An Arrow to the Knee. (Caedyn/Yuroic)

[WelshPsych]

It seemed that Caedyn was thrown fully off balance by the branch, Yuroic was surprised by how distracted Caedyn was with their conversation. He had assumed that the conversation had taken some distraction but to be fully be detracted from the fight by that. Yuroic clearly underestimated how consuming Caedyn's concerns about this was. However, it was something that Yuroic could turn this into a lesson, to not suspect an attack from an opponent due to a conversation was foolish. There were Sith or enemies that would use anything to kill their enemies.

Caedyn went on the offensive which worked well for Yuroic, he adopted Soresu stance, blocking the attacks with sharp deflections. Yuroic studied Caedyn closely. "Hm, good strikes, and you did better than Asaraa she would have complained about the fact I did something unfair like striking with the branch." Holding a block against Caedyn, Yuroic reached out with his other hand in the Force and launched an arrow from the table towards Caedyn's thigh. As it soared, Yuroic struck at Caedyn's head. Taking advantage of the chance to strike hard and fast at Caedyn, Yuroic jabbed and sliced at the chest after his strike to his head.

"Always keep vigilant Caedyn, I know we were talking about something hard but this could be a situation you find yourself when fighting the Mandalorians. Never let your senses dull Caedyn because they are your lifeline." Yuroic informed Caedyn.

[member="Caedyn Arenais"]

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

[member="Yuroic Xeraic"] kept his defense strong, and showed his skill by seemingly blocking his strikes with ease compared to the energy that Caedyn was spending in his offense against the Jedi Master. With their blades locked, Yuroic complimented him, mentioning Asaraa before his hand seemed to move for something off-side. Using only a single bladed weapon, Cae's right hand left the base of the wooden sword in order to reach out and counter the arrow's trajectory with a small but powerful blast of telekinetic energy in order to keep it from hitting him.

What he hadn't seen coming however was the striking jab aimed for his head and catching him against the right cheek, his gaze and focus being thrust sideways by the blow before Yuroic's wooden blade connected with his torso while his guard was dropped, the whiplash of pain radiating through his upper-body from the blunt strike causing him to stumbling backwards several paces, his free hand instinctively reaching for his chest as though he might be able to sooth. Were he to try, curato salva would have done the job, but this wasn't a real fight and the lesson from the connection was part of the point in their practice.

"You caught me off guard...-That's all" Caedyn spoke up, a little defeated though there were no hard feelings. Training was all about improvement and like they said, 'No pain, no gain' right?. "You're a lot more experienced than I am, and I've mostly had to try to teach myself. I'm not used to being in this kind of situation, usually the right answer is the obvious one but this time it doesn't come without doubts or regrets".

 

[WelshPsych]

It was easy to tell that Caedyn was reaching his limit in the duel. Yuroic had dealt two blows that with a Lightsaber could be deadly or very serious. Placing his swords on the table after his strike to chest connected, he looked over to Caedyn and nodded his head. "You did well, it isn't easy to defend yourself from attacks that come from different angles. I didn't learn much beyond the basics from my own Master, I had to learn to be creative and trust my instincts by my own. However, if you ever want to learn or need some tips for fighting, I can teach you some stuff. No point having all this experience and not share it with others." Yuroic smiled to Caedyn.

"The right answer is generally not always the most obvious and the simplest. Especially when it comes to family. My parents were slavers, brutal and manipulative people. I never knew them when I was growing up, I only met them after I joined the Order and tracked them down by complete accident. I was hunting slavers within the SJO territory, found them and they revealed themselves as my parents. It was hard for me to come to terms that they never loved me, never cared about my well-being and only did what was best for them. I didn't handle the news very well either, it sent me down a dark path that took a long time to recover from. My point is, with family, things are always going to be grey because you want to believe the best in them no matter whether or not they deserve it. I am sure that your mother and sister deserve your trust and love, but they are helping dangerous people who have done more harm than good." Yuroic spoke and sighed afterwards, his family was Jairdain, Marcus and Asaraa now, his parents weren't his family. He swore that and he promised himself that he would never end up like them either.

Looking back up to Caedyn, "anyway, you should be pleased that you did well in the duel, it can be hard to keep up with a skilled opponent with a decade more experience in combat than you. Just be glad I didn't try hitting you with my right arm." Yuroic chuckled as he waved his metal right hand. Display of his experience in real combat, especially the losses that one can suffer when not prepared.

[member="Caedyn Arenais"]

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Caedyn smiled a little in response to [member="Yuroic Xeraic"]'s compliments; From what Asaraa had told him, Yuroic had been a good Mentor to her as well as a Fatherly figure, and didn't say these sorts of things unnecessarily. "Thanks Yuroic" he nodded a little, not feeling entirely confident in his performance though not wanting to seem rude and not accepting of the Jedi Master's affirmation either, "I was trained pretty well with the Je'daii, but they weren't the kind of people to seek out conflict or take up arms in wars like the Jedi do, so I suppose it makes sense that I still have a long way to go. I could probably use the training, maybe learn to be a better Silver Jedi somehow" he chuckled sheepishly, moving towards the table and placing his wooden training sword down atop of it alongside Yuroic's own weapon.

"I want to make a difference in the Galaxy, and I want to protect other people like my Dad has tried to do..." Caedyn sought to explain himself, "But I need to know I'm fighting for the right reasons, if I'm having to fight at all" he added, feeling that need for reassurance. "I was taught by the Je'daii that I shouldn't put myself out there between sides, because there are no sides to the Je'daii. People are simply people, all with different understandings and beliefs which I guess is still true...-But it's not as simple as that either, I know", his family was proof of that much.

