Mourning by Fighting [open]

[Mara]

Xierra could feel the Force swelling around her opponent, and, though she didn't know exactly what he was planning without probing his mind, she could tell that he was massing up for something big. Her mind worked furiously in those split seconds, deciding between different answers to his coming move.

She decided on a flip; drawing the Force around her more closely, she jumped up vertically just missing the impact, as Aser ended up where she was standing moments before. Once in the air, she flipped forward, somersaulting in the air. Xierra then turned before landing on her feet, now facing her opponent's back. Without wasting any time, she ran at him and let loose a flurry of high leg kicks aimed at his lower back.

[Zarkan]

with little time he saw her began to jump and he dug his heels deep into the sand as he skidded to a halt and punched up into the air hoping to striker her, but failing as she flipped over his head.
Aser sensed her move though the force and managed to drop down enough that her kicks struck his upper back. His body groaned from the impact, but he kept himself up right though for of will as he slowly turned timing to grab one of her legs on it's return to her body still hoping to use his force enhanced speed as a advantage.

[Mara]

Xierra smiled as she felt a few of her kicks strike home against his back. Just when she was beginning to feel the slightest iota of confidence, she chided herself for doing so. What would Master Revisc have told her? If he was still around...

A nanosecond later she felt her leg being grasped. Biting back a cry of disgust, she quickly changed her means of attack; if she continued kicking, she would just fall, most likely on her head. Instead she just relaxed he caught leg, letting Aser hang onto it and then turned in the air and swung her free leg at his head.

[Zarkan]

Aser's mind was calm as he wrenched with his hand on her captured leg he could see her leg coming towards him and after a micro second of calculation he decided to risk taking the kick for a chance to end their spar now. He reached out with one hand snagging her belt before with the force strengthening his muscles he lifted her over his head intent on slamming her head first into the ground as he lifted her kick clipped his head bouncing off the top of his crown and sending a shooting pain from the impact point.

[Mara]

Seeing he was not releasing her leg, halfway through her swing, Xierra put as much force behind her kick as she could. But then it still just glanced off the top of his head as he grasped her belt. Suspended in the air, she could tell even without delving in the Force what her opponent's intent was, and she was determined not to let that happen.

She spread her arms wide bracing for the impact and, with all the force she could muster, swung her leg back toward his head, silently cursing herself for being so foolish as to let him grab ahold of her leg and unbalancing her body position, making it harder for her to defend herself.

[Zarkan]

Half way to slamming xierra's body into the ground he saw her spread her arms out and sensed her leg start making it's way back to his head. The throbbing pain in his head reminding him of how much her kicks could hurt switched to plan B, he twisted his arms going from a vertical drop to a horizontal spin letting his feet slid out from under him as he aimed to drive his shoulder into the falling woman with all his weight and might.

[Mara]

Not exactly sure what he was intending but needed to get herself untangled from the mess and get back into a better defensive position, Xierra called more upon the Force around her, drawing everything she could to herself. Briefly, it seemed as though time was slowing for her; she was falling so slowly it was as if she was no longer falling.

She took this moment to gather in her surroundings and figure out what was nearby, the position of her opponent's body, the position of her own body. With the Force now surrounding her completely and utterly, she pushed out with it, sending a Force push slamming towards her leg and at Aser's arm and at the rest of his body while also physically spinning her body in midair, hoping that move the Force and her own movements would dislodge his grip on her leg.

[Zarkan]

Aser sensed the force well up in xierra moments before a force push broke his grip on her leg and dislodged it and pushed him beginning to spin him as she began her spin. For a moment it felt like his right arm it's hand still in messed in her wide belt would snap under the strain of both their movements. As he began to fall he finally kicked out for the first time in their spar aiming a hard kick at her gut and yanking back on her belt pulling her down after him.

[Mara]

Finally feeling her leg free of his grip but not freeing his hand from her belt, Xierra changed her spin. Instead going around with the length of her body as an axis, she started turning the opposite way: head over heels, tucking in her body as much as she could.

Within her spin, his kick landed a glancing blow along her back. At the same time, she fumbled with her belt. She needed to get loose of him; the Falleen could not hold herself elevated in the air forever, though she was strong in the Force. Xierra got a hold of her lightsaber hilt and quickly activated it, severing her belt and leaving her opponent falling with the remnants of her belt in his hand.

