Balance, grace and flexibility...(complete)

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'Na Rakai entered the training room, finally found one empty. She and Padawan learner, Kack Mebuff had a training session to engage in.

She was quite excited, she needed all the help in combat that she could get, especially when it came to her balance.

Quay walked over to the control box and pushed a couple of buttons, the larger balance beam descended from it's place in the ceiling.

Once it was locked on the floor, she moved a couple of mats over to it and then proceeded to take off her outer tunic, boots and socks.

The Padawan began to stretch out her muscles slowly as she awaited her newly found friend.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack walked through the heavy durasteel door frame and smiled.

Quay'Na had already set up everything for their little training session.

"Good afternoon, Lady Rakai. Long time no see," he said chuckling. The padawan bowed at the waist as Quay approached.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay was very pleased to see that Kack had shown up on time. She smiled as she stood. "Great to see ya, Kack."

[Kack Mebuff]

"So what would you like to work on today, Quay'Na? I see you've got the balancing beam out and ready to go."

Kack motioned to the plank.

"So what'll it be? Hand to hand? Lightsaber? What kind of combat?"

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"Let's go with hand to hand, I need all the practice I can get." She told him with a smile. "I'm ready whenever you are."

[Kack Mebuff]

"Alrighty then, hand-to-hand it is," Kack said shedding his cloak and hopping up onto the balancing beam.

Quay followed suite and leapt up as well.

"First thing you need to learn is a good, solid offense. If you can keep your opponent on the defense they can never attack you."

Kack took a step back and set himself in a defensive stance.

"Hit me as hard as you can."

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay nodded and thrust the palm of her hand towards his chest, going to knock him off balance.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack thrust his forearm down, knocking Quay's attack away.

"C'mon... hit me," he said with a smirk.

"You want to attack with a combination of moves, keep me guessing where you going to go and look for a weakness in my defenses."

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"Alright," she stepped back to the far end of the beam and took a deep breath to relax her muscles. A second later, she sprung into action.

Enveloping herself within the Force, she took off right for him and sprung, the width of the beam didn't bother her. She knew her strengths, her body came forward with a mighty thrust, and her feet made contact with his chest.

Using her might against Kack's brute strength she pushed off against him and believed to feel him fall back a step. A moment later her hands caught the beam and she rolled and swiped her legs in a wayward motion at his calves to knock him from his feet.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack stiffened his body up as Quay bounded off of his chest. But he was quick enough to leap into the air before his opponent could sweep his feet out from underneath him.

Kack landed with a thud onto the beam and already Quay'Na was on the move. Hands and feet assaulted him almost immediately.

Kack moved backwards, blocking, in order to regain his bearings. But suddenly the tide turned and it was Kack who was progressing forwards, though still blocking, forcing Quay'Na towards the edge of the beam.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

This was the best practice Quay could've asked for. She felt herself nearing the end of the beam and if she didn't move fast, she'd be off in a few moments.

She leapt, somersaulted a good distance above Kack's head and came down behind him, kicking out hard with her right foot.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack mimicked Quay'Na's move and leapt over her head to land just behind her.

He tapped her on the shoulder. She quickly spun around to find his smiling face.

"That wasn't bad. But you need to keep control of my movements as well. You don't want me driving you backwards like I just did."

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'na nodded. "So, what would your suggestions be to keep that from happening?"

[Kack Mebuff]

"Well, if you have to keep a pace... your pace. And make sure your opponent doesn't have time to get their bearings. If they try to change your attack to throw them off. I guess you need to keep them guessing."

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'Na nodded. "Alright, that's what I'm here for to learn." She stepped back over to the far end of the beam.

With a deep relaxing breath, she took off again. This time, she ran a few steps and hit the beam in a slid to knock him off his feet again.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack leapt over Quay'Na but did not land properly and lost his footing for just a moment. Quay took advantage of the moment and kicked his ankle out from underneath.

Kack fell but quickly grabbed the beam and vaulted himself back up.

"Excellent. That's what I'm talking about! Now we'll see how you do if I retaliate. Attack me again."

