Crossing enemy lines (Gouyen)

[SashaKovalev]

She'd hailed him down in the library by the use of a paper plane. He had to admit, this amused him. He'd been speaking with Odin, a newer member of the Sith Order, and when their conversation had ended, he'd finally walked over to Gouyen.

He refolded the plane as he walked in her direction. He'd made plenty of these as a kid. When he got a bit closer, he tossed it to her. It didnt need the force to settle perfectly in front of her. He'd had much practice perfecting the aerodynamics of paper planes.

"You wanted to see me?" He asked, his voice even as he spoke, though there were undercurrents of a dislike of the woman. They had gotten off on the wrong foot for sure, but she was his sister in this order, and he would be nothing but civil, and loyal and protective if the situation arose.

His violet eyes looked to her, studied her for a moment. If they had met on different terms, he wondered if he would have had so much animosity towards her. His left hand clenched and released, a reminder of what she had witnessed, and his expression hardened slightly, giving him a year or two on his eighteen years of age.

[Gouyen Chee]

Gouyen smiled as the refolded paper airplane settled in front of her. Humor was often a useful tool for breaking down barriers, as right now she needed perfect honesty from both herself and Sasha.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked, faintly detectable undercurrents of dislike running beneath his words.

"Yes, please -- sit down," and she gestured to a nearby chair. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence between the two before she began. "I would like to apologize to you -- I have severly underestimated you, your strength and your loyalty. I have noticed that Lady Vader thinks quite highly of you and that has forced me to reexamine my feelings towards you. I want to make you an offer, that is, if you can forgive me and accept it. What will you?"

[SashaKovalev]

He noticed a faint smile on her face as she looked at the airplane, and then she beckoned for him to sit. He paused for a brief moment, and then took a seat across from her. He settled into it and crossed his arms over his chest. It wasnt done as a conscious defense, but perhaps, without thinking, he was on the defensive with her.

She had witnessed the biggest mistake of his life. One he was not proud of.

He said nothing, just stared at her, waiting for her to speak. It was, indeed, and uncomfortable moment. He was silent as she spoke, but her words took him by surprise. Blindsided him. He hadnt expected this - and certainly hadnt expected it to be so sincere.

His head cocked slightly, studying her curiously, and then the hardened expression on his face faded ever so slightly.

She was making him an offer - to accept her apology. His violet eyes looked to the table, that brief moment of the exchange of blood, and her stepping up to witness it flashing in his mind. He looked angered for a moment, but the anger was with himself, not with her, he realized. He was the one who had made the mistake. Not her.

Slowly, he nodded. She was his bretheren. Andthis was a grudge not worth holding.

"I will accept your apology if you will accept mine, as well." His eyes looked back to her.

"You witnessed something I'm not proud of, and rather than accepting the fact that I was the one in the wrong, I tried to convince myself I was right by focusing on something else - by hating you for being a witness." He sighed softly, clearly disapponited in himself. He was hard on himself, and this was not something that had been easy for him to deal with. It had weighed heavily on his mind despite the fact that he had taken the ultimate step to make up for his mistake. Despite the fact that those he sought to please had forgiven him.

His eyes questioned, awaiting some sort of answer from her.

[Gouyen Chee]

She listened carefully to the yound Sith, and her estimation of him grew by leaps and bounds. Lady Vader's confidence in him was well placed indeed. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"I accept your apology. This has been a learning experience for the both of us. I have learned more about the ways of this part of the galaxy, and you have grown in wisdom beyond your years." She paused, weighing her words, then spoke. "One thing I learned from that fateful night is that you have no siblings. I have a sister, but no brothers. I would be most honored if you would take me for your blood-sister." She held out her right hand as an offering.

[SashaKovalev]

He nodded, for it was ture that he had learned much from the experience. And she had, too, it seemed.

As she spoke of knowing he had no siblings, and her offer to be blood siblings with him, he blanched, his face paling slightly. His last decision to do this had been quite enough for him.

He opened his mouth to speak, then paused.

"I learned that night that I do have siblings." He replied, his voice quiet, but clearly audible.

