[ASK] Meeting a second hopeful

[Sirocco]

The jedi had been taking multiple padawans in the order for as long as any one could remember so long as they could handle them. No longer were the jedi limited by the amount of disciples one could take under their wing and was even encouraged for those who were able to teach the ways of the light. Being one of the few jedi to have trained multiple jedi at once, some times as much as 5 at once in his classes, Raleigh was comfortable that taking two dedicated padawans was not much of a problem. All Raleigh needed to do was remember well his method of teaching and patience and all would set course smoothly from there.

Looking at the data he downloaded about his padawan in his pad, Raleigh looked at her information and meditated on how she would be trained. Raleigh believed that a dedicated master would do their best to cater their training for their padawan in a way to tap into the padawan's optimal learning style. Any one so self absorbed to believe the padawan had to force themselves to train how the teacher wanted had no business teaching in the first place. That was not to say Raleigh would not be strict and tough with his padawan, he was going to put her through the training of her life, but no one was similar and every one had their ways of learning.

Having sent Khelsea's info, Raleigh did see something he did not like, minor but it was something perhaps he could train her out of. Raleigh believed in loyalty and family even though he never had a real one to begin with, he instead expressed it on his padawans in all forms he could. He never let his padawans go into missions or situations they were not ready for and supported them all the way when they where ready. Hopefully Khelsea would deem Raleigh 'worthy' of her loyalty although such mind sets had led many jedi to a horrible end.

Raleigh waited for Khelsea on a room of the jedi safe house, ready to start on his normal evaluations he had always used with padawans. Before him was a small box with jedi tools not seen in such a good shape sines the era of Tython from were he got them from for training. Raleigh would first put the young lady through an opening test to see her understand of the force and the jedi ways before beginning their first lessons. Even when She already knew some knowledge of the force, her first impression would tell Raleigh how they would start. Raleigh has never done anything different with his padawans assessments and he would not start today.

He did hope she was not the possessive type seeing she was going to share him with another padawan.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

It was no coincidence that both Knight Rane and Watchmaster Orlaan had suggested for her to request her own master after their short training sessions together on Naboo. She had plans for her own future, but sound advice was to be followed and no further urging was required. After acquiring contact with the Jedi Order and submitting her request, it took less than two weeks for her to receive news of her acceptance as Knight Raleigh's apprentice. She knew very little of him. However, she had no doubt of his strengths, and the title of "Knight" was nothing to scoff at. Khelsea only hoped that he had high expectations of her, as her skills were lacking and she knew nothing short of intense training would be enough to catch up to others her age and make up for many years of mostly neglecting the ways of the Force. She knew she had improved though. Even after a quick training session with Knight Rane, she had seen how she had better control of her abilities. Afterward, she began to practice on her own, and then joined Watchmaster Orlaan's group training, which was followed by more practice on her own during the time she was awaiting news from the Jedi Order.

Before arriving at the Jedi safe house, Khelsea checked over her hair, washed her face, applied a light amount of makeup which was just enough to hide the dark circles under her eyes from her lack of sleep during the last few nights, and double-checked her belongings. While she realized that being a Jedi was not about her appearance, it had become habitual after a lifetime as part of an upper class family in Naboo. Whether it had been at school or social events, as long as it included interaction with others, it was almost always expected of her to look her best. It was only during athletic competitions when where it was the norm to abolish all unnecessary beauty enhancements, as these events were matches of physical prowess rather than beauty.

As she walked into the building, several Jedi looked over Khelsea apprehensively, as was expected. These were trying times for the Jedi, and there were rarely new faces within the safe house. Such occasions were likely to be remembered well and further scrutinized for security reasons. She hoped they would warm up to her soon enough though, being a new member of a well established organization with a long history with no real friends would be tough. Her bright mind and well mannered personality usually shone through, and she was confident that given time, this would be the case here as well.

