Shimmering and glistening.

[Garuga]

The Sage Halls of Empress Teta, the heartland of Jedi Philosophy and force training for non-combat applications. If there ever was a place that Bacilla would find herself out of place, it would be here. Yes, despite all the people around her being Jedi, Bacilla was out place. She was hardly an archaic Jedi, being fiercely opinionated as well as being a radical of sorts at times. But she was at a cross road, the New Jedi Order's philosophy was vastly different from the Jedi of ages past, yet she still cannot embrace the relaxed and calm mentality that so many of her peers can grasp onto. Certainly, Bacilla was one for action, but she felt like she needed to learn to make the most of her time outside of missions and assignments.

For that reason, for the first time in her life, Bacilla had decided to take up a Padawan. An exciting prospect certainly, and to add to the challenge she had also decided to start the training here, where the Jedi culture and philosophy is established and refined over time. That said, it was certainly going to be a new experience for her. Having placed herself in a comfortable seat in the common room while she awaited her Padawan's presence, Bacilla chuckled as she remembered her own attitude towards training as a Padawan. Oh she worked hard, certainly, but her smart-arse attitude definitely did not aid her in forming better relationships with peers or teachers.

Now, dressed casually in a black tunic of sorts, Bacilla reminded herself what her Padawan looked like. That was all she had, a name and a picture. This was going to be fun.

 

[Pele]

As Alec walked towards the Sage Halls he couldn't help but feel like the setting was one taken out of a dream. The beautiful rolling green hills, the amazing architecture of the Halls, and the small streams that ran out into expanse all seemed to have an energy about them. It was both beautiful and relaxing, seemingly calming him of the frantic thoughts that had been creeping into his head. The nervousness of meeting his new master seemed to flow away with the stream itself, knowing that she could not possibly be anything like his old one.

Taking one last deep breath of the fresh air, Alec turned and walked up the steps into the massive building. As soon as he got in he pulled out the paper he had been given a couple of days ago. There wasn't much on it, a time, a place, a quick message about his acceptance to be trained by a Jedi Knight, and a small picture of the woman who was his new master. Taking another look at the picture he couldn't help but admire the beauty of the woman. The short hair, the petite body, and her pale skin were something he bet many woman would be envious of.

Stuffing the picture and note back into his pocket he made his way towards the common room. He kept his stride normal, not wanting to appear too eager as he walked into the common room. As soon as he was in he searched for the woman he had just studied the picture of. To his surprise he found her sitting in the chair no more than a few meters away. Seeing her in person was a lot different and he could see how much injustice the picture did. But he wouldn't let himself fall into those thoughts now and after he cleared his head of teenage curiosity he made his way over to her.

Standing a few feet away from her he gave a deep bow. "Excuse me miss, but would you happen to be Ms. Kane?" He asked.

 

[Garuga]

Though the common room wasn't exactly empty, the arrival of the new presence, Bacilla's Padawan, was unmistakable. Without much of a chance to offer a greeting yet, Bacilla watched as Alec approached her and bowed politely. Now, though Bacilla wasn't the most traditional of Jedi, due to her upbringing she could not picture herself becoming like the most casual of Jedi either. Getting up from her seat, Bacilla took another look at the teenager, who looked older than his given age of 16. "Yes, that would be me." Bacilla responded curtly with a small smile. "You must be Alec then." Her voice was heavily accented, having been accustomed to Imperial Basic as opposed to common basic through her childhood and teenage years. "And Bacilla or Master is fine, Miss Kane feels slightly... stiff." Bacilla added, slightly jokingly.

She pondered for a moment, and then decided that it would be better for them to continue elsewhere in more privacy. "Well then, I'm not sure how long you've been with the Order or how accustomed you are with the Sage Halls, but I lose my way here occasionally, not normally stationed here and all..." There was a lot that she would need to learn about Alec, and likewise if they were to work well together. Bacilla smiled, a little more warmly, and continued. "So let us go to one of the training chambers, if that is fine with you, seeing as most of the people here are taking a break or having some leisure time."

