Before - Legends Before the Saga Blossoms | OTP Challenge #33 | OCs - Jazz My'ran/Kelmar Xeo

Title: Blossoms
Author: Kit'
Characters: Jazz My'ran, Kelmar Xeo
Timeframe: 38BBY
Summary: Kelmar teaches the initiate class about how to use the Force to make flowers bloom, and teaches Jazz that sometimes following your heart means allowing yourself to fall in love.
Challenge Response: OTP Challenge #33: How They Met
Series - 1001 ways to feel the Force - Which is a series I kinda have 1/4 written. One day, when I post it, it'll be an ancient Jedi master's rediscovered text that explains how different Jedi feel the Force and how their talents should be best utilised...which is just my head-canon-ee way of explaining why all my Jedi sense the Force as physical things.

 

The grass quivered in the slight breeze that filtered down from the high, vaulted ceilings of the largest Temple garden. On the lawn several Jedi initiates were settled cross legged. In front of them, floated stones - hovering awkwardly in mid-air occasionally dipping and bouncing as the young initiates lost concentration. Initiate Master Kelmar Lefett watched them, speculatively, biting the inside of her bottom lip.

“Credit for your thoughts?” A familiar voice asked from behind her. Kelmar’s face flushed.

The stones wobbled alarmingly in the air at the interruption and Kelmar frowned as one skittered off into the bushes.

“Keep your attention on the here and now, Bri,” Kelmar admonished a young azumel who scurried off to find their missing stone.

“I’m sorry,” the newcomer said softly, “I didn’t mean to put them off.”

Kelmar turned, a smile lighting up her face. “They need to learn to connect with the Force regardless of what's happening around them. Something I remember a particular initiate struggling with quite often.”

Kelmar sized up Jazz as he stood regarding her in his blue healer’s robes. He’d been hanging around quite a bit recently. Finding ways of dropping by under strange pretexts like checking the bacta strip supplies of the initiate halls, or tending to an initiate’s bumps and scrapes when it could have been handled by the quick application of bacta spray and a nap. Not that she minded, but she wasn’t going to let him know that.

“I’m starting to believe you want to give up being a healer, Jazz,” Kelmar said, feeling the soft spring wind that always came from his direction swirl softly around her.

The felicatian Jedi smiled, showing sharp, white incisors.

“I was wandering through the gardens, saw you and decided to see what the latest crop of initiates was like.”

“You future planning?” Kelmar asked with a sardonic smile.

“I’m not ready to take a padawan yet.” He’d taken a second to answer and Kelmar’s mouth quirked at the corners.

“That’s good, because I wouldn’t let one of my initiates fall into the sloppy side with all the bad habits you would teach them.”

“Sloppy side?” Jazz asked, his top incisors dimpling his bottom lip as he smiled and making Kelmar’s stomach twist.

“It’s the third side of the Force,” she answered as seriously as she could. “One which lazy Jedi fall into quite easily.”

“And you believe I have fallen to this so-called sloppy side?”

Kelmar shrugged. “I don’t believe it. I know. Ten-to-one you don’t even know what kind of practitioner you are, because you don’t keep up with the latest readings.”

She reached out and bopped him on the chest with a finger. Her heart hammered with the audacity of the gesture but Jazz just frowned and shook his head.

“Ah, a Shroft follower.” He sighed and folded his hands into his sleeves. Kelmar only just managed to keep from wincing. She’d obviously touched a nerve. The whole Temple seemed divided since Shroft’s work had been ‘rediscovered’ in the Archives.

“You don’t believe in it?” Kelmar asked. One of the initiate’s stones looked like it was going to tumble and Kelmar opened her hand slightly, buffeting the tiny stone back into position with a quick gesture.

“I don’t believe it’s that simple, or that miraculous. Surely if his pseudoscience about matching Jedi padawans and masters based on some vague notions about how you felt the Force actually worked, the Temple would have done it long before now.”

