Ashes To Ashes

[Connor Harrison]

She made good progress forward, kicking up the ground as she dug in and bobbed and weaved; pushing the attack – hit after hit and always moving. She came up against his defence, but took the blow and moved for another again and again, pressing on.

Asemir moved and blocked again, and something made her stumble. A pang of doubt. Where was the best place to hit next – high torso or lower leg?

Her fluidity stopped, and she hesitated, and it was all he needed to start fighting back, and with his size and strength, her body was battered with each blow. Arms went up to absorb the attack from just one of his, and the air cracked overhead as she ducked and dropped to avoid more.

The dust started to cling to her skin and clothes as the sweat glazed her body, and she was rattled by the fact she had lost her momentum for some reason. Hopping back a few steps, she didn’t stand still, waiting for the next hit.

”What did you do? That was your fault – you did something!”

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]



OOOC: No that's spot on. She almost forgets to hareness it, going back to her basic training.

 

[Asemir]

Asemir warily kept his distance, letting Joon catch her breath. She kept up her guard, bouncing back and forth on ready feet, but he didn't press his advantage.

"You're right I did do something," he said with a nod. He lowered his arms but not his guard, letting the Force drive his awareness. "You're relying too much on your physical self. You aren't utilizing the Force to augment your abilities."

Asemir pointed at her. "Your greatest advantage is not that you're a Force user. It's that you're a Force user and superbly trained in non-Force techniques. If you combine those, you will be astronomically more powerful and efficient."

Tapping the side of his head, he continued, "What I did just there, I used the Force to plant a little bit of doubt into your head, and that through off your rhythm just enough that I could counterattack. You've got to remember to combine your skill sets. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon took her time finally to slow down and listen to Asemir. She had been created as Force warrior, and here she was acting like a cage fighter; lashing out as she did in boot camp training instead of embracing what she was made to be.

She gave a nod.

”You’re right…you’re right. Fine.”

Breathing in sharply, she blew out through her mouth and composed herself and crouched.

Trusting her ability to find the Force around her, Joon closed her eyes and tried to deceive Asemir. With the boulders behind the pair, she planted the thought that one was coming towards him that she had launched. Not a vision – but a fear in his mind that she COULD do it.

The second she did, she pushed up and went for him and a flurry of strikes to his abdomen and legs to take him down, depending how it worked and how much her heart had gone into making the feeling real.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

When it came down to it, Joon's efforts to plant a seed of fear in Asemir's mind would likely have failed in any real combat situation. He had lived the vast majority of his life with the shadow of a Force specter inhabiting his mind, and had thus developed a natural resistance towards mental assaults. He would have hardly noticed the efforts of a novice Force mentalist.

But this wasn't a true combat situation and Asemir had dropped his guard when he focused on watching Joon change her attack dynamic.

He let himself feel satisfaction that she had taken his comments to heart as he sensed the Force swirl about her. The satisfaction translated into a grin when he felt the nudge to his mind, a grin that was fueled by a little surprise when he realized she was going for a sliver of fear and not some complicated telekinesis trick.

That surprise bloomed when her strikes connected solidly against his abdomen and legs.

Asemir stumbled, not quite falling, as Joon drove him back. He worked on rebuilding his defense, on catching his breath after it had been driven out by a blow to his belly, but his efforts were for naught when a sweep caught him behind his knee.

Unsure if she would pounce on him, Asemir rolled to his feet quickly and put some distance between Joon. He gave her a satisfied nod and smile. "Very good," he said after sucking in a breath of much needed air. "You're a quick learner. That you went with a mental trick instead of throwing the boulder at me took me by surprise. That's what you've got to do. You've got to combine your strengths and not overly rely on one or the other."

He straightened up. "What other Force techniques have you learned? What have you been taught?"

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a little grin, Joon watched as Asemir stumbled just a little, and she continued to lash out. Trying to beat him with her fists and grind him under her boots. He moved quick and got back up, and she skidded to a halt as she came for a blow to his body.

She nodded at his compliment. She was always trying.

The next question caught her off-guard. It was a good question indeed.

”Telekinesis was the first. Speed, also, and precognition? I’ve not used that for over a year. I was told to see things before they happen in a battle, to see where the foe would be, not where they were.”

That was one of her last lessons before being banished away.

”Work with a lightsaber…that’s it really. I’m sorry….”

For the first time, her amber eyes fell, and her hands went to her hips as she kicked the ground.

”I’ve had no guide for over a year. Since my last Master left me, and lied to me and then died, I’ve been hiding away trying to learn what I already knew, but with nothing new. She lied to me.” She shot her head up to Asemir, a duo line of tears falling from her hard eyes. ”I did nothing but love and respect and follow and TRUST her…and I wasn’t even her real apprentice!”

Her chest rose heavily with apprehension and anger, her breathing heavy and close to a panic attack.

