Early Morning

[Navaria Tarkin]

Navaria made her way into one of the empty training rooms and removed her outer cloak, neatly folding it and laying it on a bench. She walked to the center of the room and closed her eyes, letting her senses give her a feel for the room and began channeling the Force within her.

Master Leia was going to be away for some time, a diplomatic matter that required her skills at negotiation, and instructed her Padawans to practice with the use of the Lightsabre. Unfortunately, Navaria was still new to the ways of the Jedi ... at least from a certain point of view. Her training had been brief before with her Master. The trial at the Cave when she was on Dagobah was all that she had in formal training ... but not too long after that, she was killed (http://pub2.ezboard.com/fswvstitanicthejedicouncil.showMessage?topicID=237 4.topic) and then found her way back to the Academy (http://pub2.ezboard.com/fswvstitanicfrm13.showMessage?topicID=4.topic) once more.

This body was not her own but it felt right oddly enough. Even the changes in harmonics within the Force became almost instinctual now. She brought a hand up and traced the length of the hilt which belong to one of the sabres at her side. She had yet to face anyone in combat save the Sith Master Ayanami so long ago.

It was her first and last battle, not surprising that she lost.

Now it was required of her to face on of the other Jedi here at the Academy but her own self doubt refused to make a challenge known. She glanced over to the door that led outside. It was left opened. Perhaps it was something subconscious for her to do that ... wishing someone would enter.

Or maybe not ...

Navaria unclipped the sabre at her side, leaving the other one to hang at its place by her left hip. A flick of her thumb and the light blue blade ignited with a snap-hiss. Her own blue eyes became softer within the radiance of the blade and began working on kata's that she herself had no physical knowledge of but only as a silent watcher of her counterpart ...

[Gurney Devries]

Underneath the thick material covering him, Gurney Devries crossed both his arms over his chest, hugging himself to keep warm. His robes were covered in a fine mist of dew, a tell-tale that he had spent most of the morning outside. As he stepped into the Academy, Gurney gave a barely perceptible shiver, shaking off some of the water still clinging to him. The rest would dry soon enough.

Looking only at the floor, he began a slow and steady pace forward through the empty hallway. His footsteps echoed off of the hard marble floor, rebounding off the walls sharply. Bloody Jedi ought to carpet this place, he thought absentmindedly. It wasn't uncommon for Gurney to get wrapped up in his own thoughts, sometimes to the point that he would just ignore everything else around him. This was one of those times. As such, he walked passed the open door with hardly a pause, opting to brood over the poor construction of the building instead. But it was the stray footfall that caught his attention. He knew better than to ignore stray footsteps, even when he was self-absorbed.

Gurney halted in his tracks, lifting his head just enough to look around him. He frowned, his mouth creasing into a downward shape: No one else was here. Wait... that door down the hall was left open. Wide open.

Gurney shook his head, returning his gaze to the floor. Probably nothing that concerned him. But still... there was a nagging feeling about that door. It was the strangest thing, but he wanted to know what was going on inside that room. Curiosity killed the cat, indeed. Ah well - What was life without a little adventure?

Slowly, almost reluctantly, Gurney turned back and walked to the open doorway. He did his best to stand a good distance back from it, so as not to disturb whoever was inside. And then he saw her: Spinning, almost dancing with near perfection in a combat kata. Gurney hadn't seen anyone do one of those in years, much less with such perfection. Where had she learned how to do that? There he stood, motionless in the doorway; Transfixed on the woman who practiced within.

[Navaria Tarkin]

She pivoted around on the ball of her left foot, changing the direction of the hilt backwards as the blue blade stabbed behind her as if there was an unseen enemy. Her upper body returned to a more normal position but her legs weren't. Left leg underneath the right one as her right foot was pointed out perfectly straight. A flick of the left wrist and the sabre returned being held properly and with her free hand, Navaria released the second sabre from her belt and ignited within the next second.

The next spin of her body righted her feet, brought the pink and blue sabre before her at arms length, and then leaned back in a defensive posture. The blue blade hummed before her and the call of the pink sabre was heard behind.

A bead of sweat rolled down her brow, finding its way down her nose. The brown robes betrayed the perspiration was evident around her chest and down the length of her back. Navaria was breathing deeply through her nose, finding calm and tranquility in the physical exersion. Drawing upon the Force ... letting it freely enter her being, she started again.

Stepping forward, her arms moved in a hand over hand pattern ... letting the sabres wave around her with such fluidity. Concentration was an absolute must but Navaria trusted in the Force. A combination of her own skill and the guidance she sought made this exercise almost ... simple. Slowly she weaved the lightsabres around until she made her way to the center of the room. The weapons came up high above her head and she spun around with the grace of a dancer ...

"HA!"

The dropped to her knee as the two blades criss-crossed together and lunged forward with skill that surprised the person wielding the weapons.

How am I doing this? Are her skills that embedded into my psyche that I know how to do this?!

