Bottle Up And Explode!

[Celeste Rigel]

Celeste strode out into the courtyard, shoulders wrapped in a comfortable knit. A cup of hot tea cradled in her hands, she took a sip of the comforting brew – it helped clear her mind. And, she knew that she'd need a very clear mind in order to take on her next task.

Indeed, she could have had her choice of any Jedi at Silver Rest – but she'd chosen a very specific Jedi, an old friend. They had parted some weeks ago, and she'd left him with a very stern order to ring her up when he was on Kashyyyk next. That call had come, and Celeste had chosen not to taken Coren Starchaser on another stroll through the Gardens of Silver Rest...

A sparring match.

If anything, she supposed it was more his speed. And, her own purposes were two-fold. For one, she needed to brush up on her own combat skills, it was something she rarely practiced nowadays. And two, it was a way to keep in touch. Of course, it did hearken back to their old days. Back then, she'd mostly watched from the side lines.

Setting her teacup down, she drew a calming breath. Celeste let the knit sweater fall, the morning air brushed against her shoulders. It was only a moment later that she stepped barefoot into the training room. Dressed in a simple ensemble, a tank top, loose-fitting linen trousers, and short boots, she was ready to move. And move she did, taking up a wooden practice sword, she began to move through the graceful movements of Soresu.

Weaving a defensive pattern around herself, she was in a groove, completely focused.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Those past few weeks were a bit odd for Coren. He’d been helping out the Jedi in his typical fashion, but was also spending more and more time in the Outer Rim. The Alliance in Exile was making moves, and it helped to have one of the bigger banner wavers on the ground, with the troopers. He liked keeping the morale up, and he spied a few Jedi and Jensaarai among the ranks, more underground now, hidden, but still supporting the Alliance and its message.

But he was also feeling a bit off, during the times when he wasn’t charging headlong against Sith or First Order remnants. It just felt odd… missed connection was digging in. he wasn’t sure quite why. He knew what he was doing, catching up with an old friend, one that was both actively married, and had a child from the same. But for a bit of time there, he was looking forward to a trip towards Kashyyyk.

And this time it was only to check in on people. The Jedi he freed out of the Core, the Silvers to make sure they were still being… Jedi, and well, mostly, [member="Celeste Rigel"]. When he contacted her, he was a bit surprised, pleasantly, but still, that she wanted to spar. He could easily do that. It was what he did on his down time anyway. Landing the ship, and after making his stops and discussions, he made it back, got himself changed, and headed off to where he’d run into the so-called Den Mother.

Stepping into the room, he tried to make his presence as minimal as possible as he removed his shoes, just easier to spar barefoot, and watched her.

Soresu.

Made sense. She was a healer, and the type to protect others. Coren protected, but he was the one to strike first, and hard. He himself? More in the realm of Ataru and the defensive patterns of Shien. He could make it all work. A smile on his face, the man was dressed in a dark pair of work out pants over a tight fitting, but similar shade shirt.

“Soresu suits you.” He said, finally doing something to make himself known, not that he was hiding. Smiling, he approached her.

"How have you been?"

 

[Celeste Rigel]

Celeste gasped softly, turning to see that Coren had arrived. Realizing that he might have been there watching, she placed the palm of her hand gently against her cheek. Her complexion carried a healthy, rosy glow that only seemed to deepen. “Ah, you're here.” She said, returning his smile with one of her own.

“Oh, fine – just fine.” She answered, lowering the practice sword and closing the gap between them.

Indeed life had continued for Celeste after Coren's last visit to Kashyyyk. Their reunion had left her feeling strange and melancholy, but she'd been forced to push it from her thoughts. After all, outside of her duties to the Order, she did have a house to keep, a child, and a husband. Still, somewhere in the back of her mind lingered thoughts of Coren and their past– all of which she scolded herself for keeping. It wasn't that they'd shared a passionate romance, they hadn't. It was more the fact that they'd missed the chance altogether.

And here he stood before her.

“I hope you've been doing well and keeping busy.” She said, locating a tie for her hair. “I also hope I've prepared enough for today... I'm rusty, so go easy on me, alright?”

She gathered her brunette locks up and secured them into simple pony, the tail of which would flick Coren as she turned abruptly and made for the center of the mat. Standing without the practice sword, she felt a bit odd... but she did her best to mask her shaky confidence.

