Ask The Secret of Water

[Asena Zeev]

South of the Jedi Temple

​

Kark. Another dead end. That made a total of three tunnels utterly blocked with rubble. Asena did debate moving the obstruction, but it’d be risky; the rush of water might pull in her, and drag her down who knows where. This extension of the temple was disused and left to ruin, with a majority of it now flooded; the small interconnecting structures were all but swallowed by the growing waters of the swamp. Vines littered anything above ground, but the sunken passageways were another matter. Truth be told, Asena discovered it all by accident, her wanderings taking off the established paths; it took her some time to realize what exactly she had found but when she did, it became a sort of hobby. The nautolan could have spent hours exploring the site and its waterways. She was tempted to stay but alas, she had been summoned for some sort of meeting. Knowing her, she was already late!

Swimming back to the surface, Asena breached the water without so much of a ripple. Wading through its murky depths, she extracted herself just as a ship traversed its way across the forest canopy. If this was her intended visitor, then she was late indeed!

Fleet of foot, the padawan was ready to make a dash for the Temple. But she stopped short. The instructors of the temple said this was a special acquaintance. What exactly made them so special? Tricksy as always, Asena decided to change tactics and conduct her own observations first. The last thing she needed was another ‘master in meditation’.

Taking to the trees, she moved in leaps and bounds amongst the jungle’s branches. Only when the ship came into view did she stop and hunker down. With eyes wide, she watched intently, waiting to see just who exactly had come to visit.

@Kyosuke Yamato
@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

The sleek Shinigami's two long wings tilted independently of each other as the heavily customized light freighter whipped through the air with a long smooth drift down and around the Jedi Temple. The ship's Smart Suite AI would elegantly manuever the ship toward the ground, lifting the bow as it balanced the gradually descending ship to eventually bring it parallel to the ground.

A moment later the landing gear would set down against the grass, and the hangar bay's ramp would slowly begin to lower. At the top of the ramp was Knight Yamato, a Shadow that was not known to many Jedi, and even less were aware of his true role within the Order.

His head was mostly covered by the large baggy hood of his black handmade Jedi robes, which differed from the traditional style enough to blend in with modern crowds. On his back was his small black scout droid companion, Gremlin. The droid would currently be hunkered down against his bestie's upper back though, remaining still and quiet like he was some sort of discreet backpack.

The Knight would calmly proceed down the ramp, and then he'd take several steps onto the grass before he'd look around with a slightly puzzled expression on the tad bit of his lower face that could be seen. 'Nobody waiting to meet me, hm? Odd...' He had come in pretty hot, so perhaps they were still heading out to greet him, but that didn't stop him from imagining plenty of other scenarios. It was possible that something was wrong, or maybe people forgot about him, or maybe even someone had just gotten sidetracked.

The vigilant and curious Knight would softly close his azure eyes after a few moments of patiently waiting, and would then begin to relax his physical senses as he'd begin to extend his ethereal Sense to the nearby area around him. This would be the first Padawan he'd ever taken on, someone who could potentially even be molded into a Shadow, if Kyo evaluated her to be fit for such a role. So far it seemed like she might be, if she wasn't just late or engaged otherwise.

'Great. Where is this new Padawan of mine...' He'd continue to focus his concentration on the area, preferring to scan the outside before he had to actually go inside the Temple. Without budging he'd gradually expand his search as each moment passed, reaching out further and further while he used the Force to feel for any nearby presence.

@HoneyMagpie

 

[Asena Zeev]

Well, well, well. Asena hadn’t been expecting this. A fancy ship, and a mysterious stranger. It begged the question, who was he? And why was he here, of all places? Admittedly, Asena could go down and ask, but where was the fun in that?

From her elevated advantage point, she watched on. She was too far away to distinctly make out his features, and his choice of clothing certainly didn’t help either. One thing was for certain, though. He was definitely searching for something, or rather, someone. Her suspicions were shortly confirmed, what with his expanding search with the force.

“Oooooh. He knows how to play.”

Asena didn’t immediately shield herself; such sudden action may actually draw further notice. It was like suddenly erasing one’s self from existence; an impressive feat, yes, but the absence of a presence was as damn near noticeable. Like a puzzle missing a jigsaw piece. Asena learned this from one of the temple instructors, a Cathar with an interesting method of teaching. Rather than sitting around, the Jedi teacher took his students out into the jungle and taught them how to use their surroundings alongside the force. He even managed to make a game of it! The aim was simple, it was a contest of cat and mouse. One person hid, whilst another one sought. As much as Asena enjoyed being the seeker, her instructor also instilled in her the benefits of being the one in hiding. If done properly, one could move unseen, could even stalk upon your intended target.

How long would it take him to find her, she wondered? How close could she get? A tempered grin slowly broke across her lips.

Only one way to find out!

