Asking for guidance

[Reggie Faayare]

Since becoming a Jedi, Reggie has learned much more than he ever would have on Tatooine. He's made friends, explored different worlds, and made a home different from the one he was born on. It's because of this that the Padawan felt he was lacking too much. There was more for him to protect and it was because of this that he needed to improve on what he was lacking.

Reggie skill in lightsaber combat was inferior to most others, mostly because of his lack strength and desire not to fight unless necessary. Shii-Cho wasn't enough for him to face other lightsaber combatant's, and Djem So just wasn't his style. His defensive capabilities were his strong suit, but was hoping that he could improve his offensive capabilities if he trained more with Djem So. It was worth trying at least since he had learned the form in another class, but it would have been better if the Padawan had just found someone who could teach him how to make use of what he was good at. He believed that Soresu was the answer to his combat problems and believed he found someone who may be able to teach him.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"] was one of the Alumni for the Bergruufta clan and was also the Master Of The Order. Reggie had only heard of how skilled the Jedi was and hoped to meet the man today. Approaching the quarters that he believed was the Masters, Reggie took his hand and knocked on the door three times, hoping that Master DragonsFlame was in the room.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

People joked he should have been part of the Dragon Clan to befit his namesake, but Josh had exemplified many times the traits of the Bergruufta clan. Which was funny... Considering he seemed to have difficulty actually pronouncing Bergruufta. But it was only recently that the clans had begun to be more established and others began to actually find out where each belonged. But one thing Josh was, was a teacher. And with or without a clan, he would have accepted Reggie's request in a heartbeat. He was the Battlemaster still after all, Master of the Order or not. Being the head instructor for the Order was his job.

Though when he knocked, he would not find a stoic, serious, sturdy Jedi Master meditating, or pouring through ancient Jedi texts. No, instead the big, bad Master of the Order was assembling tiny building blocks with his son. Yes, the blatant lego-ripoff blocks were assembled to almost a few feet high at this point, as the Jedi had been taking the time to teach his son a bit more hand-eye coordination and bettering his memorization, as well as ability to hear and follow instructions.

"Come in" Josh answered nonchalantly toward the door as he would point the blonde-haired three year old next to him to place the block in a certain spot.

 

[Reggie Faayare]

When the Padawan heard the invitation to come in, he quickly walked into the room. To Reggie's surprise, the Jedi master was building with blocks with a child. He assumed that the child was the master's son and began to wonder if he had come at a bad time. Reggie didn't want to interfere with Josh's time with his son. Then again, the master did invite him inside willingly.

"Hello master DragonsFlame. My name is Reggie Faayare."

The young Padawan bowed as he made his introduction.

"I hope i'm no interrupting anything."

Reggie looked at the child who was placing blocks where his Father pointed at. The Padawan couldn't help but smile as he continued to watch them. From how much had been built up from the blocks, he assumed the two didn't just start working on the structure.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh would continue directing traffic for Jason, as the Padawan would walk in. Despite his calm exterior, every sense was on high alert. Especially with Jason in the room. If anyone in the room had even a hint of ill intent, odds are they wouldn't be standing anymore at this point. He took Jason's safety very seriously.

Reggie would introduce himself, and Josh would nod his head in greeting. The man would inquire about if he was interrupting, and he would shake his head.

"No, you're fine. We were just taking a break. What did you need?" He would inquire.

[member="Reggie Faayare"]

 

[Reggie Faayare]

During times like this, Reggie opted to get right to the point. The Padawan always kept in mind that the Knights and Masters were busy people.

"Right. I have come to ask if you would be willing to train me in the way of form III, Soresu. while my combat skills aren't great to begin with, I think my skills could improve considerably if I were to learn a form more suited to one of my strength's when wielding a lightsaber."

Defense and speed were the only two things that made his skill as a swordsman decent. A majority of people could overpower him easily in bouts of strength, and assumed that his agility and accuracy with a blade wasn't enough to learn Makashi yet. On the other hand, his defensive capabilities were decent and seemed to be improving more than his other skills.

"Also, I thought it would be a good opportunity to meet an Alumni I haven't had the pleasure of meeting yet. I've heard a few things about your skill with a blade and thought that you could help me improve my own.....If you'd be willing of course."

