Days Gone By (Eaon, Jenno)

Eaon awoke earlier that day, again he was getting another master. He wouldn't be late, without a master though Eaon had learned much. He'd bettered his ability to fight, he'd even gained a better understanding of the fundamentals of the force. Eaon had come to peace with his original Master's Death and despite all that had happened he'd come out on top.

Some people might have suspected that Eaon had become a little bit rough around the edges however. His powers were often times used in some what ill-advised ways. Be it spying on his friends when he walked by their dorms or having an open enjoyment of lightsaber combat, some thought Eaon walked a dangerous road. Eaon however didn't feel this way, yes there was some aggression in his preferred style of combat and way of dealing with things, however it wasn't a joy of killing that Eaon enjoyed rather it was a joy of exercising his kills.

Eaon's mind was clear as he approached the halls of the waiting Master. He didn't let his mind get flooded with nervousness and the pre-judged notion that he would always be learning with his new Master. Yes the training was a lot of learning new things, but it was also a lot of reinforcement. Nor was Eaon worried about getting gittery, finding a new master, having a training session, then leaving again never to see or hear from this master again was becoming common ground.

Eaon didn't try to foresee his new Master's intent, but he only got a Force Signature. Eaon cleared his mind again, and entered into the room with his Master. Unsurprisingly it was another training room, Eaon was beginning to see a common theme. Jedi Masters and training rooms happened and only once in a very long time Eaon had left the temple once.

"Master, I am Padawan Eaon, a pleasure to meet you."

(OOC: Short post, I know. Just want to get the fight started.)

Tyrdo was still standing with his face to the sun as he sensed Eaon approaching from behind, his steps echoing off of Tyrdo's senses like a bell. Short, rhythmic boot thuds and a brisk pacing further confirmed Tyrdo's assumption as to the identity of the noise's shadow.

Here he is. Right on schedule.

"Master, I am Padawan Eaon, a pleasure to meet you."

Let's see what Saylis has had you up to so far.

Instead of greeting him in the traditional, universally-agreed upon sense, Tyrdo did quite the opposite; his double-bladed lightsaber shot into his hand as he gripped it with familiarity and decisiveness. Two icy blue blades fired off with characteristic dual humms, and his feet propelled him upwards off the ground like an ignited rocket as he called upon the Force and landed directly in front of somewhat startled Eaon after completing a mid-air backflip. Coming into measure with an offensive-minded Ataru stance, he twirled the weapon in his right hand for a single revolution before spinning to the left and striking with the bottom blade for Eaon's lower leg, good momentum powering up the strike and building up power as the blade traveled through the air for a collision course with Eaon's body.

(All good just happy to have an active master)

As Eaon entered into the room he didn't get a chance to hear his new Master's name. All he heard was the ignition of a lightsaber, it was a dual blade which was cute to say the least. One time a female padawan experimented with one of those near Eaon and she burnt a hole in her pants and Eaon got a glimpse of her undergarments. It was a good day, a good day indeed. The moment Eaon heard the ignition of the blade though he felt his cheeks pull and his eyes lower. This master knew what Eaon wanted, and that was combat, Eaon would humor him a bit, hopefully the master hadn't realized Eaon had fought to par with another Padawan just before her trials of Knighthood.

It took Eaon a moment to catch up to the new master once he lept in the air, there was nothing particularly startling about it. Lots of Jedi were fast and could jump, a normal Padawan would have been at a loss here, but Eaon wasn't one for giving up ground. Eaon didn't let himself get tense or worried. Eaon almost seemed to go into a trance like state and anyone who tried to read his movements or thoughts would be surprised to find almost nothing going on. Eaon's body seemed to relax and his mind went blank as if sleeping.

As Eaon's master landed and struck, Eaon hopped off of one foot and dodged the blade by mere inches landing on his left foot. In one fluid motion Eaon held open his right palm and ignited his purple lightsaber, carrying the momentum of his jump to send a quick spinning, horizontal attack towards to torso of his new master. It was interesting because Eaon didn't really have a defense or offense, he just had responses and actions, it was unpredictable, and it was effective against normal people who lacked creativity. What was great is Eaon was just getting started, which was something he doubted his new Master would have heard, Eaon wasn't one for using standard tactics.

The strike missed the boy by an inch. Tyrdo sighed inwardly for a fraction of a second. It was a smart move, something he had been predicting, but against a true Sith with his life on the line, Eaon would have been dead by now. Having been careful enough not to over-extend, Tyrdo watched every portion of Eaon's figure as he spun in the air, using his momentum to bring his now ignited lightsaber to bear for a horizontal flash. Tyrdo brought his top blade forward and down on his student's strike, battering the blade downwards and forcing him to come down somewhat prematurely as Tyrdo gained the offensive once more.

Almost automatically, he began an un-patterned alternation of various strikes and parries, using the dual blades to his advantage in an effort to test Eaon. An upper left diagonal slash would be followed by its polar opposite as expected but Tyrdo would change the pattern just as soon as he had begun it, driving Eaon back a few feet. The double-blade was effective in its own right when its user knew how to utilize it. Granted this, he was holding back of course; a Master versus a Padawan was not a fair fight. Still, he was more skilled than most senior Padawans, something Tyrdo was impressed with. He had become disappointed as of late with watching sparring matches; too much orthodox movement. Rather, it was too little too late most of the time when he observed these training sessions.

