Sand Trapped

[Viabuck]

Location: Mos Espa, Tatooine
Conditions: No Kill/Capture
Participants: Jorath Baylor versus Kai Sera
Canon

---

There was a saying that Jorath had heard once that you can't go home again. It was days like this one in particular that made him ponder the idea that the saying should perhaps have been changed to, 'You -shouldn't- go home again' because as he walked the streets of his birthplace, the Acolyte began to feel an overwhelming combination of emotions, none of which were particularly positive. He had longed to see this world become something more and yet as he leaned against the entrance of his mother's Cantina, his eyes surveying the patrons entering and exiting, he couldn't help but wonder what such a place even -could- become..

In spite of growing up on the world and having grown accustomed to it's people, it never ceased to surprise the teen that such a variety of people could move about and come together to create a functioning city. While ordinarily such a thought might hold some level of promise to a person, the idea to Jorath based upon what -he- was witnessing seemed like both a blessing and a curse. How many of these people walking about freely were criminals? How many were thieves, thugs, or even worse.. He had once been one of them.. He knew the lives they lived and the suffering that each one was potentially responsible for.. How could these people ever be expected to become something greater, even if the planet was brought under total Imperial control... His control..

Jorath was brought back to reality only when he failed to find any answer to such a question and instead shifted his attentions elsewhere. He had already paid his mother a short visit and it wouldn't be long before he returned to Korriban in such of another opportunity to prove himself to his superiors. If he was ever to influence the change that he sought, gaining favor was a priority and because of that he would find little time to cling to the sentimentality which had lured him back to his home in the first place. Reaching back and gripping the hood of his black cloak and giving it a quick tug, pulling it up to cover his head. With a movement forward, he would come away from his temporary leaning post and prepare to move back through the city, his eyes still scanning the streets as he moved.

There was a nagging sensation which the Acolyte could only accredit to the force that told him that he was not the only force sensitive in that city.. If it were another member of the Sith Order there would be no problem of course.. But what he felt was different, unlike anything he had personally encountered as of yet. He couldn't identify it and for one reason or another, that only proved to excite him all the more. Perhaps this journey hadn't been for nothing after all.

 

[Ral]

Desert. Sand. Suns. Heat. Tatooine sucked. Why or how any lived on this wretched planet Kai could not fathom, nor was he sure he wanted to. This was definitely not a planet Kai would want to come to for a vacation. Not even a little bit. The only reason he was here today was because he had heard there was a slaving ring that might be moving through Mos Espa, but when he arrived there was no sign of the ring in question. So now he was wandering around the sand filled city looking for any signs of slavers, or trouble in general for that matter. Not that he wanted there to be trouble, but he was there to try and help people, and often people only needed help when there was trouble around.

Moving through the crowd Kai got a foreboding feeling in his gut. Was that the Force trying to tell him something. The more he walked the more the feeling got stronger until it became that tingling sensation in the back of his head. Something was going to happen it seemed, and nothing particularly good either he would guess by the feeling in his gut. Keeping his eyes open Kai watched for any signs that something might be wrong, a warning. Then the tingling sensation turned into a pull, and as Kai reached out through the Force he sensed that there was another Force Sensitive nearby. Not within his immediate vicinity, but definitely in the same part of town. Trying to reconcile what he was feeling with what his gut was telling him Kai tried to probe a little more. The presence in the Force was different, unlike any Jedi he had met, or any untrained Force user before. No, this person had some skill in the Force, but it seemed... big... almost wild, dark. It was close. It had to be someone who used the dark side, but beyond that Kai couldn't tell. For all he knew it could have just been some adept of the Force who used the dark side naturally, or it could be a full Sith. Either way, caution was advised. Withdrawing into himself Kai began using Concealment to hide his presence in the Force, at least until he knew more. He'd prefer not to be surprised by some Dark Jedi or worse, a Sith. Thinking caution wise, Kai casually removed his own lightsaber from his belt and stuffed it up the sleeve of his dominant right arm.

Keeping his eyes and ears open, the boy eyed the crowd for anyone who might be a Force User. He moved slowly eyeing those he passed until finally his eyes settled on someone who was a full head taller than all the other humanoids around him. And he was massive. Probably the biggest human Kai had even seen up to that point. Maybe the second biggest, Master Orlaan was also quite large. That's when he realized that this was the person he had sensed. This was the person who could use the Force.

 

[Viabuck]

How strange.. The presence he had been detecting had suddenly vanished.. Almost as if who or whatever it had been had simply vanished. Perhaps they had moved out of his range, his capacity to sense others through the force being for the most part being that of a novice at best. All the same, the gigantic Acolyte wouldn't take chances. Slipping a hand inside of his cloak and beneath his duster which he wore underneath of it, his lightsaber would be gripped, holding it within his massive palm while making no real effort to hide it.

It was in this moment that his Master's words of caution rang out through his mind, his train of thought already shifting to that of a combatant, even if he had no idea who or what his foe might be. There were so many different types of people in Mos Espa that picking a target from the crowd would be difficult at best. For now he would simply play everything by ear while adhering to the combat principles he had been taught.

Increasing his stride slightly, the large Sith moved across the sand to put his back to a wall, ensuring that his body was facing forward, removing one possible angle of attack from the board. While he wasn't certain that he had been located by this potentially non-existent threat, the idea that had been drilled into his mind time and time again was to never face away and leave ones self vulnerable.. He had two blind spots to account for as of yet and upon locating an alley way, he saw an opportunity to eliminate yet another.

Slowly Jorath began to move along the wall, intending to slip into the alleyway to both give himself an advantage in a combat situation as well as to reduce the threat being found or blindsided in the event that someone actually would begin to seek him out.

