If you want it badly enough (open)

[SashaKovalev]

(ooc: anyone feel free to join for whatever reason - teach him how, drag him outside, I dont care... :) )

The door to his room was wide open, as were the windows. He lay on his bed, hands tucked behind his head as his lightsaber hovered around the room. It was a beautiful day outside, but he’d spent the entire day out there the day before, and the sunburn he had was already uncomfortable. He supposed he could have found a spot in the shade, but it didn’t really matter all that much. This was the afternoon he had set aside to meditate. Lady Vader had suggested it during a recent conversation, and he respected her too much not to take her advice. So, as he thought about things, he practiced the basic skills. It was a good sign to him that he was able to do both at once, for only weeks ago managing one at a time had been task enough. But weeks had been quite long enough to him to be able to do both of these things at once. He was, like many Sith, impatient, and wanted the things he wanted as of yesterday.

His light brown hair was just a bit lighter after being in the sun as much as he had been lately. His face and arms were tan from spending so much time outside, despite the sunburn he was enduring today. He thought briefly what his master had suggested to him about pain. He recalled the darts that had hit him in one of the training sessions. He had wanted to ignore the pain. That was what he had done for 18 years. And now, he was learning to welcome it. He thought briefly of the sunburn he had. Though the pain was mild, it was annoying. And so he did as his master had told him and welcomed it. It wasn’t an easy thing to do, and it took some effort, but the reward made it well worth it. The reward – the allure of the dark side – its power and the addition that ran with that power. The pain almost strengthened him, and for a moment, he understood why so many Sith welcomed pain. The andrenaline from accepting it made him almost giddy. And restless. And he knew he was not to rush his training.

And so he focused his thoughts on other things. Other things that he had been asked to do. The lightsaber came back to rest in his hand, and he sat up and clipped it to his belt. His master had suggested he work on producing dark lightning. He hadnt yet felt the wrath of such lightning, but he doubted it tickled. He brushed an unruly lock from his eyes, for his hair was getting a bit longer and he would need a haircut soon, and then focused on the things his master had told him.

[Iesis]

*A soft padding of paws, with a slight click of claws, could be heard outside the doorway as the large cat poked her nose into the room. She sniffed once, taking a step into the room, examining the young man sitting on the edge of the bed, eyes closed.*

*With a tilt of her ebony head, and a flick of an ear, Iesis ventured into the room, stopping just inside the doorway, and sitting down, still looking at the man.*

[SashaKovalev]

His thoughts were distracted for a moment. Something, someone had entered his room. His eyes flew open to focus on who or what it was. He saw nothing at first, for he'd been looking for a person, or someone a bit taller. And then he saw it, a rather large panther-sized cat sitting just inside his doorway.

His head tilted slightly, a curious expression on his face as he looked to his visitor. A cat this size, with claws and teeth as this one had, was slightly intimidating. But she seemed to have no bad intentions, and his curious expression broke slightly into a grin.

He moved over a bit on the bed, leaving enough room for the giant cat to leap up if she preferred. It was the friendliest gesture he could make, it seemed to him, without risking putting the cat on the defensive.

[Iesis]

*Iesis remained quite still as Sasha looked at her and then moved over. She stretched her neck slightly to peer at the bed, and looked quickly behind her. She seemed to be listening to something before turning back to face the bed. She stood and lazily walked over to the edge, giving a half-hearted leap onto the bed. There she sprawled out, taking up most of the bed save for the small corner Sasha had chosen for himself.*

*A deep rumble of a purr emitted from her throat as her eyes half closed contentedly.*

[Lady Vader]

*While Sasha was busy watching the large feline on his bed, LV stepped into the room, clearing her throat. This brought Sasha's head whipping around to find the owner of the voice.*

I see Iesis has made a new friend.

*The Corellian panther merely continued to purr, making the bed vibrate slightly.*

[SashaKovalev]

He chuckled as Iesis jumped up to the bed, stretching out completely. He reached out a hand to pet her. Her coat with thick and surprisingly much softer than it looked.