"I have an entire castle of them and if I had only come home to them, I would still have my own hand, and I would not have disappointed those who matter most to me."

"Your offer is both generous and kind, but you are, and will remain, with or without blood, my sister so long as you remain here."

"To become blood siblings with anyone would be treason, for my first loyalty is to this order, and must always be to this order. I cannot promise myself to anyone else." He spoke slowly, solemnly.

His violet eyes searched hers.

"Can you understand this without being offended?" He asked. His words had not been defiant or rude, they were spoken out of a new understanding of what loyalty to the order meant - to him, at least.

"For I dont mean any offense. I am honored that you would offer this to me. Honored beyond suitable words. And with time, I do hope that perhaps we might come to know one another as true siblings might."

[Gouyen Chee]

She listened carefully to his explanation, nodding, her obsidian eyes gazing into his violet ones. "I understand, Sasha. I am not offended by your refusal. It shows just how much you have matured. It's just that I would like to put away the past and start out afresh." She offered her hand again. "Come, let us shake on it -- you are my brother in the Sith Order, whom I will defend against any and all enemies and who can come to me in need. I am your sister in the Sith order -- will you defend me against all enemies and let me come to you in need?"

[SashaKovalev]

He actually, for once around her, smiled. A relaxed, natural smile.

"Im more than happy to put the past behind us." He stated, and extended his hand to meet hers.

"You have my word that as my sister, I will defend and protect you, even to my death, and should you ever be in need, you have only to let me know what I can do for you." He promised as they shook hands.

He glanced over at a window, the sun was beginning to set, but it would be some time still, before sundown.

"If you're through with things here, perhaps you'd be interested in a walk through the gardens?" He suggested, figuring they might walk and talk together there, so as not to interrupt any others who might have come to the library seeking peace and quiet.

[Gouyen Chee]

She smiled -- a warm, genuine smile. "It would be my pleasure," she replied. "Besides, you can meet my canine companion -- Robi, a Cybernian wolf-dog." The feeling she had from the young Sith reminded her strongly of the time that she and Robi had bonded. It was a warm feeling, a feeling of unbreakable partnership. But this was more open, more of a pairing of equals than of complimentary parts. They would share in eachother's strength, and in doing so, become greater than the sum of their individual parts.

She rose, stretching, and silently summonded her canine companion to meet them at the entrance to the garden. Once Robi had gotten Sasha's scent and Force-signature, the bond between them would be complete.

As they passed out of the library and into the hall, Gouyen asked, "I understand that there's a mighty dragon that lives in the garden. Lady Vader told me about him, but I have yet to see him. Do you know anything about him?"

[SashaKovalev]

Sasha grinned. He rather liked animals, and was looking forward to meeting this wolf dog of hers.

"I wish I had a dog..." He stated wistfully as they began to walk out of the library.

He paused in his thoughts to answer her question.

"Yeah, I've met Shenraun." He replied, referring to the massive dragon. He rather liked him - liked him quite a bit, and turned to him often for advice. He had been quite surprised the morning he'd met Shenraun, but since then had formed a bond with the impressive creature.

"He prefers the garden to himself at night," He added quickly, for while he had been granted permission, he knew that most others were not welcome - not without permission of the dragon himself.

"But if you should meet him ever, consider yourself quite fortunate. He's very wise and extremely....patient." He added with a bit of a secretive grin. Shenraun was always telling him - trying to teach him to be paient. So far....well...Sasha just wasnt a patient kid.

"So how did you come by Robi?" He asked, curious about the wolf dog.

[Gouyen Chee]

She smiled when he mentioned that he wished that he had a dog, then listened carefully about what he had to say about the dragon. There was quite a bit more that wasn't being said, particularly in the way he emphasized the word "patience" -- she smiled in understanding as patience wasn't her strong suit either.

