Private A First Step Forward

[Briana Sal-Soren]

Outfit: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber, Echo Stone | Tag: Thayze Montserrat

TRAINING TERRACE, EARLY MORNING​

Meeting a new Padawan for the first time always came with a bit of trepidation, each one with their own learning curve. It wasn't just about teaching them how to be a Jedi, what katas they needed to know, or what was in the code — of course, that all went into it, but Briana felt that learning who they were as a person was often more helpful and important. How they thought, what they feared, what motivated them, etc.

Having guided more than a few Padawans at this point, she typically had an idea of where to start with them, but Briana wasn't exactly sure what to expect with this one. He wasn't a fresh-faced kid just starting his training for the first time for one, and much like Cerys Dyn, had lost his Master. Unlike Cerys, this wound was still fresh — given that it'd barely been a couple weeks since it happened; a shroud of mourning still hanging over Naboo and many of her people.

Would he be among the many? And how would that loss manifest? Indifference? Anger? Grief? Or would it manifest in the way that she was more familiar with? The brittle determination to push forward as if nothing had ever changed, until you eventually reached an inevitable breaking point.

Hearing the sound of boots scuffle against the marble flooring of the terrace behind her, Briana turned from where she'd been busy adjusting one of the training droids. Cerulean eyes met his— a young man, not much older, or taller for that matter, than herself. A bright smile pulled across her face.

"You must be Padawan Thayze," her chin dipped into a greeting nod, keeping her voice steady and professional, but warm. "Welcome! I'm Briana Sal-Soren. It's good to meet you proper, and on time." Briana appreciated her students being punctual. "I thought we'd spend some of the morning assessing where you're at in your training, and go from there. Nothing formal," She added quickly, making sure there was no confusion. This wasn't a test, after all. "This isn't about passing or failing, but I know you've had training before, so this is just way for me to get to know you better, so I know how I can best help you and we can try to pick up where you left off. But —" She gestured to him, "Before we start, do you have any questions, concerns? Anything that you want to tell me about yourself?"

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[Thayze Montserrat]

|| A FIRST STEP FORWARD ||
Head in the Clouds - Chapter 1

OUTFIT: Black Trench Coat, Bespoke Jedi Armor
TAG: Briana Sal-Soren ​

TRAINING TERRACE

Thayze had been sulking in his parents' holiday chateau in rural Naboo, drowning himself in his father's grappa and spending the rest of the time lashing his rage on the training dummy. It was easy for Thayze to bribe the chateau’s caretaker to not notify his parents for a while. Obviously, his parents were soon notified by their network of Thayze’s Master death and his departure from the Temple. Still, they let him have his time, there’s no place to talk about feelings in a family so prideful of their posture after all, better let the boy cool himself off in the middle of nowhere. When the time comes, he’ll come back to the Temple and continue his training, that’s all that he have now, and surely he did.

Finding a new Master wasn’t the hard part. Making sure that he is paired with a suitable Master, one one that can guide him further through his training, until he is ready to be knighted, and one that he can form a lifetime bond with, that is the hard part. He was notified that he is to meet the Order’s founder, Jedi Knight Briana Sal-Soren, to continue his training. She is very different from his late Master, yet strangely in a good way? A Jedi of a noble background, not that much older than himself, illustrious pedigree, celebrated career, and a black note one-removed in her family tree. Thayze see in what he knows about the Jedi a reflection of who he is, what he can be.

Arriving at the training terrace early morning, Thayze was greeted by Briana, who is in the middle of preparing the training field, already in her Jedi gear. “Good morning! It’s good to finally meet you, Master,” he returned her smile with his own, sincere but with a reservation of someone’s griefing. “That sounds good,” While his training level should be already in a report left by his late Master, it would be really helpful for the both of them to experience it firsthand; the force-abilities and lightsaber style he is more proficient with, ones he still needs thorough training in, and how the two approach each and every aspect of the training. “I’ve been trained in the fundamentals before I joined the Order, so I might have some peculiar stances, techniques, and preferences.” Thayze added some information that might help Briana in approaching the training, but also shedding some light to his background and upbringing.​

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[Briana Sal-Soren]

Outfit: XoXo | Equipment: Lightsaber, Echo Stone | Tag: Thayze Montserrat ​

Her expression dimmed faintly as he approached, noting his careful restraint. Ah, suppression, then.

"If you're comfortable with it, then Briana is fine when it's just the two of us," she emphasized with a warm smile and loose shrug to try and make him more comfortable, turning back toward the training droid and giving his chassis a familiar pat of affection. "And that's fine, it's natural for us to develop and blend our own techniques and preferences into our fighting styles, especially the more you develop and learn. Makes you unpredictable. But, I do want to make sure that you've got a good grasp on the formalities and foundations of your forms, so I'd like you to try and focus on that. I've programmed this fellow here to help us get started and figure that all out. He's smarter than he looks, and a lot more adaptable than the standard Temple training units." There was the slightest hint of pride in her voice; she'd spent considerable time perfecting the droid's programming.

Hands dropping to her belt, Briana hooked her thumbs behind it and rocked slightly back on her heels. "The droid will match and escalate with your skill level," she explained, turning to look at him again. "– think of it as a conversation rather than a duel. I know your Master focused on Form II with you," she continued, referencing his file, "but sometimes what's on flimsi doesn't tell the whole story and seeing my students in action is usually a lot more beneficial than any report."

Briana stepped back, giving him clear space with the droid, pressing the activation button on his control panel. "Take your time getting comfortable. When you're ready, ignite your saber, and our friend here will respond to your energy and form. Don't worry about impressing me." she added, head tilting to observe him. Coming from the courts of nobility herself, Briana understood that the ingrained need to perform flawlessly would likely be a deeply intrinsic part of him.

That could be both a boon and a weakness, depending on how it was applied. It could push a Padawan to get a bit too competitive, overconfident, or even refuse to see the truth of their own failings. But on the other hand, when properly channeled, that same drive for excellence could produce remarkable results — a bent towards dedication and discipline that would take him far as a Jedi. Watching him, Briana could already see hints of that potential in the way he carried himself. It was rare that she was wrong.