It was somewhat blatant Eaon didn't have any major knowledge of other forms, bar perhaps back-handed training or quarterstaff training which Tyrdo had yet to see used. Shii-Cho comprised the entirety of his attacks, defenses, and counter-strikes. He was adapting and countering well, however; although the moves were distinctly Form I, they were definitely not as linked or patterned as many other students Tyrdo had trained or taught. The boy on a related note also had good reaction time; Tyrdo made a quick mental note to encourage its development in the future. Still, his style was too loose, too confident in his ability to adapt every time. There were one too many openings for Tyrdo to exploit. Taking his forward blade and pushing off Eaon's own to the side with a heavy swipe, he quickly delivered a medium-powered kick to the teenager's center, knocking him backwards somewhat.

"Your defense is sloppy! Tighten up with that center-line, and don't get so loose with those strikes. A Sith would have exploited a dozen openings by now!"

Eaon smirked to himself, he'd been practicing reading people a little bit more and he could tell his dodge some what confused his master and made him think Eaon was getting sloppy. This was far from the truth as his almost-knight friend could tell anyone, Eaon's style while portrayed as sloppy and unkept was actually very well thought out and practiced. If a Jedi remembered what your eyes saw was in fact false they had a hope against Eaon's improved style, if they tried to fight it straight up, Eaon would just move away tiring the opponent out. Eaon controlled another's energies and emotions then turned it against him, it was the Force as he knew it. Neither aggressive nor passive.

Eaon's new master if that's what he was would have noticed almost instantly when he began to alternate and change style Eaon began to defend and change with the strikes. The field would remain almost completely level if not for the changes forced perhaps solely by the skill differences between the two. It would become apparent that while unorthidox with his defenses Eaon wasn't just "getting lucky" and despite appearances he did know what he was doing enough to use it. Eaon had fought Dark Jedi before, even though it cost him his master and best friend, he'd survived and he'd learned to fight in such away that perhaps perfected the true uses of Shi-Cho, or at least had the ability to do so.

That being said, Eaon was getting bored with just playing defense though. He continued to fight to par, with his "new" master waiting and waiting. Eaon had an ace up his sleeve, but he didn't focus on it. In the off chance someone was searching his thoughts he wanted the surprise to be exactly that a surprise. Then Eaon heard the man tell him some instructions on fighting. Eaon guessed there was a reason he was not Master Saylis, she would have never given instructions like that. Eaon knew he couldn't fight to par and that's why he relied on his current style, it's also why Saylis never fought him on open grounds.

As Eaon got kicked he smirked and answered calmly. "If I fought at one hundred percent you'd be pretty red right now Master. You don't give Shii-Cho enough credit, or you give yourself too much." Truth be told Eaon was aware it sounded arrogant to speak to a Jedi Master that way, but likewise when the Master was assuming that Eaon didn't know what he was doing it was annoying. In fact it is highly likely that if Eaon's master was at Eaon's level, Eaon would have fought differently. However Eaon wanted to give his new Master time to realize that if he just came head on like a berzerker he was making several mistakes. Eaon had something that few other Padawans at his age had, he also was almost toying around with the notion that his Master was underestimating him.

Once Eaon was free of his Master's immediate range he stepped back and immediately deactivated his lightsaber. The fight wasn't over, but if his Master wanted Eaon to fight seriously, Eaon would fight at full strength, and that meant a no holds version of his style that would make fighting normally almost impossible for one of Eaon's peers.

(OOC: Jenno will drop in a couple rounds later. Also, tone it down a teeny-tiny bit. No matter a Padawan's talent/skill level for his age, a Master will best said student 3.999 Infinity out of 4 times.)

"If I fought at one hundred percent, you'd be pretty red right now Master. You don't give Shii-Cho enough credit, or you give yourself too much."

Eyebrows raised into Tyrdo's forehead as he stood straighter, his student disengaging and his face beginning to fluster. A smile arose from Tyrdo's face, albeit a slight one at that. If he was getting annoyed at teaching, what was it going to be like when he faced a real challenge. Something like this would honestly get him killed if an actual threat managed to break his concentration like that. Tyrdo had read through the boy's files; a crazed battle on Vjun, the loss of close friends and allies. It was a lucky thing he had not slipped back then either. Dark Jedi were heavily problematic; when Tyrdo had faced Ven'tar on Woostri, he had nearly lost his life. In fact, he only remained living today out of bringing the light back to that man... somewhat. If a Sith were to fight against Eaon... Dun Moch would be the end of him, and in this case it had only been teaching. The claim Eaon made was a bold one, but otherwise Tyrdo did not think upon it further. Unintentionally getting Eaon flustered and annoyed was not what Tyrdo had in mind for getting on a good start for the next couple years. He could only imagine the conversations they'd have later on when he gave him more advice.

"Call me Tyrdo, Eaon.

Your confidence is good; its your ally, a tool. But be careful when you feel the need to hold yourself to a standard, and keep it in check to a self-set level. A new factor should have no limits in a Jedi's perspective of its ability."

He moved back into his Ataru stance, both icy blue blades still humming from either side of the hilt with a righteous glow about them. Tyrdo wanted to see the full extent of his knowledge in Shii-Cho, and not just his defensive adapting ability. He wanted to see some true blade-work, the kind only heavy repetition produced.

