Further than the Physical, First Steps into the Force (Open to a Teacher)

[Kei Amadis]

Noon,
Visitor Quarters Attached to the Temple.

Primed and ready, he was doing pull ups in the grav gym, one usually reserved for the off duty republic soldiers who visited the temple. While most new Jedi were outside levitating objects, or using the saber to practice on droids, he knew nothing about that. Instead inside the gym he was focusing on the purely physical aspects of training as that was all he knew.

The gym had all manner of high tech machines, anti gravity rowing devices, hover hockey, free weights, whatever you wanted. All he wanted though, was a solid bar above his head. Somewhere around his thirtieth pull up he was breaking a sweat, arms beginning to really feel the burn. Kei was going to reach thirty five though even if it killed him, and that wasn't an easy thing to do because he wasn't small. 31, 32, each one was ten times harder than the last.

Gritting his teeth, 33, his forearms burned all the more, and the 34th didn't want to come, with a huge heave of the shoulders and a grunt he got to 34 and was hanging there now, by a thread. The 35th felt well out of reach. Looking up at the bar, he took a long hard look at his target. Time seemed to slow down, his aim that of a sniper again, on target, the breath cycle louder as he counted the exhale and the inhale. Unknown to him, right now he was drawing on the force, he had nobody to tell him he was or guide him but that is exactly what he was doing.

The muscles somehow found it in themselves to get out the 35th, almost by flowing naturally, and he slumped off the bar, resting his tired arms over a ledge. Taking a long gulp of water, breathing heavily, his black shirt showing signs of the workout but this was just the warm up. A disengaged training saber was on man's hip, he'd picked a blue beamed one, not an actual saber, just one of the non lethal weapons off the rack. Wearing light grey cargo pants thick black boots, and as always his father's holotags around his neck, Kei peered around the deserted gym.

Wondering what was next on the schedule. The man spent most of his time in places like this, training, that or studying any reports from the front line that he got to see. The more he heard about it, the more he realised what the men and women here were up against. The galaxy was nipping at their heels more and more, and he sure wasn't about to let good people down.

Spoiler

ooc: Open training thread for force powers or saber techniques. Djem So would be very welcome for his build

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Personal growth was a continuous thing, and the last time she'd been on Tython she'd invested a fair share of time to other's growth. It was curious how sharing knowledge strengthened one's own.

This was not her home. Far from it. The lush vegetation of Tython reflected similarities of Naboo, but strong opposition to the Azurbani system. From it's flora however, stemmed strong currents of The Force. It was a wise, historic place for a temple to be erected. She appreciated the spanning forests and cliffsides, so much that she had taken the time to return and visit. It was while she was familiarizing herself with the grounds, that she considered warming up with some calisthenics. Agility was a wonderful talent of the young woman, which reinforced her abilities with Juyo, and it was key to maintain it.
And so, she entered the gym with the full intent of strengthening her physical form, but was slightly shocked at the lack of people in the facility. Jedi were of the strongest beings in the galaxy, constantly working themselves for self betterment and it seemed that only a solo individual considered exercise part of that regime today.

Ever talkative and curious, the blonde Jedi shouldered the lightweight jacket she had come with and diverted her path from the cross-bars to the reclining individual.

"You sure know how to clear a room," Kiskla observed, breaking the silence in the workout facility. "I've never seen any part of the Temple so empty."

@[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]​

"Old habits." He said with a big grin, looking about the empty gym, finishing up the water bottle and placing in next to a machine. "Kei," the padawan extended a hand, shaking it firmly if it was offered. Sitting back against a fly machine, the Epicanthx gripped the black foam pads against the forearms, pulling the arms in, and carried on with the workout as he spoke, casually at home here.

They were running a big force push class outside, that's where they had headed out to, but he didn't even know what that meant, he had an idea but, "Truth is I still have no idea on the basics." Kei said between the motions, "they talk about using the force, but how?" Brutally honest, not realising that to move the machine as he was doing, he was already drawing on it, it was already in how he moved, how he shot, how he fought, how he could keep on going when an average soldier would have been lying flat out.