Then he asked how she came about Robi, and her mind spiraled back to that fateful day. "It was on Coruscant, just after I had been made a warrior in the order -- the Assazi Order of N'dena, that is -- and I was there on a diplomatic mission. That was when I knew even less about this part of the galaxy than I do now," she smiled wryly. "I was wandering through a rather unsavory district when I saw this canine slink out of a side alley. She was all skin and bones, her fur all matted, but her golden eyes shone with a singular intelligence. She looked up at me and said through the Force, 'I will work if you feed me -- track someone down, guard you -- all for a bite to eat.' That's when I knew that this was a Cybernian wolf-dog.

"Wolf-dogs are like vornskyrs in a way," she continued in explanation, "in that they hunt and track using the Force. But unlike vornskyrs, they're sapient, capable of speech using either the Force or in their own ululating language. And their forepaws can stretch and extend to manipulate objects rather nimbly" She accompanied her explanation with mental pictures that Sasha could easily pick up on -- Robi's decidedly negelected state when they met, a vornskyr compared to a wolf-dog, the wolf-dog's nimble forepaws and ululating speech. "Wolf-dogs usually work with a human in something called a Cybernian pair, where the two form a life bond with one another, kind of like a marriage in someways." She smiled at the though of being "married" to Robi, which wouldn't do either of them any good as Robi was female. "It was this ability to pair-bond with another, complimentary species that allowed wolf-dogs and humans to survive, and even thrive, on the icy world of Cybernia." This was accompanied by mental images of bitter cold and wind-driven snow. "This made me wonder about what happened to Robi's pair partner. So I took her in, cleaned her up, took her to the doctor, where she was treated for a chronic infection and parasites, and basically became a substitute human pair for her. That's when she told me what happened. The vessel she and her pair were on was boarded by pirates. Her human pair was killed and Robi was taken into slavery, which was made worse by the fact that the pirates thought she was just some special sort of dog. She managed to escape and find her way to Coruscant, where she scrounged a living as a guard and tracking animal. Then we met, and the rest is history, so to say. I looked her up on the N'denen records, as Cybernia is a planet in the Assazi Combine, and verified her story. Six months later, we were formally declared a pair and she's been with me ever since."

[SashaKovalev]

He smiled faintly at the fateful tale. He'd always aksed his mother for a pet, but she'd been allergic, and she'd been sick enough already that to have one would have been most disaterous for her. His life had been on hold until she had passed on, and now he was living it. Living his life the way he had always wanted to live it. Maybe, someday, he would have a companion like Robi. Someday, perhaps.

The images sent to him by Gouyen helped to accentuate the tale.

"I've heard similar stories before - not those details, but stories of these wolf-dogs..." He shrugged a bit sheepishly.

"I read a lot.." He added, his cheeks flushing slightly. He wouldnt have admitted to most that he was as studious as he was - but there was something about her that made him feel this was an ok thing to admit - that she might understand and not tease him for it.

[Gouyen Chee]

Gouyen arched an eyebrow in surprise that he had heard of wolf-dogs before. They weren't particularly common in this part of the galaxy -- but sometimes less direct knowledge meant greater legendary status.

She had to chuckle softly to herself when he confessed to his fondness for books and such as she was much the same way. "I read a lot too -- that's why I'm here. The library here is fantastic -- and I thought the library in Oriabi -- that's the capital city of N'dena -- was wonderful." She paused, then added with a mischevious twinkle in her eyes, "Have you found anything of paticular intrest in there, such as how to build a lightsaber?"

[SashaKovalev]

Sasha couldnt help but laugh as she asked him if he'd foudn a aprticular book of interest.

"Thats one thing I definitely will not be learning from a book." He replied with an easygoing grin on his face.

He shook his head and chuckled.

"Do you know anything of constructing lightsabers?" He asked, his violet eyes glancing at Gouyen as they walked towards the gardens.

[Gouyen Chee]

"I know a thing or two about it," she replied, chuckling, "such as one does not learn the skill from books." That was a steep understatement, to say the least. "It took me several tries to get it right -- you have to learn patience, and how to control the dark side and not let it control you. I know some deep breathing exercises that might help -- if you want, I could show them to you when we get to the garden."

