Drunken Lullabies (Cassy)

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

There was, in Teer Ka's opinion, nothing quite so special as a festivity on Shili. She adored the character of her people, the richness of their culture, and their willingness to embrace even the strangest of outsiders.

By that, she didn't refer to herself. She was thinking instead of 'Cassy,' the Jedi Knight who she'd been instructing on Shili lately, taking her on one of her trips across the western side of the planet, just a few days after their encounter with the Jedi Mal Konti and his Padawan.

It had been a productive day of business, identifying two Force-sensitive children in the village and sending the coordinates to the Jedi Order on Coruscant, so the children could be collected at a later date. While many would have deeply mourned the loss of their children, this was seen as a high honor by the members of this tribe.

As the day had faded, celebration had begun, a feast being held for the honored guests. There had been meat of every kind, both raw and cooked, and of course copious quantities of alcohol.

In this one area, Teer Ka was not a conventional Jedi. She did not shun drinking or intoxication when it came to the cultures and customs of her people. She always chose to be respectful, and to assimilate. She had a twofold duty, and she could not care for her people as a Jedi if she refused to live the same way.

Now, as a result, she had the pleasant feeling of warmth from her head to her bare feet, which were near to a blazing fire, kept warm and comfortable. Cassy was at her side, and the stern Weapons Master and Watchman no longer seemed as intense or frightening as she often was.

Yes, her features were still severe, her scars still intimidating, but now there was a twinkle in her dark eyes, and she was constantly ready to laugh, a melodious sound. It was a pity she didn't act that way more often, but this was a state reached by the lubrication of alcohol.

To be fully honest, she hadn't noticed whether or not Cassy had been drinking. She was too occupied with her own wine, a fruity and sweet variety that slid down her throat effortlessly.

A Togruta hunter in the village made a joke and Teer laughed merrily before turning to Cassy and translating it into Basic, as she'd been doing all evening, though her own accent had been growing steadily stronger, a rich and rolling sound.

"He says a hunter one day visited a spring, and he found a prey animal there. He fired an arrow and killed it, but on his way home he was stopped by ten of the animal, and he had to make an explanation. It's too hard to translate."

Teer belatedly realized she hadn't been able to translate the humor and she apologized.

"I'm shorry Cassy. Sorry. It doesn't translate well. You must be bored. I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

[Cassy]

Cassy's world definitely hat a warm swim too it right now. The festivities of Shili swam around her, as the Togruta; especially the males. Were quite friendly, or so she thought right now.

At the moment, she had two of them on the tip of her nose, leaning across the table at her; smirking as she smirked back. She wasn't going to press them two far, but they understood basic and were teaching her words. Words she felt she needed to know at the moment, but would never be able to speak.

She purred an attempt at Togruta; but it just caused the two of them and her to burst into laughter. She shook hands with them; her face slightly flushed from drinking for the last twenty minutes.

She listened to Master Teer Ka's voice and a brimming grin came to a full smile.

"Wait, the animals came back wanting answers?" she sputted into a full on cackle for a moment and then shook her head.

"No....not at all; I'm really thrilled to have been experiencing this with you....Shili that is...Tatooine is so far from me." she voiced. A bit more open than she'd usually be about things, but again, even at 22; this was her first evening drinking. She felt warm. Accepted.

As she sat next to Teer; stretched out in her wife beater and khaki pants. Bow laying on a nearby tree. She turned her ponytailed head.

"It feels good to be accepted again....I haven't felt like this since I joined the Order...." she hiccuped slightly and sat up before leaning back on both hands; letting the flames tickle her feet.

The thought of the time she'd been spending learning the ways of the Force from Master Teer Ka; and wondered how such a peaceful person could ever raise a lightsaber. Though she herself didn't exactly look threatening.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Teer had another swallow of wine as she issued a reply straight from her heart, her speech slightly slurred by the alcohol, and a tingly feeling in her headtails.

"Togruta are very accepting. Probably one of the most accepting races you'll ever meet."

The Jedi smiled, ivory fangs peeking out from underneath russet lips as she didn't bother hiding what by all rights was a menacing expression to human eyes. Her hands found another kebab on a platter nearby and she placed it over the fire once more, rotating the meat so it wouldn't burn.

"I've never been to Tatooine though. It must be strange to be on a world of sand and rock, without color or texture. To not have grey clouds in the sky."

Teer's voice took on a bit of a wistful and mournful sound, as if she were lamenting the idea of losing a life on Shili, a life of green trees and red dirt. Now that she was on her home world for good, it was hard to imagine leaving it. If the High Council itself offered her a seat, no longer would the decision be an easy one to make.

It was hard to imagine having a home for Jedi in her position. There were so many choices to select in Teer's life. There was Dantooine, where she'd been for most of her life as a Jedi, then Coruscant where she'd settled after the fall of Dantooine. But it was Shili where she was born that had become her true home, site of memories like learning to walk, killing her first thimiar, and speaking her first words.

Master Ka silently thanked the Force every few days that she'd been able to retain her mother tongue through 52 years as a Jedi.

In a way she pitied Cassy for lacking such a culture of her own. Her deep maternal instincts were creating empathy for the Young Knight. She felt a kind of responsibility for her.

It was silly really.

