Outside of the gardens(Zatania's training III)

[Zatania Duvall]

Half a pound of tuppany rice
Half a pound of treacle
That's the way the story goes
Pop goes the weazel

Half a spoon of heroin
Half a spoon of treacle
That's the way the money goes
Out comes the evil

Heavy breathing, heavy sighs, light whispers. All that of a maniac, and it's right next...

"Zatania!" a woman's voice called.

A little girl looked up from her desk, her bright blue eyes wide in fear. Fear? Why?

"Come here!" the woman insisted, sounding both frightened and angry.

The little girl hesitated, standing up from the drawings on her desk. All of them weren't very good, but they were very well done considering how old she was. With practice, one day she would be a very good artist...

"ZATANIA!" the voice boomed.

"..."

The little girl whimpered and held her arms around herself, wondering when her father would return home. He wouldn't let her hurt her... He always protected her..

Next door, she could hear things breaking, as well as cries of desperation and hopelessness. "The voices.. oh god, the voices, make them stop!"

The woman continued to rant out loud to herself, shoving a book shelf over, and screaming at the top of her lungs.

"It's you! You're the one!"

Finally, she managed to say something, whispering in a slight stutter. "Yes.. I know.. I... I'm coming, mother."

Zatania's eyes shot open just as she felt like she couldn't breathe.. It almost felt as though there were hands around her neck, but when she looked around her quarters, no one was there.

"What the hell was that?" She said, not even considering that they could quite possibly be memories. "..A nightmare? Chrimety, I must have one hell of an imagination to think that one up."

She stood up and looked out the window. The sun was almost down, and judging by the position...

"Oh crap! I'm late!"

Zatania turned and dashed to her closet, nearly running into the wall inside. She tripped and slammed her shoulder against the wall, but wasn't phased enough to discontinue her search for some jeans and a tshirt. Finally, when she found suitable clothes to train in, she discarded the old and got into the new.

After jumping into a pair of shoes, she ran out of her door and down the hallway towards the garden entrance. She had heard of sleeping in late, but for that long!? What was wrong with her? She had slept for almost twenty hours straight without stirring at all!

[SashaKovalev]

“You’re late.” He stated as she arrived. He didn’t bother to feign annoyance, for at the moment, he felt none. It wasn’t that he was in a good mood, but rather that he did not think of Zatania as an apprentice. He did not think of her as one who needed to learn lessons about the dark side, but rather one who needed to remember how to command it.

There was a difference there in the lessons that had to be taught. Had Judas been late, he would have paid the price. And dearly.

“Everything ok?” He asked as they passed through the garden gate. This was becoming routine, to meet in this fashion and walk through the gardens and down to the lake.

[Zatania Duvall]

Zatania nodded, not ready to tell him exactly why. She knew somehow he'd know she was lying if she didn't tell the partial truth, so..

"Sorry, I overslept."

“Everything ok?” Sasha asked.

Once again she nodded, still catching her breath from running the whole way. "Yeah, I'm fine."

For some reason that nightmare made her feel uneasy, something about it she just wanted to push back and not think about it any longer.

"It won't happen again."

[SashaKovalev]

Yeah, I'm fine. It won't happen again.

He merely shrugged, indicating that he didn’t seem to care one way or the other that she had been late.

“Don’t worry about it.” He replied as violet eyes came to rest on her in the moonlight. She looked perhaps a bit…frazzled? And he could feel something about her that was slightly off from normal.

He didn’t press. Not yet, anyway.

“Did you bring your saber?” He asked, his voice no more emotional or charismatic than it tended to be around her. He was rather reserved around her most of the time, except on occasion, when he chose to let her see glimpses of who he really was.

He wasn’t sure why he was like this around her. Or perhaps he did. And it was a conscious decision.

[Zatania Duvall]

Zatania blinked, thinking for a moment that she had forgotten her saber. But when she placed her hand against her hip, she relaxed, glad that she had forgotten to unclip the saber from her belt the night before. Thank goodness for only owning one belt and forgetting to remove the saber from it.

"Yeah, I brought it."

[SashaKovalev]

He nodded and said nothing in return for a moment. Her response ha hardly invited conversation, and he could tell that something was on her mind.

“So how are things coming along with your memory?” He asked, the tone of his voice conversational.

“Im assuming you were on a search of sorts when we ran into each other a few nights ago…” He added, referring to the strange conversation with Sol at the random café.

[Zatania Duvall]

She had to think for a moment, hr thoughts not all in a straight line since she was so upset. But finally, she nodded when she finally recalled.