Mimicking the actions of her counterpart, Asena started to close off her physical senses whilst simultaneously opening herself to the force. Truth be told, she was all she had learned from that dull meditation stuff, but it was enough for her to work. She pictured it now, the jungle and its lifeforce bleeding into her, all whilst she fed into it; they merged, becoming one.

One could always say she was now an extension of the jungle, her presence blurring into the symphony that surrounded her. Being invincible was one thing, but blending in worked just as well. This was only temporary, however. He’d still probably find her. What she needed now was a distraction.

Glancing about her, cyan orbs landed on the branches and their fruit. Ah. As her father always said, the simple was best! Plucking a piece or two, Asena noted the fruit’s hard, outer shell - perfect. Flinging the fruit with practiced precision, the nautolan listened with great satisfaction as the fruit ricocheted on and off the numerous trees some distance away from her; the sudden movement itself being enough to unsettle nearby nesting birds. The disturbance was enough to fluster them, and without much haste they took flight. If the falling fruit didn’t steal his attention, then certainly the restless animals would.

Asena made her move, advancing whilst his proverbial back was turned.

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

"Hm?" The Knight's concentration split between the commotion that set off the birds, and the barely noticeable dip in the Force that occured just before it. The two were pretty close too. To the South of his current location, and a decent distance beyond the tree line. His bright blues flicked open and gleamed with a shine of light between the cracks of his raven fringe as he glanced in the direction.

It could've been nothing, but after the situation with the beast not too long ago he figured he should check it out for the sake of the Order and everyone on the planet.

With a whip of the arm he'd reach a set of his shock glove covered fingers back toward one of the hangar walls a few dozen meters behind him, where the frame of his jet-black collapsible energy bow rested on the wall. Then an instant later he'd flick open the clips that secured it, and would tug on it with the ebb and flow to pull it toward him. His eyes would remain on the forest's tree line while the folded weapon glided effortlessly through the air, then landed in his hand a moment later.

As soon as the bow's frame was in his grasp he'd twist it into the correct orientation while he passed it into his left hand. Then he'd flick his wrist out in from of him and release the lock on the bow's body to spring it out into its true form. A satisfying click would relock the bow's limb bolts, securing the upper and lower limbs into place. Then his left thumb would set the fire selector from 'off' to 'stun'.

Immediately the bow lit up with a soft purr and a teal glow of light. The radiant string of energy reflected on the hunter's narrowed face, then dimmed to become slightly less noticable as the weapon settled and finished powering up.

"Shini. Secure the ship." He'd say back over his shoulder without taking his gaze off the suspected area.

"Affirmative, Key-Oh." The Shinigami's pleasant and young female voice would obediently respond from the surround sound speakers imbedded throughout the ship. A moment later the hangar bay's ramp would begin to close, and Gremlin would let out a faint curious hoot as he'd peak up over his bestie's shoulder.

Knight Yamato would then proceed forward after a moment. His nerves would calm as he took in a deep breath, lightly readied his firing fingers onto the energy string, and gradually began to make his way toward to his target destination with almost completely silent steps.

"Hello?!" He'd generously call out to the treeline, mercifully giving anyone who might be out there a chance to reveal themselves before the hunt was on.

@HoneyMagpie

 

[Asena Zeev]

Asena’s charge halted just shy of the forest’s edge, her body falling into a natural crouch. By drawing his weapon, it seemed the visitor was upping the ante; his choice, however, was rather unusual. A bow? Not a lightsaber? She’d never heard of a Jedi using such weapons - It begged the question: What other wondrous armaments were there? A topic for later.

Now, it was time to change tactics and on pondering this development, Asena couldn’t help but bite her lip. In terms of range, the advantage hung in the stranger’s favor; he was at a safe distance, a position that juxtaposed her own. Ugh…How could she approach without making herself vulnerable?

Then it struck her. She assumed like many that an archer could only fire on one target at a time. Handling multiple different targets, at the same time? Now that was a challenge.

Time for a new game…

Sacrificing subtlety, Asena sought after the nearest masses she could muster; two upturned trees and a rather sizable boulder. She could have attempted to uproot something larger, but it wouldn’t have really been worth the effort. After all, crushing the stranger was not Asena’s intent; if it were, she’d never hear the end of it!

Concentrate…

This was the tricky part. Lifting objects into the air was the basis of any Jedi’s training, with the younglings even making a sport of it. Who could lift the most objects? Who could lift the heaviest? How long could they maintain it? Asena would surely topple all of them, as now three large pieces of debris breached the forest canopy. They then fell into a rotation of sorts, swinging about whilst gathering both momentum speed. With this, Asena’s ew plan was confirmed: Distract from above, strike from below.

Assured she now had the stranger’s attention, she launched the first mass as a projectile. A tree trunk, half-rotted now flung forward towards the open area. Her aim was off, but really she just needed the distraction. No sooner at the tree come crashing down, did the second one follow its similar flight. This was the hard part because Asena chose this moment to run with it Quick on her feet, she dashed into the open, taking with her the boulder.

Close the distance. Invade his range.