As LV stepped into the room and cleared her throat, he turned his head to face her, the grin on his face fading slightly, as if, for a moment, he thought he might be in trouble of some sort.

But as she spoke, mentioning his new friend, his grin returned.

"Yeah, I guess so." He replied, his eyes looking back to the panther for a moment, and then back to Lady Vader. He would have stood in greeting, only the cat, in stretching out, had made that difficult.

"Is she yours?" He asked as he continued to pet the black cat, her purring shaking the bed slightly.

[Lady Vader]

*LV nodded her head, stepping into the room.*

She is my companion. But she is not mine, persay. She is free to come and go as she pleases. Though most of the time she stays.

*She reached the bed and scratched the large cat under the chin, causing the cat's purr to increase in strength and volume.*

[SashaKovalev]

His eyes followed her as she walked into the room, flickering to the floor momentarily in respect, and then back to her as she scratched the cat under the chin.

He was glad that she had stoppped by. He respected her immensely, and knew that there was much he could learn from her. Despite his youth, he had a very serious nature, and learning was something he took very seriously. If his friends back home hadnt teased him so much about it, he might have spoken up more in his classes, might have asked the questions he now dared to ask. Being the only kid in school who didnt know who his father was, he'd just wanted to fit in, and so he'd gone with the flow of things, doing as the others did, and avoiding drawing attention to himself.

Here at the Sith Order, he no longer worried about such things. It was taking a bit of time, but slowly he was beginning to make friends, and always, he knew, he could go to his Master, or Lady Vader, or Live Wire with questions.

Absently, he continued to pet the cat, pausing only to brush his hair from his eyes. Tomorrow, he decided, he would get it cut.

"Can I ask you a question about how to do something?" He inquired, his voice hesitant, not because he was afraid to ask her questions, but because he wasnt sure if she had the time at the moment to deal with him.

"Master Dyzm suggested I work on dark lightning in his absence...and Im just not sure where to begin. I've only ever seen it done a couple times before." And the few times he'd seen it done, it hadnt been used on anyone. It had been a demonstration, or a warning of sorts. He wasnt sure how it felt to be hit by it, or to wield it, but like most things, he was sure he would need a better understanding of these concepts before he was ever able to do it himself. He was impatient to learn these things, but Lady Vader had warned him enough not to try to do more than he could handle, lest he lead himself down his own path of destruction. And so, with some things, he knew to take his time, and he didnt expect this particular ability to come right away.

While he did have a certain level of natural talent, not everything could come so easily, and would not be gained without serious time and effort. But he wanted it. He had a hunger for knowledge, and wanted to master this mystery of the dark side that had been opened to him. And so he had been working very hard on his training, and on most days he learned something new, or improved just a bit upon his skills. Other days were not quite so promising, and left him angry and frustrated. All in all, he was coming along, but he had a very long way to go before he mastered the dark side. If this was, in fact, truly possible.

[Lady Vader]

*LV smiled, looking at the young man.*

Ah, dark lightning. A powerful attack, and atcually one of the basics.

*She reached over and pulled up a seat that was up against the wall, sitting in it, one leg bent under her.*

Though I can teach you myself how to use Force lighting, I think it'd be best if Live Wire were the one to show you how it really works. It is, after all, her forte.

*As she spoke, she brought both hands up, palms facing each other at about a foot apart. In between both hands, little sparks of light began to pop and snap until there were tiny viens of lightning passing between both palms. It wasn't a show of power, but a demonstration that one could use their palms to conduct the electricity in the atmosphere between the palms with the help of the Force.*

*While the lightning danced bewteen her palms, she called to her good friend and sister of the dark. Live Wire... your presence is requested. Afterwards, she spoke to Sasha.*

Why don't you try this while we wait for Live Wire to show. I have sent for her.