"Oh! Yeah, that. I had a dream about a place, and thought that maybe I had been there before. I went, but it didn't help me remember anything. It was a dead end lead."

She wondered to herself if maybe the nightmare was also possibly a memory. After all, that crazy woman kept calling her name.

[SashaKovalev]

He raised an eyebrow as she paused, seeming to not quite recall what had only occurred a few nights ago.

Oh! Yeah, that. I had a dream about a place, and thought that maybe I had been there before. I went, but it didn't help me remember anything. It was a dead end lead.

He nodded, accepting this, and then gave her an odd glance.

It was clear she wasn’t 100% with it right now. And he might have found some sort of sympathy for her had she chosen to share whatever was on her mind with him.

Through the force, he reached out to cause on of the roots of the trees to rise up only slightly, but enough to mae someone who wasn’t paying 100% attention to what they were doing perhaps catch their foot and stumble.

[Zatania Duvall]

As Sasha had planned, one of the roots came up and caught her foot. She tripped forward, stumbling as he had thought she would. When she set her other foot forward to catch herself, she only stepped on a second root that made her fall backwards off her balance.

[SashaKovalev]

He reached out a hand to steady her.

"Perhaps you'd be more aware if there was less clouding your mind..." He suggested, his voice not suggesting that he had been responsible in any way, but perhaps hinting that there was some sort of lesson involved.

[Zatania Duvall]

"Alright, what do you suggest?"

She hoped that he wasn't going to suggest that she talk about what was going on in her head at the moment. Something about the whole thing just seemed... like a deep dark secret that shouldn't have been remembered.

[SashaKovalev]

He laughed at her response.

"Expect me to have all the answers, huh?" He replied and released his grip on her.

"Well...I dont." He added. There was no tone of lecture in his voice, only, perhaps a hint of sadness.

"But I do have a suggestion that might help for you to find your focus within yourself...and perhaps from there you'll be able to free the clouds from your head..."

[Zatania Duvall]

After regaining her balance, she nodded as she sighed slightly with a faint smile.

"Okay, let's hear this suggestion then."

[SashaKovalev]

"Its called centering." He stated, thinking of Gouyen and how valuable this lesson she had shown him had been for him.

"The whole theory sounds somewhat....hokey, I guess, but it works." This was the preface he gave it, and it was clear that while his words might have seemed to be putting it down, his tone carried the respect he felt for those who had mastered this technique.

"Its a way to, through the Force, ground yourself. And ultimately, it will help you to connect with the greater strength that lies within you."

As they approached the lake, he took a seat on their usual rock.
Though tonight, he did not look past her to the lake, but directly at her.

"Its somewhat like a method of meditation." He added.

[Zatania Duvall]

"Meditation? I've never tried it.. but from the way you talk about it, it must do wonders."

She sat down by his side, facing him with her legs folded indian style.

[SashaKovalev]

He rolled his eyes at this.

“Don’t knock it..” He replied, though his tone was clearly teasing.

He rubbed his eyes for a moment. They were still bothering him from his encounter with a jedi who had thrown sand in them. Of course, had he actually thought of going to get medical help, it was likely something could have been done to ease the irritation, but he wasn’t one to give in to pain in any way.

“Alright…” He stated, preparing to try to explain how she could find her center. From this, there was so much more to learn. So many doors that could be opened.

“You remember the other exercises we’ve worked on, and how with them, you had to feel the force within you….”

“Well, that is just the beginning. With this, you’ve got to feel the force within you and then find your center from there. When it was explained to me, I could almost picture a tornado going on around me, yet I was in the eye of it, where it was calm, watching and commanding the chaos around me.”

He looked away out at the lake.

“Somewhere, within the flow of the force, in the energy of the dark side, there is a calm. And from there, you will find better control and more power.”

He looked back to Zatania.

“Once you feel the force flowing within you, you’ve got to look for your center, and find the place within you where you find that calm.”

As he spoke, he sought to do this within himself, finding his center easily, for it was something he practiced regularly.

“Why don’t you try it…”

[Zatania Duvall]

She nodded and closed her eyes, believing that if she did this, she'd be able to do this much easier. Like Sasha suggested, she imagined a tornado around her, concentrating into the force to see out the center. It was kind of hard to find a moment of calm within her. So she delved deeper within herself.

[SashaKovalev]

He shifted only slightly on the rock. He could feel her concentrating beside him. Without a word, he stood from the seat on the rock and moved away, walking down to the actual edge of the water as it lapped up onto a sandy stretch of the shore.