((OOC: Haha, sorry for being a little slow atm, haven't RPed at all in a while =p))

 

[Pele]

Alec couldn't help but be surprised at the personality of his master. Maybe it was the fact that he had expected all Jedi to be extremely formal, and he was surprised when his master gave him the option to use her first name. Granted he wouldn't actually use it, but it did allow him to feel a little more relaxed about this whole situation. Bacilla Kane. He hoped his mind stayed fresh this entire session, he didn't feel like looking crazy to his new master.

At her comment that she was having trouble finding herself around Alec couldn't help but be a little worried. He, like her, was not accustomed to this place as well. Only having come to the Order no more than a month ago, he had never come to this majestic place before in his life. Though he sort of wished he had, it was a beautiful place.

But upon seeing her smile he couldn't help but think that it would be no big deal. Dam he hoped he didn't make a fool of himself. Then she stated that it would be time to go to a more private room. "Alright Ms....I mean, master. I don't honestly know where they are so if you get lost I don't think I'll be of much help heh." Alec replied and gave a quick smile in return.

((OOC: It's alright lol, I'm in no rush.))

 

[Garuga]

”Hah, I’m sure everything will be fine, finding the chamber and between us.” Bacilla chuckled, gesturing for Alec to walk alongside her as she made her way out of the common room. She was of course, exaggerating the place’s unfamiliarity to her slightly, but she nevertheless took out a holo-projector from her belt, opening it and quickly punching a few buttons. A map soon emerged from the hand-held projector, and Bacilla nodded a few times while continuing walking at her pace. Idle chatting was not something she was terribly good at, so she was fine with walking in silence, though she did hope that her Padawan found such silences comfortable as she did. After passing by many rooms and other Jedi carrying on with their merry lives, Bacilla found herself standing in front of a training chamber that did not appear to have been booked previously and is currently vacant.

”Then I guess this is us!” Bacilla mused, the door opening with a swoosh as soon as she took a step forward. A typical training chamber perhaps, wide and open, with benches and racks of training equipment to the sides, as well as a panel built into the wall which was used to initiate training programs and for some reason a button to order tea from the cafeteria. Strolling inside, Bacilla made for one of the side benches, turning around once she had reached it. ”Well then, Alec, before we leap into it, do tell me about yourself.” She said, indicating for him to close the door and join her. Taking a seat on the bench with her legs crossed, Bacilla stared attentively and politely towards him.

 

[Pele]

Nodding Alec went beside his master and followed her as she went along. Seeing her pull out her map made him forget about any worries of getting lost and he followed her along the grand Sage Halls. He kept quiet as he walked along the place, admiring the work of art this building truly was. He had never seen such a place and felt like he must look like a fool, but that didn't stop him from looking around and smiling.

As they entered his eyes drifted along the room and was surprised at how organized it was. His old master's room was just a mess of weapons and was pretty dark, but this room was almost the exact opposite, it was filled with a good amount of light and the equipment on the side was actually organized instead of being littered along the ground. Upon her request he stopped looking at the room and closed the doors. He then moved over towards where she had sat down.

It was when she asked her question his mind felt like it hit a bump and he started to get an influx of emotions. Why would she want to know me? Should I tell her? What gives her the right to know who I am? But he took a deep breath and squashed those thoughts away. He was going to have to trust his master if he was ever going to have her train him, and hopefully, become friends. Letting the energy of the place fill him again he relaxed and sat where his master had indicated for him to join her.

"Well umm I'm 16. I've done a fair bit of traveling around the galaxy, but I doubt as much as you have. I don't know much about my parents anymore but I'm sure they are out there somewhere. " They could be in hell for all he cared. "Nowadays though I've been taking up meditation. Its really relaxing and I don't know why but it really calms me, like I don't even know how to describe it..." Alec said, trailing out as he looked upon the room. Catching himself though he decided he'd ask him master the same question. He didn't know if he would be given any information but getting anything of interest would be good to know. "I'm sorry. But how bout yourself?" He asked while sitting back against the bench.

