[CLOSED] Toughen Up!

[TweedPawn]

The weather on Tython was getting hotter. It wasn't unbearable, but it did make the many layers Della's clothes she wore from Sacul hard to tolerate. She took off the outer poncho and folded it nearby. She was still wearing two layers of tops, though she didn't quite feel hot enough to remove one of them yet. There was the Poncho, the overshirt, and the undershirt. It was more comfortable when one had to bear the dusty winds back on Sacul.

Tython was pleasant enough, but it seemed that the hotter months were now coming. More student, including Della, spent their time outside to study or to practice sparring. Della enjoyed studying, but the fighting part seemed difficult. She never even had a fist fight with another person.

Yet, Della had received an invitation from Lain and Fyston to learn how to spar. Della wasn't sure what they had hoped for. Della never picked up a stick and she never even struck an animal to get it to move faster. She felt too timid to be capable of such things.

She waited on her favorite grassy spot. She ran on this spot quite often and would practice hiding in the nearby wood.

 

[Black Noise]

Lain had to say, she hated Tython when it was hot. Born and raised most of her younger days on Vjun, she enjoyed cold, wet, and windy weather. But, she was a Jedi, and as a Jedi she would need to adapt. She wore a layered tee that exposed her shoulders, arms, and part of her stomach. As per what was needed for hand-to-hand combat training, she wore pants. Lain didn't like it. If she could help it, she wore an ankle length skirt and leggings underneath. However, that would be too difficult to train in. Masters of Echani had no problem with fighting in anything they wore, but although Lain knew every sequence and technique of Echani, it was all head knowledge. The training today would assist her in applying the knowledge she learned, and slightly tested on Lumin. She'd also teach Della and Fyston a bit, and it had been proven that by teaching something, you learned even more.

Her Guard Shotos had been left back in her quarters, but out of blind habit she still carried her Echani Vibroblade strapped to her back. Looking up ahead, she could see Della waiting for her in a grassy area near the forest. Lain waved and grinned upon seeing the girl. Running up, she called out.
"Heyo Della! You ready?"

 

[Fyston]

Fyston smiled, feeling the heat beat down on his face and arms. It was warm today, though it was not discomforting Fyston. In fact, it was quite to his liking. The industrialized planets that he grew up on were much warmer, the smog trapping the heat and gasses of the atmosphere and nearly cooking its inhabitants. He had never been to Tatooine, but he would never return to a place like Nar Shaddaa during the summer season. Even wearing rags, he had nearly baked every summer on that planet, though it had given him quite the resistance to heat. He had come to Tython during the summer months and felt it to be extremely cool, his reason for always wearing his robes and tunic while other Jedi seemed to do whatever they could to shed heat.

Over time, however, he became acclimated to Tython's weather patterns and was now laying down outside in what he called his summer tunic. It was slightly looser and was more open, allowing his heat to escape and to dissipate not only into the cloth, but into the world outside. As he was at the Temple, he was wearing his basic belt, with only a fraction of the pouches that he normally carried. He tended to always carry food, as if afraid of running out. He knew that it would never happen, but he couldn't convince himself to not carry food at all times. Lately, he used the food as a way to continue and lengthen his training or study sessions, going hours without stopping his task, pausing for mere seconds to eat something and drink something.

Now, however, he was to meet with Lain and Della and to assist in training. After his recent disaster with Della, he had had to think about it, but he knew that it wasn't her fault. He had forgiven her, but Fyston had an excellent memory that he could only describe as photographic. Lain had asked him on the shuttle back from their recent trip and Fyston only recently delivered his answer. He wanted to help her, he truly did, but it seemed that she got angry with his every attempt. Regardless, he admired Della for her determination and her courage. She had come a long way, both in terms of location and in terms of development. Thus, he finished his warm up routine and began the short walk to where he had been told the "class" had been held. On the way, he stopped by his room and gathered a number of training aides that he had signed out for his own use. Training lightsabers and even a training remote were stuffed in a small bag, which was then slung around his shoulder.

He closed his door and kept a jogging pace as he made his way to the designated location, ensuring that his muscles continued to loosen up. He arrived quickly and saw that Lain and Della had already arrived. He laughed, knowing that he had a constant habit of being later than the others. Either way, he closed the distance with a smile and gently tossed the bag carrying the training aides into a small bush.

