For the best (Solen's training)

[The Gloaming]

The change of atmosphere was something Solen could quickly get used to. He liked the Jedi temple, and the order, despite the minor disagreements. Solen sat in the atrium, waiting for his new Master. All he knew was that he would become a Jedi knight, and learn to finally use a lightsaber. Waiting, Solen reminisced about his previous training by the hands of Uubacca, his time on Kashyyyk. "Hmm, this planet is so much different and it already seems like home."

 

[Garuga]

A woman sprinted down the halls of the Jedi Monastery on Tython. Her shoulder-length white hair messy, and the black bags under her eyes indicates that she had only just awoken. As she sprinted down the halls, several padawans snickered. After all, it was not everyday that a padawan had the chance to see a Jedi Knight in such an unruly manner. The woman smiled, she had only arrived at Tython yesterday and frankly, had less than enough sleep to keep her mobile. A few masters stared at her with odd glances, and she felt like she was a padawan again.

Haven had agreed to be paired with a padawan, and they had been arranged to meet in the morning, but she overslept. Eeek, nice first impressions She laughed dryly to herself. Finally, she reached the atrium, and found who she was to be training.

"Hello there!" She beamed. "I'm terribly sorry to be late, but... Actually ok there's no excuse, I overslept!" She added sheepishly. As she held her left hand out, the long black sleeves dropped down, revealing her cybernetic left arm.

"I am Haven Magnus, call me whatever you wish." She said, smiling as she made her introduction.

 

[The Gloaming]

"No worries, I...only arrived a few minutes ago myself." Solen smiled and shook her outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you Haven, I'm Solen." A smile quickly appeared on Solen's face, he was happy to finally meet his teacher. Wow, she's really pretty... Solen hoped she wasn't the type of Jedi who could pick up on thoughts and emotions, lest he be embarrassed. He noticed the mechanical arm, it was quite obvious, but all he needed was a quick glance before deciding there was no need to focus on it. Something that had carried over from his previous training, Solen loved people, and made a point to focus on their personality before anything else.

 

[Garuga]

Haven noticed the quick glance at her left arm, but Solen's behaviour was very corteous. Haven smiled, she liked that in a person. "Nice to meet you Solen." She replied curtly. "I'm sorry, but before we do anything else, I must ask that we leave the confines of the indoors before we continue. The outdoors of this plant is a very wonder in itself, and it would be a shame to not visit it.".

She led Solen outside the Monastery, not exactly knowing where to go, but she let her eyes guide her. They had only walked for a few brief minutes when they came across a clearing in the outer jungle, with several boulders in the middle, and held a single tree well over 20 metres tall. Haven walked towards the tree at a brisk pace. This will do nicely She thought.

Haven leaped, her jump enhanced by the force, allowing herself to propel herself off the ground to a great height. With her right hand, she caught a branch, and used the jump's momentum to throw herself even further upwards. In a brief moment, Haven had worked her way up the height of the tree. She sat on a wide trunk, which looked sturdy enough to balance a spaceship. Haven sat herself down on the branch, and looked towards Solen.

"Come up here Solen! Come join me!" She shouted, patting the empty space beside her. It was not much of a test, but she just wanted to see what he was capable of. Besides, the view was great.

 

[The Gloaming]

((Just out of curiosity, how many Force powers do most padawans have?))

"I'll be right there." Solen said, smirking. If only she knew. Within five seconds, Solen had scaled the tree, leaping only three times. "On Kashyyyk, I scaled trees of enormous height, but the view is much nicer here. I like the open space, the open air, the grand temple in the distance..." Training wouldn't feel like work for Solen, but it would be difficult. "I love nature, I'm not so good with technology and city settings." Solen looked at Haven, and instead of seeing a typical Jedi, next to him sat someone who was understanding, and calm. Not a crabby old teacher, but a new friend.

 

[Garuga]

Haven was delighted, solen had cleared the tree easily. Definitely a lot more capable than a normal beginner Padawan... She thought to herself, making a mental note. "That's good to hear, it's pretty much the same for me as well. The nature is much more fascinating than metal structures." She said truthfully. Pausing for a moment, she continued.