He stood there for some time, staring out at the water. A small frog came up from the water and sat just in front of him, surveying him as intently as Sasha seemed to be surveying the water.

He could feel the turmoil within him. Confusion, pain and anger all battling vainly for control. Each wanting to have more pull than the other within him.

He sighed softly and stooped to pick up a small rock, skipping it across the water.

And then he looked back to Zatania, his violet eyes filled with an intense gzae.

[Zatania Duvall]

Zatania kept looking deeper into herself, into the force. Soon she found herself no longer listening to her surroundings. Instead of listening, she merely felt. The deeper she went, the more she felt a part of herself. The noise she heard from the supposed "tornado" lessened the deeper she looked into herself.

"Yes.. I know.. I... I'm coming, mother."

The little girl stood from where she sat, tears starting to well up in her eyes. She looked to the clock, hoping in vain that her father would return before her mother got a hold of her.

When she exited her room, she peered down each end of the hallway. Why was it so quiet suddenly? All she could hear were her mother's sniffles and agonizing whimpers coming from all directions.

"YOU!"

The little girl shrieked as she felt cold shakey hands shove her to the ground from the shadows. She fell forward onto her elbows and started crawling away...

..and the image faded as Zatania broke herself free from the meditation. Why was it continuing? Her heart was still racing, just like.. just like the little girl's heart was.

[SashaKovalev]

His intense gaze did not leave her, though it did finally focus. Focus enough to realize that she looked…terrified. It was brief, the expression that had crossed over her face, but he had noticed it.

He moved to close the distance he had put between them, coming to the rock where she sat. He sat down on the edge of it, his feet dangling off and looked to her.

“From your expression, Im not sure that its your center that you found….or perhaps….it was…?” The end of his sentence rose slightly in suggestion, but it was clear he was not demanding an answer. What she wished to tell him, she would.

The same as he was, he thought.

[Zatania Duvall]

She nodded, deciding that it was no use putting it behind her. If it truly was her center, and not just a nightmare, then it had to be.. a memory.

"The reason why I'm so distracted is because I thought I had a nightmare last night, but it was so disturbing that it felt real.. "She paused, closing her eyes. "But right now, just this moment, it continued where it left off. I think it's a memory. Not exactly one I would have hoped to remember though."

[SashaKovalev]

The reason why I'm so distracted is because I thought I had a nightmare last night, but it was so disturbing that it felt real..

He’d been about to tease her, and crack a joke the nightmare being true, and that she had actually been making out with Judas on the balcony. He hadnt been spying, by any means. Rather he’d walked out on Gouyen’s balcony that overlooked the gardens, and had easily recognized the two silouhettes across the way. He’d spent enough time training with both of them to know.

But he heard something in her voice, and she had closed her eyes again.

But right now, just this moment, it continued where it left off. I think it's a memory. Not exactly one I would have hoped to remember though.

He nodded, and shifted slightly to face her.

“Sometimes the memories we remember are the ones we try the hardest to forget.” He replied, thinking briefly of the night he had said goodbye to Fel. He had tried over and over to forget her, but she wasn’t easily erased from his mind.

He was silent for a moment, softly sighing back the soft throbbing of pain that had risen in his heart.

“Why don’t you try it again….” He suggested, his voice gentle as he spoke.

“Despite the fact that isnt what you hope to remember, maybe its what you need to know to move on…”

Violet eyes turned to look out at the lake, afraid that they would deceive him. These words he needed to hear as much as she did, perhaps.

[Zatania Duvall]

She shook her head. The memories she had been having lately weren't much, but they were enough to make her not want to try again. Most of the reason was because the first time it had occured, her held felt about ready to explode. The second part was because she had a forbidding feeling that she shouldnt.

"I'm not too sure I think it's a good idea. I don't know.."

She sighed and fell back until she was laying on her back. "Maybe you were right, that I should just try to move on and make a new life..."

She cut herself off before continuing and scolded herself mentally, sitting back up. "What am I talking about? That would make me a quitter and I'm NOT a quiter."

[SashaKovalev]

I'm not too sure I think it's a good idea. I don't know..

He did not respond right away, but did turn from the water back to her. And then he moved toward the rock where she now lay on her back.

Maybe you were right, that I should just try to move on and make a new life... What am I talking about? That would make me a quitter and I'm NOT a quitter.

A faint smile appeared on his lips and he climbed onto the rock to sit beside her.

