I train and I know things (Rasu Gan)

[NightSister]

For the whole week, Aria had been training relentlessly, both with her master and without. Each morning she had honed her Force abilities, levitating and jumping and pushing until there was nothing in the whole temple she couldn't manipulate using her powers. Every afternoon, she would go to the combat chambers and practice her sparring, both melee and long-range, saber-sparring and hand-to-hand martial arts, pushing her body to the very limit so that when the time came, she would be able to fulfill her long sought-after role as a Silver Guardian. Then by night she would meditate, exploring the depths of her mind and being until no thought of hers hadn't been washed out and observed.

By Saturday, her body ached from overexertion and her mind was lacking the focus for even the light reading that she frequently liked to entertain herself with, and so she slept off her exhaustion as the most effective way to pass her free day. On Sunday, having almost fully recovered, Aria was in no mood for combat and was lacking the willpower to practice her Force powers by herself, so instead she set off wandering the temple. If nothing else, it was a chance for her to finally find her way around without getting lost.

[member="Rasu Gan"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

Rasu felt old. Having reached the near ancient limit of most beings, the Shi'ido Jedi felt as if her body was beginning to adjust to her age. However her physical might had nothing over her mental control. Ignoring the aching muscles and clicking of joints, the Jedi Master had dragged herself to her private training quarters. As always she thanked the Force for the perks of having constructed the temple on Voss, as she enjoyed the peace and privacy that came with the room.

Removing her heavy traditional attire, Rasu began with a few simple exercises. Stretching the body and working up her cardio, the Shi'ido began to feel the aches dull and sensed a return in her vigour. Taking the next step, the older woman decided it was best to focus on her more advanced techniques, to ensure she still had some sense of mastery over the abilities she had trained. Rasu took a moment to catch her breath before she arranged herself into a standing meditative state. Opening herself to the Force, she summoned the energy to surround her palms, willing the particles to speed up and eventually create friction. She could feel her hands heat up, knowing it was time to release. With her eyes still closed as she focused on maintaining the form of the fire, Rasu released the energy in the form of a fire ball as it was flung from her palms. However dread and alarm was suddenly cast upon her as the balls of fire flew out of the chamber door and into the temple corridor. "Stang" she murmured, waiting for the shrieks of alarm from any passersby.

[member="Aria Vale"]

 

[NightSister]

Somehow Aria had taken a wrong turn and ended up wandering down a hallway of combat chambers. She was fairly certain she could get through the complicated maze of corridors in time for lunch, but every hallway looked the same and her brain was only half switched-on.

Just as she was approaching a stairway, a ball of fire came flying her way. Starting, Aria leapt backwards then turned her head to the open training chamber from where the fire had come to see a tall, green-skinned woman looking mildly embarrassed. Tired or not, Aria was impressed by the skilful display of pyrokinesis that she had just witnessed and her desire to learn outweighed her fatigue by miles.

And so she stuck her head around the door and made eye contact with the woman. "Could you show me how to do that?"

[member="Rasu Gan"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

Noticing the absence of shrieks and squeals, Rasu made her way to the corridor to ensure that no one had been harmed. Her cheeks flushed slightly, however the Shi'ido made no attempt to hide her embarrassment. It was a rare occasion to train in private and as a result mistakes could happen and only she would be aware of it, thus there was no need to be embarrassed as there had been no one else to witness the errors. However as she approached the door, the woman jumped back a meter in surprise as a head poked round from the corridor. Her hands leaped to her chest as a gasp escaped her lips.

"You startled me young one." she said, laughing softly to relieve her stress and ensure the young woman did not feel guilty. Peeking outside into the corridor, Rasu let out a small sigh as she noticed that the young Jedi had been the only one a witness to her clumsy action. While the fire ball hadn't seemed to damage the temple itself, the acrid smell of smoke had begun to drift into the chamber.

"Oh of course. Would I not be keeping you from something important my dear?" she asked, surprised by but not annoyed at the woman's request. She was always happy to pass on her knowledge, something she had found herself lacking in since her departure from Tython as Headmistress of the Academy. It would be a nice change to train some new blood.

[member="Aria Vale"]

 

[NightSister]

Smiling a little at the woman's surprise, Aria cautiously entered the training chamber. The rest of the room didn't appear as covered in the results of the pyrokenis as Aria had anticipated, in fact the woman's embarrassment made it seem as though the rogue fireball event was a rare one. She must be experienced, then, Aria thought. Perhaps a master.

