Private Always Working

[Raphael Gallustrade]

Raphael stood in the training hall of the Jed Temple on Coruscant, lightsaber ignited, and pondering the events of the last few days. He'd found a sith holocron and then ran into a vampire that had done...something to him, then she'd brought him back to the Temple on Coruscant... His mind still came back to that showdown in the ruins... Valery versus that vampire. Then his mind shot to the vampire. He had started having nightmares that he could vividly remember; ones where she turned him all the way instead of just what she'd done or where he already was one.

He'd woken early today because of such a dream. He couldn't stop having them and he wasn't entirely certain what to do about it. The beginnings of it all were gone and she couldn't physically touch him anymore but...the mental aspects of that fight was just getting started.

In a way to occupy his mind, Raphael was practicing shii-cho velocities. He'd only been shown them today, but the movements, steps and swings all combined to take his mind off of the problems that he'd somehow found himself in. He hadn't yet told Baar that he had joined the Jedi Order. She'd be upset if she found out. He needed to just give her the credits to move out of the lower floors and at least up to the highest floors...

He made another swing for the first zone, an overhead diagonal and stopped for a moment, staring at the light silver blade in his hand. Raphael still had trouble believing, sometimes, that this was actually his saber and not just a training one like he saw the younglings use. It was, after all, the first time that he'd ever actually used it, actually had it turned on. He remembered, though, how the instructor had looked at him when he explained that it was his lightsaber and that he hadn't bought it or taken it from somewhere. He'd built it.

He'd also seen the people, both younger and older, walking alongside those that were either knights or masters and had leraned they were called padawans. He didn't fully understand how that worked, but he'd realized, from some conversations that had gone through, that padawan was an apprenticeship. A one on one teacher and student, kinda thing was an interesting way for the jedi to do things and he couldn't deny that sounded nice. He let out a bit of a chuckle as he went back to practice.

"Maybe one day, Raph. Maybe one day." He chuckled.
Judah Lesan

 

[Judah Lesan]

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R E F L E C T I O N

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Raphael Gallustrade

Shii-Cho, the first form, was the pattern which all other saber techniques were built off of. ANy student or duelist which wanted to master the art of the saber had to first master the most basic of practices. Many did not want to spend time to understand its intricacies, so Judah was always drawn to those who did.

He was alone, training for his own battle. Judah had plenty of his own demons, though only Cambria Zadira knew all of them. Recently Judah had been working to uncover the New Way attack on Coruscant, only to come up empty. There was nothing which tied them to it, or at least to whoever was pulling the strings of the puppets who had done his bidding. It frustrated the Jedi, but not to the point that a good hour or so of training could fix.

“You’re too distracted,” Judah said as his blade descended to its hilt.

The young man was not hiding his thoughts or feelings that well. It was a common mistake among the new or young in the order. Judah had remembered hearing the same thing once upon a time. He was too distractible, unfocused, undisciplined. While most of that may still be true, Judah had learned how to guard himself and not be a liability to those counting on him.

“If you want to master Shii-Cho you have to master yourself first.”

Okay… so Judah was starting to sound a bit more like his blue skinned friend. If only Bri were there to hear him. She would laugh and give him a hard time about it, but deep down somewhere she would also likely be proud.

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

Raphael had been so focused on his own movements, practicing the velocities that he'd been shown that he hadn't even noticed the other man training there. Well, there were a few but most were keeping to different corners. His voice had made Raphael jump when it first rang out but now he gave a bit of a sheepish, slightly embarrassed smile, disengaging his own blade. Too distracted... Yeah, Raph had to admit that the guy was right.

"Thank you for pointing that out... Yeah, I've got things on my mind, though it sounds like you realized that already..." He gives a light sigh and slowly lowers his form before turning to the man. "Oh, where are my manners? Sorry about that. I'm Raphael, though I tend to go by Raph." He bowed at the waist. "I...am still getting used to all of this, actually. I was only recently brought to the Temple by Master Valery Noble and joined not long afterwards." He smiles a bit.

He almost felt bad, like he was wasting the man's time, but took a breath and smiles to him. "Do you have any good ways to master myself? Or is it mostly going to come down to the meditation? I'll probably have a lot of questions... I hope that you don't mind. I want to...do well at this, I suppose. I don't have anything to prove to anyone, not even to myself, more just...I want to learn. I want to be the best jedi that I can be, if that makes any sense."

Raphael straightened himself and took a breath, trying to calm his mind, first. It wouldn't do to be distracted, but there was so much that he had to learn and, while he wasn't in a hurry to do so, learning was what he lived for.
Judah Lesan

 

[Judah Lesan]

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Wearing: xxx
Tag: Raphael Gallustrade

He was eager to learn. That was a bonus as far as Judah was concerned, but he was also forward. Someone should have been teaching this person, someone with a drive to ensure the order had every capable Padawan and Knight in ready order for whatever they might face.

Judah shook his head.

"Meditation, clearing your mind, whatever you want to call it. We don't use the lightsaber from our own skill, but rather we let the force flow through us. To do that you have to understand how the force moves through you. What does it do for you?"

The Jedi master pulled out his own lightsaber and walked through the six basic attacks of the first form.

"That is pretty easy and can be done from basic muscle memory. What you can't do is anticipate your opponent, account for your environment, or see three strikes in advance. You need the force for that.”

Judah closed his eyes.

"Attack."

 

[Raphael Gallustrade]

He nodded, gently, as he listened to the man. Let the Force flow through us, understand how it moves through you… Raphael thought for a moment, concentrating as he stood to his normal height, blade still disengaged and thought for a few moments. What did the Force do for him that it might not for most others… How did he feel its flow…? It warned him, telling him when danger was coming, gave him visions here and there…



"In all honesty, the Force usually shows me when something bad is about to happen, if I'm about to get attacked, or something like that. If I really focus it will, uh, guide me places and allow me to pilot more easily." He gave an uneasy chuckle, hoping something like that wasn't too bad. He wasn't…entirely sure just how much those here used the Force or how they did so. Then he watched as the man ran through the six basic attacks of shii-cho, the very things he'd been practicing a few minutes ago. Three strikes in advance… Raphael simply nodded as he listened to the man. Then watched a bit confused as the man closed his eyes and told him to attack.



For a second he paused and then his saber ignited and he swung towards the head, zone one, just to see what would happen.
Judah Lesan