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Oct 10, 2013 6:18:47 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Oct 10, 2013 6:18:47 GMT -5
museic: thepianoguys.com/portfolio/dont-you-worry-child/
A slow smirk formed along her face, at first, at his question before broadening into a devious grin. Tugging at her gloves, she tested the fit of them by clenching and unclenching both hands before folding her arms across her chest and studying him with leafy green eyes that danced in amusement. "Did you believe that you would only come here to create your saber?" A merry little chuckle escaped her at that, tinkling through the crisp air as her breath fogged out from her. "My very young padawan...this place is the best place to begin your training with me. It will test you in ways that I could not do alone, in or out of any temple but this one. Come now, gather what you need and let's get going."As she waited for Vance to gather whatever few things he needed the young Rilan woman radiated a sort of energy that she hadn't since he'd met her. Even for as serious as she still (somehow) seemed to be, Talau felt like running through the temple chasing after the shadows of her own youth...the pathways that she and Shoal had followed so many years ago. Certainly she would follow them again with her own padawan now, but she rigidly refused to give in to her desire to dart out the door and down the halls after the memories that came flooding back to her in waves that crashed around the bastion of her mind. So, once she was certain that Vance was prepared (gloves or no), she started off into the halls, moving easily as she followed the memories of her shistav master. "Before we can begin to construct your saber, Vance, I must be sure that you are well grounded. The saber is our greatest tool, an extention of ourselves, and our first true test of mind, body and soul coming together to reach a goal. This is how all jedi work, whether we acknowledge it or not: each mission...every task we set for ourselves or the council sets for us...is a work of mind, body and soul to shape the universe around us into a thing of balance...or at the very least, a place that is just a bit more safe for those we are sworn to protect and guide. The making of our sabers is, perhaps, the most important test of our being's connection and ability to work in harmony. If we cannot work harmoniously with ourselves, after all, how can we be expected to do this with others, or with the force...especially in times of stress?"The halls passed them in icy colors of stone and small pockets of crystals as she led him through the temple toward one of the many training rooms. Each step echoed off the walls of the once bustling temple, now filled with so many memories of the jedi who had passed through it, the planet seeming to keep the echos of these memories alive to her senses as emotions not her own swept past her, light as feathers and barely recognizable, here and there as they walked. Shoal had given her a very similar speech when he had brought her here, though...he had put a bit more emphasis on the importance of this in protection of others and in the making of the saber itself... "Before I can help guide you as you build your own saber, I will show you how to better connect your mind and body...it's up to you, however, to fit your soul into whatever you do. I'm good...but after all is said and done, I'm not that good. I can show you how to follow the paths you will need to take, but I can't make you walk them...I'm your guide, not your slave driver." Glancing over to him, she'd smile just slightly before going back to watching the path they were walking. Turning a corner, she paused at one of the slim doors that lined the corridor and touched the key pad at the wall beside it. As the panel lit up, she unlocked it with a slide of her thumb across it, pulling the red light across the screen until it became green and the door hissed open. Stepping in, she would look around the small room. It was spartan (like most training rooms) and a bit worn from use (and then disuse)...but it would do nicely for her purposes. "Put anything you don't need or feel might get in your way of easy movement down for now, Vance. You will, however, need your training saber." she said motioning to the bench and short line of shelves and hooks off to one side as she pulled off her outer robe, tossing it toward the bench before moving into the center of the room and waited patiently for him to join her.
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
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...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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Oct 11, 2013 17:23:51 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Oct 11, 2013 17:23:51 GMT -5
The giant grin that spread itself across her face made him quietly groan, both amused and regretful that he'd asked. Of course she'd pick here, of all places, to start his training. What could be more taxing than an arctic planet with a bigger presence than the population of Coruscant put together? Sighing lightly, he couldn't help but hide a smile as he followed her out, slowly rubbing his hands together as they proceeded down the hallway.
And yet even as they walked and she took a serious, instructive tone, he could feel her presence flick and dance with the Temple around her, though it was slight and hardly noticeable. He had to wonder; what exactly did she associate with this place? For him that was an easy question; amazement and wonder. What about her though? Judging by what he could gleam, she almost seemed a little gleeful, like a woman returning to a childhood playground and recounting swinging on the monkeybars and clambering up the slide. It occurred to him then that he'd yet to learn more about her past than was the basics; who had her master been? What had he or she been like? Maybe between the pants for oxygen that she was sure to put him through today, he could ask her about it.
But alas, his mind wandered, and he snapped it back to her question. The mind, body, and spirit... a small part of him seemed to remember having heard that from someone before. Had it been Tem? He couldn't remember; whoever it had been, he obviously hadn't had much time to let it sink in. But he'd yet to consider those aspects of himself before; he'd made the assumption that if he followed the Code, had a good heart, and tried his best to help, everything else would have fallen into place. How was he supposed to train his spirit and his heart? Meditation? Communication? With every word she spoke, as always, a swath of questions were manufactured in his consciousness and set to buzz about. He managed to keep from asking any of them right up until they stopped at a door, opening his mouth and inhaling a little. He was cut off by the door's opening, and Tal stepping past it. Following her, he discovered that it wasn't just their quarters that seemed like the bare minimum. Indeed, it seemed, the entire temple was more of a monastery; a place where the physical aspects of life were minimized in order to focus on the less physical.
That, of course, just sprouted new questions.
Opening his mouth to ask again, he was once more stopped short by her newest instruction; get comfortable, because you're going to be moving a lot. Grinning a little and letting out the air he was going to have used to talk, the curly-haired padawan stepped over to the bench and put a few of the extra pouches on his belt down. They were mostly empty, but if he curled the right way they tended to tap or poke him in the waist; a distraction he was sure he wouldn't need. Glancing over at Tal again, he noticed that her outer robe was coming off. He wasn't quite sure what that meant, but assumed that it wouldn't be a bad idea if his followed suit. Undoing a small tie, he let the brown fabric slide down his arms and onto the bench before stepping out into the middle of the room, standing a couple of meters before his master.