"This time, Eaon, show me what you've got. Give me 110%."

(Quit god modding and I will ^.^ I can RP you being better, but the forced hits are getting on my nerves, or you could keep force hitting and deal with the fact I'm going to make you have to fight harder than you think you should. Your call.)

Eaon couldn't figure out what was with this Tyrdo he kept looking like he was making assumptions about Eaon that were incorrect. This latest feeling Eaon was getting made him think that the new Master thought he was some how annoyed. Unimpressed, maybe. Amused, pretty much. Challenged, definitely. Annoyed, not even close. Eaon enjoyed the act of combat, not killing and night getting into fights, but the actual fight itself Eaon enjoyed. It was an art form, a mode of expression not all together different than using the force. The Jedi were the only ones say for Dark Jedi or the Sith who even bothered to use Lightsabers, so for them not treating it like the delicate art it was seemed to undermine the very concept of using a Saber.

Unfortunately, Tyrdo didn't seem entirely well versed in the ways a lightsaber could be used. While Eaon had turned his saber off, it wasn't to end the fight, Eaon turned his Saber off to cause confusion during the fight. Eaon, unlike most Padawans, had for quite awhile had a second lightsaber. However he was not trained to use it and often left it hidden within his robes as to not draw attention to it. By purposely leaving himself open to attacks it drew his overly aggressive opponents in, and when the time came more often times than not Eaon could surprise them with a quick burst from his blue saber, instead of his primarily used purple one.

Eaon truly did hope that it wasn't his master's intentions to annoy Eaon or try and get him to act on more aggressive or negative emotions. Eaon was smarter than that, he was more versed and knew to protect against such things. Eaon's philosophy as well as combat style reflected highly upon one particular element. That element was water, and the reasoning for this was its fluidity. One moment water could be crystal clear, calm, cool, and relaxed. The next moment it could come crashing down in a torrent. Eaon was very much the same, saber off and mind seemingly blank, Eaon was at peace, letting the force and his instinct guide his movements. However when the time was right, he would use the raw motion of his opponents attacks to control the motion of combat and turn things around. Truly everything was like a stone in the water, it always set off ripples that cast across the water's surface. Eaon prided himself on being able to find and react to these ripples, and a lot of times, at least with Padawans all it took was a split second to change the course of a duel.

"The only thing I have more confidence in than The Fallen, is that the Force will show me what to do to survive." Eaon said calmly. Eaon didn't take the time to think that maybe, just maybe his lightsaber's name might be odd or that maybe his Master hadn't heard about it. Still Eaon decided to wait and see, he only smiled and nodded as his master told him to go 110%. Eaon's smile quickly faded and he turned his saber backwards in his hand. Eaon then dashed towards Tyrdo and lept high into the air, using the force like a spring board. Eaon purposely let his eyes focus in on the part of his body Eaon was considering attacking. The goal was to set up the false impression that Eaon was planning a saber attack. Spinning in mid air just before he would activate his lightsaber, Eaon would instead stick his left hand forward attempting to Force Push Tyrdo hard. If all played out right, Eaon would have been able to pull off a relatively skilled trick attack and sometimes that was all anyone needed to change the course of a battle.

(OOC: I'm sorry if it came off as god-modding to you; a Master will inevitably toss a learner around even if a little bit. The only thing I did was kick you and do the usual "sway with the duel back and forth" thing. If it nerves you though, I'll try not make it seem like that. In fairness, don't make Eaon a mind-reader. Btw, any normal Jedi seeing his assailant de-activate his lightsaber and relax somewhat would think what Tyrdo did, too; it seemed like that statement was intended to bite back at me for talking about Shii-Cho. )

"The only thing I have more confidence in than The Fallen, is that the Force will show me what to do to survive."

So he names his lightsabers. Interesting...

Tyrdo was only transitioning back to a combat mindset when Eaon somersaulted through the air on a collision course for him. It was a move reminiscent of Ataru; graceful, acrobatic, and practical for a renewed offense. The different scenarios played through his head as the next several short seconds. Eaon could go with the usual horizontal saber attack and cut the angles, but he liked to switch it up with his blade-work. That meant something force-related was coming his way, or it was a feint to get Tyrdo to react and get on his student's pace. Tyrdo's mind told him to dive and come up on his feet through a forward roll as Eaon flew over him. And that's what he did. As Tyrdo dove forward to end up behind Eaon in the prediction he would have to invert to face Tyrdo, a backwash of heavy telekinetic force energy flew over him, speeding up his roll. Tyrdo went head first as planned, just much faster. It was an awkward position. As he came up on his feet and let his momentum carry him, he turned about to see Eaon again in Form I stance.

"Good, good. I want to see technique like this, not just defensive reaction."

Tyrdo planted his feet as he attacked once more, bringing his forward blade to bear he shuffled his feet in an odd manner at the same time like a pumped up martial artist. It was an unconventional tactic; an opponent would zone in and wonder with all distracting curiosity why Tyrdo was doing just that. Of course, in between blocking dual blades and different level strikes, it served to block the mind from concentrating correctly. As he traced his feet about, his left leg suddenly lashed out for Eaon's lower right leg as his forward blade swung with heavy precision for his student's right hip. It was a double-swing; Eaon could prevent the strike to his side, albeit extremely awkwardly with some effort, or he could lose his balance and recover equally awkwardly. There was the possibility of another maneuver Eaon could do, and Tyrdo hoped he chose an unforeseen Option C. Developing an ability to worm one's self out of a sticky situation was an integral skill of luck in being a Jedi.