She somersaulted in the air a few more times back away from him, deactivating her saber as she landed, finally, on her feet. Quickly, she spun back around to face him, not wanting to leave her back to him more than she had to. With nothing to hook it on at the moment, she kept her hilt in her hand. Despite the Force's aid, Xierra was breathing hard from the exertion it took to remain airborne and spinning for so long.

[Zarkan]

Aser's hand and arm groaned and popped with protest as the falleen woman spun and twirled with his hand now more trapped than gripping, entangled in her belt. He saw the flash of light from her light saber and instinctively twisted to his side grabbing his own as he suddenly dropped faster rolling on the sand covered floor before back flipping from his back to his feet. He focused his eyes on the panting woman as he wiped sweat from his brow. He tucked back into his collapsed fighting stance zipping though is mind plans on what to do next finally settling with the good old force push distraction. He though himself into a force enhanced charge straight at her gut before at the last minute diving to the side and unleashing a concentrated bubble of air streaking though the air towards her ribs.

[Mara]

She watched him a moment, studying him, while they both took a couple seconds to regain their breath and composure. Xierra felt his surge in the Force before she saw him running at him. Briefly closing her eyes, she let the Force surround her, trying to figure out what he was planning to do. A charge and grapple?

But he was drawing on the Force, so she drew on it also. Xierra got a glimpse of something in his aura just before he reached her. No matter if he was attacking with his body or the Force, she quickly swept up a Force shield in front of her to block whatever was coming at her. She was almost too late; the shield didn't protect her from all of the energy, and she felt herself stumbling backwards a few paces from the strength of it.

Immediately she reacted and turned herself to face Aser after he had dove to the ground. She poured as much Force energy as she could into his mind, fabricating doubts about his abilities, his strength, his speed, knowing full well that mind tricks didn't work on her species, and he could not retaliate in same. As she worked his mind, she stepped slowly backwards away from him.

[Zarkan]

Aser caught a glimpse of her stumbling back before he slammed shoulder first into the ground. Aser felt his mind betray him fear and doubt writhing in his mind pulling on the self loathing that already clouded his mind. He gritted his teeth as he stood up he shoulder groaning as he lifted himself up and he desperately fighting a losing battle to contain his emotions. He staggered staring at the woman with almost hollow eyes the doubt and fear in his mind slowly being swallowed by a red tide of angry almost fury. He pulled the force into himself bundling it up within himself before he narrowed his eyes a part of his mind screamed at him to control himself, but the over whelming might of his heart screamed at him to attack. His feet dug deep into the sand as he launched a full out assault on the woman sending streams of sand and balls of air at her as he charged full force shoulder first to hopefully slam into her with his armored shoulder.

[Mara]

Xierra watched him stand up slowly and could see clearly the doubt running behind his eyes. Not only was he hurting physically, but emotionally as well. She could tell that she really hit a nerve with her mind attack on Aser. But this was a fight, and she would not feel sorry for doing so. He would eventually get over it, as most Jedi did, as she would not keep up the tricks forever.

She kept a watchful eye on him as he stood there, trying to figuring out his next move. Xierra felt, more than saw, his emotions changing through the Force. The doubt and other emotions she was flooding his mind with were making him angry. If she had been completely coherent at the time and not completely given into the Force and their fight, forgetting everything else, she may have called the fight off.

As it was, the anger pouring off of him was almost deafening to her. Xierra barely had time to register the sudden onslaught of Force-assisted sand to bolster her own defenses. In all her many spars from youngling years on, she had never fought against someone this close to the edge of what she had learned led to the dark side. Some of the sand pelted against her--belatedly Xierra was glad she hadn't taken off her cloak--before she could raise up a Force shield to guard against the rest of the storm. Seeing his movement and direction, she kept up her shield and dodged to the side, flipping out of his way.

[Zarkan]

Aser seethed as he charged the woman feeling her raise her defenses as he neared. The said swirling around them roared on the winds as he neared her adding his own bellow as she lept of the way and he attempted to slow colliding with a squat pillar sending a shooting pain though his shoulder as the pillar first cracked and then shattered as aser ripped though it dropping him on his back. In his fury he didn't even realize he had popped his shoulder out of socket as he lifted his arm to stand himself up and lifted the chunks of the pillar off the ground flinging them though the shroud of sand surrounding him before quickly following them with his body. His breath panting as blood started to leach from his nose as the sand scoured his sinuses. He bellowed as she lifted his arm and formed a fist as he ran head long at xierra.

