Fun Has Just Begun

[roadkill]

Tython, a wellspring of mystery shrouded in the Force. There was plenty for an inquisitive mind to contemplate among the idyllic setting. Unspoiled, unlike Coruscant or Corellia. Nyx brought her XS Stock Light Freighter down to the spaceport with ease; one hand on the controls and the other idly scratching the midnight-hued vornskr’s soft head. From the attention, Urz’ golden eyes had all-but closed. Once the Fireband broke atmosphere, Nyx brought her other hand up to the controls and sent them dancing across the consoles with a practiced precision; stopping alarms before they even had a chance to sing their klaxon song or illuminate a warning light.



The garden world was not her first choice of destinations, but the Council of First Knowledge had strongly suggested she seek it out to enjoy some much needed relaxation and contemplation. When all one saw was the Dark Side and the horrors it wrought, day in and day out, one tended to assume there was little else in existence. Nyx knew this to be folly, but she couldn’t deny her fellow Masters’ concern for her well-being. There was much death and destruction, pain and loss in her destiny to date. For all her efforts, the Dark Side was still out there, working against her. Cults, full-blown Sith knights, Lords and Ladies; there was no end to it all. And she walked a fine enough line as a Jedi Shadow. Despite her strength and commitment to the Light, there was a darkness buried deep within that threatened to come spilling from her aura and appear on her very sleeve. The other Masters could sense it, and so could Nyx.



From the cargo hold, Nyx fired up the repulsors on a swoop bike while Urz happily leapt up to the back seat. If nothing else, the pair could enjoy a peaceful cruise through the countryside after she checked in at the Temple proper. She placed both hands on the handlebars and walked the swoop down the ramp and clear of the freighter before deftly kicking both feet off the ground and landing gracefully on the front seat straddled and ready to gun the throttle. With a twist, the swoop speed off at breakneck speed. Behind her, Urz stuck her tongue out and propped her head on Nyx’s shoulder to drool and enjoy being in the wind. Nyx’ own smile couldn’t be hidden as the wind took her long, dark hair and blew it back. Too late did the thought come, that she should have tied her mane up in a bun before taking off.



Through the drive, the Shadow let go of the handlebars with her left hand and rifled through a pouch on her belt for a cigarra and a lighter. Placing it between full lips, the hand went back for the lighter while her throttle hand let go to cover the lighter from the wind. Once lit, both hands went back to the controls as smoke billowed back from her nostrils. The trip itself, uneventful but a welcome distraction. A swoop bike, free in the breeze, was just loud enough to be quiet. Others preferred actual silence, or the stillness of the Room of a Thousand Fountains, but Nyx had to engage part of her mind in order to focus.



Once the temple was in sight, she rolled off the throttle in case of other vehicles or pedestrians. Soon enough, the pair arrived. Nyx parked and shut off the engine before Urz hopped down, the nub of her amputated tail wagging as furiously as it possibly could; so much so that her hind-quarters wagged to-and-fro as she waited for Nyx to hop off with grace and agility un-augmented by the Force. The cigarra was not quite finished, and the path up the mountain to the Temple grounds themselves were long and winding. She felt the pangs of hunger rumble in her stomach and decided that checking in with the other Masters could wait until after chow. She contrasted heavily from the other Jedi roaming about in their proper robes; a dark, tight fitting tank top and equally tight-fitting trousers tucked into knee-high jackboots. A blaster pistol was slung low on her right leg—Corellian style while both lightsabers hung plainly on either side of her large (albeit plain) belt buckle. The scar over her left eye stood out more than other features, still reddish-pink against light skin. Were it not for her aura being plain to read among her own kind, the general passer-by would assume she were no Jedi at all.



The path to the cafeteria was dense with foot traffic at near mid-day. None of the faces she took in seemed overtly familiar, but she spent as little time at any Jedi Temple as possible. Save for one. The large frame, the presence in the Force, it was unmistakably that of Jedi Knight Nalialu Xem. Of course, the last time she had seen him it was within a classroom. Nyx plucked the sweet-smelling cigarra from her lips as she approached. ”My, my,” she began, her accent clipped and permeated with that of high Coruscanti in a huskily pleasant alto. ”If it isn’t the Gentle Giant himself. How are you, Nali?” She idly placed the cigarra back between her lips to take a contemplative drag from it, exhaling through her nostrils evenly.

nonune

[nonune]

After speaking with the Jedi Master Taas, Nalialu knew what he needed to do. Just not how to achieve it. He was required... Elsewhere, and beyond were any simple Jedi Shuttle could take him. They had once tried to teach him to fly one of the smaller Jedi Starfighters. He had wrecked the cockpit before even getting through with the checklist. His old Master, Mivaal had taught him to pay attention to his physical form as much as his training with the Force. And the six foot six giant of a man had muscle on muscle, a rarity amongst his fellow Force users.

After blushingly handing back the stick to his trainer, he had stepped on a console while getting out and crushed it as well. Technology such as spaceflight capable ships, in truth nearly any tech beyond that of a lightsaber, often failed due to user error when he tried to use it. His own lightsabers were made from a superdense alloy composite of Durasteel, not lightsaber resistant, just Nali resistant.