 

[Ral]

The Padawan continued to watch the big man suspiciously as he moved through the crowd. It became apparent that he was also suspicious as he ended up standing with his back to the wall. A technique only someone who was paranoid of being attacked would do. That meant he wasn't just a blunt instrument, or at least he had some sense. Kai figured he would find out soon enough. Noticing what he thought was a lightsaber hilt in the palm of the man's massive hands, Kai thought it best to wait and see what he would do. In his mind, he wondered what a dark sider would be doing this far from Sith Territory. It wasn't like Tatooine was the friendliest place for some one to be. There must be a good reason. Noticing that the man began to move again, Kai spotted him moving into a nearby alleyway, slowly, careful not to be seen. Now that was interesting. Had Kai waited a few more moments to look over at him he may have missed it completely. Moving through the crowd Kai got a better view of the big man entering the crowd. There was the possibility that he would get spotted, but without any visually outward signs that he was a Jedi, it would be hard to spot Kai out of the group of passing people.

Then Kai got an idea. It was clear that trying to move into such a confined space with such a big man would be foolhardy, for if it turned violent there would be nothing for Kai to do but run. The enclosed area would prevent him from using his strengths. Instead, Kai made his way to the side, where he used the Force to help him climb up the side of the building to the roof. He had hoped that to anyone looking on it would look like just a normal hooligan climbing on roofs. Standing on the top Kai reached out into the Force trying to feel the big man's presence. To feel his mind. Once he did that he decided to send him a message telepathically to see how he would react by poking his head over the corner down into the alley. "Hey there big guy. I'm curious what someone like you is doing with a lightsaber in place like this. That's certainly an odd combination to find on Tatooine. Don't you think?" Despite feeling something that he thought as the dark side in the man's Force presence, Kai had to no evidence that he was evil other than a feeling. So he had no reason to be hostile towards him, not yet at least. That could change real fast at any moment. And Kai would do his best to be prepared if it did.

 

[Viabuck]

Pausing and twitching as a voice invaded his thoughts that was not his own, it was at this point that the Acolyte's concerns were given a certain level of validity. There was another force sensitive, one who could see him, one that wished to communicate with him.. They likely weren't members of the Sith Empire and this -greatly- limited the number of options for who or what he was dealing with in that moment. Every fiber of his being wanted nothing more than for the intruder into his mind to be a member of the Jedi Order given the prestige that was likely to come with defeating a member of that group.

How was he to draw them in though? As he moved further into the alleyway, he glanced around, scanning the area infront of and behind him, attempting to see who exactly could see him from his current perch. There was what appeared to be a girl running around on the rooftops but was he really to believe this was a Jedi? He was clearly overlooking someone.. He'd simply have to bait them in.

Unsure of where to project his own thoughts, Jorath began to speak aloud a smug smile forming upon his face. He had heard that provoking a Jedi was something of a challenge and yet he couldn't help but feel that he might know where to prod a sharp stick in order to bring the fight to him. While attacking civilians would likely bring unwanted attention, he would eventually offer up a shrug of his shoulders.

"How else am I supposed to kill Rebels and Jedi?... Or you know.. Civilians until a coward shows themself.." he'd ask aloud, sounding particularly sure of himself in that moment, his hand adjusting it's grip upon the lightsaber that he held, reaching out through the force and attempting to detect the slightest disturbance that might come from a sudden attack which he anticipated was soon to come.

 

[Ral]

Hearing the Sith speak, Kai's blood ran cold. Well, that certainly removed the possibilities down to the worst possible ones. This big juggernaut was definitely going to be a Sith, he just hoped he wasn't any more skilled than an Acolyte or things might go poorly very quickly. Kai didn't like how big this man was, he was easily many times stronger than Kai was. Taking a breath, Kai trusted in his own abilities and in the Force. If this ended in combat, he would need to rely on them to get out of this alive. And unfortunately, this Sith knew somebody was around who could use the Force, and Kai certainly couldn't let him begin butchering random people until he got lucky. That meant quick thinking on Kai's part, which was hard to do when adrenaline at having finally met a Sith, especially such a large Sith, in person. Again with his telepathic link, Kai spoke, "Kill? Now why would you want to kill anybody?! I was just saying hello and wondering what you were doing here! Why would you assume I was any of those three anyways? I certainly hope you don't or wouldn't just going to start murdering people. What would your mother think?!"

Now, Kai didn't know this Sith's mother. But he was going to go out on a limb and guess that she wasn't at bloodthirsty as her son. Or at least, Kai certainly hoped she wasn't, and by extension wouldn't want her son to just go around killing people. The Padawan wasn't sure how the Sith would react to his comment, but he certainly hoped it would be enough to get him out of the alley. Looking around, Kai noticed the roof he was standing on was covered in junk and debris. Parts of old droids, empty metal crates, and scrap sheets littered these roofs. People really didn't know how to take care of their homes in this part of town, that or they didn't care. Keeping his senses in the Force spread out and ready for something to happen, Kai kept his lightsaber up his sleeve and ready for a fast draw in the event it was needed.

 

[Viabuck]

Jorath froze suddenly, his face growing blank and his jaw going slack for a moment, a sudden horrible, albeit unintentional thought coming to his mind. This person.. This Jedi knew he had just finished visiting his mothers cantina. He had to of seen him and that meant that she was no longer safe.. The security of his only living family suddenly becoming his primary focus, the large Acolyte's face contorted to an expression of pure rage in that instant, his hands tightening their grip on his saber as he began to contemplate the horrific acts that he was more than willing to carry out.

"You've just crossed a line, Jedi!" he snapped, his voice growing louder than it should have been, drawing in the gaze of several passerby who were curious to what the large male was shouting at. Given how the veins were bulging in his neck and his face was already turning red from the sudden impulse of anger he was experiencing, he looked like an absolute lunatic at the moment and as he suddenly reached out to the street with his hand and ripped it backwards, forcibly drawing in a Twi'lek who had the misfortune of taking that particular path home from work.

