Ask Takodana Cub Steps

[R'ashtaro]

Standing in his defensive posture with his lightsaber in a low guard, R'ashtaro gave the young Initiate a nod of approval. Her reactions had been nearly sufficient to deflect and evade all three of his attacks. Most importantly, T'vani seemed to have acted on instinct, flowing with her weapon instead of commanding it. Sure, the last diagonal slash had caught her on the shoulder, but there was no shame in that. The young Fiani was as fresh an Initiate as one could be. The fact that she had not frozen, but flowed, was admirable and a very promising sign.

When T'vani announced that it didn't hurt that bad, the Fiani Knight offered her an empathetic smile. "Pain is fleeting," he said. "It is useful. It lets you know that you're still alive. Life without pain is not life at all, no?" His bushy eyebrows furrowed slightly. "But be mindful around pain. It is a reminder, not a tool."

The Fiani Knight nodded towards T'vani. "Now it's your turn. When the pain allows it, strike at me."

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

___T'vani rubbed her shoulders as R'ashtaro elaborated on the benefits of temporary pain. The young girl meekly nodded her agreement, still rubbing her stinging shoulder. She kneeled to pick up her training sabre and re-ignite the blade, considering his final words. Pain was a reminder, not a tool, and she shouldn't use it to fuel the strikes he requested her to attempt. To do such was to wilfully invite the dark side of the Force, something that went against her purpose and intention as a Jedi.

___With her training sabre in hand, T'vani turned to square herself into a ready stance facing her trainer. Her grip tightened on her hilt as she examined the man, attempting to decide the best angle to approach. She adopted the two-handed low guard, the handle at waist height while holding the blade back and to the side, angled downwards. T'Vani spread her feet apart.

___Whether confident or arrogant, T'vani reached out with her palm to attempt to pull R'ashtaro closer to her with the Force. Whether by luck or a strong connection with the Force, she succeeded. She pulled the man closer to her, but her success surprised her. It took a moment for her to recover from the shock before she struck, executing a successful but telegraphed diagonal slash from her lower left to the upper right. T'vani followed up with another easily read overhead strike chained in from the first attack, finishing with a third diagonal attack from her bottom right to the top left.

___After her last attack, T'vani reached out with the Force again to push R'ashtaro away, and although she succeeded once again, he was now too far away for her to follow up with a fourth slash. The Fiani stood there in stunned disbelief, looking down at her hand. Did she actually do that?

@Casmer

 

[R'ashtaro]

R'ashtaro hadn't thought to prepare himself for attacks with the Force. He underestimated T'vani's ability to use it, and he paid for it. Caught with his guard down, the Reiko Fiani felt T'vani's invisible grasp through the Force, pulling him towards her. He lurched ahead involuntarily, a look of surprise coming over his face.

T'vani seemed equally surprised by the success of her efforts with the Force. With the Fiani Knight now within striking range, she struck at him with a telegraphed diagonal slash from left to right, low to high. R'ashtaro saw the slash coming well in advance, but the surprise Force Pull had caught him off-guard and sent him well out of balance. As he brought the teal blade up to parry the slash, he caught T'vani's blade at a steep angle, which merely deflected the training blade off of R'ashtaro's and into his hip. The impact of the blade sent a jolt through his body, but he kept his composure, the pain of a training saber having less effect on a seasoned warrior like himself. Besides, he had other things to worry about.

Following the diagonal slash came an overhead strike that R'ashtaro fought to center himself to meet. He brought his blade up one-handed, but the Fiani Initiate - fueled by a boost of confidence from successfully breaking through the Knight's defenses, perhaps - put weight behind the strike, forcing R'ashtaro's blade down and into his own shoulder. Another impact, another jolt of pain, but the Fiani Knight fought through it, gritting his teeth behind closed lips.

A more experienced fighter would perhaps have used R'ashtaro's imbalance as an opportunity to close in on him and deal him some smaller, but more critical cuts from a closer proximity. However, T'vani opted for another diagonal slash from the other side, mirroring the first strike she did. The sweeping movement telegraphed her intentions well in advance, and R'ashtaro, having regained some of his footing, sidestepped the strike, allowing the blade to arc past him.

T'vani finished off with a Force Push that pushed R'ashtaro backwards. He stayed on his feet, however, allowing the force of the push to drag him back. He looked down at his shoulder and hip, where the fabric of his long tunic had been singed. "Very good," he said, almost absentmindedly. "Very good, T'vani. Let's pause for a moment, no? I want you to reflect on how you did that. How did it feel?"