"Hello Della. Hey, Lain. How are you guys today?"

 

[TweedPawn]

Della nodded nervously. She was a bit anxious. Fighting was usually the men's job back where she was from. For some reason, it was important to the Jedi to learn how to do this. They didn't seem war-like or aggressive. They seemed quite peaceful. Maybe, it was a way for students to remain fit and quick minded. After all, one couldn't study forever without some energy built up.

She then saw Fyston walk up. Della recalled their argument very well. She felt embarrassed about the way she treated him, even though he was only trying to help. Della shyly looked away when Fyston walked up to meet her and Lain. She wasn't sure what to say. She bit her lip. It was better not to be rude. If Della said nothing, Fyston would probably get annoyed all over again.

"I am fine." said Della as she looked at her feet. Her expression clearly stated that she was sorry for the earlier encounter.

 

[Black Noise]

Lain looked first at Fyston, then at Della. Sighing, she spoke.
"Listen up you two. If either of you have something you need to get out, wait. Echani isn't just beating someone up, it is a way of life. Through fighting, you can feel and understand the emotions and true intents of your opponent. Here, observe."
Lain took up the classic Echani opening stance and began demonstrating moves and sequences. For the next five minutes she carried on with this, speaking occasionally as she demonstrated.

"It works the same way when you watch an Echani fight."
"Their intentions always reveal, good and bad."
"Their heart is open to you."
"It's almost as if your mind becomes a tunnel to the other's soul."
"See-?"
At that, Lain stopped. She did not display much emotion since she fought no one. However, even from the demonstration one could see that this girl, pretending to be happy on the outside, was filled with anger. Her demonstration strikes had been thrown hard enough to break bone, and her moves were highly aggressive.

 

[Fyston]

Was it that obvious? Could Lain so easily see the past between Della and himself? He thought he had hidden it pretty well, but perhaps it was the greeting and the body language of them both. Regardless, Fyston smiled at Della to reassure her that he held nothing against her. Of course, it WAS sort of his fault. Then he watched as Lain settled into what was, apparently, the opening stance of the Echani fighting style. He watched intently, his eyes sending the passing moments to his memory, which immediately stored them for later use. He watched as she threw hard strikes and the almost dance-like fighting style that was the Echani martial arts.

When she was done, he nodded, impressed. He wondered if they were to demonstrate what they were just shown. He also figured that it was up to Della to decide what they would do. He brought Shii-Cho and Ataru forms of combat to the table, both of which could be used without a lightsaber. He thought that it be best to get through one thing before progressing to another. He looked over at Della, silently asking her to make her choice as to how she wanted to proceed.

 

[TweedPawn]

Della has taken in everything that Lain had said. She did not expect Lain to be so skilled at hand to hand combat. She was impressed. Della tried to imitate the stances that Lain demonstrated. She felt awkward and cumbersome. She obviously had a lot to learn.

Though the fighting style Lain demonstrated revealed too much of Della's own personality. Della preferred to keep her intentions secluded when she was competing. It was cunning to keep your opponent guessing and could always give one an upper hand.

"This is okay. I feel...exposed. But It is good for tight spots. Can I use it without revealing my emotion?" she asked Lain. She then turned to Fyston.

"what did you bring?" she asked, genuinely curious.

 

[Black Noise]

Lain came up to Della, using her hands to gently straighten and move her body into a proper form of Echani after seeing how awkward Della looked and, most likely, felt. She shook her head and smiled, saying.
"It is the beauty and the curse of Echani, the fact that it displays your emotions and inner feelings. The only way to do it without revealing emotion is to do it is to have no emotion at all. I've only actually seen two Jedi in the order like that, but I haven't met either yet."

Looking to Fyston, she grinned slyly.
"Before you display what you know, you need to practice Echani. I'll give you both a choice, you can each come at me together, or you can fight each other. But know, I'm not fully adapted into the style, so showing mercy and 'going easy' on you two probably won't happen."

 

[Fyston]

Fyston nodded at knowing that he would get to practice Echani before potentially making a fool out of himself. He understood the concept and turned to Della as Lain was correcting her stance.