The Padawan began to trail off a bit. When it came to analyzing what he knew or what he lacked, Reggie would lose his focus just a smidge. This was a quirk he was working on leaving behind.

"I've noticed that that no matter how much I train with Shii-Cho or Djem So, I can't capitalize on my proficiencies. I originally thought that learning and continuing to train in the art of Djem So would help me improve what I lack, but now i'm realizing that I should be learning what will help me improve what i'm good at."

When he realized that he was getting off task, Reggie began rubbing the back of his head. He felt as though he'd might of blabbered too much. He didn't want to annoy the Master.

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The boy wanted a lesson in form III, Soresu. Soresu had it's weaknesses, but it did lead well to learning Shii-Cho and Djem So. It was better to learn Soresu before you began the others, after all. So he nodded his head. "Suppose I can help" He spoke as he would look the boy over a moment, studying his expression as he would explain the situation.

"If you can give us a little bit to finish up here, since my boy doesn't like leaving these block projects unfinished... I can definitely take some time out to go over Soresu with you" Josh would agree, giving a bright smile in turn. Though a question would pop up in his head that he couldn't help but ask, when the opportunity presented itself.

"I have to ask though, why haven't you asked your Master?" The Jedi Master would inquire. "Certainly they would know you well enough to train you better in the form than I could."

[member="Reggie Faayare"]

 

[Reggie Faayare]

Reggie had no problem waiting until they finished up, understanding that family time is important. The Padawan was a patient one and had no problem with waiting long periods of time if need be. The master had agreed to assist him though and that was quite exciting.

"Of course, I have no problem waiting!"

What was asked next made Reggie think a bit. It had been quite some time since he's seen his original master, getting to the point where he worried about her for awhile.

"Well I don't know where my Master is honestly. She's been gone for awhile now. In her absence, I've learned from other Masters through classes and in the field, while also teaching myself where I could."

Jairdain, Drystan, and Andorreth were just a few he has learned under, grateful for the opportunities. Even so, they were all temporary occassions.



[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh respected his patience, and nodded slowly after that. Though his answers afterword would give him pause. "I understand" Josh spoke softly. He would have to look it up once he was finished playing with Jason. Hopefully Reggie wouldn't mind if he took a little longer than he was planning to. Josh wanted to do some research, as something was now on his mind...

After some time had passed and Josh had handed a sleeping Jason off to someone to care for him, the Master of the Order would step out and greet Reggie with a gentle bow.

"Let's go" He spoke as he began to lead the way to the training rooms. Once they were settled, he would turn and consider what he knew of Soresu.

"Do you have a lightsaber of your own, or are you still using the training ones?"

[member="Reggie Faayare"]

 

[Reggie Faayare]

Reggie waited patiently as he said he would, having the discipline to stand where he was until was told otherwise. The Padawan was originally going to sit down but didn't know if he should or shouldn't. This wasn't his room after all. As he waited, he allowed his mind to roam.

When Josh began to walk out of the room, Reggie quickly refocused his mind and followed close behind the Jedi Master. The Padawan unclipped the lightsaber at his side when asked if he had one of his own.

"I have one of my own."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Good, that should make things easier."

Josh would draw a lightsaber from his belt, then and quickly ignite the blue blade as it began to hum. He would instruct for Reggie to draw his own blade as he would begin to give his lecture.

"Soresu is a defensive form, as you know. It's primarily meant to be used for blocking and deflecting blaster bolts, but if you can apply it, it can become a near-impenetrable shield in melee combat. Of course, this comes with the weakness in having little to do except block. If it's outlasting an opponent you want, this is the form you want. But for turning it into a counter attack... Well you said yourself you already knew the form for that. So let's keep with building a foundation.

Mimic my motions."

He would bring his lightsaber into the Soresu stance, waiting for Reggie to try and imitate the stance. Once he was satisfied with it, he would begin to move, closing his eyes and imagining a scenario in his head of blaster bolts flying at him. Taking a deep breath, he would move his blade from one point to another, deflecting one imaginary bolt after another. Eventually he began to open his eyes as he was able to memorize the motions and begin to apply them, instead imagining the sounds of the bolts coming for him to tell him where the bolts were coming from. As he did so, he would watch Reggie as well, ensuring he was mimicking them correctly.

Once satisfied, Josh would get to the next part of the lesson.

