The time and space in between (LV)

[Maxim Vasilijev]

As they approached the training grounds, Maxim could feel his heart begin to truly beat within his chest. Not out of fear, necessarily, but out of that familiar feeling of adrenaline. One could die out here, certainly. Lessons were sometimes learned, and lessons were sometimes….taught. Maxim hoped that today would be a day for learning, and not for receiving punishment for having taken some time away.

“I didn’t forget about my skills while I was away…” He stated, somewhatin defense of himself as they walked onto the training grounds.

“I practiced some of the drills that you gave me.” Maybe he was just a little worried she was going to be awfully hard on him. Not that he couldn’t and wouldn’t take it like a man – like a Sith worthy of a promotion at some point. But still…he was human. And he was heading onto the training grounds with Lady Vader.

[Lady Vader]

"Did you now?" Having left the safety of the hallways (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37957), LV lead the young man to a spot on the training grounds that were unoccupied and large enough for them to do some sparing and telekinesis.

"There is a fundamental difference in practicing by ones self and practicing with another person." She unclipped her double-bladed lightsaber from her belt, unclipped the two halves at the center, and placed the second lightsaber back at her belt. "Let's see what you remember."

Without warning, she activated the saber and brought it in a swing towards his arm.

[Maxim Vasilijev]

He had been watching her warily, perhaps. Maybe he should have taken a cue from her – maybe when she had reached for her saber he should have reached for his. But…certainly he had not thought she was going to attack without warning.

This was training.

Then again, maybe he and Lady Vader had different definitions.

“What the?!” The rest of his words were lost as he dove away, making every effort possible to preserve his limbs – and his life. He’d barely made it out of the reach of the blade, but it had not missed the cloak he wore, easily slicing through it.

His saber came to his hand. He had reached for it, and had been almost there when it had move the last inch to find the palm of his hand. He activated it as he scrambled to his feet, expecting another blow to already be raining down upon him.

He could feel the anger surge at having been taken by surprise like this. He should have been ready, he chided himself. He should have known. And he expected to make a good impression like this? Diving to the ground like…like an apprentice would. He had to begin behaving more like a knight, if he ever wished to be promoted to one.

A knight would have been ready.

[Lady Vader]

LV smiled and continued the momentum, bring the saber into a wide arch down towards where his body had just risen to it's feet, this time aimed for his mid section.

[Maxim Vasilijev]

If anyone had been watching, they likely would have had the impression that the master intended to murder her apprentice. She wasn’t being easy on him, that was for sure. Then again, he should have known. He knew this woman well enough to know that she was never easy on anyone. He’d witnessed it when she had made him confront his twin brother. Maxim was…well, he was no longer a twin after that day.

It had been easier than he had thought that it would be, murdering his own brother like that. But something had consumed him – the anger at having always had to share the spotlight with another. Anger at being compared to another.

That he could do it – that he could kill, and that he could kill a part of himself, really, in killing his twin to set himself free, well, this had taught him a lesson about himself. There was a hardness to him that he had only to tap into – for if he could do something that difficult, surely he could accomplish greater things.

Oh, he was rusty, certainly. There was no comparison to sparring every day and simply going through the motions in practice. But he was athletic, and he was determined, and he wasn’t going to come to his death in such an embarrassing way as dying on the training grounds. No, he was going to die a glorious death when he went.

His saber made it up just in time to block the blade coming at him. The strength behind the sweeping arc bore down upon his blade, sending it precariously close. Close enough to cut through his clothing and burn the flesh just below his ribs.

With a curse of anger, he recovered his blade, pulling it free and taking his own vicious swipe at the one attacking him. Maybe it was on target, maybe it wasnt. But it was fueled by anger, and with anger came the inkling of power from the dark side.

[Lady Vader]

LV reacted quickly, by calling her other lightsaber to her fre hand, igniting it in mid-air, and bringing it to bare on Maxim's saber as it came towards her. She batted at it, taking the other saber that had been knocked away and following through with the movement over her head and down at her apprentice.

Her smile widened. He was remembering his old training.

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Twin blades. Lord have Mercy.

He did not waste time with words or conversation. He didnt have a chance, and he sure as heck needed to focus on defending himself, and words werent going to do the trick.

A quick blade, maybe, would.

Or....or....

With his anger, Maxim sought the strength of the dark side, sought to command it to do his bidding, to give a good push through the force - enough to hopefully back Lady Vader away from him and give him a chance. A fighting chance at survival.

Because maybe his blade would arrive in time to deflect that downward slash, but there was little chance that it would save him from the followup blow from the second blade.

And so his saber sought to free itself to rise to block, this action being done on reflex only, for the rest of him was concentrating on urging - no - demanding the dark side to give a good push through the force to shove his master away.

[Lady Vader]

To say LV wasn't surprised that Maxim would use the Force would have been false. But she was indeed surprise it had taken him this long to utilize it.

The Force push, while not strong, was still enough to send her skidding several feet back, her shoes leaving treads in the ground. He had blocked the slash with his saber, albiet sloppily, but the Force push had taken him from harms way of the other saber.

She allowed some praise at this time. "Good, Maxim. You're remembering."

She didn't, howvere, slow down, and this time used her own Force to bring a small bolder bearing at him.

[Maxim Vasilijev]

Yes, he was remembering. It felt….well, it felt exhilarating, despite the possibility of death. Then again, maybe that was what made this so exciting. But still, it had been some time since he had really tapped into the force. There hadn’t been a reason while he had been staying with Kei and helping her to settle in. To return to it was so inspiring that with each breath of it, each moment that he felt the dark side flow through him was a moment of strength, a moment of power and ambition. How had he stayed away from this for so long? Though only a few months, it felt like it had been forever.

And the praise – to hear praise from his master – well, that was an ego boost for sure. You didn’t get praise from Lady Vader often.

He felt, rather than saw the boulder flying at him. And this was when he knew that he truly had returned. To be able to feel that – the warning – was a reminder to him of where he belonged. And where he was at the moment. On the training grounds.

He sought to redirect the boulder. His strength was not enough to send it flying back, or to destroy it, but it was enough to push it to the side so that it narrowly missed him. And then he set out on the offensive. Allowing the anger to flow through him, opening himself to the dark side, he jumped back into the fray. He perhaps should have kept in mind that his master had twin blades – but aggression and ambition took over, and he sought to prove himself as he took a swipe at his master, the blade moving up and at an angle towards her.

[Lady Vader]

LV swatted at the blade that came bearing down on her. Weilding two sabers was difficult at best, and with only one hand to guide each, there was a limited amount of strength you could put into the swing.

But it had it's advantages of causing a danger of dual proportions.

As her one saber swatted at Maxim's saber, the second she held came at him from the opposite angle. He would need to move quickly to deflect it.

[Maxim Vasilijev]

He moved quickly enough. With two hands on the blade, he was able to push one of hers away and then try to get his blade around in time to deflect the other blade coming at him. His blade arrived in the nick of time, but it took a moment to push back, for his concentration was mostly on stopping the momentum the blade carried as it moved towards his body. The force assisted in this effort, and he was able to push the blade back enough to try to take another quick slash.

He had never fought her with the twin blades before. Using them upon him in his first day back seemed a bit unfair, maybe. But then, truly, she was likely just trying to make him better.

Still, it was anger that motivated him in this fight. It was not a need to prove himself. It was not an instinct for survival right now. It was anger, pure and unabated, flowing through his veins and seeking an outlet- an outlet through the saber he wielded.

[Lady Vader]

*BUMP*