Private A Day to Ourselves

[Alicio Organa]

"Mmhmm. Whatever you say. My patient." He smirked one last time at her, leaning into the joke, before letting sincerity shine through. "Crowds are fine and all, but I'd rather just be with you."

It was no time at all before they arrived at their destination. Alicio walked slowly up the temple steps, wondering just how much of the enormous building was ancient beyond years, and how much had to be replaced after the Maw attacked it. Even if some of it was new, the building had an aire of history. Hundreds of generations of Jedi trained in these halls. Great heroes and incredible minds. And now, he was here.

Alicio couldn't help but feel a bit judged. As if the walls themselves were gossiping about him.

The Count gathered the clothes given to him by Amani, appraising them carefully. Simple, comfortable, dark. Good. "These will do. I'll see you in there," he said, nodding approvingly. The Jedi left to get changed, and after staring after her a moment, he stepped into a room to do the same.

He snuck out a few minutes later, wearing the jumpsuit, and looking like a model Jedi Padawan. Except that he'd opted to tie the sleeves around his waist, and instead covered his torso with a black undershirt. The sleek form of Introspect was now clearly seen at his side, as he stepped into the training area, hands folded meekly behind him.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Not long after, the door to the dojo slid open as Amani entered, hair tied back, still pulling up one of the sleeves of her personal habit. She stopped and smirked when she saw Alicio in his latest duds, "Wooow, look at you. Like a regular Jedi about town."

The knight then began a few warm ups, stretching her limbs a bit further than one might think normal. "So- What I'd like you to have a bit more of going forward, is defense. Lucky for you, defense is my speciality." She grabbed her saber pike by the sling around her chest, and discarded it beside the wall. Instead, she wielded the standard saber clipped to her side.

"Soresu, or Form III, is all about protection. Especially from blaster fire, but the techniques apply to melee weapons as well." The saber ignited with a blade of blue plasma, and Amani walked over to stand beside Alicio for now. "We'll work on actually practicing some stances and movements first. I'll use this saber so it's easier for you to mimic. Maybe after we can try some sparring, but that's not really useful if you don't know what you're actually doing first. Any questions?"

She finished by taking one of the Form's traditional opening stances: the blade raised forward and overhead, with the free hand extended towards the invisible opponent, along with the corresponding leg. Amani couldn't help a smirk; Why does a defensive art begin with the user exposing their defenseless limbs to an enemy? She never quite figured that one out herself.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Amani walked in, and complimented his new outfit. He simply curtsied, holding the loose ends of the jumpsuit's sleeves like the tresses of a skirt, before standing tall once more.

Compared to Amani, Alicio was as brittle as an uncooked noodle. He'd been doing more stretches ever since his duel with Iris Arani , but he could never hope to match flexibility with even a human Jedi, much less a mirialan one. "Defense. Got it." The Count palmed his lightsaber as Amani explained Form III, walked next to him, and struck a heroic pose.

Alicio looked down at his hilt, his brow creasing. Soft impressions of Empress Teta played in the back of his mind, as his thumb passed over the ignition switch. Hording his resolve, the senator activated Introspect, the blue and black blade growling ominously at his side. He studied Amani's body position, doing his best to replicate it, blade held overhead, hand pointed, leg anchored.

He smiled, feeling a bit awkward. "What's with the..." he flapped around his outstretched hand. "Are we supposed to... point menacingly at them?"

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"I don't know, dude," Amani admitted with a laugh, almost dropping her posture, "I think it's supposed to be like, a challenge to your opponent? Instigating them into attacking first? I dunno if the psychology on that checks out, but whatever." She hardly ever actually opened with that stance anyway, but for now it would do.

"In any case, Form III is defensive, like I said. And if you're fighting a melee opponent, that means being patient." Her stance changed quickly, pivoting the forward leg back and moving the saber down to cover her front, switched into a two-handed grip, "Minimal movements. As little as necessary to keep yourself covered. Wearing out your attacker's energy, while conserving your own."