"Just basic lightsaber stuff. We'll be practicing with training lightsabers, though."

As Lain finished helping Della with her stance, Fyston stepped into his own. He replayed Lain's initial stance in his head, using the memory to make his own stance more accurate. Of course, his came out completely different. It spoke of determination, the will to learn, and, unknown to Fyston, a past that he'd rather leave behind. The fighting style didn't discriminate in what it chose. While his stance was set like a durasteel wall and his head cocked to the side to analyze his opponent, his arms were drawn towards his body in a defensive measure. He readied himself to face Della, secretly hoping that he wouldn't harm her.

 

[TweedPawn]

Della felt a lump in her throat when Fyston faced her. Oh divinity, she was going to practice against him? He was a lot bigger than she was and had been here longer than she had. She was faster than him, for sure. But how well would agility do in this style when Della had never struck another person in her life? She began to shake from her own nerves.

She then took a deep breath. She needed to calm down. She had made it this far and Fyston had never laid a hand on her, even when he was angry to her. She breathed out her nervous energy. It felt as if something dark was leaving her and being replaced with something bright.

Her feet instinctively placed themselves into position. Her stance was very different from Fyston's. She could feel energy build up in her legs. She recalled the powerful muscles in her legs and stood in a way that would allow her to use her speed advantage over Fyston.

 

[Fyston]

Wait... she actually accepted the fact that she'd be facing him? He had been hoping it wouldn't turn out like that, but now he was sure that he would hurt Della. He'd never said anything angry to her or hit her, even when they had argued. He had helped her since they went to pick her up to bring her to the Jedi. He knew that he would feel bad about facing her. He REALLY didn't want to hurt her. Wait, Fyston thought, he'd just stay on the defensive and pull his punches. He didn't care about the typical rules of hitting a girl, but Fyston realized that he had grown protective of her. He'd helped her and taught her and spoken with her since she arrived on Tython. Fierfek, he'd been one of the ones who brought her to Tython! Fyston knew that he was like an Akk dog. He was protective of those he cared greatly for. There were a few people who Fyston would give his life for, and he was certain that Della was one of them. He'd been the nurturing caregiver of a few younger children during his street urchin days, and his paternal instincts had simply developed early. Not that Della was weak, but he saw her as needing protection and he just didn't feel right about hitting her.

Regardless, he would let Della make the first move. He would feel better about fighting if he could play it off as a defensive one. Even if he secretly knew it to be false, Fyston could at least fool his conscience to not bother him about it. If he would have had a sister or even a younger brother, it would have been like hitting one of them. He'd never HAD siblings, though, so it was just his assumptions based on what he thought would be a rational thought. Regardless, he nodded at Della, silently challenging her to make the next move. It's not that he couldn't, but that he wouldn't. He noticed her positioning of her feet and figured that she would try to play to her own advantages, just as he would play to his own. He had height, she had speed, though Fyston couldn't be sure that all of it was her own. She had used the Force to speed herself up during their race, and Fyston figured that she would do the same. He was under the assumption that one couldn't or rather, shouldn't, use the Force during one of these fights. However, he was all for a fair fight. If she used the Force, he'd match her. He knew the same technique that she did and would keep the playing field balanced if she tried anything funny.

 

[TweedPawn]

Well, here goes nothing. Della darted towards Fyston. She needed to throw him off balance, somehow. If she threw punches, he could easily absorb them or deflect them. She needed to see what his weaknesses were. She had a theory that if she kicked the back of his knee, he would fall.

But he was possibly prepared for that. Della could get him to focus less on his feet and more on his upper body, if she was quick enough.

Della threw a punch towards his right shoulder.

 

[Fyston]

Fyston smiled, absorbing himself into the fight. He was in his element, his profession. He saw her move, watched her throw a punch towards his dominant shoulder. He nodded at her, hoping to lower her guard with the unexpected notion. His eyes analyzed the punch and he immediately set himself into motion.

He turned on his left heel, moving the right side of his body back and out of the line of fire. He was on Della's side now and he allowed himself to make his own aggressive motion. He balled his fist, making it as hard as rock and causing the knuckles to bulge with eager intent. His shoulder muscles released their payload as Fyston launched a punch at Della's exposed abdomen. His mind overrode sheer instinct, however, and Fyston pulled enough energy from the punch to make sure that Della wouldn't get hurt.