So he did a thing he was good at. He went to the sparring rings to teach. Those that would be a challenge to him were busy, but he had learned a lot over the years he spent reigning in his rage and despair. Soresu was wrong for the young tiny Zabrak, so he pushed him towards Makashi. One young Corellian wanted to wield two lightsabers from the beginning. Knight Xem had convinced him to master one blade first. And one particularly tall Mirallan would do far better with the saber staff he pointed her towards.

Not that they had listened at first, brash young youth as they were. Nalialu himself favored Soresu, but enjoyed the spin of Niman and his two blades far to much to stick with any one style. Each fight, each stroke was different, a flow of a dance. Master of none, good at them all had served him quite well. When all three at once couldn't touch Nalialu with their sabers, through his dance of light that sent their blades into empty space and allowed him to touch each on the shoulder with two fingers to tag them out, then they listened. As did many others that had been attracted by the display. Which largely was the point for him.

"Each Jedi is different. Its alright to be different, your kyber Crystal will tell you the shapes of your blades. Wait, practice patience and learn all you can, from all whom you can. Remember, we are the crystals of the Force." As he spoke he spun his sapphire blade over the back of his hand, blending its movements with his shorter purple one, each moving in an exacting balance. Sometimes younglings and Padawans only learned with a lightshow. 'Now, lets get something to eat."

Padawan. Youngling. Or Jedi. It did not matter to Nalialu, he spoke to them as equals. In that he felt they would listen to his, a stranger's, words all the more carefully. With smooth practice he sheathed his blades and placed them again on his belt. Thus he came full circle, sending younglings and Padawans ahead to the cafeteria flush with excitement and bringing himself in front of a darkened star of the Jedi.

Not that he felt her touch of the Dark was what darkened her, but Jedi Shadows never seemed to shine as bright as their brethren. Certainly not as bright as he did, a mark of those who hid themselves for so long it became instinctual. This particular shadowed star was one of his old teachers the obscure Nyx. One of the first to show him how to hold a saber and the most basics of the forms.

Lithe and small she cut a perfect opposite of the mountainous man who stood head and shoulders over many of his fellow Jedi, one a shadow and the other a brightness that some might call annoying. "Ma..." The habit made him blush at the memory, Nyx never did like being called by her title. But some habits run deep, and honoring those that taught you was a particular habit that Nalialu would have for a long while yet. But he stopped himself, hoping she might take the blush as just the flush of his workout. Even though he hadn't even broken his even breathing in his spar, perhaps...

"Nyx! I fare quite well today, Jedi Master Taas has put me on a path Rimwards, and I find myself searching for a ship. I figured the Force will show me how to walk that path soon enough, so I thought to spread some of what I know until then. How fares my favorite lightsaber instructor?" It had easily been a decade since he had seen her, but one doesn't forget the instructors one wanted to impress the most.

[roadkill]

Memory was a funny thing, especially for those with a photographic one. Nyx had seen others gifted with Psychometry and felt like she lucked out in comparison. Soresu, the defensive art. The staple for all Jedi to learn, so far as she was concerned. It would keep one alive in even the most dire situations, if one was skilled enough. Nali had worked so hard, almost against himself when it came time for the offensive techniques. She had wanted to pair him with Makashi, as it would have been simple to slip between the two; focusing on economy of movement and finesse. But he was so afraid of hurting anyone, even knowing he was a giant in a world of cardboard and paper cutouts. Ever the overgrown child, emphasis on overgrown. Pure and precocious. If his light ever went out, whoever caused it would be in for a world of hurt. That he had taken counsel from Chief Librarian Taas was somehow pleasing. From what little she knew of the old Arkanian, he was something of an odd one, just as she was odd. The cigarra had come too close to fingernail-burning territory for her own comfort, and was discarded under heel. ”The Council of First Knowledge imposed a sort-of sabbatical on me. In their….infinite wisdom.” She practically spat the word. ”I thought to lounge around here a few days, and head back to Corellia. If you can wait that long, there’s plenty of room aboard the Fireband. Provided I don’t have any urgent matters with CorSec, I could take you as far as you need.”

Nyx bit down on her lower lip, narrowed her eyes at the mountain of a Knight before her in consideration. ”After lunch, though, you’re going to show me what you’ve learned.” A decent sparring session would do her more good than harm, she reasoned. A hot meal couldn’t wait much longer. Old rations and whiskey from entirely too many hours ago had run hollow. But she was more curious to know how he had progressed since her time teaching at the Temple on Coruscant. She remembered all of her students, all of her teachers, everything. She could see them as clear as day, any time she contemplated on them. Nalialu had come to the forefront of her subconscious mind more than a few times. As strong in the Force as she had ever seen, save for the most distinguished of Masters. So committed to the light side that it hurt. Urz sat down on her hind legs at a perfect heel behind Nyx, tongue coming out to happily pant. Gold eyes fixed upward, both at her companion at Nali; nubby tail still wagging to-and-fro. Were it whole, it would have curled upward and toward its head, indicating she was collecting information and that all was well. Sometimes it was a toss-up as to which between Urz and Nyx would feel a disturbance first.

