|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Sept 4, 2011 23:13:48 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Sept 4, 2011 23:13:48 GMT -5
Teer tried hard not to smirk as Xell fumbled awkwardly trying to catch the thimiar, ultimately relying on telekinesis. She failed and smirked anyway. It was amusing to see a young adult, to be generous with the term, awkwardly falling over his young feet attempting to wrangle a small rodent like a retarded child.
Certainly if he'd been a Togruta child from her tribe on Shili, he'd have been able to reach out and grab the thimiar properly with lightning speed.
What was to his credit though was his attempt to hold it the way she was holding her own thimiar. And for the most part he had it right. Of course Teer still felt the compulsive need to correct him and fuss over his grip like a demanding mother.
Her red free hand moved Xell's index finger to the thimiar's throat, just below its bite radius, and his ring and middle fingers to more effectively pin the forelegs. As she made the adjustments she worked to explain them, showing how the unsupported hind legs weren't able to kick without tiring the creature, and how pressure to the throat could immobilize it effectively.
To be fully honest, she was remembering when she'd been given the exact same lesson as a little girl on Shili. Togrutas grew up fast, and she remembered her practical skill lessons. She was now reliving her own long-ago childhood in a way.
Her strong arm patted Xell on the shoulder.
"Good, you can be taught. Now take me to your master's room."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Dec 28, 2015 2:36:26 GMT -5
Padawan
|
|
|
Sept 15, 2011 23:20:43 GMT -5
Post by ninjabot on Sept 15, 2011 23:20:43 GMT -5
Xell went ahead and lead master Ka to Sherasti Rin's room. Fortunately for him no one had arrived to begin killing off the poor little critters, and about 10 minutes prior to arriving she had finally stopped reminding him how painfully inept he was.
"Right. So here we are! Again, thanks for the help. I know you didn't want to spend your time... waste your time hunting down food, but I really appreciate this." Xell quickly rushed in to the room before motioning for Teer to enter aswell. As she stepped in she would notice the smell of animal droppings, the sight of ripped up clothing and pillows, a holey mattress, and fur.
The squeaking noises from the thimiar became lower before dying out completely, as if they were all too familiar with the smell of Togruta. They knew to be afraid. "Uh... looks like things are worse off than I actually thought. We can get them all, right?" asked Xell with youthful vigor. He would have to place his trust in her. That's all he could do. As he watched her look around Xell thought about a possible conversation to make things less dreary.
"Did I ever tell you I finished my Trial of Courage? Not to brag, but I'm gaining on you. Better not slack on your training, cause I'll be a knight in no time, hah hah... hah." joked Xell. As he did though he remembered that master Ka didn't take too kindly to those questioning her strength.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Sept 16, 2011 0:53:32 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Sept 16, 2011 0:53:32 GMT -5
Teer narrowed one eye as she looked pointedly at Xell. Gaining on her? Slack in her training? That was a real laugh. She could beat him like a drum in ten seconds flat, and they both knew it.
However, they were on the same side. Which was the reason she tolerated it, for the moment at least. Well, that and the fact she was now convinced he wasn't entirely there. Orren must have picked him out of pity. No one who talked to food was entirely there, she knew that for certain. Still though, humans could be incredibly eccentric. A curious blend of things that seemed contradictory.
Regardless of how competent he was, he was about to watch and learn as she dealt with a problem the way she always did: swiftly, directly, and well.
The Togruta Master closed her eyes and let her senses focus in on the life in the room. Her hearing and her scent sharpened too, to a razor's edge. She could hear everything. The beating of Xell's heart, loud and steady. The scratches and quiet mewling of the hiding rodents, and their own faint heartbeats. She counted them.
"Five..." She whispered, mostly for her own benefit. "Three in the mattress, one in the nightstand, another in the blankets.."
Silently and deliberately she crossed the length of the small room, moving up to the edge of the bed. Then in a lightning fast movement that could barely be seen as more than a blur, she ripped away the sheets and allowed her hand to shoot forward.
When it came up again, a thimiar was clutched in it. Rather nonchalantly, she dropped the squirming creature into the wire cage and returned to the prowl. There were still four more to capture.