Amani went through the movement again, but slower, then began to shift into a few other basic blocks at the same measurable pace. "Which also means you have to be calm, and collected. Panicking will only make it harder to keep up." An obvious point for just about any fighting style, but especially so for one as methodical as Soresu. She finished the first exercise by taking a more straightened, neutral posture, and breathing deeply. Meditative and centering.

"...Cool?" Amani watched him with an almost sad smile. The reason they were doing this hadn't been lost on her. The importance of something such as remaining calm felt like a reminder. Teta was an emotional and distressing event. That emotion had to be controllable should there ever be a time like that again. For his safety. And her peace of mind.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio imagined a shadowy, ill-defined opponent, and pointed at them with as much menace as he could muster. Come at me, his face said, or I'll... keep pointing at you.

"Alright. Sure. I'll accept that." The Count watched from the corner of his eye as Amani began executing a few slow swings. Alicio replicated as best he could, starting slow with the basic blocks and parries. He found it was similar enough to to forms he knew. A sweeping, cutting blade like Form I, with the conservation of movement like Form II.

While not coming as naturally to the senator as the latter, he felt a rhythm begin to form in the low hums of their sabers. Peace, he was awful at. Patience, he had in spades.

"I've been in a few fights," he began, noticing Amani's somber gaze, "but I've never once felt calm or collected in a battle." On Empress Teta, against Alina Tremiru , against Alina Tremiru again... every fight had every one of his hairs standing on edge. Driven by focus, crystalized by intense worry.

Alicio practiced another downward slash with the blade, blue and black playing along his dreary irises.

"How do you... do that? Stay calm, when everything is on the line?"

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani stood in silent contemplation. How did she do it? It was more complicated than that, "It's… hard to explain. But the truth is you can't just shut it off. I think anyone who claims to be perfectly zen in a life or death struggle is lying."

The knight shrugged, "There's something pushing you to fight, to survive, in that moment. Adrenaline, if absolutely nothing else. It's just biology." A fight or flight kicks in. It was the innate drive of all living things to keep on living. Fear, pain, panic, all things that evolved to perpetuate that drive. But they were also more than just instinctual beasts.

"The question is really whether or not you can control those emotions." She held up a finger and clarified, "A lot of old fashioned types seem to think that means suppressing them. Honestly, I used to think that way too. But suppressing them only makes things worse. Sooner or later, it'll bubble over and become too much to handle. They'll betray you at the worst of times. But if you can learn to rely on them, work in harmony with them, then you can effectively control them."

It was something that couldn't be mastered simply through listening to another's attempts to describe it. Such an equilibrium has to be practiced and experienced firsthand. "I guess over time I've found my way to do that. I try to think about what I'm fighting for, not what I'm fighting against." The reason to keep going. To not mess up. The fear, the adrenaline, would always be there. But in the right hands they could become a part of one's arsenal.

"The best way to learn is by doing. I think I've got something that might help get the point across…" Amani shut off her saber, and walked over to the edge of the room and opened a sliding door that blended in with the rest of the walls. It was a small storage closet of sorts, and out of it she grabbed a long piece of cloth, and a training remote. She activated the remote, causing it to hover in the air, then walked behind Alicio to tie the cloth around his eyes as a blindfold, "This will help you to trust your instincts. Trust the Force. Once you can do that, you can find that 'peace'."

Amani stepped back to watch, "Use some of those movements we were practicing to block the shots. Focus your senses, and the rest will follow."

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio continued the drills as Amani spoke, attempting to internalize the wisdom.

Everyone has fear in them. Fight it, and it will fight back. Harness it, and it will give you strength.

When he thought of it like that, it sounded rather Sith-like. But it made sense for Jedi, as well. They were emotional beings too, who had to live with their feelings without giving into them. "I think I understand," he said, ponderously.

He fought for the safety of the Alliance. For the good of the entire galaxy. To help everyone he could. That determination would fuel his calm, propel his need to survive.

