in the middle of something. Getting her name and group number would make narrowing her down in the academy records easier, but Callida doesn't strictly need either. And it'd probably terrify her or start all kinds of interpersonal academy drama if her peers overheard that a Sith Lord took a personal interest in her. As she's well aware, that kind of jealousy can lead to all kinds of problems. A few questions was more than enough. The fact that the academy cared enough that she was trained in it beforehand to special order one and let her have it in the first tomb - she's probably a prodigy. Easy enough to find, if she tracks when they acquired the double warblade, and when the group went through - she's a proper Sith Lord, she's allowed to just look at these things whenever she wants. So she does.

If the apprentice of Darth Occlus wants to look at the Sith Academy's records, the apprentice of Darth Occlus can look at the Sith Academy's records.

Brin Tel, youngest daughter of a respectable military family. Father was a colonel with Special Forces, mother was a drill sergeant and bladed weapons instructor at the Ziost Officer's Academy. Two older brothers with the 582nd under Darth Arho, one deceased. An asterisk denotes a posthumous dishonorable discharge. Several-time winner of the Ziost Planetary Dueling Championships, twice winner of the sector's under-16 bracket, nominated for the Imperial Tourney but elected to attend the Sith Academy instead. Overseer annotations indicate favorable prospects of survival, aptitude with saberstaffs, good marks in stealth tactics, and flag her as of interest to military Sith.

So she can be dragged off to the middle of the war to die killing Jedi? She might be good at it, but that seems like a waste. While Occlus is quite happy with Callida as her apprentice, she's aware that she's not the most talented fighter. Nor would Occlus want to waste her in combat; it's just not what she's best for. Which is fine by her, really. Maybe this hole in capabilities can be filled now; working in the Pyramid of Ancient Knowledge isn't always safe, but it's safer than the front.

No Sith has come by to snatch her up yet? Occlus would certainly win that pissing match if it were anyone but Darth Marr himself, but if they step on toes, it should be deliberate, not accidental.

No one seems to have laid an explicit claim, though certainly there must have been some who intend to check back later and see her progress.

Good enough for her. If they haven't explicitly claimed her, then they'll get over themselves when a Dark Councilor swoops out of nowhere and steals her. Well. If a Dark Councilor swoops out of nowhere and steals her. Occlus hasn't decided to, yet.

She makes a note to let her know, and then goes back to cataloging the library.

The acolytes have left by the time she gets back to it.

That's approximately to be expected. Cataloging books isn't very mentally taxing; she can keep half an eye on the girl through the Force while she checks through the library. No sign of being one of the annoying bullying types, yes? It'd be annoying to go to all of the trouble of acquiring a peer, and then have to kill her in a Sith fashion.

She doesn't feel vicious or overly prideful. Mostly- focused.

She can work with that. Probably. She can probably work with that.

And now, that is quite enough creepy stalking for her. She'll just - focus on the library, before she starts feeling icky. Occlus already has copies of all of these, right?

Yep!

Good. Then she'll just do some reading until Occlus's council meeting has concluded.

Eventually, it does.

She puts up her book and returns to her teacher's side.

"How went the council meeting?"

"Routine. No crises imminent."

"I'm glad to hear it. While you were away, I found an acolyte you might be interested in."

Datapad!

"Oh?" Occlus pages through the file. "What brings this on?"

"She seems talented, and I think that would end up wasted if she's just left here."

"Hm. Quite possibly. Waste is a terrible thing. But you would not want her yourself?"

"I wouldn't know what to do with her," shrugs Callida. "I don't need a martial specialist for anything. And to be honest, I'm not sure I'm ready for an apprentice."

"I'll take a look at her, then."

Callida nods. That's about all she can ask for.