[Cassy]

As she listened to Master Teer Ka's words, she began to sober up a bit. She had such a soothing demeanor; and being around and older woman took a lot of the attention off of her. She felt more comfortable near her for that act alone. The fact that she was a Jedi just helped Cassy feel even more at ease around her.

They peer into the flames together for awhile; as Cassy responded in due.

"It's quite nice." she said, in a straight up cowgirl fashion. She continued to let the feelings she'd experienced here tonight sink in. The rumbling and bristling of the fire was hypnotizing and relaxing. It almost felt too good out here. "Odd....maybe. It just seems hazy in my memory...I was taken kind of young but. I just remember the golden haze of the place; my brothers would always make me laugh. My Mother...."

"One day I'll return......I just don't feel like I'm ready." Cassy opened up a bit more to her newfound friend and teacher; she felt she could trust her with such things in this wide universe. For awhile; she remained silent. A content smile on her expression; her cheeks rosy.

"I was wondering about some of your techniques Watch Sister." a name Cassy had come up with for Master Teer Ka, she did after all consider her both things at once hypothetically speaking. "We've yet too have an honest spar..I want one in the morning....and with the Sith returning recently....we'll have our hands full back on Coruscant...you may consider coming back for a visit or two now...." a little bit of worry traced Cassy's voice as she trailed one finger around her empty glass between she and Master Teer Ka; flames still licking at her feet.

Cassy laid completely on her back; clasping her hands into a perfect pillow behind her ponytailed hair. She stared then, up at the endless Star Ocean of space. Her eyes drifted into a relaxed position as she stared upward; body stretched out, belly slightly revealed at the bottom of her wife beater between her khaki's and her tank top. Her stargazing quickly turned into Hibernation Trance; as an ecstatic feeling overtook her.

The combination of the campfire; stars above, and kinship she felt here allowed her to wipe clean all thoughts, all guilt. And just be blank, a being as she was there on Shili, as Hibernation Trance began to kick in further. She smiled too herself and closed her eyes; she had many questions for Master Teer Ka as she lay there. Although her eyes were shut, she knew the Jedi Master was next to her.

"I feel at ease here, Master." she'd been a Jedi Knight for less than a year, and already was blessed enough by the Force to train under the Jedi Watchman of Shili. She would not disappoint her. "Tomorrow, I'd like to work on some Djem So applications....I can make myself quite strong with the Force...but I don't know what I'm doing...admittedly."

A bit tired and giddy; she let out a starlit laugh as she kept her eyes closed, beginning to doze off.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"I'm old enough to be your grandmother," Teer protested with a laugh at the 'sister' comment. It was amusing because it was true. 58, 22. It was enough to make her feel old, despite knowing the Force could slow aging and preserve life well beyond a natural span. Kids.

The laugh quickly died though as she mentioned the Sith, bringing a bad taste into her mouth.

Sith. Ruiners of peace, threat to the Republic. They'd seized Dantooine and Rhen Var, killed good Jedi, and the Order refused to recognize they were at war. Many of the Jedi she'd known growing up hadn't survived the invasion of Dantooine.

And she'd been on Coruscant at the time.

She really should have been there. Even if any one additional presence wasn't enough to turn the tide of the fight, she could have made a dent in the Sith War Machine...

No. That was pride talking. Vanity. Lust for revenge. That was not the way of the Jedi. It made Teer sigh, as she accepted what her intoxicated mind told her. Luckily she was an agreeable and happy drunk.

Cassy lay down on the dirt and was silent for long enough that Teer assumed she'd passed out. That prompted a quiet laugh as she lay down as well, her third headtail snug against her back, soft below her spine.

Then the Jedi Knight spoke again suggesting Djem So practice the next day. Teer nodded in response and made an affirmative grunt as she stared up at the night sky, various objects clearly visible here. She was reminded of the differences between here and Coruscant as her eyelids grew heavy, then finally closed.

The Togruta woman fell asleep on the grass, slipping out of consciousness.

When she woke up, it was early in a morning that promised a pleasant pleasant heat through the day, and a mild humidity. There was a fresh scent in the air, and her head was pleasantly free from pain. There was just one thing to do in her estimation.

A few minutes later, the Togruta woman was at the nearest stream, peeling off her jerkin and pants, laying them on mossy boulders as she stepped barefoot into the cool water, moving over to a waterfall and standing underneath it, letting it pour over her, soaking every inch of her red-skinned body.

One thing could easily be said about Teer Ka. She had aged fantastically, retaining supple curves and a well-muscled body. Graceful, lean, and quite beautiful. Her red-orange skin was punctuated by slashes of white, natural coloring, and a surprising number of scars in varying shapes and sizes, though only a few were truly noticeable.

The Jedi Watchman bathed herself in the stream and breathed deep of the morning air.

[Cassy]

Cassy awoke the next morning; absent of anything other than the relaxing whiffs of air she caught. Last night had been amazing, she'd had a truly great time with Master Ka. Speaking of which-----Cassy would stretch around and bounce a few times on her bare feet when she woke fully; standing and glancing around. The quiet rolling of a brook and stream could be heard neaby; she hadn't noticed it the night before. The sound of wildlife; so peaceful.