 

[Garuga]

Bacilla listened politely while her Padawan provided a few scraps of details, more later perhaps, but she learnt a fair bit off it that was certainly worth remembering. Ah, and asked about herself too. "It's only fair that I do the same then." Bacilla replied, nodding. "I wasn't born into a planet governed by the Galactic Alliance, and I most certainly hadn't been raised by the Jedi during my early years. My family were high ranking Imperials, but that part of my life ended when I was 19, when a ship that held my fellow students and their parents as well as my family and I was attacked by an Alliance raiding force. I survived but I can't say likewise for the others."

Alec had mentioned meditation, interesting to say the least, given his age of 16. But that meant that he would me mature than others of his age, which was always a good thing. Meditation though... something Bacilla had never been particularly involved in, given that it's nature is the opposite of action essentially. "I was 'rescued' by the Jedi, and off with a bang I went to Tython as a possible recruit." Bacilla continued, saying more than she would normally have, but seeing as Alec was perhaps a little hesitant, she decided to be more open, in hopes that he would come to trusting her sooner.

"More importantly then, perhaps." Bacilla asked, raising herself from her seat. "What of the Order and the force do you know?" She asked, secretly smirking to herself, knowing that either way, his answer would lead to him having to be thrust into the 'action' side of training mighty fast.

 

[Pele]

Upon his master mentioning her family was part of the Imperials he couldn't help but be confused a little. He did hear her response of being saved by the Jedi, but he also saw the emphasis in which she put on rescued. Perhaps she had some ill feelings towards the Alliance and its allies, he would have to ask her about that someday.

As she got up he saw how excited she became and then she asked her question about the Order and the Force. He honestly knew little of both, only having been with the Order for a month, and only having been taught some basic uses of the Force from his old master. Though the woman did teach him that the force was present in most human beings and connected us.

"I don't know much of the Order. Only common knowledge such as being protectors of the weak and such. Also I've been here a month and I've only met one other member and she was a very elderly woman." He said without saying much more. His former master had told him much about the Jedi and how they were the supposed fools of the galaxy. But he knew how wrong his master was when he had come back without an arm and an eye. He would have to take anything he had learned from that man with a grain of salt. "As for the force I know some basic concepts of it, things like pushing and pulling, but even those I was only taught minimally." He replied.

 

[Garuga]

"That's perfect!" Bacilla said, putting her hands together. "Though we are at the Sage Halls, meaning the focus of our training and study will be towards the Jedi Philosophy and non-combat applications, I'll be damned if one my Padawans can go the full 15 rouns in a philosophical debate, but will be cut down by a wild shot from some half-baked droid." Bacilla raised her right hand towards a training rack, and a saber hilt flew through the air and into her grasp. "A standard training saber, nothing special, but it'll be what you use until you construct your own saber." Bacilla remarked, handing the hilt to Alec.

Alec had essentially no training yet, which was what Bacilla was hoping for, seeing as now she could see how he reacted as a person, not what some other individual had taught him. And what better way to see how a person reacts to aggression than a spontaneous assault? Without warning, Bacilla nudged the bench that Alec was still sitting on with a pulse of force currents, enough to send it toppling over after being pushed back a good 2 meters or so.

"Well, Alec." Bacilla would say, once she saw whether he had smoothly escaped the bench in time, or whether he was now sprawled all over the floor. "This is your first test, essentially. Show me what you are capable of!" And with that Bacilla stepped forward, her violet lightsaber, set to it's lowest power setting, in her right hand. To see whether Alec was keeping his guard up, Bacilla applied telekinesis once again, this time an invisible hand would shove Alec hard from behind, sending him right into a trip caused by Bacilla's leg if he wasn't careful.