A rather silent girl she was not introduced to guided her to a small room. He told her that Raleigh was waiting inside and to enter when she was ready. Taking a deep breath, she gently eased the sliding door open.

 

[Sirocco]

No padawan had ever gotten the drop on Raleigh the girl had done at that moment speaking volumes of her unique mentality that she had brought as she came in. Most of the time padawans were so exited, rowdy, determined, scared or nervous which made them so easy to spot that Raleigh was able to spot them in the force miles away with out even looking for them. He could have sensed Khelsea coming sure, but he was not looking for her and her well disciplined focus she learned as a noble with high expectations made her force signature serine. It was only when she was right outside the door that she could sense her in his relaxed state and so turned around to meet the young lady.

Looking at her perfectly kept looks and royal Naboo make up made her look like a beautiful and delicate porcelain doll and a perfect little girl any guy would love to be with. That would not due for the majority of her training, she was here to become a jedi and not a princess but something told him she was hoping for such mentality. Raleigh did not care how you looked or how fine your clothes were and in fact he thought against it due to their expensive qualities in training and battle. She was free to wear them if she chose in very formal occasions not threatened by battle but all he would ask of her is to keep her saber cleaned and mind disciplined.

Meeting Khelsea in the room was a man towering over her more then a foot and with trued and true muscles backing a solid yet swift offensive and defensive mentality. Raleigh had discovered long time ago that being a jedi with powerful use of the force did not have to lack physical strength and developed techniques of meditations for his needs. Developing a intense physical and mental meditation as well as practicing the more relaxed meditations wile farming or taking care of his armor, Raleigh always kept his mind and body as tough as Beskar. Perhaps she would love to learn some in time but it seemed that by comments from other masters that she was rather under developed in her jedi training due to her circumstances. That never stopped any one from becoming great and only made her merit greater if she was up to the challenge. The tall and powerful looking jedi gave her a smile and looked her over with his sapphire blues as he thought the make up and formal clothing would have to go in the future. Walking over to her and bowing down to her as an equal, a rare gesture in the order it seemed this days, he was ready to begin.

"Welcome Khelsea, please make your self at home and sit down so we can begin our beginning assessment" Raleigh simply said before walking back over to the box and sit on a chair he telekineticly pulled over with out moving body part. Ready when she was, he waited for her to sit down as he treated her no different then how he treated any one else, a gesture she likely appreciated or disliked as Naboo nobility. Ironically enough, she was not the only royal padawan he had taken under his wing so he had some experience with nobility.

Looking at her with a simple but warm smile, Raleigh crossed his fingers as he relaxed as the assessment began the second she sat down "When you are ready please respond; What do you think is the force, what is your personal and intimate understanding with the force?" waiting patiently as if he had all the time in the galaxy, he waited for her to respond after meditating deeply on the question. To be honest, Raleigh really hoped she would not bring up the official definition, he wanted something truly intimate and personal as an answer and nothing text book.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Khelsea stood at the doorway and looked at Raleigh. Being relatively short, she was used to being in the presence of taller humans. However, even by just seeing him in a sitting position, Khelsea could tell Raleigh would tower over her when standing. To her, that was of no concern. She was more intrigued by what type of teacher he would be. There were many different teaching styles, and different types of teachers. Strict teachers, friendly teachers, teachers who relied on humor, teachers who demanded respect, teachers who earned respect through their actions, teachers who were invested into giving the student the best possible education, and incompetent teachers. In fact, the best teachers were multifaceted and were capable of different teaching styles depending on both the situation and the student involved. For herself, she fond she learned best from teachers whom she connected well with, which usually results in mutual respect and an enjoyable relationship.

In fact, it was quite the unique start to a new student-teacher relationship. She was quite sure he knew more about her than she knew about him. Interestingly enough, there was no self introduction, but Raleigh opened with a pop quiz of sorts. The question was easy enough to answer, but Khelsea knew immediately it wasn't about the textbook answer. She was pretty sure almost everybody in the Order and even some of the more well-read populace in the galaxy would know the answer. Luckily, she had prepared an answer unlike other times she was asked the question.