[Quay'Na Rakai]

The Padawan nodded as she returned to her original standing position. She didn't even give him time to step back before she lunged at him again. This time she went into a handspring and used her legs to topple him off. But, just as it looked to be happening, her strategy changed. Quay dropped to the beam, rolled her hips and swung her legs towards his knees.

[Kack Mebuff]

Quay's attack was creative but her thoughts betrayed her and Kack leapt over Quay before her attack could make contact.

He then booted her had while she was still low to the ground and Quay slid across the beam belly down.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'Na gripped onto the beam, just as if it were a tree and she were meters high in the air. If she she were to fall off, it was her alledged doom, so her feet couldn't hit the floor.

Her body nearly came off the beam, but she gripped hard and was able to hold on.

With a deep breath, she quickly got back to her feet and stood in a defensive position, waiting.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack rushed forward in almost a blur, he sent what seemed like hundreds of punches in Quay's direction. The Force made each punch quicker and stronger than the last. Quay'Na struggled to keep up with the punches, suddenly Kack kicked her hard in the shin causing Quay to begin to drop. But before she hit the floor he grabbed her and tossed her over his head.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay had taken a beating, but now she flying through the air towards the floor. The floor meant death, in no certain terms in her mind.

The Padawan struggled and grabbed his hair in mid-air, if she was going down, he was too.

She yanked him to the floor with her and let go as they hit. Quay tumbled into a roll and was back onto her feet in an instant.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack tumbled into a roll and quickly regained his composure. As he leapt to his feet, Kack launched himself high into the air. He rocketed towards the ground at full speed. Quay had to manuever quickly and she was standing on the edge of the beam so backwards wasn't much of an option.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'Na used the Force to boost herself straight up into the air. She did a somersault and sprung onto Kack's shoulders for a mere second and then off she was hurling herself into another somersault and landing back on the beam with the grace of a pro gymnist.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack hit the beam with shattering power, if it were not reinforced the beam would have splintered into thousands of pieces.

"Impressive... most impressive," the padawan said returning to his feet.

"Excellent manuever there, Quay. You're catching on quite quickly!"

A sly smile spread across his face, "Now to kick it up a notch."

Kack removed his lightsaber and ignited the violet blade. The saber hummed to life as the warrior gave a few practice swings.

"Do you have a lightsaber?"

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"Yep, sure do." She looked over at her outer tunic on the floor and raised her hand towards it. A few seconds later, her sabre came flying through the air to the Padawan 's awaiting hand.

*Snap-hiss.* The sky-blue blade appeared.

[Kack Mebuff]

Without warning, Kack rushed forward and performed a spin attack. Quay had no choice to be react without thinking for face losing her head... literally.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

The Force was with Quay immediately as she blocked and parried him off. She advanced into a series of moves without thinking, doing almost a rythmic dance of sorts with her sabre. The sabre was part of her, moving with her.

Quay'Na had advanced halfway up the beam.

[Kack Mebuff]

As Quay advanced, Kack leapt over her head and kicked hard behind him, pushing his foe forwards. He then rushed forward and their blades came to a grid lock.

As the two combatant leaned into each other, Kack head-butted Quay'Na.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'Na took the hit with Kacks' foot, shut her sabre down for a split second while she dove into a roll and was back on her feet, facing him again.

Mere seconds passed as her sabre was back on and the two of them were head to head.

Quay's body was very limber as she felt his head butt about to make contact. I will bend like a reed in the wind. Instantly, she manuevered onto her back, took her foot to his midriff and flipped him over her, sending him flying.

[Kack Mebuff]

As Kack sailed through the air, he quickly made a grab for the edge of the beam. His fingers gouged into the wood and Kack flipped himself back onto his feet.

"Nice..."

He bounded forward with a heavy over-head slash.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'Na saw him coming and blocked him, then parried. He was strong, but she didn't give in. She slashed at his right thigh.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack quickly dropped the violet saber down to block Quay's attack. He then thrust her blade up, knocking the hilt from her hands.

He then called her sky-blue saber to his own hand.

"Got you're saber!" Kack said jokingly.

"Here you go," he said handing it back to her.

"Let's take a quick break before we continue."

[Quay'Na Rakai]

It had happened so quickly, she didn't have a chance to react before her sabre was out of her hands and in Kack's.