(OOC: Sasha -- have a safe trip :)

[SashaKovalev]

(ooc: thanks, I'll reply when I get back. Have a great rest of the month... :) )

[SashaKovalev]

“Breathing exercises?” The young sith apprentice questioned, an eyebrow raised slightly. To construct a lightsaber? On second thought, they were necessary. Reflecting upon his past few experiences, he’d been anything but calm and collected. If it hadnt been for Mu Satach completing the construction of the one he’d begun long ago, he’d likely still not have a working saber.

“Yeah…yeah that would be cool, I’d like to learn them.” His response was sincere, for he was eager to learn. This was something he took very seriously, his training.

“Where did you learn these breathing exercises?” He questioned as they continued their walk to the gardens.

[Gouyen Chee]

He seemed incredulous when she mentioned breathing exercises, but he was willing, even eager, to learn them. "I learned them back home on N'dena," she replied to his question. "They're one of the first things taught youngling students.

"The point of the exercises," she continued in explanation, "is to calm the mind into a state of pure being -- you almost step outside of yourself and become an external observer. The idea was derived ages ago, by observing natural phenomena. The cyclone has its calm center -- the rock stands fast against the torrent. But this seeming stillness is what controls the fury outside -- the eye dictates the cyclone's path, the rock dictates the water's flow. So it is with the dark side -- your calm part, your center," and she put a hand flat against her abdomen, just below the navel, "dictates the flow of the Force around you. You are at one with the Force, yet also apart from it."

She looked at Sasha and cocked her head a bit, noticing his slightly baffled expression. "Is this making any sense?"

[SashaKovalev]

He listened to her explanation, his own hand going to his abdomen as he considered her words.

"Yeah, it makes sense." He replied.

In school, they had studied cyclones, and he understood the eye of them, and a rock, certainly, he knew usually stood strong against the storm.

But the force....he felt it run through him, through his veins as his blood did. Centering it, focusing it...he had done it before for force shoves, and he had learned to do it when conducting force lighting, though at this point, he could do little more than conduct it through his fingers.

Learning to center it interested him, particularly this strange idea that he could almost be one, yet apart from it.

"Is it like mediation?" He asked.

[Gouyen Chee]

She nodded. "In fact, it is a form of meditation. You take very measured breaths that banish all thought and that fill you with the Force. Then you look for that still, small point of your being which is your center and focus on that. If you keep practicing reaching your center, it becomes second nature and then you can really use the dark side."

She pushed the door open and they walked out into the garden, where Robi was waiting for them. She walked up to a bench and sat down and waited for Robi to greet Sasha in her own fashion.

[Robi]

Robi had been waiting in the garden for some time since she had been summoned, wandering about aimlessly and taking in the smells. Then the door opened and Gouyen and Sasha strode out into the open air. She waited for the pair to get seated before she started acquainting herself with the young man, sniffing him thoroughly, getting both his scent and his Force signature. Then she sat up and offered Sasha a paw, one that had stretched into a sort of clawed hand.

"Grrrrrreeetings, Saaaaashaaaaa. Pleeeeeased tooooooooo meeeeet yooooouuuuu," she ululated, then added through the Force, I'm Robi -- I suppose Mistress Gouyen has told you something about me and my kind. Feel free to address me directly as I am perfectly capable of understanding you and replying to you.

[SashaKovalev]

Sasha raised an eyebrow in thought. this was something he wanted to know. Throughout the past few months since the incident, he had withdrawn a bit, his anger growing within him, and his determination becoming only more consuming. He would prove to his master that he was not a traitor. He would make her proud to call him her aprpentice. This was his mission. And anything, anything that would get him closer to completing it, he was more than interested in knowing.

He was distracted from these thoughts for the moment though, by Robi. His violet eyes followed the dog as she acquainted herself with him.

When she offered her pawed hand, he smiled. It was a relief to the sterness of his features and he seemed to be at ease. He was a big fan of animals of most sorts, and they brought out the little boy that still remained in him, as much as he tried to push him aside.

"Nice to meet you, Robi." He replied, taking her paw in his for a moment. He heard the rest of her words through the force, and nodded in udnerstanding. He was used to this by now, this talking through the force. It was amazing how something could become second nature so quickly when it became a way of life.