“I never suggested that you were.” He stated.

“In fact, it wasn’t a thought that crossed my mind. What I suggested was that you try again. You seem a little rattled by a memory, and it seems to me that you have a fear of actually remembering something about your past. You need to confront your fear, or forever live in its shadow.”

Violet eyes looked down at her. They held more wisdom within them than eyes of a man his age likely should have held. Perhaps it was the way he had been raised, forced to mature earlier than he should have had to, or perhaps it was his curious nature and the lessons he had learned from masters. Perhaps it was a combination.

“I don’t think you’re the type of woman who would choose to live that way.” He stated quietly.

“But then…I could be wrong.” He added, his words carrying a challenge in them, in more ways than one.

[Zatania Duvall]

"You're right, I don't want to live in the shadow of fear. I mean, how can I prevent from remembering things that I don't want to? It's going to happen whether I want it to or not. And maybe all my memories aren't that bad."

She looked at Sasha for a moment, then without another word she tried the meditation again. Once again, she looked deep into herself, doing the same thing that she had done before to accidently come across the memory.

"Mama, please stop! I didn't do anything!" the little girl pleaded as her mother dove on top of her legs.

"Evil! You're trying to kill me!" Her mouthed shouted.

The little girl clawed her way towards the door, crawling as frantically as she could. Why did her mother think such things?

"No, I love you! I wouldn't do that!" She said, partially lying.

"SHUT UP! I'm smarter than that! I'll just kill you before you kill me!" the crazed woman continued.

The woman got to her knees, snagging the child who kept trying to flee. She flipped the tiny girl over onto her back and reached her cold fingers for her neck.

"MAMA!" the girl wailed.

Her mother wrapped her hands around the girl's neck, causing her to wheeze as she kicked and attempted to scream. The woman merely just made her grip much harder each time the girl managed to say anything.

"Stop this! Stop this at once!"

The little girl barely heard the voice, and the crazed woman seemed to ignore it since she refused to let go of her daughter's neck. Finally, the woman was seeminly shoved off of the little girl with the force. She ended up hitting the wall just behind her, ten feet away.

"EVIL! Both of you!" The lunatic cried, tears beginning to pour down her face.

The man picked up the frightened little girl and held her in a hug while she wrapped her arms and legs around him. He shushed her and tried to calm her down with reasurring whispers.

"You're ok... you're ok..."

"Daddy.." She sobbed. "I didn't do anything."

"Are you alright?" He whispered.

The little girl nodded, still burying her face into his shoulder; even as he carried her back into her bedroom. She was shaking so badly that he could barely hold onto her anymore, so he put her on her bed and smoothed down her hair.

"Get some rest, Zatania. I'll make sure this doesn't happen again." He said.

"You won't leave me home when you go to work?" She sniffled.

"Actually, you're mom is going to..." He started.

The last of the memory's sound faded out, leaving only his mouth moving to finish whatever he was saying to his daughter. Then he kissed her forehead and left the room...

Zatania tried to reach deeper into herself when the memory ceased. For some reason she could not hear the last part of what the man had said, and now she was so desperate to know more about him.. her father.

"Dammit.." She sighed, opening her eyes. "I can't find anything else."

She drew in another deep breath and held it for a moment as she put a hand to her neck, then emptied her lungs.

"Ok, so all I know now is that my childhood was screwed up because my mother was crazy, but my dad was a decent guy."

[SashaKovalev]

He watched her, perhaps protectively as she finally settled in for another round of meditation. He wasn’t sure what she would find. Ultimately, she would have to face whatever it was that was haunting her, but he would, if she was not yet strong enough, save her. He could feel the power of the darkness within her, and knew she needed only to find a few answers before the rest of the story unraveled within her to reveal to her what she had once known.

The expression on her face was pained, but he felt nothing from her that caused him concern for her safety. And moment later, she cursed and opened her eyes.

I can't find anything else.Ok, so all I know now is that my childhood was screwed up because my mother was crazy, but my dad was a decent guy.

A faint wry grin tugged at his lips for a brief moment.

“You wont find all of the answers in one night.” He replied.

“But at least now you’ve found a way to begin chipping away at them…” He added. His violet eyes flickered away and then back to her.

“What was wrong with your mother?” He asked.

[Zatania Duvall]

"I don't know... She seemed to think that I wanted to kill her."

Zatania went silent for a moment then looked up again. "I'll look into it. I mean, thats what I'm good at. I'm sure there's got to be a book of psychology in the library somewhere that might help me. If I find out, maybe I can remember more."