With her offhand, if it could be called such; in fact, she had no true offhand, Nyx gestured toward the dining hall they had congregated before. Once her contemporary was ready to proceed, Nyx would proceed inside to get in the food line. A helping of some sort of steak, fairly fresh, and a smaller serving of several sides. Hot coffee to top it off, help push the weariness from the journey and the conversation with the First Knowledge Masters that led to it. She sought an empty table among the crowd. Lunch was the second most important meal of the day. For her, the most important. After lunch, always came some more work; the metabolism would process a good meal at peak hours. After supper, most rested or went to bed; where the body couldn’t do anything with the fuel but store it. A keen body was as important as a sharp mind, strong connection to the Force, and a lightsaber. It was often overlooked by many among their monastic Order.

She took a sip from the piping hot cup, and loosed a most satisfied sigh of contentment; as if all was finally right with the world. No one was free from vice, and hers were numerous. But she hadn’t fallen prey to the dark side just yet. The moment of civility out of the way, Nyx proceeded to dig in, ungracefully. ”So, tell me about this business you have out on the Rim,” she asked between practically ravenous bites. Urz sat next to the table, collecting more than a few odd glances—as was she; just like her own Master Da’Gar, she appeared a rough spacer with a known predator animal. Were it not for the lightsabers, or her presence in the Force, most certainly out of place against the serenity of Tython. Once she finished enough of the steak to her liking, the rest was unceremoniously dangled for just an instant over the patiently waiting vornskr’s head. As if on cue, the creature gaped its toothy maw for Nyx to drop the food in. She happily gobbled on the steak, peering around to anyone nearby and growling a low but brief warning for anyone fool enough to attempt wresting the steak from her mouth. It chewed a seven-count of bites before swallowing and laying down on the floor, content. Back to the coffee as she listened for as much as Nali was willing to share about his new path.

[nonune]

Having been on one of the Council's sabbaticals for the last few years, Nalialu knew they meant more than a few days for her out of the muck. Quick, tightly controlled anger boiled within him that one such as Nyx had seen such darkness that she too needed it. But that was what heroes do, they defend everyone. Even the strong. One breathe was all he allowed such anger. Knowing it was deeply rooted in his own pain and attachment, he stepped beyond it quickly enough. Anger was not an emotion for him, and that he experienced it at all was a scary prospect. It would ruin him if left unchecked.

Fortunately she offered an easy distraction in the offer to spar, and an even better one in the offer of travel aboard her ship. "The Council often tries to hold us back, for our own good. Delving deep into the dark as you do Nyx... Perhaps its time for you to spend time in the Light, if just for a moment or twelve."

As was his way he became silent for a moment, any of his former teachers would know it to be him thinking things through. Unintelligent was not a word used for what was happening, Nalialu just preferred to think things through at his own speed. Fast enough as long as one had a modicum of patience. Humble as he was he would rarely if ever recognize his own power, power didn't matter to him. The things he wished for came easily to him, and that was enough. For now. He would master the more esoteric parts of the Force in time.

Nyx on the other hand looked almost cloaked in shadow to him. A shadow that came from within, that almost recoiled from the light flowing out from himself. There was a good chance he would gain her ability to sense in time, with practice. But hiding was not his way, it would never be his way to hide. Even for the right reasons "I've learned a bit since you first taught me to hold the saber. You sure you want to show off that much?"

With Nyx he wasn't sure whether he would win and that excited him in ways sparring and teaching did not. Chances were good she would win. But she would be one of the first challenges he had in a long time. Then the smell of the food hit his nostrils and they flared. Rations and whiskey were not his fare. The big man was in for a harsh surprise when they went Rimward. But today...

Leading the way to the cafeteria like a starved puppy, he waited patiently while she got her food. Then he laden down two plates with the steak and vegetables, skipping nearly any sight of carbs. Protein and fiber, he was no longer growing, but to maintain biceps that were thicker than her thighs took a lot of work, and a metric lootsworth of food. Having spent time in seclusion for the last few years since Mivaal's death, food had not been a problem for him. And with all the work he had spent on carving his body for the next time he encountered the Sith, it had not been seen as a vice.

Purely good didn't mean he didn't know how to sin, those sins were often simply reduced to feeding children and dogs without paying for it. And it became a game for him to try and sneak the vornskyr a bite of steak or two while he spoke in between quite efficiently carving up his plate in remarkably the smallest amounts of bites for that amount of food.

"After Mivaal's death I was sent on sabbatical as well, though I think mine was far longer than you intend to stay. I had just finished my sabers at Coruscant after recovering from the poison, before I came to Tython. I've tested them against a Padawan or fellow Knight in friendly spars, but not yet against anything serious. I feel... pulled by the Force to no longer sit idle as the Council once advised."

If he concentrated on it he might have been able to hide the conflict in his mind from Nyx. For a short time anyway. But since they were having a friendly conversation over a meal, the thought to hide his thoughts never entered his mind. The Force told him one thing, the Council another. To go or to stay, respectively.

"Jedi Master Taas has advised me to seek out a place that I can fight for peace. For those that can not fight for themselves. Can you think of anywhere we might go to find such a place?"

[roadkill]

Of course the Council had intended to put her on ice for far longer than a few days, but everyone knew Nyx wasn’t the ‘sit idle and brood’ sort. At least, not for very long anyway. Whatever terrible things she had been witness or party to, it was processed. Some genuinely, the rest was simply thrown down the memory hole to haunt her in the dark hours weeks, months, or years to come. Temped often, but Nyx never gave all the way in to the Dark Side’s allure.