Gently patting his belt for his training saber, he finally tried again, starting with what was easily the most obvious question. "So what's first then? How do you train the mind, body, and soul to come together?"
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Jan 2, 2014 6:05:15 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jan 2, 2014 6:05:15 GMT -5
[So so SO sorry for being absent...again. Idk if you've moved Vance on or not (I hope not '>_> ) but life has been CRAZY! Btw, am married now xD...so yeah....crazy RL is crazy]
Vance's question was not unexpected. Winds knew she had wondered many times during her padawanship...even now she sometimes wondered over the same thing. That alone earned a warm smile from the woman as she watched him. "Good question! And you know....I'm still not entirely sure." Bet he wasn't expecting THAT answer! Grinning over at him impishly, she'd shrug slightly as a soft chuckle escaped her. "I can only teach you what my masters taught me, and a few tricks I have picked up on my own...hopefully they'll at least start you down the right path and we can learn better together. After all, this whole 'being a master' thing is new to me."
Honesty. It was all she could give him right now; honesty and the methods she'd been taught. At least it was somewhere to start, and it had worked well enough for her, so she didn't see a reason it couldn't work for someone else. "Before you have to ask, I'll just tell you how I plan to start, shall I?" Smirking a bit, her eyes flickered with threads of dazzling blue and gold amidst the green before fading away once more. "My first master, Shoal, was a guardian...his mind very set in the workings of body and mind together, both with and without the outright use of the force. This is where we will start. If the mind and body can begin to work fluidly together, first without the outright use of the force to enhance us, they will work twice as fluidly when we do use it. So come here and we will go through the shii-cho katas together slowly without use of the force."
Dialing Talon down to a 'training' setting, she ignited the violet blade, watching the air around it steam as she settled into the familiar opening stance of shii-cho while she waited for her padawan.
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
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...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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Jan 2, 2014 20:22:12 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Jan 2, 2014 20:22:12 GMT -5
[Crazy's an understatement. Worry not though; I wouldn't put any other character through the mental strain of having V as their paddy xD]
As was an increasingly common occurrence whenever he asked a question, Vance didn't quite get a developed answer in return. In truth, he hadn't been expecting one; it was foolish to expect anyone, even a Jedi, to have a perfect understanding of life as they all knew it. Even if, on the off chance, that person had such a concept in mind, it was even more foolish to think that they could discuss it in full in response to a simple question.
Even still, it was a little frustrating. Vance knew that he would have to discover many things by himself, but a small part of him still wished that these questions of his could be solved by an expedition into the Archives like those inquiries of his younger days. They still had that same curious intensity and yearning to be fitted with a satisfactory understanding, but as they became more and more developed, the padawan found such understandings far more difficult to come by than the "old days" of just strolling over to a section of holopads.
Still... Should have seen that coming. Vance would figure it out with time (he hoped), and the impish grin from Tal gave him a sense of ease. Were they simple questions? Heck no. Could they be answered? Possibly. Would it take a lifetime to do so? Even more possibly.
Did any of that mean they had to be addressed the very day they were asked? Force no.
"Okay then... so what're we actu-"
""Before you have to ask, I'll just tell you how I plan to start, shall I?" Touche. He couldn't help but notice that dazzle of color in her eyes though. More food for thought he would digest later.
But alas, katas. Vance knew them, or at least most of them. Shon-tul hadn't focused on saber technique by a long shot, but he had at least made sure that Vance had a firm understanding of the basics. Plucking his training saber from his belt, the padawan walked over and took an opening stance next to his master, the training blade (a light, almost playful blue) springing to life with a soft hiss and a softer hum. Shifting his feet a bit to get a good, solid stance, the padawan made sure his knees were bent before raising the saber into it's correct position. It was almost a little comical to see a tall, bulky padawan mimicking the stance of a master smaller than himself, but the image was lost on him as he simply tried to remember his katas.
"I'll follow your lead then. My memory on these is a little hazy..." Vance hadn't practiced them all at once in a spell, so while he remembered the majority fairly well, he would need a small pointer here and a few reminders about the order of the movements there in order to restore them all to pristine understanding.
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Jan 3, 2014 5:40:52 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jan 3, 2014 5:40:52 GMT -5
I purposefully left this without an end to the katas so that vance could have some 'face to face' time with himself and his own memories/thoughts/whatever since she'll be touching on all of that in my next post ^_^
Giving him a smile at his comment, the woman simply nodded once before smoothly moving through the first and into the second stance. None of these were particularly long sequences, nor particularly difficult as it was the first and primary form taught to younglings and padawans across the galaxy, still...they were of extreme importance. It allowed a padawan to defend themselves, even minimally, against enemies, not to mention building the connections between muscle and memory...ah procedural memory, how useful it was.
As she moved from the second and into the third stance, Talau spoke once more, half keeping an eye on her padawan as she did so. "Be sure you are aware of your body, Vance. There is a reason why we're going to take these slowly...this is your chance to really feel the connections within you." She paused a moment as she readjusted her footing, noticing a former bad habit rearing its head once more, before moving on to the next stance.
"This is not a time for perfection, though you should always strive for it, but rather to just begin learning how your mind and your body connect through movements...this is a way to center yourself and your mind. Think of it as...meditation through movement. Focus on yourself and the movements, and when you find your mind starting to wander bring yourself back to your body through the motions. This will help you start building a higher awareness of your body and it's abilities as well as honing your mind."
Falling silent, she would continue to slowly move through the katas, only pausing to correct any major flaws she might notice in Vance's actions or to help him if need be. Other than that she would step smoothly through the well practiced motions with the ease expected of a master. Like any time she meditated her mind did wander...whose didn't?...but she at least practiced what she preached, only letting her mind trot off so far before reeling it back in.
