Lightsaber 102 (D3, Mid-Afternoon)

[Eir]

She watched Eir with a raised eyebrow, then did a dramatic eyeroll. "Sheesh, how old are you anyway? Sticking your tongue out like a kid?"

Shrugging, "I don't agree with Byron, but he is right about one thing, balance is important. Be serious when you need to be, but don't forget how to be fun."

[Taime Jorel]

Taime was keeping an eye on that situation, but he'd decided to try to ignore Byron pulling age on everyone. Just because he was a few years older, he acted like the boss. Hopefully Eir wouldn't get too upset at him.

Finding himself ignored by the pair who were intent on practicing, he wandered over to Mir and Ares, watching their battle.

Seeing the brooding young man he waved him over, “Taime, show me what you have learned. It would be good for the fellow students to see a skilled student in action.”

He gave a little chuckle. "I fear I will only be able to teach how to outlast someone, but that is useful knowledge at the end of the day."

He moved over to Byron and took up his stance.

[Byron Mik]

Byron replied warmly, “Every battle is one of attrition on some level, outlasting your opponent is a victory in and of itself. Show me your offensive steps and I stay on the defense.”

He gestured to the other students that were present and added, “Watch Taime carefully, see how he advances and gives ground.”

Byron raised his training weapon and settled in to a stance gripping the weapon with both hands, a traditional Soresu stance.

OOC: Taime can strike at him if he wishes, Byron will take a Guarded Stance, so 1 setback on the attack and he has Soak 4.

[Taime Jorel]

Taime nodded, unsure of what was causing this sudden burst of warmth towards him from someone who had mostly mocked him for the last two days, but not wanting to make much of it.

Taime takes up a traditional Niman stance and waits for his opportunity.

Sparring roll, one setback, niman disciple: 1eP+2eA+1eS+2eD 1 failure


Sadly, he's still more unsure than he would like on his lightsaber skills and his attack is unimpressive to say the least.

[Byron Mik]

Byron smiled, “Come on Mister Charms, you showed so much confidence on camera… I know you can do better. Try again, don’t over think it. Too many minds can distract you from the task at hand.”

He said to the watching students, “As you can see Soresu is a defensive form focused on protecting the body from the attacks of a lightsaber or blaster fire. To accomplish this, keep the weapon steady and in front of you, this is the basic beginner’s stance allowing free motion to any sector of defense in front of you.”

OOC: Knowledge check as Action, Maneuver for Guarded Stance granting him Melee Defense 1.

Knowledge Lore - Soresu - Average: 4eA+2eD 3 successes

[Esla Tor]

The match-up was probably less intense than what they have to go through yesterday at the very least. She didn't mind when she worked on the aggression between blows, quickly taking the necessary steps back as she worked to deflect them and wait until she might potentially go wide enough so she could a comfortable counterattack.

[Taime Jorel]

Byron smiled, “Come on Mister Charms, you showed so much confidence on camera… I know you can do better. Try again, don’t over think it. Too many minds can distract you from the task at hand.”

He said to the watching students, “As you can see Soresu is a defensive form focused on protecting the body from the attacks of a lightsaber or blaster fire. To accomplish this, keep the weapon steady and in front of you, this is the basic beginner’s stance allowing free motion to any sector of defense in front of you.”

OOC: Knowledge check as Action, Maneuver for Guarded Stance granting him Melee Defense 1.

Knowledge Lore - Soresu - Average: 4eA+2eD 3 successes

Taime takes a long, slow breath, trying to calm himself. But he plainly didn't succeed. That nickname was really starting to get to him.

sparring roll: 1eP+2eA+2eD 1 failure, 1 threat


Taking a step back after his failure, he said, "We all have our skills. This is plainly not my best."

[Byron Mik]

Byron grew serious and said, “What troubles you?”

He frowned that he could not muddle out what was troubling the trainee. He had much to learn himself and maybe he wasn’t giving this student everything he needed which distracted Byron momentarily from his stalwart defenses.

OOC: Failed, use Threat to give Taime a boost die. Guarded stance taken, Melee Defense increased by 1.

Vigilance - Average: 1eA+1eP+2eD 1 failure, 1 threat

[Taime Jorel]

Byron grew serious and said, “What troubles you?”

He frowned that he could not muddle out what was troubling the trainee. He had much to learn himself and maybe he wasn’t giving this student everything he needed which distracted Byron momentarily from his stalwart defenses.

OOC: Failed, use Threat to give Taime a boost die. Guarded stance taken, Melee Defense increased by 1.

Vigilance - Average: 1eA+1eP+2eD 1 failure, 1 threat

His imbalance was becoming obvious to everyone. This was what he'd always feared. But he tried to do what Chriala had suggested. Tamp it down, use it to push to new heights. Control it, don't let it control you.

