Office hours [late afternoon]

[sith_happened]

Anakin was stuck on the island, at least until this was over, so he was trying to make the best of it.

After a brief but invigorating skirmish against whatever the things were that Cassidy had sketched for him, he made his way back to his office. With as many powers as the students had--and had grown to rely upon--having them all go on the fritz meant that they might need an adult to talk to about their...feelings (even in his head, that was a rather uncomfortable thought). At least he could steer them in a hopefully productive direction.

The door to his office was open.

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[angelo_wings]

Rinoa had no idea why she was here. Jono thought this teacher helped people with problems like hers. Maybe he wouldn't mind taking on an extra student?

It'd be easier if she had had one of his classes. But then, since when did princesses give a damn about imposing on people?

And so, some time after her talk with Jono in the library, she excused herself from research and decided that, in the end, it couldn't hurt to try.

"Excuse me?" Rinoa asked, standing hesitantly in the doorway. "Are you Professor Skywalker?"

Important questions first.

(Jono conversation in SP and modded with permission!)

[sith_happened]

"I am," he said, glancing up. "May I help you?"

[angelo_wings]

"I hope so?" Rinoa said, chewing her lower lip. "I'm a friend of Jono's. He said that you ... that you help people? With ... when their powers are ..."

She waved a hand in the air. Oh, for Hyne's sake, could she at least spit it out?

She cleared her throat. "My name's Rinoa Heartilly, and I'm a Sorceress," she said. "And I don't know what to do."

That was complete sentences. It was a start.

[sith_happened]

"Sit down," Anakin said, gesturing at the chair across from his desk. "Can you still access your powers, or have they gone kind of spotty?"

[angelo_wings]

"I ... don't know," Rinoa admitted, taking a seat across from him. "I'm more scared of ... I don't use them. I try not to. Except I want to. And I can't."

Back to nonhelpful responses, apparently.

"It's dangerous," she said. "Letting them out."

[sith_happened]

"What happens when your shielding fails?" Anakin asked quietly.

[angelo_wings]

Rinoa closed her eyes, letting herself at least feel it enough that she could put it into words.

"I can do anything," she said. "I wave a hand and boulders fall out of the sky, because I want them to. I feel ... more amazing than I could ever have imagined."

She shuddered. "And then I can't go back. I don't want to. I want more. That's when someone talks me back down, and I ... can't believe it was me, doing that. I lock it away again. As tight as I can."

[sith_happened]

"Got it," Anakin said, nodding. "That's a lot of power to keep a lid on. What's shaken you up this week? Just the maze?"

[angelo_wings]

Rinoa exhaled deeply. There was something very reassuring about how calmly he was taking this.

"Squall was taken," she said, her voice steadier. "He's a friend. Someone close to me being attacked -- that's usually what does it. They're out and something is smoldering before I even know what's going on."

[sith_happened]

"And you don't think your own shielding is enough this week?" Anakin replied, still staying calm.

[angelo_wings]

This pause was a slightly sheepish one.

"I ... don't ... think I have any shielding?" she said. "I just ... tell myself not to use them, so I don't."

[sith_happened]

"Would you like some?" Anakin offered. "Just for this week?"

[angelo_wings]

"You can do that?" Rinoa asked, staring at him.

Apparently, the reason everyone went to this teacher for stuff with powers was because he was thoroughly badass.

[sith_happened]

"Generally I prefer to teach you how to raise your own, but in a pinch, I can do it for you," Anakin said, nodding.

[angelo_wings]

"Can ... would you?" she asked. "Both? I mean, can you teach me some time that isn't ... now?"

Her nerves were probably too frayed to focus. The caffeine wasn't helping.

[sith_happened]

"Now might not be a great time," he agreed with a smile, "but I'm normally in my office on Tuesdays if you'd like lessons. Close your eyes and I'll tell you what I'm doing."

With the amount of power she was capable of wielding, he didn't want to frighten her.

[angelo_wings]

"Okay," Rinoa said, closing her eyes and letting her mind empty. Edea had taught her some very basic meditation: maybe now was a good time to try to use it.

"And -- thank you," she said. Because she hadn't, yet, and she meant to. Her manners sucked, today.

[sith_happened]

"This is what I'm here for," Anakin said, closing his eyes as well. "Keep your mind clear." He reached out through the Force and gave her a light poke. "Did you feel that?"

[angelo_wings]

Which was probably why Jono had sent her here in the first place. She owed him one, for that.

Her mind was as clear as she could make it, and when she felt the poke, she couldn't help jumping slightly in her seat.

"That was you?" she asked. "That's so cool."

Sorry. Rinoa was still sort of in awe of all of this.

[sith_happened]

"That was me," Anakin confirmed. "Now I want you to imagine a wall. Make it as tall and as strong as you can."

[angelo_wings]

The wall in front of her was white, the gleaming marble rising out of the ground and extending upward with a satisfying rumble. It was expanding to the left and right, as far as the eye could see. Her mind was adding ivy here and columns there. This wasn't a scary or intimidating wall. It was her wall, and she liked it.

"Okay," she said finally. "I've got it."

[sith_happened]

"Good," Anakin said, using the Force to reinforce the image. "Now stop thinking about it. The wall should still be there."

[angelo_wings]

Rinoa was reluctant -- she'd just gotten the wall how she liked it, and the wall was reassuring -- but she finally forced herself to open her eyes and not concentrate on it. And then ... close them again, to see if he was right.

"It is," she said, sounding confused. "That's really ... it'll stay?"

[sith_happened]

"For a while," Anakin confirmed. "I didn't make it permanent."

[angelo_wings]

"Thank you," she said, sagging a little in her chair. She might actually sleep tonight. She could use some sleep.

One small matter was niggling at her, although she was worried it would sound wrong. She bit her lip before continuing.

"If I ... if I absolutely had to," she said, "as in, had to ... would I be able to get it down again?"

She would promise not to be stupid about it.

[sith_happened]

"If you push really hard," Anakin said, "but it would take a lot of effort."

[angelo_wings]

"Okay," Rinoa said. Possible, but difficult. That sounded helpful.

"I'm not ... planning on it," she added. "More like, end of the world, if I needed to -- I just wanted to know."

[sith_happened]

Anakin nodded. "I'm pretty sure the world isn't going to end," he said soothingly.