Kelmar smiled. “Possibly. Might not be pseudoscience though.” She looked at Jazz’s frowning face and made a quick calculation about how much time her tiny class had left before they grew too tired. “How about I show you something?”

Jazz smiled. “Will it turn me into a true believer?”

Kelmar shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. We’ll see.” She turned to the initiates. "You may put your rocks down now - gently." Kelmar grinned as the wind settled and the rocks drifted slowly down. "Very good. Now eyes this way."

Several pairs of eyes looked up at them and the Initiate Master smiled. "We're going to go off to the gardens and show our new friend Knight My'ran something special."

They made their way over together and Kelmar could see Jazz letting his eyes wander appreciatively along the lines of the garden. There were plants everywhere, some flowering and others just starting to bud.

“What is all this?” he murmured. "I don't remember the temple garden ever being this verdant."

Kelmar gave a noncommittal shrug. “I've kind of taken over this section and helped it in training our initiates. We grow some of the best food in the Temple,” she explained, not trying to hide the pride in her voice. “It started because this particular group is very attuned to the Living Force and I wanted to try something different.”

Kelmar closed her eyes for a second, feeling the warm, summer wind of the Force as it wound its way between the leaves.

"It's very beautiful," Jazz said after a moment, and Kelmar opened her eyes to smile at him.

"Wait until you see this," Kelmar said and nodded to her class. They dropped down into the familiar meditation pose next to a garden bed. Any exposed soil was black and smelt rich and earthy. The flowers and the ground was covered by tiny grasshoppers darting around.

She paused. The young ones looked nervous; but a quick glance around reassured Kelmar they wouldn't fall apart under the pressure of the moment. She took a deep breath, drawing her awareness back into herself, letting the soft breeze ruffle her clothes and direct her attention to where it was needed. She felt Jazz's cooler, spring breeze and the tiny flurries of each initiate.

“Does everyone know their pair?" Kelmar asked and was rewarded by a flurry of movement. Half a minute later each initiate was standing with a partner holding hands.

“Impressive,” Jazz murmured and Kelmar shot him a glare.

“If you find getting eight year olds to form pairs impressive, I’m surprised everything in this Temple doesn’t blow your mind,” she shot back. She took a breath and felt the way the breeze wound its way around her legs.

“Find a plant,” Kelmar instructed. “Let the Force guide you.”

The initiates spread out, through the garden, settling down around the plants that were still in bud.

"You too," she said quietly to Jazz. "It'd be good for you to get back in touch with the Living Force."

"I'm a healer," Jazz said, one eyebrow raised in mirth. "I get my fair share of the Living Force."

She guided him over to where one of the Alderaan roses was growing sturdily, the buds ripe and ready. She settled on the still warm earth and patted the grass next to her for Jazz to sit. He did so, one eyebrow raised.

"But I doubt it's like this," Kelmar said. The wind buffeted her free hand until it rested on Jazz's knee. She felt her face heat and fought back the urge to snatch it away.

It was still cool underneath her hand. "There's more to it than that," she added, trying not to sound as nervous as she felt. “How do you feel the Force?” Her thumb traced circles across Jazz's knee and suddenly all she could do was look up at him and wait for an answer. He frowned at her. “I don’t know, I suppose I just see it. Like blotches of colour.”

“Good. That will compliment me nicely.” Kelmar smiled, her heart suddenly hammering. “What’s also interesting is that most healers seem to report that they see the Force as colour. Strange how that is.” She gave him an arched look, then smiled again and held her hand out towards where the buds were growing before glancing back at Jazz. “Come on, you’ve got to do it too.”

Jazz shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. Making buds bloom is a neat trick but it’s something we passed long ago.”

Kelmar shrugged. “I’m not going to take my initiates down to the healer’s halls to see if they can fix wounds or stem an arterial bleed. I think the other Initiate Masters wouldn’t be happy with the emotional impact of that one. So plants it is. Besides, I didn’t say what’s going to happen. Don’t assume - that way leads to the Sloppy Side.”

