Ask Yavin IV Encounter in the Training Grounds...

[Nyx Otsana]

The Training Grounds, South of the Temple​

And again, Nyx was knocked down to the ground, her chest heaving with exertion. Each labored breath hurt more than the last. At first, sparring with the droids seemed like a good idea, a way of passing the hours (as opposed to studying). But in reality, she’d had the wind knocked out of her now more times than she could count. Getting up time and time again was getting more difficult, given she was now covered in bruises and welts. Adding to that, her palms stung something fierce; they were practically on fire and upon inspection, she could see why. Angry, red blisters were beginning to form, with the skin being rubbed raw from the grip of her weapon.

Back on Kiffu, Nyx used to spar with combi sticks, the longer length giving her more advantage; it kept enemies out of range, whilst giving her the added benefit of extended striking distance. The training saber however was... not great. It was taking Nyx longer than expected to get comfortable.

Still beats the meditation sessions… she thought glumly.

With that and a groan, the padawan pushed herself up, making sure to pat off the dust from her arms and legs, until immediately regretting it once more when remembering her blisters. Luckily, no one was around to hear her curse.

Biting back the pain, Nyx turned towards the awaiting droids, saber partially made ready, “Again…” She ordered, achingly falling into stance, “begin the sequence.”

The training droids did not confirm right away. Instead, one opted to retort, “Observation: Training program unsuitable for entry-level padawans. Suggestion: Decrease difficulty.”

Nyx did not even try to hide her frustration. “Again!” She snapped, stubborn as ever. “Dumb droid…Begin sequence.”

On final confirmation, the droids sprung into action, one moving in head-on whilst the others flanked towards the sides. She parried the first jab, battering one adversary aside before turning to face the other towards her right. It swiped at her and she jumped back, nearly losing her footing in the process. Her movements were sluggish, her body not able to fully comply. Perhaps she’d pushed her luck with this last round. One opponent struck her shoulder, whilst the other's rod swiped her at the knees. It made contact, and Nyx went down, the training tool tumbling out of reach.

“Repeat observation: Training program unsuitable for entry-level padawans. Suggestion: Decrease difficulty.”

“Agh!” Nyx used the Force to launch a rock at the droid’s frontal cone. The projectile hit its mark, but the robot (disappointingly) gave no outer reaction. Instead, with no further movement detected, the sparring droids powered down as per their programming.

With the session apparently over, Nyx sighed and laid there in defeat. As it stands, she barely had enough energy now to move. Instead, she sullenly decided to lie there for a while and watch as the day gave way to dusk.

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

After yet another dance lesson to prepare herself for the New Alderaan ballet university, Clove walked towards the training grounds with her bag slung over her shoulder. Ever since the many accidents, she's done nothing but go to classes with her co-Padawans, run to dance the lessons as soon as they're finished, go to the training grounds while still wearing her dancing outfit for strength training, and then sleep straight after.

It was a lot, but it served as wonderful escapism.

However, she didn't feel like she had made much progress. Because, to be honest, she had no idea what she was doing when she was pulling weights around the training grounds. But, really, it beat having no progress at all.

The sound of training droids requesting the fighter to lower the difficulty rang through her sensitive ears by the time she arrived at the training grounds' door. For a brief moment, those ears twitched, and Clove peered into the room. People who joined at this time of day weren't usually the ones using the droids, and if they were, they weren't being asked to lower the difficulty.

The sight of a beautiful girl lying on the ground and the training droid powering down greeted her. And it didn't look like the girl was going to get up anytime soon.

She instantly approached the girl with a sense of pity, knowing how painful it is to train so hard only to be kicked down again and again.

"Hey," Clove said, almost timidly, in her high-pitched voice. It was still difficult to break the habit of running back to the corner of her room whenever she saw someone new. Her large brown eyes scanned the Kiffar as she got closer, and she noticed the blisters on her hands. It seemed like the girl was really struggling. "Aren't those droids super annoying?" She said with a slight reassuring smile before sitting down next to her on the ground, her bag lowering until it lay on top of her thighs. "I never got out of the first difficulty. Keeps beating my butt whenever I try."

The half-Sephi wanted to ask about her hands but decided not to, at least not right now because it might embarrass the girl even more, and she didn't want to take that chance. Instead, she chose a simpler path; an introduction! Any medical help could be offered after that. "By the way, my name is Clove. Would you like some water? I have an extra bottle."

---

Tag @Pam0wl ​

 

[Nyx Otsana]

At first, Nyx didn’t really respond. It wasn’t out of spite or anything like that, but rather she just needed a moment to settle. She steadied her breathing first, in through her nose and out through her mouth; gradually, like she had been taught, the pounding in her chest eased little by little.