Occlus investigates. While she is satisfied with the current disposition of her department, having more options is rarely a bad thing. The acolyte does seem talented, that much she can glean from observing a sparring match. Not overly strong in the Force, but no weakling either. Speaking with the overseer, it seems that she does better with physical tasks than ones involving pure Force mastery. There is a niche there; perhaps an enforcer, or a supplement or leader for the commandos. Add to that the fact that Callida brought the acolyte specifically to Occlus's attention and the sum is reason enough to reserve that cohort for herself. She leaves instruction to send the survivor on to Dromund Kaas, and then she and her present apprentice conclude their business here.

Callida hopes this means that the one she actually noticed, uh. Lives. But - well, they're committed now. She puts it out of her mind and doesn't worry about it. Having a Dark Councilor show up and reserve the cohort should speed up the trials and get them - concluded faster. Which isn't nothing.

She keeps busy.

And soon enough Occlus informs Callida that they are going to the spaceport to meet the new apprentice.

Well, then to the spaceport they will go. Callida puts on her proper Sithy aura for the occasion and everything. Not actively menacing, but calm assurance, certain power. No window into the emotions underneath.

(Wondering all the while if she made the right call.)

Seems like the right girl is waiting for them, at least.

"My lords."

"Congratulations on your victory," says Callida, inclining her head towards Brin.

"Thank you."

"Welcome to Dromund Kaas. I am Darth Occlus. This is my first apprentice, Lord Callida. I am pleased that you survived your trials. You were the most promising candidate of your group. I have great expectations for you."

"I will try to live up to them, my lord."

"You will do more than try."

"...Yes, my lord."

No pressure or anything, Occlus.

"You are apprentice to a Dark Councilor now, do not forget. This position is yours because your strength has earned it. You must claim it."

Nod.

"Come, then. We return to the Citadel."

Brin leaves a healthy space between her and Callida in the speeder.

Callida isn't offended, and lets her have her space. Brin's fresh out of the academy; peers weren't exactly allies, there. There's time, now.

"Are there any amenities you expect to want or need?" she asks, because she has the sneaking suspicion that Occlus does not give a shit about that kind of thing, and she's perfectly happy to handle it instead.

"Like what?"

"Things you'd want to have in your living quarters - a blaster that's easily hidden, a programmable safe with a combination you can set, copies of books you think you'd benefit from reading or rereading, a type of tea that you like. You'll have a credit stipend that you can spend as you like, but that might not cover everything immediately."

"I prefer Tsurilan tea."

Callida makes a note of this. She'll put in an order when they're at the Citadel.

"All right," she agrees, leaving it at that.

She's not going to press her luck any further right now.

They get back to the Citadel.

Occlus gets an alert on her datapad. "Acquaint her with the territory," she instructs Callida. "This requires my attention."

"Yes, my lord," agrees Callida.

And then: tour! Here are the relevant places she'll be interacting with. This is her room, behind a palm scanner that's already keyed to her hand. It's extremely bare - a bed, a desk, and a chair, a wall closet, and a small attached refresher. Brin is free to redecorate or request new furniture. This is the training room; the training droids present are better than the ones at the academy. Here are the archives. They are maze-like and really difficult to navigate. This is by design. Rule one of the archives: Do Not Touch Anything. It is an important rule.

Questions?

"What's in the archives?"

"All of the knowledge and artifacts of the Force and history collected by the Pyramid of Ancient Knowledge, some even from before the split between the Jedi and the Sith. Some are perfectly safe. But Force-users so rarely confine their dangers to merely their tombs or their time periods. There are things in there that can drive careless would-be scholars mad."

"Oh."

"Why 'Pyramid'? I thought the Dark Council was divided by Spheres."

"Technically they're interchangeable and refer to the same entity, but 'Pyramid' is more traditional. Sith have had a habit of making things pyramid shaped for a very long time now. It's traditional for Sith holocrons to be square pyramids. So for the keepers of Ancient Knowledge, it's a bit more appropriate to pay respect towards history."

Pause.

"... And Darth Occlus prefers it for the implication that she is on top."

"Are you allowed to say that?"