The second thimiar was even easier than the first to catch. Somehow the small rodent had managed to wedge itself in the back of the wooden nightstand Sherasti had by her bedside. Simply hitting the back of the stand flopped the rodent into the drawer, which was then pulled out. It joined the first in the cage.
That left the three in the mattress.
The real challenge there was finding a way to get all three at the same time and prevent their escape. If they'd been on Shili hunting as a group, she would have simply directed them straight into the waiting clutches of Xell. But they weren't on Shili, and she was expected to show off her prowess as a hunter of small rodents as well as Dark Jedi.
She devised her plan of attack quite carefully, and then executed it in one swift motion.
She kicked up the mattress onto its side, and almost immediately a trio of thimiars squirmed out of a gnawed hole in the bottom of the unfortunate bit of bedroom furniture, making a beeline for the cover of the bed base. Teer's foot snaked out and pressed itself down firmly onto the tail of the first thimiar, and her hands summoned each of the other two into her ready clutches.
And she made it all look as easy as breathing.
"There. Now hold out the cage and I'll be on my way."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Dec 28, 2015 2:36:26 GMT -5
Padawan
|
|
|
Dec 6, 2011 1:38:34 GMT -5
Post by ninjabot on Dec 6, 2011 1:38:34 GMT -5
Xell abliged his elder and held the cage open for Teer. She didn't react to any of his jokes. Did she really hate him that badly? He was trying. He wanted her to respect his skills ofcourse, but he wanted her to consider him a friend. Or was he reading too much into things? Master Orren was never that friendly and yet Xell felt asthough they were family.
"You know, I really appreciate this. Showing me these authentic hunting techniques won't be a waste. I'll put them to good use reaaal soon." said Xell in a low tone as if what he was saying was a secret only for the both of them. She likely wouldn't care, but he'd pursist until she asked him what his strange little mind was thinking.
"Plan on hunting some big game. They say the wild can teach a man things they didn't know about themselves. That you never know what you're willing to do when pushed to the edge. Not until you're actually there."
As pretentious as Xell sounded trying to preach of survival to someone who's entire life was about just that, he meant what he was saying. For all the thought provoking and force feeling training Sherasti Rin wanted Xell to practice, he sure didn't feel like her training was making him any... manlier. And whether it was his hopes getting the better of him again or not, he just knew deep down that him coming to his master's rescue made her see him in a new light. He wanted to bathe in that light and make her think of him as the action hero that saved her life, not the awkward boy she was tasked to babysit.
"So what can you tell me about an Akul?" asked Xell. The smile on his face was that of someone who didn't know what they were, and how stupid it was to imply he was just gonna cut one down without a second thought.
"Because I was thinking. I've passed my Trial of Courage but... I feel like there's something more out there that I can do to prove myself. You know? What better way to impress my master than to um... show her that I'm just as masculine and strong as the average togruta. Right? Strictly for training purposes, mind."
Xell continued trying to weasel out answers from Master Ka without flatout screaming "How do I make Master Rin want to throw away her jedi code for me." Though he might as well have. She already knew how he felt anyway. They walked out of Sherasti's room with the cage now fastened tightly with Thimiar trapped inside.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Dec 6, 2011 11:37:23 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Dec 6, 2011 11:37:23 GMT -5
"You know, I really appreciate this. Showing me these authentic hunting techniques won't be a waste. I'll put them to good use reaaal soon."
Teer remained stonily silent at that pronouncement, highly doubting he'd be hunting thimiar any time soon. They weren't on Shili at any rate, which meant he'd be hard-pressed to even find one to hunt. Then without Togruta hearing, she wasn't quite sure how he expected to find them in the first place.
And of course if he did catch them he'd probably insist on giving them names like 'snowball' and 'fluffykins.' A real shame he didn't just eat the delicious creatures like a Togruta would, he was missing out.
"Plan on hunting some big game. They say the wild can teach a man things they didn't know about themselves. That you never know what you're willing to do when pushed to the edge. Not until you're actually there."
"... Right." Teer stated skeptically, a rather flat edge to her voice. What was the boy on about? Big game? Finding yourself? Hunting? That was rich, he was about the farthest being imaginable from a hunter. He named food and played little games with it.
"So what can you tell me about an Akul?"