Catching him by the throat following his successful use of a force pull, Jorath seized the man's throat in his palm and lifted him from the ground while gasps and screams of horror erupted from the streets as people began to flee as the Sith's lightsaber erupted to life, it's blade burning brightly as the weapon was brought to the man's face, edging it dangerously close, an impossibly agitated expression forming across his face. He no longer cared if he made a scene or what kind of repercussions that his actions might carry.. He was furious.

"I'm going to give you five seconds to show yourself and then this mans life and every other after him is on -YOU-!"

It must have been terribly confusing to be Kai at that stage, what with Jorath suddenly becoming impossibly furious over something as subtle as a comment about his mother. If only he had known that they were standing only a few yards away from the cantina that the Sith's birth giver was employed..

 

[Ral]

"Again calling me a Jedi? How do you even know I am a Jedi?" Kai responded telepathically as the large Sith snapped back at him. What happened next Kai could have bet money on, if it weren't so awful. The Sith, in his fit of rage manged to catch a poor passing Twi'lek causing Kai to flinch at the ferocity of the action. With a sigh and a heavy heart, Kai listened as the Sith taunted him, trying to get Kai to come out of his "hiding" spot. He didn't want to engage in combat, but it seemed that is where he was heading, especially since he couldn't just let the Sith murder this poor Twi'lek. Pulling his lightsaber into his hand, Kai once again used the telepathic link, "Show myself? But I've been in plain view this whole time. Perhaps you need to open your eyes?"

With that Kai gathered the Force up and leapt into the air, and with a Force-controlled descent landed in the wide-open and now desolated street well over a dozen meters away from where the Sith was now. Rising up from the crouching position, Kai looked on at the large brute of man. "Alright, you wanted me ya brute, here I am! Let the Twi'lek go! This is between you and me..." Kai said confidently, projecting his voice so he sounded like he was much bigger than he actually was. With that, Kai activated his Amethyst-colored blade. The Padawan had no intention, however, of trusting the Sith to spare the man. Once he was sure he had the Sith's attention he projected a single thought into his mind through the link in conjunction with one of his Force Powers. Using a combination of Mind Trick and Illusion, Kai created the sound of a lightsaber blade being activated behind him and attacking the Sith. The thought he send, "Wrong way!" With the opening the fake blade created Kai reached into the Force and pulled the captive Twi'lek from Sith's large hand with great Force. He sent him to land behind him and out of the way.

Taking a quick moment to ensure that the Twi'lek was in fact safe and unharmed and fleeing for his life, Kai dropped Force Stealth; he would need all of his energy and focus for this fight, and using it to disguise his presence was pointless now. His light side presence becoming distinct and identifiable to any trained to detect such things. This Sith had just become a major threat; he was hostile to not only Kai, but the passing civilians. That meant one thing: Kai would have to fight in order to keep them safe. Kai didn't like the idea, but it was the Jedi thing to do: use the Force to fight the Sith and defend the weak and the innocent. Gathering up for Force into his body, Kai prepared for battle. Today he would have to trust in the Force unlike any time previously. Using Speed, Kai drew the Force into his legs as he visualized his destination and charged Sith, but not at him, to his exposed side. With the little amount of left over power still in him he utilized a Force Pull directed at the big man's knees to catch him off balance. Once he got in close, Kai would take a quick slash at the Sith's knees before disengaging and jumping twice. First would be a short hop to put some distance between himself and the giant, the second would be to clear it to the top of the nearby building. Gathering up the Force around him, Kai inhaled deeply and prepared himself for the next round.

 

[Viabuck]

So it began...

In an instant, Jorath heard the sound of a lightsaber activating behind him, suddenly lashing around and bringing his blade up defensively to block what he was certain would be a blow struck again him, dropping the Twi'lek to the sand below, by the time he realized that no one was attacking him, the target of his aggression was gone. That was fine. He hadn't actually -wanted- to kill him.. He would have.. But he didn't -want- to.. He -WANTED- to murder whoever had threatened his mother... Even if they hadn't knowingly done so.

With Kai suddenly being picked up on, the Acolyte allowed a cruel grin to form upon his face as he adjusted his grip on his lightsaber as the... Was it a boy? No.. Maybe?.. He'd ask later. Right now he was actually being somewhat caught off guard by the sudden approach of the Jedi, his eyes going wide for a moment as he found himself under attack. Of course unlike in his past encounters, he wouldn't allow himself to be intimidated by the speed he was up against instead choosing to remain calm, even as he felt the tug upon his leg by the force. Ark had prepared him for this.. Remain calm, remain facing the adversary. Never lose sight.

Stumbling forward and working to keep his balance on only one leg, Jorath lowered his center of gravity, twisting his body and blade to parry the amethyst lightsaber as it threatened his lower body, a grin formed as he noticed Kai immediately attempting to retreat away from him. There was no way he would let this become a game of hit and run.. He had endurance but eventually the Jedi would get lucky and if they kept playing the game..

When the boy went into his series of leaps, Jorath, taking advantage of his preference of the force leap ability noticed the intended destination of Kai's series of leaps and just as the teen was touching down on the roof, the massive Acolyte had heaved himself high up into the air and landed not far from his intended position, his lightsaber which had been held up over his head being swung downward in a powerful overhead strike, intending to make use of the 'Falling Avalanche' of Djem-So.

"Stand your ground girl!"

 

[Ral]

Kai was rather surprised when the large Sith followed him up on the roof so quickly. He had wanted to bring him up there where there would be more room to maneuver, but honestly Kai was hoping to catch his breath first. Unfortunately, with the Sith hot on his tail Kai had very little time to recovery from his quick attack. Surprised by the sudden overhand assault unleashed by the Sith, Kai barely managed to bring his own blade up in time to block the blow. Fueling the Force into his limbs, Kai managed to angle his blade at a forty-five degree angle so that the blow would hit his blade and slide off to his left side. Only, he hadn't anticipated how strong this brute of a man truly was, and he was strong. Had Kai not used the Force to enhance himself he might not have been able to prevent the Sith's blade from pummeling into his shoulder. He would have to avoid such blocks in the future...