”What did I do wrong? Why did it happen to ME!”

She reached out to crush a number of small rocks with her hands, clawed out with the Force to implode them out of anger.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

Joon's emotions rolled off her like the billowing clouds preceding a storm front. It was enough that Asemir wanted to take a step back, to bring up his guard and defenses, because he had no idea how she would act with all of that passion, anger, and sadness.

Emotions. The power behind the Dark Side's potency.

He watched as the woman before him crushed some stones with the Force and felt the passion stirring within her. It was like watching a fusion reactor struggling to contain the raging inferno within.

And as he felt his skin prickle from the latent Force energies radiating from her, Asemir realized he really had no idea about Joon's potential. The raw, untapped potential was unmistakable, and the instability marked her an agent of chaos. Unpredictability. Power. Both were hallmarks of corruptibility, of danger. Immense danger.

She was not that much different from him, before he had been taught to harness his ability, to focus it, to control it. But Asemir also knew what had happened to the children who had not mastered control: they had been terminated.

But the tears trickling down her cheeks and the genuine anguish in her voice, that touched something in his heart. Pain, hurt, betrayal. Emotions he was quite familiar with.

"Be calm," Asemir said gently. He wanted to use the Force to give her a degree of tranquility but didn't know how she would react. Instead, he stepped forward and tried to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You did nothing wrong. You placed your trust in someone and she betrayed that trust. It was all her doing, and you are not at fault. She bears all responsibility for her actions, and you're not to blame."

The Forgotten sighed, irritated at Joon's former master for having hurt her so. "I understand you're still hurting from your old master's betrayal. Believe me, I wish you hadn't gone through an experience like that. But realize that her failings as a person, as a master, friend, and mentor, does not mean that you did anything wrong."

Asemir took a step back and picked up a stone with the Force. It floated between them before rocketing off into the distance to explode against a large boulder. "You've been taught a lot, and you've been spending your time trying to learn more. I can pick up where your master stopped, teach you new things, and help you hone what you already know. If you'd like?"

[member=Joon]

OOC:

Why am I reminded of this skit?

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4EDhdAHrOg

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon didn’t see Asemir move closer for she was so intent on grinding rocks into dust – like skulls – that she flinched at the hand on her shoulder, and her connection dropped. Three stones thudded to the ground.

She sighed, shivering a little as the tension fell away as fast as it had arrived.

”I know you’re right. She just….” her fingers gripped into fists, ”…she promised me the world, and took it all away. But I’m glad she’s dead.”

She shut her eyes tight.

”I just wish I had somebody to replace her, she…she was….”

Unable to finish, she moved forward and fell into Asemir, burying her face into his chest and gripping the fabric across his back with both hands. She pulled down with her hands but pushed up with her body, as it wanting to collapse, but not letting herself.

She cried, and shouted in frustration, but held him tight.

Joon had been broken by a betrayal of trust and love. She had said she was a sister, a mother, a friend and a lover. Ayra had placed all those lies in her head, and then taken them away when Joon needed them most.

She was broken, bitter, twisted and dangerous. She was hurting. She was more unstable than ever.

Joon put her weight on the body of the man who had been there always and let her frustration out in tears and shouts.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

Joon took him by surprise, but Asemir managed to catch her and keep her from sliding to the ground. She clung to him and sobbed and shouted, and her emotions washed over him, triggering a glimpse of a memory from half a century ago. Nycha had once clung to him like this, having been overcome by the specter of an untamed Forgotten child being put down.

He let Joon cry on him, beat her fists against his chest, as he had done the same with Nycha all those years ago. Dust and gravel swirled about them as Joon's rage and anger translated into gusts of the Force. He stood stoically, offering gentle words of calm as he let the woman express her emotions.

"It's okay, Joon," Asemir said he held her. "It'll be okay. You'll be okay."

It was an odd situation to be in. If he were honest with himself, Asemir knew that he didn't know Joon all that well, yet, his heart did ache for this woman, this person whose first experience with the galaxy had been one of crushed hopes and pain. The galaxy was an uncaring and harsh place, but this shouldn't have happened to anyone.

Feth, I'm getting soft.

"I suppose," he began. Then a pause. He tried to figure out how to word what he wanted to say. "Like I said, I can teach you. I can be your mentor. Maybe help patch some of the holes left by Ayra. And, of course, I'm still your friend and I'm here for you."

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon didn't fight being held for a while. She stopped hitting and started to breath, her hands trembling a little. Her mouth hissed gently and her brow rested on Asemir for a few moments. In silence.

Then, after he spoke to her, she pulled away and slapped her palm in his chest once more.

”Don't be soft. It doesn't suit you.”

Turning away, she wiped her eyes and gasped to compose her self, looking up at the pale sky and letting the Force around them both calm her as nature intended.

”I just want...I want to be confident in what I can be again. To help others similar to me, and to be part of something. No longer hiding from the past. I want to make a future for myself. As Joon. As me.”