If Nali thought he was being sneaky, slipping scraps to Urz, he was a damned fool. The vornskr was far from starving, but it had a figure to maintain just as they did; She knew not how to forego eating when her belly was full. And were it not for her tail being docked, the predator would have been taking food by force from some poor Jedi in the dining hall, and expressing a great deal of aggression when it came to the ‘ownership’ of food. But she was neither wild nor wholly tame. In large groups, at times, Nyx had to exert some modicum of control through the Force, trying to ease the completely foreign mind of an animal. Beast Control was not something she was proficient in, but with this one vornskr, she had forged a bond. Among the serenity of Tython, however, no such control was needed. Though Nyx could feel Urz’ urges to run free among the grasslands.

Nyx could sense the growing conflict within her compatriot—not that he was doing anything to hide it. It was subtle, at first, but the more he had spoken the more it seemed to bubble up. ”Mm, you mean aside from the Hutt-controlled worlds?” It was only half in jest. She could think of dozens of worlds on the Rim that would benefit from a little frontier justice. The Republic didn’t exist out there, leaving more than enough room for criminals, slavers, or worse—the Hutts to run roughshod over the denizens. ”The Outer Rim is harsh and unforgiving, all you need do in order to fight injustice there is close your eyes and start swinging your blade.” another half-jest. ”But, Saleucami comes to mind. Kuras Four. Tatooine. Might even be worth it to consult the Temple on Mustafar for a less broad direction than rimward to go.”

The closest thing the Jedi had to a real presence out there was the temple on Mustafar. Still, it was but one place of order among the chaos of the Outer Rim, easily overshadowed by everything else. Their work was both crucial and underappreciated. Still, odds were good they could find a lead or two there that would take them to such a place as Nali clearly needed to go. It wasn’t just the simple act of ‘doing good for goodness’ sake’ that her compatriot needed, no… He needed to make a difference. Wasn’t that why anyone became a Jedi Knight? To go out into the galaxy abroad and do good for the sake of right and make a difference? Thousands of years, the Jedi had been doing just that and the fruits of their labor was a galaxy eternally at conflict. Mere decades of peace between all-encompassing wars, the promise of doing better next time. But such was the life of Jedi.

[nonune]

After sitting for so long, running through the Temple at Coruscant, sparring against teachers and combat training droids.. Essentially spinning his wheels doing what a "good" little Jedi should do, Nalialu was done with sitting. Thus he was never intending, regardless of what he might tell himself, to make Nyx do so. Having little power to actually make such a thing happen did not enter his mind. The Force tugged at him, Nyx didn't need to sit idle and brood over her past. She would torment herself regardless of his or the entire Jedi Order's meddling.

"I have spent near a decade purging myself of the dark thoughts Master Mivaal's death brought forth." Mivaal had only been a Knight, but she was His Master, and his voice carried her name with a reverence. The forceful Jedi set a high bar for him and any who followed to achieve. "But I was not allowed to learn the workings of the Galaxy during that time. The Master's feared I might fall if allowed to follow my anger. So I will follow your expertise in this Nyx."

Nyx was not the type to benefit from long idle days. Nalialu Knew what she needed, what the Light told him she needed. The raven haired Jedi needed to see the Light winning for once. Rather than cleaning up after some Darkness. They were the crystals of the Force, and it was time to explore the galaxy and right some wrongs.

Taking a moment to right his thoughts he wiped away any remains of the food from his lips and hands. Like some great jungle cat he stood, rising from his place across from her and unfolding with a grace not many his side could muster. Muscles his size came in two types, and his was not meant to simply be pretty. Training with his sabers had been his official schooling, but he had spent the last several years training his body. It moved like barely contained violence, a dance ready to be set free.

Some of his hair fell over his left eye as he looked down at Nyx, without really looking down on her. A half smile on his face as he extended her a friendly hand. "I believe you asked to see what I have learned since you last saw me." With troublesome mischief in his eyes, he gave her a wink with his right eye. "As long as you still wish to dance... Master." The smile in his eyes was enough, she wouldn't even have to read his mind to know he was well aware she hated being called that. Even if it was Proper. They had treated him with such a set of kid gloves, he didn't really care. He was tired of living in a world of cardboard and cheap metal droids. This was a challenge he would relish in.

[roadkill]

”Falling to the Dark Side is a danger for us all; a constant one at that. I am no better prepared to face it than you, or anyone.” Though, she had the tick mark of experience checked, and it certainly did help. But Nyx was far from self-assured concerning her immunity to temptation. At times, parts of the Sith code rang true. Peace was, indeed, a lie. Passion could be dangerous, if it were left unchecked.

Finished with her own meal, Nyx’ green eyes tracked as her compatriot rose to his full height from the table. They narrowed, and a scowl started to curl her mouth downward as Nali prodded her with the use of her proper title and a wink. There was real admonishment in her eyes, though she knew precisely what he was doing. ”Go on, then. Cling to your wit. See if you still feel able to crack wise after I’m through with you,” she chided playfully as she took his hand and pulled herself up.