Khelsea walked slowly towards the seat indicated by her new master. The act of slowing down was natural to her. Over her years of schooling, she had learned many techniques to give herself a few extra seconds to think. These seconds were usually vital, and depending on the situation, the extra time helped her formulate noteworthy answers or gave her time to fabricate a believable story. These techniques included slowing her pace or speech to gave herself more time, taking a small sip of water between listening to a question and producing an answer, or responding with statements such as "that's a good question" in order to buy herself more time.

Sitting down comfortably, Khelsea answered the question in what she hoped to be a quick and concise answer. "Well, Jedi exist to defend and protect the peace of the galaxy, and seek to serve others while improving themselves through knowledge and training. I'm sure everyone interprets the code a little bit differently. For me personally, I strive for self-improvement both physically and mentally. Without proper training, I feel a Jedi would be unable to serve or protect efficiently."

As she waited for his response, she wondered if he would introduce himself, explain his qualifications, or even ask for her introduction eventually.

 

[Sirocco]

Raleigh noticed that he had started things all wrong, likely a side effect of being taken by surprise resulting in a bit of an embarrassed question. Moving so that he could give her a more proper salute along with bowing down, Raleigh maintained a warm smile wile maintaining eye contact "My apologies for not introducing myself, I hope you can forgive my foolish moment. My name is Raleigh and its an honor to be your master" Raleigh said as he meditated on her answer to his question.

The question was one that had no wrong answer as long as the answer was well thought out and healthy. In a way she was right and in a way she was wrong; she unwittingly answered a question he was going to ask her after the one of the force. Fixing his posture, Raleigh soon began to telekinetic open the box in front of him with out moving a muscle as he pulled out a cube and slowly rotated it in mid air "Interesting answer lady Khelsea and more interestingly that you gave an answer for my next question. How ever as stated, your answer did not answer my first question; what do you think is the force, what is it you feel and see and think when you allow the force to flow through you as you become one with it? What is your personal, intimate belief of the force's nature?" Raleigh asked again wile remaining as friendly and open to her ideas, he wanted to get to know her in all forms so he could know if she was one step ready for knighthood or if she needed help.

Raleigh assessed her body postures and movement moments before as she moved, seeing her move with perfect graze of water. Khelsea's build was thin but graceful and determined, he could already see how he would train her to be like water on the calm lake so she could dance around the troubles of like like a leaf on the mid summer breeze. She would move like a beautiful butterfly and stink like a hornet wile not only becoming untouchable but unmovable if she chose. As she followed him through life's tribulations, they would learn to even protect the mind from the darkness that creep across the galaxy, to become unshakable.....true fortresses of the mind. She was sure different from another noble he had trained in the jedi ways but Raleigh was confident training her and teaching her to trust him would not be impossible.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

(O.O.C. - Merry Christmas!!!)

Khelsea was taken aback at being called "lady". Sure, she had rubbed elbows with royalty occasionally during parties and networking events, but her family did not have a single drop of royal blood in them. Yes, they were most definitely the social elite of Naboo, also known as the upper-class. But traditionally, the Vongs' closest circle of connections were mostly the elite merchants and top business people on the planet. This circle may extend to scholars, governors, and famous celebrities, but rarely did Khelsea have the chance to fraternize with royalty.

The young Padawan noticed Raleigh examining her actions and wondered if he was giving her his version of "the princess treatment". Making sure not to come off as standoffish or arrogant, she tactfully manufactured a small statement which would ensure no further misunderstandings about her family's background would take place between her and Raleigh. She decided to add this to the end of her response to Raleigh's question, which she had apparently answered in an unsatisfactory manner just moments ago.