Teer blinked, twice. Was he really asking about that? What did he want with the apex predator on Shili? Surely he wasn't stupid enough to-
"Because I was thinking. I've passed my Trial of Courage but... I feel like there's something more out there that I can do to prove myself. You know? What better way to impress my master than to um... show her that I'm just as masculine and strong as the average togruta. Right? Strictly for training purposes, mind."
So that was it. He wanted to go out and hunt an akul so his master would like him. Petty, juvenile. And painfully similar to the fate of her first apprentice.
Teer stopped in the middle of the corridor, and turned to face Xell head on. Her jaw was gritted and her pure black eyes conveyed a very serious attitude.
"To begin with, the average Togruta will never even fight an akul. Only the bravest and boldest hunters will do that, and very many of them will die in the process. Do not assume your Jedi powers will impress an akul or allow you to win. My first Padawan made that very mistake and was ripped to shreds by one. I killed it, then burned her broken body on a pyre..."
Teer's fingers went up to the teeth on her headdress, lightly touching them and remembering.
"I have fought Dark Jedi who were easier to defeat than that creature. You would be a fool to even try, and a dead Padawan will not impress your master."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Dec 28, 2015 2:36:26 GMT -5
Padawan
|
|
|
Dec 6, 2011 16:08:13 GMT -5
Post by ninjabot on Dec 6, 2011 16:08:13 GMT -5
"To begin with, the average Togruta will never even fight an akul. Only the bravest and boldest hunters will do that, and very many of them will die in the process. Do not assume your Jedi powers will impress an akul or allow you to win. My first Padawan made that very mistake and was ripped to shreds by one. I killed it, then burned her broken body on a pyre..."
The average Togruta will never fight an akul... so if Xell pulled it off, surely he'd stand head and shoulders above the rest of any potential suitors! Despite the fact that the akul was sounding more ferocious the longer Master Ka spoke, Xell couldn't help but gradually smile brighter as he stared at her, taking in all her words. Or rather, hearing them. He wasn't quite taking in the since of despair she tried to instill in the boy.
"I mean, I never thought it'd be easy. But that's kinda the poin-"
"I have fought Dark Jedi who were easier to defeat than that creature. You would be a fool to even try, and a dead Padawan will not impress your master."
Xell grew flustered, but attempted to hide it.
"W-well... plenty of people have succeeded. You've succeeded. All things are possible through The Force, and I plan on becoming so skilled with it that it can work through me seemlessly. Then, how could my faith in myself be questioned, when I have an unstoppable ally like that?" The boy had practiced that line to use on Sherasti, who would respect his faith in The Force more than Master Ka would most likely. Infact, his preaching would likely have the reverse effect on Teer.
That said... it didn't matter. Right after his display he began fishing for more answers to the question Teer really knew he wanted to ask. The one he tried to seclude behind hypotheticals and what-ifs.
"But, hypothetically... if I did manage to slay one. That would be looked on favorably by the females on Shili, correct? Like, if a man wanted to impress you... would slaying an akul for you do the trick? You know, just inorder to show their strength. Not like... like courtship or anything... though if you were choosing a partner, I take it the akul slayer would be more your type, huh?" said Xell with an uncomfortable chuckle.
Xell immediately realized that slaying a sentient for anything other than necessity was something he could never do, but still wanted to know if that was the trump card he thought it was in trying to impress his master. So he would continue his inquiry.
I mean, you see with my thimiar friends that cutting down animals is not something I wish to do. But I feel like maybe... defeating an akul would earn her respect and also, connect us on a more personal level."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Dec 6, 2011 17:25:43 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Dec 6, 2011 17:25:43 GMT -5
"W-well... plenty of people have succeeded. You've succeeded. All things are possible through The Force, and I plan on becoming so skilled with it that it can work through me seemlessly. Then, how could my faith in myself be questioned, when I have an unstoppable ally like that?"
One eye narrowed and the other widened, and the color of the stripes on her montrals became a slightly different shade of blue, the signs that she was somewhat surprised. Was he really under the illusion that self-confidence was all he needed? Skilled in the Force or not, an akul was nothing to trifle that. Maybe reality just wasn't sinking in.
