Training Chambers (Open)

[Jenno]

(As you can tell by the tardiness of my response, I’m going through another ‘tough to post’ phase)

“No” Varen replied both quickly and confidently to Araon’s question. Usually in the presence of Masters he would not talk so boldly or freely when asked such a question. Yet something allowed the boy to do so here. “I understand its strengths and the value of knowing the style,” he continued, looking to the Jedi Knight, “but I don’t think it is the style which suits me best. You can probably guess which style does from my lightsaber.”

As the room darkened, Varen casually removed his lightsaber from his belt and placed it in the corner of the room. When practicing Makashi, a lot of concentration and focus was needed, the blade was more than likely to get in his way and distract him, if even for a moment. He caught the training saber which had been tossed to him and ignited the blade. He looked at the azure blade which sprang forth with an expression rarely seen upon the face of anyone as young as he was, his eyes seeped nostalgia. It had been years now since he’d thrown away his old training saber, after crafting his own blade, he had been younger than most when he had done so, but Varen was impatient and his Master had allowed him the freedom to try. That old blade that he had used throughout his training as a youngling had also been blue; it seemed as if it was almost the exact same shade. Memories of those times seemed like a dream now, a dream which had been worn down by the sands of experience.

He felt this for only a moment or two, but it made him happy. He always seemed to be able to pull joy from the smallest thing. Perhaps that was how he’d been able to stay positive for so long when he was facing being let go by the Jedi.

Watching as the remote made its way over to him; Varen slowly spread his legs until he’d slipped into the basic Shii-Cho stance. He’d use this opportunity also to exercise the melding of his force skills and lightsaber combat. But that would come later. First of all he waited, allowing himself to simply react. The highest of the Jedi Guardians were so skilled at their use with the blade that they often didn’t need to draw upon the force to deflect one or two blaster bolts. Their reflexes had naturally risen to the level where their brain would process the required information, where the blaster was aimed, the distance between the two people and other things, in order to stop a blaster bolt, it was often used as a last resort or, if one was confident in their skills, to preserve their Force skills. Varen had often tried to imitate this in previous practices, just for fun, and he’d realised how much experience on the field could hone one’s abilities.

Although he was tempted to try this out today, he quickly thought better of it. Instead, he tried to call upon the force as little as possible to try and predict when the remote would fire. A few blocks and one singe mark later and Varen was ready to rely more upon the force, it was time to play it blind. As he let out a long deep breath, his eyelids slowly rolled closed. It didn’t take long until his breathing had become relaxed, getting slower and slower. When the remote fired, his movements were sharp and precise, the bolt whizzed just past the laser firing sphere. Varen was trying to deflect the bolt back as close as he could to the remote without hitting it. As a youngling he’d once destroyed more than his fair share of training remotes in one session. That hadn’t gone down well. So now he found the challenge to be trying to get the bolt as close as he could without actually destroying the equipment, it stopped another lecture at least.

With a claming sensation, the Force flowed through his entire body, like a river of strength, supporting his actions, guiding his movements; it covered him from every angle. It had not always been so easy, and at times during childhood training Varen had often found himself becoming annoyed at his inability to call upon the force. He often felt as though he got so far and then a wall suddenly appeared, a wall he could not move a single inch. Of course, he soon discovered that it was the well of emotions which swirled inside him, the made things so much harder at first. But now he’d become skilled at blocking all of that out, and he’d grown much capable because of it.

Taking time to block only a few more shots, Varen got out of his stance and turned the remote off, he considered himself at least a little warm. Now he'd just have to wait for Araon to finish.

[projectsunfire]

((OOC: Firstly, Appologies. The work week leaves me feeling like a rusty penny at the bottom of a sewer grating, and I'm the homeless dude trying to fit his fat busted up hand through just to have that one extra cent. So Yes, now to post.))

Araon listenned attentively as the Padawan explained his thoughts, and opinions. He considered the Padawan's favor toward useing a doubled bladed lightsaber. Though it was a difficult weapon to learn. It was excellent at defensive maneuvering, as well as counter attack. Araon felt that It would be a very long time before the Padawan would even begin to apply all he'd learned toward such a complex style.