His Nagai willpower made it so and, with his mind sharp as a blade, he attacked.

Sparring roll: 1eP+2eA+2eD 3 successes, 1 advantage


After his successful hit, he steps back and says, "I dislike nicknames I have not chosen. My name is what little I have of my people. I would ask that you use it."

[Byron Mik]

Byron was impressed with the strike, even if he had minimized it with a deft parry and responded, “I was not aware that the nickname upset you. It was not used to belittle you, it was because I was impressed at how cool you remained in a stressful situation. You have my apologies, Taime.”

“If anything your way with words has the potential to save many more lives than mere skill with a Lightsaber. Jedi are ever diplomats, and defusing a situation is often far better than finishing it with violence.”

He turned to the gathered students, “I think that is a good point to end that lesson, break off into groups and work on your strike and parry routines.”

OOC: Parry for 3 strain to reduce the strike by 3 to 6 and soak removes 4 more so 2 strain suffered.

[Faily]

She watched Eir with a raised eyebrow, then did a dramatic eyeroll. "Sheesh, how old are you anyway? Sticking your tongue out like a kid?"

Shrugging, "I don't agree with Byron, but he is right about one thing, balance is important. Be serious when you need to be, but don't forget how to be fun."

The girl rolled her eyes in a picture perfect gesture of teenage snark. "Sounds like he dumped you or something."

[Taime Jorel]

He accepts Byron's apology, glad that this is settled. "It is all right, Byron. These things happen. I am grateful for your apology."

The second set of words confuse him slightly, but he is unsure how to respond. Perhaps it is merely his young eyes that see the lightsaber as so much more powerful in this moment.

After the other students have moved on, he turns to Byron. "I would appreciate any teaching you could offer in this arena. I find that I am often too distracted during my saber practice by all the possible outcomes. You seem to have an ability to focus on the field, similar to how I do when I work with words."

[Eir]

The girl rolled her eyes in a picture perfect gesture of teenage snark. "Sounds like he dumped you or something."

"Nah," she replied carelessly, "he can just be a know-it-all sometimes." Eir watched the tension and frustration rising in Taime, watching as he took the bit in his teeth and tamed the anger, smiling in a satisfied way. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the zeltron, "so why don't you want spar, anyway?"

[Byron Mik]

“There are really two steps one must take towards mastery, or so a Master told me. Discipline and willingness to learn and ten-thousand strikes. The former takes time, but the latter just takes patience and dedication; the key is that you can’t think. I know that sounds silly but you can’t think of what you are going to do, your body has to know and already be doing it. It’s like eating no one has to show you how to eat you don’t think about you just do it and carry on a conversation,” he said calmly.

“That is where your mind needs to be, your body needs to know what it must do so you can focus on out thinking your opponent not worrying about how to hit them. It took a long time to get there, but when you do you will know, things move in slow motion, you can see things happen before they do… it’s not the Force it is simply the knowledge of how things work and connect.”

“The Force just makes that even better,” he said smiling. “You have a strong stance, but we can improve it.”

[Taime Jorel]

A small light seemed to dawn behind Taime's eyes. "Ahhh. I have heard something like this as well before. My Master used to gently tap me with a stick whenever she would catch me drifting into thought during meditation. It looks like those problems have followed me here as well. "

He steps back, moving into another stance. "Let us count up a few more strikes, shall we? I can defend if you like or attack if you prefer."

[Byron Mik]

Byron nodded and settled into a sparring stance so they could exchange attacks and work on their skills together.

[Faily]

"Nah," she replied carelessly, "he can just be a know-it-all sometimes." Eir watched the tension and frustration rising in Taime, watching as he took the bit in his teeth and tamed the anger, smiling in a satisfied way. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to the zeltron, "so why don't you want spar, anyway?"

"Ugh, like, it's so stupid. I'm like a great student with the Force stuff, I don't need to learn to hit someone with a stick." She tossed her hair.

[Eir]

"No, you don't need to learn how to hit someone with a stick, but I can think of a few reasons why you might want to. Lightsaber training will help you be better with the Force," Eir suggested, "learning to feel the Force through combat will improve your connection with it, and deepen your understanding of it."

[Faily]

"How?" she gave Eir an incredulous look. "It's all about not fighting most of the time anyway. Isn't the point of being a Jedi to be like all about peace and stuff?"

[Eir]

“I use the Force to help guide my actions in combat,” Eir provided as an example, “my connection to the Force helps me anticipate where blows will land, so that I can block them, or avoid them altogether. As for diplomacy,” Eir’s pressed her lips together a moment, “you shouldn’t neglect combat training just because you don’t plan on using it. Some skills are better to have and not need, than need and not have.”

“Besides,” she added cheerfully, “it’s kinda fun when you get into a groove and your lightsaber becomes an extension of you, and you’re not really thinking, but doing.”