"But, hypothetically... if I did manage to slay one. That would be looked on favorably by the females on Shili, correct? Like, if a man wanted to impress you... would slaying an akul for you do the trick? You know, just inorder to show their strength. Not like... like courtship or anything... though if you were choosing a partner, I take it the akul slayer would be more your type, huh?"
The stripes on Teer's montrals and lekku darkened, and her gaze hardened. So this was all back to his... romantic interests. She pursed her lips and folded her arms. Was that all young men ever thought about?
Besides that, it was shameful. She was his master, not some fellow Padawan. That relationship was supposed to be clearly defined, without question. Yet here he was, questioning it in the most awkward way imaginable.
But then again, perhaps she was being too harsh. This was a crush, a childish attraction to his master, who surely couldn't reciprocate. Yes, there was nothing to worry about. Everything was fine.
I mean, you see with my thimiar friends that cutting down animals is not something I wish to do. But I feel like maybe... defeating an akul would earn her respect and also, connect us on a more personal level."
"Xell, if you want to earn the respect of a Togruta, learn about our customs. Try to learn a few words in our language. You don't have to rush out and kill the apex predator of Shili in order to be respected. Now if you'll excuse me, I have my own Padawan to attend to."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Dec 28, 2015 2:36:26 GMT -5
Padawan
|
|
|
Dec 6, 2011 18:19:01 GMT -5
Post by ninjabot on Dec 6, 2011 18:19:01 GMT -5
"Xell, if you want to earn the respect of a Togruta, learn about our customs. Try to learn a few words in our language. You don't have to rush out and kill the apex predator of Shili in order to be respected. Now if you'll excuse me, I have my own Padawan to attend to."
Xell's eyes rolled upward to the left, signifying he was accessing his imagination and via a quick flash of memory he immediately remembered: Siri.
"Oh! That's right! Sirius is your new Padawan! You know, he's an old friend of mine. That's just what I need to push me to overcome my limits, a rival! Make sure you whip him into shape." said the excited youth.
Master Ka attempted to leave him behind, but he followed along anyway. Xell made a goofy smile. One that implied he had come to a realization that he himself considered ingenius.
"About learning to speak your language, I think that's a great idea Master Ka. Teach me some now!" he asked. His voice made him sound as if he were ready to explode from anticipation.
"Like... basic things that you can use in conversation casually. Figures of speach, jokes, terms of endearment... stuff like that." As if he had planned this all along Xell produced a small writing utensil and a notebook from within his shirt.
"Go!"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Dec 8, 2011 18:17:28 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Dec 8, 2011 18:17:28 GMT -5
"Oh! That's right! Sirius is your new Padawan! You know, he's an old friend of mine. That's just what I need to push me to overcome my limits, a rival! Make sure you whip him into shape."
Yes. She did know that. And it never ceased to amaze her that Sirius, hard-working and dutiful young Sirius, could be such close friends with Xell Rayner. It was positively unbelievable. Of course with the way she was training Sirius it wouldn't take long for him to surpass the elder Xell. Sirius was making excellent progress thanks to her own harsh training regimen and his proper outlook. Yes, she would definitely 'whip him into shape.'
"About learning to speak your language, I think that's a great idea Master Ka. Teach me some now!"
Teer stopped and turned to face him, her jaw hanging open slightly. Did he have any idea how different their languages were? It had taken her years to learn Basic, and she still had an accent today, over fifty years later. There were sounds in Togruti that took montrals and lekku to produce, and he wanted to just teach him? Just like that?
"Like... basic things that you can use in conversation casually. Figures of speech, jokes, terms of endearment... stuff like that."
Then, to the Togruta Weapons Master's surprise, he pulled out a notepad from somewhere in his robes and looked ready to write it down. She toyed with the idea of simply telling him it was impossible for him to learn any of it in such a short time, but she rightly realized he'd never simply give up.
The fastest way out was to persuade him he couldn't learn more than 'yes' and 'no,' and even those only with great practice.
She took a breath, then replied to him in her native language. Lilting and rich words rolled off her tongue, filled with long vowels and punctuated by the occasional trill and bit of vibrato coming from her lekku.