Araon could feel the Padawan's confidence as he caught the Practice Lightsaber easily in his hand. Araon could even feel the Padawan's connection to the force, clear and controlled. The feeling of nostalgia the Padawan felt for the practice saber made Araon consider hise own blade, now held in his hand. He had considerred joining the guardian sect of The Jedi Order. Though he found his personality far more comfortable with the idea of avoidance, subterfuge, and stealth, than with confrontation.

He gave the lightsaber he now held a second going over and turned it on. The weapon ignited into a 1 meter blade of soft cobalt blue light. Its fluid hiss as it ignited the air caused Araon's pulse to quicken breifly before he gainned control of it. Indeed he had to admit that it always excited him, utilizing such an elegant weapon.

Araon brought the lightsaber to the ready, assumed the simple stance of Shii-Cho and the remote circled him once before it let out it's first test shot. He could almost sense the remotes calculation as Araon's saber easily blocked the weak stunning energy. It circled him twice more, letting out two or three bolts at a time before it began to stutter shoot.

Araon used the force to speed himself up slightly to keep up with the Remote as it began to change its pace to something more robust. It didn't even feel like he was controlling his arm. Almost like the blade moved by itself.

Vaguely aware of his 'for today' pupil, Araon sensed a change in the Padawan's stance, if only slightly. He brought his lightsaber down a moment to watch the Padawan as he flicked his blade in order to deflect the blaster bolts the remote fired. He was laceing his Shii-Cho basic with a little Shien philosophy. Shien was the lightsaber art of deflecting blaster bolts back at ones opponent. Araon was pleased with the fact the Padawan felt comfortable enough to improvise. If only slightly. The young one might not have known it yet, but his creativity was a true advantage, right at the heart of lightsaber combat.

He brought his lightsaber back up to defend himself and the remote began to fire at him again. His motions were simple, and quick. It wasn't long before the remote had reached the highest complexity of attack. At least by itself.

The mischevous thought of unleashing a slew of remotes upon both of them sometime later in the afternoon crossed his mind, though he pushed it back, and put it away for later.

Araon lowered his lightsaber and the remote stopped fireing. With a casual wave of his hand Araon switched something off inside both remotes which sent them back to rest in their charging nests.

"Alright. Makashi." Araon said as he sat on his haunches and rested breifly. "Come here and tell me what you know off Makashi." Araon held his own lightsaber gingerly in the palms of both hands and motionned toward it with a nod. "What are some of the common things to look for in a Makashi lightsaber? What tells you it's user favors a Makashi style? We can learn much even before an enemy may even bring their weapon against us." Araon smiled, awaiting as a proud parent might, for his son to impress him. The lines of his galaxy wearied brow softenned.

[Jenno]

A small bead of sweat trickled down the smooth and innocent cheeks of Varen. Many Jedi would have thought that sweating this early on in a practice session would mean that he was extremely unfit. However, Varen joyfully liked to point out that sweat depended upon one’s effort. If one were to spend the whole day training and sweat only a minute amount, it would take years of similar training to progress but a little. Yet if one put all their effort into their training, from warm ups to standing in a stance, then they can make the same progress in a heartbeat.

Seeing as the Masters who taught him were the ones to make these comments, it was easy to see why he was not often considered a prize pupil. For some reason, the Masters never did seem to like being lectured by him. Yet another reason why Varen was both Masterless and not well thought of. He didn’t care though. He knew that what he said was right, his body and abilities were symbols of that. He doubted that many Youngling or Padawans who were left on their own, as much as he, would practice as much or as hard as he does.

A few strands of his normally light blonde hair were now darkened by the moisture of hard work. He shook his head a little bit, it cooled his head, relieved him a little bit, warm up was always like this. Many told him he should cut his hair, true it occasionally did impede his vision, but with the force one is not meant to use their eyes. At least, that would always be his retort. It wasn’t hard to see why Varen was liked by most people of any age, gender or race; he was too wrapped up in the ways of the Jedi. He’d studied it as if it were a contract and he’d been given more than enough time to read the fine print.

Varen watched as Araon deflected the shots with ease, making it seem as natural as breathing. It helped Varen to become aware of the difference between them, the progress he had yet to make, the years of hard work and effort that awaited him. It made spine tingle with anticipation.