Stopping to take a breath, Kei put a white cloth over his neck, and looked at the weight settings, not bad, not good but not bad, tweaking it up a bit. The man obviously drew down into the force to keep his endurance up, that's why he didn't tire, and the muscles could keep going, rejuvenated to a point. Naturally doing this, he had no idea how to consciously connect to the force yet when he wanted to. "Have any pointers in getting started?" He paused, standing up again to his full height and walking over, gripping the cloth around his neck in either hand.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

“Kiskla,” the blonde returned once @[member="Kei Amadis"] offered his name. He then proceeded to continue his routine, which would make sense if he were to take advantage of his already warmed muscles. Kiskla, on the other hand, hadn’t begun and with his chatter, she could tell she wasn’t likely to start physical exercise anytime soon.

A thin curved line wedged its way on her lips as he suggested having no knowledge of The Force. Even by recognizing her as a Force User, without any formal introduction of her mastery, he was using The Force. At least he was cognizant of his potential that was an excellent platform.


“You already have,” Kiskla commented as he finished his routine, and folded her arms, using one to make a simple gesture. While he had worked, his presence had amplified subtly. The midichlorians in his body were actively congregating and working in fluid motion with his strength to make a seamless blend of the metaphysical, and the physical.


“Firstly, you’re aware that I’m somebody who has The Force, and not just because I’m in the temple. Correct me if I’m wrong.” She tucked her arms together with a shrug “And can you feel anything working internally with your motions?”

 

[Kei Amadis]

Maybe she was right, "my father said the same," with his shooting anyway, his tone was serious, it always was with family. Never appreciating what his dad had meant till now. He still didn't understand this, but Kei was paying firm attention to Kiskla, stopping what he was doing and concentrating on her, like she was the only thing in the room, an Epicanthx's intense gaze.

"Yeah. You had that look about you." He had no idea of her ability, or where she was from, but he'd learned to take help wherever it came from. Kei didn't know it but the force probably had led him to ask her. When the student was ready a teacher came, an old Echani proverb, those silver-haired boys sure had a way with words. "Seemed right to ask for help in a jam." Scratching the side of his cheek, he put down the towel.

"Sometimes I feel I shouldn't be able to get up, or do another repetition. Then I do anyway. The body saying it's out of juice, then I get a surge, a second wind in the muscle." He'd always thought it was just natural adrenaline, maybe his pride had anyway.

"I appreciate this." He nodded, "puts a lot in perspective. Thanks." Not much idea of how it could be applied, but it was a start.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

"Was your father a Force User?" Kiskla asked, playing off the information @[member="Kei Amadis"] divulged to her before he continued. She had that look about her? Confidence, she supposed. Kiskla simply oozed it, even if she was just wearing fatigues. She was rarely seen in traditional Jedi garb, but she was respectful of the planets she visited. Call it political training.

"That second wind is likely your midichlorians actively working to keep you going. Very useful in a fight," Kiskla added with a smirk, leaning against one of the crossbars against the mirror. Over time, she was so used to the feeling of The Force rushing to her aid that the sensation wasn't as recognized to her. Especially since she was continuously manipulating the Force on a molecular level to disguise her tattoos. A technique that would demand a wearisome amount of focus and attention from a Padawan, or Knight even, but it was second nature to the young Master these days.

"You're curious to learn, obviously. Anything in particular?"

 

[Kei Amadis]

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]​

Shaking his head, at the mention of his Dad, deflecting the thought of the old navy dog with a grin. Sanguine himself to most situations, being in the mix of a brawl often tended to make the rest of life seem quiet. Father's dogtags unmistakable around his neck though, ex army, probably the most important thing in his world. He tucked them back into the shirt, to put the memory to bed.

Listening keenly to the explanation, Kiskla made sense. Kei reacted strongly to confidence in others, he learned to trust that gut instinct, nodding to her, his gaze unflinching. No mistaking it he was hungry to learn and listen, hungry to know more about this and her. Seeing someone else outside of robes was a welcome sight for a change. He was the same, he wore them at the right times, but in the gym you only messed them up.

