A Measure of Aptitude

[Sundara Nyveit]

Ｖ Ａ Ａ Ｐ Ａ Ｄ .​

It wasn't exactly a form encouraged among the Jedi. It was effective, yes, and extremely so. But it had its drawbacks, grievous ones at that. Which was exactly why Sundara felt she had to learn it, at least to the point in which she could use it in combat without losing her head in the process. With that in mind, there weren't many people Sundara could exactly approach about practicing the form. She was surprised, grateful of course, but nevertheless incredibly surprised when Saran agreed to help her in this endeavor. So much so that the Devaronian had to wonder if her fellow knew what this would entail.

"Thank you for agreeing to this." Sundara greeted the fellow knight with sincerity in her voice. Before the Jedi had arrived, she'd prepared the space for them, ensuring no annoying rocks and the whatnot could get in the way. Now, she was just finishing up, pushing things to the side. Already, she'd ran through a couple exercises and warm-ups. Still, she was restless, partially just wanting to get to sparring, but also with anxiety regarding of just how Saran would respond.

"It's not exactly the most orthodox thing, what I'm working on."​

[member="Saran Drast"]​

 

[Saran Drast]

It wasn't a surprise to anyone that Saran found herself in the training grounds. The Miraluka was a guardian, after all. She was just more the type to obsess over the act of combat than the means to avoid it. Perhaps not the most Jedi-like action, but it was who she was. So when Sundara asked for a sparring partner to practice with, the woman had taken it without hesitation. Maybe if she had known what she was getting into, she wouldn't have been so eager.

The space was clear. Interesting. No chance of tripping her opponent up, then. "Anytime." The Miraluka nodded. "It's always a pleasure to be able to help." There was a pause, and Saran could feel a tension. The seer was nervous. What was that about? She'd have to figure that out later. Calling the saber handle from her belt to her hand, she gave a small smile. "Sometimes it's the unorthodox tactics that work the best." A moment later, the blade in her hand sprung to life. "Shall we?"

[member="Sundara Nyveit"]

 

[Sundara Nyveit]

"Well, yes, sometimes they give just the edge one needs." That was the hope, at least. The unorthodox methods of which Sundara was learning could hopefully mean the difference between life and death. Times were growing darker, it seemed. The ever-present threat of the Dark Side was one the Jedi was not eager to face. At the same time, she felt it was her obligation to do so. Why else would others take the time to teach her the more advanced aspects of the Force, particularly those meant for stopping others? And for Saran's understanding, she was immensely grateful. She had hesitated to even ask for her assistance, entertaining the idea of keeping this skill hidden to all beyond herself and the one who introduced it to her. But no, she needed the extra hand if she were to master some aspects of it before the coming storm.

"We shall." Her own blade sprung to her hand, the blue light emitting from either side of the hilt. She gave the lightsaber a bit of a spin, before coming at the fellow Jedi. She didn't start out with Vaapad, not yet. She'd have to actually get into the fight before she could try to enjoy it. Instead, she relied on her normal style, the blows and blocks that characterized Niman taking over.

[member="Saran Drast"]​

 

[Saran Drast]

A quick, methodical defense met the Devaronian's attacks, the tight bladework of a Soresu practitioner holding off the woman's offensive, if only for a moment. She was letting the woman gain ground, gain a false sense of security, for now. The Miraluka watched with practiced patience as the woman struck again and again. Simple attacks. Interesting. She wasn't leaving much of an opportunity for a retaliation. Maybe she'd have to make one herself. The next block was much simpler, wilder. More open. She was moving the blades away from her body. Giving her room.

And then, for the briefest of moments as their sabers met, Saran's turned off.

She sidestepped Sundara's blade, letting it continue on its arc. Her own, not past her opponent, swung at the knight. She had, if brief, a moment's advantage. The Miraluka intended to press it.