Daylight stripped everything into a color spectrum before her; as her eyes adjusted in mere moments. The Force screamed at her; as everything became crystal clear. She undid her ponytail from it's knot and ruffled her hair; furrowing her brow a bit as she found Master Teer Ka; bathing in the stream she'd heard earlier not fifty or sixty feet away her perhaps; her orange colors a stark contrast too everything else in or near the stream.

She looked very peaceful; and Cassy relaxed step by step the closer she got. The grass wet beneath her feet as she slipped her own top off; followed with the rest and slipped in; bra and panties style. For awhile; she dipped underwater, waded, turned belly up and floated even in the deeper parts of the stream.

She wasn't far from Master Teer Ka; but both Jedi drifted around in silence for awhile in the morning together. Like Sirens too a passerby if they were lucky enough to be passing by their exact location on Shili at this moment.

Eventually, Cassy's long wet hair and round face drifted up to Master Teer Ka; the rest of her body sumberged as the thundering of the waterfall and vegetation whirled above in a slight breeze on this morning.

"Good Morning Master......" her words glided to the Torguta, who was standing on a rock in a slightly elevated position underneath the water. Which poured off of her in a fashion that carved her out in a celestial manner; especially with the new sunlight. Cassy's eyes didn't linger long; she turned and waded around the stream for about ten more minutes, letting them both enjoy the Force as raw as it was in the morning on such a planet as Shili.

She pulled herself from the small river eventually; the thundering of the waterfall still rolling behind her as she set off at a bounce that would've made many a man pass out or bless the day towards the rest of her clothes.

Ironically, she wrapped her pants around her head to let her hair dry in a bun as she stood there in her bra and panties, before sitting down and meditating until she was dry. When she was; she stood up in her all black undergarments and began to re-clothe herself. Pulling on tanktop, and semi-damp khaki's she shook her dry hair down and combed through it with her hands over and over; walking back towards the stream and falls as she did so.

"That looks comfortable...I'll have to try that next time..." Cassy said crisply and clearly too Master Ka as she walked up, clicking the utility belt that contained her lightsaber; across her curvy features. She stretched and closed her eyes; staring up through the breaking light across the tree line and vegetation near them.

Bugs clicked; birds cawked rhythmically.

"The Sith.......many of them have you done battle with Master?" Cassy would ask after a few minutes of standing, looking upwards still with her eyes closed through the breaking sunlight of the trees; which hung slightly on her face, giving it and her hair a small glow about it, the sound of the waterfall still crunching and rumbling at the morning.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Teer noticed she wasn't alone swiftly, as her senses were too strong for someone else to go unnoticed in her vicinity. For a normal person, the presence of another party might have interrupted nude bathing. Teer, however, had lost silly notions of modesty rather swiftly. She was bathing in the stream, which was simply how people got clean in villages like this. Whether or not someone was looking was irrelevant, and she wasn't about to act on someone else's sexual interest.

Her dark eyes turned and she saw what her senses had told her. It was Cassy, coming to bathe as well, though unlike Teer she never stripped completely. Not everyone had Togruta sensibilities.

The Watchman waded out from the rocks and the stream, emerging out onto the sandy bank, sitting down on a mossy stone to dry in the warmth of the day as the Knight asked her questions.

Nude and dripping, Teer looked very much like the subject of some art piece. Perhaps a sculpture, in pensive meditation on top of her stone. At the very least, her posture was clearly perfect for a sketch.

The first statement was neutral, but the second one caused a frown.

"I have never killed a Sith, Knight Novos. But I have killed over forty Dark Jedi in single combat. There is a mark on my saberstaff for each one of them."

The Togruta reached out a rust-skinned hand and levitated her saber over to the Jedi Knight as she moved from her perch, pulling on her pants and her jerkin, her leather boots left behind with the speeder bike.

"I will never forget a single one of their faces. Nor do I hope to. They remind me of the high cost of the Dark Side, that the dark path always leads in death and destruction."

[Cassy]

Cassy listened carefully to Master Teer Ka's words, her voice was extremely soothing as the heat continued to dry Cassy's wet wife beater. She would finally open her eyes as she felt a small ripple in the Force; too a Jedi, it was like a noise that only you could hear.

Master Ka floated her double bladed saber over to Cassy' who's green eyes ran up and down the instrument. For it was just that; an instrument. To Cassy, it played several melodies in a Jedi's life. A weapon? No; that was like calling an Eagle a Fly.

"What do you know of them; at what moments do they easily break?" Cassy said as she reached out and grabbed Master Ka's lightsaber. She dared not activate it; but ran her finger over the entrenched tally markings. She pondered knowing every face; every moment. A deep connection to what she did; a deeper aspect of Master Teer Ka was discovered in that moment. A moment Cassy would not forget; holding her saber in her hands.

She tightened a grip with the Force on the lightsaber before releasing it; she bowed, pressing both hands on her thighs tightly as she kept her eyes on the lightsaber and levitated it back towards Master Ka.

She would hold it there in place until Master Ka touched it; standing from her bow and smiling at Master Ka for letting her experience that. 'I appreciate it' is the look she gave too her. As she gazed in her direction; Cassy wouldn't help but notice how beautiful she was. For a moment; she wanted too protect her. A selfish bond of sisterhood brimmed, and Cassy reminded herself that all of her brother and sister Jedi were equally important as she and Teer Ka where they were now. Still, admiring her orange bare physique was a spectacle; she was sure if she was a man she'd be containing herself a bit more in this situation.