"Resonation," Kei stated directly, he'd seen the way others took the ground from their opponents, sometimes ending a fight before it started, it'd be helpful in breaching a wall, "and a way to shield others, or myself in front of them."

Two things that were important right now. No, all of this was important, "thanks for this." Holding a long look once more in sincerity. There were others techniques, but these were at the forefront of his mind. He rolled his neck around loosening up, seemingly insatiable for another round of exercise, preparing for the physical when of course that was the last thing needed to learn the force.

"Not many I've met have family around the temple, same for you?"

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

@[member="Kei Amadis"]

Resonation, hm? That was a curious place to start. The shielding made more sense, especially if he were a warrior fighting shoulder to shoulder with other soldiers of The Republic.

"Don't thank me yet," Kiskla smirked, pushing herself from her perch and signalling for him to follow her from the confined space of the workout room. "Not until you actually learn something." Having a Padawan in a confined space, especially one lined with mirrors, could be dangerous. It was best for him to learn outside, where the repercussions of any sort of error would be less...expensive.

While they walked, he asked her a question about her family and Kiskla glanced over at him for a moment, before stepping out into Tython's climate. "Not anymore." Both her grandfather and mother had been Jedi, but they were dead now. Her father, still alive, was strongly adversed to the Jedi Order, and resented that his daughter had chosen this path. Or rather, that it had chosen her. "I'm going to assume by your reaction to me asking about your father, that you don't either." Again, she signalled to him to place himself across from her, so she could remain in his line of sight when teaching him. Lucky boy.

"You want to learn resonation," she asked, just to confirm the question. "You mean with sound, or a push. As you explain to me exactly what you want to learn, try to feel it out. I'll step in for guidance."

 

[Kei Amadis]

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]​

Curious, and unknown to both, all this was about to get even more curious.

Striding over to be square, level on with her, he was a man, it wasn't a bad place to be at all. "Feel it out," he nodded, face showing he thought he was ready, and like everything else in life, he just got on with it, but what?

"Saw it in the vids, the archives." How to start, not like a tree you could chop down for the fire, or trigger you could squeeze. The newcomer glanced around, looking about the temple, everyone else was doing force tricks, how hard was it? "Vibration, pushing the force into an object to vibrate it at speed, it feels like I should kno... learn it." Something was in him, the force yes, but a flicker from the force crystal implanted inside Kei's chest might be visible to a Master looking him square on. Kei's eyes blinked slowly closed and open, the connection to the crystal and the imprints of memories, and personalities it held, were right there, right now, in the Padawan's eyes and action.

Holding out a confident hand, giving her another grin, more certain of himself. The first was tensed together, and nothing much happened, he was sure this was it, so he did it again, and still nothing happened. Kei didn't know it, at all. Again trying to push, pull, thin air, in the end he clenched his fist tight as if still in the gym on the last bar curl, shaking his head, teeth pressed together lightly in aggravation, and finally stopped trying. As soon as he stopped trying, unknown to him, a small stone a few meters behind him started to resonate, vibrating a subtle amount as the force was pushed into it.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

As it was her position to teach, Kiskla was keenly aware of every movement Kei reflected. She had opened her field of responsibility to shroud over his and keep watch. Thus, she did see the tremble of light threatening to shine through the fabric of his shirt. A question she would save for later, to prevent distracting from his progress.


"Those last few seconds." Kiskla blurted, hoping to catch the feeling while it was still fresh in his mind. That was part of training, being keenly aware of each new sensation experienced "What did you feel then. Play off of that," as she spoke, she extended her own presence like a thin ribbon that wrapped around the boulder behind @[member="Kei Amadis"] that had been quivering from him. "And focus it here. Hone those reverberations in front of you. Imagine yourself weasling into the foundation of this rock, and interfering with it's structure, the very solid matter itself."

 

[Kei Amadis]

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]​

Lucky to have an observant teacher guiding. "I felt connections," he answered, a deep determined look was on Kei's face, the same coming over the posture again, the shoulders, how he held and carried himself, rising to the challenge. A slow nod was given to Kiskla in affirmation of her guidance. Kei's hand was extended again, eyes closing as it clenched into a fist, inhaling of the air and the place around him, breathing in the force as well as core of this place, what it was to be a Jedi, and older times gone by.