"Not to Sith or personnel outside of Occlus's power structure," snorts Callida. "Stick to the nod to history and tradition when explaining it to anyone else."

"Okay."

"Any further questions?"

"What should I- do?"

"In the immediate sense, settle in and acquaint yourself with the territory. Occlus might assign you reading, but you won't be suddenly tossed into a new test to prove your worth. You already have. In the long term, I expect Occlus will want you to play to your strengths and specialize further in martial combat."

"Okay."

She stands somewhat expectantly.

Waiting for a dismissal or orders. Oh dear.

"I've set up a credit account in your name and funneled in starting funds for you," she says, in a business-like tone. "Your stipend will arrive on the first of each month, any deliveries should be delivered right to your room. Please let me know if anything is out of order. If there's nothing else, I'll be in my quarters if you need me."

"Yes, my lord." She bows slightly, then turns and heads for the training room.

She expects she'll eventually persuade the girl to stop with the 'my lord,' but for now it's fine. She's the senior apprentice, it makes sense that Brin would want to play it safe.

Callida leaves Brin her privacy, and as promised, goes to her quarters, where she works on translating a particularly tricky text that's been giving her some trouble.

At their daily meeting the next morning, Occlus inquires after her impressions.

"Having spent more time with her now, do you stand by your instincts?"

"So far," agrees Callida, nodding. "I think I'd want more time to really say for certain, though. She's very insular, and it's hard to get a good read of her personality when she's fresh out of the Academy and her entire focus is on her own survival. From what I've seen, she seems intelligent, inquisitive, and professional."

Occlus nods. "I will be working with her this morning on theoretical topics. In the afternoon I am going to assess her lightsaber skills. I would like you to join us for that."

Callida nods agreeably. "I'll be there."

"In regards to that translation..." A bit more business and they're done.

That afternoon, Callida is precisely where she said she'd be. Expecting to end up sparring with Brin, because - well, of course that's how this is going to go.

Occlus has her run through some drills first. But then yes, a spar.

Brin takes position at the far side of the ring.

Callida takes position at the opposing side, and salutes politely.

Then: it's tempting to hang back and see what she can do, but Callida somehow thinks that the something Brin can do might be 'kick her ass,' if she's not careful. She won all of those dueling championships, and of the two of them, Brin's the dueling expert. So seniority or no, no hesitation or handholding. They're using training sabers, and they're Sith, it's fine.

Her staff moves like it's made of liquid in her hand, spinning up and down and left and right, smoothly guiding Callida's strikes away as she sidesteps around to gain room to maneuver.

Ah-huh. Yep. That sure looks like a future ass-kicking if she gets cocky. What is that style, some personal combination of Soresu and Shien? Yeaaaah okay, show off. Isn't she glad she didn't underestimate her sparring partner. Maybe she could win in a straight duel without overt use of the Force, but that'd be giving her opponent the advantage. Brin has had lots of time to practice with just blades.

How does she handle her opponent using the Force to throw off her aim?

She stumbles a bit when her attack goes wide, turns the momentum into a diving roll.

So a good recovery, but Brin is definitely open to that angle of attack. Good to know.

She'll just capitalize on that relentlessly, then. Gosh, it sure is weird that Brin keeps having her strikes thrown off in such an unpredictable manner. And so strange that her footwork keeps getting sabotaged.

She gives up a couple touches, but nothing fatal despite the interference. After the third, she stops trying to attack and forgoes fancy movement, instead focusing on defining a zone of defense around herself.

It's good to see that Brin keeps her head and doesn't lose her cool when outmatched. She'll compliment her once they've concluded the match. This is definitely highlighting what areas she needs to study - she's an excellent duelist, but clearly she needs to work on her defense against the Force, and integrating her own attacks with it. With a bit more practice, she wouldn't be so easily boxed in.

Still. The box she's in is a tough one to crack. She's relying more on muscle memory than Force instinct now, which makes it harder to throw her off with the Force. Not impossible, but certainly trickier. She tests Brin's defenses, presses the attack. When she sees her chance, she reaches out with the Force and pushes, stronger this time, throwing the weight of her emotions behind it.