She felt she was ready to cross blades with her; now that she'd felt she crossed lives with her somewhat. She unclicked her lightsaber from the belt hanging from her coke bottle frame; breathing deeply and closing her eyes in the moment her saber ignited. She liked hearing just it's sound.

She opened her eyes slowly too the noise of it's hum after the hiss. She warmly greeted it with a gaze downward as it hummed in her hands.

"Your method of training....I accept it...whatever it may be, Master." Cassy would do whatever she was instructed from this point on as her blade pointed downward; at wrest in her relaxed hands. Her eyes and senses relaxed too the hum of her sky blue lightsaber.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Teer pulled on her jerkin, tucking her headtails outside it very carefully on the outside, covering her breasts once more as she answered in a calm voice, her experience coming through quite clearly, though her distaste for the dark side was masked very well.

This was, after all, a professional matter. Her opinion here was that of the expert, devoid of emotions and any opinion besides combat.

"Dark Side users vary as much as we do. Most do not break easily. The best way to defeat them is through an onslaught they do not expect. You can either overwhelm them immediately or lull them into complacency. Either way, Djem So is your ally."

The Togruta Jedi Master took her saberstaff again and ignited one sky blue blade, raising it over her head in a starting stance, as she spoke to describe it.

"This is the Djem So starting stance in preparation for the falling avalanche, which I will demonstrate. My lightsaber is on a training setting, so you will not be harmed. Observe how I can use the Force to magnify my strength, and how I used both arms."

Suddenly, and with a ferocious strength and speed, Teer swung the blade down in a relentless barrage of strokes aimed at Cassy's lightsaber, with the goal of disarming her, or otherwise defeating her.

Despite her weapon of choice being the saberstaff, Teer Ka was still well-versed in the use of a single blade, and it showed. Her form was just as much elegant precision as brute strength, and she brought a finesse to her swordsmanship not often seen in the ranks of either the Jedi or the Sith.

For her, the duel was like a work of art.

[Cassy]

Cassy listened calmly to Master Teer Ka's words as they rolled over her mind. 'Walk them too sleep...and strike....or overwhelm them at the beginning in ways they've never imagined...' she applied it too memory of form; as the moment Master Teer Ka finished speaking, she ignited one end of her double bladed lightsaber into a one hand form.

She moved into a stance almost effortlessly. That alone was intimidating, the way she adopted the stance was almost like walking too her.

Cassy whirled her saber, holding it loosely behind her with her knees bent. An Ataru defensive formation. She allowed her body too relax; but her mind too hone as she listened to the descriptions about the stance given. She would first, attempt to defend against Djem So with what she knew now...attempt too learn from it in motion without applying what she already knew too the mix. Defend with what she was good at...from a Master of what she was attempting to learn.

Lightsaber behind her; a look of sensation went across her face as Master Teer ka blurred towards her. Immediately she compensated with Force Speed herself as a ferocious whirring noise and swat came her way.

She did a backswat elegantly each time Teer Ka assaulted relentlessly, her own speed allowing her too counter somewhat. But something was wrong; Cassy's Ataru defense seemed graceful at the openings of her elegant defensive swats, but when she contacted with Teer Ka's saber her body was thrown around awkardly as she moved to keep her footing.

The elegant whirls of her blade looked awkward blocking against such hammering strikes as Cassy struggled to keep her footing. She got frustrated for one moment, and attempted a Shien backwhirl with her blade as she dodged a hammer strike from Teer Ka by sidestepping.

As her blade whirled behind her back Shien while she sidestepped, she switched back too forehand attempted a backswat after Ka's lightsaber whirred by. However she was connected with another hammer strike as if too counter her counter, the force sent her flying back a few feet and she slid onto the ground; stumbling back onto her bottom.

'This moment was all a Sith needed to defeat her....'

The scene was of Teer Ka standing over her, about seven feet back from where she'd knocked her. Cassy looking up surprised with her lightsaber knocked a few feet from her hand. For awhile, she lay there on the grass and dirt, before force pulling her lightsaber back to her hands in a swooping noise. Catching it as she stood.

"I see.....", she said as she adjusted her wife beater and reignited her lightsaber. She spun it once like a whip at her side, and raised the sky blue saber over her head, bending her knees and allowing her power too through her elbows and wrists. The Sky Blue saber hummed over her head, behind her as she felt the stance for a moment. She nodded too Master Teer Ka, as if too say 'I'm coming'.

After a few more moments, in a blur of motion; Cassy stomped forward, applying plenty of Force Strength to initial step itself. With her high mastery of Body Force, it felt good; the style. Her second step almost had the ground feel like it crunched under her as the force flowed into her wrists, and elbows even more than it had before.

Several crunching swats downward followed by inward footsteps that she'd just picked up from Master Teer Ka. Pressure with the feet, and the saber above. She stepped inward with her feet elegantly, as if she was doing the tango in attempts to trick up Master Teer Ka's footwork as her saber swung side to side, above and down like a scythe at times. Each time Master Ka would touch sabers with her, she'd attempt too swat it too the side forcibly with force strength and immediately, swat back in a flicking counter.