Finding Raleigh's restated question a little more clear than before, Khelsea tried to answer again. "Well, the Force is the power which resides in all living things. For me personally, I feel like it enhances both my mental and physical abilities, but only when my mind is clear and I have prepared myself. Over time, I have noticed that the Force only allows me to do things that I truly believe I can do. Personally, I feel it's kind of intangible at times, to be honest." She was not very sure if this answer would satisfy Raleigh, but her experiences have so far been limited mostly to a few training sessions per summer, and two quick training classes within the last month. Pausing for a breath, she continued. "Raleigh sir, I'm not sure if you are just exceptionally polite or there has been a misunderstanding or error on the profile submitted to you. But regardless, I am not royalty and there is no need to bestow the title of 'lady' upon me. Thank you for being so well mannered though!"

 

[Sirocco]

Raleigh laughed to himself at how foolish he seemed, first impressions and he was already doing badly but he was learning how she wanted to be treated. It was obvious she wanted to be treated like a padawan and a normal person with ambitions and not like a princess she was clearly so done in being treated like. Raleigh was very polite and kind and his goal was to make her feel welcome and not privileged, the latter apparently being the topic of her vexing.

"you welcome and I am sorry for the misunderstanding. I bow to every one the same no matter rank or social standing. Your social past at this point will be discarded and you will no longer be expected to use any formal attire and make up for multiple reasons" Raleigh mentioned as he was going to pick things up from here and not allow himself to get under her skin even though he never wished for her irritation in the first place.

Moving to her answer, it seemed she viewed the force as simply a tool although he may be misunderstanding "The force is all around us and it is what gives us our power and our life. We are part of the force and it is only when we understand our relationship with our eternal friend that we jedi reach one step closer to our apex. To the sith, it is but a tool to enslave and control, a folly that continues to turn them into decaying monsters of destruction as their corruption of the force around them corrupts their mind and flesh in turn. The great irony of the sith and their quest for immortality is that it is impossible for them for a jedi who has allowed themselves to be free of all corruption and trouble can become something much more in life and even in death. It is the ability to transcend death and keep our identity freely that truly embodies the last of the code's mantras; there is no death, there is the force. As the body's of the sith decay and fall apart the deeper the immerse in the dark side, a jedi's body and mind can last for decades and retain its youthfulness 4 times as normal because it is the lightside of the force that sustains and empowers us" Raleigh spoke of the truth that was the force and the sides conflict has created "under my guidance, you will not only surpass your expectations and achieve things on instinct but you will be able to achieve things well beyond your imagination; to crush stone with your bare hands, the triple your body's capabilities and even to become an unmovable and incorruptible object against your enemies."

Her early recitation of what she believed was the jedi way, a question that was going to be asked after the question of the force, was a little short but it was to be expected. "The next thing a jedi must know is the way of the jedi; the codes and the eight fold path. Even though the code of Odan-Urr is the chosen code for knighthood, it is important to know all other disciplines of the mind" Raleigh took a data pad from his tool box with the codes already set for her to read as he have her the opportunity to recite her understanding of the jedi way "your first answer seemed to fit more into my second question, feel free to accept this so you can study because we will review it in the future so meditate well on this truths" Raleigh spoke as he knew she needed some polishing on her knowledge if she wanted to pass her philosophical aspects of her knighthood test, at least when she gained a more healthy grasp of the force and the jedi way.

He assumed she already knew Shii Cho so he would not touch into it unless she wished to, many padawans seemed to dismiss the form but that was its beauty. Because many dismissed Shii Cho, they would not expect a master of the form to oppose them and would be taken by surprise and being a form of simplicity made it an easy form to bank on when all other options failed. For a soresu padawan, Shii Cho was their sword as Soresu was their shield and it was a perfect form to implement into one's blade work in this times of war.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Khelsea's first impressions of Raleigh were a little underwhelming to say the least. Granted, it may not have been his fault that there was a mix-up with the profile the Jedi had sent him. Nor was it his fault that in what seemed to be eagerness, he forgot to initiate a proper introduction. Although it did irk her slightly, Khelsea dismissed these and hoped for the best. If this was to be a functional long-term relationship, there was no point creating negative feelings over something such as temporary social awkwardness. Besides, she knew there were many species and many different traditions across the galaxy, where a greeting in one language or a polite gesture in one culture could be totally offensive in another. Additionally, he seemed quite knowledgeable about the Force, and confident in his ability to train her in many different aspects of the Force.