"Kashyyyk you say? I have had only one chance to visit Kashyyyk, and it was a short stay at that. May I ask how you came to arrive here, all the way from Kashyyyk? Actually, for that matter, tell me about yourself." She inquired in interest, speaking in an even tone. "I did have a file that I was supposed to read, but, I find that listening to the people themselves is much more interesting than reading words."

She looked beyond the woods in front of her and Solen. The view indeed was great.

 

[The Gloaming]

"Well, I had a normal life on Bpfassh, school, friends, chores, you know. When I was seven, I learned I was Force sensitive, so I came here...but only for a short while. I didn't fit in, and one of the Masters introduced me to his friend, Uubacca, who used to be a Jedi. He took me into his order, and taught me about the Force. The Jedi and Rowrakrukk aren't so different, other than a few aspects. A few weeks ago, Uubacca...abandoned the order, and all of his padawans. His friend from the order took me back here to resume training, upon Uubacca's request and...here I am! I don't know what to say about myself, I'd like to think I'm pretty straight forward, a simple padawan, age 18, hobbies include martial arts, and psychology so-on and so-forth. What about you?"

 

[Garuga]

((The following response is in character of course, Kuzar was in Rowakruk XD))

Haven listened to Solen's story. She wasn't familiar with the names 'Rowakruk' or 'Uubacca', but she her own reasons for that. Either way, it didn't matter, what was important was that Solen had demonstrated and appeared to be much more advanced than any padawan starting out. Haven nodded, and opened her mouth to tell her story.

"Well, about myself..." She paused, musing. "I was taken to the Jedi when I was a baby, so obviously I cannot exactly remember anything from that time period. I grew up in the temple, many memories there. Both good and bad of course!"

Haven grinned and continued. "I didn't get along with my master particularly well unfortunately, and I was rather 'different' back then. But nevermind that. My master trained me, and I learned off him, but only the technical and practical aspects. When I was younger I didn't particularly care much for the philosophical aspects of becoming a Jedi, a mistake I truly do not wish you ,or, for that matter, anyone to make. I became a knight eventually but I was reckless, having neglected what it truly meant to be a Jedi. Anyway, I... Left the order for five years."

Haven stopped, and turned her mind away from remnicising. "There's more to that but that's enough about me for now!" She said brightly, clapping her hands together loudly. "We have more important matters at hand, what do you wish to learn from the training process?"

 

[The Gloaming]

"Well, I was literally a day away from beginning lightsaber training. I'm very martially inclined, not that I don't care for philosophy, that's my entire life, but I have a knack for...aggressive negotiations..." Solen reached back and removed the lightsaber from his back, igniting it in front of his face. "I created this, with the help of my master. He also taught me to fight with a Ryyk blade." The yellow blade crackled with sparks of lightning, an interesting blade for sure. Deactivated the lightsaber, Solen placed it on his back, and turned to Haven. "I can already perform Force leap, as you know, and Force speed pretty well. I also know telekinesis as well as any other padawan, and Force sense. Pretty much the fundamentals."

 

[Garuga]

Haven nodded, once again she was pleased, Solen was well organised and on top of it. "Very well, then let us return to ground for now." She said to Solen, as she slid herself off the tree. Haven landed gracefully, the force being able to cushion her landing. She knew that it would be no problem for Solen too.

Turning to him, she speaks. "Seeing as you have already learned the fundamentals soundly, all credits to your previous master of course, we should begin on the use of a lightsaber." Haven backflipped away, activating her double-bladed lightsaber as she did. Two ice-blue blades emerged from the black lightsaber, and as Haven flourished it, the lightsaber spun in myriads of directions, forming blue circles. Haven's face was energetic as she was doing the simple demonstration, looking somewhat more fierce than usual. She deactivated it, and let it hang loosely in her left hand.
"Just warming up" She winks at Solen, her face returning to it's normal warmth.

"I am sure you know what a lightsaber is capable of, and you most likely would have done reading on it already. Do you have a particular form that you wish to study?" She asked, as she walked back in front of Solen.