She continued her attempts at good footwork, pressure swats, and counter-swats, moving her opponents blade with strength as she attempted to keep stepping closer to Master Teer Ka, no matter where their duel took them as their sky blue sabers would be now whirling and dancing at a twirl too a passerby from afar.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

The Djem So onslaught was, unsurprisingly, quite successful for Teer. There were few in the galaxy who could resist it well, and for a young Knight to do well was not likely. There were several tips Teer formulated just from watching her fight.

When Cassy turned around and attempted the falling avalanche on her, Teer demonstrated three, talking through the fight as if it were something effortless, as natural as breathing and as leisurely as floating in a quiet pool of water.

"Never block Djem So with Shii Cho, meeting the blade at a straight angle transfers the full impact straight into your arms, block at an angle and redirect the saber."

Teer caught the blade on her own at an angle, and she swiped it to the side, demonstrating the first technique before moving on to the second.

"Djem So is pure offense, counter with Shien, and return each attack swiftly to keep your opponent off-balance," Teer said as she launched a swipe at Cassy's leg, leisurely and without the intention for it to actually land.

That left the third tactic.

"The falling avalanche is linear, don't let yourself be caught off balance. Change the nature of the battle by changing your movement."

The Togruta gracefully spun out of the path of the saber, making a full turn in the blink of an eye and sending her own blue lightsaber straight for the Jedi Knight's back. Unlike the list strike, this one was both hard and fast.

[Cassy]

As their sabers clashed, and danced. Teer Ka spoke too her. Effortless...', Cassy thought. Even through the blur of motion that was their moving duel, she could hear Master Teer Ka's words over the hums and sizzles.

She began blocking at start angles, as their dance began to become a more stark Djem So duel with Cassy throwing more angles in from above her head. She then began applying Shien, whirling backswats that fell crashing into Teer Ka's saber as they continued too walk.

Her voice was transcending their dance as Cassy's telepathic link with the force shone through. She began slapping back each time Teer Ka's blade touched hers, Response keep the pressure on. She continued to do so, until Master Teer Ka performed a random sidestep.

Cassy's ligthsaber whirled downward, as she loosened her hands to prepare. Teer Ka whirled forward at a spin, putting her behind Cassy slightly.

She would then flood her body with Force Strength and Speed, stomping and whirling her blade upside down like a greatsword. With a mighty step, she hammered forward with a shoulder ram like meeting. Her blade held upside down and pointed down as a massive sizzle went off as she met with Master Teer Ka's whirling backhand.

For a moment, she remained there saberlocked. She felt a tinge of give in her arms, under the strength of Master Teer Ka's application compared too her own.

She held the blade lock best she could as her arms shook, but eventually gave way too the Djem So Master. She whirled her lightsaber into a Shien backhand fan like maneuver in front of herself to give herself some space, as she fanned her blade around in front of her elegantly and threateningly she would back step away from Master Teer Ka into a final whirling kata for style before holding her saber loosely at her side.

"Alright.....I'll attempt too apply...everything you've shown me..." Cassy would lower her lightsaber for a brief respite; breathing deeply for awhile and closing her eyes. She replayed everything that had just happened, and the most stark things she'd seen about the style. After about a minute; she'd open her eyes and raise her blade above her head, arcing it back and down as best she felt comfortable, knees bent.

With another nod; signaling her movement she came.

Several diving, crashing slashes came in at angles towards Master Teer Ka. They looked like blurred motion dives from diagonal angles from the outside looking in. The bursting speed of each angled crash was more refined now, as she swung her body with momentum in blurred motion of speed each time she touched blades. If her body had been going right, she'd plant a foot and burst forth left; crashing her sky blue saber down upon Master Teer Ka's without reprive.

The diagonal zip in, and out press forward continued for awhile by Cassy as she attempted more effective application of attacking with brutal angled crashes; and defending expertly with the whirling backhands of Shien.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Cassy was proving to be an adequate learner. While her progress was modest, she was emulating Master Ka's own motions in demonstration of attack, though she lacked the opportunity to practice defense.

Master Ka, however, knew every trick in the book, and even in training she didn't like to lose. To counter her opponent's linear assault, she constantly changed the direction and the flow of battle.

A sidestep here, a sidestep there, a pivot, a spin. There were twists and turns, much like some kind of stylized ritual dance that never seemed to fatigue Teer. Sedately and patiently she held back, fighting a pure delaying action.

While Cassy might not have known, Teer had yet another advantage besides experience. Her montrals, the towering spires atop her head so often mistaken for horns by the uninformed, were actually sensory organs, conferring a precise ultrasonic map of the immediate area. She could feel every object and person in its place, and sense every movement, all without even opening her eyes.

Expertly she could cope with terrain, and even multiple foes should such a threat arise. Even in complete blackness she would thrive in combat. Through that combination of natural ability and years of experience, she was very close to the ultimate duelist.

The Togruta Jedi leisurely launched her own counter-attack, this time a flurry of Ataru strikes, rapid and precise, geared to overwhelm her opponent through sheer volume rather than power.

Luckily for Cassy, Teer had no interest in winning.