"Stand still? What and remove the challenge of a moving target? I don't think so; you're not gonna get that lucky, bub," Kai said with a smile ignoring the fact that he called him a girl, it had happened too often for him to get upset by it. Meanwhile, he reached out with his Force senses to feel what was around him his arms still slightly shaking from the power of the strike... or was that adrenaline? It mattered not. From the parry position Kai flicked his blade forward quickly so that the blade would be within range to singe his arms or his chest before stepping back quickly, retreating into a Soresu guard. Still sensing what was around him, Kai found what he was looking for and grinned. "So, you got a name big guy with the face only a mother could love? Or am I gonna have to come up with one for you?" He asked as he used the Force to enhance his speed, and instead of stepping backwards, stepped forwards into an attack. Kai started with a strike that came from his right side and would appear to be aimed at the Sith's knees before turning the blade upward midswing to strike at his torso whilst using his left hand to gather up the Force in front of the man's chest to pull him forward into the strike, or at the very least unbalance him preventing a pre-emptive attack. Preparing to counter the Sith's counter attack with a Force Push, Kai gathered up his energy and readied the defensive Push. While he attacked he would also speak, trying to distract the Sith with his banter, "So tell me, where do they keep all the pretty Sith girls? I mean, I assume there are pretty girls in the Sith, otherwise what would be the reason of joining them. Unless... You're not all eunuchs are you?" He said with a half grin on his face, while inside he was cool, calm, and collected. He had found his center in the Force, something he found difficult to achieve under stressful circumstances, it allowed him to feel the terrain around him and it enhanced is natural reaction time greatly.

 

[Viabuck]

A grin formed over the gigantic Acolyte's face as lightsaber met lightsaber, the feeling that he could potentially break through a defense and cut directly into the Jedi proving to add a great deal of excitement to the confrontation. Even as the attack was broken off with it being parried to the side, he had already begun to figure out what he would need to do in order to wear down his smaller opponent. As the smaller fighter went to break off the attack, the larger of the two showed a surprising sudden display of grace, pushing up off of his toes to leap off to the side a short distance, the lightsaber only knicking the front of his chest, a small singe being made in the front of his outfit, a burning sensation radiating from the small cut which he ultimately refused to display any sign of pain to.

Seemingly completely unbothered, it wasn't until the Jedi moved in once again that he even bothered showing the slightest hint of expression, still wearing that same seemingly inappropriate smile as another attack was made on him, his lightsaber being held high before suddenly dropping his right hand and extending it forward. While he may have appeared to be something of a simple brute, Jorath broke from his usual tactics opting to stop the force speeding fighter from even beginning what he presumed to be another attack.

"Jorath" he replied as a sudden expulsion of the force was projected toward his much smaller adversary, intending to throw him back just as he went for his saber assault, lunging forward immediately after and swinging his lightsaber downward, attempting to catch him off of his guard and drag the blade across the front of his shoulder. Few people actually expected him to mix the force into his style thinking of him as more of a berserker.. Hopefully this would prove the opposite.

"Pretty sure I've got one of those somewhere... She's probably around here." he'd add, even if the two were mid-saber clash. He didn't seem to be out of control quite yet..

 

[Asinine Soup]

One Hour prior...

"You expected me to fly out here with you just to watch the desert from the cockpit?..." Lillieth banters softly, pouting a jovial, sarcastic lip as she swivels in the seat to face Jorath, gearing up as the decrescendo of the ship falls into the background of the sandpit ship port. She was actually quite the experienced pilot, and as the dust and sand finally falls in lieu of their landing, she could only chortle softly in Jorath's nearly expected response.

"Yep." he grunts.

"Well you're humorous as you are charming, Jorath." she jeers. "I doubt this place is as bereft of interaction as one would assume flying down. Perhaps I'll catch a drink elsewhere..." the young woman trails off, though - not much to her surprise - Jorath had already been hulking off the ship's exit, grunting his lackluster retort of affirmation right back at her.
"Comm me if you need me!...Dammit, Jorath..." she murmurs lightly, her voice having fallen to a self-narration as a thin line becomes of her previous smile. Her grimace wavers as she softly speaks to herself. "With him as a partner, oh, Corellian Rum, I am bereaved of thine absence.", chuckling at her choice of words...and her foresight of the drink she would soon partake.

***​

The out-of-place-pilot finds her way off the ship several moments after having gathered a few belongings, most import being her wits and lightsaber that pats her upper thigh beneath her robing. The sun beating down upon her scarlet head of hair, a soft sigh escapes the lips; a flicker of her wrists and her hood attached to the robing flickers atop her head. Much better.
From what Lillieth could gather, her belligerent hulk of a partner grew on this desert world, and if he had family he would likely be visiting. She wouldn't intrude, rather, would find her way past check-in and through a few doors and...well. A nice-sized crowd of denizens occupy the road as well as the sideways, racial mixing having accrued a fine congregation along the streets. Lo and behold, however, the familiar sound of a cantina can be heard blaring with its telltale music - soothing, yet wishing to induce feelings of relaxation upon its guests. She heads there for sweet respite from her ephemeral partner whom was off to only god knows what...

"Well," she softly mutters beneath her hood, a troublemaker's smirk sliding about her visage as her pair of amber eyes lilt about the room. "...nothing ventured..." she starts, gloved hands removing her hood - attention cast upon her, a shift in the air as she felt the future would behold plenty of wanting suitors offering her drinks - "...nothing gained." She steps in with a lissome in her sway.