A good sparring session would do her a world of good, to excise the dark thoughts threatening to cloud her mind. Letting off steam was crucial for anyone, but especially for Jedi. Nyx brushed her torso off with both hands, once or twice, as Urz stood as well. The raven-haired Shadow spun on her heels with practiced precision, and took graceful strides toward the door. The Vornskr trotted to march at her heel, and out of the dining hall. Once in the open air, Nyx fished for a fresh cigarra from her utility belt and lit it mid-stride. A filthy habit, but it brought her joy. Thoughtfully, she toked upon it until they reached the training grounds. There were some who recognized her, and many who did not. Polite nods of acknowledgement came and were answered with her own, until she reached an unoccupied arena.

Once inside, she would lock the door. Surely there would be rubberneckers comprised of pupil and master that wished to see the show, but Nyx wanted neither an audience or interruption. The cigarra got idly tossed aside to burn itself out against the stone and Nyx rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck from side to side. She would briefly stretch her muscles in preparation, though one never quite had the time to prepare for combat in the real world. Once done, the Shadow assumed a fighting stance and called a lightsaber to each hand. Instantaneously, the snap-hiss of both blades filled the quiet, empty air. From her right hand, a full-length blade shone brilliantly gold; her left a short viridian blade hummed and thrummed with energy.

”Last chance to back out, now,” she mused aloud before offering a proper makashi salute and flourish with her right-hand blade. Nyx tested herself against dozens of Dark Jedi and Sith; in the real world, there was no such thing as a fair fight. Nalialu was no dark side adept, but still a strong opponent. If a decade he had spent honing himself had born any fruit, Nyx would find it. Whatever faults or cracks in his training existed, she would likewise find them and correct them.

”At your leisure, then,” she fired, raising her blades.

[nonune]

Pulling her to her feet his smile never faltered. Her reaction even made it shine a bit brighter. Beaming down into her eyes he chuckled. A deep bass noise that rumbled through the air out from his chest. Not a trick of the Force, just a trick of having a drum of a chest cavity. ”You just need a bit more Light in your life then.”

There was an ease to his movements and actions that came from long hours of training, sparring words with Masters in a cloister. But with Nyx it was different. It was like a string was pulled and he no longer needed to hold back. Nothing Nalialu could do would truly hurt the Master Shadow, even though physically he could easily snap her form by moving too fast. But he had learned from her desire for him to learn makashi. Being precise was how he would make sure he wouldn’t hurt the world of cardboard and frailty that surrounded it.

”It wouldn’t be as much fun if you weren’t at least a little cross with me. But I’ll try and keep the things that truly annoy you to a minimum.”

Walking through the enclave at her side he shortened his stride so that it matched hers. More seemed to recognize him than her, unsurprisingly. She was one who operated in shadow while he shone like some bright star, smiling as he walked through the village like they were old friends. Indeed he thought of all of the Jedi as family, as friends. But he was remembering more why she was one of his favorite teachers.

When she chose a private arena rather than one of the public sparring rings, he understood a bit better what she wanted. This wasn’t to show off prettily for everyone. This was to show an old teacher what he had learned since his time with her. Rooms like this on Coruscant were where she taught a lanky constantly growing child to hold a saber, since then he had grown into his prime and studied several of the forms under a number of different Jedi.

Shrugging out of his traditional brown outer robe, he called his own sabers to his hands. When she had taught him his dominant hand had been his right hand, since then… Training had carved away one hand being dominant, so his sabers mirrored hers, though in opposite hands as he stood facing her. From his left the long bladed sapphire blade burst into light; from his right the shorter shoto blade a deep indigo blade.

Flipping the shorter blade around in his hand he put it behind his back, and brought the sapphire blade up to offer a makashi salute and flourish again to mirror her. She was where his learning began, and for now he would begin there. ”There aren’t enough kyber crystals in the galaxy to get me to back down now…”

Keeping the indigo blade back in a defensive posture, he stepped forwards and used his longer reach and stride to close the distance quickly after she indicated he would control the speed. Quick and precise he moved through the makashi katas, at first the deceptively simple opening moves. Then accelerating each attack came more and more complex moves.

Improvisation would come later, first he wanted to show her he had listened to her teachings and suggestions. For now he held back his power and showed her he could control the blade and his speed.

[roadkill]

Nali pressed on with his opening katas, textbook but well-practiced. Each strike of the blade was met by her own as she assumed a classic Soresu defense. Point and counter-point. Ordinarily, Nyx would have used his own momentum against him, but now was not the time. His form was excellent, and his precision was quite on point. But the Master was difficult to impress. She seemed to deflect each strike effortlessly, backpedaling only when necessary. Half-steps, stutter-steps were taken as her feet shuffled just slightly. There was a distinct rhythm to each compounding blow, and such intensity, but she had seen enough playtime. This was not practice, nor did she wish it to be. It was a clash of souls in which each was laid bare for the other to plainly read.

As their blades clashed, Nyx leveraged her own to halt his progress for just a moment, just long enough for her to tap into the Force and perform a backflip. Knees bent, the Master stuck her landing with cat-like grace. She swept her long blade to the side to wave him off the attack. ”Very good. Now, show me what you’ve learned,” the raven-maned Shadow chided through clenched teeth. She didn’t mean for him to utilize her as a training droid at the head of a class to teach students the basics of the form; no, Nyx wished to see how Nali was able to incorporate every lesson into his own style. She shot him a glance with narrowed eyes, silently willing through the Force Take off the gloves.