Accepting the datapad, she flipped through the first few pages of the document, visually scanning for anything which stood out. She would read it more in depth later, when she was on her own. Remembering the code and the Eightfold Path wouldn't be difficult, but being able to personalize it and have it mean something to herself would take some time. In the meantime, she did have a question regarding her schedule as Raleigh's newly accepted Padawan.

"Raleigh, I was wondering if there would be any free time between training to pursue individual interests or goals? I don't mean to sound uninterested or undedicated, but I have actually signed up for training classes with other Jedi Knights and Masters prior to being accepted as your Padawan and given permission, I may do so in the future if I have interest and feel that such training would benefit me. Given some free time, I might also gain a lot of knowledge and practical skills from taking classes outside of Jedi training, and things like that. Perhaps I can go home once in a while as well. Most importantly, I will definitely require time to work out to maintain my fitness, and practice various techniques which I haven't perfected yet. And this isn't an immediate concern as my lightsaber skills aren't great, but I haven't had the chance to build my own lightsaber yet."

 

[Sirocco]

On second thought, it would probably be prudent to test her in her Shii Cho and Soresu applications seeing she did have limited experience. Pulling out a training saber from his robes and presenting it to her, Raleigh listened to her intently, If he could read her mind exactly, he would have thought the irony of her distaste of being given the princess treatment when she asked for perfection. Thinking that extending her training with other jedi was ideal, she would likely not need to half the time and seeing how limited she was in her training, she would have to earn her freedom to go home.

She was not the little girl of her over protective and loving parents, she was an older jedi padawan and was now on jedi boot camp. Weather she liked it or not, she would her the treatment and training she asked for and she will be dirty and sore most of the time and in turn busy. They would catch her up to her contemporary one way or another.

"You may attend to your applied classes and obtain knowledge from different jedi although I suspect you will not have to half the time. Concerning your fitness is not a problem as you will get plenty with me in our hard training ahead although learning abilities outside the jedi discipline is also a good idea. I am going to be honest, I am going to work you very hard to get you caught up, you will be drilled on your lessons to the point of reflex and your physical training will be such that you will be sore most of the time so I advise meditation and proper baths. Wile I forbid you to take parts in missions at this moment until I am confident of your abilities, I plan to take you on a lot of difficult missions when you are ready. Having seen you glide and move so well with your actions, I planned to teach you the more graceful and accuracy demanding disciplines, how ever, If you find this aggravating to you for personal reasons, I am more then happy to strength train you for my personal forms. Be advised that you will likely see your family very little from now on, your visits only being from well earned resting periods after I have determined your strides in improvement. From this moment forward, your past no longer matters and the only things you are required to do no from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep is meditation, sleep, nourishment and maintaining your future light saber clean" Raleigh spoke with a teacher's seriousness as his kindness seemed to be failing her left and right, opting for a little more strict approach. She did not want to be treated like a princess? That would could be perfectly arranged.

On to the topic of her lightsaber, she would build one if and when she was ready, she would sense her crystal calling to her in their travels and use it to build her weapon. Raleigh already had everything a jedi needed to crate and and maintain a lightsaber from many different parts to a whole crate of different crystals, some being so rare that they were impossible to get.

Even if you could find their respective places, one needed to know were to look, Even what was left of Alderaan still held some gifts in the asteroids. Every day Raleigh counted his blessings on how he got his crystals just in time before the core went to hell.

looking at Khelsea, Raleigh took a deep breath as his welcoming smile hardened a bit "any questions? I would like to see how well you are at your light saber forms before we start training."