 

[Pele]

As soon as he saw her get excited he started to get a little nervous. Her overjoy as she summoned the blade to herself seemed to show just how ready she was to begin the training itself. When she handed him the blade he examined the hilt and was surprised at how lite it was. He remembered picking up his master's blade and wondering if the hilt was filled with rocks. But he immediately stopped admiring as soon as he felt the bench twitch and he planted his feet into the ground. As if on queue the bench slid back and toppled over about 2 meters behind him. He was happy he didn't get flung along with it but it didn't stop him from falling right on his a**.

Getting up and not wasting anytime to clean himself off he turned on the small training saber. The small blue blade glistened out and he was smiling at how much of a joy it was watching the blade shoot out. Then he heard his master give him his first test, test his skills against hers. He inwardly cringed at the thought of going against a fully trained Jedi Knight but if he was ever going to get better he was going to have to train. He nodded to her and pulled up some old memories he had of watching his old master fight, he hoped he wouldn't make a fool of himself and he moved towards her.

Sadly he made a fool of himself right off the bat. As he was got close to her he felt someone push him right in the back and he tripped right over his masters outstretched leg, and in turn, fell right onto his face. Ohh the redness spread over his cheeks as he quickly scrambled back up and turned around to face her again. He couldn't believe he had been so stupid, he was going to have to be much more cautious or else that would be a regular occurrence. Moving at a slower pace he went towards his master with his blade out front. Once he got close enough he made his move and went with a quick diagonal slash down towards her neck, letting out some of the fury that he had of making a mistake so early on.

 

[Garuga]

Well, Alec reacted well to half of it, and 0.5 rounds up to 1! Once Bacilla had followed through with the trip, she stepped backwards, giving her more time to observe Alec's response. He had done fairly in fact, and with more training he'd find it difficult in the future to be tricked once again by such a gimmicky 'strategy'. Watching him stand up, Bacilla knew that he would be embarrassed for a moment, but she was glad to see him continuing forward. Bacilla chuckled to herself, happy to see some spark within him. Being beaten down was never fun in any situation, and Bacilla was certainly not one who had ever dealt with losing easily, but it was a process that all needed to go through, and the earlier the better.

Alec had some motivation behind the blow, fueled by anger at himself perhaps, but these blows were inefficient. But yes, he would learn about precision and control, and when that becomes part of your own self, his blows would be different indeed. But for now, a one dimensional blow with energy and emotion behind it was just that, a one dimensional attack. As Alec approached, Bacilla spun on her right heel, moving her torso out of the way of the blow. With her own saber, Bacilla quickly trailed the training blade, intending to slam it into the floor beneath them, looking to detach Alec's grasp onto it. Using the swing's momentum, Bacilla would spin from her left, swinging her left palm in a backhanded strike so that it would stop a mere inch or so in front of Alec's face if he stayed in the same position.

"The saber will never be your only weapon, Alec, taking advantage of all the dimensions in a battle will be key to your victories. The force, your fists, knowing who your opponent's mother had slept with the night before..." Bacilla half-joked. Indeed, there was much more to combat than the simple facet of saber-to-saber dueling.

 

[Pele]

Missing his target he saw her bringing her own blade around to bury his right into the ground. He took what he could from it and using a little bit of hit from her blade, but bringing it out before she brought it into the floor, Alec used the momentum to twirl his blade in a circle until the point directed right at his master. Then he dodged her next attack that he spotted coming around, ready to what seemed like smack him in the face. He quickly bent his knees and ducked out of the way of the hand, not wanting to feel the old feeling of being smacked.

With his blade pointing towards his masters side he thrust out with with intent of driving the blade in. He had heard his masters words and he took them in. He understood that he needed to use more facets other than his new weapon, but at the moment his legs were bent, and his other hand provided balance as he went for his strike.

 

[Garuga]

A good stab it was indeed, Bacilla knowing that the blade would drive into her side if she continued her strike with her left palm. Driving her right heel into the floor, leaping away from the space she was in a moment ago. The large stride carried herself past Alec's right flank, and Bacilla dealt a two handed sweep, the violet blade striking horizontally towards her Padawan's waist. Whether it struck or not, Bacilla immediately reversed her right hand's grip on the saber, thrusting it backwards towards Alec's back the moment her left foot landed back onto the ground.