An instant later, she was on the assault. Using the Force to augment her athletic ability, Nyx leapt high to close the gap between them, forcing her legs backward and willing her body to roll laterally. Blades spun fast, creating a blur of purple-green death. She had blended some of the economy-of-movement taught by Makashi, and daring acrobatics of Ataru; an advanced maneuver that few could hold their own against for long. Ataru itself required the user to have a deep well of stamina to draw from and an even deeper pool in the Force to draw from. Meant to end a duel quickly, but such was rarely the case in the real world. Soft grunts escaped her closed mouth with each clash of the blade, and soon the move became victim to the laws of physics, prompting Nyx to tuck and rebound off the stone floor.

Feet only touched perhaps fractions of a second before she leapt overhead in a forward flip, blades striking downward at Nali. Landing behind him, she wheeled around at breakneck speed to clash again, slipping back toward the Makashi end of the spectrum; tightly controlled strikes. It would have been a slight reprieve from the wild swings and flying elbows, if not for the capitalization of movement. The momentum gained was used, not a single bit wasted. Now it was time to see just how much Nali had been practicing during his cloister. Classroom theory was all well and fine, but it meant next to nothing if a user couldn’t make a form their own. Combat in the real world was dirty; there was no such thing as a fair fight. Perhaps the one lesson she had left to teach Nali.

Being on the side of Light didn’t mean one had to fight fair. It meant not giving in to aggression to win the day. It meant not assassinating a yet-unarmed opponent, and it meant survival.

[nonune]

Opening with the simple and textbook, that had been meant as simple homage. To tell her he listened. In a way no bragging ever could. Starting with his left hand, in slow Kata’s because of another lesson. Never show them what you can do at the start. Start simple, start slow. Nearly every opponent he had sparred against made that mistake. To think him slow, simple minded even by many. Nalialu just preferred to act slowly when he could. To think through each action and Know the consequences of actions.

In a way combat simplified things as there were only so many outcomes, only so many consequences of actions. A flowing dance that approached a language.

Halting his attacks immediately when she called time to not attack, he was still young, but never had the brash bone to press the attack simply to impress. Lithe and fast as a cat she came, wanting to learn what he had learned. Smooth as water flowing around a river rock he slipped into a Soresu fighting stance, as natural as breathing.

Rapid strikes met a wall of blue and purple blades, like wind crashing against a mountain. In his experience, fights were either over quickly or were long drawn out affairs. Stamina, that was something he had. Barely a thought as to whether he would have lasted longer with his blade in his primary hand, he quickly had to bring in the defensive shoto to fend her off completely. The four blades clashed sending kaleidoscope colors from his purple and blue plasma interacting oh so briefly with her own blur of purple and green.

Keeping up with her speed and pace, on the defensive he could do all day. On the defensive he was home, and she should have known. Kind gentle giant Nalialu would of course gravitate to Soresu like instinct. The blend of her attacks had him grinning a tight lipped smile. Other than a Master teaching him a specific move he had not had an opponent like her for quite a while. Loving the challenge he stepped up his speed and strength, using sinew and the Force to bring his blades and hers to dead stops.

Relishing in her challenge of his abilities and rising to meet them. As she flipped up over him he deflected her blades blade to blade and spun with her mid air, holding her up for just the briefest of moments before shoving her off and back. Coming in ready as she spun back around with his twin blades he struck her Makashi strikes back with all of his strength.

As long as she wanted to go, he could fight defensively. One day it might even be a good test to see who would outlast who.

Using the force of the clash to push her back he took a long step backwards, using his superior height to his advantage to quickly get out of her reach. Spinning his blades one over the other he switched hands back so his blue blade was back in his dominant hand he laughed. ”You want the gloves to come off?”

Blades blurring almost into a single arc of light he launched himself into the air at her, combining an Ataru leap with a dual handed strike at her from Niman. Leaping catlike into the air and spinning his blades hard and fast at her shoulders. Using his physicality he pressed in hard, combining small leaps and Niman into his own blend of swirling plasma.

[roadkill]

A wry, sort-of smirk threatened to turn her lips upward at the corner as her once-student had acknowledged her will. He switched blades, a curious thing; as Nyx recalled he had no true dominant hand. Had he…? Yes, he had learned more than a thing or two since leaving her tutelage. The giant leapt up, but her eyes never left the tips of his blades. For such a large man, he was graceful—something she had only begun to teach him. Swirling death approached and was avoided, as Nyx side-stepped and rolled away. Deflection had been possible, but it was a calculated maneuver on her part. Sometimes it was best to dodge, rather than meet one head-on. Particularly when one’s opponent was head-and-shoulders both taller and stronger.

She effortlessly slipped back into a defensive posture, ready for his follow-up. So you have learned a thing or two, she mused silently. The smirk gracing her usually-dour face turned to a grin, if only for a moment. Niman was unexpected, as was his use of Ataru. But it was folly to try and turn her own style against her; even the most practiced among the Order knew Nyx was truly a master of the art. The advantage of speed was hers. From the side, the manka-cat herself pushed upward and kicked her legs over her head to cartwheel over her opponent, the kaleidoscope of colors clashing once more before her feet touched the stone again. To meet an attack with an attack was likewise folly, but Nali had upped the ante quite nicely. She wheeled to face him once more, locking her blades with his. Nyx leaned in, applying pressure augmented by the Force to keep him in a deadlock for as long as possible. The advantage of strength was his. Perhaps a mistake, but the longer they remained locked, the less chance he would have to swing hard.

