[Solved] (NJO) (Meego) Lesson: Self Discipline

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STORY
The pillared room was spartan save a clay firejar wreathed in a stone circle. Light shone through the paper wall, supplementing the pale light of the blue moon. Master Suurm-Xachus was already seated on the cold, stone floor, his face masked by a plain Hybolos arming helm. Meego joined him, shivering from the cold of night, even though winter had already died, the nights were still chilly, his blood had still not adjusted from the lush climate of Naboo. 

“Be still Meego,” Aemos said, emotionless. “The key to self-discipline is control. You have none.” 

“S-s-sorry, master.” 

“Do not apologize! Learn it!” he commanded. Then, the master continued.

“Just because Master Imani is proud of your walking capability does not mean that you have any more control over yourself than when Jin-Wa found you. Over the past two days, I have taught you techniques to control yourself, mentally and emotionally. Now, let us see if you have learned.”

Aemos struck two small rocks together over the firejar and a flame erupted from the spout, casting a circle of light around it, and warmth. 

“Meditate with me and remember, do not relight the fire if it dies or stutters. Do you understand initiate?”  

“Yes,” Meego replied, trying to convey confidence in his voice.

Five minutes had not yet passed and Suurm-Xachus was ready to dish out unencouraging rebukes. Meego had never displeased his harsh teacher this quickly before, would he ever even become a padawan at this rate?

“You are weak! Learn control.” 

Meego ran through the long and convoluted protocol to make him “immune” to the physical world. Although he tried, screwing up his mind to concentrate on that he couldn’t stop shivering.

“Empty your mind, initiate. That was the first lesson.”

Meego took a few deep breaths, then let go. He mostly stopped shivering. Was this true meditation? Just emptiness. It was calm, unnervingly calm. 

One hour passed.

Then two.

Then five. 

The Master finally said, “You have completed the exercise initiate. Although I doubted your ability to control yourself, you performed sub-standard, better than my expectations.”

He stood up and left the room, the heavy door closing with a thud. Meego’s shoulders slumped, he felt worse now than when he had begun the lesson five hours ago. “

Why did Master Jun choose me? Why did I accept his offer?” Meego asked himself. Sure, he had the innate ability, but it meant nothing if he sucked at using it. He had been a mailrodian, but failed countless deliveries. If it hadn’t been for Bek, he’d have been fired. And now, if he didn’t have Rudy, Jun, or Noko to brighten up his day, he’d probably have left in the night. As he went further down the monkey lizard hole as he faced his own incompetence, he suddenly looked up as a light came in through the door. It was Lynus… with cups? 

Lynus walked over to the hearth, handed Meego a steaming cup filled with a frothy, brown liquid, and began to relight the fire. When the flame burst out of the opening again, Lynus picked up his cup and began drinking, not even noticing Meego sitting there awkwardly. 

“Y’know this isn’t one of Ma-Riki and Jin-Wa’s homebrews, eh?”

Meego then took a sip, cautiously. It was warm. It was a bit bitter, but also sweet. His eyes lit up as he slowly began to stop shivering. He drank more and began to feel better. 

“I overheard what Suurm-Xachus was, er, saying. I, well, don’t think you’re half-bad personally.”

Meego just stared at him, his navy blue eyes unmoving; Lynus continued.

“Well, er, Rudy heard this tale down in the village once. Not that I’m qualified to give wisdom to a Jedi.” He paused, finishing his drink in one gulp. 

“There was a man, er, like yourself, who lacked confidence. Name was Ruto, er, I think. Well, one day the village was holding some sort of games, Rudy didn’t tell me the official name, and Ruto entered to prove to the other villagers that he wasn’t just the local bumbling fool. Well, he, er, won the games, in the end anyways. He barely stayed in during the first few matches. But, you want to know how he won?”

He drew out the last statement, hoping for an answer. He got none. Nevertheless, he continued. 

“One of the matches was a team event. Over time, the team grew to like Ruto. He meant well and eventually had a good grasp on the game, er, even if he wouldn’t admit it to well, himself. He gained confidence after the team’s first win, finally, he realized that he was capable, that he could be more than a, er, bumbling but well meaning villager. That didn’t mean that he succeeded at everything or, well, always had confidence, but he knew how to get it. It’s not my place to say it, but Master Suurm-Xachus is wrong, you can become a Jedi, Meego. You won’t always have confidence, but you can learn to find it. Look, Jun wouldn’t have picked you up if he hadn’t seen someone worthy of the title Jedi…”  

He then abruptly stopped, clearly having more to say, but couldn’t find the words for it. Lynus looked awkwardly at the young rodian. Maybe, he was at least thinking about what he said, even if it wasn’t showing?

“Well, you probably should, er, get some sleep,” he said as he got up and left the room, heading to his own quarters for the night. Meego wished he had some more of that drink. He felt cold without its pleasant warmth. He got up, glad to not be sitting on the cold floor anymore, and walked back to the common sleeping room. He hoped he wouldn’t accidently wake anyone up.