Amani produced a long strip of cloth, and Alicio couldn't help but crack a small grin. "Usually, we'd probably go on a few more dates before breaking out the blindfold, but alright." He accepted the sudden darkness over his eyes, turning his face to the remote as it began to float. He tried to focus on that feeling of determination.

But he didn't trust the Force enough.

"Ow," he said, with a comically neutral inflection.

He tried to block again, swiping the blade down.

"Ow."

The Count paused, waiting until he felt a spike of danger before flashing his blade in a small circle. Just missing the sting.

"Ow."

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"Laugh it up, Your Excellency," Amani smirked and tightened the blindfold with a slight jerk to reprimand Alicio for his joke. She then made up for it by giving him a teasing kiss on the cheek, "Oops. Sorry."

His display of Jedi skill (or lack thereof) was unsurprising, but still amusing. She deactivated the remote, and pulled his blindfold down, "You're fighting it." Amani said plainly. It was tangible through the Force. He was out of sync, "The Force is your greatest ally. It's a part of who you are. Trust that it will help you, and it will. It's a mind game." Amani rubbed his shoulder and offered a sympathetic smile.

"For what it's worth I didn't expect you to get this in one. Just gotta keep trying." She paused a moment to think, "Have you ever meditated before? It might help center yourself." It was an option. Whether he wanted to give that a try, or make his second go at the training remote, didn't matter to her.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio chuckled as Amani roughly looped on the blindfold, revealing that his joke had, in fact, landed. His reward after was icing on the cake, so to say. The subtle rose on his cheeks seemed to agree.

After embarrassing himself with the remote, Amani took off his blindfold, revealing a mildly annoyed expression from the Count. He pursed his lip, ever the self-perfectionist. It was not made better by the fact that everything Amani said was absolutely true. He was fighting it. Wrestling it under his control. Pushing against the flow.

"Sorry," he said naturally. "I'll... try to trust it."

On the subject of meditation, Alicio nodded once. "I did, once. First time I met Rianna, she showed me how." It had worked, he felt peace, but he'd had difficulty doing it again. The worries piled up so high, and the minnows in his mind were so distracting...

Deep breath in, deep breath out. "Let's do it."

The Count deactivated his blade, laying the hilt on the ground as he sat down. He patted the mat at his side playfully.

"How do you meditate?" Rianna had already explained her way to him, but Alicio was curious if Amani's was different.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"Sure," Amani smiled, and moved to now be across from Alicio. She sat down, folding in her legs, and began to measure her breathing.

"It can be hard to get used to. I've been trying it for years now, so it's a bit easier to just… do." Most every Jedi utilized meditative practices to hone their oneness with the Force. It was a part of training. But not even she was always free from distraction. They both had that same guilty conscience, after all.

"But for you, we'll just have to break it down," Amani gestured for him to join her on the floor, "Sit in a way that's stable, but comfortable for you. Cross-legged, on your knees, whatever, as long as it feels right for you." She inhaled deeply through her nose, then exhaled through her mouth, "Close out all your distractions. This night is just for us, remember? Keep that same line of thinking. It's just you, and me, here, tonight." Perhaps it would help that they were in a quiet, empty dojo. A box cut off from the outside world.

"Shut your eyes, and focus on yourself. Notice your breathing, your body, your thoughts." Functions that were second-nature, now very conscious and deliberate. When focusing so much on the self, it helped to mute everything else. "Coalesce, and you can find that sense of peace. Wholeness. And the Force." The final key to it all. As the rest of their senses came together, so too would the Force.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Alicio crossed his legs in front of him, studying Amani as she explained her technique. He focused on the gentle cadence of her voice.

"You and me," he repeated, closing his eyes with a small smile. He tried to block out everything else, but the sounds of them. Sitting and breathing together.

Block out wasn't right. He watched each passing thought, each stress and distraction, as it flitted and flashed about his mind. He gave each only a moment to exist, before moving on to the next. Slowly, but surely, his overactive mind began to calm, each minnow swimming away in time. He just kept breathing. Kept listening.