Finally, with an aching glance, Nyx acknowledged the fact she was no longer alone; she just stared at her new companion, too sore and tired for any real response. She did, however, groan, partially from pain but also from awkwardness. She’s seen my face…

The facial markings were a tender topic for the Kiffar. Around her age, kinsmen were marked with the qukuuf of their clan. Nyx never got that honor. Instead, she was marked by others; people she’d rather not remember. More often than not, self-consciousness got the better of her. She rarely bared the permanent patterns openly, choosing instead to hide them behind cloth and veil.

Still, the padawan knew when to be practical; training with the head garb was just too cumbersome. She had removed it early whilst sparring, seeing as no one else was around the grounds. Now rather than draw attention to the whole thing, Nyx chose instead to continue her focus on breathing, releasing her tension rather than feeding it.

“Nyx,” she sighed. “My name is Nyx.”

An attempt at greeting was better than nothing. She even tried to wave, sore as she may have been.

Laying on the ground long enough, the Kiffar gradually sat up. It was actually quite laborious, given all the aching muscles but the reward of water was just too tempting.

In reaching for her scarf, Nyx also caught sight of Clove and her attire. “No offense but you don’t like much of a Jedi….”

@LilyNion

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

Clove gave the Kiffar some space to catch her breath and patiently waited while looking at one of the many devices. The pattern of repeated deep breathing was eventually broken by a sigh and the mention of the girl's name. Nyx.

A name that sounded mythical yet grounded, as if it could belong to a legend or a fantasy. Very pretty.

"You have a lovely name, Nyx!" She returned the wave with a tiny smile before reaching into her bag for the bottle of water she was referring to. Before sitting back down, she carefully handed it to Nyx, taking care not to put pressure on the blisters.

Clove looked at herself after the remark about her appearance, tilting her head to the right with a slightly embarrassed grin. She never felt comfortable talking about herself, especially with a stranger about something she was self-conscious about, but she couldn't just ignore or avoid it. "I am a Padawan, but... I don't think I look like one, huh? I've just returned from a dance lesson and I left my robes in my dorm. My Master believes it is important to learn more than just Jedi stuff, so I chose dance." Satisfied enough with her answer, she decided to change the subject. "What about you?" I don't recall seeing you in class. Are you new, or?"

"I hope it's okay with you that I'm here. Came here to use one of those machines." She made a motion with her head toward the treadmill in one of the corners.

---

Tag @Pam0wl ​

 

[Nyx Otsana]

Clove’s exuberance certainly caught the Kiffar off guard; she just wasn’t used to people with such cheery dispositions. Even her presence in the Force was radiant. Nyx had never seen anything like it; to her, Clove was like a bright beacon, her signature unique to any others she’d encountered.

It was...nice. Overwhelming, but nice.

So caught up, Nyx almost missed the first of her acquaintances' words. She had said something about her name. “Um...Thanks but it’s nothing special.” Still, the compliment made her ears go red, but quickly she tried to hide it under the veiling of her scarf.

At least she didn’t mention anything about the tattoos. That would have sullied the mood entirely.

“A dancer, huh?” Well, that certainly was unique. Nyx didn’t know of any Jedi having hobbies like that. “That’s good, I guess...makes sense.”

She had never actually thought of that, being more than just a Jedi. There wasn’t anything stopping Nyx either, apart from her own self.

“I...don’t really attend classes. I should, but…” Deciding to hide her neglectful practice, Nyx just opted for the easy answer. “Yeah, I’m new.”

It would save her the embarrassment of admitting she was being a truant padawan.

 

[Clove Vanhoop]

---

When she covered herself with the scarf, the half-Sephi gave the Kiffar a gentle smile and lowered her eyes. While she didn't know much about Kiffar or Nyx culture to begin with, it was clear that she was trying to hide her face for one reason or another. So she reasoned that it was only polite to look away for a moment, giving Nyx the privacy she was most likely seeking.

When the Kiffar continued to speak, her gaze lifted up to meet the girl's. Her eyes popped like crazy now that her scarf was back around her eyes, making them almost enchanting to look at. "Yeah, it took me by surprise as well when he suggested it." Her hands idly reached down for one of the leg warmers wrapped around her calves and raised it just a little higher. "It's helped me get a little faster though, so... win win!" That was enough about herself for an entire day.

Clove rose to her feet and began to make her way to the treadmill while listening to her explain why she doesn't attend classes, her twitching ears signaling she was still paying attention. "Oh, that's fine! Well, hello and welcome to the temple. It's always good to see new people."

Clove suddenly came to a halt when realization struck her and turned around on the balls of her feet to face the Kiffar, a worried expression drawn on her face. "Before I forget. I hope I'm not embarrassing you by bringing this up, because you don't have to, but I couldn't help but notice your blisters on your hands. Do you need some help with that?" For a brief moment, the half-Sephi paused. "Before joining the Jedi, I was trained as a medic. So I might be able to remove some of that pain. A no is fine as well, though!"

Her normally warm smile had become a little awkward. That wasn't the most tactical way of asking her. But, hey, atleast she tried.

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Tag @Pam0wl ​