((It's all good man I just ask that you let me decide when to get hit. I've been RPing for like six or seven years now so yeah...also I am REALLY sorry about the delay. Been busy))

Eaon saw Tyrdo move out of his way instead of getting hit with the force push Eaon had intended to do. There was a good chance that he was predicting Eaon's moves based off of the fact that Eaon had pretty much so far relied either entirely on the force, or his Shii-Cho. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, most Padawans were getting close to mastering Shii-Cho at Eaon's age and when you've got strengths stick to them. However it was time to show Tyrdo that Eaon was a bit more complicated than that.

Eaon expected a counter attack as well, most Jedi were horridly uncreative when it came to fighting, but likewise combat followed its own waves much like the ocean did. Tyrdo's threat was in the fact he had multiple blades to his style. Eaon himself was not usually scared of such threats, but likewise everyone he'd dealt with either only had one blade or wasn't at all good with the two they had. Eaon needed distance though to prepare his own counter offensive. Then using the force to add a little more forward momentum to his dive, Eaon landed at an angle rolling outward and away from Tyrdo. A moment later Eaon realized the luck of his choosing to roll rather than land, Eaon just barely missed an attack aimed for his lower half and thought he heard the buzz of the second blade somewhere above his head mid turn.

Not taking the time to get trapped again, Eaon quickly reignited The Fallen and let its hum compliment the purple blade. The hiss of the saber wasn't something that was entirely uncommon in the Jedi temple, but it was effective enough. The question is would Tyrdo respond differently to Eaon using a reverse style, not Shii-Cho at all, but instead relying on Djem So. Eaon then when use the force to speed forward back towards Tyrdo's blades. Tyrdo's second blade was becoming annoying and Eaon decided it best to try and remove it from the fight. Using the increased defense from holding his blade backwards to parry any immediate oncomming strikes. Eaon would attempt to use his second, secret blade Restoration in a surprise attack, aimed not at Tyrdo but his weapon.

Nine times out of ten an attack aimed at removing weapons from combat or making defense easier is something to be expected from one mostly versed in Shii-Cho. However using a more direct approach, Eaon used his known blade to defend, while putting a secret yet powerful reliance in his original Lightsaber he'd crafted with Master Raavin years before. If Eaon's gamble had turned out alright, he would attempt to cut Trydo's saber in away to disable one of the beams. Regardless of success or failure, Eaon would unignite the blade at the end of the attack. Eaon was not versed in using multiple sabers despite owning them, Restoration was mainly used for quick sneak attacks.

(OOC: Jenno says he'll come about now, so hold off posting for a moment.)

As his trap followed through, Tyrdo saw his student roll away, dexterously avoiding both the kick and the mid-waist strike. The elder Jedi smiled; that was a good sign. Muscle reflex paired with fast reactive time would allow him in the future to move quickly when faced with a tricky opponent, something Tyrdo valued beyond measure. Many Jedi nowadays treated speed and agility as secondary or even tertiary to lightsaber training or Force aptness.

Let's see what you're going to do next...

Tyrdo's eyes traced Eaon's evade maneuver like a pair of vultures, neither one losing track of him as he landed out of the way and disengaged for a moment. His double icy blue blades were still humming as they had been, his single hilt lightsaber still swinging from his utility belt. Tyrdo moved with Eaon's movement, reacting just as he had been before. His eyes switched to catch Eaon flipping his main lightsaber in a reverse grip before moving again to fight him. His movements were sped up by Force augmentation, and as Tyrdo tightened up his Ataru stance, he saw the boy's other hand flash forward with another lightsaber. Not bothering to wait longer, Tyrdo reached out with the Force and shot upwards, missing the impending strike as he flipped over the boy's head. His eyes caught the blade flashing forward for a quick strike; whether it was intended for him or his weapon, he did not bother to discern its true purpose.

It was odd to Tyrdo the way the boy used his second blade. He possessed no formal training in Jar'Kai, nor to Tyrdo's knowledge did he have training in Djem So, which had surfaced in the last string of moves. Perhaps it was possible that the boy had dabbled in various forms for a little variety before Tyrdo had decided to take him on, but records had not stated he had been specifically trained in the style. Of course, the question wasn't a major one. He had more pressing issues to attend to... such as continuing the current task at hand.

As the boy turned about, Tyrdo was about to renew a counter-offensive when his senses picked up something and he held off for a second. A force-sensitive, but a powerful signature; it was too big not to notice. Most likely a senior Consular or a Councilor. In fact, it had to be a Councilor; after leaving the meeting earlier today, he had been approached by Master Took wishing to speak to him at some point. His thumb clicked the power button off on his double-bladed lightsaber as he felt the life-force coming closer to the training room. Tyrdo's head turned to Eaon as he clipped his lightsaber to his coarse utility belt.

"Hold for a moment, Eaon. It appears we have a visitor approaching."

(OOC: Sorry for the wait, Kuhblam, there was a small part of controlling, just so I could have Vreem break into the actual lecture giving, if you want me to change it for any reason, just let me know.)

