Clarity: Karva Nise's Training

[FallenKeeper]

The sun shone down on Karva Nise as she meditated within the Jedi Temple's garden. Her attire was a sleeveless variant of the jedi garb, with brown dominating over a tan border. The red skin of her arms, face and lekku seemed to glow in the warm beams that shone down on her. Karva's expression was serene with a gentle smile warming her face and her normally kind eyes closed completely.

Spaced around her were piles of pebbles, stacked from largest to smallest going up. The padawan remained silent as she focused her senses and reached out with the force. The little towers rattled briefly as a warm breeze whooshed by. Their trembling ceased when Karva lifted them one by one with telekinesis. Energy flowed through her as well as the pebbles, levitating her off the ground a few centimeters as well.

Her goal was to maintain this state for as long as possible, until her Master would arrive. This was an exercise she performed often while at the temple to keep her centered and prepared. When she arrived years ago she learned to use the Force as an ally, not as a tool. The padawan dedicated herself to learning as much as she could so that she too could become a defender of the galaxy, not just the republic.

She had once been a slave, long ago, but had been rescued by a Jedi before she could be tainted by the dark future which awaited her. Karva remembered the weathered old face which had helped her escape, had recommended her acceptance into the Order. His eyes were soft and though beaten with age he seemed very lively as if something were prolonging his vigor.

Master Gern was what the others had regarded him as when he first brought the twi'lek child to Ossus. She rarely saw him after the day she'd been initiated, though he did visit from time to time to check on her progress. He was like a father to her, and she missed him somedays.

Her heart filled with sorrow as her emotional control faltered and she dropped on her bottom with a not-so graceful -whup-, pebbles scittered on the ground as supplement to her mistake.

But it wasn't a mistake to think of days long gone, she always found a nugget of wisdom from her memories. "Ee-yah," she exclaimed quietly in frustration and stood up. Quietly she hurried to collect the stones and reset them so that she could try again.

 

[GABA]

Knight Tak'n had been watching her padawan for a few moments, hiding her own presence in the Force. She could already tell her padawan had great patients. Rehni smiled pleased to see her trying again after losing focus. Rehni Tak'n walked forward and sat down across from the Twi'lek. She pulled the stones from the girl's own meditative pull and begun playing with them herself, "Karva, why is-ing its your stones fell? she asked referring to the padawan losing focus moments earlier.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Karva was surprised at the sudden tone of her new master's voice. The fact that she had not felt the human's presence made her more appreciative of the future lessons she could learn. To disguise one's presence was a valuable skill to have and one she secretly covetted.

Why did her stones fall? She wondered, was it the memories or the emotion that broke her concentration? In the end the padawan could only offer a "I lost my focus, I felt sad." There was no deeper insight into her words, the entire sentence was honest. Her meditation was interrupted as she opened her eyes and placed her hands at her sides.

She looked the human woman in the eyes. Karva pulled the Force into herself as she searched her feelings. To withold anything from her master would be wrong and detrimental to building trust. A smile brightened her face when she gained that bit of insight. "I remembered the one who brought me here. A kind Jedi Master. He rescued me from a Hutt. He was like a father to me."

 

[GABA]

Rehni nodded in understanding, "Emotions powerful." she told her in a calm voice, she understood her padawan, "Not-ing some of avoidance, awareness always, easy losing controlling of self." the Knight explained, "Time and places for emotions. Now-ing we train." she told the padawan, standing up and beckoning for her to follow her.

She stopped her at the door of the garden. It was busiest time of day when everyone was out and about. The halls were crowded. Rehni handed Karva a blindfold, "On putting." she said, "Force willing guide. Finding, following me." Rehni explained what she wanted her padawan to do, "Understanding?" she asked.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Emotions powerful. Her master's words were not new to Karva, but the reptition served to remind the padawan just how important they were. Fear, anger, hate, these all led to the dark side. She fought to keep herself humble, arrogance was unbecoming and Karva knew full well that at times she felt proud of her accomplishments over some students.