*She gestured towards her hands.*

Do as I have done. Mimic my hand positions. Then I want you to visualize the electricle charges in the atmosphere. Envision them between two conductors, in this case, your hands. See if you can't get a spark or two to pop and sizzle.

[SashaKovalev]

The hand that had been petting the large cat stopped the absent minded petting, and lay still. He watched intently as Lady Vader pulled the chair up and began the display of conducting the electricity present in the atmosphere.

Her hands were only about a foot apart, but the power generated between them was impressive, at the least.

As she requested, he brought his hands up, about a foot apart as hers were. His violet eyes stared at the electricity between her hands for a moment longer, as if mezmerized, before they flickered to his own hands.

A determined expression came to his features. His jaw set, his teeth clenched, and then he closed his eyes, trying to visualize the electric charges. At first they came to him as they do in text books, scientific names and forms with little to no visual inspiration. But as his eyes remained closed, and his eyes sought to see the charges behind closed lids, the darkness turned to a faint red hue. In this, he could envision his hands, and faintly, as it faded in and out, he could see a line of energy that connected them.

But nothing came of this at first. After a few moments, he opened his eyes, only to see Lady Vader there, still. He felt the flush of frustration rise to his cheeks. This was a basic skill. And yet....it seemed to be evading his abilities.

[Lady Vader]

*She smiled, her hands already having been lowered when Sahsa opened his eyes again.*

Don't be too frusterated, Sahsa, or you'll never be able to grasp that which you want.

*She continued.*

Though Force lightning is a basic skill, it is an advanced basic skill. But getting a few sparks is the start, and, while your eyes were closed, there were some tiny flashes of light between your hands.

You had what you wanted, but it evaded you as you began to rush yourself. Remember what I told you about rushing? Sometimes you have to take time with your work.

*She pointed to herself.*

Do you think I had this skill in one day? No... it took me awhile to understand how to manipulate that which i could not see with my physical eye. It's like thinking with a second brain attached to your second eyes. You have your physical aspects, and then your mental ones, the ones used to gather the Force for various skills.

*She laid her hand back on her lap.*

Don't be so hard on yourself, Sasha. You'll get what you want eventually. All it takes is hard work and patience.

[SashaKovalev]

At her words and her smile, he looked down towards the ground, staring, but not really seeing the plain pattern of the floor. His frustration with himself led to anger, and he could feel it in his veins as he sat there.

He finally looked up at her as she spoke to him about rushing himself. His expresion was that of the child that he still was, frustrated and brooding - like a little boy who hadnt been allowed to have a toy he wanted.

He understood all that she had said. He knew many things would take hard work - but patience - patience just wasnt his forte no matter how hard he tried.

He stood finally, carefully moving limbs of the panther from him, and crossed the room to look out the window. Though he was only on the second floor, where all of the apprentices lived, his view was nice, and sometimes, calming.

But not today. He had been working on this skill here and there throughout the week, and he was tired of waiting. Of course, a weeks time was nothing in the course of his training - his training would take years and years, and likely even then there would still be more to learn. But he hated not being able to do something, and he hated that he had doubts about ever being able to do it. His own self doubt only fueled his anger, and when he turned back to look at Lady Vader, this anger was visible in the flush in his cheeks, and the gaze of his violet eyes.

He respected her. He respected all that she had told him. But he hated being patient. He hated waiting for time to be on his side.

"Why does it have to take time?" He asked, his tone almost demanding in his frustration.

[Lady Vader]

*She frowned slightly, but remained calm.*

Because if you rush, you will destroy yourself with your own power. You have to take the time to understand it.

*She took a breath, letting it out slowly.*

Let me tell you a story. You may already know this, but it is something you can learn from.

When Palpatine was murdered, he was able to transport his essence into a cloned body, thus evading death and continuing to live.

But his impatience to have all that which he wanted, would soon destroy him.

His clone body turned Luke Skywalker for a breif period, though Skywalkers intent was to destroy the Sith. Again, Palpatine grew old and decrepid and he again transfered his essence to another body.