[member="Sundara Nyveit"]

 

[Sundara Nyveit]

She had to ease herself into it, let the drills and instinct speak for itself. She had to let things happen as they did, get herself to enjoy the fight. That was often the hardest part. It was almost sacrilegious to even consider fighting for fun. It was destructive, unnecessary, against everything she'd been taught to value as a Jedi. But also as a Jedi she was bound by her sacred duty to protect those in need. Those people needed her to be strong. She had to be stronger.

It took longer than she was hoping, but she slowly found herself getting into the swing of things. A tight pressed attempt at a grin landed on her otherwise intense features. Suddenly there was no saber to press against, and Sundara in all her momentum tumbled forward. She whirled about, the double bladed saber rotating in her hands as she batted away Saran's swipe. She moved with a bit more fluidity than before, a bit more aggression. Like a streak of competitiveness suddenly awoke within the Devaronian, leaving no excuses for anything other than domination.

[member="Saran Drast"]​

 

[Saran Drast]

Sundara moved with a speed that the Miraluka hadn't expected. Batting her saber away, and transitioning into something more aggressive. That wasn't expected. It felt as if this was no longer a friendly duel, but a fight, and to lose was to accept death. Something she was not willing to do. Saran answered with speed of her own, dancing back from the strike. Wait for a blow, find a chink. The Knight was focusing on driving her back. That meant she was thinking less about defense.

The Force poured through the woman's muscles like fire, empowering them, filling them with energy. The masked woman simply batted aside each blow, redirecting it to slide harmlessly past. That is until the woman left her an option. Like lightning, Saran's foot shot out, aiming a kick at her opponent's knee. If it hit, it would stagger her, possibly even knock her off her feet. Otherwise, Saran was off balance. Sundara, if she could press the advantage, could easily take this.

[member="Sundara Nyveit"]

 

[Sundara Nyveit]

Forgetting pleasantries and civilities that were expected of friendly sparring, Sundara pressed on. Seldom in all her days had crossing blades been so exhilarating, almost therapeutic. She felt as if she could go on for days if not for fatigue, the height of the fight making her more daring, more willing to try out moves less than savory for any Jedi. Saran didn't back down, either, something Sundara greatly appreciated. An easy win would leave a foul taste in her mouth, once she got over the high of a victory, at least. Saran was providing just the right kind of opposition the Devaronian had been hoping for.

Sundara took that kick to the knee hard, a loud grunt being audible as she jerked back from her advance. Ow that was a good kick. Normally, Sundara would comment on it, compliment its administer on her form and such. There were no compliments this time. In fact it was quite the opposite. Completely consumed by the battle and the overwhelming urge to win Sundara launched herself forward in a reckless strike, a small battle cry leaving the cavity that was her chest.

[member="Saran Drast"]​

 

[Saran Drast]

Well, that was an interesting response. Most Jedi wouldn't respond with that kind of rage, letting the pain drive them forward. Saran let her advance, her body tensing up before the woman leaped into the air, one hand guiding her saber to act as a shield between her and the Deveronian. The other snapped out, a quick motion drawing the shoto from her sleeve and activating it. If her opponent wanted to be aggressive, she would play defense. For now.

Now she had options. The Shoto would flash out wherever her opponent targeted. Her Saber would make a quick jab, trying to get a quick stab at Sundari's side. She would try and end this before her opponent got out of control.

[member="Sundara Nyveit"]

 

[Sundara Nyveit]

Sundara hadn't been expecting the shoto to come into play. Why, she hadn't even been aware Saran used a shoto.blade. Still, it made for a challenging learning curve, exactly what Sundara had been hoping for in a sparring partner. Anything less would defeat the purpose of the exercise. The grin upon her countenance widened, genuine yet also with a hint of savagery. Facing an opponent that kept her on her toes was gratifying. Even more so, beating said opponent could be even more rewarding.