But now he had to focus on the present. Moving towards the resting Knight, Varen sat opposite him in a similar position. It was not overly comforting and it took a lot of getting used to. In fact, during his first years, it almost always made his legs weak for a long time afterwards. But he’d become accustomed to it, like most things. Looking between Araon’s eyes and the lightsaber, Varen was unsure of how to answer; only one thing really came to mind.

“Is it…” he began with uncertainty before he started again, this time sound more confident. “Is it that some of its users prefer a curved-hilt lightsaber? I only briefly read about them in the Archives, but I believe Makashi users sometimes choose that odd design because it helps them with their form.” He paused for a moment, straining to recall why it was that this certain hilt helped the form along. “I think it’s because the design allows better, and more precise, movement. The wielder places it mainly in the palm opposed to leading the blade more with the fingers, it helps the wrist flow a lot easier.”

He looked up to Araon a look of hopefulness and uncertainty not easily hidden by his features. More than likely he had missed information out, but he at least hoped that was what Araon was getting up and that his impatience had led him to an entirely different tree.

[projectsunfire]

Araon's beaming grin told all. The boy was well learned. "Indeed it is. Impressive." Araon said, his beaming grin relaxing into a comforting smile. "Though I would not call a curved handle odd, personally. Not unlike your own lightsaber," Araon motionned to Varen's double bladed lightsaber with his hand. "-a Makashi Lightsaber is built for a specific purpose in mind. Just as you said, for precise movement, and strikes. "

Araon stood slowly, and backed away from Varen keeping his eyes trained on the Padawan. He adopted the widenned stance of Makashi. One foot behind the other, Araon brought his lightsaber up in salute. Then with a swift twist of his wrist, brought the lightsaber forward into the defensive stance of Makashi. "Makashi is about finess." Araon said, his smile changeing to stoic seriousness. "and controlled movements." Araon's breathing was steady and calm. "Attempt a 'Sun Djem' mark of contact Varen. Use any means necessary to relieve me of my weapon." Araon's eyes were focussed on Varen, in what could only be a look of intensity forged from lightsaber combat against other Jedi, Light and Dark.

Araon now waited for his student to attack.

[Jenno]

Varen quickly became a little flustered as Araon pointed out that his own lightsaber, “heh, I suppose you’re right” he muttered. He’d done it again; he’d spoken without really thinking too much. Recalling things he’d read or taken in was something that he could do quite easily. But whenever he voiced his own opinion he often got scolded, he understood that he wasn’t being scolded here, just spoken to. Either way it still gave him the same feeling. He wondered when he’d outgrow all of this. He felt like a beautifully winged bird trapped inside a cage with no room to even show the stunning pattern which layered his wings, not to mention the whole ‘flying’ thing.

But now he had an opportunity his only hindrance here would be that he wasn’t very experienced in this form, his determination could possibly make up for that though. Snapping his wrist in two sharp and fluid movements meant Varen had returned the custom salute a Makashi user did. And his feet slipped into his rough form, his moment to shine would now be placed in his own hands.

Pointing the blade down to the ground Varen quickly scanned Araon’s stance and came up with an attack pattern he would try. Sun Djem would be hard to achieve. In fact, it was nearly always hard to achieve, Varen preferred the standard ‘attack to injure’ training much more. Finesse was not really his thing, quite the flaw for this style.

Sliding forward Varen would put his trust in Araon’s skill here when trying this combination. His first strike would consist of a diagonal attack from Varen’s lower left to his upper right, it was quite obvious such an attack would be blocked mid stroke and do he would arch the blade over his head and try to hit the left side of Araon’s neck, this where trust in his skill came into play. From here Varen would try to slide the lighsaber into the hilt of Araon’s, it was a risky move and most likely wouldn’t work. The fact they were using training sabers would also make the task harder.

[projectsunfire]

Araon could sense the Padawan's slight frustration as he slid into a fairly rough Makashi stance. His feet were too tight. Araon considered useing it, but decided instead to bring it up for emphasis later if he needed to.

Araon watched Varen's diagonal strike begin in what he determined would be a lower diagonal slash upward from Araon's lower right to his upper left. The strike itself was rudimentary, and Araon had far more confidence in Varen's skill no matter how much modesty the Masters may have hammered into him. With a backward step, he flicked Varens lightsaber away easily mid stroke, and watched for the follow up. When Varen's blade arched over his head and came down toward Araon's neck, Araon was shocked that the Padawan would even attempt a Sai Cha in practice. Then again the Padawan had been in the field, and that meant he had to destroy sentient's as well as droids. The shock threw Araon off balance slightly, though his instict was there, and he trusted the force.