 

[The Gloaming]

"Well, I once heard of a style the most Jedi don't know of, Juyo. I was fascinated by it, the strong bold movements. I used to fight with a long handled vibroblade, but then I learned the Ryyk blade fighting style, so I utilize a regular hilt now. Juyo sounded like just the form I need to match my speed." Solen was very sincere in the delivery. He was, in fact, heavily drawn to the form by the Force in a dream.

"Is it possible for me to learn this?"

 

[Garuga]

Haven nodded as she listened to Solen's choice. "Ahh, Juyo. Form seven, the ferocity form..." She said softly, "While it's not one of the forms which I particularly like, I have, well I hope, sufficient knowledge to guide you through the basics of the form."

Haven stepped away, and activated only one side of her double-saber. "Juyo is the most vicious form out of the seven. For this exact reason, it is not a form that the council particularly recommends to Jedi. However, I trust you to maintain the self-control necessary for it. As you said, Juyo relies on bold and direct movements. It is more fluid than Form V, but also less graceful than Form II or Form IV."

Haven backpedalled, and tried to recall as much as she had studied in the past about it. "To master Juyo, you must train the mental aspect just as much as the technical motions, do you understand?" She asked, more serious than usual as it was an important point, before continuing. "Now follow me through the most basic of drills".

She held her lightsaber with two hands, keeping the hilt close to her and kept the point of the blue blade towards an invisible target in the air. Haven closed her eyes, and dealt a swift two handed stab, rapidly followed by a horizontal and vertical slash from different angles. She repeated this, and waited for Solen to perform the drill.

 

[The Gloaming]

Solen studied with the utmost intensity. He held the blade as his master showed him, and made two swift jabs, followed by a vertical slash, and a horizontal one. It was just as Haven showed him, Solen was slightly impressed, and mostly surprised that he would feel so relieved from the simple movements. "I suppose it'll get much more difficult from here."

Solen took a step away from the tree, and put all of his focus on the occuring lesson. This was how Solen would make his place among the Jedi. Solen tried again, but using the Force to add more speed and strength. It felt perfect, like the Force chose this form for him.

 

[Garuga]

Haven watched Solen perform the drill, unblinking as she tracked his movements. After he repeated it, she spoke. "Good, seemingly random sequences of attacks is the trademark of Juyo. It's unpredictability is one of it's strong points. Surprise the opponent that you are facing, control the tempo and flow of the battle".

As she re-entered the opening stance of Juyo, she laughed. "Oh yes indeed it will get much harder. If I say that I am anything short of a demanding teacher I would be lying through the grit of my teeth."

Haven performed another drill, this time a slightly longer sequence which involved the use of footwork. "While it is important to keep note of the standard drills, what is more important is that you must think and react fast. Be creative and do not fall into a pattern."

Haven displayed some more aspects of Juyo, including it's erratic attacks from multiple angles dealt with force-enhanced speed. She waited until Solen had finished this set of drills, and said. "Come at me when you are ready." Haven raised the double-lightsaber in front of her horizontally with her cybernetic arm, and waited.

 

[The Gloaming]

((Hope I'm not god modding too much))

Solen took the open stance, and began to charge Haven. As he neared his master, Solen swung the lightsaber in a six axis combo, while stepping forward quickly. His speed was at work, and he felt he had a chance of landing a strike, but as he brought the blade back to make a quick stab, he realized how futile his attempt was. A flurry of blue light caused Solen to take several steps back, barely dodging the attacks until he felt a small burn on his shoulder. Well that was reckless of me...

Solen stepped forward again, moving his hand close to his ear, the blade pointed at Haven. He could hear the lighting crackle about the blade, the absolute energy, even on a low setting. From that position, he made a strong stab, and as he brought the blade back, he used the inertia to spin himself around and bring the lightsaber to his master's neck.

 

[Garuga]

((Likewise :p. Just training))

Haven kept a smile on her face, she was glad that Solen was taking the initiative. After all, what was the point of learning Juyo and staying meek. However, he still has much to learn... Haven thought to herself as he attempted his latest attack. She saw him begin the spinning motion, and brought her left foot backwards, bringing herself out of range. Still smiling, she raised her right hand and sent a force push towards Solen, not powerful enough to injure seriously but more than enough to send his body flying.