Once she finished the backwards thrust, Bacilla faced Alec once again, her violet saber raised in a high guard. Already, she was thinking about what form would suit the teenager in front of her. Different personalities lead to different blade forms, but that was no reason to restrict one self.

 

[Pele]

Again his saber struck air and his bent down stance got a little wobbly as he watched his master leap out of the way. In his foolishness he watched a little too much of her jump and not enough of her blade as it struck his right arm and gave it a good shock. Immediately he rolled to the left to get out of the way of any further attacks and sprung up to make sure he wasn't getting pounced on.

Seeing his master stand up and watching him he could really start to feel how outmatched he really was. Something in that caused his emotions to spark again as he felt angry and annoyed about being played around, but again he caught himself before he went into that endless loop of insanity.

The sting was a little of a shocker and it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, but then again these were on their lowest settings so he should have guessed it wouldn't behave in the way he had seen before. He then switched his dominant hand on the lightsaber to his left hand since his right hand was still feeling the after burn of the hit. He put his lightsaber in front of him and decided he'd let his master come at him. He wanted to let the burn wear off before he went in again.

 

[Garuga]

Though Alec was struck by Bacilla's initial blow, she was glad to see that he did not stop moving, managing to avoid her consecutive strike. Exiting her high guard, Bacilla deactivated her lightsaber, the violet blade retreating as quickly as it had emerged. She nodded, raising her hand to show that it was enough for now. "Very well then, Alec." Bacilla stated, clipping her saber hilt back onto the belt. "How did that feel?" She asked, a simple question perhaps, but battle tends to brings out personalities one did not know previously that they possessed.

"Dissatisfaction at failing or being beaten is something we will all feel, for there will always be those above us, and then those that are even further beyond them." Bacilla said. "That doesn't mean I appreciate losing personally, I strive for excellence and perfection, and the road to that objective means moments of mistakes and setbacks. Look past that, otherwise what you face will not be your opponent at all, but the inability to control one's own anger."

Giving him a smile, Bacilla chuckled. "Besides, you did far better than how I did when I first matched up to a Knight..."

 

[Pele]

Watching his master put away her lightsaber and lift her hand he saw that the duel was over. He was slightly disappointed in himself, making two mistakes so quick was something that would have gotten him a harsh punishment from his first master. Turning off his lightsaber he watched as the blade rushed back into the hilt and then he twirled the hilt around in his hand. He knew he shouldn't be sad, she was a Jedi Knight! But making mistakes usually ended badly, and he would have to fix and learn from them so that he never got himself hurt.

Hearing her question he responded simply. "It sucked." Then as if reading his mind she gave him advice and words of encouragement. Two things he was surprised to hear, but things he was eternally grateful for. He listened and chuckled as she gave him a compliment, glad that his mood was able to turn around.

"Heh alright, I'll definitely make sure to learn from these mistakes today." He replied, moving over to her and handing her the training blade.

 

[Garuga]

"It's fine if you'd care to keep it with you for now." Bacilla said, glancing at the training rack with a smirk. "I know it's only a training saber, but it certainly works better than say... a baton. Besides, I doubt the administration would care too much about one missing hilt." Now that Bacilla had more of a grasp on the type of person Alec was, she intended to push a lot through him during this training session.

"Alec, you said before that you tend to look towards meditation a lot." Bacilla said, indicating that they should take a seat on the flooring. "Would you care to do it now? Or if you cannot concentrate enough to enter that sort of state right after sparring, then explain to me how you start it, and what you feel during it."

Meditation techniques indicates a natural affinity for such force techniques. It is something Bacilla lacks, but if Alec had already touched upon it, she was sure that he could learn to apply that same concentration required for physical and practical applications too.

 

[Pele]

The small act of generosity put a smile on Alec's face as he pocketed the training saber. He had always seen them and the wondrous feats they could do, and now, even though it was just a training one, he felt like he joined an elite group. Well it wasn't exactly elite but still it was a symbol of a Jedi and it made him feel like he was accepted.

