I'm a little rusty, would someone like to play? (open spar)

[Oolana Taine]

Oolana walked into the training grounds and looked around.

Hasn't changed much at all she thought. She'd only been gone for a few months but to her it felt like years.

Good my spots still open Oolana mused, smiling as she walked over to her willow with the boulder beneath it's branches. There she sat and waited until someone came up that was willing to play.

[Southstar]

Southstar was standing in the training grounds just looking around and taking in the surroundings. then he noticed a face far too familier. He walked closer to get a better look and it was who he thought it was, Oolana Taine. They had trained together way back when they were both apprentices.

"Oolana, long time no see. How are you?" He said.

[Oolana Taine]

She faced Southstar smiling and said, "Oh not bad, not bad. Wandering is fun when you have the time, and your own ship.

So how have things been, is TSO as strong as ever?"

[Southstar]

"Strong, definitely, and growing too. We've had a large influx of people, but not enough masters to teach them. But we'll make do with what we have." He responded.

"Since you are in the training grounds, I expect you're looking for some practice." He said and unclipped his lightsaber. The best he could remember, they hadn't sparred since they were apprentices. "Just like old times."

[Oolana Taine]

She smiled as she too remembered the days past that were spent training and on missions together. She pulled out her newly constructed lightsaber with a black metallic hilt and a brilliant crystal white blade. With the always familiar snap-hiss she stood ready for anything he tried to throw at her.

[Southstar]

He took an offensive stance while ignighting his lightsaber. The navy blue blade hummed as he paused to see if she would take the first move, she didn't. He moved rapidly forward a few steps and engaged. Like any trained Sith, she caught his blade with hers. Southstar didn't hesitate and swung on the opposite side, again it was stopped.

He picked up the pace now alternating hacks and slashes from various angles. He glanced into her eyes and saw the anger rising. Jedi, they were not; anger was just another tool. He let his flow freely with the Force and his body reaped the rewards. They continued to accelerate the duel and he started to step in now forceing her to move back.

Another step followed by a hack to the head, she caught it and as Southstar anticipated, she would relyed on her legs to maintain enough force to stop his pressure. He brought his lightsaber around for a diagonal hack which caused her to move back some more. Her back was to the willow tree now, Southstar thrust in knowing she couldn't simply move back. To avoid being stabbed through the belly would require skills of a true Sith.

[Oolana Taine]

On the defensive side, a place she'd rather be out of, she quickly avoided his thrust by summoning her anger and jumping up high to flip over his head and land feet first on the boulder.

Now semi in control of her situation, Oolana advanced on Southstar slashing diagonally for the junction of neck and shoulder. His navy blade met hers and shoved it back as she ducked down, kicking to take his legs out from under him. He jumped over them in response and slashed downwards as she quickly dodged and returned to a standing position.

Seconds later she was back on the offense slashing in and across, over and over everytime resulting in the sizzling of the white and navy blades colliding.

[Southstar]

Slowly Southstar backed while defending himself against Oolana. This couldn't go on for too long and he sidestepped as she stuck down at him. As she missed he launched into attack and swung from side to side, intending to cut her in two. Of course she caught it, but she was now on defense. It was her backing up now.

Rarely was a duel won on just skill with a lightsaber alone. Southstar called on the Force and began to pull on the ground beneath her. It began to move causing her to loose balance. He took advantage of the oppertunity and swung up to cut her across her torso.

[Oolana Taine]

Oolana used the moving ground to her advantage and as she fell on it she used the bucking and writhering movements to propell her body out of the way with a little added force-boost.

Back on her feet, she called on her own powers she adding to the rumbling ground by slowly pulling the wiilow branches down to ensnare Southstars body and with a strong force-tug she ripped the saber out of his hands. Letting it roll safely and untouched out of the way, she chose to disengage her own blade but kept it ready and waiting in her hand.

She smiled as the branches wrapped tighter and tighter around Southstars body and appendages. This was her favorite part of battle, for she loved to toy with and tease her prey.

Check

She telepathically challenged him while waiting on guard for his next move.

[Southstar]

Southstar smiled, "Check..." He repeated quietly. Oolana wasn't pouncing for the kill, which was her mistake. He focused on the Force around him, especially in the tree. A little trick he had learned with his fellow knight Salem Ave; the individual cells in the living tree began to die. Initially invisable to the eye, but before long brown and black sploches appeared in the major branches.

The particular branch that held him fell from the tree, but it still held on. It wasn't as if the tree came to life and took hold of him, but that Oolana had taken advantage of the flexability of the smaller branches with telekinesis. He pulled on a few little branches to try and free his arm. In response it whipped him in the cheek drawing a little blood.

The branches took control of his arm again. "That's a good trick." He said, "I had not considered using the tree as a weapon."

[Oolana Taine]

"You'd be surprised at the options around us. All it takes is a little creativity." As she spoke, the blades of grass themselves seemed to come alive. Filled with an outside force they flattened and stiffened into little razor sharp knives.

Oolana loosened her grip on Southstar a little to divert some of her concentration to the grass. Still alert and ready, saber in hand, she sent dozens of her creative weapons flying towards his body.

[Southstar]

His body may be trapped, but his mind was free. With little effort he took hold of the grass blades using telekinesis. He yanked them from Oolana's grasp and dropped them to the ground. "Ok, enough of this." He said and called his lightsaber to his hand.

It flew through the air and as soon as it reached his hand he activated it and make short work of the willow limbs holding him. Then he made a move against Oolana. He leapt into the air using the Force and came down on her striking diagonally at the neck.

[Oolana Taine]

As Southstar lunged toward her she quickly ignited her saber and blocked his strike. Using some added help from the force she shoved him back trying to knock him to the ground, but only succeeded to push him off of her.

"Yawn," she said in a bored tone, "Haven't you learned anything about being creative. I mean yes the tree killing step was nice, but you definitely need more life to your style. "

Lecturing over, Oolana attacked but not in the physical sense. She lunged for his mind and sought control over his motor and sensory nerves.

[Southstar]

"Nice try." Southstar said and powered over her with his mind. As he pushed her mind away, he followed it to hers. Initially heading for her motor and sensory nerves, he changed course. With the free seconds he had while she defended against no one, he threw together a quick illusion.

He stepped to the right while a duplicate stepped to the left and together they charged towards her intending to strike on both sides.

[Oolana Taine]

Oolana, having seen this trick before quickly cleared her mind of his attempted illusion and stepped tp the left meeting the real Southstar's saber with her own.

"Well I guess that's a bit better, at least your trying now." She said over their crossed blades and once again shoved him back, this time succeeding in throwing him to the ground.

[Southstar]

He rolled back with the push and sprung to his feet. Jaw clenched, he charged forward and hacked down at her. As he expected, the attack was caught and so were the ones tht followed. Then he made a move that, perhaps, she didn't expect. He swung his fist forward and lunged with it. She sidestepped and moved to attack, but he caught her blade with his own.

With her now facing him from her side, he swung his lightsaber at her feet and as she jumped, he gave her a Force push, hopefully stunning her long enough for him to move in and resume the attack with an upward slash designed to cut her torso open.