It had been a long and arduous day, when they were spent at the temple they often were. But today had been one of the worst. The meeting with the Council was not a brief session, nor was it a light-hearted one, but such things were expected when determining the Jedi Order’s place in an escalating war. After the meeting had been over, Vreem headed immediately to his quarters within the temple. It had been a while since he occupied the room and although he was not meant to be attached to such a thing, the room did provide him with a familiar feel of comfort and protection.

The last few weeks had been hard on the Jedi Lord, the loss of friends both on the field of battle and off it was something he doubted he would ever forget. How others expected him to simply carry on as if nothing had happened was beyond him. Somehow he had put on a front against the eyes of his peers and his aggressors, the armour certain served as a helpful shell. But now that he was alone, his armour lying on his bed, the warm water of the shower easing the tension within his body, he wished this war had never started. Why the Force had chosen here and now to bring about these events was something he doubted he would ever truly know. But all he could do now was sleep for an hour or two, don his armour and carry on with his duty. People were depending on him.

His eyes were sharp again, laced with the determination and dedication that they often carried. He moved with a renewed vigour down the halls of the Jedi Temple, his armour serving as a notable point of interest for some of the members of the Order, particularly the younger ones. Vreem gave a warm smile to those students of his he had once taught, though with a destination in mind he did have the opportunity to talk to them right now. The meeting had enlightened him as to the standing of a few members of the Order in regards to the war and with the council’s final decision, Vreem wanted to... discuss things with a few of his peers.

He could feel them through the mist of the Force, sturdy waypoints within the mass of power that floated through these halls. They were on the Council for their notable power, wisdom and experience; it was only natural that he’d be able to find their location through the Force if they were not trying to hide it. Master Darkonel was to be Vreem’s first visit, and it seemed like the High Council Member was currently sparring with someone that was likely his padawan. It made Vreem pause for a moment as he carefully observed their practice session. Tyrdo Darkonel was not someone Vreem was very familiar with outside of the council chambers. He had heard the Jedi Master’s opinion within the meeting, but now Vreem was not sure if he wanted to drag a padawan into this.

Vreem stopped himself. It was not his place to decide if the padawan was to follow the master; it was down to the apprentice and their teacher, and so he watched the two sparring, a typical way to test an apprentice and to actively teach them at the same time. Lightsaber combat as a whole was not his specialty, but the Master had taught a number of younglings the very basics of combat, as well as passing his own preferred form of Makashi onto a handful of older students. But he could feel the pull within him, spending almost a decade as a teacher often made him inclined to teach or lecture Jedi about certain aspects. As much as he knew he should restrain himself, in this instance the Jedi Lord could not help but indulge.

“Master Darkonel,” he said with a nod as he finally entered the room, “pardon the intrusion, but after the events of the meeting earlier I wished to talk to you and possibly propose something to you.” Vreem looked between the master and the apprentice, “however, if you don’t take issue with it, I was watching your sparring practice and feel like I might be able to provide your padawan here with a few observations.” He looked to Master Drakonel who then permitted him to say his piece to the padawan learner.

“Your body seems well trained for that of a student. However, what seems to be lacking is your experience with the forms of combat. From what I’ve seen, you would be best focusing upon improving your technique and finding a form that best suits your style and personality. Currently, the way you seem to fight will not lead you to much success in the future. It seemed as though for part of the encounter you were basing your movements off simple reactions, and whilst that is a necessary part of combat, it is not something that you simply let guide your movements. If you rely solely upon where your mind and body naturally lead you, not only are you likely to have a great many close encounters but you will also begin to form patterns in your movements. It is simply a fact of nature that one’s body, guided purely by impulse and instinct, will form trends and patterns. Against any opponent that’s slightly trained in the form of combat, they will see this and quite easily gain the upper hand.”

“Not only is this dangerous for you in terms of combat. But as a Jedi, you cannot simply let your instinct guide you. If you open your mind to that animalistic aspect of your body, you are open to the emotions that come with it. I witnessed a few examples during the session where you seemed to get over confident, as if you would strike down Master Darkonel and show him your true strength. I assumed this was because of the fact you let go of your control, but that leaves you teetering on a path that will end in nothing but darkness.”

“And finally, your use of the second lightsaber, whilst a good move in order to try and catch your opponent off guard, it would serve you better you use a skill you have more experience with. Whilst it was only a brief movement, the lack of training in using two blades simultaneously shows itself in the speed, accuracy and strength of your strike. It will be a useful skill to learn, and I’m sure Master Darkonel will be able to provide you with the teachings you need in order to improve your skills adequately over the next few years. Before your next sparring session or encounter with another student, however, I would recommend you meditate and analyse what has happened, look carefully at your form and compare them to my words. Once that is done, finding your best suiting style and dedicating yourself to it will bring you much more success, should you need to rely on combat. Which, given the current climate, could become more frequent than previously.”

Vreem finished his small speech and bowed to the student. With a final comment of, “I look forward to seeing your progress” he was turning back to Master Darkonel. “Forgive me,” he said with a brief lowering of his head, “it has been a while since I have had the opportunity to teach first hand to such a degree. The war has sadly left me with little time to spare.”

