Ask Dojos and Dancing

[Trace]

Trace had gotten a message from Ailis about meeting up a few days later, and it seemed that Trace's mention of enjoying fencing had caught the other girl's ear. After a little bit of trouble, they'd finally sorted out a time and day when they were both free.

Trace had arrived to the dojo a couple of minutes earlier and tossed her things in the corner. Her clothes today were more "Sith" looking with robes that were very much geared toward sparring. A small Imperial logo could be seen on the black and white robes and her lightsaber hung from her belt.

Training weapons hung from the walls that weren't just limited to training sabers either. A small variety of stun blasters, blunted training weapons, and of course training sabers could all be found along with walls.

She took a seat in the center of the mat, starting to stretch and get warmed up while she waited for Ailis to arrive.

 

[Ailis Drast]

Ailis had taken her test, confident in the fact that she had maybe not failed. Maybe. After a series of back and forth's with Trace over text they finally settled on a time when their busy schedules didn't conflict. Ailis was nervous, having asked the Mirulaku girl to help her train with a lightsaber.

She didn't have her own saber yet and her belt was bare as she walked into the dojo room that Trace had arranged for them. She wore her own "Sith" training robes that looked similar to the ones that Trace was wearing as she stretched in the middle of the mat.

"Hey Trace!" She waved and smiled at her before wandering over to the wall where an assortment of weapons hung. Her eyes lingered on the training sabers there nervously before settling on a stun blaster that she picked up off the wall and aimed down for a moment.

She put the blaster back, that wasn't what she was there for after all. Gingerly her fingers reached for one of the black hilted training sabers. It felt cool and heavy in her grasp as she pulled it off the wall and looked at it for a moment before turning back to the mat.

"So what's first?" She asked, anxiety leaking into her voice just a little bit. She was much better at tests than any sort of martial training, but she was supposed to be a Sith now.

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Trace heard the door slide open and the now-familiar presence of Ailis made her way in. Hey! How's it goin? How'd your test go?! she asked, hoping that it wouldn't dampen the mood. She was really hoping that Ailis had managed to pass.

She continued stretching as Ailis made her way over to the weapon rack. Her legs stretched out into a full split as she leaned from side to side before springing back to her feet moments later.

Well... she said, her mouth twisting up over and over in thought. Hmmmmm... well you've never done anything with a saber before, right? she asked. She could sense the apprehension at picking up a saber and the comparative comfort with a blaster in her hand.

We should probably run through the basic forms, then, yeah? Ever been in a fight before? she asked. How do you fight? she asked. Trace was by no means a master of swordsmanship, but someday she would be. Maybe she'd be an academy blademaster or something. That would have been so cool.

 

[Ailis Drast]

Ailis tried not to let the question about the test make her worry, instead shrugging as she responded. "Well, I might have passed. Its up to the Force now." She laughed a little at that comment, as if the Force could somehow alter her grade so that she wouldn't have to spend her summer studying.

"Wow, you're really flexible." She said a little amazed as she watched Trace come up from her full split. Ailis felt like she could barely touch her toes some days, though at least all the dancing she did kept her limber and fit enough.

"Never." Ailis shook her head as she held the weapon up in her hand, trying to balance it on her palm for a moment before fumbling with it an almost letting it fall. She grinned sheepishly at Trace for a moment before thinking about her next question.

"Well I've been in a... few fights, back home." A few was probably an understatement. The lower streets of Coruscant were rough and it took a tough girl to survive in them as she had, especially dealing hard crude on the streets. "With my fists mostly. I had a pretty wicked pair of buster knucks back home." She grinned as she raised her fists into a guard position before throwing a few punches at the air, bouncing on her feet for a moment with pretty good form. She wasn't any sort of trained, not really. But she had helpful friends growing up and experience where it counted, namely in taking a punch and dishing them out.

"I guess that isn't really helpful when it comes to a lightsaber though." She said, glancing at the weapon she held gripped in her right fist. "The basic forms probably are the best place to start." She hated being bad at things, but everyone started somewhere she supposed.

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Trace smiled and laughed when Ailis said that it was up to the Force now.

Touche, she said. Yeah, gymnastics. Doesn't leave a lot of choice, she replied to the comment about her flexibility. It wasn't incorrect, though. Trace was exceptionally flexible by most people's standards.