She turned and clasped her hands.

”I don't want to make friends, because I have you. That is enough. Everything else is just...irrelevant in my plight to serve.”

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

"There will always be a soft part of me," Asemir said with a smirk. "That's not going away."

He glanced up at the sky too. "I'm honored that you place that much trust in me, to consider me all you need. And I'll help you find that confidence again. I'll do what I can to help you find that purpose, to find who you are. I'm at your side."

Asemir thought a moment. "Truth be told, you're probably the only friend I still have in this galaxy. Most everyone I know is now gone, for one reason or another." He paused again and added a slight smile. "Am I getting too soft again?"

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a small snigger, Joon tried to let herself relax.

”It’s just you. I’ll always accept you. You accepted me after all, when you didn’t need to.”

She sighed and rubbed her eyes and held her hands there for a second. Her voice cracked again.

”If you tell anyone about me being here with you, I will rip your face off.” Again, another sigh, trying to compose herself. ”I am going to war against the Light in any way I can. It’s all I have to live for but I need to know I can do it, otherwise…I’m going to end up broken again.”

Sucking in a sharp breath of air, the clone looked back up at Asemir through amber eyes.

”Am I disappointing to you? When you see me, now, like this, are you disappointed?”

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

"No, not at all. Why would I be disappointed? I may not approve of your choice to pursue vengeance, but that's regarding your choice, not you as a person." Asemir shook his head. "It's not the choice I'd make, but it also isn't my choice to make. I also get why you're doing this, so it's not unexpected."

The Ingr'Nysk looked into her amber eyes, wondering where this woman would end up in five years or ten or twenty.

"Do you know how you'd even go about your fight against the Light? Are there allies you can recruit?" Asemir glanced back at the scuffed ground where they had their brief sparring match. "Are you prepared? Do you still want me to teach you? Or would you prefer to learn from someone else? I won't feel offended either way. I just want you to be prepared."

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

Joon took a breath and rubbed the back of her neck thinking on a new topic.

”I have…no real allies. I am scouting for new Empires, new ideals similar to mine to follow. It’s all I can do. I prove myself, I gain allies. It’s simple. Bar that, no. I have nobody.”

Her hand trailed down to her lips and she tapped her fingers in thought.

”I have nobody to learn from, only myself.” She looked up at him. ”Teach me to fight. To survive. To be confident. Strong. All those things you said you could be. Make that ME so I can fight and survive and be confident and strong out there on my own. Because I’m sure you can’t hold my hand forever, can you.”

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]

 

[Asemir]

Asemir nodded in agreement.

"You're right, I can't hold your hand forever. One of these days, I'll get old and retire, or heaven forbid, I'll make a mistake and die. I'll teach you what I can and pass along my experience."

He crossed his arms and considered what this commitment meant.

"Just so I manage your expectations properly, you know that it takes a long time and a great deal of commitment to reach the level of confidence and strength that you're hoping for, right? What I mean is, sure, you can learn a whole bunch of techniques and skills in a controlled environment like a classroom, but it isn't until you've applied what you've learned in the real world that you truly grow your self-confidence. And that mastery is going to take time."

OOC:

Sorry, short post. It figures that the day I PM you is the day the wife and I both get sick. Urgh.

Also, I have never actually RPed out a master-apprentice (formal or not) relationship. Do you have any expectations or plans from an OOC perspective?

[member="Joon"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

With a raised brow, she mirrored Asemir and folded her arms too.

”I have had a year on my own honing what I know. I spent most of my young life in a tank, then a classroom and then I was on the training grounds and combat zones. So, don't worry about me and being patient. My whole life has been waiting for the moment I can spread my wings and fly.”

She stayed still looking at him.

”Just help me hold my own and be confident in what I do, and leave the rest to me. In return, if you ever need me then I will be there for you. I see you as a friend now, Asemir Lor'kora. And I make good on my vows.”

She walked forward and held her hand out with a confident stare into his eyes.

[member="Asemir Lor'kora"]


OOC: No expectations! I've had my share of good and not-so-good, so I take it as the character gives. There is no set template, so I will let Asemir just be Asemir, and Joon will follow. No expectations.

 

[Asemir]

Asemir took the offered hand and gave it a solid pump. "That's fair, Joon. My friend."

He stepped back and pointed at the ruins of the Imperial facility that Joon had called home. "What resources do you have? Did your time with Arya net you enough money or contacts to begin your quest?"

OOC:
Really sorry about the short post. I'm still getting my head back into the swing of things. Had to take care of the kid the whole weekend since the wife was in a wedding, and have a lung infection that makes it painful to breathe sometimes. It was a busy weekend!

Plus, I haven't been following up with Joon's other threads. Do you still want to freeform this thread, or do you want to somehow direct it towards connecting with others, or...?

[member=Joon]