At the question, Aria smiled and shook her head. "Not today." She saw no need to bore the Shi'ido with a more in-depth explanation, and besides the obvious skill behind the fireball she'd run into was, for once, making her eager to learn the concept behind the skill.

[member="Rasu Gan"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

Discovering that the young woman had no other activities that required her attention, Rasu smiled as the excitement of teaching once more grew within her. Gesturing for the Padawan to come inside, she returned to her position, entering the stance as well. However realising that the thrill of teaching had consumed her once more, she sighed in ignorance of her manners. Introductions were always important and made the training that much more personal and effective.

"I'm Master Gan by the way. But you're more than welcome to call me Rasu." she said, hoping the idea of forsaking formality didn't alarm her newest student. The Shi'ido enjoyed ridding herself of such traditional policies in what would be an informal state, but she understood that there were still many who would prefer to maintain the age old tradition. "And your name?" she asked, stretching as spoke.

[member="Aria Vale"]

 

[NightSister]

"It's nice to meet you, Master Gan." Coming further inside the room, Aria glanced hesitantly towards the Master before stretching alongside her for a few moments, copying each movement the best she could. "My name is Aria Vale."

Excited to be learning a spell so far from what she was used to learning and so very impressive, Aria waited for the Shi'ido to finish stretching then stood a few feet opposite her new teacher and assumed a neutral stance, her mind alert and focused as she prepared for whatever teachings and instructions would come first.

[member="Rasu Gan"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

Rasu smiled as the introductions were concluded. The woman could already feel she was taking a liking to the young woman. Normally one would be more cautious to immediately ask for instruction of a technique that had nearly gotten them killed. However Aria appeared to not share this quality. Finishing her stretches, Rasu adopted a more serious look before explaining the principles of the technique.

"Well the technique is labelled as Pyrokinesis. It is one of three elemental techniques that draw directly upon the living energy of the Force." she began, starting with a basic understanding of the techniques background. Rasu thought it necessary for Aria to understand the level at which this ability was placed before she began instructing on how to perform said ability. "You may be familiar with the sibling techniques; the conjuring of lightning as well as a life-draining aura. Pyrokinesis is the most safest of the three to avert corruption of the dark side."

While one may strengthen the technique with one's anger, Rasu found that her approach allowed for an equally successful result without having to draw on one's more darker emotions. While anger wasn't entirely forbidden from use for the Jedi, the woman would prefer for such a young learner to begin without any knowledge of such resources.

"Now I take a more scientific approach when using this technique." Rasu explained, adopting a stoic stance, spreading her legs out at shoulder width, to demonstrate for Aria. "I call on the Force to first provide a defensive layer around my hands, so that when I perform the technique my own flesh is not affected. So we'll start the lesson attempting this task."

Breaking away from her stance, she approached Aria to help her start the process. "Summon the Force to surround your hand and lower arm. You want to ensure you remain unharmed when performing this."

[member="Aria Vale"]

 

[NightSister]

Aria nodded, mouthing along with Rasu's explanation to help imprint the teachings in her mind. Pyrokinesis was clearly a bit beyond her usual level - hopefully nothing that a bit of practice wouldn't fix.
"Yes, I'm familiar," she said quickly. "Never used them or seen them used, though. Corruption, like you said."

As she finished her explanation, Aria extended her arm, slowly waving her fingers to call up the Force. She had used the Force as a shield the few times that she had fought alongside the Sanctum, and so it only took a few moments for the layer of energy to cloak her arm. The energy field was invisible, but if she focused enough she could sense the vibrations running up and down her forearm.

"Do you need to protect both arms?"

[member="Rasu Gan"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

Rasu nodded subtly, watching as the young woman concentrated on the Force. If Rasu had been keen of eye, she might had noticed the almost invisible blue aura that slowly enveloped the Padawan's arm. Spreading like a wave, the Force formed a protective shield across the skin, allowing the Jedi to channel the energy required for fire while ensuring no harm would come to the user. With the protective layer now in place, the Shi'ido summoned her own shield, ignoring the tingling sensation as it slid across her arms.

"You need only protect the limb which you're going to summon fire." Rasu answered, gesturing with her own hands as an example. "If you intend to use both arms to conjure the energy, then yes, you would protect both arms, however for now we only need to cover one." Smiling in reassurance, Rasu began to organise the next step before another idea formed in her head.

"You shouldn't need to concern yourself with splash back either Aria. While Pyrokinesis is destructive, if directed properly, it won't cause any harm to the user." Hoping she had covered all questions, Rasu proceeded with her instructions.