 

[Ral]

Just as Kai attacked he could feel the Force moving around him and he got the distinct impression that the Sith was about to attack him with the Force. It was an unexpected response, but not wholly unprepared for. Instead of channeling the Force energy he had kept in reserve as a counter-push, Kai instinctively use it to form a powerful protective barrier in the shape of a bubble around him. Just as Jorath attacked with his powerful push, Kai managed to materialize his very real defense. Grimacing, Kai strained to keep his barrier up against the Sith's push as it was very strong, and he could do little to prevent the backslide caused as he sheer pressure of the blast moved him back a meter or so. "Jorath, huh? Well Jorath, it is incredibly rude to forget your manners after you've been introduced! Didn't your mother teach you anything?!"

Kai had figured the Sith's mother was a bit of a soft spot for him. Normally, Kai didn't even try to taunt his opponents, but he didn't want this Sith thinking straight. He wanted him to make mistakes. That was the one advantage about not letting your emotions dictate your responses or your ability to use the Force. Having a calm balanced mind was always harder to bait than an unhinged one, and Kai suspected that the Sith was nowhere near as calm as he was. Adrenaline be damned. As the Sith attacked with his blade he made a remark about having one of those around. One of what? Oh! He meant a girl. That caused Kai to chuckle a little, "Oh, so you are a boy! Oh thank the Force, I wasn't sure, ya know... I don't know a lot about the Sith when it comes to things like that. Oh, that reminds me, do you like tea? Do the Sith even drink tea? I love tea! My master likes it, too. What about wine? I have a little friend who loves wine, and she is just the funniest little thing once she's had a glass!"

As Kai continued to banter on, his mouth was running without actually him actually thinking what he was saying, he reacted to what was happening around him. This left him to be in a state of no-mind, a state of feeling the Force and trusting in his instincts. As the Sith swung at his shoulder Kai side-stepped to the left, pivoting on the balls of his feet to his right while bringing his blade up into a parry position, holding the hilt at shoulder height with the blade inverted pointing to the floor so he could easily protect his entire body by raising or lowering his arms or legs. The advantage the Sith had hoped to gain by his powerful push negated by Kai's equally powerful protection bubble. This left only strength and speed as their respective advantages. Jorath's downward strike was enough enough to break through Kai's already weakened barrier, as he had chosen not to reinforce it, but it was not strong enough to get past Kai's parry. As their blades clashed in a flash of light, Kai noticed that Jorath had managed to cut the front of his shoulder, burning through the fabric of his coat and a small section of flesh underneath it. But no more than that, and just as the tip of blade managed to nick him it slid away into the ground capable of causing no more immediate harm to Kai. However, there was a reason Kai hadn't reinforced his barrier, he had been gathering up his Force potential for a powerful push. One even more powerful than the Sith had used against him. As the Sith managed to nick his shoulder Kai felt the burn, and he half-smiled, half grimaced at his opponent.

"Hey, not bad, but my ally is the Force!" The Padawan declared before taking his right hand off his hilt and using it to direct and unleash a powerful blast of Force energy against and through the Sith's chest so it would send him flying several meters up and away. Hopefully, it would give Kai the few seconds needed to regroup and prepare for his next move. Using what Force energy he could muster up into a meager Barrier in front of him, Kai readied his lightsaber.

 

[Viabuck]

"You talk too much.." Jorath remarked as he watched his blade being parried again though now before catching a slight hint of his blade slicing through fabric and flesh. That was a step in the right direction but now he needed to capitalize. He needed to capitalize without losing his temper... And yet the more the Jedi talked, the harder he found that to be. Every pointless word that he spoke.. Every question that he asked, every statement that he made.. It just inspired the massive Acolyte to want nothing more than to seize him by the throat and pummel him. Starting to tread toward Kai once again, a stern look upon his face...

Right before being struck dead on by a force push which sent him flying through the air, landing violently upon the ground, his back impacting with the roof of the cantina that his mother worked at and Lillieth was currently seated inside of oddly enough. Of course they might not hear the commotion over the music and talking on on within..

"... The force is -my- ally too you idiot... You self righteous, self important Jedi scum.. You act as if you're something special... As if the force for SOME REASON favors you..But in the end...All you do... ALL YOU CAN DO IS JUST PISS ME OFF!" Jorath roared, his muscles suddenly tensing, a very strong outpouring of the darkside of the force radiating throughout the massive Acolyte's body. While Kai had been using the force to match him ability wise, what Jorath was now doing was drawing upon a powerful internal rage with the intent to overwhelm which he would begin by using his own burst of speed, moving rapidly toward Kai, keeping his movement patterns in the forms of diagonals so that he could respond to a potential push.

As he neared Kai's position, his lightsaber would be brought up and with now rage enhanced strength, he would dash toward Kai's front, drawing his lightsaber up and swinging it downward diagonally only to stop the motion midway, abruptly drawing up his right leg and attempting to drive a powerful front kick into the boy's midsection.

"And I -hate- Tea."

 

[Asinine Soup]

Meanwhile...

"That's absolutely preposterous!" Lillieth giggles, laughing at the camaraderie present in a place where everyone simply wished to have fun, the affects of the Corellian Liquor being allowed to seep through her blood. Such a soothing feeling, one not welcome over the past several months of training beneath the Masters and Crusaders of the Sith Order. Lillieth having been responding to an individual whom she incidentally charmed into buying the whole bar a first round of drinks, a middle-aged woman - kind in the eyes, worry within every wrinkle of her Tattooine-hardened face - approaches with a smirk.

...a smirk, all too familiar.
"Another fill, dear?" she asks, twinkle in her eye as she seemed to fully intend to empty Lillieth's courter's pockets. "I don't know..." Lillieth murmurs, redolent atmosphere of various people, drinks, and scents all merging as a fair-aged human man chuckled, placing credits on the bar counter.