In his zeal and impatience to gather that which he could not hold onto, mainly the Skywalker twins, he unleashed a Force storm large enough to engulf the entire fledging Republic fleet.

But his impatience and not being prepared got the better of him when both Skywalkers showered him with the light side of the Force, blinding him to the dark side. He could have held onto that storm if he had not been in such a hurry to construct it, to have a firm grip on it, to make it a part of him.

Instead, the surprise attack by the Jedi made him lose control of his power, and it lashed out at him, engulfing his enormous ship and his own fleet, even himself.

*She looked at Sasha as he listened, his expression remaining the same, but the flush in his cheeks subsiding.*

That is why I tell those young Sith to be patient in their training. Yes, perhaps that is more of a Jedi thing to say, but it does not mean we cannot learn from it.

We must be careful in how we learn, in how we fuel our power, and we need to understand it before we unleash any of it. Otherwise we will end up destroying not only ourselves, but that which we have worked so hard to accomplish and build.

[SashaKovalev]

As she spoke, the flush in his cheeks subsided slightly. He could hear in the tone of her voice that this was a lesson for him to learn. And, of course, he had noticed the frown that had come across her features.

As she spoke, he listened intently, his gaze eventually looking to the floor, as young boys who know they are wrong often do, and then back to her.

He was silent for a moment.

"I understand." He finally stated. He sighed.

And then he raised his hands once again, as he had done before, and focused. He wanted this power. He wanted it so very badly. And if he wanted it enough....

[Lady Vader]

*LV merely nodded her head. The boy was intelligent and understood quickly enough, and there was no need for reprimanding or stories.*

*She watched as he attempted the exercise to control Force lightning again. She knew he knew he needed time to learn. He was just anxious to move on. She could sympathise, as she had been the same way when young. Youth always wanted to move ahead, to impress their elders. But as one grows older, they understand that taking time is just as important as aquiring the skill.*

*And perhaps finally, Sasha was beginning to learn this lesson.*

*As she pondered this, small sparks popped in between his hands, and she smiled, reaching out to touch the outsides of his hands. He was doing his best, and sometimes, a little push in the right direction would show him the way.*

*With some concentrated power, though not so much as to startle him, she sent a tendril of power through his hands. Immediately, a spark of lightning arched between his palms, small, yet strong, and danced there. She gently removed her hands, but the lightning remained, jumping between his palms, alive with energy.*

*Now he would know what it would feel like. Now he would know what to look for. Now, perhaps, he would learn that patience gave reward.*

[Iesis]

*Iesis looked up from her spot on the bed, her tail thumping lazily against the side board. She sniffed at the air that Sasha was using to create the lightning, snuffling as her ears drew back against her head. She was not angry. She just didn't like how the static electricty was beginning to make her tiny hairs stand on end.*

*Groaning softly, she laid her head back down, the perfect picture of patience, as she knew the lightning would soon subside and disapear, leaving her fur to settle back down.*

[SashaKovalev]

The sparks were tiny, and in his mind, they were hardly impressive. He was hard on himself, pushed himself to the limits, and he wouldnt be happy stopping there with just a few sparks.

As Lady Vader held her hands just outside his, his violet eyes looked to her for a moment. He was in awe of this woman, and would have done anything she asked of him. She carried strength and grace, and while he didnt fear her, for he had no reason to just yet, he carried a great respect for her.

He was concerned at first that she was angry with him for pushing his training - trying this activity once again - but quickly learned that she was there to help him. As the lightning passed from her through his fingers, and the lighting danced there, he stared, mezmerized. And then he gathered his wits and concentrated. As she pulled her hands away from his, the lightning danced there for a moment longer.

He could feel the rush of this feeling as it coursed through his blood. This power was addicting. He wanted to be able to feel it once again, completely on his own, coming from him. And one day he would be able to do it. This vow, he made to himself.