 

[Veloster Turbo]

As the minutes passed, Raleigh was slowly turning out to be a teacher who was demanding. However, he seemed to have little regard for obtaining Khelsea's respect or admiration, and expected her to do whatever she was told. While she shared a mutual respect with many different teachers of non-Force related subjects during school, this was a different situation. Her grasp of the subject was lacking, and the most important thing was that he was willing to train her and expected great things from her. That was what she wanted, knowing she had lots to work on in order to catch up and surpass others her age. There were a few misunderstandings here and there, but being raised in different circumstances on different planets would cause that in most cases. In fact, it didn't irritate her at all that he misunderstood her intentions or how she felt about the upcoming training or home. Having lived on school grounds for the majority of her life, being away from home wasn't unusual. She would do as she was told, and make sure she excelled at everything she was taught. Coaches were generally hard on their athletes, and she had experienced both the extended periods of harsh training, and thrill of victory from the produced results. She was looking forward to the training, waiting to soak up the lesson material like a sponge; hopefully to one day become a person both Jedi and non-Force users would admire.

The idea of being graceful in combat was lovely. It wasn't that she didn't crave beauty or gracefulness, almost all women do - at least to some degree. However, she was born with a natural grace many other girls envied, and even with a bare face she could be considered beautiful, or at the very least, cute. Khelsea was more than aware of this. But she sought to be noticed for things other than physical beauty as well, such as being well-mannered, well-spoken, knowledgeable, and successful. What Raleigh originally mentioned about a graceful lightsaber form would suit her nicely.

"My strengths definitely don't lie in my physical prowess. I've always relied on technique and intensity rather than power, and brute force has never really been appealing. So, I feel the first style of lightsaber combat would suit me perfectly."

She ignited the training lightsaber, and assumed a stance which felt natural to her.

"What would you like me to do?"

 

[Sirocco]

Raleigh knew or hoped that he could find the best training method and personality that fit her needs perfectly, a method he hoped to find as their training went. This time around teaching, the force seemed to have offered him a pair of padawans that would seem to be difficult. Padawans like this were welcome as Raleigh welcomed the challenge and it would help him grow as a teacher. His first padawan was difficult because his lessons of patience and serenity did not seem to stick and he was over eager to go to missions after just becoming a jedi. Raleigh knew that one day he would be able to reach to him and heal his internal pains so that he could learn to let patience and serenity.

Khelsea was another type of difficult, she was difficult to read and she did not express her full emotions due to her upbringing of not talking out of turn. Raleigh hoped to get to know her and find the way she would respond to best in their training so that he could become what he truly hoped: the best teacher for her. Raleigh rarely spend a lot of time with nobles and royalty and had little experience with their ways so Raleigh had a bit of his task cut out for him. Raleigh grew up and lived in an environment were people were honest and they showed it, were their hearts showed and people just had fun and were competed with each other. Raleigh smiled warmly at the memory of easy times he had in Zeltros and later in Tython.

Hopefully they could learn to be great master and student.

Raleigh smiled at her as she expressed her preference in light saber combat nodding at her points and corrections which he openly accepted. Pulling out a training saber from his robes, he ignited the tool in turn and assumed a neutral form of his own with his legs spread slightly and the saber extended in front of him "as with all of my padawans, I want to see how your light saber ability has advanced sines you first picked up a training saber. I need to make sure you have at least a healthy grasp of Shii Cho and lightsaber use" Raleigh said as his stance was simple and relaxed, the very nature of Shii Cho.

It was sudden when he lounged at her with a stab to the chest with the safe training saber that their sparing began. With a mentality of simplicity, Raleigh's stab was just a front step jab in which he would back step again or follow up with an on predictable but simple swing from any direction.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Khelsea's raw technique was on display the moment Raleigh began the joust. The foundations of her saber form were not yet firmly established, and her fighting technique did not resemble any specific form. Instead, it was just the natural movements of someone defending themselves. On a positive note, she did have quick reactions and moved gracefully though, and years of athletic training and experience allowed her to stay calm and assess the situation while still parrying the jab aimed at her chest.