"Gouyen and I were just discussing a mediation technique..." He added in explanation, to catch Robi up on what had been going on as they had walked into the garden.

[Robi]

I know, replied the canine, flicking her sensitive, triangular ears. I heard. Mistress Gouyen is very wise -- I'm sure you will learn much from her.

With that, the canine moved a little away from the pair and lay down, watching.

[SashaKovalev]

He grinned. He had assumed the canine would know, but he hadnt wanted to be rude. He watched her go and lie down, and then he turned back to Gouyen.

"So how difficult is it to learn?" He asked, returning to the conversation they had begun on their way to the gardens. Patience wasnt a strong suit with him, but he was well aware that the important things often took some time to learn.

[Gouyen Chee]

She nodded as Robi retreated to her own corner. Remember to watch over him too, she told her on a tightly beamed Force transmission for her alone. The canine assented and then laid down. She turned back to Sasha.

"It's not difficult at all to learn, but it does take a while to master." She noticed a look of chagrin on his face, and added, "But results come almost immediately and improvement is quite palpable.

"The principle behind it is that you use breath to control the Force within you. What you want to do at first is take deep, measured breaths until you are empty of the Force -- that is, you will feel a void inside. Then you look for your center -- that's where you connect with the Force -- it's usually a small, extremely bright, circle of light. And you connect with your center. Once you've done that, and you're secure with your center, then you breathe deeply again, allowing yourself to fill up with the Force. But now you are controlling it from your center -- a part of it and yet apart from it.

"Would you like to try?" she asked, almost certain that the answer would be "yes."

[SashaKovalev]

Sasha listened intently to the instructions on how to find his center. He was worried that he wouldnt find it, that it would avoid him and furstrate him. But he tried to push these thoughts from his head and focus instead on being able to do as Gouyen suggested.

He nodded his head almost eagerly in response, a young, excited expression appearing briefly on his features before they were replaced with determination.

He looked to her as if to ask if it was ok to begin, and when he found her seeminly waiting for him, he blushed faintly, knowing she had seen his eagerness to learn.

As a teen, he still tried to play it cool some of the time, acting as if he didnt care, but inside, he did. He more than did. He loved learning new things, was eager to learn them, and slowly with the Sith order, he was realizing that he no longer needed to worry about the teasing of his friends. No one here gave him a difficult time for being a good student. And certainly, Gouyen wouldnt.

He leaned back against the bench they were seated upon and exhaled deeply. He wasnt even trying the exercise just yet, he just wanted to try to clear his mind a bit. And then he began to breath evenly, his eyes closed as he concentrated. It was calming, but he wanted so badly to find his center, that he began his search early, and found himself staring into darkness, the small light eluding him.

Eventually, he opened his eyes once again and looked to Gouyen.

"Im doing something wrong." He stated, defeat in his voice only briefly.

"How do I know Im empty of the force?" He asked.

"What exactly does it feel like?" His questions continued as his violet eyes looked to Gouyen, determination in them once again as he made his inquiries.

[Gouyen Chee]

She watched him carefully as he began to take slow, deep breaths. But he was rushing -- the breathing quickly became faster and more shallow. He opened his eyes and gazed at her with a look of pure frustration.

She listened to his questions and replied, "You're rushing things. You have to let your center reveal itself to you -- you can't force it. And that is when you know you are empty of the Force -- there will be nothing inside you but your center. Now, try it again, and remember not to rush the process."

She took a few deep, slow breaths and connected with her center, and waited for Sasha to do the same.

[SashaKovalev]

He sighed softly, a slightly defeated gesture before he smiled a bit sheepishly at Gouyen.

"I need to learn not to rush things." He admitted after her explanation.

"I always want it to happen immediately." he young sith added, glancing to the ground, and then back to Gouyen.

And then he followed her lead, breathing evenly, forcing himself to relax. And then he concentrated on pushing the force out of him in these even breaths.

When it came to him, the center - he had not been searching for it. It had come because he had been ready to accept it, because he had stopped trying to rush it.

He stared into the soft light for a moment, seen only through his closed eyes, and then smiling, he inhaled slowly, evenly, feeling as he did this the force, the darkness coming to him.