She falls, her staff knocked away.

Callida wastes no time, and gently tags her with the training saber, fatal blow to the heart.

Then offers Brin a hand to help her back up.

She hesitates a moment before taking it.

Callida helps pull her to her feet. No tricks.

"Excellent job," she says, sincerely. "You're very talented."

"Thank you."

"I think you'd most benefit from integrating more Force techniques into your dueling. Some of the Ataru form would be excellent to integrate into your style, I think. I don't think you should give up the style you have now in total favor, but you gave up a lot when you lost mobility in favor of defense. Ataru would compensate for that and keep you mobile. And as you saw, you need to work on your defenses against outside Force interference. But you recovered from the surprise rather well."

Nod.

...Glance at Occlus.

"Lord Callida has a good analysis. You have strong instincts, but little practice in resisting someone who is actively manipulating them. Form IV is acrobatic and not often seen in civilian circles. It might suit you, though it would need modification for use with a staff weapon."

"Where could I find material on that?"

"In the archives, certainly."

"Could you teach me?"

"I could."

"Will you?"

Occlus smiles very slightly. "Yes." She beckons, and a blade floats off the wall towards her hand. She catches it while looking at Callida. "Your part today is over, I believe. Unless you wish to observe, you are dismissed."

Callida nods and departs. There's not much she could do for Brin's martial combat improvement if she stayed. Figuring out logical directions for improvement, yes, definitely. Actually having the coordination and kinesthetic talents to teach someone how to get there... well, maybe. But Occlus's style is honestly a closer match than Callida's. It's more aggressive than Brin, but also more about feeling the Force and flowing, like being like an embodied force of nature. Callida's is all careful poise, perfect precision, and calculated strategy. Of the two, Brin needs one more than the other.

She expects Occlus to call upon her later for helping Brin with Force techniques and meditation. That she could certainly help with.

Several days later, Occlus does in fact do exactly that.

"She is having trouble opening herself, and likely needs more extended attention than I can spare her."

"I'll be happy to help. Are there times when she finds it easier or more difficult to open herself to the Force?"

"When she fights, she embraces the Force instinctively. When trying to achieve that state consciously or removed from that context, she struggles."

"Hm. All right. I can work with that."

"Good. She's available to you at your leisure."

Nod.

She considers possible tacts for helping Brin open up to the Force. Hmm. It's tempting to take her on a field trip, let her embrace the Force in a combat situation while surrounded by life. For once, the fact that Dromund Kaas is a murderous unpleasant deathworld might come in handy. Instead of just being a stupid waste of infrastructure and resources. At last, she can take advantage of a singular good reason to be on an unpleasant deathworld. It only costs, oh, incalculable economic losses to the rest of the Empire, just so the Sith can get to say they conquered a deathworld and can maybe occasionally tromp about in the wilderness, no she's not bitter. But when she thinks about it, taking Brin on a field trip would involve her also tromping around in the murderous jungle deathworld that is Dromund Kaas. In the mud. Bitten, constantly, by swarms of blood-sucking insects. Interrupted by malevolent wildlife approximately every fifteen minutes. In the rain. This does not sound like her idea of a good time. Alas. Dromund Kaas will not get to have even this minor redemption. It's just too fucking impractical.

Instead: Brin is invited to spend an afternoon in a training room with Callida.

She shows up precisely on time.

She's expected nothing less!

"Hello," says Callida, pleasantly. "Occlus asked me to help you with Force techniques. I have a few ideas, but I think to start with... would you like to spar again?"

It sounds like an honest question, not an order.

"Yes."

"All right." Training sabers are summarily retrieved. She doesn't want to have to worry about live lightsabers right now.

"This time," says Callida, tossing her a training saber staff, "there's no pressure to succeed. No need to prove yourself to other people. The point of this is to help you improve, not repeat the trite Academy dogma of proving your worth every five seconds."