[Cassy]

As she continued to hammer away at Master Teer Ka with diagonal burst of Force Speed, zipping back and forth at a zig zag and hammering at her. She began to whiff; Master Teer Ka's knowledge of the form could almost see through every move she did.

Eventually; Cassy would realize this and begin adding more 'upmh' to her swats to show she wasn't going to stop the force of the blows merely because they were being blocked or dodged. When Master Teer Ka seemed to get even more fluid in dodging, Cassy accelerated herself faster with force speed with each juggernaut like slash downwards; the telekinetic energies practically rippling off of her now in the air.

Suddenly, Master Teer Ka would shift stances. She went into an Ataru stance, Cassy's preferred style. She resisted the urge to go into an Ataru whirl herself; a quick flare flip and a couple bottle top spins for defense perhaps.

No, she was learning Djem So / Shien at this moment. In a split second decision, Cassy whirled her blade into a backhanded Shien stance. She calculated how many swats she'd defend and went into motion with Master Teer Ka.

She backstepped, her lightsaber whirling in front of her like a spinning fan as she performed various backhanded whirls against the acrobatic Torgruta who's saber whirled and flashed at her through the air as she assaulted her with various Ataru techniques. Cassy had too precisely time her backhand whirls, calculating when Master Teer Ka's saber would come towards her as the Togruta Master whirled her body, and flipped about.

Amazingly, it worked out as a bead of sweat could be seen on Cassy's beautiful features. Her backpedaling, Shien display, the whirling of her lightsaber around herself had been successful. She was learning to implement the Shien better into her style, holding the blade backhanded and spinning it; or blocking with it while it was upside down in a tonfa position was becoming easier; more familiar to her hands.

After the backpedaling Shien, whirl against the Ataru onslaught, Cassy would go into an offensive.

She would mix her Ataru in with her Shien; with stunning flare flips and whirls; she would whirl her saber backhanded behind her back at blazing hums as she prances with her feet. Each time she landed from a flipping strike; she'd whirl her saber behind her back; bringing it to her front to defend if she needed too. The blazing display of flipping Ataru swats at Teer Ka; and Shien backhand whirling became a nice display of style on it's own as Cassy continued to attempt to meld Shien into her preferred offensive defensively. The result was a tricky combination of Cassy flipping over head or whirling into Teer Ka, only to be whirling a backhand display if her attack was blocked or dodged.

Everytime her Ataru strikes went off and she touched the ground; she made it a point to implement Shien style backhand whirling while thinking of her next move in case she did need to block. After this offensive; she would perform a Force Dash backward; sliding away from Master Teer Ka at a blur of motion and dust, sliding to a standstill to inhale once deeply, and exhale once just as deeply; gleaning as much energy as she could back with one breath.

"I think I'm beginning to see, Master." Cassy would say once as she circled Teer Ka; her saber held upside down behind her back in a Shien style position as she stepped cautiously around her dueling opponent in a circle.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Teer Ka was in excellent physical shape. It showed in the way she was able to duel for so long and not show fatigue, to keep on going during even this tiresome sparring session without betraying any external sign, save for her elevated rate of breathing.

The Togruta Weapons Master decided there was no further reason to limit herself to only one blade, and she ignited the second half of her saberstaff, spinning it in a twirl as she lunged forward.

Teer feinted to the left before striking hard to the right with her other blade. She knew the advantage was even more hers than before, as now she had twice the opportunities to strike.

Her difficulty was slowly rising as the spar went on, and soon she felt she might introduce her favorite form, Juyo.

So delightfully unpredictable, with a wild power to it. Stabs and slashes, speed, brutality even. It was like some kind of wild predator, like an akul perhaps. She could respect that, as it was Master Ka's world and existence.

To be fully honest, as effortless as combat was for her, she didn't take much enjoyment in it anymore. When she was younger there'd been a novel thrill, and then there had been the knowledge she was doing good works, but it had steadily grown less appealing and less enjoyable.

She enjoyed Shili now. Peace and quiet, the sound of wind in the grass. Red dirt between her toes, the soft warmth of sun-kissed soil. Even the feel of rain drops on her skin, cool and crisp. That was her life now, and the hardest fights she had were against wild predators.

Here she was a star, respected and esteemed both as a Jedi and a Togruta. Her scars were admired as trophies, and the akul-tooth headdress she wore was a sign to them all that she was a skilled hunter, someone to be admired.

Really this was what mattered. Not fighting.

[Cassy]

Cassy zoned out a bit as she continued too attempt to defend as best she could against Master Teer Ka's almost flawless and effortless lightsaber skills. This was more than she bargained for.

Master Teer Ka appeared to almost be gliding. Fluidly surfing thorugh her maneuvers, an intimidating thing when your opponent was wielding a lightsaber. Cassy switched her footing, as she stepped away from Master Teer Ka once, and did a force flip away the moment she heard another lightsaber hiss active.

Master Teer Ka whirled it like a bo staff, it hummed intimidatingly as Cassy both got excited; yet honed as best she could. She had to learn from this; learning to hone herself against this type of instrument...was invaluable knowledge to have, too pass on even, to share. Too show she wasn't afraid, she leaned her body left to right rhythmically whirling her blade behind her back. Ready to defend with Shien as she'd been learning from Master Teer Ka for months.

When they engaged the noise what quite impressive.

