The Eye of the Storm (Ena Katsumi's Training)

Malon

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Siri felt the Force surge around her, but it deflected off of her Force shield, causing little more than a breeze to encompass the area. Still, her apprentice was experimenting with the Force and learning to use it. For that, Siri was proud.

Deciding to test Ena further, Siri charged and unleashed a flurry of rapid strikes and parries on her apprentice.
 

WhiteSheWolf

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~Ena was pushed back in the flurry of attack; but there wasn't time to be afraid or think of her next action. The force surged around her, guiding her actions. She kept her lightsaber in close, using the least energy possible to redirect the strikes away from her body. As her Master pressed her, however, her focus started to waver, her eyes drawn to the whirl of plasma instead of the hilt - and as her focus wavered, so did the force, leaving Ena the one in control of her movements. Her blocks grew weaker, less precise, her steps clumsy. Siri's strikes came closer and closer to landing as the flurry continued.~
 

Malon

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Siri saw her apprentice's focus wavering and decided to interject some advice.

"Focus, Ena. In practice, my double-bladed lightsaber is more limited than your one-bladed version. It can do more damage, but is far less precise. It requires longer, sweeping motions that don't transition well with the fierce stabbing and jabs I used on you earlier. This makes them difficult to master, which is why there are so few. Therefore, the Jedi and the Dark Jedi don't know how to handle it when one of us saberstaff wielders come along, giving us the advantage." she explained.

She continued her flurry of attacks, pressing her Padawan closer to the edge of the grove.
 

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~Attempting to listen and internalize Siri’s advice only led to a further wavering of Ena’s focus. Darn! She winced as several quick strikes found there mark; a sweep not blocked in time to her right leg, a short jab to her torso. Ow. And still her Master pressed on. Ena was out of breath, even fighting for a short time took a lot more stamina that she would have thought and certainly did not have. Ena wanted to curl up and wait for the flurry to stop; to run away. That wasn’t the Jedi way.~

~Ena made herself stare at the hilt of the saberstaff, consciously drew in a long breath, drew in the force, fought to focus . She would be the eye of the storm. Ena’s blocks grew stronger, flowed together. She kept her lightsaber close to her body, not-thinking, not-doubting. Only focusing on the force – letting it move through her. She stepped forward, pushing her defense towards her Master; putting force behind her parries and blocks, turning them almost to strikes in themselves. Tried to drive back towards the center of the Grove.~
 

Malon

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Motions were now more fluid between the two of them. To the untrained spectator, the two women would look like a rainbow of colors as their blades whirled and caught on one another. The static crashing sound erupting from their lightsabers filled the air around them. Ena succeeded in driving the battle back to the center of the grove, so that's when Siri ended the spar.

"Excellent work, my apprentice. You've learned much. With time, your swordsmanship will improve. You've chosen a good style of lightsaber combat, which I think fits you quite well. Do you have any questions or comments about saber combat you wish to discuss with me?"
 

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~When her Master drew away from the spar and lowered her lightsaber, Ena slid back into her defensive stance for a moment, unsure if her Master was simply going to attack again. When Siri spoke, and it became obvious that their spar had ended for now, Ena deactivated her lightsaber and attempted to catch her breath. Her Master didn't look the least bit tired from their spar; Ena was exhausted, could feel her robes sticking to her because of perspiration.~

"Master, if you don't mind...what made you choose to wield a saberstaff? I read at least an introduction to the different styles...does a Jedi usually choose one or learn several?"
 

Malon

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Siri nodded; a good question that would be answered honestly.

"To your first question, I built this lightsaber as a declaration of my will to become a blade master, as well as a symbol of my commitment to the Jedi and freedom. A blade master has to master different styles, sometimes that means mastering unorthodox styles, like double-bladed lightsaber combat. Now as to your second question, some Jedi, like my master, Master Huang, and I choose to master several different lightsaber styles. However, all the same, there are some Jedi who prefer to specialize in one specific form. Its truly up to your preference and the path you take as a Jedi." she replied.
 

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~Ena nodded. That made sense, and she did like the freedom in it. It was very clear that it would take some time for her to feel confident and assured in any combat form; mastering Soresu would certainly take years. But Ena liked the defensive nature of the style, liked that it helped her learn to focus. And now at least she knew she could use the lightsaber on her hip without cutting herself in half.~

"I like that...there's some freedom in it." ~Ena sighed - she was mostly recovered, now, though it was obvious to her that she was in dear need of cardio building exercise.~ "Do you have any specific suggestions for endurance training? I...well...I never really exercised before...this. I'd never imagine fighting for a few minutes could be so tiring."

~That last question asked, Ena felt as ready as she would be to continue whatever training her Master had in mind.~
 

Malon

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"Endurance will only come through continued training. After you've trained for awhile, you'll start getting use to the strenuous activities of a Jedi's life. Perhaps jogging through the woods in the morning and leaping over any obstacles you come across would be a good start." she suggested.

Siri looked up at the sun. It was starting to set in the distance. They must've been training for many hours, though to Siri, it had only felt like a few minutes. She wiped the sweat from her brow and thought for a moment.

"Your training is done for today, Padawan. You got the hang of fighting me quicker than I expected and even mastered a few aspects of the Force I hadn't anticipated. Reflect on what I've said to you and meditate before you sleep tonight. Tomorrow will be the last day of formal training before our mission. It will be a lesson on the Force, so be here early; as soon as possible."
 

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((Super super sorry for the delay. It's that time of the semester.))

~Ena nodded. She would have to add morning runs into her routine along with training droid sessions, meditating and reading in the archives. A Jedi is always learning, a padawan more so, it seemed. Ena was vaguely surprised when her Master released her for the day, in part because she hadn’t noticed the time pass, and because of the praise. Today had gone better than Ena had expected. Maybe she would be ready to leave the temple afterall! Ena bowed to her Master, a smile on her lips at the praise.~

“Yes Master Siri! I’ll see you bright and early.”

~Ena found herself looking forward to the next lesson – the force was becoming second nature to her, and even if she had much to work on in focus and control, Ena knew she could use the force. It was always there, waiting. She trotted along the path back to the temple, and stopped only briefly in the cafeteria to grab dinner to go before returning to her room. She set her food aside, showered, and then ate. Then she settled onto the floor and meditated.~

~The combat today had taught her much. Ena acknowledged she had a long way to go; she had to work on her focus, on trusting fully in the force, on technique and endurance. Ena could feel the small burns caused by her lack of defense earlier in the spar; the her clothing chafed against them and the scrapes from earlier training sessions with the practice droids. Much to learn. But she was improving too. Ena took a deep breath and cleared her mind, encased herself in the peace of the force and simply sat, letting the currents of the force flow through her without thought. Eventually, Ena went to sleep.~


~The next morning found Ena dragging her feet along the path to the Grove just as the first rays of light lit the jungles of Ossus. She had eaten breakfast, but gnawed absently on a fruit, still not quite sure if she was awake or still dreaming. The entrance of the grove came in sight as she walked and she finished her fruit and tried to look more awake, lest her Master scold her for sleepiness.~
 

Malon

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Siri was at the grove early that morning, mediating in the rays of sunshine that penetrated the canopy of the treetops. Though her eyes were closed and her back turned to Ena when the latter entered the clearing, Siri felt her presence in the Force and smiled.

"Welcome back, my apprentice. It is time for me to begin our final lesson together before the trials. We've spoken much of the Force over the past few days, but now I'm going to go in depth into what the Force really is, and what a Jedi's purpose is to that Force. Firstly, I want to hear from you; what is the Force to you after all you've learned here with me?"
 
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