Mourning by Fighting [open]

[Mara]

[... from Courtyard thread]



After exiting the Temple courtyard, Xierra found a nice area out in the gardens nearby that at the moment was void of any other beings. She could have gone into one of the many training arenas but, after all her travels with Master Revisc on their many missions, she now preferred to work outdoors. Plus, being out in the elements -- not that there were many in the Temple but more than inside the enclosed training rooms -- gave her a chance to train against all possibilities.

Slowly, she stood still in the middle of the clearing surrounded by exotic flowers. Xierra calmed herself, her skin going a very light green, almost gray. Drawing upon the Force around her, she emptied her mind of everything; everything from the past week, everything about her Master, everything about her worries, everything about her future. All of it left her, and then it was only her and the Force.

Xierra unclipped her plain lightsaber hilt from her belt. It was a complete smooth cylinder except for a few indentations for her hand grip. She entered a defensive posture and began working through various moves of Shii-Cho, the fighting form she had mastered long ago after about a decade of training. Xierra parried and thrust and blocked her invisible opponent.

In the first time in the last week, since returning back to Coruscant, to the Temple, the Falleen female felt alive.

[Zarkan]

Aser's morning had began as the one before it and the other month's worth before even that one. He had lifted himself groggily from his cot a hour previous ate a short simple meal and was now moving invariable to the training area has he had done everyday. Mayhaps he was forgoing proper training he thought for the 33rd time in a row on the 33rd morning in a row. He payed little mind to the strange looks many of those he past gave him in truth he had became used to them certainly his attire wasn't all of the stares he still looked as if a kath hound had dragged him in.

He twirled his light saber in his hand as he finally left the confines of the temple and made his way out into the training courtyard. Looking about he noticed that it was rather emptier than was normal with only a handful of jedi here and there. He began to make his way towards the one of the far training rooms when he caught sight of the falleen fighting her imaginary opponent vigorously. At first Aser had simply walked past still carrying on to his destination before he forced himself to stop. He turned he knew if he didn't attempt to interact he'd never get out of his slump. So with a quick hope that she wouldn't mind his intrusion he made his way over to the young appearing woman stopping at the edge of the small round cleared area and leaned against one of the trees that dotted this area of the courtyard watching as he attempted to delve up something to speak about.

Swallowing his nervousness he finally said the last thing that came into his mind. "Sun's bright today, aye?" he flushed a little bit "That was a stupid question." He berated himself mentally "Why did I even ask that."

[Mara]

She had given herself completely to the Force while working through her exercises, blocking out everything else. But even so, she had felt another presence, a being closer than the rest around the Temple grounds. Her skin never faltered from its light greenish gray tone. Xierra continued for another moment in concentration before deactivating her lightsaber and turning around to greet whoever it was.

Xierra saw a human male before her, of a similar age of her own. He didn't look familiar to her, but then again, she hadn't been back to the Temple in at least a couple of years. By his dress, she wasn't sure of his status but guessed him to be a Knight.

She glanced up then at the sky to see for herself, keeping her hilt in her hand. "Yes, I suppose it is," she answered, looking back into the other Jedi's eyes. There was something about him, something was unsettling him. Xierra took back her brief thought of doing a mind probe and instead resolved to more civilized means.

"Do you prefer clouds?"

[Zarkan]

Aseradan forced a smile to his face as the falleen greeted him and then looked up in the sky. He sighed an ran a hand down his red tunic as he gazed towards her almost like he was looking though her as he often did. His eyes snapped back to focus as he caught her question. "Aye, though Dantooine didn't tend to clouds either." his brows drooped as he mentioned his lost home world. "Though I suppose sun is better than rain for training...Say are you new her or do you just not come down here often? he shifted a bit it was a honest question surly, but part of him worried it was probing to much so he added after a moment. "You, don't need to answer that is you like not to."

[Mara]

Xierra stood silently, unmoving as she listened to him. He did indeed have some strange way about him, almost wistful. And she didn't think it was all due to reminiscing about his childhood.

She snapped out of her thoughts at his question, going even more stock-still. It took all of her self-control to keep her pheromones and skin in check. Pausing to clip her lightsaber back to her belt, Xierra gave herself more time to answer and to figure out how much to say. While training alone, she had forgotten for a moment why she was actually here in the Temple, were she was.

Forcing a smile, she waved her hand softly, as if to say it was all right. "I and the rest of my group just returned from a mission this morning." There, she said it. She need not go into any more details if she didn't want to.

[Zarkan]

Aserada forced his own smile as the woman waved at him before breathing in and taking a few steps forward. "I thought you might be new here." he once more looked around before returning his gaze to the falleen and crossed his arms over his chest. "I've been down here everyday and I've never noticed you before." He finally managed to put a genuine smile on his lips. "Well, seeing as your new here I'll give you a few warnings, room three down here has a tendency to randomly shock people, Master Pulmar the chief gardener is more protective of his trees than most are of their children, and for all that is good in the universe never, ever eat the chef's special down in the cafeteria's." chuckling he finished before finally holding his hand out to her in a attempt at a friendly hand sake. "I'm Aseradan Mirathuralis."

[Mara]

She smiled more warmly this time, amused, letting her skin warm up to a brighter green, not quite so graying. "New? Perhaps. It has been at least a couple of years since I've been in the Temple. And even then, it was pretty brief." Xierra nodded at his warnings before tucking some of her loose dark hair behind an ear. "I"ll be sure to remember those, as well." Though I don't know how long I'll be staying this trip...

Clasping his hand with her own clawed one, "Xierra Zalq."