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

___Following her successful assault, T'vani was left bewildered. Did she really do that? As the girl stood dumbfounded by her success, regret shot through her heart. She was on the receiving end of a training sabre only moments ago, and now she had subjected R'ashtaro to the same thing. As much as she wanted to apologise, T'vani fought the urge, knowing that he was not only expecting it, he was used to it.

___"Yes, Master," she said, deactivating the blade on her weapon. "It felt—" T'vani paused. How did what feel? The successful attacks? Her surprising proficiency with the Force? The girl stood in silence for a moment as she contemplated her answer. "I don't know," T'vani finally answered with a sigh. "I'm proud of my accomplishment, but I don't think I liked using violence. I know it'll be necessary, but I didn't really enjoy it. I wish I didn't need to learn how to fight."

___T'vani's ears drooped. It was a difficult thing trying to temper the pride of her accomplishment and progress with the upsetting feeling of causing someone else physical harm. Maybe she was overthinking.

___"Other than that, I just let the Force guide me," T'vani added. "I listened to the instincts of the crystal after I told it what I wanted to do. It worked with me, and I worked with it, and we did it."

@Casmer

 

[R'ashtaro]

After T'vani finished her description, R'ashtaro nodded solemnly. His tails swooshed contemplatively behind him as he spoke. "Violence isn't always necessary. Thank the Force for that, because it is not something to be taken lightly. Violence always bears consequences, some more dire than others, no? As a Jedi, you will be called upon to be violent when it is absolutely necessary - and to know when it is and when it is not. It's not easy - but I have faith in you, T'vani. I'm sure that when the time comes, you will be aptly prepared."

He smiled when T'vani described her connection to the crystal. "Yes, you certainly did. It's remarkable, no?, the connection between a Jedi and their crystal. It's that conversation between you and the crystal in your weapon that will be the difference between a victory and a defeat in a fight where you and your opponent are evenly matched. If you keep that in mind as you train, then even the most outlandish combinations of techniques and Forms can be channeled into a deadly force."

The Fiani Knight extinguished his teal-bladed lightsaber and hooked it on his belt. He looked at the young Fiani across from him. "We can continue our sparring in a moment, if you'd like. For now, is there anything you wish to know? I can imagine there are many subjects that peek the curiosity of a new Initiate like yourselfno? Fire away!"

@Remileah

 

[T'vani]

___"The loss of life empowers the dark side," T'vani murmured as R'ashtaro spoke about violence. It was one of the first things she read about the Jedi Code and its past iterations: killing empowered the dark side of the Force. The girl wasn't thrilled about the possibility of having to kill somebody, but she knew a situation would call for it sooner or later. Her ears perked slightly as the man commented on her connection with the kyber crystal and her performance.

___"I don't think so," she answered. "Actually, Master R'ashtaro, when will I get my own lightsaber?" T'vani inquired, looking down at the training sabre still in her hands. "I know I won't get one until I'm a Padawan, but the entries I've read about a Padawan obtaining their lightsabers vary a lot. Some say it's a storied tradition only when a Padawan is prepared to become a knight, and others say that it's given to them when they acquire the parts."

___The process of attaining a lightsaber was still a mystery to her. The records in the archives varied immensely, and she saw some Padawans carrying theirs while others were still without them. While utilising training sabres like the one she now held was terrific, she couldn't help but wonder when she would get her own.

@Casmer

 

[R'ashtaro]

The Fiani Knight smiled at T'vani's question. He could understand her curiosity and excitement. Constructing a lightsaber was an important rite of passage for the Jedi. His memories of constructing his own first lightsaber were more vivid in his mind than even those of his Trials. There was something alluring and mythical about it. Not just a weapon, or a tool, but a symbol.

"It will depend on the Padawan - and on their Master," he said, clasping his hands on his back. "And the circumstances surrounding it are as varied as the personalities of each Jedi who undertakes an apprenticeship." He stepped towards T'vani. If she let him, he would gently take the training saber out of her hands and walk over to the base of the broken column. "I spoke to my Master about it, back when I was a Padawan," he said, placing the hilt next to the other on the column and wrapping them both in the piece of cloth he had carried them in. "We made it a bit of a joint project, no? Turned the acquisition of the parts into tasks to hone my skills as a Jedi." He turned and smiled at the young Initiate. "It's also great for finding your footing as each other's Master and apprentice. A common goal to focus on, no?"

@Remileah