"'Course she will." he answers for the young Sith.

"My, are you trying to get me tipsy?" she asks, her inner-actress flourishing as she places a few fingertips upon her sternum. "It's working." she sings, still laughing...knowing she was one whom could hold her liquor fairly well. The bar-maiden grins and re-fills, accepting the payment. Smart lady, that one...

The three individuals around her urge her to drink as though their plot could not be found; all they saw was a victim, whilst Lillieth saw playthings...pawns in her game. A game that didn't seem to be hindered by a mild shake of the lighting fixtures up above, a gentle dust flickering from the ceiling.
The Sith's calculating eyes peer at the dust that flakes downward, having been beneath the scene upon the roof for its duration, a fix on both individual's Force energies not foreign to her.

"Oh, Jorath..." she thinks, frowning before blinking off the foreboding gaze from her face, taking another gulp of brandy.

"I want you to be careful, dear." the barmaiden says, placing a passing hand upon Lillieth's gloved fingertips as she passes to cater to another patron. Lillieth, taken by surprised, simply keeps a grin on her face, eyes falling from the ceiling as she nods...following the woman's eyes as she seemed to be peering at the three individuals attempting to seduce by means of money...drink...and other means. Energy weapons hummed on their hips.

"Another round on you, right?" Lillieth suddenly confirms, peering to the individual on her left and dragging a free hand's fingers along their Twi'lek jawline with a giggle and a smile; he acquiesces, shrugging with a 'why not' demeanor - those at the bar cheer at the thought of yet another round on this man's tab.
All was well as a battle on a rooftop rages on...

 

[Ral]

Watching as his push was successful, Kai brought his blade into a neutral guard position. "Huh, you think so? I guess I've never thought about how much I talk." He responded thoughtfully as he focused his mind and felt the Living Force all around him. His shoulders rose and fell as he breathed, thinking. Perhaps the Sith had a point, perhaps he did talk too much for something as serious as a duel. But Kai was a pragmatic duelist and the constant unconnected banter was meant to be annoying. It was something he had discovered after a sparing session when he was younger.

As Jorath, the Sith, shouted his retort back at Kai, the young Padawan could see that the giant boy had completely misunderstood what he meant by the Force was his ally. As was becoming evident as the Sith lost his temper, Jorath used his strength and rage to fuel his abilities, perverting the Force as he manipulated it for his own gains. Kai, on the other hand, listened to the Force, letting it guide his actions while remaining passive and using it only in self-defense. Not relying on his own abilities, but trusting instead in the Force.

Kai did not have a response to the Sith's declaration that all Kai could do was piss him off. "Funny how one little Jedi scum can become such a bother to the powerful Sith."

As Jorath began charging Kai, the Padawan instinctively dropped his lightsaber into a low guard where his blade pointed at the ground forty-five degrees away from him. Retreating as the Sith zig-zagged towards him, Kai back pedaled until he was a only a meter away from the edge of the roof. The Sith was using the dark side and his own rage to fuel his strength and speed making him much faster than a person of his mass should be capable of moving. As Jorath got close Kai prepared to defend himself, gathering the Force up the Padawan harnessed the power so he could make easy use of it. With the Sith getting ever closer Kai could see that the Sith was preparing for yet another overhead strike. Doesn't this guy ever mix it up? He thought to himself as the big man barreled down upon him. Kai waited for the last moment so he would not telegraph his movement or show his hand.

As the big man began his swing only a meter or two away from him, Kai brought his blade from its low guard position up as a token block just in case the Sith managed to track what he was doing at the same time. Stepping forward with his right leg, Kai used a Force-augmented lunge to the front right forty-five tucking into a roll to avoid the Sith's attack and move around his defenses. However what Kai did not expect was for Jorath fake his attack and kick at him. The snap kick collided with Kai's left shoulder, That's gonna hurt... he thought as he began his roll causing his right side and to extend forward more than intended and making him miss-aim his upward block. Instead, Kai almost over extending his blade, swinging up to where Jorath's kicking leg was instead of moving towards the big man's lightsaber where it was meant to go. With his momentum shifted, Kai ended up rolling across the top of his back, instead of his shoulder. Now with his shoulder throbbing and his mind was racing, Kai wondered what to do. This was not what he expected. As he was mid-roll Kai saw what looked like the cylindrical remains of an R4 droid lying nearby discarded, one of many useless pieces of scrap and junk left up on this roof. Using the Force, he reached out and grabbed the chassis throwing it at Jorath. Hopefully to distract him. Coming up out of his roll in a low crouch Kai could see Jorath's apparently unprotected leg just within striking distance. Using the moment of his roll Kai swung his blade out with his right hand aiming to hamstring the bigger man whilst also using his left hand to send what was left of his gathered up Force power into an upward Push aimed at throwing him up off the roof and down into the street below.

 

[Viabuck]

Jorath felt his kick connect, feeling a slight hint of satisfaction slipping in amongst the uncontrollable rage which he had given himself over to in that moment. It was almost humorous how people underestimated what he was truly capable of and in reality, it was what he thrived upon. The less that people expected from him, the more he was pushed to excel in fields that seemed strange for him to invest himself so deeply within. Twisting his body and moving out of the way of Kai's blade as he completed the roll, mostly not wanting to fall victim to a stray saber after completing what he mostly felt was a successful attack.

Dropping out of his force enhanced state for a moment, the giant was more than prepared to attempt to finish off Kai only to find himself being targeted by what appeared to be a Droid. That was an interesting choice. A move by a desperate boy trying to save himself in Jorath's mind and thus as the chassis flew at him, the Sith swung his right arm around, smashing it with a solid elbow strike, keeping his eyes on the Jedi's lightsaber just as he had been. Twisting his left arm back and barely managing to avoid having the back of his leg sliced into, he was beginning to draw his leg back for another kick, intent on driving the heel of his boot into the boy's face only to be caught again by a push which would throw him upward into the air.