Indeed, it would be a test of the ages to see who could outlast the other. Perhaps in other ways, once their spar was complete. Nali was a far cry from the awkward young boy she once had known, now a man. Ordinarily, she kept her emotions close to the vest; but she would have been a fool to deny what had been stirring inside from the moment they met again. But one so pure and good as he, surely wouldn’t reciprocate even if he wanted to. Nyx locked eyes with his, pressing with more of her weight, trying to leverage her blades against his and force them out and down. Knowing her speed was king, it stood a fair chance of delivering a killing blow—had they been in a duel for keeps.

[nonune]

Dancing around her as she dodged away, he spun and launched back at her. The wry smile returned with his own bright gigawatt grin. Nyx would always win in the end, because while Nalialu was having a blast dancing blades with her, that was all it would ever be. Even if she fell, striking the killing blow was an unnatural thought. But that didn’t mean he didn’t play to win, it just meant he had to change the game.

Perhaps the light needed to be sharpened to a point by a bit of darkness, but even though he felt similar physical feelings stir as he chased her there was another problem. When a Jedi Master is the basis of one’s awareness of the opposite sex, many just fall short of expectations. Mivaal Khess had been a Master at Soresu, and had also been the basis of his belief in training his body to the peak of perfection. Nalialu was a friend to many, but in most cases he simply did not notice others in that way.

Nyx was literally the first time feelings like this had stirred in a long while in a heavily repressed individual. It made him giddy and that made him want to show off. He didn’t quite understand why, at this point he didn’t care why. Understanding was not necessary to feel the tension in her eyes, the pressure of her blades making his muscles strain. She was challenging him, and that was bringing out things he didn’t understand.

Not knowing why, he reacted on instinct as she tried to push his blades out wide and did what most men his size would not. It was her trick after all, and he was a quick study. Pushing against her he danced back to be out of the range of her blades, disengaging his own blades at the last second and dropping all resistance as he fell to the side. Planting a foot as soon as the blades had passed he launched back at her, arms coming out to try and grab her in a massive bearhug and tackle the smaller woman to the ground.

It was perhaps one of the most foolish things he could do, there were several Masters screaming at him to stop in his mind. But not the important ones, and Nalialu’s smile had never been brighter.

[roadkill]

Both of her lightsabers clattered to the stone floor as Nyx found herself trapped under the tremendous hulk of her former student. Blades disengaged instantaneously with a reverse snap-hiss, the pretty kaleidoscope no more to shine. Her own descent to the ground had been less-than-glamorous, but she took care to keep her neck craned as to not crack her dome on the hard stone. Eyes locked, partly enraged and partly…satisfied. Her lips parted ever-so-slightly as she felt a flush come over her cheeks. Being wrapped up in his arms had felt simultaneously right and wrong.

There is no emotion, only peace. Except that was a childish lie that Masters (unlike herself) perpetuated to the younglings to keep them out of trouble. Her own hands roamed to find a place to cling upon Nali, just above his hips. It was growing difficult to breathe, though it wasn’t due to the obvious physical exertion of the spar, or the weight of him atop her. Nyx felt like it was only proper to linger here. The fires of rage quelled some in her eyes as they gazed into his, replaced by a different fire. ”I never taught you that,” she said, breathlessly and soft, the once-hard edge in her voice evaporated the moment she found herself locked in his embrace. Don’t spoil this with words, she thought of herself, only too late.

She had never been a prim-and-proper lady, or even a proper Jedi. Da’Gar had seen to that. Unconventional types had to be taught by their own kind, and there were only a few paths for such Jedi. Nyx danced and flirted with the Dark Side far too often for the Council’s liking, yet it was necessary. She had, after all, never fully succumbed. Subterfuge, guile, the outright lies and betrayals of self that came with the job description—the fierceness she brought to the fight. It was all a dangerous tightrope walk of balance. The Order would have her remain chaste and pure, but that had all gone out the window the instant she laid eyes upon him outside the cafeteria.

Don’t spoil this with words. Idly, her hands had begun to squeeze. Thoughtlessly, she nuzzled her nose into his; the feeling of yearning and longing swelled within her aura in the Force. Was it so wrong, if it came from a place of love? There were, after all, many varieties of love—and Jedi were taught to embody it. There is no life without emotion. She was not a droid, but a human being. Even a Master, it seemed, was not wholly above reproach. There was no conflict within her, only the righteous glow that came along with knowing and believing in the rightness of action. Yet, Nyx quivered, her breath gently shaking. Never in her life, even as a little girl, had the fearless Manka-cat wished to simply be held. Until now.

Only the briefest of moments had passed, yet it felt like an eternity. Her guard was completely down, her thoughts and mind as open to him as the plains of Dantooine were to the Kath hounds. Every bit of doubt, fear—every terrible act she had committed in the name of the Jedi Order. Every inappropriate thought of togetherness. Every wanton desire to be kissed and more. That violence itself was a sort-of foreplay to her. That she had never had such strong feelings for anyone else. That Nali was everything the Order should aspire to be….that he truly was some kind of shiny Paladin of light, and the object of her desire in every fathomable way. Kiss me, you damned fool she willed, knowing he could sense her thoughts. Gone was the serene calm that a lifetime of meditation had brought, replaced by a maelstrom of emotion. But there was no confusion. No conflict. No second thoughts. Only…destiny.