Kiskla did well here to highlight and direct him, fine focus Kei had, that of a sniper, a pinpoint precision. The archives had said everyone developed differently in the force, their traits and sometimes flaws magnified. This was his, both a single minded flaw and a strength of precision.

In the force he found the rock, point to point, connection to connection. The air, the ground, to rock and to her highlighting, a beacon, a target he was aiming at from the Master. World falling away to just those connections in his mind, her voice, to her ribbon, to the rock, and to the force. That stone slowly began to resonate, pouring his pinpoint focus right into the center of it. It took a lot of him, you could see his eyes pressing tight, the resonations increasing, and a bead of sweat forming on his brow.

A single crack appeared on the stone, as it hovered a few feet off the floor now, it felt heavy. The concept of weight still there to his practical mind, of size, of weight, and of the fact this was stone. He didn't have the theory to know all was the force, that all of this was defined by him, to just let go.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

@[member="Kei Amadis"]

Impressively patient, Kiskla regarded Kei's behaviour after her suggestion. There was something about offering assistance to the further and betterment of others that brought her a kind of serenity that wasn't available elsewhere. It was also a kind of power that should not be abused.

"Good," Kiskla whispered, encouraging him further with a mental push. The rock was quivering, this was a path to shatterpoint she could feel. "Now follow it," Kiskla could feel he was centring himself in his concentration, and she pulled the rock from the area he had found it, to between them. "Make it shake, and if you think you're ready," she added slowly, not speaking rapidly to break his concentration "Try to practice on a live object." She meant, her, obviously. Kiskla was adept at handling herself, and if he were to attempt the technique on her, she could physically feel his weakness in it, or his strength.

 

[Kei Amadis]

​@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]​

Pressing down deep, concentrating hard and listening to her guiding push. Stone shook, crumbled and shattered with force resonance taking it from the center into its minute parts. What followed was an intake of air that had his chest rise and fall, taking continuously, taking the air, the oxygen, and the vitality of the force. It was that moment right there, where she had Kei find something else, something that went a long way beyond words. A vitality, and a healthy connection, also a stable and secure foundation, like the rock they worked with.

Eyes opening again to her, that statuesque powerful presence ahead of him. Eyes that had threatened to show a glimmer of something else at the start, but when they opened it was that confident solider looking at her, now the beginning of a Jedi, because of her guidance. There was a strong but steady peace in the way Kei stood. "That was, something." He raised his eyebrows up, and nodded to her, "Is it always like that?" a sincere look was on the trainee's face, he could finally say he was a trainee, because whatever that was, was completely new.

Asking to be his next target, there was a break, till the warrior considered she must be ready, and went to it. Clenching the fist, now aimed to her, he reached out his hand, pouring the force forward, trying to find the connection to her, and aim at her center. The voice, the aura, the way she stood, any detail, point to point, moment to moment, but a living being, had so many, was so complicated in its connection to the force, there was no single point in her to resonate, certainly not with his limited single minded understanding of the technique. Maybe she felt a tickle on the toe, or a buzzing in her ears, dissipating just as quickly.

The Epicanthx shook his head, the crystal in his chest had been no help either, "Can't see a way to bring this to you. There's a lot more to you than..." he cleared his throat and looked at the stone, a friendly grin on his face. "Guessing a lot more than most too," he added not afraid to tell her either, not after what she'd just demonstrated.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

"Nothing is ever the same." Kiskla replied with a sage nod. "Every time you employ reverberation, you will be under different circumstances. Facing different opponents. Some, more complex than others." Kiskla's chest quivered and gave way to a small chuckle at his admittance to her human complexities.

"A live target will not have an immediate centre." Kiskla explained, she had forgotten this was one of his first forays into The Force. "But, I do have my own signature. Find it, detect it, explore it, and infect it. You did the same with the rock, this is just on a grander scale." Her brow quirked at his suggestion to open up on a more intimate level. "Are you considering your heritage a burden or a blessing, Kei?"