“I'm not the twig I was when we were younger, just a warning.” She said, smiling.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

A few minutes of watching, well, he felt almost voyeur-esque, but not intending to be, not in the weird way. When she turned, he couldn’t help but keep his eyes on her, and his smile even seemed to widen. “When was the last time you picked up a saber, anyway?” Teaching students, he wasn’t sure if she focused on the whole ideal, or just a specific aspect, like healing.

When she approached, his mind jumped a little. He had a lot on his own plate, he always did. But the thing that he did have, was a certain freedom. Freedom of movement, freedom of lifestyle choice. He went where he wanted, and where he was needed, on his own time table. But still, there were those places ones mind tended to go during the quiet between hyperspace jumps, or when your watch shift ended aboard the ships.

“As well as can be. Kind of in a lull, something big is going to happen out there. You can feel it.” Out there being the larger galaxy. “How about you, the younglings keep you running?” He grinned. “And how are we defining rusty?” Seriously, when was her last time holding a saber?

As she turned, he caught her hair in his face, and rolled his eyes. “Thanks…” A half laugh, his eyes doing what all male eyes would be doing. You know, sizing up his opponent. “And no? You are looking pretty much the same.” He smiled again, finding his way onto the mat.

“Let show me what you’re working with.” He fell into a defensive stance, based on Djem So, but… not as good as he hoped. All but signaling for her to take the first step. "Just clear your mind, it'll come back."

[member="Celeste Rigel"]

 

[Celeste Rigel]

The last time she picked up a saber? Well, she did that quite often. However, using said saber... that was a different story. In truth, she'd not actually used her own saber in battle for a number of years. She'd given Coren only a small shrug of her shoulders in response.

“The younglings have kept me running about, and it turns out that lifting children up and down all day is a good workout.” She said, after all, she was still very fit. Her shoulders and arms, visible in her tank top, were sleek and lightly toned. “I... haven't actually sparred in... quite some time.” Her definition of rusty.

As she looked across the mat at Coren, she wondered what that 'something big' was going to be. Of course, even after moving to Kashyyyk, the Order had still faced their share of conflict. But, she felt it, too. And, she worried for what might come.

“Alright, then.” She said, watching closely as Coren moved into defensive posture. Celeste cleared her throat, as if she were about to give a speech, but she let her knees bend slightly.

Her gaze focused on her target, Coren.

Finally, pushing off the mat at a swift run, she went right for him. As she neared, she angled her shoulder just so, in preparation to possible connect with his chest. With luck, she'd shove him back, but there was doubt in her mind. If she was terribly unlucky...

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

See, for Coren the lightsaber was about as much of an extension of him as his cybernetic arm was. Sure, he was working with the likes of Tiland Kortun and the Light Hand, meaning he was more training in martial experiences. But that just helped him with his focus on returning to certain roots. He was a Warden of the Sky, but more than that, he was a Jedi who was working his best to defend the people under his watch. A Sentinel always had more than just the Force and his lightsaber.

But that was his own story, something he had been doing for a long time, before he and Celeste even had their tense moments and, well, days in the past. She had gone the route of training others, and that was smart. “I suppose it might be, but sometimes muscle memory and speed are more important than strength.” It was how he fought back Carnifex so often. But still, he gave her a smile.

He stood, waiting for her to come at him, light on the balls of his feet, hands, in front of him, in a typical grapple position. When she came at him, he grinned. Not meaning to toy with her, but still, he took a step to the side and turned as she would go by. A bit of a laugh. “Don’t always charge in. Here. Get yourself ready.”

He’d give her a minute or two to compose herself before he’d step in, giving what could really only be described as a jab up near her face, purposely missing, but seeing if her more defensive training would kick in.

[member="Celeste Rigel"]

 

[Celeste Rigel]

Instead of crashing straight into Coren, as she'd planned, she found only empty space as he stepped to the side. The speed she'd built up meant that she'd needed to skid to a halt at the edge of the mat. Celeste turned a glance over her shoulder, just in time to see him laugh. Her lips pressed together into a line, listening as he issued her instructions.

“Right,” She said, flatly.