Trace made her way over, standing a few feet away as Ailis threw some punches at the air. Trace, herself, was absolutely not a boxer, but from what she could tell, Ailis seemed to be relatively athletic and moved like she knew what she was doing. That was a huge step in the right direction.

The Miraluka nodded along emphatically. Yeah, good, she said, bouncing her head back and forth a few times in thought. Sooooo... maybe Form Fiiiiive? Or hm... Maybe six with an offhand for grappling? she said as much to Ailis as herself.

Well, yeah, let's start with the basics. Form I, she said. She took several steps back and pulled the saber from her belt. It ignited in her hand and she couldn't help smiling almost giddily. Every time she activated it, it just felt good.

She ran her finger over the switch, ensuring that it was in a training position before holding it up. Don't worry, it's in training mode, she said.

So, get a little comfortable with it in your hand first, she said, letting her wave the weapon around a few times.

This is ready position, she said, taking a step so one foot was back and her saber was out in front of her in a middle guard position and she waited for Ailis to copy her.

 

[Ailis Drast]

"Oh yeah, thats right." Ailis said as Trace reminded her that she was a gymnast. That talk had been days ago and Ailis had had a lot of stress between then and now. And that was without being her usual scatterbrained self. She listened to Trace muse over what to teach as she settled back from her impromptu boxing show.

She had read about some of the forms, and the ones that Trace listed seemed very advanced for her skill level and she exhaled a sigh of relief as Trace finally settles on Form I. The basics. That was right around Ailis speed at this moment even though it made her feel a bit like a youngling having to start from scratch.

"Woah!" Ailis exclaimed and took a half step back as Trace ignited her red saber with a snap-hiss, noting the smile that lit her face as the blade activated. She looked down at the saber in her own hand, nervous. She gave Trace a small uncertain smile before holding up her own blade, finger lingering on the activation stud for a moment.

Snap-hiss.

"Woah." Ailis said again, this time with less fear and more wonder in her voice as she stared at the smoothly humming glow of the crimson blade. It was a training saber, which meant that she couldn't actually hurt herself with it. Not in the permanent sense anyways. She still couldn't help but feel like she was about to accidentally lop her own arm off with the thing though as she waved it around with a humm humm of the blade.

It did feel good though.

"Like this?" She asked as she settled her feet into a position similar to Trace's, holding the saber shakily in front of her. She glanced down at her own footing and then Trace's again before making an adjustment to her stance. She was pretty sure she wasn't holding her arms correctly though and the saber felt heavy extended in her grasp.

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Trace could sense the shift in Ailis as she activated her own blade. It was the satisfaction, surprise, and wonder of wielding a lightsaber for the first time. Trace secretly hoped that it would never become arbitrary to her. She knew that someday it probably would, but for the moment it was still wrapped up in wonder.

Cool, right?! she said, still grinning in an almost silly fashion and a giddiness that was probably more than it should have been.

Trace could sense Ailis's position, moving out of ready position after a moment and slipping her own saber away.

Stay there, she said, moving over next to the other acolyte and adjusting her arms and legs slightly until she was standing in perfect position.

There. Nice, ready position, she said. Honestly, most of this stuff is about getting comfortable holding the saber, she said.

Now this is position 2, she said, igniting her saber and raising it up. This went on for several more minutes as she showed Ailis each of the simple positions and she paused.

How do you feel about running a simple set of drills? I'll tell you where to block, you block there. I'll move slow, she asked.

 

[Ailis Drast]

Ailis watched Trace grin with excitement at her reaction to igniting the saber and it was infectious as a grin spread on Ailis own face.

She concentrated on her stance as Trace put her own saber away, tried not to feel too anxious about getting poked and prodded into position. She focused instead on how she was holding her body, the positioning of her feet and the way she held her arms. It had only been a few moments but she was already starting to feel strain in muscles that she hadn't even known existed.

"Yeah, comfortable." She grimaced as she felt a slight pain in her hand at the unfamiliar weight of the lightsaber. That was probably going to take a while.

Ailis watched as Trace showed her the second position, and moved herself slowly and carefully into her best approximation of the stance, feeling her muscles burn as she raised the saber up overhead. They ran through a few more positions and Ailis took her time, paying careful attention to how she held herself. She ran through those positions a few times as Trace spoke, asking if she was ready for some drills.

"I think so. Is it supposed to hurt this much?" She asked as she nodded to Trace that she was ready to begin. She settled into the first ready position and watched Trace, adjusting her own stance a little bit as she caught her arm wandering out away from her body. This was about as hard as she thought it was going to be.