Edit-- just fixing a spelling error

[Zarkan]

Aser squeeze her hand once before removing his hand. "Well, then I suppose I won't I don't need to show you around then, which is good I may have been here a month, but I still haven't seen much outside of this area." He looked quizzically at her. "I saw you were using Shii-Cho is that the main form you practice or where you just practicing it?" He suddenly realized he was still holding his light saber in his left hand a quickly hooked it back on his belt. "Heh, I'm a bit forgetful."

[Mara]

She folder her arms after he released her hand. Xierra noted that he still seemed a bit nervous and had a tendency to ramble on. But for now she let it go.

About to answer him, she stopped as he put his lightsaber away, her eyebrows raised in slight amusement. This human was a puzzle to her. Completely opposite of Master Revisc who was... No, she couldn't think that. Not after she went to so much trouble to clear her mind.

"Merely warming up," Xierra finally answered.

[Zarkan]

"Ah, I tend to skip the good ol'warm up perhaps I'm just a bit too impatient for my own good, aye?" He shook his head as he finished speaking at this rate xierra was going to think him a fool by the time he finished. "I'm sorry for disturbing your practice, the masters told be to try to socialize, but if you ever need a sparing partner just yell, I'll be down her some where..errr, if I'm awake anyway. he chose not to mention his tendency of waking up at noon as he ran a hand though his ruffled blonde hair. He did a short cough into his hand "I guess I'll just go over there...some where and you know swing my glow stick around and what not."

[Mara]

"Well, I tend to think it helps instead of going cold into Ataru," she said. And before she could answer his rhetorical question, she had to clamp up and let him ramble on. There was almost no way she would be able to get a word, or a vowel, in edgewise. Xierra nodded after he was done.

She gestured to the lightsaber hilt attached to her belt at her waist. "Unless you know some Ataru? I haven't practiced... in quite some time."

Something came to her, lighting up her eyes. "I could always use a good sparring partner, without a lightsaber." For once, she was almost grinning.

[Zarkan]

Aser shook his head no as he hunched down a little. "No, my master never got around to teaching me any of Ataru before...well, before I became a knight." pressing his palm to his left temple as let out a short sigh. "I suppose my specialty would be Djem So." his ears perked up at xierra's last statement. "Yeah, I can wrestle and the like if you need some one to though you about." he chuckled before finishing his thoughts "Seriously though we can spar anytime you like, I certainly have nothing better to do."

[Mara]

Xierra listened quietly, nodding. She knew that Ataru was rare among the Jedi she had encountered, so it was reasonable that he wouldn't know it as well. Meeting Master Revisc was a stroke of luck...

She broke out of her thoughts at his last statements. She said softly, "I don't really have anything to do right now either."

[Zarkan]

Aseradan smiled as he stood all the way up. "Well, then any idea where to start?" He absently ran his fingers over one of his fore arm guards as he waited tracing the small intricate designs embossed on them he vaguely remembered receiving them just a few months back from his master though relics the along with the rest of his armor was in good condition.

[Mara]

((OOC: I'm super bad at fighting, so bear with me. ))



By way of answer, Xierra started off by aiming her left leg in a high roundhouse kick just inches from Aseradan's ear and continued into a back flip. She landed a few feet behind where she was just standing seconds ago. Generally liking to tie her hair back for close combat like this, she let her hair fly, no time to deal with it at the present moment.

[Zarkan]

Aseradan jerked back as xierra's foot whistled past and she flipped backwards. He smirked at the display as he settled down into a low wide footed fighting stance. "The first rule of combat"[/i] he recited to himself "is to stay grounded."[/i]. He slowly began to circle her carefully keeping his center of mass well below his chest.

[Mara]

Seeing that her opponent wasn't being very proactive and instead favored a defensive posture, Xierra mirrored his movements, also circling around nimbly. Someone would have to make a move soon, or they'd just be going in a circle forever.

The Falleen opened herself back to the Force, giving herself every advantage she could have. Though she knew she was very good at hand-to-hand combat, she had never fought this man before. Master Revisc had taught her patience and humility both. No need to go berserk on him; she was content waiting for him to make the next move.

[Zarkan]

Aser felt the flows of the force spill around him like a river as he slowly circled considering the movements of the falleen woman clearly she was well practiced in the martial arts clearly she didn't plan to be the aggressive one and for a time aser was content not to be either. He ignored the growing circle of jedi mostly padawans watching them as the pair circled one another. Finally; his impatience gaining the better of him, he made the first move rushing in to attempt to grapple the woman aiming for her left thigh and right shoulder with his hands hoping to use the motion of his charge to carry her to the ground.

[Mara]

Relishing in the feel of the Force, Xierra continued circling, matching the man's every move, feeling every being, every young padawan, every leave in the garden. She knew she was normally the aggressor, but, today of all days, it was time for some change and unpredictability. Time for her to practice something new.

She grinned to herself, sensing his move as he rushed towards her. Xierra counted the seconds and at the last moment she dropped down to her haunches, sweeping out with her right leg into Aser's own. Not even looking to see if she succeeded in dropping him down, the Falleen rolled a few paces to her left, standing but remaining in a defensive posture, light on her feet.

[Zarkan]

Aser sensed more than saw her drop and as her leg struck and lifted his he recruited his momentum to flip himself around back to his feet. He crouched down planting his feet hard on the ground as he tensed the muscles in his back and arms. Slowly he crept closer towards her reaching out to the force he welcomed it as it wrapped around his being. He shifted his weight ever so slightly forward as he called the force to enhance his speed moments before he launched himself at xierra's lower legs.