@[member="Kei Amadis"]

 

[Kei Amadis]

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]​

Rolling his shoulders around, loosening up more, he didn't agree, some things were always the same to his mind. "Feelings, not situations." It didn't matter how many times he felt that tug to stand in front of someone he cared about, it never felt any different, always that rush of adrenaline and a sense to do what was right, but situations, yeah she was right, nothing was ever the same. There was still a small resistance of pride, a strong man's stubborn beliefs about certain things that didn't sway easily, his personality a rough cut mold but a steady one. It made apologizing or changing course when he knew he was right, especially difficult for the padawan.

Listening as fully as he had when she started, that eagerness was still there. She had opened Kei up to a new world and he was thankful. A blessing or a burden? "It is what it is." Kei responded, "gives me a duty, and a sense of purpose in protecting what I care about." It was a different story to flying around on a ship keeping three other people alive from crystal hunters and assassins, now there was a billion more lives than he could picture at stake, more in fact. "I'm still getting my head around it. What about you, Master?" Paying her the respect she was due, for the first time, probably not the last.

Giving her another determined glance at her guidance. Kei reached out his hand to probe Kiskla's connections, the voice, the stance, the body, the bones, muscles and tendons. The force took him to these things, point to point, one to the other he felt them. Seeing the multitude of how she connected to life, some of it anyway, he was only a padawan. Kei tried to push his focus to her knee's, the connections were the steps, where she'd walked, how she walked, where she stood, the balance of her weight, the ground, it went on forever and was very difficult for him to hold in his mind. It was also uncomfortable doing this on a living target, just because of how it could end up, trying to penetrate her aura to cut through it and begin to vibrate the bones underneath.

Her knee's might start to tingle unless she blocked his focus, not doing it to cause harm, just to vibrate them, from these connections, from his hand, to the ground, through the feet, the tendons, through where she'd walked, where she'd go, all of these things were the force's connection to her legs and much more. This was somewhere the crystal in his chest had not gone before, it was different, it felt unique to their training session, a new experience for once, which was liberating given its age, and another sign of her ability as a teacher.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Kiskla nodded at his response, but didn't continue the conversation further. She was a guarded individual, and what's more, she wanted @[member="Kei Amadis"] to focus on the task at hand.

As promised, Kiskla was totally unguarded. For his first foray she wanted him to succeed, not be forever resentful of his failure. With progression, would come intensity. For now, he had to understand and explore with her being able to see the work of his hands. She could feel his strain, and for a moment she scolded herself for not starting out on something easier, more basic. Like an introduction to the Force itself. This was why she had never taken on her own Padawan, she was a terrible teacher and she was sure that more often than not she forgot crucial introductions and information. Kiskla herself was a quick learner, and anticipated that's the way it should be for everyone else; patience was not a virtue she possessed. Slowly, after a few intense moments on behalf of Kei's concentration, a grin surfaced when she felt the physical effects of his outreach.

"Good." She coaxed, encouraging him to push further "Continue. You wanted to knock an opponent of their feet. Do it."

 

[Kei Amadis]

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]​

Not much for fancy words anyway, give him a good hover hockey match any day. His confidence wasn't knocked, another good call on her part, not that one failure would have done it, but it was helpful to feel the effects of what success was, rather than confusion at failure in the beginning.

Half about to come over and try and tackle her with a foot sweep, alright the force, clapping hands together. "No problem", no hand was extended this time, not seeing the point in it, hands tensed by his sides instead, gripping, pouring that vibration into the ground, and into the ground under her feet. It wasn't the best surface for it, because it was soft and didn't break much just turning muddy, so he gave up on that idea. He had one technique at his disposal, just one, better get creative.

Narrowing the expression, he narrowed his attention, until the point of his focus literally became the joints within her knee, and her ankle's it wasn't going to take her down, not on its own but it would likely make her stance unsteady if she allowed it to happen, that added to the resonation of the ground underneath her might be enough to cause her issues in standing strong.

"Don't know how I can do this without a pull to your leg, or doing some damage." Without thinking about it further, Kei tried to reach out in the force to pull the back ankle of her leading leg, a leg sweep in the force, getting a small tug out of it.