Araon stepped into Varen's attack while simultaniously bringing his saber up to block his neck. He surmised that Varen would need to retreat ground to accomplish his goal, perhaps even break off his engagement and attack again.

Their blades made a hissing crackle when they met. The smell of ozone was strong in the air, and the temptation to switch forms over to Juyo was strong, though Araon Resisted.

"Perhaps I should not underestimate your experience, Padawan." Araon's voice growled out, with slight exersion. Araon would treat him as a potentially deadly target now.

[Neology]

((OOC: Argh, its teh suck, but I wanted to get something up before bed.))

Janis moved through the familiar halls of the Jedi temple with little more then a whisper of fabric on polished marble, her expression one of quiet thought. Memories that hadn’t surfaced in years - and those more recent weighed heavily on the woman. The recollection of her childhood here did not quite chasing away the screaming dead Nar Shaddaa and Kaut.

The woman was only half aware of her own footsteps, finding herself, quite abruptly, near the long hall of training rooms. The sound of others practicing drew her thoughts outwards once more and her lips curved into a small smile. Sparring, whether under guise of keeping one’s skills sharp or for more scholarly purposes was something she’d always found most enjoyable. It didn’t hurt that she was wickedly good at it – the quick, flowing movements of her favored style in addition to the weightless quality of the blade making up for what she lacked in physical strength.

Hearing a familiar voice her small smile became a grin, and with a few short movements the Jedi knight slipped into the occupied training room, making sure her entrance was silent as to not disturb those within. It warmed her to see Araon alive, and for all she could see, well. News of Subterrel had been slow reaching her and she’d wished long for her friend’s safety. The sight of Varen brought her some joy, as well, though also some degree of puzzlement. The council had reassigned him, strange for him to be here, under Araon’s guidance.

[projectsunfire]

Though Araon was focussed on defending himself, he realized somone had entered the room. Somone familier. He did not sense danger. With an exerted shove, Araon pushed Varen away and prepared himself for a new attack. His ability to use Makashi was basic. Plenty to enhance his personalized form of Juyo. Though he now wondered if the Padawan would be able to disarm him or not.

His skin tingled with anticipation at the Padawan's next attempt, and he bounced lightly on his feet. He gripped his lightsaber loosely in his hand and focussed on keeping form correct.

[Jenno]

(I actually managed to write something for Varen . Who cares if it sucks, it's still something right?)

Yet again his attack was swatted away. The task really was more difficult than it had originally sounded. He’d never really gotten that close as it wasn’t an attack that he was used to. Opposed to disarming them usually he’d consider using the style to incapacitate his opponent but only to a point where they wouldn’t be able to continue to fight him.

But Araon, Araon was like a brick wall, he couldn’t even get him to retreat a step. It was obvious that Makashi wasn’t his regular style; Makashi users weren’t as aggressive as this. He was being completely overwhelmed, a skilled Makashi user would block all of his attacks true, yet he wouldn’t feel this intimidated by their attacks and counters. It made him feel extremely weak, like a measly insect trying to assault a towering fortress. There seemed to be no hope. Yet this is when Varen’s, some might say, personality flaw kicked in. Failure is not something Varen takes well and he also does not like to admit defeat, this situation gives him the opportunity to motivate himself, a feat very few can actually do. It was also now that his adrenaline began to kick in he could feel it powerfully pushing through his veins and arteries, forcing the blood to move with it’s quickening rate.

Varen moved in again, this time with more force behind his movements, he was faced with an alarmingly high wall and he wanted to smash it to pieces with his own hands. After a few attacks, and successful defences, Varen was now ‘in the zone’ his mind set solely on the fight. He didn’t notice the arrival of Janis, not even through the force; if he had it most likely would have drained him of his strength there and then.