Much of the time, when it wandered, it wandered back to Shoal's teachings. How had he managed to make this seem so simple? Teaching a padawan, thus far, felt natural but at the same time felt like she was constantly trying to find her way through the crystal caverns: so many choices on what to say, do, act, teach...each one would inevitably leave an imprint on the teen, but would it be the right one? Would it be something that helped, or harmed, the young man in the end? She hadn't been Shoal's first padawan and that had likely been the reason why it had seemed so easy for him, but even then she knew that no two people were the same. Teaching her had been much different that teaching his previous one...as he'd not hesitated to remind her of when she annoyed him to no end on several occasions.
Other than that, her mind turned to the good memories she had of this particular practice with her master. She had truly loved the shistav with every fiber of her being. Grumpy as he could be at those times when she acted much more the sentinel than the guardian and outright attempted to annoy him with her attempts at lock picking or slicing, he had been every inch a father figure to her, and the memories she had of him from her youth made her presence ebb and flow with her emotions.
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
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Jan 4, 2014 12:44:06 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Jan 4, 2014 12:44:06 GMT -5
Hesitating only a moment to see her move into the second stance in an effort to confirm that the first kata was what he thought it was, Vance soon followed suit, his own motions a bit broader in their arc and step. As he followed her into the third, his memory of the kata began flowing back to him, as if he had just read the first few pages of a book he had read long ago. The plot came back to him in good detail, and he could suddenly recall the characters, the settings, the dialogues, and even the moments in the story that had made him want to remember it in the first place.
And just like that, he was right beside her, getting the majority of the steps correct. At a few points, he would find himself forgetting which stance came next, and at others he would accidentally bring his legs too close, or take a step too many, or a step too few. Things easily remedied by a dose of reminder from his master.
As he had to focus less on actually stringing the movements together, however, Vance began to take to Tal's instruction, shifting his focus into himself. At first, he merely focused on the sensation of the movements themselves; a bit heavy, as if he wasn't moving limbs, but rather logs. Every shift seemed like it should come with a giant creak of strain, and yet instead they felt smooth and oiled; fluid and directed. After a few katas including this concentration, Vance began to understand why exactly he liked Soresu so much. It complimented him. He wasn't bulky and slow, but rather big and direct. A form created around the idea of endurance and defense seemed appropriate to a body that could endure and defend.
Still, even as he did his best to focus, he found the silence to be a magnet for his memories, a few of which came soaring at him from the recesses of his mind. The recurring theme among them seemed to be the little training he had done with Shon-tul. He could still remember the day Shon-tul had broken down and decided to start his saber training; he had already been his padawan for months! In retrospect, his master had been rather inexperienced; he had been a Zeltron man in his early 30's who had spent most of his life in the Archives. In a way, Vance supposed that's where he had gotten his own love of the place from. Whenever they weren't out and about, Shon-tul would be leading him down one of the vast shelves, talking to him about what topic he would like them to study that week, and then smiling at him and figuratively letting him off the leash to go find holos.
Saber training, though... it had been the opposite. In retrospect, Shon-tul had really, really hated fighting. Vance would dare say that the man had despised it. The day they started training, his master had wielded a kind of defeated grimace that the padawan had almost thought he had incurred. To that day, he didn't know why exactly his master had disliked it. Perhaps fighting had hurt someone close to him? Maybe he himself feared or strayed from it? Vance would have guessed that the man had been a pacifist, except for the fact that he was a Jedi; pacifism was a part of it, but they didn't carry around swords made out of searing energy for nothing.
And yet, as Vance delved deep into his memories, a presence from the outside lightly tapped his own. Blinking and pausing in surprise, the padawan dared to extend his presence a little, finding that in his retrospection, it had withdrawn into himself a bit. Minding the crushing presence of the planet (for the thousandth time that day), he found Tal's presence flowing with an array of emotion as they both continued through the last few katas. Wondering what she was remembering, he smiled a little as they began to final form. Perhaps he wasn't the only one with connections to these simple practices? He made a mental note to look into it later.
With another minute or so of uninterrupted silence (aside from their breathing and the soft rustle of their robes), the curly-headed padawan finally shifted into his final stance. Taking a few deep breaths, he stayed there for a minute or so as he focused one last time on his body. His joints felt looser. His muscles burned gently after their various and calm uses. His legs felt solid, bent and unmoving. His arms felt readied, the power in them waiting to be utilized. He felt, on the whole... big. It was an odd feeling, but one that he didn't mind. Keeping it in mind, he decided to break the norm and say nothing, looking over at Tal with a nod as he awaited further instruction.
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Jan 4, 2014 16:14:57 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jan 4, 2014 16:14:57 GMT -5
The practice was a good one, it seemed. Even past the planet's presence, she could tell that her padawan had drawn inward and focused. That focus wavered, spread out, then focused again (much as her own had from time to time) as he rode the waves of his own memory and then brought himself back again. Of course...the time between focusing points was more wide spread, but she couldn't expect more of him yet. This wasn't the most normal way of practicing meditation. Not that she knew of anyway.
As they moved into the final kata, pausing at the end, she turned to face him with a little nod and a smile. "Good. That was a good start, Vance. A little shaky as first, but over all good." Deactivating Talon, she folded her arms lightly, shifting her weight around as she watched him. "What did you feel? Where did your mind take you?"
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
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Jan 4, 2014 16:31:52 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Jan 4, 2014 16:31:52 GMT -5
Raising a hand to his chin, Vance scratched his stubble at her question, thinking mostly as to where to begin.
"Well... I guess since we were doing katas, I thought back to when I learned them." He rose out of his stance, his saber still humming almost happily as he held it off to the side. "My last master always had this weird look on his face whenever we used our sabers. It was like..." He paused, trying to remember exactly how it looked. Deciding that his mimicry skills lacked enough practice to try and make the face without looking hysterical, he instead just adopted a grimace of his own, continuing, "... the most sour, distasteful grimace you could make. Like he'd just eaten something disgusting and was trying not to throw up the entire time."