Straightening his back, the armoured Jedi Lord spoke to his peer in a now slightly more formal tone. “Given the meeting earlier today, I wished to talk to you about the possibility of joining The Blades. Our opinions did not differ too drastically in the meeting and the Republic can always use another skilled and powerful Jedi against the Sith.” There were a few members of the council he wished to see, hopefully all of them would agree to join him as there would be important issues for them to discuss most likely. Not to mention, there was the matter of setting up headquarters for The Blades upon Seraphim.

Eaon had missed his new master, unsurprisingly, but he'd missed him all the same which of course meant there was room for improvement. Eaon didn't spend anytime staying open, once his master was out of sight Eaon quickly deactivated his second blade and began to search the area around him with the force for the signature of the force that seemed to match the Tyrdo's. It didn't take long for that, and the sound of Tyrdo landing on the ground to give away his position which was behind Eaon. Unexpectedly though, Tyrdo didn't push his advantage, which was good because Eaon knew he had one. If Tyrdo would have rushed at that moment, considering their differences in skill and ability, if Tyrdo would have been an enemy, to put it bluntly Eaon would have been dead and completely unable to dodge the attack.

Instead though, Tyrdo thought they would be having company. Eaon deactivated both of his lightsabers and wiped the sweat from his brow before turning to see what his new Master had found. Much to Eaon's shock and surprise it was one of the masters of their order. Eaon had never personally met him, however if the name "Master" tended to mean anything at all it was usually something one should be in awe of. Master meant wisdom, power, and skill be it Dark Jedi, Sith, or Jedi, if you were a leader there was a reason for it.

Eaon had a bad feeling about the man's visit though, something didn't feel right with it, and likewise things hadn't felt right around the Temple in sometime. Granted Eaon had spent a good deal of his time checking up on a particular female in the Order as well as dedicating a good amount of his time to combat training but the air of uncertainty lingered within the great halls. Eaon had a feeling he knew why though, any one who could find access to the Republic's information could easily discover that there was a group parading around as the Sith Empire who'd obtained a significant portion of the Galaxy. Likewise there was a large bit of issues with the Mandalorians who were essentially the barbaric tools they'd always been.

One thing Eaon had kept track of was particularly important more recently and that was the amount of time that the Mandalorians attacked. They usually were the opening act for any major war or dark time in the Galaxy. They'd get bored or feel they were dishonored or something like that, then they'd attack, do some pretty significant damage but nothing too bad, get beaten then in the wake of their defeat usually someone, usually powerful with the darkside would show up and next thing you know its a full scale war. However as critical as Eaon could be on them, it did seem like more recently than not the Mandalorians were almost set up by the Republic for this, looking at their problems and the damage they'd suffered it was almost predictable they'd attack especially if one considered the Republic wouldn't be too inclined to help them.

Almost as quickly as they'd veered off course from training though had Master Vreem brought the thoughts back to him with a rather long winded observation on Eaon's combat. One of his first points was that Eaon seemed to lack skill in anything outside of Shii-Cho which was a rather brilliant albeit obvious observation. In the course of what was going on to be more like a year now, Eaon had gone through several masters. Without someone to pass down any decent information if there was a style Eaon felt interested in looking into he had to do it himself. Djem So for instance was in fact a training that Eaon had dabbled with briefly under master Raavin, however after his slaying he had to stop and barely got any practice in with it. Likewise most Padawan didn't even have a second blade at Eaon's age and Eaon was hard pressed to find away to train his abilities with that blade while all the while keeping it largely secret.

All in all though, Vreem was right, Eaon did rely often times too much on his reflexes and while the majority of his opponents who were also Padawan had a hard time with that, Masters and anything above novice Knights could handle him with ease. This was disappointing however it was a fact of life, Eaon hadn't been trained in combat adequately. Eaon managed to pick up some advice here and there on developing his ability to use the core abilities of the Force, however it was nothing fancy. Eaon couldn't heal, he couldn't shoot lightning bolts from his finger tips, and other than moving objects around he was relatively useless there as well. All in all Vreem's analysis proved merely the point that Eaon had a rather sad state of affairs, weak and relying on pure instinct was not a way to survive in a cruel galaxy for very long.

Eaon figured the rest of Vreem's speech about darkness and other things of that nature were merely in the secret hand book of being a Jedi Master. By that of course Eaon meant babbling about it constantly, everything lead to the darkness, using the light in the wrong way, cutting limbs off too eagerly, getting mad, being in love, sneaking extra food because you get hungry late at night. All of them lead to the darkness. It was really rather hard not to follow the path to darkness because apparently everything magically went there, which Eaon didn't know if that was literal for everyone, or if only somethings made some people go all dark and scary, either way it was annoying having to listen about the dark side every two seconds or so.

Finally Vreem said something interesting, he was speaking of the possibility of joining The Blades. From what Eaon had gathered about them from whispers and rumors amongst the temple was that they were a group of Jedi who were willing to fight against the Sith or whatever the Republic was dealing with in the war. Jedi tended not to like fighting in wars because like every other thing that happens in the average day it probably lead to the Dark Side. However if what Eaon thought about the blades was true they seemed rather honorable. "Pardon my interruptions Masters, but if the Blades are as the rumors say they are, shouldn't we aid them? If they wish to get rid of that which threatens life in the Galaxy, shouldn't we help them. I mean even if its just opening up hospitals or trying to help prisoners they capture return to the light, isn't it better than just sitting here?"