Turning away from him, she brushed a few rogue strands of hair back into place. There were also a few silent curse words on her lips. Of course, she hadn't wanted to make a fool of herself right off the bat... but she had to remember that he was the one conditioned for combat, not her.

Returning to the middle of the mat, she narrowed her eyes slightly at Coren – waiting and watching. In an active posture, she was as ready as she'd ever be. But still, when his fist jabbed at her, it came fast – her left arm came up instinctively to block the blow and deflect it away from her face.

It opened an opportunity for her to swing her own fist, aiming for the jawline.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

He was going to move quick, it was how he worked. Dodging a hit was what kept him alive at times. He didn’t need to always engage, and sometimes it was better to avoid a hit, and wait for the moment of opportunity. He grinned as he watched her slide to a stop.

“You’ll learn!” He laughed and grinned again. The Jedi Master was known for his odd training techniques. A bit of actual speed spars, and taking younger Knights into battle so they could see it first hand.

It being the role of the Jedi, at least as Starchaser saw his own role. But he was different, he was a wall, he was the Sword. The man was focusing, the Force wasn’t in play here yet. The pair had trained in the past, but it was different now. This was him with much more combat education. The jab had the feeling of being like it was going to miss, and when she deflected, he picked up his speed. With his hand being moved, he took the chance to spin, to his left, his right foot picking up.

Aiming straight for her side.

[member="Celeste Rigel"]

 

[Celeste Rigel]

He was fast.

That much Celeste knew, just from the mere moments that they'd been sparring. Her own senses, while keen to the well-being of people, were slower than they ought to be when it came to fighting. This was certainly not her everyday occurrence, like it might have been for him. And, for that fact, Celeste felt at an incredible disadvantage. She'd known this going into it, and she had a feeling that it would only help.

Even if she ended up with a few bruises to mend.

Her fist followed through as Coren spun out of the way. Unfortunately for Celeste, she was not fast enough to clear his kick. “Ah!” A small gasp, she felt his foot contact her side, and Celeste dropped down to the mat.

With a small grunt, she recovered as quick as she could and swept her leg low, trying to take his out from under him.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

Taking a sparring partner who hadn’t gone into the thick of a battle in a while was probably not the best move Coren could have made. Not for his own skills, but it wasn’t that. The galaxy was a changing place, and he was going to do all he could to protect Kashyyyk, the same way he did for Sullust and D’Qar, and hell, even Demonsgate, and Corellia, the latter two being worlds that had their own band of heros. But he couldn’t be everywhere at once.

And he needed all the Jedi to be ready, and if Celeste was either 1) going to be getting closer to him or 2) continue to iinstruct and protect younglings? He needed to make sure she could stand up to what was going to be coming for the Jedi. Until he could get there and pull them out. The Covenant in the Outer Rim were more like him, strikers, using tech and the Force to bring the fight to where it was.

But here? Here he was able to feel at peace, a sort of calm was in the room. Maybe it was Celeste, and the feeling she seemed to instill in him, a tension, and a calm, or it was the whole world.

But he had been to garden worlds. This was different. Still, he was falling into the nearly instinctual battlemind of a Jedi warrior. When his foot connected to her side, even Coren almost winced. That off-balance throw from feeling the woman, one who was on his side and, well, he felt a bit of a connection, or missed connection to, threw him off his mindset and he found himself on his back quickly.

The Force almost flared out around him, but he kept it contained, still, there was a small… ambiance that had changed. Just for a moment. Definitely something that was going to work to dispel and push back anything dark near them, and after a second to remember where he was, the Jedi rolled.

Definitely been to one too many battlegrounds. Getting to his feet, he looked at Celeste. “Nice move.” Maybe she wasn't as rusty as she thought.

[member="Celeste Rigel"]

 

[Celeste Rigel]

Kneeling on the mat, Celeste looked in surprise to see Coren on his back. She blinked, suddenly sensing the swell in his force presence. It was raw power, but contained by Coren, and it was like nothing she'd ever felt before. The feeling was fleeting, gone almost as quick as it had come. And that gave Celeste a moment to enjoy her small victory.

“Thanks,” She said in a modest tone, bringing her chin towards her shoulder slightly. There was a soft flush across her cheeks that she might have been trying to hide.