Eventually, he heard the song on his lips. Tasted sweet coastal air, as if he were standing on Sanctuary City's shore. He extended his feelings out, understanding the ebb and flow of the Force around him, hair tousled by an unseen wind. He didn't reach for it, didn't try to harness it as it played along his skin, just let it be.

He let that moment stretch on for minutes, before opening his eyes again. Standing up, Introspect in hand, he refastened his blindfold. And realized not much changed without his sight to guide him.

"Alright. Take two."

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani had kept herself out of a fully meditative state, eventually peeking open an eye to watch Alicio as he began his efforts in earnest. Slowly she could sense it too. His signature, his presence in the Force, became clearer. More whole.

His own eyes fluttered open, and she briefly shut hers with a smirk, to act as if she had been in the same state the whole time. "Take two." Amani stood up silently, and reactivated the training remote. No wry comments, no flirtatious jokes, just a reassuring smile and a step back. All to make certain he remained in that state of mind.

The remote whirred quietly into the air, and spun a few times before jerking quickly in a random direction. The first shot fired…

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Ow."

He still missed the first one. But the next zap was met with the crackle of his saber, as was the next, and the next. Alicio performed the Soresu movements slowly, getting into the feel of it, but each ponderous stroke of his saber found a bolt, dissipating it across the blue and black blade.

All the while, Alicio made small corrections to his form. Shifting his feet, rolling his shoulders, and raising and lowering his arms until he felt a stance that worked for him.

Finally, after one last slashing block, the Count removed his blindfold, looking to Amani with a hint of pride. "Well, that went far better than the first time."

"What next? Should we..." He looked down at Introspect, then at Amani's lightsaber, a little unsure, but open to anything.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Amani forced herself to keep from reacting as the first strike hit. Calm. Focus. No distractions. Then the second was blocked, his Form III movements a recognizable sight to her. The rest were all blocked as well. Finally she let some emotion out, breaking into a smile. "That was great! You're getting it." There was always progress to be made, but in a short time alone he had shown substantial growth. The power of the Force, now all the more familiar to him. The results were undeniable. "Now that you've got a better feel for it, you should find it easier and easier to make that connection. Then it's just a matter of continued time and effort."

Amani followed his gaze to her weapon and smirked, "Your call. If you feel comfortable enough to try some sparring, let's go for it. If not we can always go through a few more movements." She twirled the hilt of the weapon in her hand, and waited expectantly. Alicio could gauge his own readiness. "Promise I'll go easy on ya." At first. Sparring didn't do much good in the long run if your opponent wasn't trying.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

Amani's praise warmed Alicio's chest better than any warm drink or alcoholic beverage ever could. He glanced at the floor modestly, but his smile couldn't be completely suppressed. "Thanks. I'll try to meditate more. Force knows I could use it."

As she signalled her willingness to spar, Alicio's grin sharpened.

Oh. He was so going to lose.

But losing to Iris had taught him a valuable lesson about combat, and maybe even saved his life on Empress Teta. Losing to Amani, he figured, would do the same. "Let's do it," he said, turning slowly on his heels towards the mirialan, as a dancer might shift their feet. He performed the beginning stance of Form III, eyes narrowing with sudden seriousness.

Then, the Count pointed menacingly at Amani. His eyebrows waggled.

"Your move, Jedi."

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

"Your funeral," She teased, igniting her saber. Sure, he'd probably lose (and really if he didn't, then perhaps it was time Amani rethink her career), but winning wasn't his goal. This would be the most effective way to put that learning to use, throwing him into the action and forcing him to apply it. A baptism by fire. A mild, safely maintained fire, but nonetheless...

She let Alicio ready himself, while she began to stalk back and forth across the mat. His stance seemed solid, as they had practiced. Then, he gave her the pointed fingers and a wagging brow. Amani stopped her pacing, and faced him head on. An annoyed smirk crept across her face. Maybe those Soresu masters of old were on to something after all; Watching him taunt her with that stupid pose sure made Amani alot more eager to knock Alicio on his ass.