Sighing a little, the padawan finally turned his training saber off, a small hiss accenting how odd he found the memory. He hadn't tried to focus on it particularly, but it had come to him in vivid detail just the same. Why had Shon-tul always treated fighting like it was a fate worse than death? Granted, it wasn't necessarily something to glorified; their jobs as Jedi were ultimately to bring about peace, not pick fights and make enemies. But any peace had to be bought with a little bit of confrontation, be it through words, politics, or even simple combat. Had Shon-tul not understood that? As a Knight, no less? Or had he understood it all too well?
... come to think of it... why wasn't Shon-tul a master? Vance had asked him a few times about it, though he had always gotten responses that either avoided the question entirely or gave a very, very vague and unclear answer.
Rubbing his chin a little more, the padawan couldn't help but shrug a little. "I'm not sure, and I don't think I ever will be, but I think fighting took something from him. Whenever we would spar, he always carried this tremendous feeling of loss, as if sparring me was the worst thing in the galaxy." He lightly scratched his neck before crossing his arms. He was almost beginning to bum himself out.
"So I guess I feel... confused. Sad. Or rather, I felt sad for him."
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Jan 4, 2014 16:53:23 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jan 4, 2014 16:53:23 GMT -5
The woman nodded a little as she listened, in more ways than one. Interesting. Still, that had only partially answered her question. "Understandable. Fighting isn't something to enjoy, especially not as a jedi. It leads to death, betrayal, losses of all kinds....Still, that wasn't the reason for this practice. What did you learn about yourself?" She paused a moment, then added, almost as an after thought, "oh, and don't put your saber down just yet...you can answer me as you start the katas over again."
Quirking a smile, she motioned for him to begin again as she moved off to the side a little ways. "Remember, this is like any form of meditation: when your mind begins to wander, bring it back to your body. That is what you are learning about, studying...the way it moves, feels. Can you feel the mistakes you make in the katas? Do you feel them in your body? Can you feel when you do something properly? The way it feels comfortable through your whole body? Can you feel which muscles are growing tired, and which are not? Can you notice the start of pain, or the strength from proper health? These are things you need to start noticing....it will sharpen your mind and later on give you the information you need in sparring and fighting that will help keep you safe or alert you to problems that may need to be seen to."
As she walked about, giving him areas to focus on, she began to correct his form more often as she waited for the rest of his answer to her previous question. Now that she had given him a 'refresher' in shii-cho, it was time to start cleaning it up, giving him the chance to feel the differences between proper form and improper as he moved.
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Fromikeable
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Jan 5, 2014 0:58:44 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Jan 5, 2014 0:58:44 GMT -5
"... Oh. Right." Tempted to lightly smack his forehead, Vance settled for shaking his head and thinking of a few calm-yet-chastising words for himself as he reignited the training saber, the hum filling the air once more. Lowering back down into the opening stance of the first kata, he gave a small sigh as he started over, finally letting a small grin settle on to his face as he was ultimately amused. Of course that's what she'd wanted to hear, or at least, she'd partially wanted to hear the other part too... right? Just... say the other thing too already.
Working through the motions, now remembered for the most part, the padawan found it a bit easier to focus on his movements. When the mind wasn't so actively trying to remember the order, they came far less strenuously, allowing for thought and focus to be elsewhere a bit more constantly. At the same time, he dedicated a small bit of his focus toward his advice, concentrating a bit more simply keeping his mind inside of his own skin rather than skipping down memory lane. This may have been meditation, but as she said, it was a meditation of the body, not the mind.
And so, he tried to focus with more detail. With every movement, he reviewed which muscles felt stressed and stretched, and which did not. He focused on which movements, and subsequently which parts of his body, moved with relative ease, and in what ways, and for how long, and which found trouble, and in which ways, and for how long they could endure those troubles. Honestly, the more he focused, the more disconnected he felt from his own skin, as if he was an observer looking down who could feel every motion as if it was their own.
Still, the little interruptions about his actual form offered short reprieves. With every instance of a correction, Vance found the same basic mistakes repeated; a step too wide, or a movement too broad, or a limb too extended. The more he observed, the more he realized just how much space he took up no matter what, and how his movements only extended that need. It wasn't to say that he couldn't bend and contract; most anyone could, and he was no exception. The problem (or at least, it seemed to be a problem) was simply that a form that already took up so much space seemed to naturally try to stretch itself a bit, with long arms making broad arcs and long legs taking longer steps. He was set whenever these were the sorts of movements needed; when a single step needed to cover a lot of ground, or when his saber was supposed to trace through as much air as it could, he was in no labor to do so. It was something to consider; he had to watch just how big he was, and furthermore how big his movements were.
Working through the last kata once more, Vance finally felt confident enough in his deductions to relay them to Tal, talking through short huffs of air as he exhaled with every movement. "I can feel... big. Like lots of space doesn't mean much. But very little space... it takes concentration." A small huff, and a slight hum of his saber as he moved into the next stance. "My limbs don't burn, but I can feel things stretch whenever I have to bend, almost like they're logs." Another huff, another shift of stance. "When something's off, I feel like a pretzel, trying not to fall over. When it's right, though... well, again, I kind of feel like a tree with the branches in just the right spot, weird as it is to say." As he huffed and moved, he grinned and gave a second huff of laughter. "I mean... ultimately... yeah." With a final huff, he composed his thoughts as he entered the final stance, holding it for a few moments before dropping his arms and taking a moment to catch his breath.
"I just feel big. And maybe a little bulky and slow, but... solid." He paused, trying to think of a better way of putting it. "Like a giant, moving rock." He shook his head again, grinning. It wasn't a great analogy, but it was more or less true.
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Jan 5, 2014 6:33:31 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jan 5, 2014 6:33:31 GMT -5
Being on this side of the lesson seemed...incredibly odd...to the young knight. For so long she only remembered the reverse side, the side of the student, and so being on the side of the teacher almost felt like an out of body experience for Talau. Of course, as she watched Vance move through the katas, silver threaded eyes watched intently as a way to keep herself focused rather than losing herself to the strange (and almost overwhelming) sensation.