It filled his limbs, his senses and he was almost lost in it. For a moment he felt almost drunk in it, in the power of the darkness as it seemed to flow through him, surround him. And then his eyes flickered open. This feeling had jolted him back and he turned to stare at Gouyen for a moment.

He opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again.

"Should it feel like Im hurtling through space?" He questioned.

"It doesnt feel centered or grounded it feels..." He shook his head.

"It feels consuming." He finally finished.

"Is that because Im not used to it? Or did I go wrong somewhere..."

[Gouyen Chee]

She had to smile at his explanation -- she was like that once, long ago. Sasha reminded her of how she was back then -- young, talented, with little patience for the inevetable setbacks that would occur during training. But she had finally learned patience and the virtue of hard work and sensed that knighthood in the Order was just around the corner. She sensed much the same thing in Sasha -- he would advance rapidly throught the ranks and eventually become a great Sith master.

She breathed deeply, letting the dark side fill and surround her in its whirling torrent. She could feel that Sasha was in the same state. Then the spell broke, and he was back to asking questions. She exhaled deeply and completely, letting the Force flow out of her, for to keep it restrained with no purpose could be dangerous.

He had felt the same whirling maelstrom she had, but was unused to the feeling. But his questions were a good thing, evidence of his desire to learn.

"Those feeling you speak of are pretty common, particularly to beginners. As you become more attuned with your center you will find it easier to find and a more stable anchor. And even if you can't really feel it, it's still there, rather like a rock covered by the rushing torrent -- it may not be visible, but it still directs the flow.

"Would you like to try again?" she asked.

[SashaKovalev]

So what he had felt was right. He was relieved to hear this, and instantly he wanted to go back to the state, to master it. To find the center and feel grounded as the darkness swirled around him.

He nodded in answer to her question of whether or not he would like to try once again.

"Yes." He added, the determination in his voice carrying clearly.

And then he closed his eyes once again and relaxed into the breathing. As the force left him, and the light came, he welcomed the darkness. And rather than be concerned about being consumed this time, he let it flow through him and encircle him. He let it intoxicate him and with this acceptance, he found solid footing. He felt the center as Gouyen had told him he might andthe longer he remained in this state, the more grounded he began to feel.

Time. Experience. Experience and time were the key. As they always were.

And then, because he was young and curious, he experimented. He imagined, as he stared into the light, his center, that the darkness would help him to conduct force lightning. He'd asked Lady Vader to teach him this some time ago, and before this moment he had only been able to conduct it between his hands. But now, as he felt the power flow through and around him, he imagined the lighting coming from his fingers to singe a spot on the stone path in front of the bench they sat upon.

This time, he could feel the lighting as it conducted. It was stronger than before, and his eyes opened to the sizzle on the path before them.

"It worked!" He nearly shouted in surprise. Out of pride. Clearly in excitement.

He stood and knelt on the path, his fingers tracing the darkened spot on the stone before he looked to Gouyen.

"How do I find the center without having to close my eyes? How do you get to the point where it will come to you in battlle?" It being the center, the power he'd felt when he'd found it.

[Gouyen Chee]

Gouyen smiled proudly at the young Sith. They were both learning -- he was learning how to control the dark side and she was learning how to teach. She was quite pleased with herself, and with him, for an apt pupil always made for a wise instructor.

She answered his question. "It will come to you in time." There was that word again -- time. She smiled wryly. "I can center myself with just a breath -- but I've had years of practice. And you must always remember to release the Force you have called to yourself lest it turn back on you and cause injury.

"And I see that someone -- Lady Vader, perhaps." and she arched an eyebrow in inquiry, "has taught you the skill of Force lightning. It's generally considered a skill for masters alone, but I think it's a good one for the aprentice to learn because it teaches one how to handle pure dark side energy."