Quay was sweating, not perspiring, but down right sweating. Perspiring was for sissy's.

The Padawan took the proffered sabre and reattached it to her belt, before jumping down from her perch. "What a workout." She breathed heavily. "And I thought I was in shape."

Quay walked over to a towel bench and grabbed two towels. On the way back she got into a cooler that was filled with bottles of water and grabbed two of those as well. "Here ya go." She said after she returned and handed him, one of each.

[Kack Mebuff]

"Thank you," he said smiling and wiping the sweat from his brow with the towel.

He took a seat on the floor and removed his shirt. His muscular body was covered in tattoos and scars.

Quay seemed to stare for a moment.

He looked over at her and smiled, as much as Kack could look per say.

"What? Surprised by the marks and tattoos? I'm not your typical Jedi you know."

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"I see," she smiled as she sat down beside him and towelled off. The Padawan guzzled half her water.

"Those are some interesting tattoos." She didn't comment on the scars, that would be rude and Quay wasn't rude.

"How long ya had them?"

[Kack Mebuff]

"Got the first one when I was eighteen... so not too old."

He pointed to the one on his chest. "I got this one soon after I joined the order."

As he held out his arms, "These are my life and death trees. Each branch on the life tree represents a friend or family member. While the branches on the death tree represent those who have died on the life tree."

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"That is really awesome, Kack. Do those hurt badly when you have them done?"

[Kack Mebuff]

"Nah... the first one is scary. But after that, it's cake. The pain isn't very severe. It's more of a constant dulling pain," he said with a smirk.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"I'm truly thinking about getting one on the back of my neck."

[Kack Mebuff]

"Go for it! Careful though... they're addictive!" he said, laughing.

"If you want I would even go with you. At least then you'd have someone's hand to squeeze if you need."

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"I may take you up on that, Kack." Quay knew that as the time passed she and Kack would become very close friends. The two hadn't known each other twenty-four hours yet and already, she trusted him completely.

Quay'Na took another gulp of her drink and stretched. "I was thinking of some type of Jedi symbol."

[Kack Mebuff]

"Excellent! Most excellent! Any ideas what you might want it to look like?" Kack inquired.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"Not really, I may have to got to the Archives and look up some things." She answered back and leaned forward to stretch her legs.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack nodded.

"Well, we should get back to work," he said standing back up.

The padawan leapt up onto the beam, awaiting Quay's own arrival.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

The Padawn threw the towel down and leapt up next to him and backed away to the end of the beam. "Alrighty, so what are we doing now? Sabre's or more hand to hand or something new?"

[Kack Mebuff]

"More saber combat," Kack replied, "you need to work on that some more."

The padawan withdrew his own saber and ignited the violet blade with the usual crackle. The Jedi weapon hummed to life, as Kack took a few practice swings.

"Ready?"

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay nodded as her skyblue blade ignited and she stood in position. Ready and willing to take anything he was going to dish out.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack leapt forward, slashing his blade in Quay's direction as he did so. She, of course, easily blocked the attack.

The two parried and swung off of each other's blades and stepped back a few paces.

"I want you to attack me. I need to practice my Form III defensive combat. And you need to practice your offensive tactics."

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"Alright." She answered and took herself within the Force. A second later, she jumped into action with a mighty stroke towards Kack's midriff.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack quickly knocked Quay's saber down towards the beam, cutting into it a bit.

He then rolled his saber underneath hers and knocked it upwards, following the attack with a kick towards Quay's stomach.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay took the kick as she was coming back up, it nearly knocked the wind out of her. But her elbow knocked him in the chin as well and it gave her the second she needed to break away and regroup.

[Kack Mebuff]

As Quay's elbow connected, Kack did a back flip and charged forward with his saber.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay Force boosted herself into the air and double somersaulted and landed behind her apponent, charging him at the last moment.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack responded by jabbing his saber backwards over his shoulder. If Quay didn't want to lose an eye or any other appendage she would have to change her plan of action.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

It was a tough battle, Quay dropped a split second before Kack's sabre would've plunged through her skull.