But at least she still had all her limbs attached.

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Trace watched as she went through the steps, oblivious to the fact that the girl seemed to be struggling with the saber itself. She was so caught up in her own movements and in trying to examine the other girl's stances, that the way her arms had started to shake went without notice.

Oh... uh... she suddenly felt a little dumb for not explaining this earlier. But she was no teacher or instructor. Maybe she should push Ailis off on one of the actual blade instructors. Maybe that would be better for everyone involved.

The thing about lightsabers is that they... well, they channel your energy. You have to vibe with the blade. Kind of like meditating but in sync with your weapon. If you're out of sync, the sword... well, it kind of fights you, she said. It was a difficult and strange sensation to describe.

If you're feeling like it's super heavy, then you might want to take a few minutes to adjust yourself. Meditate with it and let your own energy flow through the crystal. The kyber crystals are alive, you know? she said, realizing that Ailis probably did not, in fact, know that.

 

[Ailis Drast]

Ailis wondered if she was doing something wrong for a moment when Trace stopped and stammered for a moment. Ailis let her arms down and let the blade still in her hand. It still felt heavy as she talked and her explanation, well kind of made sense.

"Oh." She said after a moment as she absorbed the information, processing it through her mind. So she had to be in tune with the weapon... that was alive, sorta. If she wasn't vibing with the sword it wouldn't jive with her. "Okay... I think I understand."

Ailis deactivated the lightsaber before she looked down at it there in her palm. The construction was simple, a simple tool for an early learner. She closed her eyes, reaching out with her mind. She wasn't sure how to do it but it seemed almost intuitive as she thought about the blade and the crystal within. Like a strand of red string that she followed out of her mind, the lightsaber grew until she was within the blade, the weapons mysterious workings bared to her.

And there it was, the glowing red crystal in her mind.

She had to vibe with the blade.

What did it want?

She touched the red crystal and a flash of images splayed across her mind. The crystal was of one simple desire, as simple as the construction of the hilt that held it. She felt it swing through the air over and over in her mind, heard it screech in joy as it met the touch of another saber blade. It merely wanted to be used.

Well that was easy enough. She would use it.

The blade seemed to hum happily as she ignited it again and opened her eyes. She held it up for a moment, staring into the burning brand pensively. She watched it move and blur as she brought it into the ready position. She moved through the positions that Trace had shown her. Her hands still hurt from the motions themselves but the weight of the blade no longer bothered her.

"I think I'm ready." She grinned at Trace and set herself in the ready position facing her. The blade seemed to thrum in response, as if it were pleased.

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

While Ailis attuned to her blade, Trace turned her attention to her datapad, scrolling through several different feeds when she probably should have been meditating or practicing. But she had a feeling that Ailis didn't need any more distractions than she was already dealing with with the crystal.

Surprisingly - pleasantly so - it was only a few minutes before the other acolyte indicated she was ready.

Okay, she said, nodding and putting away her datapad. Her saber ignited and she moved forward to her own ready position.

Block high! she said, taking a step forward and swinging down with both her hands in a diagonal downward strike. One that could be perfectly parried with position 2 that Trace had shown her. The strike came at only around 1/3 speed, but that was intentional.

Low! she said, her blade peeling off of Ailis's with that characteristic magnetic tug that sabers had. It was the kind of tug that could almost pull one off their feet if they weren't ready for it... another thing that Trace had failed to mention.

Trace's blade swung around in a counterclockwise arc to strike at knee height, but would pull up short if it didn't look like Ailis would make the block.

 

[Ailis Drast]

Ailis was surprised to see that Trace was looking at her datapad when she came out of her meditative state. She certainly hadn't felt like much time had passed but a glance at the clock on the wall indicated that it had actually been a few minutes. Interesting and noted.

Ailis felt a little bubble of fear swell in her stomach as Trace stood in front of her with her own saber ignited, calling out the block she would have to do as she moved into a swing. Ailis scrambled to pull her blade up into the second position, its overhead guard seemingly ideal for defending against a high attack.

She felt the sabers bind for a moment and she lightly pulled against it, testing it. The blades were stuck but not fast and there was almost an upwards pull to the blade as Trace peeled away with a stronger tug than Ailis had applied to her blade, nearly pulling her blade up and forwards with it and disrupting her balance.