Now tasked with an extra blade to watch for, Sundara fell back more to slightly more defensive measures. She balanced both ends of her saberstaff, with a delicate hand, blocking with one end and trying to swing an attack out of the other. Her pace quickened, relying on the heat of the battle to push herself as she made a wild lurch to avoid Saran's attack.

​

[member="Saran Drast"]​

 

[Saran Drast]

There was a reason Saran didn't fight with a saberstaff, why she had never bothered to learn the weapon. It was interesting, sure, and she could get behind interesting. But the weapon was also predictable. It moved in wide sweeping motions, in arcs that move both blades away from the user's body. The second blade meant different blows, different guards, and different holds. Having tried to fight with one in the past, she had hit herself with the training blade more than her opponent. But she had also learned one important fact about the weapon: If you know where one blade is, you know where the other is. As the Deveronian lurched away from the thrust, she smiled, cutting upwards. The blow had little force behind it, formed entirely from her wrist, but it may be enough to draw blood. Enough to score a win.

The Shoto, meanwhile played it its strength: The small blade let her twist and maneuver her opponent's much larger one away from her, forcing the saberstaff away from her exposed hand. She needed time.

[member="Sundara Nyveit"]

 

[Sundara Nyveit]

As a padawan, Sundara just enjoyed the saberstaff for its spin functions. She enjoyed the breeze if she got it going fast enough and it just stood out among other hopefuls. With it, she wielded a force not nearly as well known as your standard saber. That and it gave her something more to hold on to, a bit more maneuverability with hand placement on the hilt. Avoiding slicing one's own person with both ends ignited was certainly a challenge, especially in the beginning, but years of practice had her pretty well attuned to it. At least, she hoped she'd pass as a fairly good combatant at this point.

Between the spinning defensive measure and her precognition, she'd built a fairly good skill set for herself. See an attack coming, block and counter as necessary, easy enough when it worked out. To further that strategy along, her chosen form relied on incorporating force attacks with the blade, adding a third level of complexity to the mix. Such a balance was almost perfect for her, so long as she herself was balanced. In the moment, Sundara was nowhere near where she should've been. Her mind was focussed on the fight, caught up in getting a hit in. She threw caution to the side and pressed forward where she could, using aggression where she should've been using caution. She'd grown sloppy in the heat of battle, allowing herself to get caught by the shoto's trap.

[member="Saran Drast"]​

 

[Saran Drast]

The shoto's lock would hold her opponent's saber down against the floor long enough for her to act. Sure, Sundara could spin the blade to cut through the floor and try and get it away from the shorter blade, but that would give Saran time as the saber moved. And time was all she needed. The Force began to well up inside her, building up like a pressure, begging for release. It wanted to be used as if there was some destructive quality to it naturally. Perhaps the Dark side tainted it. It didn't matter. It was here. And she would put it to use.

The shoto's blade deactivated for a half second, letting the blade free as Saran stepped back. The force came to her, and she pulled it, called it out in a telekinetic wave to try and send Sundara flying. Try and get some space between them. Try and get room to calm the woman down. Otherwise, it would be hard fighting from here. The Force Push would leave a possible opening if her opponent could exploit it.

[member="Sundara Nyveit"]

 

[Sundara Nyveit]

This was all going too slow. Sundara wanted results, not some needlessly complicated bladework and a whole lot of dancing around. She wanted to win, that inspiring her to press on, resolve guiding her aggression. She didn't see a friend anymore, only an opponent to be defeated. And defeated, Saran would be unless she did something to counter the Devaronian's unnecessary aggression.

The push sent her sprawling back, putting some much-needed distance between the two Jedi. Under normal circumstances, she would've fallen back to Niman and its Force-aided attacks and counters. The style suited her, using her precognition to its fullest. But there was no use of Niman this time. No, putting space in between the combatants left her seething, exhausted yet ready to jump in on more offensive measures. Vaapad was a useful skill to keep in her arsenal, no doubt. One that she was perhaps enjoying a bit too much.

[member="Saran Drast"]​