[CLOSED] The Education of a Rabbit.

[TweedPawn]

Della yelped as she felt her leg grabbed and she was brought to the ground. That was a bit rough, even for Sebastian. She saw his next attack coming straight for her and she was barely able to roll out of the way. Then, there was another. And another. Della found herself barely able to dodge each maneuver as she tried to get up off the ground.

"Um, Sebastian. I think you got the better of me…Is this about last time when I gnawed on your finger? If it is I prom-YIPE!" Della barely had time to finish her statement when she saw another attack coming straight for her, this time causing Della to finally jump to her feet. Something seemed different about her master. She had never seen his eyes this focused or even his face this rigid. Della had only seen Sebastian fight like this back at the bogan temple, and she had been glad that she wasn't his opponent since. But now, his eyes carried an intense flame that revealed that he wasn't going to hold back.

 

[Crackerjack Bohemian]

She'd actually startled him, something he'd never like to admit. She also successfully passed his senses, something he'd never admit. She'd grown much in a year, physically, but he was about to test her mentally. She hadn't proved herself to be of strong will and focus. He'd always been there to explain to her what her feelings stemmed from and what the cause was. She'd deal with it but always became upset easily. The Force was strong in her and regardless of her affinity for Force Light, she was still dim within. He'd have to draw it out for her to see what it's like to fight alongside the Light and feel its presence guide you along gently, even within chaos.

His powerful arms sped toward her and his legs arched toward her face. His movements were quick and even if he'd hit her with all this strength, he'd continue the assault on her. She'd have to begin to develop a sense of defense. Perhaps she'd find a tactic among Soresu, using quick and short movements to slough off his blows with little effort and dodging them as effectively as she could. His combos were disjointed but quite accurate to their points. He moved around her quickly in order to gain an unnecessary edge of her blind spots and where she'd place her weight on her toes. When he'd make her lean left, he'd shift to her right and strike quickly and vice-versa. He followed her with his superior speed and would always be over her with his power and intimidation.

She'd have to battle the fear that would rise in her and keep focused against her aggressor. No doubt confusion would be an obstacle to quickly overcome. Maybe she'd learn that this was a test but his behavior might also bring about her doubt within the Jedi and those more closely related to the Sith. Their sparring matches were mostly her learning how to attack another, placing her out of comfort. But now, on the defense, she'd be even further from comfort, regardless of her position. She'd have to perform many tricks to keep away from her Master.

 

[TweedPawn]

Divines, He was fast! Della tried to dodge as many attacks as she possibly could, but Sebastian was insanely quick. Della's mind was frantic. The hits were coming at her relentlessly and Della found herself unable to even flee from her attacker. She was able to dodge kicks easily, but Sebastian's punches seemed to hit her directly every time.

She couldn't keep up like this. She was going to have to strike back at her Master to even get a chance to defense herself. Della ducked to dodge another kick and grabbed a handful of dirt. She was possibly going to get an earful for this, but it was her best chance. Della moved out of the way of a powerful fist. Her fist remained clenched as she started to block some of Sebastian's punches with her arms. Finally, after a failed attempted to knee her that left his face exposed, Della threw the dirt into Sebastian's face.

If it distracted him, Della would get enough of an advantage to finally break through Sebastian's offense. Her legs were powerful and a good knee to the ribcage would be enough to gain leverage.

 

[Crackerjack Bohemian]

He could see the confusion and fear in her eyes. However, this seemed to make her think faster and react better to her attacker. He was surprised that she could use her heightened emotions so effectively. Even with him literally on top of her, she was able to keep up with him even if she took hits. It seemed she understood the movements of his own legs, though, which was something he noted in her training. She usually performed strikes with her own legs. He decided she'd have to learn how to effectively use arms and hands to fight and defend more effectively.

He was never upset that she used lesser tactics to get to him. His anger came from his inability to expect such and his, initial, opinion of his source of inspiration. Vaiya was not wrong to commit a groin maneuver on him during their duel after the mission, but he did not approve of her where she was at the time. Della was not in a similar state-of-mind. Her arms shot up to block his punch before he turned to sweep over her with his leg which she'd roll to get away. But he'd take a step or so to follow her and continue his relentless assault. There wasn't much she could do, or that she was doing.

That all changed when dust littered the air around his face and he coughed, having been breathing deeply to keep up his strength and posture. This second was immediately taken advantage of and she kneed his ribs as hard as she could. It would result in a large and deep bruise and he groaned in pain quickly before turning to her with his eyes closed. He could sense exactly where she was and he punched at her stomach, hoping this portion of her body to be the most vulnerable and hardest to move away. He'd then hook with his left to her right arm before sliding left and kneeing her torso upward with his right leg.

 

[TweedPawn]

Whatever advantage Della had was quickly gone. Della quickly placed an arm in front of her stomach, but it was only able to absorb a fraction of the impact of Sebastian's fist. The pain left Della reeling long enough to be hit again on the arm. But, she would not allow herself to be kneed by Sebastian.