"Let's rotate the blaster formula and melee practices. That'll help you learn to use them close together if need be. When you are ready, I will be attacking with my lightsaber on low power. I want you to try and use the same motions as before. Tweak them as you need to block the attacks. I'll instruct you if any further tweaks are needed.

Are you ready?"

[member="Reggie Faayare"]

 

[Reggie Faayare]

Reggie drew his lightsaber as he was instructed, the hiss of it being activated as a green blade appeared out of the device. He listened closely and intently to what was being said, taking it what it's strengths and weaknesses were. He mimicked the movements of Master DragonFlame, getting into the Soresu stance soon after the Jedi Master.

The Padawan watched as Josh closed his eyes and began moving his lightsaber. When his eyes opened and continued the movements, Reggie tried to do the same. As he did so, he noticed that the movements were different from defending with other forms. He made sure he mimicked them properly, adjusting where his movements where needed.

Once they moved on and Master DragonsFlame explained what they were going to do next, Reggie made sure his lightsaber was on a low setting just in case and took in a breath.

"Ready."

[member="Josh DragonsFlame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Don't be afraid to make adjustments to fit what is more comfortable for you and seems to have more success" Josh would recommend. "I'm a larger man, so I hold my lightsaber a certain way no matter what style I use. So while I've given you the basic idea of what sort of motions and stance to use, experiment until you feel you've got something that fits you."

Ensuring his lightsaber was set to low power as well, Josh would take the Makashi stance. With that, he would lunge forward, going for a horizontal slice toward the torso. It was a reserved attack, mainly just meant to test Reggie's form before moving to any actual combat. Regardless of whether he would block it or not, Josh would immediately move to faster attacks, grasping the blade with both hands and attacking with a flurry of horizontal and vertical attacks at seemingly blinding speed.

[member="Reggie Faayare"]

 

[Reggie Faayare]

Taking in his mentor's words, Reggie adjusted his stance slightly. He would figure out if he needed to adjust more or not as he got a feel for everything as they trained, but for now Reggie felt like he didn't need to make too many adjustments yet. The Padawan was a fast learned and adapts when he needs to, so he wasn't too worried.

When he saw the Jedi Master switch to the Makashi stance, Reggie refocused on the task at hand. The Padawan was able to quickly block the horizontal attack, shifting his body so that he wouldn't be unbalanced from the attack. Reggie made sure not to lose momentum as the Jedi Master went for another attack, understanding that he would have to use his agility and momentum of his lightsaber to catch the attacks.

Reggie defended himself as best he could against the flurry of blows, trying to match Maser DragonsFlame's speed as his lightsaber clashed with every successful block. Eventually though, his lack of skill and experience compared to the Jedi Master began to show. Some of the strikes began to break through his defense, the shock of the low power saber indicating such. Even so, Reggie tried to adjust to the attacks and began to adapt to the blows as best as he could.

[member="Josh Dragonsflame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh hoped that the first sparring match would make it easier for Reggie to get an idea of how he needed to adjust his grip for this form to suit him more quickly. Sure, patience was a Jedi virtue, but the sooner that he began to make strides for this, the better off it would be for Reggie. Might as well begin making strides on it here and now to give Reggie a headstart in his practice.

Josh continued the assault, his attacks beginning to get faster and faster as he would push Reggie. He wanted him to adjust to his movements and find his fluidity seeing as he was starting to stumble. "Soresu involves making an impenetrable shield, an impregnable wall!" Josh would remind Reggie behind the hissing and zapping noises of the sabers clashing. After a few more blows, Josh would use the Force to send himself backwards into the air. The second he landed on his feet, a blaster would float from the shelf into his hand as he would immediately catch it and begin firing bolts at Reggie without an inch of hesitation.

Next came how to deal with different types of attacks, and doing so with as little time taken to adjust as possible...

[member="Reggie Faayare"]

 

[Reggie Faayare]

As the relentless assault continued and the words from Josh rang through his head, Reggie was able to adjust his form that allowed him to defend the incoming attacks more effectively. The Jedi Master may have been stronger and faster than him, but Reggie was beginning to keep up with him more as he adjusted.