Upon hearing her request to begin some meditation he was surprised at the sudden shift from fighting. But he shrugged it off and nodded. "Of course I could show you. It's nothing special but...one second." He said as he looked around the room for a mat that they could use. Sadly he didn't find anything after an initial look and he just shrugged again and sat down anyways.

Settling himself with his legs crossed and his eyes closed he relaxed into his stance. He let the tension from his muscles dissolve out and any other pains that he was feeling, like the burn on his arm, drain away as he got comfortable. Then he let himself move away from reality and delve into his mind to try and find that connection with the force. Upon finding it he let himself go into it, letting the force flow freely from within him and surround him. He didn't notice how much emotion had actually been building up as he felt it go away, as if had flowed away with the force itself.

His mind started to open itself up more and he could see the fracture that he had found since his first days of meditation. He had tried thinking of ways in which he could heal it but at the moment he was just too inexperienced with the force to try anything. He had been told by the woman who had taught him meditation that he could do many exercises while meditating. Like branching out and following the force to other sources, or manipulating objects without seeing them or holding them. But he didn't want to try anything like that without a proper trainer, he didn't mind just applying it to relaxation and finding inner peace.

 

[Garuga]

As Bacilla watched silently, the change in Alec's physical and emotional appearance seemed rather drastic. She could achieve that kind of mind state when she was trying to relax herself before action, or when she was performing a task. Being able to enter a sitting stance and then achieve inner peace was one of the main reasons she decided to start the training here in the Sage Halls. As Alec entered his meditative state, Bacilla could detect his force presence at work, the currents flowing through his body. This was something she could not sense as clearly previously, whether when talking or sparring.

This was interesting indeed for Bacilla, who suspected that the art of meditation had more to do with one’s mental condition and personality as opposed to their intuition in the force, thought that most likely undoubtedly helped too. Oh indeed, Bacilla had sought help from those more able than her in these ways, but it appeared that while she understood what to do physically, it sadly did not reach her mind. But bringing her mind back to the training at hand, Bacilla had asked Alec to do this as it allowed her to see how well he could maintain his concentration, as well as how naturally he grasped onto the force.

It was good indeed, and Bacilla could definitely understand why Alec had been stationed at the Sage Halls. After waiting for a few minutes, she coughed hesitantly. "Uh, well then." Bacilla said quietly, as to not break Alec from his meditation roughly. "Now that you have shown me you can concentrate your mind's capability well, I want you to bring to attention what it felt like. Not what you are thinking while doing it, but the feeling of the force currents move in about you. While it may be difficult at first, once you can grasp onto that feeling, it is something that you won't ever lose. Try now, don't meditate, but using the same 'technique' of sorts, open your mind and reach out, picture your physical body staying where it is, but your mind filling the confines of these walls and beyond."

 

[Pele]

While in his inward state he heard what sounded like a cough and he realized it was his master trying to get his attention back. Slowly he pulled out from inside his mind, taking his time and bringing himself back to reality. He came just in time for when she started her next sentence. Listening to his master's words he thought he'd give it a whirl and try what she had described.

Allowing himself to go back to his mind, he went towards that connection he always used when meditating. He let himself into it and instead of going inward towards himself and his mind, he instead tried to follow it out. Nothing happened for awhile, and he felt like he didn't know what to do, but then he could tell he was still keeping his mind focused on him and not of the world around him. Slowly he went and pictured himself and then tried to branch out and use his mind to fill the room around him. It felt like a rush and it was a feeling that was hard to describe as he could almost...touch...or well he didn't know how to put it, but he could sense almost everything around him.

He tried going outside the room, seeing just how far he could go with it but his head started to feel overwhelmed by just how much it was. Slowly he pulled back and brought himself back. Opening his eyes he looked over towards his master with a sort of amazed look on his face.

"That was great! Though it was overwhelming, it's like....like I could feel everything..." He said as he trailed off, stopping himself from his rambling.