If Della was going to regain whatever advantage she had, she was going to have to keep herself smaller and harder to hit somehow. She couldn't replicate the long arcs that Sebastian was able to use. He was faster than she was and more experienced. Her hits would have to become direct and short, taking advantage of whenever Sebastian would leave himself open.

correct

Her thoughts were becoming more clear. Della would have to venture outside of her realm of comfort and use more of her arm strength. Sebastian was like a brick wall every time Della tried to punch him. Her fists were met with solid muscle or a painful block from Sebastian. However, He was forced to pay attention to her arms. Della kept herself more compact now and remained light on her feet like a boxer. She may have been a light weight when she was compared to Sebastian, but she wasn't going to make it easy for him to get a hit on her anymore.

 

[Crackerjack Bohemian]

She was learning quickly. She was adapting well. The situation went back and forth, she was becoming used to understanding her situation and utilizing what she had to properly defend herself. Her feet no longer sank into the ground, a good sign. She hopped with her feet dancing atop the forest floor. Her speed didn't increase, nor did her reaction time, but she was utilizing both more efficiently now. The ground she covered was greater than before, making Sebastian expel more energy to reach her. Beads of sweat dripped from him in the warm summer day, his control of his bodily functions having diminished significantly for this spat.

He wasn't used to her punches. They were swift and quite direct, much like Shii-cho should have been. She was using her training well and Sebastian smiled shortly. Her jabs weren't powerful but they were accurate, even if on accident. Her strikes penetrated the muscle and shocked his bones. She would have only felt muscle but all he felt was a sharp pain wherever her fists landed. He was falling into Vaapad which was the reason for his open attacks and her ability to reach him. Though he had both power and speed, Della's timing was impeccable. She was able to retreat just in time when he came back with another attack to dart away only to leap back in and strike him again.

It felt as if he was striking the air. Not one of his punches or kicks landed. She may have learned of his pattern or perhaps she was just alert but her dodging abilities were superb. After a half-minute of this foolishness, he began to attempt and grapple one of her counter strikes against his body. She was thin and wiry, making her difficult to grasp. He came close with one of her punches when he knew he'd have to fall back into Soresu while under the facade of Vaapad. His punches and kicks decreased in power, allowing him greater response-time to meet one of her fists with his own encircled arm curling around it.

 

[TweedPawn]

She was making progress, or so it felt. She was getting hit less often, always a good sign. It felt like she was starting to develop her own way of using Shii-cho. It felt like she was boxing Sebastian at times and then becoming fluid as Chii-sho usually commanded. Della felt confidence come to her. She was really getting the hang of this. Whatever punches Sebastian would land would still hurt, but Della wasn't going to allow herself to be shaken by the pain.

She was starting to feel overly confident when her arm was suddenly trapped by Sebastian. Della tried to pull back, but Sebastian held an iron grip on her. Della needed to think of a trick. Sebastian would be expecting Della to bite him, which is what she usually did when he got a good grip on her. Sebastian already was scoring another hit on her. Della was an easy target now, she had to get out quick.

She screamed right next to his ear, as high pitched as she could possibly make it.

 

[Crackerjack Bohemian]

Her tactics startled Sebastian. She was clearly desperate to be released from her trapped position. Did he Sense fear in her or was this just from the spar itself and the lack of options she had? Regardless, the downfall of Force Sense was at its greatest. He'd been unable, or unaware, to deafen senses as well as enhance them. Being enhanced for much of the time, he was now accustomed to keeping them keen. His hearing was already sharp and this sharp noise had his eardrum trembling with pain. She certainly wasn't beyond uncouth tactics to get out of a situation she didn't wish to be in.

His response was not to release her, though. He fought through the Scream and tightened his grip on her to the point where he could dislocate it if he pulled hard enough. His elbow shifted around his side and swiped across where her face, hoping to stop the Scream manually. He was not going to give up his advantage with such a petty tactic, however. On the contrary, he was willing to sacrifice his hearing to defeat this faux-foe, the Force being able to compensate for his loss of sense.

Even so, his body seemed to react accordingly to his internal distress. The Force cupped his ears, muffling the high pitched tone she emitted with great volume. He was unaware she was akin to Force Scream but it was apparent she was strong with the Force and able to enhance herself with the Force if she wished to strongly enough. This muffling wasn't enough to cease the pain but his brain no longer vibrated within his skull, now, and he could focus a touch better.

His arm twisted around her arm, forcing her to spin into the ground and onto her back. He press her diaphram if she was unable to escape his arm's vise grip on hers. This would expell the air from her lungs, discouraging her from Screaming. Still, she could try several things to remove herself or manipulate the situation to her favor or any kind of different favor to either one of them.

 

[TweedPawn]

It didn't work. Instead a sharp pain smacked her across her face, causing Della to instantly lose her focus. Her head was spinning from the disorienting attack. She was helpless against Sebastian as she was brought to the ground and her lungs suddenly lost air in them. Della's vision was still out of focus as she tried to pry her arm out of Sebastian's iron grip. Nothing seemed to be working. She tried biting him, she couldn't scream, and she couldn't throw anything into his face.