And, a smile found her face. No matter how she might try, she was unable to completely mask that she was, actually, very pleased with herself. She stood up as well, fanning herself with the palms of her hands. Her heart was beating fast. The rush of battle had never thrilled her, but she had to admit that this was a good feeling – having the confidence to act. She fixed Coren in a sidelong glance, maybe he had something to do with it.

She took a step towards the racks of training swords and bent to lift a bottle of water to take a sip. Her brown eyes shifted to the wooden blades, and she took up two – tossing one in Coren's direction.

“Ready for more?” She asked, a tiny smirk pulled at her lips.

Celeste moved back into position, this time taking up a defensive stance herself.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

The warrior stance needed to change on Coren. He knew he was safe here, with Celeste. Maybe even more so because of who he was with. The man grinned as the woman got to her knees and looked her over. "Not too far from being rusty." He watched her as he got himself.

He watched her head over to the swords and nodded. She really was a pretty woman, and from everything he knew, useful and smart. An instructor. And he could only hope she would be able to defend herself.

As she grabbed the swords and tossed one his direction, Coren caught it with a smile. She moved into a defensive stance, he spun the wooden weapon and made a run towards her. He was going to swing for her side again, and then swung for her left shoulder.

[member="Celeste Rigel"]

 

[Celeste Rigel]

With the practice sword in hand, Coren did look the part of a warrior. He smiled, he was enjoying this, wasn't he? As she watched his blade for a moment, she felt a tiny pin-prick of panic. Coren Starchaser running at you with any kind of weapon – even a wooden sword – was intimidating. Nevertheless, she did her best to stand her ground and calm her mind.

Calm in the storm.

The words echoed in her mind, something of a mantra. As Coren struck for her side, she spun out of the way and then brought her sword up to parry the blow that would have otherwise hit her left shoulder. Celeste pushed with her sword against his, using the force to lend her an extra bit of strength to put a little distance between them.

Celeste felt skilled when it came to deflecting blasters, she could do that all day. But a fight in close quarters? This was out of her comfort zone completely. She was thankful that she was practicing with a friend that would not strike her down, rather than being thrust out on the battle field to fend for herself.

With a small window for an attack, she made a sweeping swing up and towards the left, aiming for his wrists. She realized that she might have made a mistake, letting the sword swing up and away from her body so. But, this was a learning experience, after all.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

He felt the part of what he was. A warrior. A fighter and someone who knew what he was doing here. He didn't have the intimidation of the Force and the pure battlemind he would use during the battle.

Meeting her wooden sword he grinned. Feeling her push the sword back with the Force, the Corellian was more excited now. Feeling Celeste getting into the spar, he nodded more. This was good. She should get involved in the spar. In the head space.

When she swung, he took a step back. Her swing came up and he tried to grab her wrist, while his sword was hitting hers. He tried to give her a push back. He nodded.

"That's a Jedi!"

[member="Celeste Rigel"]

 

[Celeste Rigel]

Celeste watched as Coren moved back, away from her swing of the practice sword. As followed through with the sweeping motion, she found Coren's palm wrapped around her wrist. She froze, the wooden sword dropped from her grip, landing on the mat with a soft thud.

Her heart continued to pound, more so now. Celeste let him push her back, now that she stood without a sword in her hand, she matched his nod with one of her own. She smiled at his comment, and wiped her brow with the back of her hand.

The healer's mind was not as focused on the sparring match, but rather preoccupied with that small moment, when Coren's hand had grasped her around the wrist. She held up a finger and then stepped to the side to get a drink of water. Once more, she turned her back as she took a long sip. Now, now... get a grip, she silently urged.

“My experience is based around defense, as you've seen.” She started, turning back to face Coren. “Can you give me some pointers about attacking? A demonstration, perhaps?” She punctuated her request with a smile.

Back on the mat, she held her palm out, calling the sword back to her hand.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

The connection did have a bit of tingle to it. He couldn't tell if it was more the fact that it was two Jedi Masters who had been away from one another for the better part of the past few years, if it was Celeste launching some new attack, or prepping something to blast at Coren, or if it was something more electric. More instinctual.

More raw.

As he pushed her, he counted that as a win. He was a Jedi. His tactics and focus were to stall her out, disable his target. Make her not the one to continue the fight. Allowing her the respite to collect herself was sparring rules and just good form. As she stepped away he took a second to center himself.