Cassy backed away, her blade right side down at times and swatted as best she could as Master Teer Ka did a feint and followed back hard with the opposite side of her saber. Cassy raised her blade upside down too her right, Shien style and although the impact caused her too move she kept momentum and whirled her blade upside down impressively twice until it was above her head.

She then did three diagonal crashing slashes from above; each three thickened with some telekinetic force. Each time she slashed, she stepped forward; the crashing steps aimed at wherever Master Teer Ka placed her lightsaber too defend moment too moment; Falling Avalanche as she'd seen it not seven minutes ago in this very training duel.

After the third step and crashing slash, Cassy stood only a foot or two from Master Teer Ka, and whirled her lightsaber back into an Ataru formation; freehand behind her. She crashed forward, whirling like a bottletop around Master Teer Ka in a complete circle; stepping and flipping all around her until she reached her front. At any given moment during this circle; aerial or grounded Cassy would swat at Master Teer Ka, an attempt too see the double bladed lightsaber in full defense.

After this; she'd back off and raise her lightsaber above her head again in a full Djem So stance.

She was definitely getting better at applying defense with Shien; but she knew that Master Teer Ka was holding back. Something she didn't appreciate; but in her heart did. With a playful and frustrated look; reminiscent of a young Lara Croft perhaps, she spoke.

"Come at me, Master. I've been studying under you for weeks; yet finally I get you out here. What tale do you want me too tell of the great Master Teer Ka's training back at the temple in Coruscant?" her cheerful spirit at the dance of the Jedi was overhwhelming, as she beckoned too Master Teer Ka through the Force.

Force Valor began too flow through her; as the moment overtook her. Training here, with Master Teer Ka on her homeworld over the months was an experience few Jedi could say they'd been through. She felt the Force practically flowing through her joints, she did her best to contain it. Master Teer Ka would likely recognize the technique; as a bright blue glow overtook Cassy's normally light green eyes.

She readied herself for anything Master Teer Ka would do; blinking slowly at her; blade still raised at a Djem So stance. Sure; the offensive she was provoking would probably be enough too end their training session; but she needed to learn. Too see a full on storm. She was confident in her ability too defend; but she knew eventually she'd get whacked and was prepared for that.

As she stood there; prepared too defend with a mixture of Shien / Djem So with everything she'd learned, lightsaber glowing above her. She wondered if Master Teer Ka would abandon their sisterhood for thirty seconds or so and let her learn against that which she was holding back.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

"Taunting your opponent is rarely wise," Teer lectured as she caught a blow and deflected it harmlessly away, making her own strike. "You will find at worst they become enraged and have new ferocity, and at best they make a single mistake. It is better," another slash, "To lull them into complacency."

The day Teer Ka failed to control a spar with a young Knight was for sure the day she would retire completely and leave the limelight in favor of knitting in a retirement home, but that day was not this day.

The Togruta was more than confident in her abilities to win in a spar with a Knight. Not that winning particularly mattered, outside a smidge of professional pride. Or perhaps more than a smidge.

Still, it was time to turn up the heat, to push Cassy to her breaking point. It was time to introduce Juyo.

There were some pairings that just fit beautifully. Meat and cheese, wine and song, and Juyo and a saberstaff. The hectic and random beauty was paired in absolute perfection with the dual blades that offered twice the ability to attack.

It was with Juyo that she sent a flurry of rapid attacks straight at the young Knight, a barrage to batter down her defenses, though she wasn't planning on disarming her or landing a blow yet. It was merely an introduction to her favorite form, and a bit of a test to see how the young woman coped.

Juyo wasn't easy to defend against.

Teer did have to admit she was into the phase of wishing the spar was over, replaced by a meal perhaps. She enjoyed the peace on Shili.

[Cassy]

Cassy felt calm, and kept her mouth shut as one curled strand of hair fell in front of her sweating brow. Her eyes still glowed with a dim blue light, a sign of the Force Valor ripping through her. Master Teer Ka's words were more than useful to her; she committed them too memory.

In a sudden motion; Master Teer Ka's way of moving her lightsaber became more erratic and random. Though she still seemed focused; a style, one Cassy had no recollection of. It was even harder to recognize due to the fact that Master Ka was whirling around a saberstaff.

Cassy returned to Ataru; the style she felt most comfortable in. Her jeet kun do like bounce with her feet; saber held loosely in her left hand was focused.

As Master Teer Ka came; she let the Force Valor and Force Speed flow thorugh her joints. She backed away and slapped with precision and speed at a blur. The randomness and brutal force of her strikes were much more profound now as Cassy's saber sizzled and whirled about, connecting with either side of Teer's lightsaber.

Even with the speed and precision, Cassy seemed to be guessing which side the attacks would come from; and only through an impressive display of speed and accuracy defending herself was she maintaining. Several times; Master Ka's saberstaff whirled right past her clothes; singing off pieces off it even as Cassy was in motion; dodging or parrying. Eventually, she backed off in a Shien like whirl through her backhand.

After the Shien backoff, whirling her lightsaber behind her back she attempted a harsh step forward and a burst of Force Speed that caused her too blur from sight for a moment. A harsh Djem So slash augmented through Force Valor; rang out with telekinetic force across the mid-section like an unsheathing blow rang out. Her eyes began too flicker back down to their normal color; and in a few rapid flickers, the blue glow of Force Valor faded from her eyes.