Master Took indeed.

Tyrdo had indeed been correct in his assumption that the bulwark approaching the training room was Vreem. It did not surprise him in the least; he'd learned to trust his intuition however minute the question it was. He could also sense, however, that Eaon was somewhat worried for some reason; his emotions barked a hurricane's worth of questions, as if he was unsure about the visitor's intentions in visiting the pair. It was expected, of course. Perhaps Eaon was worrying about being reprimanded for looking up on that female too much. He'd noticed in the days before their meet he had grown awfully fond of a particular Padawan... who was it... ah, yes, Master Lamar's young teenager. Tyrdo reached over his shoulder and rubbed the upper part of his spine; he was too old to be sneaking around in the off hours shadowing his formerly future student. There were plenty of other ways to gain information.

Truth be told, Tyrdo was not majorly familiar with Vreem for the most part. They had by chance been in several meetings together, and he himself often passed his counterpart in the hallways. Nods of respect had been the extent of their interactions, however, and only a few words had ever been exchanged. Ironically, the Council meeting had been the first time they had even conversed in real time. Of course, it wasn't surprising; the war and missions rarely left time for socializing amongst the Jedi, especially with a fourth of its number rebelling against the Council's wishes. Tyrdo longed to be out there himself fighting the Sith, but he had other obligations, other duties to be fulfilled. Senatorial aid and consultation, diplomatic disputes, training a student; Tyrdo couldn't think of a time since his days with Garm running here and there in every possible direction.

What I wouldn't give to be twenty again.

His attention turned to the doorway as Master Took approached. The Force again tuned him to his counterpart's emotions; stress, perhaps a bit of confusion? It was alien to feel such... raw feelings from a veteran Jedi, but Tyrdo had long felt such emotions as well. The Council meeting had sure enough accomplished that, in any rate. To him, it seemed as if all three in the room were simply exhausted mentally, unable to cope entirely with the galaxy speeding up.

“Master Darkonel,” he said with a nod as he finally entered the room, “pardon the intrusion, but after the events of the meeting earlier I wished to talk to you and possibly propose something to you.” Vreem looked between the master and the apprentice, “however, if you don’t take issue with it, I was watching your sparring practice and feel like I might be able to provide your padawan here with a few observations."

Tyrdo nodded politely, a smile adorning his face. He looked to Vreem, and then Eaon as a light-hearted chuckle appeared near the end of his sentence.

"Of course, of course. My headstrong young pupil here could use a kick in the rear for good measure."

His hand motioned as he stepped backwards somewhat and let Took do his thing. Tyrdo could feel that Vreem had not had the opportunity to teach in good measure for the longest of cycles; his words were a blur as he spoke and Eaon soaked in all the information like a sponge. The advice was good and solid; more so, it provided Eaon with information that Tyrdo would not be able to gain while sparring with him. He'd have to arrange some sparring matches for the boy in the future; perhaps one of the other Masters or Councilors could provide a student or even take it upon themselves to draw blades for an hour. In any rate, it was noticeable Eaon was taking the criticism well. If he didn't buy it at first from Tyrdo, then for sure Vreem made it stick, and with more detail to boot. The lecture was clear and focused; it was very well put overall.

"I look forward to seeing your progress."

"As do I, Eaon."

A smile flashed across his face again to his student as Vreem turned to face him.

“Forgive me,” he said with a brief lowering of his head, “it has been a while since I have had the opportunity to teach first hand to such a degree. The war has sadly left me with little time to spare.”

Tyrdo shook his head, still as friendly as he had been before.

"Do not be humble, Master Took; no apologies are required. The war strains both time as well as the mind and heart, and your teaching was very insightful to my student; his face betrays him."

“Given the meeting earlier today, I wished to talk to you about the possibility of joining The Blades. Our opinions did not differ too drastically in the meeting and the Republic can always use another skilled and powerful Jedi against the Sith.”

Join the Blades...

Tyrdo raised both eyebrows ever so slightly. Here was a chance, an offer to get involved in the war and proactively fight the Sith. Tyrdo's mind had just fought a war itself to keep him in the mindset of having too many obligations, but he would be a hypocrite not to accept. Even in such a quaint mood, his heart and the Force were both telling him to say yes... who was he kidding? His mind had been made up the moment he had called for war in the Council chambers. But Eaon... he didn't want to drag his student into this, and a new one at the same time. The boy was smart, agile, but something kept nagging at the Councilor. A black sleeve crossed his chest while the other went to rub a shaved beard in contemplation.

He's too sure of himself. That kind of thing will get him killed out in the field.

Before he could respond to Vreem's question after a lengthy thirty seconds, Eaon spoke up like with the same fire that had occupied him earlier.

"Pardon my interruptions Masters, but if the Blades are as the rumors say they are, shouldn't we aid them? If they wish to get rid of that which threatens life in the Galaxy, shouldn't we help them? I mean, even if its just opening up hospitals or trying to help prisoners they capture return to the light, isn't it better than just sitting here?"

Tyrdo looked to his Padawan intently. The boy was young, as Tyrdo kept reminding himself, but his knowledge was well beyond his years. Tyrdo placed a hand on his student's shoulder.