"Woah." Ailis exclaimed as she swung her own blade low into position 4... no 5? Whatever position it was, it was a low block that ran nearly parallel to her leg, and her own lightsaber collided with Trace's mere moments before she would have felt the gymnast's sting. A sense of exhilaration filled Ailis and she grinned at Trace as she tugged her blade back in preparation for the next attack.

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Ailis had managed to block all the strikes so far, and she could sense the excitement within the other girl. It was the same thrill she felt whenever she held a blade.

High, she called out, sending another strike high. Middle, she said, sending another strike a bit lower. And then she sent a final strike low. This one, however, she didn't call out. The other girl seemed as though she was beginning to pick things up, the Force was flowing through her - whether she realized it or not - and she still wasn't sending strikes at full speed. She wanted to test her... to push her.

Regardless of the outcome of the strike, she leapt back rather than pushing forward any longer.

I think you're a natural, she said. It wasn't the same as boxing or fighting, but the reflexes were the same.

How's it feel? she asked, trying to gather Ailis's thoughts on the matter.

@Arcangel

 

[Ailis Drast]

Ailis moved through the sequence of strikes, a little slow, a little uncertain, but gaining in confidence. A block in the high position, reverting back to the first position to block in the middle. She almost didn't react to Trace's third strike that she didn't call out, but her senses seemed to almost warn her before her eyes caught the movement and she brought her blade down to intercept.

Too slow, just barely.

Ailis blade clashed with Trace's at the same moment that the girl's saber made contact with her shin. Pain lanced through her as the training blade burned against her skin for a moment before her own blade pushed it back and away from her. "Ahh!" She exclaimed as the pain hit her brain and she reacted. In the event of pain, her instinct was to inflict it back and her own blade lashed out in a clumsy horizontal sweep, her face twisted with pain and a dose of rage. Her blade missed as Trace had jumped back, and Ailis realized what she had done a moment after the swing.

"... Sorry." She apologized after lowering her blade, looking between Trace and the ground. "I don't know what came over me." She did. In that moment of pain, she had wanted to hurt Trace, to retaliate. She wasn't so sure about the natural thing.

"Well it stings a little, it really burned a minute ago." Ailis answered before realizing that wasn't what she was talking about. "Oh! The saber. Its lighter and... It feels kinda good, to move the blade and block with it." And strike. Her strike hadn't landed or anything, but she could feel the blade singing at the motion, and she couldn't deny that her heart had echoed the same sentiment.

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

The series of blows was traded, and Ailis even caught Trace's strike... mostly. She was glad to see it, and definitely didn't miss the follow-up attack launched by the other acolyte.

No need to apologize, she said as Ailis said she was sorry for the follow-up strike. It was probably mean of me to hit you without calling it out. I just wanted to push you, she said. And you did catch it. That instinct you followed, that's what'll keep you alive when the real fighting starts, she said.

I'm glad you think it feels good, too, she said. There were few Sith activities that she felt as comfortable with as this one. Sure, she could use the Force, but she was never going to be an arcanist steeped in the nuance of alchemy and sorcery. But when she had a saber in her hand, things just made sense.

Once you get more comfortable with it, it'll all just kind of... happen. You'll think about how you set up and then you just kind of move on reflex. That instinct you just felt, she said. Not so different from how I see, she said, pointing up to her covered eyes. Any Jedi or Sith could do this, technically, she said. Even if it was a bit different for her people. The eyes weren't what guided the good Sith.

@Arcangel

 

[Ailis Drast]

Trace seemed unconcerned about Ailis accidental retaliatory strike and she breathe a small sigh of relief. "I did." She had. She wouldn't have known if she could if Trace hadn't pushed her, and she knew she could do it again.

"Yeah, I think I feel loser, more limber." She swung the blade in the air a few times, getting more of a feel for it while she listened to Trace talk. "Really? You mean I could see like you if I wanted to?" That would be cool. She didn't miss the stuff about moving on reflex and by instinct, and she thought about it. That instinct that had pushed her to move, driving her around. But would she be in the drivers seat?

"That instint... does it control you?" It seemed like a reasonable question to her. She hadn't actively decided to defend herself. She just had. She moved into a few guard positions as she imagined blocking a few strikes, her movements not smooth or practiced. "Is that how you block like, blaster bolts and stuff?" She looked at Trace as she asked with a small grin on her face. Jedi and Sith always did that in the holomovies.