She needed to learn to maintain it. She wondered if Master Teer Ka used the technique or knew it at all. That was something best learned without the hum of lightsabers; she'd ask for meditation and training on the technique, in downtime of course.

Her clothes; some parts still smoking from Master Ka's, Juyo offensive, Cassy nodded and smiled as she spun her Saber into a backhand position; crouching her knees and preparing to fully defend with Shien best she could against the Juyo. Though it could possibly end the sparring session; it was worth the knowledge of what not too do next time.

[Lemur, The Kool-Aid Guy]

Teer Ka countered the next wave of attacks, though she could recognize Force Valor at work in her opponent. Yes, it was barely controlled and weak, but it was still Valor at work, bolstering her body's abilities. Well, two could play at that game.

If Force powers were going to be within the scope of the duel, she wouldn't hold back. Not this time. If Cassy wanted it hard, she was going to get it in just that way.

The Togruta woman was a stern master, with high standards and strict and exacting training. All of her Padawans had lived with bruises and burns from training sabers, and all had done calisthenics until their chests were heaving and their stomachs were emptied.

Much like an instructor in the Republic army, Teer believed in breaking down her pupil to build them up again stronger. Refresh and relearn, and always improve. It was in that spirit that she beat them down mercilessly. As much as they might not have understood it, she had their best interests at heart.

Master Ka sprang into an offensive action, with all the finesse and speed of fifty years of training, paired with a master's knowledge of Force Valor. Her combination was one practiced with lethality on more than one occasion. A rapid Ataru leap and a flurry of Juyo strikes straight at the target's exposed back, with preparation to deal with their saber if they turned in time.

When the Force was amplifying one's strength, even an average Togruta woman could hammer aside a lightsaber with impressive power.

The Togruta Jedi was proving why she was such a lethal duelist very vividly.

[Cassy]

Cassy wasn't that surprised when her Djem So offensive was canceled out by Teer Ka's near flawless defense. But a look of surprise did cross her face when she saw the same blue glow in her eyes that Cassy knew and recognized...speak of the devil, she thought only a minute later; her question had been answered.

However she wasn't prepared for what came next. With a blur of Force Speed that kicked up dust behind her, Master Teer Ka came. The moment Cassy had reacted to her mad dash forward; she was already in the air flipping behind her. Cassy planted her foot to turn, but it was too late.

A mad whirl of mid-air Juyo strikes from Master Teer Ka's saber scorched across Cassy as she turned; the turning motion only worsened it, as she took blows to her back and front. The heat crashed down on her again and again, as she stumbled back.

As Master Teer Ka landed, Cassy stopped her backward stumble and fell to one knee, wavering even on that knee and almost falling out too the comfort of the ground; absorbing as much of the moment as she could then. The speed..... A scene of Master Teer Ka blurring forth, kicking up a wake of back energy. The application....', she saw the jump and the whirling of the saber staff. 'The accuracy', she felt where the saber had hit all across her body.

"I....yield Master Teer Ka." Cassy said as she looked up; sweat all around her face and mouth. She looked down at the ground, on one knee. She began then; to let the Force drip through her; absorbing the singes and burns most severe across her shoulder blades and near her back and neck.

The singe marks began to crisp up, and glitter with blue light. The small glittering of light twisted and absorbed into Cassy; who stood, sorely. Tenderly, she stepped forward; feeling a bit of excess pain across her left thigh from a saber pass. She wondered if Master Teer Ka had ever had an apprentice who was well versed in the healing ways. Still. She was sore.

She crossed to Master Teer Ka; her sky blue lightsaber still glowing in her hand. The longsword length blade hissed off with a twist as Cassy rotated her lightsaber free shoulder, complaining with a bemused smile to show she was joking. When she made a few 'ooooh, rough' comments.

Her country accent was pretty thick as she stated next what she knew Master Teer Ka could possibly be thinking.

"How about some breakfast then?", Cassy's clothes had scorch marks across them, cuts and rips, but the blackened parts of her clothing didn't mean anything too her right now. All she wanted was a comfortable place to eat a warm meal too let the knowledge and memories she'd gained sink in. They had been at it nearly forty five minutes perhaps; although she'd lost track of time. "I've been wondering more about Shili cuisine....." her thoughts went back too the feast of the night before; it had been more about drinking then, not eating. For her curious self at least.

She stretched and walked over to Master Teer Ka's sid, stretching her body left to right with an overhand press. Letting the soreness sooth away by the moment; adding as much of her Healing Force as she could through to rip away the soreness minute by minute.

She continued to practically do Yoga in weird stretches while standing a two or three feet from Master Teer Ka for a few minutes, until she finally stopped; adjusting her wife beater and smiling with a amiable look towards Master Teer Ka.

"Juyo...." she trailed off, raising an eyebrow. She was looking Master Teer Ka in the eye, but truly was replaying the moments of action again in her mind. She dazed back in, shaking her head left to right and nodding in apology to Master Teer Ka for zoning out just then. She sighed and looked up at the skys above. Pondering for a moment how those new Younglings from Shili were doing....they'd left last night. They were perhaps arriving this morning.

Cassy stared there; looking at the skies.