She also noticed, as the katas passed, that Vance seemed to be taking his time in replying as well. When his answer came, however, it was surprisingly helpful to her. While, yes, it didn't contain the meaning of life (nowhere in there had he said 42), it did give her some direction in which to push him to make him better and more adaptable.
"Hmm...." How did she reply to this? Honestly, she supposed. "Good first observations, and actually rather helpful at that. I now know a few things we'll have to work on in your training. After all, being a wall is good...walls are useful enough...but a wall can only do so much because it is rigid. Rigid things are more easily breakable than flexible ones....luckily for you, most trees are flexible."
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
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...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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Jan 5, 2014 22:07:28 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Jan 5, 2014 22:07:28 GMT -5
Vance nodded. Trees could be flexible, just like they could be huge and strong. He supposed that it was simply a matter of learning how to bend a branch without snapping it off and replacing it with a cybernetic limb, was all. No sweat. With that in mind, he wondered what he could actually do to improve his condition. He supposed that practice made perfect; he would have to stretch more, and work on loosening his joints, and becoming more fluid in the way he moved, and overall becoming a bit less of a rock. It would surely come in handy later in life, but Tal was right; rigid things had a tendency to break.
Deactivating the training saber once again, the padawan finally rose out of his stance, actually stretching his arms a bit; they burned from a few moves in the katas, and the muscles, in their effort to stretch while in form, had ultimately come to burn just a bit. "So be the tree." Grinning a bit, he laughed a little as he also tried to stretch out his legs. "Simple, but I like it." Finally shaking out his appendages, Vance rolled his head in an effort to stretch his neck before turning to her fully, ready. The katas were always a nice way to warm up the body, and since they were training both the body and mind, he was presuming that they weren't totally done moving yet.
Even still, he thought he had learned at least a little. "So ultimately... the mind and body come closer together when one focuses on the other... right?" To focus on one's body let them observe it's actions and come to a better understanding of how it functioned. To focus on the body also let the body focus back, reading the mind closer as it received and carried out instruction much more closely.
... I think. As with most things, Vance was simply asking questions.
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Jan 9, 2014 14:32:25 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jan 9, 2014 14:32:25 GMT -5
Vance's reply, while accurate (she supposed) to her overall comment, showed that he probably didn't quite grasp her full meaning. The fact that he didn't expand upon it or ask how one might do that (even to the point of calling it simple) proved it. "That, Vance, is anything but simple. To be flexible takes work, and a lot of it...because I am not simply meaning flexible in your body. There are more ways than just that to be flexible." Watching him intently, she attempted to measure his reaction to her words. "A jedi has to be flexible in all areas in order to truly be good at their job. Flexible in their thinking, in their way of doing things, in the way the adapt to situations...there is a time and place to stand firm, of course, but that cannot be the only way a jedi acts. You say that working in very little space is uncomfortable for you right now...that will be our first way of making you more flexible, then...getting you more comfortable in working in small spaces with your saber. You won't always have the luxury of having a lot of space to move around in, and if that's all you're used to, and all your comfortable in, you are not flexible enough to help keep yourself (let alone others) safe."
With that, she shifted her weight and moved on, cutting off any potential grumbling ahead of time. "But yes, in a way that was what I meant... By becoming conscious of your body, you will have a better understanding of both it, and how your mind works once you really begin to start paying attention...faster and more fluid reaction times are just a side benefit. You've taken the first step, but there are many many more to take along the way."
Coming around and back onto the mat again, she would activate Talon, stepping into the opening stance of shii-cho, slowly moving through the first few katas as she spoke."For example: when I practice, this or any form, in this way...I am mindful of my body. Sometimes I am more mindful of my muscles (or joints, or innards if something has been bothering any of them lately), sometimes my stance, other times I simply notice my breathing or my heartbeat, occasionally all of them if I'm moving through a simpler set of katas and using it simply as a focus. However, I will inevitably come around to my thoughts...and with that I become aware of my own mind and its wanderings. If I stay true to the exercise and am not simply doing it to help meditate, then I must be aware enough to guide my mind back to my body and regain my connection to it."
Standing normally again, she would deactivate Talon, gazing over at Vance steadily. "In a fight, this can not only help you to be more aware of your body, but also where your mind is wandering....and give you a leg up on bringing it back to your focus, which is the fight...not the cause of it, or the people who need saving on the other side of it. Of course you will aware of these things, but not focused on them, which is a dangerous thing to be in the middle of any sort of combat...but...why do think that is?"
Clipping Talon back to her belt, she would step off of the practice mat once more. "Now, Vance, I want you to hand me your crystal and then start the shii-cho katas once more."
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
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...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
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Jan 16, 2014 20:13:58 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Jan 16, 2014 20:13:58 GMT -5
Vance cocked his head a bit to the side, frowning ever so little as his answer was refuted. Still, that gave him that much more cause to watch and listen to her carefully, his arms crossed with one holding his chin as he considered what she said heavily. Her bit about being flexible in what he supposed was the more true sense surprised him a bit. He had never considered flexibility to extend beyond, well, physical extension. Sure, he had thought of adaptability, but never quite in that perspective. Her comments about closed space not usually being an option were valid, though he grumbled just a little under his breath for the brief second before she continued, sighing a little. Yeah, yeah... She was right, even if he didn't like to admit it.
As she started running through the katas again, he started to understand what she meant. It wasn't just being able to fit into tight spaces or bend in appropriate ways, but rather being able to exercise self-control over the body and the mind simultaneously. His mind, for example, had a great tendency to wander from the corporeal into the surreal; an attribute that, if left unattended and free, would surely spell doom in an all-or-nothing fight. The padawan simply hadn't been tested in such a way prior; Shon-tul had never endangered him more than telling him to stay alert in certain seedy planets, but that was it. He had encouraged his mind to wander and think, and while that was fine to do when at rest and in relative safety, in a scenario where alertness and, well, flexibility were both key, a wishy-washy line of thinking would produce a wishy-washy river of blood.