But for now he moved with the sole purpose of removing Araon’s lightsaber from his grasp. This time he’d try things a little differently, after two attacks towards the chest Varen went for a sweeping attack with his saber. Varen would now then use the momentum to try a spinning kick in order to remove the lightsaber. It was risky; no one could really tell how it would pan out. If it worked then it would be seen as a good move. However, if it failed a spectator would say that it was a reckless manoeuvre which would have cost him the fight if it were in a normal match. But with his adrenaline pumping, Varen laid little thought to that, and once the adrenaline ran out he probably wouldn’t last long anyway, it was crunch time.

[projectsunfire]

Araon saw and felt the change in Varen. He could feel the force flowing through the padawan. It was like watching a dam burst. Araon was caught in that torrent now, and he had to ride it out. His focus was not unlike that dark day in the caves on subterrel, though the crystal in his lightsaber was silent. He relied on his calm, his attentive understanding of the situation, and the things happenning around him, and to him.

Varen made a strong attack to Araon's chest, then another. Araon parried gently to redirect the Padawan's attacks. Not unlike a rock in a stream guiding the water around him. When Varen made his sweeping attack Araon easily leapt upward in place to avoid the strike to his legs.

Though what Varen did next was unexpected, and brash. With the speed and force he gainned from his sweeping attack Varen brought his foot across Araon's hand kicking his lightsaber away.

It arched away and deactivated. He had done well. Indeed though, the maneuver had been brash, and Araon could not let a student of the force get away with an attack that may one day cost him his life.

Araon moved quickly to get inside Varens defenses. He would tangle Varens leg in his, and help his momentum along, in an attempt to knock Varen over so could recover his saber.

[Jenno]

As Araon moved into Varen, it seemed obvious how much of a difference real life experience made. Even a sparring session like this held many tricks and moves that Younglings would never dream of doing. Those regular sessions with class mates now felt like a distant memory even though they were but a few years ago. Things were much harder now; his groaning muscles would vouch for that.

From an unstable position like the one which Varen was caught in upon Araon’s swift movements, there was no way to regain footing or balance. The floor would be looking to embrace him. He toppled backwards. That’s when he felt the Force come to him, his great ally, it reminded him of those sparring sessions, this would not be the first time he had been forced to the ground and his body seemed to naturally react. He hit the ground. It hurt. He accepted the pain, allowing the Force to burst through him; he tucked his legs up and rolled backwards using what momentum he could from the fall. He ended up on one knee and one foot, the suddenly alteration of blood flow now meant he was dizzy and his vision was slightly impaired. However, his will manage to take him one last final step.

He called to his ally, one last favour, one last request for this battle. He wouldn’t be able to reach Araon in time, but with the Knight’s focus momentarily shifted to retrieving his saber, Varen would be able to try something. It almost seemed like the practical jokes of old, he didn’t know if it would work, but it was worth a shot. He focused as much as he could on Araon’s feet and pulled with the Force, hoping to stop him getting the lightsaber.

He didn’t know if it had worked, and he wouldn’t be able to prevent the Knight from attempting again. But if it had succeeded then it would provide Varen with some small sense of victory and most a small laugh. His training saber lay close to him, it had slipped from his grip and deactivated upon his fall. As he knelt the gasping for air his arms complained, they no longer had the strength to even try and pick up the saber let alone block anymore attacks. Still, no matter how much his body would ache or groan, it still felt good to be able to spar like that. It was rare enough to find a person to spar with, but if he had more sessions like that Varen would undoubtedly become quite good in a fight.

He tried to smile through the panting, he was defeated, he’d admit that. But he didn’t think he’d done too badly. A Jedi had to know defeat as well as victory, if only to learn how to deal with it. And after a fair few defeats in his time, Varen was getting quite good at learning from them.

He rested his arm upon his knee; his tunic was now laced in sweat and would occasionally stick to his skin cause a great deal of discomfort. Then he noticed the presence, he wasn’t sure if it was something he saw out of the corner of his eye or if it was the Force which alerted him, it may have been both. His head turned slowly and as his eyes lay to rest on her he completely froze. His breathing which had been deep and heavy was now completely silent. Varen was surprised so much by who he saw that not only did his eyes seemingly double in size, but he apparently forgot how to breathe.

Of course, this didn’t last too long as his lungs were already strongly craving more oxygen due to the sparring. But his mind went blank and after a deep breath of air he quietly managed to say “M… Master Nu?” with great uncertainty.