She stepped back and blocked upwards instinctively, sending Raleigh's stabbing motion in an upwards angular trajectory from the spot he originally aimed at. Having stepped back, she avoided any ill effects caused by redirecting his blow, and held her saber approximately eighteen inches in front of body with her arms slightly bent, waiting for his next move.

 

[Sirocco]

Little did she knew that she was doing fine, Shii Cho was simplicity itself and it was based of the ancient arts of traditional sword fencing. The knowledge of traditional fencing could be integrated into Shii Cho as a base to lean on. s they fenced, Raleigh could see she had an understanding of fencing or at least a strong abilities to understand and employ such abilities with theoretical grace.

Raleigh continued his assault of Shii Cho after she had blocked his stab by using the momentum she gave his blade by quickly following it up with an upward arching strike to her left leg body zone and across her body following it up with a slash across from left to arm zones. "Shii Cho is graceful simplicity using traditional fencing as the base of its execution. Its teachings are the basics and introduction of light saber combat as well as the target points. Zone 1: head, Zone 2: right side and arm, zone 3: left arm and side, zone 4: chest and back, zone 5: right leg, zone 6: left leg. Take into mind this basic targets that encompass all possible enemies and blend them into your blade work. Shii Cho is also a form leaning on disarming so keep an eye on my light saber, try to disarm me with a well place power attack or a quick strike to my hand or wrist" Raleigh spoke in mid spar about a crash course on Shii Cho.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Parrying Raleigh's two strikes a little awkwardly, Khelsea digested his teachings during her defense. It was just a review the basics she had already known, and the explanation of where the different strike zones are located on a target. Watching Raleigh's lightsaber, she moved her forward swiftly and swung her training lightsaber quickly towards his head. She planned on disarming him by forcing him to block her blow, and while their blades were crossed, they would be in close proximity and she would either kick or strike his hand and force Raleigh to lose his grip on his weapon. He'd probably have something planned, but maybe her quick action could surprise him. Her saber techniques were lacking and she didn't have much experience fighting, so that was the best she could come up with in five seconds. Besides, it wasn't a life or death situation so now was the time to try strange and unorthodox techniques.

 

[Sirocco]

Raleigh did as she predicted and blocked her saber directing to his head as he followed a simple mentality catered for Khelsea's growth. Fighting with a padawan mentality, he refrained from more advanced and clever tactics that he normally employed in battle and instead took her application head on. It was this simplified execution of the simplistic form that made made him unprepared unprepared for her kick to his hand. As his pained hand let go of the saber, it was by reflex that he would force push her back and call his saber back to his hand but he restrained himself for her sake. She was learning fast but there was till a lot to learn and he could have easily taken advantage of her kick he was fighting in earnest.

If he was fighting at his fullest dueling execution, he would have catch'd her leg and yanked her off balance in one powerful motion to come crashing head first to the ground. Being a but of a softy for woman, he would have probably dashed his leg forward so that she would have landed on his lap or telekinetic grab her before she fell which would probably be the better option.

No matter the outcome the lecture would continue the same as her execution was doomed to fail simply because she was far smaller then him when attempting such a direct tactic "good, your move was decent but you should not use it as you did. I am far stronger and bigger than you so you would had failed if I intercepted your kick. With your balance compromised by the kick and my stronger physic, you would have been done for in a real fight. Kicks are strong but unbalanced and easily blocked and countered. As you move to disarm or engage some one like me, don't take them on head on, instead try to maneuver my defense like a dejarg game by setting me up and using tactics to attack me from an angle set by you to strike from were I cant retaliate" Raleigh spoke as some one like him was not some one some one like her wanted to meet face to face, instead a more indirect and calculated approach was probably the best course of action to bypass his fortress of a body....to become unpredictable and keep him guessing until an opening she could safely exploit was open to her.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Khelsea responded, hoping to see a practical example of what Raleigh had just explained to her. The combination of auditory learning and visual learning would enhance the education experience, resulting in quicker results.