 

[TweedPawn]

Fyston had managed to dodge her punch, but he was taking her bait. She had not expected him to be so quick within close range and the blow to her abdomen caused her to yelp in surprise. She jumped back from Fyston. He actually punched her! It stung a little, but it didn't dampen her spirits.

She looked at him again, analyzing his stance for a second. She just had to endure long enough to make one solid blow. She dashed at him, a little more cautiously this time. She needed to make sure not to expose herself again like that. He was playing defense, so simply hoping for him to strike first wasn't going to work.

She darted towards his backside, hoping to at least throw off his sense of direction. She would elbow him in the ribs this time.

 

[Fyston]

She yelped! Who yelped when hit?! Fyston could understand a groan or anything else OTHER than yelping. Of course, Fyston couldn't keep himself from smiling. Perhaps she had done it on purpose, though, the same way he had meant his nod. He noticed her acting cautiously he took the time to analyze the fight. She would likely try to incapacitate her with her speed. It was like two battle tanks of different calibers facing off. She was more maneuverable but packed less of a punch while the opposite was true for Fyston. He was a powerhouse, though couldn't match her natural speed. She couldn't hope to get through his pain tolerance without utilizing pressure points.

He had a hunch as to what she was doing, but couldn't lock it down to a certainty. She darted towards his flank and he turned, following her. He moved his arm, trying to block her elbow from hitting his rib. He managed only to turn it aside, only slightly lessening the pain. He had a high pain tolerance, though, and the pain served merely to annoy him. Raising his eyebrow questioningly, he smiled. Suddenly, he brought his head down at Della's head, hoping to headbutt her and stun her.

 

[TweedPawn]

This guy was like hitting a wall! He portrayed the confidence of a seasoned fighter. Della managed to barely avoid a painful blow to her head. That would have been terrible! He had been able to match her toe-for-toe so far. He was going to get the upperhand, if she didn't throw him off soon.

Of all the challenges Della had to master, this was going to be the hardest one to get the hang of. They two fighters were still directly right next to eachother. Della threw her entire body at Fyston's to throw him off balance.

 

[Fyston]

Fyston cursed in his mind as she avoided his headbutt attempt. He stepped back a few steps to get some distance and to think. He hoped that it would end soon, lest he might actually hurt her. He knew that she would get angry and he didn't want to make her get upset. Not out of fear but due to other feelings that he didn't quite understand.

It was then, however, that she launched herself at him. He wondered why she did it as they were so close together but sidestepped, sticking his left foot out in an attempt to trip her.

 

[TweedPawn]

Della sensed an opportunity. For some reason, Fyston was getting distracted. Della recalled the way she had watched two antlered animals fight during the fall. Their antlers clacked and were locked in closed combat until either one was too exhausted to continue or the other was thrown off balanced.

Fyston had stuck his leg out to trip her and was now off balanced. Della hopped over the leg and attempted to shove him to the ground using her arms.

 

[Fyston]

He was going down. He didn't even have his fix! At least Tython was fairly warm, which made him happy. Regardless, he knew from the time that Della pushed him that he'd be taking a trip to the ground. Who pushed, though?! Pushing was so ineffective. On the ground he could still kick and he could still get up. He didn't understand how she fought. Was this how she was trained on her home planet?

Either way, Fyston reached out with his long arms. Not to regain his balance but to pull Della down as well. If he was to be pushed down, Della wouldn't be the only one standing.

 

[TweedPawn]

Della felt herself get pulled down and yelped. She tumbled onto the ground and landed on her face.

"OW!OW!OW!" she cried out. Her lip suddenly was in pain. She rolled along the ground. She stopped to try to get herself back up. She sat up on the grass and touched her lip. There was blood on her hand. Did she bust her mouth? Della checked again, this time with the back of her hand. Her lip was bleeding! Della felt aggression swell in her. Fyston wasn't going to get away with that!

"Eis Nhosneruh!" she spat as she pounced towards Fyston to make sure he got a taste of his own medicine.