"There," Teer said, switching back to Basic, her own lilting accent becoming more prominent for a moment. "That means 'good morning, how are you?' in Togruti. You'll never be able to write it down in the aurebesh."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Dec 28, 2015 2:36:26 GMT -5
Padawan
|
|
|
Dec 11, 2011 10:38:14 GMT -5
Post by ninjabot on Dec 11, 2011 10:38:14 GMT -5
Xell's smile slowly grew and grew as Teer humored him with a lesson on Togruti greetings. It was one of the most basic things one could learn, but it sounded so... exotic. Maybe it was her accent, but for a moment he felt as if he was speaking to another person. Perhaps her grating personality coudn't be accurately portrayed in her native language. Or, maybe she was just better at hiding her annoyance when allowed to speak more comfortably.
Come to think of it, Xell had no idea which language she spoke more prominately. Like Master Rin, Master Ka definately had an accent when speaking basic, but it was never so thick and jarring that he couldn't comprehend what either was saying. He chalked it up as to the shape of their vocal chords or inner workings of their mouths rather than experience. Either way, it was refreshing to hear something from her that didn't sound atleast a little demeaning to him.
"Wow..."
"There," Teer said, switching back to Basic, her own lilting accent becoming more prominent for a moment. "That means 'good morning, how are you?' in Togruti. You'll never be able to write it down in the aurebesh."
Xell was steady scribbling away anyway, as if he'd stumbled onto some secret Master Ka hadn't known. "I'm pretty resourceful. I'll just write down what it sounds like you're saying and practice phonetically. It'll take time, and won't be easy... we'll just add it to the list of things you don't think I can do, but will soon be corrected about."
Xell began trying to pronounce what she said aloud, much to Teer's dismay. To hear her language mutilated couldn't be easy.
"...well, yeah, this is gonna take longer than I thought. Better go practice. By the time I've mastered your language you should have strengthened Siri enough to put up a fight with me!" joked Xell. The gauntlet had been thrown.
He wouldn't be beating Master Ka in a sparring match any time soon, so defending Sherasti's honor from he and Teer's last 'colorful' debate about lightsaber styles wasn't possible... but if he could defeat his long time friend in a friendly sparring match, perhaps she'd respect Master Rin's stance on saber combat. She was no doubt trying to mold Sirius into a weaponsmaster like herself. Sherasti taught Xell a more calm and defensive manner to maintain in the midst of battle, and a rival was the best thing to test that philosophy.
"See you later Master Ka." said Xell with a wave as he headed back to his room.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
last online Apr 19, 2013 18:45:53 GMT -5
Master
|
|
|
Dec 11, 2011 23:54:56 GMT -5
Post by Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy on Dec 11, 2011 23:54:56 GMT -5
"I'm pretty resourceful. I'll just write down what it sounds like you're saying and practice phonetically. It'll take time, and won't be easy... we'll just add it to the list of things you don't think I can do, but will soon be corrected about."
Master Ka folded her arms and simply scowled at the impudent young man before her. Was he listening to a single thing she said? You simply couldn't write all the sounds of Togruti in the Aurebesh, it took dedicated Togruta script to capture all the nuances and the proper flow of the words. And here he was, acting as if scribbling down vague alien characters would be enough. It wasn't.
Resourceful? Oh she doubted that highly. No amount of resource was going to allow him to just read off a list of letters and have it be anything but a garbled mess.
As if to prove her right, Xell opened his mouth and produced a truly horrible noise that didn't sound anything like the melodious and lilting Togruti language. She winced visibly at the mangled sounds, gritting her teeth.
"...well, yeah, this is gonna take longer than I thought. Better go practice. By the time I've mastered your language you should have strengthened Siri enough to put up a fight with me!"
It took every bit of restraint to not tell him Sirius was twice the Jedi he'd ever be. Only a concrete idea of proper conduct saved her from doing that. But oh how she thought it... But she wasn't about to remain silent.
"Give me one year and Sirius will be a deadly weapon. Incidentally that's about how long it will take you to learn to say 'hello' in Togruti." She hoped that burn would sting. Xell needed to be taken down a peg, and merely beating him up wouldn't do enough. Otherwise she'd have done it by now.
"See you later Master Ka."
Teer grunted as a response before turning and stalking off like a predator. That wasn't an entirely inaccurate comparison either.
|
|
|
|