"I just figured you'd outlast me in extended combat anyways, and you would be able to beat me easily regardless. Can you please demonstrate an example of what you just explained? Obviously I'm not as good as you, but if its okay with you, I'll try to defend and you can demonstrate an example of disarming your opponent with calculated movements."

Assuming a defensive position, Khelsea waited for Raleigh to display what he wished her to learn.

 

[Sirocco]

His explanation was for some one smaller and more agile then he was so it seemed that what she asked for would be a bit more difficult for him "do not assume anything is permanent because you are just beginning your training. You have yet to meet your full potential but do not allow that to discourage you but refrain from kicks unless your absolutely sure you can feel an opening in the force" Raleigh said as he raised his saber in a neutral position and accepted the challenge, being stronger then her, a well place power attack would easily disarm her but that was not the aim.

Stepping forward with his frontal foot, Raleigh executed a weakened slash across from her left shoulder to the right as he used less straight then usable to level the plain field. What he had in plan to show her was to prod her defenses with multiple attacks from different locations wile continuing his food work until he could see an opening he could exploit. Doing his best to employ the tactics he spoke of due to his large figure, he would avoid straight frontal assaults or rushed attacks to end the fight quickly.

He only needed to maneuver his saber and himself to nick her wrist or force her saber out of her hand or strike at the right place.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

Khelsea had in fact hoped to find an opening while Raleigh was probing her in order to disarm him properly this time. However, that was a secondary concern. Her main focus was to use his example of what would be a better strategy, and analyze it on her own later in her free time.

Parrying Raleigh's slash she swung at his frontal leg, hoping that it would unbalance him and give her a chance to attack again. Remembering what he had just lectured her on about staying on balance, she would either attack his leg area again if he stepped backwards to throw him off balance, or depending on where his blade was, she would swing at his body for the same effect. If her swing was blocked, she would continue defending and either eventually be disarmed by her master, or look for further opportunities to achieve her secondary goal.

 

[Sirocco]

"your previous tactics were strong against those of lighter and less sturdy build then I. Wile I am a bigger target, I have also conditioned myself to be a moving fortress. To bring me down, you must think outside the box, to apply sokan which is the art of using your environment to your advantage and to control the match as you see fit. In conflict, a duel or a combat is nothing but a distraction that stands in your way of victory. In a fight were you are pitted with equal or greater opponents, you must combat the distraction before you with an even bigger distraction. Try to play me, to maneuver me were you want me and need me so that I can be defenseless to your ambush" Raleigh said as he failed to the sparking feel of the training saber burn his thigh as he did step back to recover some ground.

As she kept an eye on his movements, so did he keep an eye on her body's ebb and flow of energy and movement and so contacted his training saber with her own. Staying with the modulated strength, he did not proceed to overpower her as he did with corned enemies smaller then he once he denied them all other options, he parried her saber to the left and then rushed at her momentary opening to demonstrate a pummel strike with the hilt to her face but with out contact. Just as he lectured to train herself to not fight bigger and stronger opponents head on, he lectured himself every day to take such mentality against smaller and quicker opponents.

She was learning well, she would become a fine knight one day.

 

[Veloster Turbo]

It had only taken him one stroke. There was still much for Khelsea to work on before she became proficient with her lightsaber. She did appreciate Raleigh's efforts to not physically harm her, saving her from wasting valuable time in a bacta tank.

"I don't suppose you'll be telling me what the weakness in your defense is? If anything, you still have to demonstrate for me. I'm obviously not a brick wall like you, but if you show me enough I can have something to build on. Would striking an opponent with my lightsaber hilt be a viable strategy? I feel like if the attempt is unsuccessful, it'll leave me open for a counter-attack."