But as she noted how she could focus on her body, he made a half-smile. He had sort of been right... in a way... not really... he'd at least done something right, okay?
"Why is it dangerous to focus on things that aren't the fight at hand?" He tapped his chin a little. "Well... for one thing, those things probably aren't immediately trying to kill me like the fight is." Grinning a little, he paused as he walked over to his exterior robe, which he had wrapped his crystal around, and retrieved the small stone. He almost didn't want to hand it over and marvel at it some more, but he guessed that ultimately, that was the point she was making. Handing it over, he snapped his training saber to life as he began again.
"I think I get what you mean though. Or, at least, a little more than before. I have to have all of the relevant information at hand in my conscious mind, but... I can't focus on any of it, right?" He lowered into the opening stance again. "I have to be focused on keeping people from harm, including myself, which is... why I need to be flexible in both senses. So that I can work in small spaces just like I can be adaptive and aware and be able to adjust on short notice." He did his best to summarize, slowly restarting his katas.
"I need to... keep myself open to change, but focused on keeping myself alive." He hummed a little, considering his own words. He gave her a small, almost apologetic smile. He couldn't help but feel like he was being a bit slow on the uptake. "... am I closer, at least?"
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Jun 13, 2014 23:10:22 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jun 13, 2014 23:10:22 GMT -5
The young woman could all but feel the gears in Vance’s mind working away as she spoke. His reply, as it came, showed it as well. A slight smile worked its way onto her face as he began to work out the meaning of her words in full…a testament to his ability to pick up on things fairly quickly with some instruction. He was a smart lad, and that was good. As he went to fetch his crystal, she watched him intently, seeing his reluctance to hand over the precious little object in the way he returned. Still, he handed it over, placing it in her waiting hand.
Closing her fingers around it, she would hold it…not bothering to slip it into any of the pouches on her belt. Nodding as he continued his reply she was pleased to see that he returned to his katas on his own this time. It seemed Vance was forward thinking…at least right now…and she was pleased by that fact. ”Yes, you’re much closer to the correct idea now, Vance,” she stated, walking slowly around the mat he practiced on to view his form from various angles.
”You’ll get a clearer and clearer image of my meaning as you continue to train, and even once your time training with me is over. Flexibility, in the most broad and clear sense, takes a life time to master. It’s something that continues to develop with time and experience. I’m far from done learning to be flexible in my thoughts, actions and words simply because I’ve not encountered everything there is to encounter. There’s still much that I don’t know…even teaching you will help me become more flexible, just like your learning from me will make you more flexible.”
Pausing, she would watch him quietly, rubbing her thumb across the surface of the crystal subtly as she watched his motions, looking to see if it garnered any attention from the padawan. When Shoal had done this very same thing to her she had faltered, her attention wavering and her form becoming sloppy. She had not been very focused in her youth, her mind prone to wandering much like Vance’s, and she could remember how the crystal had called to her by being in the hand of another person. Of course, she couldn’t tell with any certainty if any other jedi beside herself would have felt that way about their crystal, so this was a test for her own curiosity as well.
”The thing about any combat situation, Vance, is that you will have a great many things to consider during it…your own safety, the enemy, the environment, any possible by-standers or injured or hostages, your own thoughts, any injuries you may already have…the list goes on. You must be aware of all of them, but be capable of shifting your focus easily and swiftly as different needs arise without becoming bound up in any one of them for too long, because that will lead to danger for you and others around you.
Because of this, you must be able to trust your body to do what it must to help keep you alive…and you must be in-tune with it enough, aware of it enough passively, that you can help keep yourself safe from dangerous missteps or motions that may overtax you or hurt you further than you already may be. That is why I’m having you start now…the sooner you can begin to develop the connection between your mind and body the better. You will become more comfortable with doing this, it will become more natural, and soon it will become second nature.
Like your katas must be second nature, fluid and without thought, so must your awareness of your body. That is one small step to flexibility.”
Taking up her slow walk around him, she would continue to rub the crystal in her hand with her thumb, watching how he handled the various stimuli presented to him while he moved. Simply observing without correcting and seeing what he did with himself because of it.
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
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...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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Jun 22, 2014 23:47:15 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Jun 22, 2014 23:47:15 GMT -5
The padawan couldn't help but wince a little as he noticed halfway into one of his katas that Tal was giving his crystal a nice little thumb massage. Glancing at her from the corner of his eye every so often, he did his best to take the very advice she was telling him. He tried to keep his katas, his movements, his form, his surroundings, her voice, and her movements all in mind at once without latching on to any particular one. While certainly not an easy task, he began to manage with just enough ease to do his katas in proper stature. His only slip-up was whenever her thumb seemed to take a particularly long stroke across the crystal; an act that he swore made a tiny screech as if the thumb was a needle and made him do a small double-take in his form as he made sure that he was still on track.
Don't focus, be flexible... don't focus, be flexible... And indeed he managed to do so, slowly cycling through his forms with relative accuracy. He even managed to correct himself once or twice when he found himself out of step, adjusting his angle here or a joint bent too far there. As the rubbing continued, however, he found it becoming harder to ignore. The smudges that must've been on the crystal by now... his teeth would come to grit a little more, his katas would prove to be a tad less accurate, and indeed he would blink to find himself focusing on the crystal and her irritating thumb a little too often.
Don't focus... be flex-... flexible... oh, c'mon, rub a little softer? A small part of him worried that he was being a tad obsessive, and it became another thing for his mind to juggle. Another part worried that he was juggling too many things, and that was added to the pot. From there it was a gradual chain reaction as his mind simply found more and more to juggle and manage, culminating in him finding himself ending a kata a good 3 meters from where he should've.
"Sithspit..." Vance cursed lightly under his breath before taking a second to breathe, doing his best to let his mind empty (although even then, he had to try not to think about her rubbing that green rock). After a short moment, he backtracked to the center of the room and restarted the kata, giving it a dose of extra attention this time and making more than a few corrections.