She leaned back in her seat, gazing out with a faraway look in her eyes. "I used the skill in battle recently -- Lord Dyzm took a group of apprentices with him on a training mission. I went with them, since, although I am a warrior in the Assazi Order, I am but an apprentice in this order. I was fighting the Jedi -- sometimes four at once -- when this one Jedi hit me unexpectedly with an iron beam, knocking me down. He took advantage of my state to pump a couple of slugs into my leg. Needless to say, I wasn't very happy about it, so I let my anger build around my center and fried the two Jedi who were attacking my at the moment." She grinned as she remembered the surprised consternation in the two Jedi's eyes as she unleashed her terrible attack. "Unfortunately for me, I was messing with an indescructable Jedi -- the only thing my attack did to him was to fry his outer coat. But the other one -- ah, she lay in agony until I was able to get away."

She sat for a while, savoring the memory, then looked up at the darkening sky. "Would you care to spar for a bit, while there's still some daylight left?" she asked. "It will give you a chance to use what you have just learned. Then maybe we could go to dinner together -- how about wandering into Coronet City and doing a little exploring?" She smiled broadly, her obsidian eyes sparlking with merriment. She was in an exceptional mood -- her former advisary was now a life-long friend and she was doing well for herself in the Order. Life was good and she wanted to celebrate.

[SashaKovalev]

Time. Was it his enemy or his ally? He wondered half the time.

He would have to find a way to make peace with it if he was to continue his training without losing his sanity.

But the concern rearding time disappeared at Gouyen's mention of his ability to conduct the force lighting. He grinned a bit, half pride and half somewhat sheepish. He knew this was something that was saved for when he had learned more, something he was not to use until he had become a master, one who could better control the darkside, one who had learned the other skills. But this was one thing he had wanted to learn. Practicing this, learning to conduct had been a focus of his during the months when his former master, Dyzm had been too busy to train him. He had been focused on this, and oftentimes little else. And throughout the months he had increased his ability to conduct it between his hands, but never had he been able to project it as he just had. This he credited to Gouyen for showing him how to find his center - how to find the power of the dark side.

"Lady Vader did teach me." He replied quietly.

And then he listened to her speak of using this skill in battle. He had not been on the group training missions. His master had not forbidden them, but she had not suggested he go either. He knew they were a road to promotion, but he also knew that in time, when his master felt he was ready, he would get what was due to him. And though he was impatient with most things, with this one thing, he was not. He respected his master, and he trusted what she felt was appropriate.

He smiled a bit at Gouyen's story, wondering a bit about the jedi and who the two were that she had done battle with.

When she suggested sparring and then dinner, he grinned.

He didnt mind sparring. In fact, he knew it was probably a good idea to practice his skills, but he hated doing it against members of the order. He was quick tempered, and tended to hold grudges from time to time. The last thing he wanted was to make enemies of friends or fellow order members.

He stood and shrugged.

"I'd spar. But I also wouldnt argue with going straight to dinner, either." He replied, his violet eyes sparkling with mischief. It had been some time since he'd gone out with friends. Back home he'd done this often, but here...he'd been mostly alone. Gouyen likely didnt know how thankful he was for her friendship.

[Gouyen Chee]

She scanned the skies and noted the rapidly diminishing light. The spar can wait for another day, she decided.

She stood and stretched. It seemed he was eager for company as she was. She had been working hard here at her new home -- too hard. It was time for her to get out and have a little fun.

"C'mon, let's go," she said, grinning mischieviously. "I want to find the best ale there is in the whole city."

And she strode out of the garden and out of the Sith Compound and into the city proper.

OOC: One more post from you and I was thinking we could take this out into the RP forum. PM me for details.

[SashaKovalev]

(ooc: That sounds fine with me. If you want to start the post, I'll join in, if thats cool)

Sasha grinned.

He'd caught the mischief in Gouyen's eyes and he knew they were in for an interesting night. This, he thought, was more how he'd pictured things. Life, it seemed, was turning around for him. And he couldnt have been more content with it.

"I havent even been into the city yet..." He admitted as they began their journey.

"But if you need a second opinion on the best ale...you cant count me in." He added, and together they both laughed, looking forward to the evening ahead of them.

[Gouyen Chee]

OOC: Thread is continued here (http://www.swforums.net/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22988).

[SashaKovalev]

(ooc: *grins* Found it... ;) )