As Rehni stood so did Karva. When she beckoned the padawan followed. She would honor her master and heed her words carefully. The instruction she'd hoped for was about to begin and Karva could not hold back the pleased look on her face. Rehni stopped and turned to Karva, handing her a blindfold, "On putting." "Force willing guide. Finding, following me." "Understanding?"

Karva took the blindfold from Rehni and nodded in response. To allow the Force to guide her was not something new to the padawan, but she had never practiced the technique in the middle of a crowd. Her red fingers held the blindfold from each end and stretched it around her head, covering her eyes completely. She secured the cloth beneath her lekku and took a breath as she began to reach out with the Force, feeling for the locations of her master and the others of the crowd. "I am ready, Master."

 

[GABA]

Rehni purposely enhanced her presence in the Force so her student may pick out her signature above the others who crowded the halls. It was not an easy task though. As Karva would pass by her peers she would feel their odd looks and radiance of confusing emotion from them as well as a moment of hostility if she were to bump into them. The knight waited for the padawan to reach her before continuing on, this time not enhancing her presence and blending in with the crowd.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Karva breathed lightly as she strode through the crowd, both hands up tentatively to act as a brace in case she bumped into anyone or anything. She followed Rehni's presence as if it were a beacon leading her to port. The exercise was one the padawan felt confident in performing and though she could not see it she knew she was right behind Rehni.

Suddenly the presence disappeared from Karva's senses and she became confused. The sound of students speaking and walking only added to the difficulty of her task. Karva had to put the staccato of footsteps out of her mind and the chorus of conversation as well. She stood still for a moment and reached out with the Force. After a moment she felt the presence of her master and smiled before approaching, dodging bodies along the way.

 

[GABA]

For only a moment, she could feel her student's hesitation and it was when she would have suspected it too; Rehni waited patiently, she had confidence in her padawan. Rehni saw her padawan moving again as she approached the Knight. "Good." she told Karva, "Removing blindfold now."

Rehni continued to walk down the halls until they reached the training room. "Force sense, importanting." she stated, "Seeing, feeling others may not want. Basics alwaysings important, advantage." she paused, "Pushes, Pullings, basics, but are importanting." a storage container in the corner of the room opened and out flew a weighted ball, "Catch, but do notting catching." she explained as the ball came to Karva.

 

[FallenKeeper]

The light stung Karva's eyes for only a brief moment as she pulled the blindfol from her head and returned it to Master Rehni. The praise received was welcome and brought a sense of accomplishment to the twi'lek girl. At her beckoning Karva again followed Rehni, sight and the Force aiding her as she made her way through the throng of Jedi.

Karva's attention remained on Rehni as they entered the training room. It was a large room with a few baskets scattered around in various spots, each one filled with training equipment. A workbench at the far end had several practice sabers lined across for use by the younglings within the temple. Karva knew because she spent most of her life here and sometimes volunteered to aid in mentoring the younglings as part of a program to prepare padawans for the future of taking on an apprentice later on if they reached knighthood.

The words from her master were absorbed in Karva's mind, though this was a lesson she had undertaken many times as well. She got the suspicion that Rehni was testing her. And she accepted it. As the ball came at her Karva extended her right hand and channeled the Force through it. The orb halted in its tracks, suspended by Karva's will. She held on firmly and awaited her master's instruction.

 

[GABA]

There was a catch, more balls came, four more to be exact. It was simple to always focus on one object, but several, even the experienced had trouble focusing equal attention on all objects. She would need to balance her attention on all five spheres now.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Without the aid of her senses Karva Nise would have never noticed the other four spheres hurtling towards her. Maintaining her hold on the primary orb she extended her reach out to the rest. One came around her side but was held at bay as she brought her left hand up to focus the Force on it as well. She swept her arms to the side and netted the other three with little difficulty.

She made it clear she was well versed in telekinesis as all five balls came together and formed a cluster. With a furrowed brow she slowly pushed the objects away.

 

[GABA]

Rehni nodded, she watched her padawan carefully as she gained control of the spheres. She could feel the strength of the pull that her padawan had on the spheres and then took them herself. The orbs broke from Karva pull and orbited slowly around the Knight, she didn't need to raise a finger to keep them inline.