She put her hands against her neck again, still feeling as though her mother's cold hands were around it. But she also felt that same safe feeling that her father gave her..

"I'll also try to do a search with my name, my first name at least. How many Zatanias can there be to sift through and get information on?"

[SashaKovalev]

He chuckled.

“You’ll be surprised, I think, by how many you’ll find.” He had done the same thing some time ago when he’d been trying to learn something of who his father might have been. He’d used his mother’s name, only to find that there were quite a few people out there in the galaxy with the exact same name.

“But it wouldn’t hurt, I suppose…”

He stood up on the rock, restless at the moment. And then he jumped down and looked back up to her.

“Are you sure you weren’t trying to kill her?” He questioned. It wasn’t said with any sort of spite, but rather flippantly. Zatania had a dark streak in her, and it wouldn’t have surprised him if she had been.

[Zatania Duvall]

"Are you sure you weren't trying to kill her?" He asked.

Zatania stared ahead of her for a moment then brought her gaze up towards Sasha.

"I got a feeling of more fear than a want to hurt her.."

She too stood up, keeping her eyes on him.

"Maybe somewhere along the road I did begin to want to, only because she frightened me. Its instinct to defend my life, no matter what the cost."

[SashaKovalev]

He nodded.

“You sound defensive.” He stated quietly, his violet eyes continuing to stare at her. Her words were not condemning by any means, but they did carry a sense that he might have disapproved.

“Its not matter,” He added, turning away from her and walking a few paces.

“We should get back to the point of the lesson….which is to find your center. From there, you will find more strength than you otherwise would.”

His saber came by command of the force to rest in his hand. And then he ignited it, the orange beam humming softly in the quiet of the night.

“Find your center…” He suggested, the expression on his face losing any concern or compassion he might have felt.

[Zatania Duvall]

“You sound defensive.” He said.

She shook her head. "She tried to kill me from what I understand. So I'd defend myself and not care if I did kill her or not."

"Whether she was my mother or not." Zatania thought.

"Its no matter. We should get back to the point of the lesson….which is to find your center. From there, you will find more strength than you otherwise would.” He said, changing the subject as he summoned his saber. “Find your center…”

Zatania raised a brow, wondering what the saber had to do with finding her center, but closed her eyes to begin meditation again.

[SashaKovalev]

Her noticed her raised brow but said nothing at the moment to explain his actions.

He wanted her to find her center. From there she would find strength that she could not possess without the use of the force. He was physically bigger and stronger than her. And if she found herself in battle with him, or another of his size or strength, she would be outmatched unless she was able to summon strength from the force.

And this was what, among other things, she would learn tonight.

He would not use his abilities in the force, not at first. He would let her get used to the feeling of finding the center, the calm in the storm of anger that most Sith used for power, and working from there to over power him.

When she had mastered this, then he would push her to work harder as he matched her force abilities with his own.

When she had been given sufficient time, he finally looked back to her.

“Have you found it?” He asked.

[Ceres Duvall]

Zatania didn't answer at first, and didn't for another minute or so. Finally she opened her eyes and nodded.

"I think so."

EDIT OOC Crap... *kicks herself* Wrong account.

[SashaKovalev]

He nodded.

“Good.” He walked over to her, then, his lightsaber ignited, but held non-threateningly by his side.

“”You’re a strong woman,” He began, “But physically, usually women just don’t have the upper body strength that many men, or other alien species might possess. I want you to find your center as we practice some of your saber skills, and use it to overpower me.”

Violet eyes stared at her for a moment.

“I wont use the force until I need to. And when I do, I want you push yourself. Because if you don’t, I will promise you that this beautiful body you’ve acquired might not leave 100% intact.” As he spoke, he raised his saber slightly to point it in her general direction, as if to indicate exactly what he was talking about.

The last part, he said more to incense her, for he knew that the last time, with the fire, she had been quite angry with him for having put her at risk. And her anger had made her stronger.

[Zatania Duvall]

As she listened, she made sure to take note to anything that might help her in this lesson. Apparently it'd be another one of those dangerous ones that could very well leave her with more than skinned knees.

"Alright. I understand."

Now she seemed to be more focused than she had been when they came into the garden at first. Maybe this was because she finished something that hadn't been for a very long time.. Or maybe because she got over a fear she never knew she had until today.

She unclipped her saber that Sasha had given to her and held it at her side. She hadn't had an opportunity to ignite it just yet, so this would be the first time it was used; even though she brought it with her wherever she went since recieving it.