Brin nods as she catches it, and settles into a ready stance.

Callida salutes Brin (she likes being polite), then enters a ready stance of her own. This time, she doesn't immediately launch an attack. She waits, watching her opposition calmly.

"So, what do you want?" she wonders, tilting her head slightly.

"To win."

"Straightforward. I like it. But win where? Here?"

She circles Brin, still not attacking. Just - observing. Prepared for an attack, but not initiating.

Brin matches her in the opposite direction, keeping a constant distance.

"Yes."

"Really? That's it?" She raises her eyebrows. "Awfully short-term. And you haven't even started at it yet. Are you waiting for me to make the first move?"

"You started talking."

"And? You're letting that get in your way? I thought you wanted to win."

Okay then. She leaps at Callida, staff pointed like a spear.

Oh, look, someone's been paying attention to Occlus. Downside to this plan: Callida might very well get her ass kicked. But then, the point of this isn't to avoid getting her ass kicked, the point of this is to help Brin improve. Anyway, she could use the practice.

She parries the incoming attack, and dances away.

"Is it just the winning itself? Or are you after something that winning here could get you?"

Brin doesn't answer, attacking again instead. Her Force presence focuses just a tiny bit more with Callida's second question.

That's progress. Probably. It's probably progress.

Callida parries again, then counterattacks, tripping up Brin's footwork and capitalizing upon it immediately with a strike of her own.

"Because I think if you're after anything from beating me besides self-improvement, you're rather shortsighted."

Brin parries ably.

"You say that."

Of course she does. Callida strikes again, aiming to begin setting up to attempt to box Brin into a corner.

"It's true. I'm not interested in stupid in-fighting; I'm here to help you improve. There's no assured safety in knowing you can beat me, because I don't see any reason why I should try to threaten you."

She declines to cooperate with being boxed in. Her control of her movements has increased since last time they fought.

"Why?"

Well, good. She's glad Brin's improved this much in such a short time. It's slightly annoying, but this is a good thing.

Stab.

"It's pointless, and an utter waste of our time and energy. I'd rather be doing better things than squabble over who's Occlus's favorite. If I were worried about fighting with a rival, I wouldn't have pointed you out to her at all."

"Maybe I'm not worried about you, then."

"Occlus likes her resources all pointed in the same direction. In-fighting isn't impressive, it's an annoying distraction that she has to waste time and attention disentangling. If she didn't already see worth in you, she wouldn't have picked you as her apprentice. She despises useless people."

Callida decides that she'd like to hop out of melee range and see what Brin does. Is she going to be chased?

Brin vaults overhead to land behind Callida and strike.

Yep, she's going to be chased. Callida would like to state, for the record, that Ataru's jumping around shtick is getting quite old.

She blocks the strike, of course.

"Not interested in chatting anymore?" she asks, mildly.

"It's a distraction."

On one hand, she's more likely to be far more honest here, but on the other hand, yes fair enough talking while fighting is kind of silly.

"I'll take that as a yes, then."

If Brin wants her to not be distracted and fight in earnest, she can absolutely do that. They can always talk after Callida's done not embarrassing herself.

It's much closer this time.

Well, good. Callida's glad she improves so quickly. But she's also pretty glad that she's still a proper Sith Lord and isn't embarrassing herself. Yet.

"You've improved a lot," she says, approvingly.

"Occlus showed me a lot."

"Well, excellent job absorbing and using it all." Pause. "Do you know why I invited you to spar?"

"...You were testing me." A safe answer.

"Well, yes. But on what?"

Ah shit.

"Not... on how I fight. On how I think...?"

"Yes. And what you want. Though in retrospect maybe 'test' is the wrong sort of word, test implies that there's a correct answer I'm looking for."

"So... why?"

"How would I know how to help you improve if I don't know where you are? If I don't know how you think? It'd be like navigating in pitch black without reaching out for the Force or trying to figure out the location. It doesn't precisely matter where you are, but it matters that I know."