"Now I take a more scientific approach with this technique, as it's easier to manipulate the Force for me this way. However you may use this in whatever interpretation is easiest for you." Rasu spoke of this, as the way she had been taught Pyrokinesis by the Jedi had been different to the technique she employed now. If Aria was able to channel the Force in a more effective way that better suited her abilities than so be it. There were always more than one way to the manipulation of the Force.

"First I summon the Force to concentrate around my arms, before I will them to speed up." As she spoke, she had already stretched out, using the great energy field to attract an abundance of particles. Feeding the cluster with energy, she willed them to increase their speed. Rasu's arm began to glow as collisions began to occur before finally bursting into flame. As the flickering flames danced around her arm, the Shi'ido looked at the young woman's progress. "This creates friction."

"Let's see you try now."

[member="Aria Vale"]

 

[NightSister]

"Okay," Aria said slowly, flexing her forearm as she focused the energy the Force was creating into her shielded arm. She could feel the vibrations increasing in strength, letting her know that she had to an extent achieved the first bit.
Now for the hard part. Turning her head slightly away from the Shi'ido to eliminate all distractions, Aria directed her strength towards the particles surrounding her forearm. At first, nothing happened. Then she felt a slight shift in the energy - her arm began to glow -

- and just like that, it was gone.

Aria let out a sigh. "I felt something! I think I got too excited and took my focus off or something like that, but I could feel it! Ugh." She flexed her arm out, stretched her fingers, and did her best to completely shake any hyperactivity or lack of attention her excitement might have caused, before summoning the shield back and trying again. This time impatience got the better of her, and her arm heated up rapidly for a few moments before the particles vanished in a little burst of energy.

She nearly stomped her foot, but a desire to remain dignified in front of the Master kept her from doing so. "I keep getting too excited, or impatient, or something. What can I do about that?"

[member="Rasu Gan"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

Rasu watched the Padawan eagerly, eyes glowing in admiration as the hands were covered in Force energy. As the palms began to glow, the Shi'ido could swear she had glimpsed small sparks however they had vanished before she could inspect further. Smiling to convey some comfort, Rasu watched as Aria went in for her second attempt, this time turning out of the woman's eye sight. Crossing her hands while the Jedi waited, her attention was once more drawn to her student after hearing her heavy sighs. Obviously things weren't going in favour of the learner.

"Hmmm let me think.." she said, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. When using an advanced technique, especially when learning something new, concentration was key to performing a successful move. Rasu was not surprised that Aria would struggle, however a solution would be important if she was to continue her training in this technique. What she needed was isolation, but that would be hard to come by in the field. So Aria would ultimately need to create this environment herself; that would come with practice.

"Well if distractions are an issue, then you need to eliminate and ignore these intrusions. While this probably won't be effective in the field, it'll serve a purpose for now when training. Withdraw your aura within yourself along with your consciousness. Summon the energy while in this state and release it as soon as you return."

"For now, this solution will have to suffice until you have developed the technique. Let's see how it works."

[member="Aria Vale"]

 

[NightSister]

It lessened Aria's frustration ever so slightly to see the subtle glimpse of admiration on Rasu's face. At least she wasn't completely failing to impress.
Then the Jedi Master offered some suggestions, which further reassured Aria that her struggle was not an unusual one - she'd never realised how easily her competitive side shone through her otherwise fairly mellow approach to training. She gave a nod to indicate that she had heard and acknowledged the advice before closing her eyes and breathing slowly. Breathe in... breathe out. In, out. In, out.

Trying to stop feeling conscious of her surroundings, Aria slowly began to detach herself from her sense of consciousness. Meditation was not one of her strong suits, which as a Jedi she knew she ought to work on, but she spent enough time in her head to be able to distance herself from reality for brief periods of time, which until she could muster the patience to work on proper lucidity would have to suffice.

Interrupting that train of thought to think about that task at hand, Aria realised that while she could no longer sense her environment, her sentience was returning quite quickly now that she was focused on the idea of consciousness. Quickly, she grasped onto the feeling of detachment, imagining a large, peaceful ocean, but before she could materialise her aura into the dreamscape she was back in her body.

Trying again, after a few attempts Aria was back in the ocean and envisioning the water becoming pure, malleable energy that she could shape using nothing but her mind. Feeling was rapidly returning to her limbs, so she let the energy cloak her, and as her body and spirit became connected again she let it all flow to her outer consciousness. Had she accumulated more energy it would've come out as a steady, controlled flow of power but instead the tip of her right pinky ignited, growing to the size of a matchstick flame, and flickering for not five seconds before being hurriedly extinguished, leaving a trail of particles in its place.