[SashaKovalev]

Alright. I understand.

He nodded, a small smile coming to his lips. He had no desire to harm her. In fact, his desires might have led him in the other direction, and this was exactly why he was so standoffish around her, willing himself to have control.

His heart belong to Feliciana. Would never fail her. But he was a young man, and whether wanted or unwanted, he was tempted at times by forces that tested his control and resolution to be faithful.

As she unclipped her saber and merely held it by her side, he couldt help but chuckle.

“It might help if you ignite it.” He retorted, amusement and a relaxed tone surfacing. He was most at ease when he was allowed to be himself – not a master or teacher, but a friend. A young man who just wanted to enjoy and live life to its fullest.

[Zatania Duvall]

"I'm trying to get myself ready, just in case it explodes or something. After all, you made it." She teased.

After kidding with him, she ignited her saber, the blade parrallel to her leg but held at a safe distance away from it so she didn't accidently slice her leg off or something.

[SashaKovalev]

I'm trying to get myself ready, just in case it explodes or something. After all, you made it.

He took her teasing in stride and a grin found its way to his normally serious expression. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“I get no credit……” He grumbled half heartedly.

“All that work and all I get is an ungrateful….” He continued on, mumbling under his breath, though not seriously about any of it.

He watched the way she held the saber. It was tentative.

“It doesn’t bite, you know.” He commented, his tone still teasing, though his expression did begin to return to that of the master teaching the apprentice.

He disengaged his and then walked over to her. He stood behind her and placed his hand over hers, then brought her saber up to what should have been a comfortable, prepared position. Gently, he kicked at her foot, nudging one of them into better position.

"Does this not feel familiar at all?" He asked, moving away from her once again as if she was, perhaps, poisonous to the touch.

[Zatania Duvall]

"I agree, it doesn't bite. It actually slices clean through things. Knowing me, I'd probably cut a finger off." She said, partially joking.

When he disengaged his saber and put his hands on hers, she kept a good eye on what he was doing so she'd be able to remember this stance later on.

"Does this not feel familiar at all?" He asked as he moved away.

She looked up at him and shook her head. "Not really. Maybe thats why I got myself killed, by being an idiot and standing wrong."

She smirked as she said this, but thought that there was probably truth to that somewhere.

[SashaKovalev]

He shook his head.

"Well then you've got to learn so it wont happen a second time." He replied, his easygoing manner fading quickly.

His lightsaber once again ignited.

"Come on, give it at least a half hearted swing. Get used to it for a moment." He suggested.

"Limbs are replaceable." He added, his own left hand clutching his saber perhaps a bit tighter at this reminder. He had severed his hand from his wrist for his master to prove his devotion to her and the order. He had learned the lesson by actual experience.

[Zatania Duvall]

"I'd rather keep the originals though." She said, seriously as she got herself a bit more comfortable in the position.

She held up her right hand, which held the saber, and still didn't feel right. For a moment, she thought, then switched the saber into her other hand and got into the same position that Sasha had shown her. A smile crossed her face.

"Now this seems more familiar."

She swung the saber, half heartedly, like he had said, just so she'd get the feel for the saber and the position.

"I'm a leftie at handling a saber, I guess."

She looked away from the saber in her hand and looked up at her master. "I'm ready whenever you are."

[SashaKovalev]

He watched her as she moved to what he assumed was a more comfortable position.

And then she switched the saber to her left hand and pronounced that she was a leftie.

He actually smiled at this. A true smile that made him appear less a threatening Sith knight and more a young man enjoying life.

He was left handed himself and until now had not noticed any others that were.

I'm ready whenever you are

His smile faded only slightly.

“Ive been ready all along.” He replied easily as his saber came to life once again. His hummed rather loudly, a result of technology just a bit older than the one he had constructed for Zatania. Eventually he would give in and construct himself a new one, but this one had done him well and he was reluctant to lay it to rest.

He had to remind himself not to use the force. It was difficult, as it was something he had become very in tune with. It was second nature and now, to be only human again left him feeling almost vulnerable. But not quite.

He lifted his chin toward her as he stepped back a foot or so.

“We’ll go at your pace. Get used to the feel of it before you try anything fancy…” He suggested, though he half doubted that she would listen to him. She could be aggressive – he knew this – and he was just waiting for the power of the dark side to take over – to set her down a path that would not be stopped.

And then he nodded at her, as if to say, ‘come on, attack me.’