Letting out a low growl as he was flung yet again, a mental note was made to further his capacities with the force barrier technique. With his body descending from the air now, rather than let himself be easy prey for an attack, his own hand would be thrust outward, a push being made against the building which he prepared to fall off of, throwing himself back onto the roof of a building opposite of the one that they had previously been fighting on top of. Still the impact wasn't anything that he cared to experience again, the roof sustaining a large crack where he impacted and his body aching from impact.

Standing up and dusting himself off, his hands were brought back together, his left hand holding his lightsaber up in a manner similar to the position he would have held it in under normal circumstances with both. A grin formed across his face as he continued to refuse to show signs of the pain the frequent blunt trauma he had sustained was inflicting upon him. "You're a third rate duelist.. If it wasn't for you hiding behind the force you'd be long dead.. Just like a long line of Jedi to come before you.." Jorath mocked, his perripheral vision set upon the Droid chassis he had been attacked with while keeping his vision mostly focused on the Jedi.

"Why do you think your order keeps getting destroyed?.. Is it because you people won't do what's necessary to survive.. Or maybe it's because you're all so painfully weak.. I mean it could be both.."

Lifting up from the ground, the very droid which he had had thrown at him was projected toward the back of Kai's head, the Sith putting on his own display of the force.

"It's not like it matters.. It always plays out the same in the end I suppose.."

 

[Asinine Soup]

A quick slip of an aggressor's wrist sends the attempted grapple redirected and the man's face being slammed into the bar in a very non-cordial, colloquial manner. The red-head was, indeed, the cause of this unprecedented display of combat as robing flickers and a groan escapes the lips of the poor man whom was forced to form an intimate relationship with the bartop; he flickers into unconsciousness as a certain rise of volume emits within the cantina.

Music stops, jeers rise, and the individual's two companions leaps from their seats - who wouldn't be pissed if their plan didn't go according to plan and a scrawny, pretty red-head just allowed their partner-in-crime's introduction to a relationship with a bona fide durasteel tabletop. One pulls a vibroblade, the other a blaster pistol...
"Come, now, boys," Lillieth murmurs, hands shown outward as though submissive, "Don't want to make a bigger mess than what's already present, right?" She chuckles, but as the two large men begin stepping forward, the redhead frowns lightly, grin dissipating as she, too, backs away to make space, crowd clearing as no one seemed to be to worried about an impending, violent fight.
And give up on the chance to see some excitement on this drab, desert world?...No way.

With a pivot, Lillieth rushes out and dips through the crowd, the two "gentlemen" spinning right after her as she heads out of the open arch doorway of the place of entertainment. This was her second brawl in a random place of entertainment...damn those odds. And not counting the one on Coruscant. "That one hardly qualifies..." Lillieth bantering with her conscience.

The man with the vibroblade rushes forth as the other holds his weapon out at the doorway, threatening to shoot as his team-mate snatches at Lillieth's shoulder, forcing a spin in posture - though, in a blur, the man would (sadly) loose his hand. A *snap* resonates about the open space as the shadows of two blade-battling individuals appear n the ground, their source atop the cantina as the female Sith twists the hand out of socket and snaps its bone, using her aggressor's force against her as he lands in the dust with a groan and yelp. He was surely in pain, and the team-mate behind with a blaster drawn wasn't happy about it at all...
As he gains his sightlines, he intended fully to put a blaster bolt within the scrawny girl...

"More trouble than yer' worth..." he groans.
Lillieth blinks up, eyes widening as she realized she was...a tad too late.

A shot rings through the air.

A groan resounds through the air, though not from Lillieth, no...but from he whom held the weapon! He crumbles to the dust of the doorway, the friendly barmaiden holding a low-grade sidearm held outward as it's revealed she, surely, saved a life today.
The one whom looked familiar..--

Jorath? Held a keen resemblance to her partner!...Speaking of which, those shadows.
As Lillieth's eyes shine their thanks to the woman whom held a 'no violence at my cantina' look upon her face, an amber gaze rises to the roof.

Jorath...speak of the devil, he shall appear, right? Of course...always getting into trouble.
The barmaiden walks to check on the status of the fallen man on the ground, then peers up...following this peculiar girl's leer unto the roof of her building.

Her face appears rather awe-struck, confirming Lillieth's intuition.
"J...Jorath?" she murmurs in shock, longing, a hint of depth in her tone.

 

[Ral]

Sighing at the belligerence of his opponent, Kai dropped his lightsaber into the Niman low guard he had seen Lutomi use when training together. His shoulders were sore, but the adrenaline in his veins and the Force around him push pushed him past the immediate pain for the time being. "I'm a third rate duelist? How ironic, I didn't realize that being big and hitting things like a barbarian made you an expert in swordsmanship." The retort held a mocking laugh accompanied by a sharp wit that was meant to do little more than infuriate his opponent. "Also, you have yet to see me put my own blade work to use my friend, and if all you're going to do is try and swing yours around then maybe the Sith should have just sent a combat droid." Kai spoke quickly as a sly smirk fell over his lips, the Sith was sure to find his words more than irritating. "I mean, maybe if you had focused on things besides being a brute and used the Force more instead this fight might have been over by now., but then again the Sith just don't seem like the type." He knew plenty of Sith did in fact focus on the Force but something about the brute before him made Kai feel that his pride was a prime factor in his ability to stay focused, and if he could dissuade his focus then Kai would be in the upper hand.

Kai wasn't sure what the Sith was doing throwing his own weapon at him, as if he didn't expect such an attack, much less sense it, or hear it. Destroyed metal scratching against itself as it gets picked up by an unseen force isn't exactly quiet. If Jorath tried to redirect the droid's shell Kai would defend himself with his blade or just use the Force to stop it.