[Mara]

Seeing and feeling his angry reaction as he fell through the column with a large crunch, Xierra was coming to the slow conclusion that she was no longer just having a practice spar. She was fighting for her life. Against what could only be a rogue Jedi Knight. Or at least one with anger management issues, far greater than what she was told she inhibited while a youngling. Slightly afraid of what would further come, she removed herself from his mind, no longer meddling with his feelings.

She gestured with the Force, deflecting the few pieces of stone that had headed in her direction before shrugging off her cloak. It may keep her better defended, but against this man's fury, a simple cloak wouldn't stop anything, and she would be able to move easier in just her tunic, leggings and boots. Xierra drew on the Force, trying to calm herself for what was sure to continue to be a long battle with Aser.

She Force-jumped out of the way as she saw him running at her, again flipping through the air and landing behind where he had been just a moment before. Whirling around to face his sure retaliation, Xierra ignited her lightsaber with a snap-hiss!, its light green blade shining in front of her face that was no longer its normal pale greenish-gray hue. Her skin was now a darker green, not from anger but from exertion.

[Zarkan]

Aser barely registered the removal of the tendrils in his mind as he ran head long at the green jedi. skidding aser slid to a stop as xierra lept clear of his head and tumbling in mid air as he lost track of the jedi he heard the sound of a light saber igniting behind him. Aser groped at his light saber as he spun hefting it with both hands as he dropped the point towards xierra his own teal blade flashing out into the air. He focused on the saber the form of the hilt the blade bisecting xierra in the background the blade shook his attention though only a moment the flash of memory was enough to shatter his focus and rage. He dropped his blade from his now numb hands as he dropped to the ground clutching his head in his hands. "I protect people." he thought to himself as he stared at the discarded saber.

[Mara]

Startled at his sudden reaction, Xierra could not move for many seconds, taking the time to slow her breathing and calm herself, her skin returning to its normal hue. She thought about the last few moments of the battle, wondering to herself if her mind probe had unleashed some sort of hidden feelings within Aser. Realizing that what she had done had the potential for greater danger, rather than actually helping her own cause.

With a whoosh! she deactivated her own weapon, walking slowly forward to her opponent's prone figure. However, she kept her mind aware, just in case he was using some kind of ploy to catch her off guard. Feeling a little sorry for what she had done to him, if she had caused his breakdown, the Falleen woman sent him warm feelings through the Force. Nothing too specific, nothing too deep, just enough to hopefully help settle his mind.

[Zarkan]

Aser set up slowly as he glanced at xierra out of the corner of his eyes before looking away for several minutes. "I'm sorry I.." he moved to run his left hand through his hair when a sharp shooting pain from the shoulder connected to it caused him to drop his hand and hiss out his breathe. Berating himself he reached for his light saber quietly admitting to himself that he was probably angrier now than when he had fought xierra. "They say people are forged in the heat of battle, I guess I'm just the apprentice's failed plow blade." He sighed as he noticed the blood still oozing out of his nose and whipping it off with the back of his hand. "So, I guess your first day has at least been eventful." he said with a wet cough.

[Mara]

She looked at him, her eyes calm and clear as she listened, letting him speak and explain. Knowing that interrupting him may not be the best idea. Nor would she say anything in response to his voiced opinion of his apparent failure.

Xierra spoke to him, for the first time since their battle began, ignoring his last statement. It was eventful but not totally unusual. "Are you all right? I'm not much for the healing arts, but--" She stopped, not sure what else to say, knowing her healing prowess within the Force was limited and sure that he wouldn't want to be led to the infirmary by the likes of her, a padawan.

[Zarkan]

Aser dropped his arms down to rest on his thighs as he looked up at xierra before letting his head drop before shaking it. "No, I'll be fine eventually." He spat out a large glob of blood, spittle, and sand before looking back up at her. "Once I get all the sand out of me anyway." he lifted himself up with his undamaged arm. "I'm a little surprised I'm not getting a lecture from you." aser sighed as he looked at his shoulder before gripping the arm attached to it. "I hurt this shoulder on dantooine and it still comes out once and a while, I suppose it might help if I actually did what the healers told me to. he gritted his teeth and popped his shoulder back in pace with a loud pop and a grunt from him.