"Flexibility..." he repeated, nodding softly as he continued the kata and ended it far more successfully this time. His mind drifted back to the crystal, which made him wince slightly. Sucking on his teeth lightly, he added before starting the next form, "... you're rubbing my crystal just to bug me, aren't you?"
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Jun 26, 2014 5:39:28 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jun 26, 2014 5:39:28 GMT -5
While he continued to work on his katas, the eyes of the Rilan woman would slowly thread through with greens and a golden brown almost like honey while she slowly thumbed the crystal in her hand. While she felt very little from the crystal itself (especially with her leather gloves on), she felt quite enough from Vance himself. Making a mental note to continue to use the crystal for focusing practice later on, Talau kept a keenly interested watch on her padawan. Considering she hadn’t even been sure, at the start, if her actions would even have any effect on the young man, Talau was quite pleased to learn that it hadn’t just been her who’d had such a reaction to this sort of stimuli…and she was even more pleased with how admirably Vance seemed to fighting to keep his attention where it should be.
Hmm. I think he may be doing better than I did…hell, I’m almost certain he is. Well, that’s a plus, anyway. she mused quietly as she watched him adjust one of his mistakes. Still, she caught that tightening of his jaw muscles, and as time went on, she could practically hear his agitated thoughts. Poor kid…still, it was going to get a point across. If she was honest with herself, it was hopefully going to get several points across…
Even so, the more time went on the more and more he began to deviate from his katas. They were becoming sloppy, he was drifting on the mat, he was slowing and speeding in intervals…this would have to be amended…
And then he spoke.
…well…really he cursed.
Talau had to fight back the smile, and even more she had to bite back the laugh. Oh, that laugh just wouldn’t do. Poor kid was having to deal with a lot here between her and the planet itself and his own mind. When he began to repeat ‘flexibility’ to himself and corrected his mistake, finishing that particular kata properly, she allowed a little smile to grace her face, hints of true gold flecking her eyes just barely.
Good show, Vance.
Taking a moment to collect himself again she allowed that smile to grow into a slight grin at his (probably rhetorical) question.
”…You’re rubbing my crystal just to bug me, aren’t you?”
Chuckling she would shake her head slightly.
”Yes.”
She grinned fully at that playful remark and stood with her fists on her hips, giving his crystal a good solid rub just to really annoy him…and then she stopped.
”Come here for a moment, Vance.” Waiting for him to do as instructed, she would fold her arms across her chest lightly, still holding the crystal in one hand. As he came to stand with her, she would nod slightly and that grin would dim back down to a smile, though her eyes were still colored with streaks of green, that odd honey color, and flecks of gold. ”In honest answer to your question, no…I was not just rubbing your crystal to annoy you. It was an experiment, a test, and a lesson all in one…and I’m quite pleased with how you did on the test, by the way,” she stated giving him a warm smile.
”Now, let me elaborate before you go on asking all sorts of questions.” Smirking a bit at that, she’d walk toward the wall nearest them heading for the plain bench there and taking a seat on it…obviously expecting him to follow. ”My actions, Vance, started as an experiment. Originally, this was something that my master did to me when he first started my training. I was still quite young and he was my first master…and as a natural telepath and with senses that…well, quite honestly with my senses this planet was an outright black hole for me to get lost in…his toying with the thing nearly had me tripping over myself. I wondered if it might be the same for others, or if it was simply a fluke of my over active sense in the force. Perhaps it was a bit less ‘fluke’ than I thought.”
The woman seemed to consider this a long moment, her eyes going just distant enough to make it quite clear that her mind was miles (or perhaps years) away. Blinking herself back into reality she smiled just slightly and continued as she looked over to him once again. ”Once I was certain that you were reacting the test began. Would you try and take it upon yourself to apply what I had just told you? Furthermore, would you do so even with something else constantly attempting to draw your attention away from what you should be doing? On that you did admirably, Vance. Still…”
Trailing off for a moment, Talau seemed to slip into thought once more, though her eyes remained focused this time, obviously considering something important to the reality rather than that of another time or place. Where should she start? That was the real question here, wasn’t it? ”Still…the lesson has yet to be learned. I think that this lesson is one slightly different from the one of flexibility…though they can certainly tie into each other.” Shifting on her seat slightly so she was angled more toward the padawan, she looked at him quietly for a long moment and settled her hands in her lap.
”This lesson goes back to combat and focus more than it does to flexibility,” she stated calmly. Gone were the signs of teasing and amusement, even her smile had faded into an expression that stated this would be a very serious conversation, her eyes flooding with drab and muted hues of orange, yellow, violet and grey. ”Tell me, Vance, what do you believe you might expect from an opponent in an actual combat situation?...Would you believe they might fight you fairly, or do you think they might employ other, more underhanded, tactics?”
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
1,616 posts
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...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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last online Jun 22, 2023 19:35:57 GMT -5
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Jul 2, 2014 1:40:11 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Jul 2, 2014 1:40:11 GMT -5
Vance couldn't help but groan a little when she confirmed what he thought. Maybe she was wearing gloves, but... the microscopic smudges, potentially imaginary and insignificant as they might be, made him cringe just a little more. Her last agonizingly slow movement right along the edge actually made his face contort a bit, his tongue rolling around in an effort to keep him from gritting his teeth. He almost felt like he could hear it... and that's when he noticed that his focus was slipping, the planet's ungodly presence came pouring in, and he had to take a quick minute to try and push it out again.