"Some people create these wars, starting these fights and I'd rather meet them in combat if it means protecting others rather then leaving them to fight and possibly die trying to keep themselves safe", he wasn't sure if he was making complete sense, but fighting so that others didn't have to, was a sentiment that rang true to him.

 

[WelshPsych]

Yuroic nods his head, it was very different to learn how to defend yourself in a practice setting than fighting in an actual war. It was why he tried to train his students when he knew they were ready to fight in combat settings. It wasn't a lesson he enjoyed teaching since he wanted to avoid combat entirely and he had noticed that Asaraa was getting more and more eager to jump into battle, something he was not especially pleased with. Especially since he didn't want to see his daughter harmed but there was little he could do but talk and hope that she listened to him. "Battles, war, is very different from fighting someone one on one in a training room. It is why I am so stuff, why I do things like send objects at you from different angles and put you on the back foot. My Master never got the chance to teach me like that, I lost an arm because I faced an enemy I was very unprepared for."

Gesturing to his robotic arm, he shrugged, "while the Je'daii might not see sides, everyone else does. The Sith Empire sees you as an enemy because you are not one of them or an ally. Sadly, not everyone can be as open minded as we would like. Fighting for what you think right is all anyone can ask for, never do something that you are against, it will always eat you up if you do. I trust you to know when to fight and when you think it is best to take a step back. I always wish there was another way, another opportunity but sometimes things do not go the way that we want them to." Yuroic stated in a sad tone, he was always one for brokering peace first but others ignore that.

[member="Caedyn Arenais"]

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Caedyn nodded a little, having listened and heard [member="Yuroic Xeraic"]'s regret of the truth in their situation where War and such conflicts were concerned. "It's a hard one, really. The Force binds all living things, regardless of their belief or origins" He replied, speaking more in open thought than anything, "So whether it's our side or theirs who loses, either way the Force suffers". Looking down at the training sword for a moment, he thought of his training in Stav Kesh. The Objective had been all about mastering the physical and mental elements of one's body through martial arts and melee weapons combat. It was one of Caedyn's major focuses alongside his study of the Force itself, Qigong Kesh. Seemingly two opposites where his challenge had been about finding a sense of balance, in himself and in life.

Though much had changed since those times.

"You said you could help me learn to better understand the Jedi way of doing things" he soon asked rhetorically before following up with the real question on his mind, "Does that mean training like the other Jedi have, under your mentorship and everything?". It was something entirely unexpected of Yuroic to offer, to be honest. He was Asaraa's father by all regards, and he'd been rather less than comfortable with her and Caedyn's relationship. It would certainly be interesting to approach Asa about, if that was indeed what Yuroic had meant to suggest.

 

[WelshPsych]

Listening to Caedyn, Yuroic took in what the younger man said and shrugged. "Force doesn't suffer, even in death we are still connected to the Force. Only ones who suffer are those that survive. War takes a toll on a person, killing another being takes a toll, losing friends and family takes a toll. It can either consume you or you can find a way to survive. If the Force suffered from war and death, it would have died years ago, thousands of years ago. Force Users been fighting one another since the Great Hyperspace War, perhaps even before then. Yet, the Force is still all around us and as strong as ever." Yuroic's view was different, the Force didn't care about life or death, fighting or peace, it was just there. Only those who could sense it, feel it could tell how interconnected the galaxy, possibly the universe, was.

Yuroic shrugged, the decision wasn't his but Caedyn's on training. "If you want the mentorship and everything. I could be more like a stance I have with Asaraa, I still teach her Force powers and combat skills but she is a Jedi Knight, not a Padawan. You said you have plenty of training as a Je'daii, I doubt you are a Padawan but I can teach you what I think a Jedi is, how I am as a Jedi. If you want to start as a Padawan then you can, the choice is yours." He could sense that Caedyn was surprised by his offer, probably because Yuroic didn't like Caedyn on the grounds he was dating Asaraa and that was enough, "don't fret, you are a good kid. I like you, more I hate the idea of Asaraa dating, means she's growing up, faster than I would like. Sure your father feels the same about your sister." Yuroic stated, hoping it cleared Caedyn on Yuroic's stance to the younger man.

[member="Caedyn Arenais"]

 

[Caedyn Arenais]

Caedyn nodded, smiling a little warily though too appreciative of Yuroic Xeraic's offer.

"I don't want to be taking up too much of your time, I suppose" He chuckled quietly under his breath, glancing off to admire the peaceful nature of their surroundings before turning back and explaining himself. "Maybe not a full apprenticeship but a friendly guide on the sidelines, someone I can come to with questions and stuff without looking silly or like I don't know what I'm doing" he grinned a little sheepishly now. Caedyn didn't like to appear to be out of his depth around others, though Yuroic was so much higher above his level in practice and experience that it didn't really matter if Caedyn tried to hid his embarrassment or not, he was going to be out of his depth when comparing himself to someone so skilled, regardless.

Yuroic's expressed view on the Force was interesting, to say the least as it conflicted with Caedyn's perspective rather largely. The Jedi Master wasn't the first to believe in such a way however, and the Force was many different things to many different people, all of which were in their own way and understanding, correct for them. These differences were part of the journey in understanding those around him, as well as expanding his mind and hearing theories and philosophies that weren't of his own, whether he chose to share in those beliefs or not.

"Thanks, Yuroic" Caedyn responded to the Jedi Master's compliment, "And even though you're a bit of a hard ass, you're not so bad yourself" the younger man smirked now, clearly taking a little jab at Asaraa's father. "Asaraa's lucky to have you though, and she has always spoken highly of you, so you must be doing something right!".