[nonune]

If he was honest with himself, he never actually thought it would work. In an instant he discovered his favorite face on her, pissed off and happiness all at once. And just as easily it clicked into place in him, a resolve to get her to make that face many many more times. Golden shimmers behind crystal blue eyes looked down at the woman he had no hopes of defeating a moment ago, and somehow found her in his arms on the floor. Tiny and delicate in his arms in a way that belied her strength, he banished the word delicate from his mind instantly knowing she would hate it. Though tiny… That was relative.



Decades of breathing exercises and teachings seemed to go out the window, as he brought a large hand up to push some of her hair out of her face and tuck it behind an ear. Wrong, he knew it was wrong. Attachment and passion were against so many things he had been taught, but such things are born in fires of moments and rarely do teachings tell one what to do when all one is is emotion. Especially when the particular emotion felt so right.



Anger and rage and sorrow, pains that led to the Darkside. Pains he had spent near to a decade controlling. Not only because he knew where those paths led, but because he disliked how those emotions made him feel. They felt unnatural in his skin.



The emotions that seemed to swell from deep inside him felt right. Nyx’s body against his was warm and soft in a way he didn’t think it could be. Throughout his body he felt like there was fire under his skin, a fire that burned inward and held no pain. Except where he touched her, there… Felt right in a way he had never felt. It felt like peace, like home. Unprepared for the feelings the thought came, How can it be wrong if it feels like peace?



Innocence can be oblivion, or perhaps a touch of destiny.



The husk in her voice when she spoke burst things lower in him, things the Jedi had not taught him to deal with particularly well. When his brain was clear of this fiery fog and her eyes, what was happening to both of them he could describe in a very textbook fashion. Impressively he could even name a few of the hormones ripping right through his willpower as he leaned in closer to nuzzle her nose right back, thoughts of his teachings gone completely from his mind.



The Darkness in her mind opening found only shining bright Light and acceptance in return. Remembering to breathe again for the second time, her mind found his own guard shattered by feelings he had no desire to control, his thoughts and mind opened to meet hers. Every doubt was mirrored and found helping hand, every fear a strong arm and solid back at her side. Every terrible act found only the peaceful acceptance that only could be found in love. Their minds touched and entwined in a burst of Darkness and Light that intermingled and found no need to fight.



A breath before his lips met hers and maelstroms exploded into a moment of perfect stillness as their lips remained locked. Neither of them cared about the Order in that moment. As pure and good as he could be, he had seen her darkness, accepted it and sealed fate with a kiss. Trouble may come later, trouble neither of them planned.



Before that another maelstrom arrived with his hands in her hair as he kissed her again more fiercely, confident this was a path both of them were far down and careless of the consequences.

[roadkill]

---------------------------
Some Time Later…

Tython had once been the birthplace of the Jedi Order, and it remained an enclave for them. But such would never ring true for Nyx again; to her it would always be the place where she both lost and found herself. Though, she regretted nothing from the day. It was a wonder they hadn’t been caught by a class of students and their instructor, despite the fact that she had sealed the door behind them, all that time ago. A hot meal that wasn’t made makeshift from field rations. A spar to work off the stresses of her job, and the added aggravation of being ordered to take a sabbatical from her duties as a Jedi Shadow, had been all she wanted when arriving on Tython, the wellspring. But since when had she not gotten more than she bargained for?

”We should, um…go,” Nyx stated, rather sheepishly. ”N-not that I wish to!” she added frantically, hands wringing upon themselves. That she regretted nothing wasn’t entirely true. The act, certainly not. But the act, within the walls of the enclave. She had a perfectly good starship waiting, and they could have been far away from the Jedi, with no risk of being intruded upon, or worse—reprimanded by an out-of-touch Master who had spent far too long within the guarded walls of a Temple. The reality of it all had begun to sink in. They had broken a vow that meant little to them personally; all she could hear were the endless tales of why Jedi did not act upon such feelings delivered by the same stodgy Masters who had passed her up for apprenticeship. Da’Gar never would have guilt-tripped her. The old man would have encouraged it, and Nyx wasn’t certain which was more dangerous.

It was another length of rope for her to tread lightly upon in the ever-going walk of balance. Another step down the path to the Dark Side. But it was one of her choosing, not a matter of circumstance or necessity on-the-job. Still, she could do little else but smile as she looked upon Nali. She wouldn’t be wondering if the choice had been right or wrong. She wouldn’t even wonder what would happen were she forced to choose between Nali and her duty as a Jedi Master. She had always been something of an outcast among her own kind—though how much of that was of her own design was debatable. But she would wonder what Nali would choose, if forced to.

The vornskr sat by the door, as it had been for entirely too long, waiting for her person to let her out to run. With a sigh, Nyx released the lock on the door and watched as Urz bolted free. She cast a sidelong glance over her shoulder, still unable to wipe the smile from her face, and inclined her head just slightly. ”So help me, Nali Xem, if you break my heart….” the thought trailed off. It needed no expansion, and it was no idle threat. He knew full well how capable a huntress and blademaster she was. There was no place in the Galaxy he could hide from her scorn. But she knew full well the gentle giant would do nothing of the sort.



--------------

Le Fin