[Gurney Devries]

The skill that the women moved with... it was nothing short of stunning. With some hesitation, Gurney found himself stepping through the doorway and into the room with this mysterious female. Softly, the padawan faked a cough to draw attention to himself.

[Navaria Tarkin]

Being so engrossed in trying to understand what was happening, she neither heard no sensed the Padawan that entered. Navaria was transfixed by the iridescent blades but snapped out of it hearing the quiet cough.

Her face betrayed her embarrassment and stood up quickly, disengaging the sabres. This man was new to her and she bowed in greeting.

"Good morning to you, sir."

[Gurney Devries]

Gurney raised his head then even more, taking the opportunity to examine her from a closer range. There were a hundred and one little signs that bespoke extensive combat training in the mysterious woman. Strange that someone seemingly so delicate could also be so formidable. With a slight nod of his head, Gurney acknowledged her gretting and returned it in kind.

"And a g'morning to ye too, lass. I dinna mean to intrude, but I couldn't help but notice ye practicing with those lightswords there. I've ne'er seen anything quite like it."

[Navaria Tarkin]

She wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled.

"It isn't easy, believe. To handle such a weapon that holds no weight is a delicate art."

Berating herself for not introducing herself, Navaria rubbed her hand on her pants to remove the perspiration. She extended her hand to be a little less formal.

"My name's Navaria Tarkin. I train under Master Leia Solo but she's away right now. She wanted me to start my sabre lessons."

She smiled lightly.

[Gurney Devries]

The man stared at Navaria's extended hand awkwardly for a moment, almost like he was deciding what to do with it. He didn't want to seem rude, and he knew it was customary here to grasp another's hand when first meeting them... but it was still an unusual practice in his eyes. Mentally shrugging, Gurney lifted his outer robes a just enough to allow him to reach out his own hand, shaking the woman's gingerly before pulling away.

"Names Gurney. Nice ta meetcha, mizz Tarkin. Y'say yer teacher is away now, eh? Well, I've yet ta find one, meself. A nice man by the name o' Kikran has been helping me with the rudimentaries so far, though."

The hood dipped a bit lower as Gurney spared a moment for a closer look at one of the lightsabers she held. Such a small thing, those. Yet he'd heard many stories of how dangerous they could be, in the right hands. He turned his gaze trailed up a few inches to the hand that held it; these were most certainly the right hands.

"If ye wouldn't mind - That is, if it wouldn't be a great deal of trouble... do ye think you could teach me ta use one of those things?"

[Navaria Tarkin]

Navaria took a step back in complete shock. The reason why she was able to handle a lightsabre so well was something that she rather not let anyone know. Let them think it was innate skill and for those that knew her better, perhaps they could infer more. Either way, she wasn't proud as to how she could handle such an elegant weapon in her hands. Her calling now was a healer, a defender of the weak. The knowledge within her was of a killer ...

She decided on another approach to handle this situation.

"Sir ... I am but a Padawan. I don't have the right to teach such things."

[Gurney Devries]

With only a hint of his face visible, it was difficult (but not impossible) to tell that Gurney was frowning. Underneath his robes, he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Y'mean ta tell me that only those with tha rank are allowed ta teach other people? Seems kind of counter-productive to me. If someone knows something, they should be allowed to share that knowledge with others."

Without really waiting for a reply, Gurney shrugged, the cloth of his cloak bunching up at the shoulders.

"But ahm not going to go against any of the rules this early in the game. Don't want ta get kicked out, or nothin. P'raps I could just practice with you, then? I don't know much of these Jedi ways, but I was a combat instructor for many years. I know a few tricks of my own."

[Navaria Tarkin]

Navaria had to smile.

"Of course everyone can learn from each other. I myself don't feel it is my right to teach you because I'm still not completely sure what I do know."

The smile turned into a frown and she moved towards a rack that was on the side of the wall. She pulled off two objects that had similar designs to a sabre and walked back towards Gurney.

"Considering you haven't used a sabre before, it would be better to use these."

She tossed one of the objects to him.

"Instead of emitting a blade that can cut through anything, this ignites a force blade."

She thumbs the trigger and a pale yellow beams appears right before her fellow Padawan.

"If you get hit at least it will bounce off your body instead of cutting through it."

[Gurney Devries]

Gurney took the metallic cylinder in one hand, clearly curious as to how to use it. He turned it over several times, inspecting it's design as well as testing it's heft and weight. Making sure to point the open end away from himself, he fingered the control on the side, the brilliant yellow blade springing to life instantly.

"A... force blade, you say? Right, well... ol' Gurney ain't too 'sperienced with the Force yet. But we'll give this a go, I guess."

Although he had never so much as picked up a lightsaber before, Gurney had seen many Jedi in his time use them. Had fought alongside some of them, actually. From his experience, he knew that it was a deathwish to provoke a fight with someone who knew how to use them. Yet... this Navaria person had claimed that this one would not harm him. He wasn't willing to put it to the test quite yet, and so he'd have to take her word for it at the moment.