"RAWR!" Della growled as she began to kick at Sebastian with her powerful legs. Her vision was returning to her and she was going to find a way to pry her arm out of this. She needed to stay calm. Della gave a snort, as if she was trying to sneeze herself into a clear way of thinking. If Sebastian was going to trap her, then she needed to be able to trap him as well.

Della wrapped her leg around Sebastian's causing it to bend at the hip in a painful manner. If he wasn't going to let go of her arm, she wasn't going to let go of his leg.

 

[Crackerjack Bohemian]

She fell out of focus, out of the Light. She was fighting for survival, it seemed, and lost all will to keep disciplined and sane. She kicked him as a child would, but her strong lets bashed into his side and shoulder. He'd bruise on this side as well, but he could endure such pain during a serious fight. It was not serious for Della any longer, however. She turned rabid and animalistic. She was undisciplined and this was something Sebastian was also trying to teach her. He almost fell into this state with her but he was capable of keeping head level and his focus cleared.

It was in this state that she was able to pin him similarly to the way he pinned her. He rolled to side, pulling Della's arm across her body but releasing his grip and falling away from his Apprentice, spinning out of her leg by making it twist painfully himself. She was capable at this enough to threaten to dislocate his own hip as he was about to her shoulder. This was a good attempt, but she would have been dead had he been after her life. She was definitely improving but he felt she needed more experience of her own before he continue with her training.

Though she may have continued to approach him, screaming or however, Sebastian put out his arm in an attempt to signal the end of the small duel. "You fell from your concentration and better judgment. Though you were quite effective in such an unpredictable manner, you lack the discipline to keep focused and efficient-thinking. One wishing to have your life would have had it quickly when you fell from your discipline. They may have been thrown for a moment but it would be easy to take advantage of a weakened mind from any Force-Sensitive individual.

"The Force calls for you," he stopped as if actively listening to it at this moment. "You must experience more of the galaxy and come to your own understanding. Meet me here when the Light calls you to do such. I will be waiting."

 

[TweedPawn]

Della finally breathed a sigh when she felt Sebastian roll away from her. Della panted, but she did not show any sort of further aggression towards him. She seemed relieved, but then she realized her folly. Her master was correct. She had completely lost her focus. It wasn't the first time that someone told her that her lack of focus would be the end of her. It was hard to imagine Sebastian staying calm throughout the entire scuffle, but he did. As the fight replayed itself in Della's mind, she could recall the stoic and calm manner that Sebastian was able to overcome Della's cheap tricks. She had been bested, and that was it.

She did not hold a grudge against Sebastian. He was more experienced and that was why Della was learning from him. After Della panted on the ground and listened to Sebastian, she stood back up and dusted herself off.

Was it really time to part? It felt sad to sperate ways. Della never felt more attuned with the Force than when she spent this time learning under her Master. She had learned so much from under him. Della's eyes flashed her sadness, but she understood that they would see each other again.

"Thank you so much. I could never repay you fully for everything you have done for me." Della approached Sebastian. Her gratitude was overwhelming. She attempted to call on the Force into her. She wanted him to understand how she felt. She wanted him to feel the dept of her emotion. It wasn't chaotic, but it was serene. Della closed her eyes, bringing the serenity into focus, even as her muscles ached and cried out for a rest. Della ignored it. This was more important.

She placed a gentle hand on Sebastian's arm and attempted to channel her thought to him. He was always emotionless, but she didn't care. The depth of her gratitude flowed from her. It was gentle and very meek, like a simple brush of a wind. She wasn't strong enough to completely channel this, but it would give Sebastian some idea of how she felt.

If it worked depended on if Sebastian was accepting of the gesture. Della removed her hand and gathered her belongings she collected from her adventures in the wood.

"I look forward to our next meeting. One day, I'll make you proud." she turned to return to the temple.

 

[Crackerjack Bohemian]

She didn't fully understand the situation, it seemed. Perhaps she was just completely modest. Perhaps she was just ignorant of Sebastian's feelings. She'd done so much in such a short time. She'd grown so much in a single year. He simply didn't understand her words. She was walking away when he stretched himself out to her through the Force. It would have been equally as weak as she had attempted to do to him, filling her with odd emotions he'd never felt before and couldn't make sense of. His voice would be a whisper before her.

"I did not take you as a student out of a request from others. The Light guided me to you and I accepted. You were green and childish but you show me the potential of such a pure mind. There is nothing you could possibly do more for me than you already have. You have succeeded under me and that is all that you could possibly do. I'm so proud of you right now. Keep that."

It was a demand but his words were soft. Her emotions remained swirling within him for a bit longer before they faded into nothing which would occur naturally within him. He fell to meditate, Revitalizing his body from the bout he'd had with his Apprentice. This would take the entire next day. When this was finished, his meditation continued for weeks and into months until Della would return. His mind fell into the Force, his Sense becoming stronger and more attuned to the world around him, as silent as it was. He'd still have difficulty interpreting other beings but his ability with plants and wildlife grew into moderation.