Jazz shook his head. “Fine. What should I do?”

“I feel the Force as a wind that blows,” Kelmar said quietly, suddenly nervous. “Think about your colours blending in with my breeze to become one. Then we’ll channel it at the rose and see what happens.”

Jazz nodded. “Fine.” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After a few moments Kelmar felt the spring breeze pick up, swirling around them both.

She let herself sink into the sensation of the wind against her skin. It smelled sweet and earthy, and she let her eyes droop shut.

After several minutes of listening to the gentle hum of the air currents, Kelmar slowly opened her eyes. Jazz had relaxed, his body leaning comfortably against hers.

“How are you feeling?” she asked softly.

“Peaceful,” he whispered back.

A light breeze blew over the top of her head and Kelmar looked up at the rose. The buds were just beginning to bloom, but the petals had yet to unfold fully. The scent was rich and vibrant. She closed her eyes again and felt the energy humming beneath her skin. There was a rush of joy in the Force, as well as a sense of accomplishment. She heard Jazz gasp and she opened her eyes. Every rose bud was perfectly white, glistening in the sunlight.

“Congratulations,” she said with a grin. “Normally we could do only one bud at the time, but this way we can do all of them.”

She watched him glance around at the initiates who were still concentrating. Around them buds burst into flower and vegetables grew fat and colourful. Kelmar took a deep, relaxed breath as the breeze whistled between branches and gathered leaves, petals and colour as it went.

“Okay?” Jazz said quietly, looking stunned. "Maybe there is something to it after all."

Kelmar smiled again, her face flushing with both pride and pleasure.

“Thank you,” she breathed, taking one of his hands and squeezing it gently. The Force buzzed through her fingers and she felt her heartbeat quicken.

He blushed suddenly, and the wind of the Force swirled from him; soft and arm. Her stomach flipped and she turned away from him to hide a smile. It wasn't often her instincts were correct, but now that she was getting better at sensing emotions - especially happiness - they were becoming more and more accurate. Especially when it came to feelings like these - ones she couldn't control, ones she'd never experienced before. But it was definitely a good thing.

The Force hummed between them for another moment before it died down. She felt Jazz relax next to her and glanced up at him. His eyes were bright and shining and there was something different about his expression - almost shy. His lips quirked upwards in a hesitant smile. Before she realised it she had returned it. She felt her heart skip a beat and quickly looked away, hiding a small blush. He really was adorable.

She felt another gust of wind against her hair and knew he was probably blushing too now. She laughed silently. They were both so ridiculous. Never actually managing to get their acts together to do anything past flirting.

“We should probably get back to training,” he said awkwardly. Kelmar nodded and released his hand. The initiates were watching them curiously and she blushed harder.

"Alright," she said, clapping her hands together as she smiled at the class of initiates. "Time to head off to your next lesson."

The initiates bowed and headed out of the garden. Several of them glanced over their shoulders as they left, nudging each other.

"I should probably head off too. I have lots to do." Jazz said. The breeze blew cold, belying his words.

"Really?" Kelmar asked, she felt strangely anxious. "I thought you might want to stay a while."

He hesitated. "If you're sure you don't mind…." he started.

She nodded and stepped closer to him. Her heart was suddenly pounding in her chest. She reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. Her fingers tingling at the touch. "It's always nice to have a little bit of peace and quiet, don't you think?"

His eyes widened. "Yeah," he agreed, his voice suddenly raspy. He swallowed hard. "I guess so…"

Her own heart raced as she leaned closer, but he didn't respond. Just kept staring at her wide eyed, his cheeks bright red. Kelmar felt a shiver run down her spine at the intensity of his gaze. Suddenly she was overwhelmed by the desire to kiss him.

