[IC] Annabelle's Task

[Joslae]

Day 2

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‘’Aaaaah…’’ exclaimed Natellia, who had seemingly just woken up. The sun was only on the edge of the horizon and the temperature around the sand dune was still extremely cold. The acolyte herself looked like a right mess, with her hair all tangled and her robes full of sand. The yell was likely due to the fact that some sand had gotten into some… odd place and this assumption was affirmed when Natellia stood up and began shaking the accumulated dust and sand from herself. She extended her hand and summoned a water canteen to her hand, drinking from it and throwing a tiny amount in her face. That still didn’t quite fix her absolutely horrid appearance, but it had to do. She lumbered over to the spot in front of the camera and sat down again in the same meditative position.

‘’Okay, sleeping on the ground is a bad idea. My back hurts. It hurts a lot. I should have brought something soft to sleep on. Ugh…’’ she grinned and pointed at the camera ‘’Arcukot, I have a lot more respect for you now.’’. While she continued to remind herself of funny things and laughing about them, she began tidying up her spot. The harsh Korriban night had caused almost all of her things to be covered in a small layer of sand, which was a pain to clear. Natellia didnt mind whatsoever. It was a way to keep busy and to mentally prepare herself for another day of frustration.

‘’Two rocks… Two rocks…’’ she’d say, holding the aforementioned rocks in her hands and looking at them with a pained expression ‘’...You know how I said it couldn’t be that hard yesterday? Well! I was wrong. Another day, another chance…’’ she closed her eyes and began stacking the two rocks on top of her head. They wobbled for a moment but eventually remained static. Natellia then went through the same routine again: Regulating her breathing, focussing on the force to keep the rock steady and hoping that the annoying recording did not throw her off again. For now, everything went well. Her slow breathing had caused her heart to not beat as much and her concentration within the force had made her sit almost perfectly still, with the only moving thing being a few strands of her hair. The two minutes of preparation passed, and the recorder began calling out the word again. Then two more minutes passed. Then twenty. Then an hour. Then another. It appears that Natellia had fallen asleep while meditating and even though she was practically unconscious, the rocks remained perfectly balanced on her head. When she eventually did wake up, it was due to the scorching heat of Korriban almost frying her alive.

‘’...Yep. Sure. Back pain and sunburns? Why don’t you give me a hemorrhoid a well?’’ said Natellia, who had carefully taken the rocks from her head while looking up at the sky ‘’...Actually, don’t. Please’’. The girl was talking as if there was someone around to hear her which, of course, there wasn’t. She took the recorders and the stones and shuffled backwards into an area with more shade. She then positioned the stones on her head again and tried to not fall asleep for a second time, which she sortoff achieved.

‘’Jedi…’’ it was Annabelle’s voice coming from the recorder ‘’...Jedi…Jedi...Jedi’’. Every fifteen seconds, the same word. By now, Natellia had heard it so much that she was able to stomach it for at least longer a bit longer than yesterday, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to push her luck. The recital began.

‘’Peace is a lie, there is only passion… through passion, I gain strength… through strength, I gain power… through power, I gain victory… through victory, my chains are broken… the force shall free me…’’

The rocks remained on her head, as intended. Natellia was successful again, but it certainly didn’t go without a hitch. Her entire face was wet from sweat and when she realized the ordeal was over, she slumped back in the shade and let the rocks fall from her head. A brief exhausted look was given to the camera. She flicked her wrist and shut the thing off.