A vision of Marcus Elessars attacks on her in her dream sudden came into her mind and before Quay had a chance to think much further, she slammed her body into him from underneath with all the Force she had in her.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack's knees collapsed behind him and he hit the beam hard.

"OOF!"

The padawan quickly rolled forward as Quay tried to continue her attack. As his opponent swung down with her saber Kack thust his own up to block, and forced Quay backwards with a Force push.

He then slashed upwards again against Quay's saber forcing hers above her head. While she tried to balance her weapon again, Kack kicked her hard in the gut.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"Ugh!!" Quay grimaced as all the wind was knocked from her, the paralzing fear of not being able to breath hit her. She focused her energy on repelling Kack's attacks but it was very hard. Her head was swimming.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack pressed forward, forcing Quay to keep up. But she began to lose herself and Kack flipped her hard into the air. Quay landed with a dull thud on the beam.

The padawan quickly rushed over to his friend. "You okay, there? You took a pretty rough fall!"

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'Na didn't even hear him, she had taken herself deep into the Force, near unconsciousness.

Her body lay panting...gasping was more like it. But, Quay felt none of it. The Force had enveloped her once she called to it.

A second later, she flipped over and with her left foot nailed Kack in the jaw, then finished off with her right foot catching him in the midriff her muscles boosted with the energy of the Force.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack rocketed backwards, but flipped and caught himself before he fell off the beam.

As he landed the violet blade of his lightsaber shot out.

"C'mon..."

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay'Na flung herself back to her feet and lit her sabre, she tasted blood from where she hit the beam with the side of her face.

With her tongue she felt for the damage, one of her teeth ground a hole into the side of her cheek. She was sure there was going to be a bruise with that one. Swallowing the blood, she sprang back into action and brought her sabre towards Kack's legs with a side slash.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack quickly dropped his saber and blocked Quay's attack.

"Not bad..."

The padawan swung upwards forcefully causing Quay's saber to move up as well and broke off an chance of a chain Kack's opponent might attempt to create.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Her sabre nearly came back at her and knocked her in the chin, but she was able to bring it down low enough to bypass the attack.

Quay'Na leapt into the air and swung towards his shoulder, which he blocked. She came down behind him again and went for his lower torsal.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack swung his saber over his back to block Quay's attack.

"Not bad... that might have defeated a lesser warrior."

Kack leapt over Quay this time and took a powerful swing at her head.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

"Thanks..." She breathed heavily. Then Quay ducked, spun and brought her sabre towards his thighs.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack slid backwards to avoid Quay's attack.

He then followed up with a spin attack.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay's sabre hissed as she jumped straight up over his beam and came back down, her sabre making a lob for his head.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack rolled away from Quay, flashing his saber against hers as he moved.

He quickly reversed his direction and rolled into a kneeling position, jabbing his lightsaber forwards he did so.

[Quay'Na Rakai]

The Padawn parried and thrust her sabre to his left wanting to catch him off guard.

[Kack Mebuff]

Kack quickly rolled to the right, Quay's saber nearly cut through his side.

Damn, that was too close for comfort.

Kack quickly leapt to his feet and charged forward. The Force surged through his body. He felt a connection like he had never felt before. He rushed forward and every stroke with his ligthsaber was precisely aimed.

Quay struggled immensely to keep up. But soon Kack's attacks were too erradic and suddenly she found his lightsaber blade millimeters away from her neck.

"You're dead..." he said, a smirk spreading across his face. The violet beam of energy retracted back into the lightsaber's hilt and attached it back to his belt.

"Excellent session, Quay. You did very well."

[Quay'Na Rakai]

Quay took a deep breath and blew it out as she flicked off her sabre. "Thanks," she breathed heavily as she jumped off the beam. "I needed that kind of practice."

She handed him another water as she got one herself and flung her towel over her shoulder. "Well, have to do that again sometime."

She looked down at her chrono. "Oh wow, how time flies when you're having fun. I gotta go, I'm supposed to meet with Master Helenias in the Archives pretty soon."

She walked over and gave him a hug. "Thanks again, Kack."

[Kack Mebuff]

"No problem, Quay. It was good practice for me too. You did great today... but remember... you're still dead."

He smirked as Quay rushed out of the room.