"That wasn't...that...did I do that?" Aria was quiet at first, having spent a good while in her subconscious, but quickly recovered her voice. "Beginner's luck, it must've been." Pause. "Did I really do that? D'you think I'd be able to do it again? No, no way, it was luck. Was it?" She slowed down, aware of how many airwaves her voice was taking up. "Sorry, it must be dreadfully boring to watch me try to meditate. Thank you. That was really helpful. Ooooh, I want to try again now! How do you control the size and duration of the flames once you've conjured them?"

[member="Rasu Gan"]

 

[Rasu Gan]

As Aria shut off her mind, Rasu watched curiously, studying her from behind so to not distract the girl from her concentration. Through the Force, the Shi'ido could sense the shift as the Padawan focused the immense energy to her hands once more. Rasu closed her own eyes and pictured the act of summoning the particles and heating them up to create fire. Her mind raced back through her many experiences using the technique. It was truly a sight to behold. It felt so powerful to hold such destruction in one's own hand, yet it also humbled the woman in some way. She had immense power, yet when she wielded a mighty fireball, she truly did not know what to do with it. She would rather let it go than continue clutching it between her palms.

Aria's gasp returned the Shi'ido to her senses. Whirling around in excitement, Rasu caught sight of the flickering of flames before it vanished in a puff of smoke. Obviously excited herself, Aria began frantically speaking, finding herself short of breathe before Rasu intervened by placing her hands on her shoulders.

"Well done Aria. That was amazing!" Rasu was amazed by the woman's progress. The Shi'ido had taken a few days before she had produced a flame of that size, but it showed that the Padawan's persistence had pushed her that extra mile. "Take a few moments before you try it again. Don't push yourself too hard."

As Aria posed her next question, Rasu had already thought of the answer. To increase the intensity of the flame, one only need fuel the fire as one would do naturally. Fuel and oxygen. By reducing the range of the shield enveloping the hand, the flame would have more surface area to encompass, and by drawing upon more Force energy, the flame produced would be much larger and intense than previous carnations.

"Just reduce the barrier protecting your hand. Bring in as close to the skin as possible without harming yourself and then continue to feed it with the Force. When you feel it has reached a sufficient level, you can release it." she said, taking a step back. Aria had already produced fire, so no doubt her next attempt would be more successful than the last. Rasu did not want to get caught in the cross fire. "Try it again when you're ready."

[member="Aria Vale"]

 

[NightSister]

Wiggling her fingertips as she recalled the sensation of flame, Aria nodded with an excited grin. She took a few deep breaths to keep her overexcitement from affecting her pulse before listening to Rasu's next instruction.

Switching her mind off again, Aria was able to summon the energy more quickly this time, but it still took a few tries to conjure herself into her subconscious without getting distracted by an itch or the sudden, pressing concern about what was for dinner. They had better not serve groat chop again...focus, Aria.

Within a few minutes, Aria opened her eyes to see the tiniest of flames at her pinky, which gave her another jolt of excitement that she fought to control. Refusing to blink, she kept her eyes on the small flame, willing it to stay put. It flickered happily, but eventually the flame grew still. Then, with bated breath she lessened the energy surrounding her hand, fighting to divide her concentration between shield and flame without extinguishing one. The fire came dangerously close to going out, but remained put. Slowly, it began to grow, and had reached the size of a marble before its rapid flickering panicked Aria into bringing it back to its original size. Trying again, the flame reached a bigger size before once again flickering until Aria downsized it again. She rolled her eyes at the uncooperative nature of the fire - and it went out.

Sighing in frustration, Aria threw her head back and stretched her palms out, wanting to expel all of the built-up energy from that attempt. Then she carefully called the barrier back to her arm, closed her eyes and went again.

"Right, you," she muttered as for the third time, a flame came to life at her fingertips. Stabilizing the fire, Aria gingerly lowered the strength of her shield, refusing to back down even as the flame came dangerously close to vanishing. Slowly, reluctantly, it began to grow, until Aria ran out of strength and both flame and shield were extinguished as her footing wobbled dangerously.

"Oh, wow." Aria sighed as she collapsed onto a bench at the side of the room, realising how much energy conjuring the fire had drained her of. "I'm - ah, goodness, I don't think I'll be able to go again." She smiled apologetically. "Thanks, though, so much. I don't want to stop learning. Do you think you'd be able to do another lesson, say, tomorrow?"

[member="Rasu Gan"]