Reggie didn't drop his guard when Josh stopped his assault and jumped back, which saved him from taking a blaster bolt to the chest. He was able to quickly deflect the bolts from hitting him, not allowing himself to slow down. The change between lightsaber attacks blaster bolts forced Reggie to quickly adjust again, but he was able to keep up with the change. He didn't allow himself to think too much about the situation, deflecting the bolts and keeping an eye out for whatever came next.

[member="Josh Dragonsflame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Reggie was adjusting soundly, which he was happy about. It seemed that he was a quick learner, though not at all like someone who might as well have no training at all. There were people like that, you know? Damned prodigies and the egos they soon had. Reggie had a healthy mix that would keep him going smoothly while also likely keeping him eager to learn. Which was the healthiest thing that a Jedi could be.

Josh continued to fire blaster bolts before holding out a hand and suddenly swapping it with a rapid fire blaster, though the bolts were set to stun should they hit. Dropping the other blaster, Josh would open fire with machine gun blasts, hoping to see if Reggie could keep his guard up despite both another change, and having to constantly deflect a rapid array of bolts. Josh would begin to move as well, no longer content on remaining stationary. Reggie was going to have to learn quickly to adjust on the fly.

[member="Reggie Faayare"]

 

[Reggie Faayare]

Just as Reggie was getting the hang of things, Master Drogonsflame changed things up again. It seemed like he changed things just when Reggie was getting the hang of things. Now the bolts were coming at him faster thanks to the machine gun that Josh had switched out with.

This time Reggie was more prepared to make the change that he needed to deflect the incoming rapid shots. The real difficulty was continuously make changes as he moved closer, making the shots come at him faster.Reggie would make adjustments to his stance. This would definitely tire the padawan out when it was all said and done.

[member="Josh Dragonsflame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

And then it all stopped.

But not a second later the blaster would find itself floating in the air as Josh would rush forward with his lightsaber drawn at low power, and immediately begin a flurry of blows toward the front of Reggie. His torso, shoulders, arms, waist, head... Nothing was safe if Reggie did not change tactics quickly to counter the sudden and furious onslaught. Josh had turned on all battling cylinders and Reggie would be hard pressed to deal with the Jedi Master who was holding little back.

He wanted to see if he could hold back this kind of attack... And perhaps even try and counterattack. While the counter was not part of the style he wished to practice on, Josh secretly hoped he would at least try. It would be a good start on how to learn forms such as Shii-Cho

[member="Reggie Faayare"]

 

[Reggie Faayare]

Reggie was suprised by the sudden stop of attacks but didn't allow himself to bring his guard down. The unrelenting strikes and blaster bolts that started this training session wouldn't allow him to drop his guard for a second, and the Padawan was grateful that he didn't.

The Padawan had quickly changed his position and was able to deflect the first lightning fast strike coming at him. He continued to adapt and use his momentum to defend himself against the unrelenting saber strikes, but soon found that he would soon lose ground if this continued. Reggie was almost at his limit and would be slightly disappointed in himself if his focus wasn't entirely on defending against the flurry of strikes.

Eventually, his instincts kicked in and pushed him to try striking back. It could be his only way of stopping the flurry. After deflecting another blow, Reggie changed his stance quickly, bringing his low powered lightsaber up and moving forward in an attempt to strike Josh's shoulder. Even though Reggie was able adapt and watch the Jedi Master's attacks, he realized that the gap in experience and ability would probably prevent the saber from landing. It was too late to turn back now though, so Reggie followed through with this attempt.

[member="Josh Dragonsflame"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Reggie had counterattacked as Josh had hoped, and while he did block it with quick reflexes with his own saber, the Jedi Master would grin pointedly before motioning for him to back up. Backing up himself, Josh would disengage his lightsaber and let out an exhale.

"I think that's good" Josh would decide. "You've gotten a pretty good handle on defending, and you've even begun the basis of counter-attacking when the time is right. You've gotten a good hold on Soresu now I think, and have started on the basics of Shii-Cho, perhaps even without realizing it. From here, all you can really do is practice."

He would hold out his hand to shake.

"So something I've been thinking... We haven't heard from your Master in some time. Would you care to come under my tutelage instead? For the time being, at least, until your Master comes back. If they don't, I'll get you to Knighthood. But I'm hoping they'll return eventually. Still, no reason for you to slow down your training, yeah?"

[member="Reggie Faayare"]