"You are wise, and well beyond your years, Eaon. But be careful where that train of thought leaves you. I, too, yearn to aid the Republic in its fight, but I must keep my feelings in check. Master Took will tell you that even the slightest of emotions can lead to pathways we consider... corrupt."

He again faced Vreem, his face serene but serious. It occurred to him that perhaps he was but the first of several that Vreem was looking to gain support from. Of course, Tyrdo would heed the call; his colleague had come to the right place when he had heard his words in the session. But perhaps some more information would be insightful. His voice became noticeably quieter; it wasn't exactly a topic to be bellowing about. With the Order becoming more and more divided over the right course of action, debates were becoming somewhat more agitated... if a debate amongst Jedi Knights could be called as such.

"What of Master Te'Baas and the others? I know he amongst our number in particular was rather heated during the session.

(OOC: Okay, I’ll have Vreem depart in the next post so that I don’t hold this thread up for the rest of eternity.)

Vreem bowed his head in thanks to Master Darkonel’s words. It felt refreshing to help teach again. After all those years he’d spent with classes in the halls of the Jedi Temple, Lord Took didn’t realise how just much he would miss guiding those who needed it. A pang of sorrow surfaced in his heart for a moment, it would be a while before he could return to such times. But this padawan showed promise in his determination, so long as he could heed the words of others, there would be great opportunities in his future.

Eaon seemed quite interested in the topic that Vreem had come here to question Master Darkonel about. A faint smile glimmered on his lips for a moment as he heard the boy’s words. He certainly had his heart in what Vreem considered the right place, more so than perhaps some of the members on the council. What stood out more was that there was a desire to fight even if it did not resort to fighting. The subject of healing was certainly an interesting one, it was not an area Vreem was much good at, dealing with causalities of war would be impossible for him, if anything he’d become an obstacle more than a help. So he turned to the area which was good at, combat, using his mind to overcome the things that awaited them, plotting and counter-plotting movements that their cloaked enemy might make. Perhaps it was not ideal for a Jedi to be doing such things, but he had not had the most straightforward upbringing within the Order.

His shoulders tensed slightly as Master Darkonel mentioned him as he cautioned his padawan about the dark side. He didn’t know if it was an intentional reference to his past, but his mind had already drifted to such recollections. His past was not something he shared, members of the council and some esteemed Masters had most likely seen and read his profile as they had access to such things. However, even for those he was close to, it was not a topic he spoke about much, it constantly plagued his mind, and formulating words would be too much. On the odd occasion he mentioned part of his past Vreem would try and hasten forward as much as possible. The darkness that remained within him from his past was not his most favourite topic of conversation.

As the Jedi Lord pushed forward through these thoughts, the conversation arrived quite comfortably upon the topic he wished to discuss. He was glad to see that Master Darkonel was looking to join the Blades and similarly glad to see that his padawan wished to get involved, he didn’t want to drag anyone into this unwillingly, Meira served as a reminder for that. “Yes, there are a few others that I intend to contact. It may be best for us to gather together, there are certain issues that I would like to make clear, after all of the rumours of the intent and purpose behind the Blades. I am sure that you and the others will have questions for me as well, and it would be best to get them answered as soon as possible. Would you be available to meet later perhaps? After this meeting and once you join the Blades, things may get very hectic,” he looked to Eaon, “for both of you.”

(OOC: Its all good, Jenno. Sorry for the weak post; trying to get back into things.)

Tyrdo's eyes caughting a tensing in Vreem's shoulders, as if he has suddenly grown a bit uncomfortable. Was it something that Tyrdo had said that maybe had offended his new ally? Perhaps it was the mentioning of the Dark Side and the corrupt... there could be no other explanation as to his sudden coldness. Yes, that was it. But why? He was normally knowledgeable on the subject, but perhaps its mention had more hidden implications than he foreseen. A look into Vreem's past records might yet yield a bit of fruit.

I'll have to look into the subject sometime today.

His mind shook free from the subject when Master Took began to answer his latter question concerning other like-minded Council members. This was good, indeed. If his mind served correct, there were several of them that he must have been referring to. Master Al'vere and Te'Baas, and in particular Master Avara had all been of the same persuasion. Yes, he would not be alone in heeding the call to the war. It was a good thing that they would all most likely join the Blades; the disappearance of several prominent Councilors such as Soka and others had no doubt hurt the split-off organization's ranks, and he would happy to help bolster it. His mind was made up now permanently; this had confirmed that he was in fact not crazy and that others had the same kind of thoughts as him.

As Vreem quickened up his pace of wording in accordance with the tension in his body building up somewhat, Tyrdo nodded up and down a few times in agreement. A meeting would prove useful in the long run, as he had not had much interaction with many of the other masters besides Kaiven to a degree. For a brief moment, he thought of Eaon again; he'd need to speak to him on this subject. In particular, he needed to confront the boy about the lightning Knight Sartori had spoken to him of. This very much troubled his mind and conscience, as it was not normal at all for a prospective Jedi. He had felt the emotions, seen the rawness of Eaon's strength... had he done something wrong? He had trained several Knights, but never before had one of them produced Sith Lightning on accident without drawing so much as an ounce of anger.

"Yes, yes of course. A meeting would indeed serve as a productive measure after the gridlock in the Council chambers. When you know of an exact time and place, message me with your com-link; I will be able to attend whenever is necessary."