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Sort of, she said in response to the question about Force sight, though in her experience few people really decided to use it full time or even part time. Most people simply saw through their physical eyes, and that was enough for them.

She paused a moment when Ailis asked if the Force was going to control her. The answer was more complicated than a simple "yes" or "no."

The Force... the Force is like a muscle. You can work it out so it gets stronger, and it has its own reflexes. If you touch a hot stove, you pull your hand back without thinking about it, right? Because it protects you. Does that mean you don't control your muscles? No, you still control them, but sometimes you don't... she said. Ah yes, the classic "you don't lose control except when you do."

I don't know if that made any sense... she said, pressing her lips together.

But yeah, that's how you block things with speed no one else can match because it's all reflex. If you took the time to think about where every shot was coming, you'd be dead, she said.

 

[Ailis Drast]

Ailis listened as Trace tried to explain the intricacies of the force. That it was like an instinct, but a muscle. A natural reflex. Still sounded like it took you over sometimes. Well... Ailis wasn't exactly a stranger to that.

"It... Kinda makes sense." She pondered, deactivating her blade. She could feel it get a little grumpy at that. Not like she wouldn't use it more later. She could think of plenty of similar examples but... Trace got the point across pretty good. "Yeah. I think I get it." And if she didn't, well there was always more time to learn.

"Could I try it? Blocking things?" She asked, and for some reason imagined herself wearing a goofy helmet that covered her eyes. Had she seen it in a holomovie before? "OOoOoh! Could I see without my eyes aaand block things with the force?" Wouldn't that be so cool... She was pretty sure that was a thing Sith and Jedi could do right?

@Phoenix

 

[Trace]

Trace was very unsure how much of her poor explanation had actually sunk in, but it would have to do for the moment.

It'll make more sense as time goes on, she finally said with a shrug. The more you experienced it, the more it made sense.

Yeah, we could try that, she said, heading across the room waving her hand. The Force flowed into one of the training remotes and it activated, lifting off of its rack and flying out to the center of the room.

Trace deactivated her saber and headed over to pick up a training helmet.

Here put this on, she said, bringing it over and handing it to Ailis.

Try to picture the remote in your head. What's it going to do? Where is it? Where is it going? she said, setting the remote to its beginner mode.

Remember, you can do this, she said. Sometimes belief that it was possible was the most critical factor. My eyes have been covered this whole time and yet here we've been fighting this whole time, she said, illustrating just how doable it was... with practice.

@Arcangel

 

[Ailis Drast]

Trace said it would make more sense as time went on and Ailis nodded. She agreed with that. It was a lot to wrap her head around but even that basic explanation seemed to be clicking a few things into place for her. Ailis eyes widened as a training remote flew into the center of room and Trace grabbed her a blinder helmet.

"Oooh, just like on the holo... except Sithier." Ailis giggled a little bit as she took the sleek black and red training helmet from Trace and plopped it onto her head. "I can't see a thing in this helmet." She said as darkness settled over her vision, the only thing she could see the blank black visor that covered her eyes.

"I can do this." Ailis repeated Trace's assurance as a bit of a mantra in her head as she closed her eyes and activated her lightsaber with a snap-hiss. She heard the training remote whir as it began to move. Swish-swish Its microrepulsors made a very distinctive sound and Ailis instinct was to use that sound as a guide. The training remote shot once and she felt a sting of pain at her hip.

"Ow." She said as her eyes snapped open and she stepped back instinctively away from the pain, waving her blade in that direction. Swish-swish The training remote moved again and Ailis tried to ignore the sound. "I can do this." She whispered quietly to herself as she closed her eyes again. She focused on herself, on Trace, whose vibrant energy stood nearby.

There it was, a shadow of heat and circuits, energy flaring as the training remote moved. She could almost see it beginning to fire, feeling the quick pulse as energy built before being disharged. She imagined a line of movement, her saber moving at the hilt by her hands, blade tilting to connect with where she somehow knew... that it needed to be there.

It was like an instinct.

The actions played out and Ailis gasped under her helmet as she heard and felt the humming bolt of energy deflect off her blade and dissipate against the ground. And then three more came in quick succession. "Ow. Ow. Ow." Ailis tried to dance away from the pain but the bolts came too quick for her instincts to deal with. Her force muscles were weak and spindly apparently.

@Phoenix