Haven watched solen hurtle through the air, and waited until he managed to bring himself back onto his feet before she spoke. "It's important to stay on the attack, but do not overcommit yourself to the point of being blind to other elements" She advised. "That is especially the case with Juyo, but you have down well. Have no fear, the lightsaber is at it's lowest power setting, and I maintain enough self control to refrain from killing my padawans!" She joked.

 

[The Gloaming]

"I'll take your word for it..." Solen conjured a slight smirk, and stepped toward Haven with the hilt of his lightsaber by his face. He swung the blade down behind him, and back up across his body, without taking his eyes off his master. Following a flurry of attacks on nearly every target Solen could find, he brought his left hand upward, and threw a Force push towards his master. He then sped towards her and made two diagonal slices to her torso, wasting no time to keep pushing her back.

 

[Garuga]

Haven decided to simply defend the attacks. After all, if she was to counter-attack to the best of her abilities every single time it wouldn't be very educational. She spun her double-lightsaber around her body, flourishing it with a twirl. She had mastered the form of Soresu, the most defensive of the seven. Her personality fit well with the form, though she decided that in the future she might further pursue mastery of Form One, Shii-Cho.

Haven watched Solen's charge, and brought her lightsaber up with two hands, spinning and rotating her body as he blocked the flurry of blows. The near-constant rotating of the blue blades would look like a blue circle which allowed nothing to pass. As she saw Solen raise his left hand, she pivoted to her left, avoiding the force push. Haven moved the lightsaber to both of her hands, and performed a swift block with each blade.

As the blue blade clashed against the yellow blade, she spoke. "Good, do not forget that our most powerful ally is the force itself." She pulled her blade back swiftly, and dealt a counter jab with the blade closer to her right hand, striking Solen's lightsaber to the ground.

 

[The Gloaming]

Without looking, Solen hovered his hand at belt level, and within an instant, the lightsaber was back in his hand, ignited. Solen regained his starting position, and, using the Force, placed quick powerful strikes on Haven. He first sliced from left to right, stepping forward with his right foot. Only a split second after, he pivoted the hilt so the blade was pointing toward the ground. From here, he cut upwards, and then downwards, taking two more steps. Solen's legs were sturdy on the ground, his steps were dramatically broad, but he was able to balance.

Making more minor strikes to gain a foothold, Solen pushed with the Force again, this time with both hands. Before Haven reacted, Solen leaped as high as he could into the air, and pulled himself to the ground with great speed. His lightsaber struck the ground where Haven was previously standing, and a substantial wave of energy flew out from all directions. The ground was riddled with slight electrical discharge, and Solen's lightsaber was becoming more and more dull. As the lightsaber deactivated on it's own, Solen looked up at Haven with concern. "I don't sense it's broken, but how could it be out of power? I charged it this morning..." Solen replaced a spare power cell quickly, and the two resumed training.

((Substantial...for a padawan. I doubt Haven would actually be hit by that attack so I don't mind at all if she remains unscathed :) ))

 

[Garuga]

Haven continued her defence, keeping her lightsaber in constant twirling motion. She allowed her mind to go blank, relying on the force to guide her motions. At times she would defend with strength, even pushing the blows back. Other times, she would only alter the direction of the slashes, turning them into energy draining empty blows. Whether she kept her blue blades close to her body for deflections or keeping it far away in powerful fends, she displayed her work in the defensive form over the years.

When Solen raised both of his hands for a force push, she spread her right palm, creating a small shield of force in front of her. The incoming force push dissapated, and Haven sensed that Solen was approaching from above. She quickly side-stepped, and watched the bizzare events that followed, slightly amused. "Don't worry, technology tends to work in even more mysterious ways than the force." She laughed.

They trained for several more hours, with Haven at times pausing to give advice. When Haven noticed that it was well into the afternoon, she decided to pause the lightsaber training for a while.

"Is there anything else you would care to learn other than lightsaber combat? Any force abilities in particular?" She asked, wiping some sweat away with her hand.

((Hope I'm doing ok so far :D))