He just barely caught her beckoning him over as he did so, making him blink at her and thinking for a second before finally remembering what words meant and coming closer. This had been a test? The questions were already surging forward despite the incredible pressure on his mind. What sort of test? Why? How had it been? Did he-
Fortunately she already knew how that part of his brain worked, and she explained before the floodgates (otherwise known as his jaw) could open. Shaking his head a little at her smirk, he followed her over to the bench and sat beside her, reaching over to grab a towel and lightly dab off a little sweat (mostly that which was running along his hair) as she began to speak. She'd gone through the same thing, eh? He certainly couldn't falter her for having had so much difficulty. It was hard enough to think on Illum when he actively concentrated on something as fundamentally simple as a kata. To try and do so while having the irritation that was someone rubbing across a newly-acquired crystal only added to that tremendously, so the idea of being a natural telepath on top of it all? The thought almost made him shudder, though admittedly it did raise a few new questions about her that he would do his best to remember later.
This planet's a black hole? More like a couple dozen... Just her mention of it tempted his mind back into the giant, somber, immense void, and for another minute he tried to do only do so in moderation for fear that restricting himself and failing would fling him into it hook, line, and sinker. Blinking a few more times and realizing that a little more sweat had collected on his brow, he managed to come to only slightly before her. Perhaps the planet's presence wasn't lost on her either.
But apparently he'd done decently. That made him smile just a little. He'd actually gotten something after all those questions? Usually they just left him in deeper confusion than they did understanding. Granted, he felt that way, but perhaps confusion was an odd form of understanding... or maybe it was just confusion. Either way, he couldn't help but take a quick breath, his confidence bolstered just a little. Even what she said about this not quite having been what she meant about flexibility didn't quite phase the smile. At least he was getting somewhere; that was all he could and would ask for.
What did quell his smile was the change in her eyes, both their emotion and their literal color (something he tried not to think about too much; he wanted to ask more about them too) as her tone changed back to a more serious level. An actual opponent?
"Depends on the person, I guess..." He lightly dabbed his forehead again before tossing it down the bench. "Though I'm betting... oh, say 99 times out of 100 that it would be the latter." Vance was surely an optimist, but as a Jedi, he at least knew not to be a nutjob. Jedi didn't carry sabers because they found peace everywhere they went. Jedi carried sabers because usually someone somewhere had a gun or a vibrosword or a slugthrower or some such instrument of harm, not to mention the will to use it. Who exactly? That he couldn't say, but he knew, at least, that such people were out there, and that in his lifetime he'd probably meet more than his fair share.
"Would you fight fair against a 'psychic' with a laser sword?" He smiled a little, joking and raising his hands to use as air quotes for "psychic".
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last online Jun 4, 2023 4:58:38 GMT -5
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Jul 14, 2014 12:31:02 GMT -5
Post by Talau the Ever-Lurking on Jul 14, 2014 12:31:02 GMT -5
Eh, not the longest reply in the world, nor the best, but there you have it.
Nodding a little, she'd lean forward with her elbows resting on her knees and her hands clasped lightly before her as she leaned there. "Yes, it would depend on the person...but you're correct...many people won't fight fairly. The motivation is to survive, not to be polite. Often times being polite in a fight can get you killed. However, sometimes people are worse than simply 'unfair' or 'impolite'. They will use any means possible to effect your awareness of the situation...or your calm. Tauntin, riddiculing, causing distractions, using the force to harry you and your mind..." She held up his crystal for him to observe...now with context.
"You have to try and harden yourself against it, to fight even despite the things that cause you distraction or threaten to disturb your calm. Sometmes...sometimes the things you hold close, or of importance to you, will be used against you. You have to make a conscious decision to not let it hinder you. Sometimes it works...sometimes it won't, but you still have to make the conscious attempt. That is the reason why I did this, why Shoal did this to me when I was learning...to help train my mind against such events." She'd sit up again, gazing at him steadily. "Do you understand now?"
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Fromikeable
Keeper Of The Techxts
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...and I'm comin'! *guitar riff*
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Aug 2, 2014 1:31:57 GMT -5
Post by Fromikeable on Aug 2, 2014 1:31:57 GMT -5
The motivation is to survive...
That rang in the padawan's head for a minute, as what it implied sank in. Lightsabers, blasters, fights between two people using one or the other or both or neither... and both with the capacity to kill. To make sure of their own survival by hindering that of their opponent.
... Force. The padawan frowned at that. The idea of him having to end someone's life to ensure his own, or worse yet, the life of another, or worse yet, the lives of numerous others, made his stomach churn just a bit. But he decided that he'd meditate on it later, and instead focused on listening to the rest of what Tal had to say.
And he found he did understand, or at least, he thought he did. Her rubbing his crystal one last time accented her point to him. In a fight for survival, people would use every dirty trick, dastardly trap, and unfair advantage they could muster. A bomb linked to a lightswitch. A victim used as bait or a shield. A building held as a hostage. A rug concealing spikes. Anything and everything that could be twisted into some instrument or herald of malice was at a desperate person's disposal, their usage of it all limited only by their know-how and degree of mental capacity. Even something so insignificant as an irritating quirk; a spitting on the face, or a stomp on the toe, or... a rubbing of his crystal (he couldn't help but cringe lightly again). All perfect mediums for them to cause an opening and end the fight with their survival assured.
Yet... how could he harden himself to it? An irritation would always be an irritation. A threat would always be a threat. Did he ignore them? That would be even worse, he thought. He couldn't focus on them, perhaps, but no matter what they would grab at his attention, as if they were hungry steeds and his focus was a bale of hay.
"... so..." The padawan crossed his arms across his chest, holding his mouth and chin with one hand as he thought intensely, his eyes glued to the floor as the gears turned. "... I need to remember, no matter what... no matter what someone does to throw me off, even if it's awful... to try and keep calm and focused." He couldn't help but frown at saying it, trying not to let his mind imagine what exactly could be so "awful" as to throw him out of his calm completely. Again... something to mediate on. He also bit his tongue a bit, not daring to say that he'd try to keep his calm no matter what. Because frankly... he was sure, at some point in his life, he wouldn't be. He was sentient, after all, and though the idea of him in a rage... well, scared him a little too much for his liking, he tried his best to accept that there might be a time when such was the case. Emphasis on "tried".
Oh, wait. Had he gotten that right? He looked over her after a second for confirmation. "Right?"
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