"Senses ising keen, sharp." replied Rehni as she complemented her, "Believing you dexterous too? Allows ofing quickness, fast, showing me." the orbs moved back to the storage box. She pulled out the blindfold again. "Showing me, putting blindfold on. You defending from me."

 

[FallenKeeper]

Karva's lekku twitched with anticipation as Rehni praised her. It felt nice to be rewarded for effort rather than berated by angry slavers. She nodded to her master and took the blindfold once more. Adjusting her lekku accordingly Karva once again donned the cloth and prepared herself for the next task.

Defending herself was something Karva rarely practiced, though she was capable with the lightsaber and some martial arts. It was much like dancing, at least to her it was. With that thought in mind she stook a stance with her feet apart at shoulder width and one arm outstretched while the other was held back ready to strike or parry. "I am ready, Master."

 

[GABA]

"Seeming vulnerable today without lightsabers." spoke the Knight, "Learning to fighting but without it?"

Rehni started the Melee without the aid of the Force, to warm up her padawan before she started to get tougher, "Listening mostly importanting. Nevering doubting." the knight moved silently around her padawan tapping parts of her arms, legs, lekku; to see how fast the padawan would react.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Karva matched her movements with the Knight's as strikes came in from all angles. She extended her senses through the Force. Every current of air preceding a hit gave way to a parry or block from the Padawan. Granted a few strikes actually did connect but there was little force behind them so they only stung.

"I wasn't sure whether you wanted me to use my lightsaber or not," she replied as she weaved around a strike she had foreseen. The twi'lek's movements were graceful as she nimbly dodged at a tap towards her lekku and deftly parried another towards her abdomen. "Either hand-to-hand or lightsaber combat, I could do with more training."

 

[GABA]

"No lightsaber now." she replied as she continued to move around the padawan and tapping her with her fingers. "Practicing ofing basics, good is so far, but bettering be-ing you." Rehni replied then paused to change direction, "Striking me nowing." the Knight instructed, "Blindfold on-ing"

The Knight moved slowly around the padawan waiting for her padawan to strike at her, she wanted to test her senses, how well she did under pressure of basics of combat. So far she was good, but predictable. "Listening ofing the Force, following waves ofing the Force, notting seconding guessing."

 

[FallenKeeper]

Karva nodded in the direction she sensed her Master to be, once again absorbing the words and clearly understanding their meaning. She draped her lekku over her shoulders and began to throw strikes at Rehni. She followed her instincts and threw a series of light punches towards her Master's torso.

Every time she reached out she felt as if she could see through the blindfold and at one point crouched suddenly and performing a spinning leg sweep.

 

[GABA]

The Knight moved smoothly around her padawans strikes. She wanted to help Karva learn to use the Force without relying on her eyes. To know combat when her blade was no longer available. "Fighting without owning blade same. Listening ofing the Force, telling you ofing whereing to go." explained Rehni. Her padawan's moves were predictable, but it was a learning process that came with time and practice and the more Karva learns to trust in the Force, the more she will be able to master her own weaknesses.

Rehni leapt over her padawan's low sweep. She grinned internally and knew she was ready to move on for now. "Good." praised Rehni, "Leaving blindfold on." she grabbed two sparring rods and tossed one to Karva, "Fight me." she instructed, she wanted to see what Karva knew as of now.

 

[FallenKeeper]

Karva changed her stance. She stood with her side to Rehni, knees bent and fists closed tight. The twi'lek girl wasn't surprised that Rehni easily defeated her attacks. Karva's lekku twitched as she felt her Master move away for a moment and then toss something her way. The padawan caught the rod and twirled it a few times.

This kind of training was what Karva had needed, her combat skills were not as good as they could have been. She pushed out all thought this time as she came at Rehni, striking at the Jedi with each end of the rod.

 

[GABA]

Rehni parried her padawan's strikes, they were basic, something that all younglings learn before seeking their apprenticeship. She continued for a few moments more before stepping up, she changed, blocking her padawan's strikes then begun striking at Karva to see how well she did when changing from offensive to defensive.