He lifted it into the air a few inches, testing it's response. Somewhat to his surprise (although he had really expected it), the weapon offered not even the slightest hint of resistance. He could just imagine how easy it would be for someone who didn't know how to handle one of these to chop off their own limbs. Someone like him, that is. Then again, he'd have to learn sometime to prevent just such an accident from happening. Gurney wasn't exactly young, but he wasn't looking forward to having a bionic arm for the rest of his life.

Navaria politely gave her new sparring partner the opportunity to become accustomed to his new weapon wordlessly. When he was satisfied with his inspections of it, he turned back to face her, bringing his weapon to guard. He's used melee weapons before, certainly. And this wasn't all too different. But despite that little pep talk, he was still nervous. Should he make the first move, or stand back and play defense? The latter course seemed prudent, but then again, he had never been a prudent man.

Gripping the hilt of his weapon with both hands, Gurney was suddenly accutely aware of how much a hindrance his robes were going to be. He mentally grimaced, realizing that there wasn't much he could do about that. Might as well get accustomed to it now. From underneath the darkness of his hood, he stared at his partner, unblinking. And then he struck. His toned muscles snapped alive and sprung, moving with the fluid grace of a vornskr. Bringing his weapon up overhead, he feinted a strike before swinging it around to the side. The blade of light made a fast, but clumsy arc towards Navaria's side as he tried to steady his strike.

[Navaria Tarkin]

As she watched Gurney grow accustomed to the weapon she gave him, Navaria noticed that he was completely sure of himself. He wanted to adapt to the new weapon but was a bit fearful of using it as well. She was most grateful that the Academy had such harmless blades here, unlike the Sith who just jumped into sabre training like it was nothing. Of course, it was the strong who would survive and those that adapted within a second.

It was quite odd that most Sith would survive training to begin with. With the influx of such evil beings, one would think there would be less of them because of such tactics in training. It was truly a quandary.

Finally, Gurney was ready and stepped up in a defensive posture. Navaria did likewise and she waited ... this was the Padawan's first time fighting like this and she didn't want to to rush him. He was still indecisive but quickly decided on the course of action he wanted to take.

The strike was coming in on an awkward angle, but it did have some speed and strength to it. Navaria took a step back with her right foot and with both hands, turned her blade down and blocked the strike. The Force had helped to guide her hand and stopped the blade before coming in contact with her body. She took note of what had just occurred and realized that Gurney didn't reach out the Force at all. He was relying on pure ability.

She retreated back a few steps and relaxed, showing her fellow Padawan that this little interaction was halted.

"You do not channel the Force, Gurney. I guess you're really new around here."

[Gurney Devries]

(He took one step back, and then another. There was a pause, and then he favored Navaria with a sharp nod.)

"Yes'm, I am. I'm still a bit shaky when it comes to using the Force. All I got was a lil' training from Mr. Akard. Didn't know that you're s'posed to use it when fighting with these, though."

(He hefted the weapon again, looking at it intently for several seconds, before returning his gaze to the woman. He again took a defensive stance to show that he was ready to try again.)

[Navaria Tarkin]

She returned to holding her weapon in a defensive posture.

"Don't think too much. Instead ... open your mind and let the Force guide your actions. It becomes so inherent that eveything you do becomes instinct. Eventually the weapon you hold becomes an extension of your body. Your arms all the way down to you hands that hold that sabre become intune with your mind."

Her cheeks became flushed slightly, seemingly embarrassed by what she had just said.

[Gurney Devries]

He stood silently, without so much as making a motion to acknowledge Navaria's words. He tried his best to calm the queasy feeling that had made itself at home in his stomach, meeting with little success. This wasn't going to do any good... no way he was going to get in touch with anything other than a case of the cramps this way, much less the Force.

As much as he hated the trite trappings the circumstance provided him, he knew that the best way to calm oneself was to close your eyes. And with an ironic grimace, he did. It took a several long seconds before he felt it: A tingling, wam sensation. It reminded him of getting a hug from... (best to push that thought aside)... well, just getting a hug. It felt good. And he knew that he was once again touching the Force, as a child might carefully touch the surface of a vast and very cold lake. And, like a paper boat sat carefully on its surface, Gurney's mind began to drift across this placid lake.

He felt like he was walking in a dream, his movments becoming a fluid animation that played out before him as if he were watching from far away. He sat down on the lake's unbroken, glass-like waters and watched as he - no, his body - moved deftly and nimbly, feinting and striking with considerable grace. Each move was swiftly blocked and countered with even greater skill as Navaria kept up the pace. Slash, block, counter, slash... it was like they were dancing together. And although he was clumsy on the dancefloor, this was one dance that Gurney knew well.

Their blades locked together for an instant and held, each person struggling for the upper hand. Navaria was surprisingly stronger than he had given her credit for, and he was now paying the price for that mistake. Her blade bore down against his relentlessly, and it looked like he was going to lose this exchange. But with a brief flash of insight he twisted his weapon, forcing his opponents unexpectantly to the side. It was clumsily done but it seemed to have worked, buying him the quarter of a second he needed to make a strike for her exposed side.