Inhaling sharply, Kai focused his mind as he reached out in the Force. He could feel everything around him, all the junk and scrap, the sand and dust, even the Sith across the street. Feeling the Sith's mind, Kai wormed his way back into Jorath's mind once again using his telepathic powers. Kai encountered more resistance this time, enough that he had to work on entering the Sith's mind; there was a lot of rage and hate in this Sith's mind, Kai could feel it through the Force, it made the connection strenuous and uncomfortable for the Jedi to maintain. The teenager didn't know how long he would be able to maintain the link, but Kai knew he had to do something to quell this man's hate.

"You have so much hate inside you... you see the Galaxy as backwards and cruel. Otherwise I don't know why you would want to join the Sith's bloody order of death destruction and villainy. They are the Order who create orphans with their senseless killing and destruction. Just look at what they did to their allies the Mandalorians just because they would not bend the knee! I wonder where this stems from? Let me show you what it could be like if you used your abilities for good instead of letting them corrupt you." Kai tried to say through the telepathic link. Then with even more focus and thought, with more willpower than he had used to enter the Sith's mind at first, Kai attempted to forcibly project images of his life into this Sith's mind. This was an ability that the Padawan had only attempted on a few others besides his master, it combined telepathy with a variation of illusions to mentally project images instead of words. But, being that he was the student of one of the few Jedi Masters who had mastered both Telepathy and Illusion abilities, Kai felt confident enough in his abilities to try it now. Kai started with images of him and his mother.

Kai and his mother were enjoying a quiet moment as she showed him the pictures of his family and discussed his ancestry. Images of his life growing up with his mother and how she cared for him as he became older. Next, there was an image of Kai training with Master Lutomi before she took him on as an apprentice, she laughed as she encouraged him onwards with his training. Then there was a scene of Kai in a restaurant with a beautiful red-skinned girl, Kess, and a young blue-skinned girl, Jade, laughing and talking. After that, Kai projected his memories of training with Master Von, another red-skinned Zeltron and how she encouraged him as she put him through the ringer. Later it changed to Kai and Jade trying to survive together in a cave with a snow storm outside. Lutomi appeared again as they fought to survive on a space station against a horde of beasts while being unable to feel the Force. Then Kai comforting his master when she realized her own master had been captured by the Sith. Images of Kai and Kess laughing as they practiced their Force Abilities in an open grassy field passed by followed by Kai fighting another Jedi Knight with his master watching close by, looking on approvingly.

With that the barrage of images would end. Kai was unsure what he was able to Force into the Sith's head and what he was able to block out, but he was sure he had tried for he strained to maintain the link and project the images for as long as he could. Kai had hoped that most of it would have gotten through though. For they all had something in common. It showed the bonds of friendship, love, and trust that he had developed. It showed the Sith that there was another option, another path. Kai couldn't guess how the Sith would respond. He hoped for the best, but assumed the worst, and, just as he had been doing for the whole time, kept his guard up, eyes open, and senses feeling; ready to react should the Sith have a volatile response to the goodness that had just been shown him.

 

[Viabuck]

Jorath didn't take the bait in this instance, instead simply offering a roll of his eyes and a casual twirl of his own lightsaber in response, a bored look upon his face.

"And maybe if you tried growing a pair of testicles and fighting like a man, maybe people would take you seriously.. It looks like we both have lots of room for improvement.." Jorath snarked before hearing a familiar voice a short distance away. Turning and abruptly taking notice of the woman standing near the Cantina, he froze up for but an instant before immediately shifting his attention over to the boy again. He couldn't afford to acknowledge his mother in this situation. While he didn't expect a Jedi would target someones mother, he didn't want to take that chance either. He needed to keep the attention centered on himself

Suddenly feeling an intrusion of another person attempting to pry into his mind, the behemoth would let out a low growl. If his mind was being invaded it at least meant the focus was on him and thus he wouldn't put forth any resistance beyond his natural aggression which made his mind a less than pleasant place for most people who weren't particularly like minded.

As yet another lecture was crammed into his mind, he stood there, continuously adjusting his fingers grip upon the hilt of the lightsaber, a look of extreme agitation still very clearly etched upon his face in that moment. He was being told about the evils of the Sith? Being told that they made orphans? Being bombarded with images of people he didn't know? Being shown how happy they were? Was this supposed to mean anything to him? Who was this Jedi and why did he presume to know what it was that the Sith ultimately wanted from his life... None of this meant anything.. All it did was add fuel to the fire.

"You arrogant, presumptuous twat.." Jorath spoke after a few moments, his body visibly trembling with anger, his veins beginning to become more pronounced as his brown eyes slowly shifted to a far more dangerous looking gold coloration. "Do you -honestly- think Jedi are the only ones that have those little moments?.. The only ones that have friends?... Family?.. You act like your outdated ideals are the only way to create peace.. You... WORTHLESS... CLOSE MINDED... WEAKLING!"

Taking off running once again, the Acolyte would leap from his roof onto the next, continuing to charge straight at Kai, his body once again fueled by the darkside which had seemingly completely engulfed him in that moment. As he neared Kai, his saber would be lashed downward at an angle, taking notice of Kai's love of dodging low, clearly wanting to take that away from him. Of course should the boy attempt to make a dodge following this, a palm was thrust forward, a sudden outpouring of the force being projected at the Jedi intending to fling him back just as he had had done to him over the course of the battle.

"WORTHLESS HYPOCRITE!" Jorath snarled, continuing to fall deeper into the rage that he had given himself over to in spite of the physical toll it was beginning to take upon his body. In that moment, he just wanted to make the Jedi and his pointless rhetoric go away while at the same time protecting his mother who he had identified as standing alongside his partner.