The lightning faded as he was distracted by Iesis's movement. He saw the cat peering at him, and smiled slightly at her discontent.

Sorry.... he thought briefly, then turned to Lady Vader.

His expression was serious for a moment before it finally broke into the grin he could no longer contain. She had made it possible for him to feel this lighting, to show him that he was capable of it...it was just take practice. And time. It would take patience. And then his expression sobered once again, though the excitement still danced in his eyes.

"Thank you." He stated quietly, his voice carrying his respect for her and her abilities. And then he asked a question, for he was a curious kid despite his serious nature.

"When you use it on someone....what kind of effect does it typically have?" He asked. He wanted to know, for when he was capable of using it, and if he needed to use it.

[Lady Vader]

Well...

*She thought for a moment, looking at Iesis as the cat began to settle down again after the lightning bout both Sith had been working on.*

It courses through the victims body, eating away ever so slowly at the marrow in their bones. It's painful to say the least, and depending on the power behind the attack, can be deadly.

Used on someone without the Force can leave them with pain in their joints and sometimes even crippling effects. It can, if used enough, kill them.

Used on someone with the Force, they can heal themselves in time, though they will feel lingering aches from time to time. Eventually those aches will go away, but it takes time for something as deep as marrow to heal.

*She chuckled.*

It basically fries your insides. Litterally.

*She winked.*

Anyone for roast Jedi?

[SashaKovalev]

It took a moment for him to fully accept this explanation. Frying someone wasnt exactly top on his list of ways to defend, or kill...but then, he certainly wasnt an expert at these things. Not by a long shot.

Perhaps in time, a lust for power would turn his mind, turn his heart so that the thought of this was something he preferred, or craved. But for now, it was likely he would kill quickly if the situation came, not torture.

Then again, when the time came to use it......only time would tell. For now, he just wanted to be able to do it on his own, for he had liked the way he had felt as the electricity conducted between his hands.

He managed to smile wanly at her roast jedi suggestion.

"When do you usually use it?" His head cocked curiously.

"And how do you defend it...if someone used it on you?" He asked as he sat down on the windowseat and looked to her, a serious expression on his young face.

[Lady Vader]

*She leaned back in her chair.*

Well, I hardly ever use it, opting for other methods that are more... explosive. Live Wire uses lightning more as it is a part of her very being.

*She crossed her legs under her.*

As to blocking it, that is a bit more advanced. It's just an understanding of how the power is constructed and then encasing it, absorbing it if you will, to fuel your own energy.

But you have to be prepared to accept it, or it will hurt you.

Another way is to simply errect a Force Protection bubble. It blocks the power of the lightning, but it does not absorb the power for later use.

[SashaKovalev]

As she spoke, his violet eyes looked to her while his fingers played absently with the band of the watch that he wore. It was nothing fancy, but it did the job. Someday, he wanted to know how to do these things that she spoke of.

"Will you show me how to do these things someday, when you feel that Im ready to learn them?" He asked.

He could have asked his master about them, he supposed, but his master had been away with business often, and when he had been around, there were basics to training that had to come first. And besides, he respected this woman, and if she was willing to teach him, he was willing to learn.

[Lady Vader]

*LV smiled.*

Of course I will show you. I have yet to turn away someone willing to learn, and you certainly have the willingness.

[SashaKovalev]

He did have a willingnes to learn. And he was frustrated by his master being gone so often, for he had many questions to ask him, and many things he wished to learn from him. Always, he was working hard to learn something new, something that might impress his master.

"Lord Dyzm mentioned to me that he would be on a leave of absence, and that I would have a new master while he was gone." He stated. This was followed by a sort of sad sigh.

"How will I know who my new master is to be?" He asked quietly.

And then, in a small, almost hopeful voice, he added, "Will it be you?" His violet eyes looked to her for a moment, then back to his hands, where only moments before she had shown him what it felt to wield dark lightning, before he raised his eyes to her once again.