[projectsunfire]

Araon had managed to knock Varen over, but the padawan remained agile. At 15 he was already quite a formidable combative Jedi. Araon had to admit to himself that he was proud of the Job that Janis had done with the boy. Likely it was not entirely her doing either. The boy, no, young man had quite an indipendent streak in him.

Varen rolled out of his prone position quite nimbly, though Araon could feel the displacement within his "for today" student. He even felt Varen reach for him with the force and try to pull him. Though the stretch was a little much for one who was dishevelled as he was. With a little practice he'd learn to get over that and his attacks would be more effective. Araon felt a great force pulling his legs away. Though to compensate he let himself come to his knees, and caught his saber, though he did not ignite it.

"Good!" Araon said loudly. His voice sounded obviously impressed. "You did very well, now go give Janis a Hug. I'm sure she's missed you." Araon said as he stood up and adjusted his brown fiber mesh tunic. Beads of sweat had started to form on his forehead. The sparring match had been quite good. Varen's style had quite a bit of improvisation to it. Somewhere in the force Araon could sense that he would become a great Jedi Knight... Though something dark tugged at him when he looked that far. Araon could not pin it on anything specifc. Just a bad feeling.

Araon had noticed Varen's expression of frozen elation, and he didn't want to interrupt such a reunion. He stood back and put his training saber back and clipped his own to his belt. He watched the pair of them with a contented smile. He let his empathic abilities open to their feelings, and bathed in their emotions. It was a beautiful thing.

[projectsunfire]

Not wanting to interrupt the reunion Araon tossled Varens hair on his way out and shut the door with a wave of his hand. It hissed shut and replied with a soft tone to let him know it had done what he wanted.

He quietly made his way through the halls of the temple. He had been given a task by the council. Araon knew himself to be a fairly learned individual in the force, though he also knew that he was a child in comparison to the years that several of the council members had in experience.

He was to complete the training of a Padawan Learner belonging to one of their recent losses. Araon sighed. The weight of his thoughts clouded his mind momentarily as he considered the amount of Jedi they had lost this year alone, and how few there had been before.

Since the Jedi Purges by Revan and the Triumverate several hundred years ago the Jedi Religion had sufferred greatly at the hands of history. Jedi were not indestructable. Their victories had been costly. He wiped the thought from his mind and he reached out in the force. He felt calm, almost warm. It relaxed him.

<<Moved to halls of the Jedi Temple>>

[Iota]

Iota non-chalantly wanders into the training room, He kowtows before the other participants out of respect and honour. He walks to one of the computer terminals and dials in his training schedule. A few seconds later a droid equiped with a training light saber walks into a free spot in the training room. Iota walks to the droid and stands about 6 feet infront of his sparring companion.

"its been along time since i faced you droid...." Iota states in a soft yet confident manner.

The droid ignites its lightsaber and lunges immediatley forward striking downwards, Iota simply slides to the side and shakes his head slightly, he ignites his lightsaber and does an impressive butterfly flourish before taking a defensive stance.

The droid thrusts forwards a jab to iotas right side, but iota steps out of the way. Then from the jab the droid pulls back, twirls the saber before slicing at iota's left side. Iota parries the attack away before spinning on his left foot and using his right foot to kick the droid in the chest. the droid stumbles back a few feet and Iota resumes his defensive posture.

Te droid stand back for a few seconds as it analysis Iota's previous moves and tries to come up with a plan of attack.. The droid starts to swirl it's lightsaber first on its left side then on its right before lunging a parry of small but quick attacks towards his opponent. Iota taking steps back as he deflects the enslaught of the droids attempts. The droid pulls back and lunges fiercly towards Iota... Iota flipping backwards just manages to escape, he lands solid on his feet. He raises an eyebrow before sprinting forward and leaping into the air sweeping his lightsaber as he starts to flip over, He lands on his feet.. a few seconds later the droids head makes a loud "CLUNK" sound on the floor before its body falls lifelessly to the floor.

"I really should stop decapitating the droids... atleast the cleaners know i am back" smiles slightly before walking over to the nearest bench, he sits down and takes out a bottle of water and starts to sip from it as he watches the padawans and other jedi train.

[Halmtier]

(OOC- stickying this as it is an open RP about a specific and well used location in the temple.)

[invertin]

Arotev nervously stepped into the chambers, trying not to attract any attention.. Though his clothes probably didn't help. A small amount of light shone off of his metallic hood and his dirty robes certainly helped him to stick out.

