Private A Return to the Temple | The Art of the Duel

[Ilaria Morvayne]

Opening Post – "The Art of the Duel"

Chapter One - A Return to the Temple
Lily Decoria

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Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Training Hall – Early Morning

The room was silent, save for the soft hum of energy barriers lining the sparring arena.

Ilaria Morvayne stood in the center of the chamber, her posture poised, elegant but unyielding, as she waited.

She had arrived early. Punctuality was not merely a habit but an expectation—a lesson drilled into her from the moment she first held a practice saber. To be early was to be prepared. To be prepared was to be in control.

Form II—Makashi.

It had always been the refined art, the measured dance of precision over power. The Jedi of Coruscant, it seemed, did not prioritize it as the Enclave had. They favored the practicality of Form I, the resilience of Form III, or the unpredictable fluidity of Form IV.

But Makashi was something more than defense, more than aggression. It was a test of mastery, of control over oneself as much as one's opponent.

That was why she had requested this session.

Her training in the Enclave had been rigorous, but there was always more to perfect, more to refine. If she was to maintain an edge, she would ensure her technique remained flawless.

She flexed her fingers, then adjusted the hilt of her training saber at her hip, emerald eyes scanning the chamber. The Jedi Temple's training halls were grander than those at the Enclave, but the layout remained familiar—the sparring rings, the polished durasteel floors, the racks of practice weapons neatly arranged along the walls.

Her instructor had not yet arrived.

That was fine.

It gave her a moment to breathe, to focus, to center herself.

She closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling steadily.

The Force flowed through her—not in the untamed way some Jedi spoke of, but in the way she had learned to wield it: shaped, directed, precise.

She exhaled.

And waited.

​

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (concealed).
Tag: Ilaria Morvayne

Lily was a woman of being precise and arriving to meetings and training exactly on time. She had spent a lot of her day being highly organised and plotting out her activities. It was something that she just needed to do. She couldn't handle having a day that wasn't planned out, wasn't sorted in her head that she knew what she needed to be doing. Otherwise she found herself overexerting herself physically as well as mentally. Instead, she worked hard on making sure that she organised her thoughts and prepped her time out.

Punctuality was crucial for the Echani warrior.

Arriving at the meeting point, Lily observed that the other Padawan was also someone punctual and Lily nodded her head, pleased to know that her fellow student was someone who did not like to waste time being late. Taking her Lightsaber, she placed it aside on a table and picked up a training stick. She had been asked to help in demonstrating Makashi and Lily was well versed in all the forms to know how to approach Makashi. It was a duelling form that was ideal in terms on combat against a single fighter. Experts also favoured more curved hilts.

However, it was not always the most practical. Against blasters, Mandalorians and those who were not fighting in more traditional styles of Jedi combat, it suffered the adaptability to maintain the precise edge that it held when fighting another Lightsaber user. It was a form that Lily had considered making her primary form but she felt that there was a better option for her personally. However, that did not mean she held no skills for it. Lily was a well trained machine in combat, she spent all these years training herself to be a proficient weapon.

"I figure it makes sense to see where you stand in Makashi as a form. Then we will go from there." Lily stated, her tone was no nonsense as she took training, especially combat training. Very seriously.

Shifting into the Makashi stance, Lily lanced forward to strike, moving in quick and precise strikes towards Ilaria.

 

[Ilaria Morvayne]

Post #2 – "The Art of the Duel"

Chapter One - A Return to the Temple
Lily Decoria

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Jedi Temple, Coruscant
Training Hall – Early Morning

The moment Lily lunged, Ilaria moved.

Her training saber angled instinctively, intercepting the first strike with controlled precision. The snap of wood against wood echoed in the chamber, a sharp contrast to the hum of lightsabers in other dueling rings.

She felt the force behind Lily's attack—not reckless, not overpowering, but calculated. Each strike was measured, refined through disciplined practice. Makashi's elegance was in its economy of motion, and Lily wielded it with the precision of a duelist well-versed in the art.

Ilaria adjusted. Analyze. Adapt. Respond.

She shifted into Makashi's opening stance, her footwork deliberate. When the next strike came, she angled her blade outward, guiding the attack aside rather than meeting it head-on. The form was designed for fluidity, for control—not brute strength. She knew this.

And yet, something felt… off.

Lily moved with a natural ease that Ilaria did not yet possess. Every step, every parry was executed with purpose, with confidence that came from lived experience. By contrast, Ilaria's form was practiced, but not yet instinctive—the difference between knowledge and understanding.

Another strike. Another redirection. Precision over power. Control over aggression.

But was control enough?

Lily pressed forward, forcing Ilaria to yield ground as the rhythm of their duel began to shift. It wasn't chaotic, not in the way of more aggressive forms—but there was something fluid, something adaptive about Lily's style that unsettled Ilaria's sense of order.

A moment of hesitation. A single miscalculation.

Lily's next strike slipped past her guard, the training blade tapping against her shoulder—a clear hit.

Ilaria exhaled sharply. Not from frustration, but from calculation.

She stepped back, resetting her stance.

"I see," she said, her tone measured. "Your Makashi is efficient. Precise." A pause. "Instinctive."

Her emerald gaze met Lily's, searching—not for arrogance, not for dominance, but for understanding.

"Again."

This time, she would not simply execute the form. She would learn it.

And she would adapt.

​

 

[Lily Decoria]

Location: Coruscant
Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Cross guard Lightsaber, Hydrangea Moonblade (concealed).
Tag: Ilaria Morvayne

Nodding her head, Lily had landed a blow in the first bout of training, which was not something that she found surprising. Ilaria had requested her tutoring on the form so Lily being able to get the chance to dominate and demonstrate the benefits of Makashi was something she needed to do from the jump. There was no point in holding back.

Breathing out slowly, she slowed her heartrate and relaxed her muscles once again. "You fight well but telegraphing your movements," Lily stated between the bouts. "For me, I have been fighting since I could walk, adopting new styles... It feels natural." Lily shifted on the spot as she twirled her stick in her hand.

Striking again, Lily moved with fluidity and precision, her strikes aimed to disable and strike out at the vulnerable defences. Demonstrating where weaknesses in the form were when holding a defensive position. Lily was wanting to demonstrating how one must be willing to adapt and change the standard ways to approach Makashi to be the best version of a user in this fighting style.

Especially since there were plenty of masters in this particular style of duelling. Lily knew that being more creative, adaptive and having unconventional moves and strategy would always give someone an edge in combat. She was curious to see how Ilaria would find this approach and if it was something that would benefit the other Padawan since it was Lily being non-traditional in a sense.