There are benches in the sparring room; Callida sits on one.

"You're going to teach me?"

"Yes. In the Force. Perhaps later in other things too, but for now it's important to help you get a good foundation to work from."

"Oh. Okay" She straightens a little.

Callida smiles at her, a little.

"So, if you were to describe the Force to someone, how would you do it? How would you describe using it?"

"It's like- a blanket."

"That's an interesting way to describe it. Would you mind elaborating?"

"You wrap it around yourself and it keeps you warm and protects you."

"Accurate, but perhaps missing the full potential scope. A blanket is warm and protective, but inactive. Would you say that when you're in combat, the Force is inactive, or even limited to just being reactive?"

"... I guess so?"

Head tilt.

"But I clearly didn't use it reactively, as you might have noticed. And, actually, neither did you. Where did those flips come from?"

"I just. Jumped harder?"

She nods.

"You did. It obeyed your will. The Force is affected by what you think of it. By what you expect of it. There are limits of power, but graver still are the limits of the mind. If you think of it as passive and reactive, then that's all it'll ever be to you."

She doesn't say that with any hint of condescension or malice. Just a simple statement of fact.

"So I have to make it work for me."

"Yes. I actually think you already do. When you fight, really fight, when you stop thinking and start doing, you absolutely make it work for you. Just not consciously. This would be moving it into something you actively do, and know you're doing, and can start and stop at will instead of just when you're in your element."

"So. How do I learn to do that?"

"Well, the first step is realizing it, so we have that over and done with, nice job," says Callida. "Next is to change your way of thinking so this comes more naturally to you. How do you meditate?"

"With difficulty."

"Noted. Sitting in a quiet room?"

"Yes? Isn't that how it's done?"

"Usually, but it's not how it has to be done. If you can't think while sitting still, then don't sit still. I think you'd do better with something aerobic related. A familiar set of exercises you can flow through, so you're acting upon the world and feel like you are, too. Did you have something like that in the academy or before during training?"

"...The Hundred Strikes? I learned them when I started dueling."

"Show me? I can help guide you to the proper mindset."

"All right."

She stands straight, takes a breath, and starts acting out some basic attacks.

Hm, yes, that will do.

And what is the state of her mind while she does it? More open to the Force than before?

Seems likely. She's more- relaxed. Less worried, less cluttered.

"Good," says Callida, smiling a little. Now to leading her to the right sort of headspace.

"This is the Force as you should know it. You are what you decide to be, and your power is your own. The power of a blade in your hands, of a goal before you, of a victory you know you can achieve. If you are still, it is because you have decided to be. If you are not, it is because you have chosen to be. The time of fear and uncertainty has ended. You are Sith. If you trust nothing else in the galaxy, trust yourself. Trust the skills you've earned through your work and effort, the movements your limbs know by heart, the place you've clawed to with stubbornness and skill and will. Trust in who you are. Let the Force be your blade, warrior, we both know you can win."

Right. Step. She's Sith. Thrust. She has the power. Slash high. A blade in her hands. Arc down. She can use a blade, she's used blades her entire life. Spin left. This is no different, she just has to grasp-

With her next movement, a blast of energy shoots out along the path of her sword to score a hole in the far wall.

"I felt it."

"So did the wall," says Callida, pointing. "Excellent job. I'd say this style of meditation works very well for you."

"So from here it seems like it'll just be regular dedicated practice. Would you like for me to shoo so you can begin right away, or for me stick around to offer occasional pointers where I see ways you could improve? Either way, if you hit a wall in the future, you can come ask me for help, I won't mind."

"Can you stay and watch? For a while."

"Certainly."

And so she does, sitting comfortably in a nearby seat, occasionally offering gentle and patient instruction. It's sort of fun, actually, at least for Callida.

Brin seems to be having fun as well. She gets better at finding and holding onto the Force, making it resonate and pulse in time with her movements.