She moved forward before she had time to consider what she was doing. She pressed her lips lightly against his. For the briefest of seconds he remained motionless. There was a spurt of anxiety that perhaps she had misjudged the situation.

Then he kissed her back.

It was unlike any kiss she'd ever received. It was slow, gentle and somehow desperate. Her fingers tangled in his hair as she responded to his mouth, pressing her tongue lightly against his. His lips were firm and warm under hers, and there was a slight roughness underneath, almost an edge of need. Like he needed every moment of contact to know he was alive and real and kissing her.

The Force curled through her hair, and shivered down her spine.

His hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her close. Kelmar’s heart stuttered in her chest, her body reacting instantly to his embrace. She pulled away slightly, her face burning. She hadn't expected him to react in such a way - certainly not with such enthusiasm.

As she pulled back a small noise escaped from his throat, barely a breath of sound. When she met his eyes again his pupils were dilated. He seemed equally as shocked by his reaction.

Slowly he smiled again and he reached up to stroke her cheek. "So...that's what it feels like to kiss you. I’ve always wondered."

Kelmar grinned. Her heart still thumped against her ribs. "Me too."

Around them the Force blew and the heads of the newly bloomed flowers danced merrily in its breeze.

 

Love between Jedi as it should be. An adorable story about Kelmar and Jazz. The teachings in a lovely seting. A perfect story

 

Gorgeous setting and a warm friendship 'blossoms' into something more. I love how Kelmar senses the Force as breezes and Jazz as colors. A marvelously endearing response to the OTP challenge.

 

Kelmar and Jazz are new characters (to me, at least; I certainly wouldn't be surprised to find out that you've already written a few novel-length stories featuring them) but I like them already! I've already complimented you many times for your depiction of how each individual Jedi senses the Force, but having it as a breeze was an entirely new twist on your approach and you did a great job at developing how it feels at different points of the scene. I'm super-excited to know that you have this somehow "codified" in Shroft's work; it just opens up a whole horizon of stories, but it also gave us this wonderful scene where Kelmar and Jazz mingle their perceptions for what comes across as a very intimate moment. It was also a great twist on "how they met" – these two have obviously known each other as individuals for a long time, but they met again in a new way through this Force encounter.

(Also, the Sloppy Side of the Force is a priceless concept!)

This was a lovely entry for the challenge, thanks for sharing!

 

Aww! Thank you!

Thank you so much I like that you liked sensing the Force with a breeze. That makes me so happy

Jazz is a very old USJS character. He got a bit of his own story line in the early 2000s, but that storyline has kinda been erased (as it was overly dramatic...I know that sounds weird coming from me, but this was really dramatic). Kelmar was entirely made up for this, but I don't currently have any Creche Master characters except for Pendegast from USJS and she's rather awful. So Kelmar is the gentler, happier kind.

Thank you! It was fun and rather more challenging to put in there - like when do you know the breeze is the Force and not actual weather...

I do. It's really only about 1/5 done and I've stolen some of the stories from it for other projects, so if/when I finally post it then there will be some "you've seen this before...but" comments at the start of some chapters.

I figured that being in the Temple means you know most people really, really well - but seeing them in a different, more romantic, light was just ripe for the picking - although rewriting the whole bar scene between Nyx and Tara from Tara's perspective (which is what you suggested in the OTP thread) was very tempting.

Thank you. I think there should definitely be more sides to the Force. Using the Force to do something when you could have just used your hands? Lazy side. Using it to put food in your mouth (especially if it's food that's going to stain your fingers?) Hungry side...
and so on.

Thank you for reading and for the lovely comment - it's very much appreciated.

 

The more fanfic stories I read I wonder how the Jedi ever kept that „no relationships“ rule going for a thousand years.

Nice and cute little story that fits well within the lore. And shows aspects of the Jedi Order we rarely get to see. Most official material is always about the Jedi being warriors while their more peaceful aspects remain the background. Great work!