She rushed in with a highly telegraphed horizontal cut, ready to follow up with a few more basic attacks that would test his basic defense. Simple, easy to read, easy to counter. If he could manage that, then they could progress into something a little more advanced.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

The menacing finger point worked.

Oh no, the menacing finger point worked.

Amani was upon him, but Alicio was all too ready for her training-wheels swings. The Count transitioned easily into combat, his thin blade managing to match the mirialan's, slowly adjusting his grip as they clashed.

He wasn't used to swinging his lightsaber around as much as he was, usually preferring the small cuts and lunging stabs of Makashi. But he picked up on the defensive rhythm of Soresu quickly. It felt good, hitting that flow. He returned Amani's attacks with a few slashes of his own, albeit short and hesitant ones.

It wasn't too long ago he couldn't force himself to attack at all during training. It was an improvement.

"That's it?," he said cheekily, knowing full well that she could end him if she wanted to, and prodding her anyways.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

Good. Alicio could take the first round of attacks. Even replying with a few of his own. She had expected him to remain wholly on the defensive. Very good, "Remember, minimal movement. Conserve your energy as much as possible." Amani reminded, perhaps flexing a bit herself by casually critiquing the Count's form mid-duel.

He wasn't done yet either, taunting her once again. She smirked, and gave one last swing before dodging back to force a break in their back-and-forth. "Well, I was trying not to immediately humiliate you, but if that's what you want," Amani flourished her blade, then lunged back in to continue the assault. Her moves were a bit quicker now, a bit stronger, with a few more advanced techniques like occasional feints mixed in to keep him on his toes. Still not her fullest potential, but a step up from their simple start.

Alicio Organa​

 

[Alicio Organa]

"Right," he managed to say back, smirking as he tried to adjust his form. The Count relied on his footwork far too much in combat, unnecessarily shifting when he should be solid. He planted his feet as best he could, trying to conserve his movements.

The Alderaanian's ribbing resulted in Amani picking up the pace, using more advanced tricks to sneak past his guard. Alicio tried to keep up without any of his tricks, but he was already on the backfoot, even with Amani still holding back. So he had to cheat a little.

The Force whirled around Alicio, with a taste like the ocean, and what could be was revealed to him.

It would seem as if a switch had been flipped in Alicio's mind. One second, he was struggling to keep up, the next, he was prepared at every turn. The future glimmered in his eyes, assisted by Introspect's crystal, allowing him to barely stay in time with Amani. He even managed to get in one chopping swing at her shoulder, but quickly had to return to defense.

Much more, and Alicio would be overwhelmed, so focused on the battle that he couldn't offer any more quips. He would have to get creative if they continued.

- Amani Serys -

 

[Amani Serys]

As their sparring dragged on, Alicio seemed to get an increasingly better feel for it. His demeanor seemed to shift mid-fight, more serious but also more precise. Amani's attacks were continually blocked or avoided, even if just nearly when it came to some. It was an impressive enough change, combined with the fact that she was operating the aggressiveness that was out of her element, that she was caught off guard. His abrupt swing forced her to block, very nearly being hit herself, and throwing her flurry of attacks out of rhythm.

Amani batted his saber away, backing up again for another brief moment of respite. "Okay." She smiled and nodded approvingly. A quick learner. Now it was just a matter of the final test. First, Amani stepped forward, then, using the Force to briefly enhance her speed, lurched quickly to the side and came in for a jab. Now, she was fighting like it were real. A life or death situation in which one wrong mistake could mean the end. Her attacks were faster, harder to read, and intended to disarm or kill (save for the fact that, in training mode, their sabers would thankfully do little more than sting). A fusion of different styles, in tandem with various techniques to mix him up. As one final trick, the display would end with a sudden yank of the Force in an attempt to trip him backwards, provided they got that far.

Alicio Organa​