With his eyes in the air, the stranger wouldn’t even see her coming!

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

"Hmf!" 'A Jedi? Or maybe a Sith trying to sneak up on the Temple?' The Knight's bright blues narrowed as the objects raced through the air toward him. The raven-haired young man quickly calculated his best strategic move as he realized he needed to adjust his position in response to the large incoming projectiles.

The focused Shadow then leaned forward as he bent his knees and concentrated the ethereal essence into his legs. His heels lifted. His gaze narrowed even further. Then without wasting another second he leapt off from the ground with a greatly enhanced jump.

The first log would crash into the ground near where he stood, his eyes watching the trajectories as he continued to fly up through the air and back towards the front of the Shinigami's dorsal bow that loomed nearly a dozen or more meters back. Gremlin hollared gleefully as they flew through the air.

'Were they intentionally trying to miss?' Kyo attempted to analyze the situation more as he watched the objects from the vast arc of his high and far jump. He'd still be airborne a few moments longer, continuing to wrap his head around the unusual event while he pulled back on his handmade plasma bow's energy string with a pair of fingers from his right hand.

A bright teal arrow flickered to life, from the front of the bow to the back, parallel to his left arm. His right hand steadily held the string less than an inch from his right cheekbone. Gentle sparks of electrokinetic energy harmlessly jumped between him and the electrified arrow as Kyosuke concentrated on the energy across his weapon to begin amplifying and binding it with electrokinesis.

Then he felt a beat from his Sense as a blur near the flying boulder caught his attention. Without aiming precisely at the unknown target he turned his shoulders and upper body to bring the arrow's tip in that direction, and then very swiftly released his fingers from the energized bowstring.

The energy built up along the arrow crackled and sparked as the arrow ripped through the air, heading near the same direction of the blur and flicker of Force he'd Sensed. If all went well then he'd touch down on the front of his ship in the next few moments, while his shot would hopefully hit the ground near his target to act as a warning.

@HoneyMagpie

 

[Asena Zeev]

Asena's heart was racing, each step accelerated further by the Force itself. Maybe it was the adrenaline in her but her veins practically crackled from the pure thrill. This stranger was on an entirely different level, completely separate from the instructors at the Temple. The Nautolan caught on pretty quick when it came to their drills and protocols; they were great for building the basics but a true warrior needed to act on instinct, and let the Force guide their movements. This shadow didn't even flinch at the flying debris, he just responded and turned the whole table on its head.

He shot at her! Or rather, in her near vicinity, and Asena was delighted...well, that, but she was also torn. She could draw her saber and deflect the incoming arrow but that would mean slowing her momentum and skidding to a halt. Game over. Alternatively, the padawan could risk it and neglect the warning. Being so close, she was within touching distance!

Still...the vivacious padawan couldn't help but take the shot as a challenge and Asena was never one to shy away from the challenge. Ever since building her saber, she had spent hours practicing with it. The energy blade just felt so different from that of a training weapon; it didn't have the same weight to it. The same gravity. Ever one to show off, Asena made her choice and rounded on the incoming arrow, her emerald saber activating in tandem with her movements; Though there wasn't much need for it, she deflected the plasma bolt with one long, sweeping motion. She was surprised, however, to find the plasma arrow wasn't so much deflected as it was absorbed. Its electrokinesis properties coated that of her saber, creating brief sparks before fading.

Fearing there was damage to her saber, Asena pivoted with a pout. "What kind of Jedi uses a plasma bow?! Like, do you even have a lightsaber?" She sheathed the saber in exasperation, carefully inspecting it for full functionality.

Luckily, after a moment of deliberation, all seemed well and Asena returned to her otherwise lively demeanor. "Rematch!" She grinned. "Rematch! Rematch! Rematch!"

@AdventCore

 

[Kyosuke Yamato]

Kyo paused for a moment, somewhat struck between confusion and surprise at the Jedi that appeared before him. At least she wasn't a rampant mamien. He let the plasma bow rest as he lowered his arms and took the moment to study the young Nautolan. Then finally he stepped forward, and dropped from the Shinigami's bow. A moment later he was on the ground, body barely hunched over from the soft landing that he reinforced with a brief summoning of the Force.

"You must be Padawan Zeev." Kyosuke then stood and tapped a button on the sleek silver bracelet around his left wrist, unlocking and lowering the hangar ramp behind him. "I am Knight Yamato." His gaze turned and met hers, while he collapsed the casually collapsed his bow without looking at it, and then clipped it onto the back of his belt concealed under his long handmade robes.

The raven-haired Shadow considered explaining himself and answering her questions, but at the moment he was eager to get away from Yavin IV and onto their mission. He also considered the fact the she might even enjoy a spar in his ship's dojo at some point, but that would have to wait for now too.

"I assume someone told you about what it is we'll be doing together." He politely gestured a hand toward the ramp as it completed its lowering process, welcoming the girl up into his ship.

@HoneyMagpie