Lest he get distracted as she turned away. A few quick second's and he was ready to go again. Still, his eyes wandered.

"Pointers? Go for the quick win. And define win by making your opponent not be able to fight." He twirled the training sword in his hand and came at her, upward slash going for her midsection, her left side.

He needed to focus on more than her physique right now.

[member="Celeste Rigel"]

 

[Celeste Rigel]

Celeste nodded as Coren spoke, attempting to focus on the words that he was speaking. Go for the quick win? Now, she wasn't completely sure that was something she could do. She hoped that she'd never be in a situation where she needed to fight for her life. But, though she was a healer – she was also a protector. If her son or the temple younglings were in danger, however, the motherly instinct would certainly kick in.

As Coren ran at her again, she found herself unprepared.

True, she was here to spar, but a moment of thought had proven troublesome. She was lucky that this was not a real battle. As he made an upward slash, she threw the blade of her own wooden sword out to counter the blow. There was a rather satisfying 'clunk' as the blades made contact, but Celeste's footing was not as steady and sure as she'd hoped.

And, she found herself knocked off balance.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

A quick win could be defined as anything that victor saw. For Coren, it was getting the person in front of him out of the way, so he could get to his objective. He lead soldiers, he was a fighter and was the one who would dive face first into helping out his team. And that meant getting his people safe, taking the bogeys out of play, and making it so he could take the fight to the main target. He was the one who wouldn’t remain in one place to defend it, he was the one to bring the defenders to where they were needed.

He hadn’t tried to register if she was prepared, he wasn’t about to invade her mind to see if he could gleam her intentions. This was a friendly spar, and the last time he linked to someone in the Force, they did end up going to the dark side. He wasn’t suspecting that would happen here, but it was just better for everyone if he stayed his own ground, and kept himself together.

Letting them be them.

His slash found purchase on her blade, but he didn’t foresee her going down. In an effort to prevent her from falling, he reached over, his feet still firm on the ground, and grabbed her hand with his left, a bit awkwardly, but she didn’t need to fall for this.

[member="Celeste Rigel"]

 

[Celeste Rigel]

Celeste squeezed her eyes closed, ready hit the mat with the flat of her back. Again, she found herself in Coren's grip – but this time, his palm wrapped her own as he kept her from falling. Her eyes widened slightly. Coren stood grounded and strong, and she used his solid grip to steady herself. Pulling up to stand straight, she stood near Coren face flushed... and perhaps a bit flustered, too.

Her hand rose to the side of her neck, self-consciously.

“Sorry,” She said, “I'm a bit clumsy today.”

Eyes locked with his, the corner of her lips tugged upwards into a shy smile. Slowly, she withdrew her hand from his. She knelt, lifted the wooden blade once more and made her way back to the edge of the mat.

“I'll give it another go,” She nodded, drawing a breath to center herself.

She'd seen him attack now, Celeste had a better idea going in. Rolling her wrist slightly, she gave the sword a small spin. This time, she pushed forward off the balls of her feet. Celeste's sword made a downward sweep, aiming to hit his right shoulder.

[member="Coren Starchaser"]

 

[Coren Starchaser]

The warrior, who stood up against evil, one man against many at certain points, and as a result, the man knew who he was, how to stand firm. And since the fall of Marshal Omai Rhen, he had stepped into the role of Jedi Supreme, working with the various factions, and against the darkness. He was stronger than he had bee, standing as a Jedi, and not some wanderer of sides, a vagrant in the Force. Still, his steadfast stance didn’t hide his almost surprised look.

Not embarrassed, not quite. He looked over Celeste’s features. “Those days happen, just keep them to sparring mats.” He didn’t want to sound soft, but he didn’t want to get in her head. He was in his own deep enough already. But he smiled, watching her get her weapon.

“If you’re sure, no shame in taking a break.” He said, but she was already centering. Good. Fire and hope. Feeling that warmth of the Force? That to him was the hope, the goodness, it was when the Force became cold that one needed to be careful.

Stepping back to the heels, he brought his sword up to catch hers, swinging high and away to get it out of its trajectory, directing her sword and hand across her body. Then the sword would come up to his hip, intent on making contact.

[member="Celeste Rigel"]