Spoiler

He's learned pull/push in Manu's brief visit but that's later in the timeline, could learn it here also if you like.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Kiskla's grin grew with his progress. Part of her fear with teaching was not being able to communicate effectively, and the student unable to grasp what she was trying to get them to accomplish.
Both of her masters had pushed her until she sweat blood, hence her desire to encourage @[member="Kei Amadis"] to succeed. She nearly yipped for joy when her toned frame began to tremble -- he was going for her joints. She could feel a blip of hesitation in his presence. But it was nothing more than a blip, and a sigh of relief almost tickled her lips when his prowess bundled and rolled from his centre and toward her vulnerable areas.

Purposely defenceless, the young woman felt the Force knocking at her knees and then take a detrimental turn to her ankles. Had she been more guarded, he would not have successfully swept her from her feet. However, considering the circumstances, Kiskla's footing was lazily in Shii-Cho at best, and her balance was far from taut. With Kei's metaphysical intrusion, she was yanked forward, and from physics, the rest of her faltered backward.

Good for him.

Within seconds, from reflexive training of her own, Kiskla was back on her feet.
"Great, great." She breathed, dusting off the back of her pants from the terra her butt had just kissed. "Don't be afraid of doing damage, Kei. If I was scared of being hurt, I wouldn't be here." Her smile was genuine and reassuring; her confidence not easily shaken. "How did that feel? Would you like to continue, or practice on your own time and learn the shielding process now?"

 

[Kei Amadis]

@[member="Kiskla Grayson"]​

The Padawan's grin was bolstered, when he realised he didn't have to physically hurt the woman to bring her to the floor. Scratching his chest through his simple t-shirt, and letting a hand hang from the collar, Kei was as relaxed as when he started "It felt natural." Natural because he'd just done it without messing around, and found the right spots, thanks to her.

Practice, he liked to drill a technique in till it stuck, "it'll need more practice, but shield is going to help more people," Kei admitted, "Let's take shield if you're game for it." He pushed a fist into a palm, tensing the arm to warm up again, then doing the same the other side. Getting physically ready again, having no idea of how he'd tackle this using the force.

Putting his arms behind his back and gripping the wrists, he stood, feet shoulder width apart, just as if the Jedi was on the firing range facing an instructor, a bit of the solider in him yet. Ready and able to listen, she might consider it a mark of respect, giving her a nod, "Master."

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

The young Master was pleased when @[member="Kei Amadis"] said that his foray had felt natural. That was important, especially when facing a real opponent. Too much strain would render him incapable, and would only assist in his defeat rather than victory.

The blonde's head bobbed when he admitted he would practice in due time. Good. Kiskla wasn't the most patient of persons, and bored rather quickly; as much as it would have helped him to continue drilling the same technique, she would have lost interest and probably become frustrated at the amount of time it was taking. It had been a trait of hers even when she had been the student. His training prior to the temple was beginning to show in his neutral stand, ad him calling her Master was somewhat in a reward itself. when she was younger, she had pined for that title, but when it came time to accept it, she had been slightly withdrawn about it, considering it a mistake. She had indeed mastered the Force to the point that Force entities themselves were under her watchful eye. It was because of the darkness that she had considered the title inappropriate; but she had proved herself wrong because to the core, Kiskla was still inherently good.

Okay, how was she going to go about this? The last lesson she had walked him through, step by step, encouraging him to draw on moments where she had seen potential. That was all well and fine, but now she wanted to try a new pedagogy; one that relied solely on instinct. Antares had done this to her within her first few days of being his Padawan, and it was the quickest way she ever learned because she was forced to adapt. If she didn't catch on quickly enough, it was nothing but pain for a week.

Without any warning, Kiskla's hand whipped from her waist and toward the ground, sending a powerful blast of energy from her palm. The angle was successful at tearing apart the grass and unearthing quite a few pebbles in the process, and some shards from the stone Kei had just shattered. All this debris splashed away from her forceful maneuver in an upward shower toward the Padawan; one he would be forced to react to.