Noticing the large amount of strange people, Arotev found a secluded spot and sat down, observing the other Jedi around him.

[Meira]

Upon their return from Ilum, Meira sent Arichi to the library to collect some instruction holocrons on the Niman style. There were a number of Masters in the Temple who could teach them of course, but they were often overburdened with youngling classes as it was. The holocrons would serve their purpose. If there was something they simply couldn't figure out, then they would find a Master.

So while Arichi was at the library, Meira spent the time catching up with a few other knights. She had visited the Healer Niv Taro in the medical wing and had looked for Master Took, but he was apparently away on a mission. The Master who had informed her of this seemed slightly concerned but had ended their conversation with a shrug.

MasterTook finds his way into trouble often enough, but he always finds his way back out again.

Meira couldn't disagree with that. After thanking the Master for his time, she continued on to the training room where she had told Arichi to meet her. When the doors opened, the room was empty. Meira was not surprised. Arichi was the kind of student who could spend hours in the library and think nothing of it. Though her passion for learning was not quite as strong as his, she shared the sentiment. So while she waited, Meira took the time to do some stretches in preparation for their training.

[10Tickler]

Rushing through the hallways of the Jedi temple at a Brisk walk, Jon'arichi'kotokk cursed his Inquisitive mind as he tried to fix the heft of the Bag that he carried over his shoulder. Having gone to the Library, Arichi had found more then fifty Holocrons that matched Meira's request, from discussions of the Psychology associated with the Style of Niman, to Holovids of Two Jedi masters practicing the form with one another. Each Bit of information seemed more invaluable then the next to the Young Chiss, so he took them all, Much to the consternation of the Librarians.

Now, as he approached the doorway that led to the Training Hall, he swallowed nervously. Arichi had never been all too skilled with the Training sabers as a Youngling, hadn't focused much on becoming a master of the Blades. Rather, he had spent his free time meditating, reading and learning as much as he could. Theory, that he could work with, but application? That would be Much more difficult for him.

I'm sorry that I am late master Arichi said as he turned the corner, into the room, panting and sweating slightly from the load he had carried, as well as his pace. I wasn't sure what you needed or didn't, so I got as many of them as I could carry he added, hanging his head as he set the satchel down, his eyes flicking up to Meira's briefly as he awaited her response.

[Meira]

Meira was barely half way through with her stretches when Arichi came through the door, panting as if he'd been running. But it wasn't speed that had caused his heavy breathing, it was the load he carried. Meira laughed out loud when she saw it, moving over to help the boy. Shaking her head, she placed the bag on a table at the side of the room.

I don't know how you managed to tear so much away from the librarians, but I am sure that it is more than enough. She said, returning to the center of the room with a smile. C'mon. She said, waving for him to join her. We'll get to that soon enough, right now let's stretch and then we'll start with Shii-Cho to see where you're at and we'll work our way up from there.

Meira proceeded to lead Arichi in a series of stretches to loosen them up for the workout that they were about to jump into. After about ten minutes, she deemed that they were ready to get started.

We'll begin with one blade, so if you would please set the other aside. Meira waited for Arichi to do so and then removed a training lightsaber from a rack on the wall. She activated the blue blade and gave it a few swings to get used to its feel. Alright. She said, moving forward and taking a starting stance. Let's see how your Shii-Cho is.

[10Tickler]

Having stretched out with his master, Arichi used the time to Calm himself, to slow his heartbeat and Breathing and to focus his mind to the coming task. When Meira had decided that enough stretching was enough, he stood and listened to her commands. Deftly, with nimble fingers, the Young Chiss removed his twin sabers from their hook, on the back of his belt, and set them aside, on a nearby table. Moving with deliberation, he too gripped a Training Saber in his hand before moving back to Face his master.

Taking a Similar stance, Arichi Saluted Meira before igniting his Training saber as well. I must confess master... I've never been too skilled at Combat with the Blades he admitted to her, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. With that inhalation came movement, came open eyes that glowed a deep crimson, came a Slashing step forward, an easily recognizable 3/6 Slashing step that was the basis for one of the more basic sequences of Shii-cho. It was one taught to all Younglings, and easily Avoided or Blocked.