It's in the teaching, It's in the learning

[Syss Rembala]

It danced within her again, like it had not in the last few years. It fed from all that surrounded her, wearing what was produced from within too. It pumped through every single of her veins, perforated her organs, penetrated her muscles, evaporated through her skin. And she loved it. She could feel how it coiled and turned and pushed inside her mind, giving her back the light of red she had grown to worship. The Dark had never left her; not her, the devout little dog that hungered for its embrace like it was the only tender gesture it had ever known in its short, miserable existence.

But such a wonderful miserable existence it was. After a couple of years, she found herself standing within one of the temples again. Comfortably trapped within the belly of everything she had grown to hold above anything else. How she had missed it, how she had lost sleep over the abstinence of its powerful presence. The Umbaran could now call herself an Acolyte again, was back on her rightful path to become the one thing that in her eyes sat above anything else. A thing that today, would be embodied in front of her achromatic eyes by the one she would from now on call Master.

While at Bastion, the Umbaran had been given a time and a place within the Sith temple. Time did not need any more minutes in an occasion as such, so she would be found in the exact location at the exact hour. Not sooner nor later. The training room was an ample place, more so when the only living presence in its confines was the girl with the strange, observing eyes. She had already done her meticulous assessment of her surroundings, had her eyes adjusted to soft light that allowed the visibility of the room. So she placed herself almost strategically, standing some meters to the left of the center of the room and all that was left was waiting.

The memory was as fresh in her mind as the very day it had happened. The Netherworld was raging through the galaxy, dragging many into its depths as she prided herself in being one of the few left standing. She had made good use of the time in which her competition had seemed to have heavily diminished. And just as if good timing had wanted to gift her with its grace, a Master had been interested enough in her unimportant presence to summon her, to make her her apprentice. But the Force seemed to have different plans, and she was dragged to away by that ravaging event before she ever got the chance to properly meet the now late Darth Vitium.

Three years she had waited to return, she could have waited a hundred for her new Master. It was her obligation as the lesser being. Those were her rules until she rose above the others like her. And oh were they many. And yet, standing in that room, letting the Dark funnel through her body and mind, that unnerving pair of eyes softly placed on the door, no one could have looked more ready for the challenge than the obsessed Acolyte.

[member="Darth Ananta"]

 

[Ellie Mors]

A woman with black eyes, slender features - several could recall such a woman in passing, perhaps recognize she was different than the average civilian, but few knew her well enough to grasp the severity of her presence. Under different guises she appeared throughout the annals of time, always near the collapse of a great civilization, but it was always through the face of one born in the time period in question. When she had met the Dark Lord of the Sith - or, at least, the Dark Lord of modern Sith - she had led him to believe that he had captured her as his slave, her identity and everything about her having been crafted from the flesh of an innocent young woman that had been unfortunate enough to come into contact with the ancient Sith lord. Even in her revelation to him that she was far more dangerous than he had allowed himself to believe, ironically interrupting a warning by the woman she had seeded on an ancient tribal world, it had been by killing and consuming the body of a master of the force as little more than a spirit - recreating her original form with the flesh that had fallen lifeless from her hidden blow.

A recluse, through and through, it was unusual for any to make their acquaintance with the woman unless the situation required it, or they were Carnifex himself. She shared her history with no one, not even the Dark Lord, and her goals were her own, which led to any that had become intimately familiar with her existence in any capacity to also be made aware that there was something of use in them that made them stand out above the rest. For Carnifex, it was his irritably reliable ability to crawl back from death like a roach, but most others had been merely acquainted by happenstance - as Tanomas Graf had been when she aligned herself with the Galactic Empire to lay a crippling blow on the Silver Jedi with a tactical victory over their fleets on Charros IV. It was this young woman, waiting patiently in the temple on Bastion, that broke the mold cast by the rest - a woman that was both a mere acolyte and, against all odds, the Sith lord's apprentice. Perhaps it was luck, or maybe even the threads of fate attempting to ensnare themselves around the Sith so soon after she clipped them from her limbs. It mattered not, however, for Ananta saw in Syss what she did not in others - potential.

She strode through the door with little expression apparent on her face, perhaps appearing more focused than emotionally charged. She wore the armor she had crafted from the neck down, opting not to wear a helmet for training and introductions. A silver saber dangled from the side of her hip, her hand near it only because of its positioning on her side. "I do hope you are already familiar with this temple and the culture of the Empire - it will be your home until its collapse." She said, with a rather matter-of-fact tone. "I am to be your master until you have grown enough to stand on your own two feet, and you will be my apprentice until you have proven to me that you can do exactly that. You may refer to me as you please, whether it be simply Ananta, Darth or Lord Ananta, or Master. I will refer to you by name, a privilege that will be designated solely to you among the acolytes - a name which will change when you have been christened, but an identity that proves you exist." Ananta explained. She gestured to the lightsaber at her hip with the hand closest to it, "Have you constructed a lightsaber? If not, it would be best that we complete that task once pleasantries are done."

[member="Syss Rembala"]

 

[Syss Rembala]

​The spindles of time had woven strange paths for her to follow. They had turned the Umbaran into a creature of opposing components, bathed in the two pools of of character: passion and restraint. How difficult it could be, the labor that making good use of this gift entailed. For she felt the scorching heat on her chest turn to ice before ever reaching her skin or moving her hands. Syss was a creature of thought, a deranged, yet intelligent and cunning thought, ironically locked onto sanity by the gravest of her faults: an obsession.

It was at these times, when the trail she desired to walk appeared in front of her as if she could grasp it just by reaching to it with her mind, that she felt the well of power surge within her. But she did not fuel on it, she did not waste it when it was not necessary. She simply enjoyed and felt gratified by its presence. And she lightly closed her eyes as she listened to the light footsteps of the source from where the sensations were being emitted. Felt and listened how she got closer, the Lord, her Master. Anticipation did not greet her, not when she was flooded with the soothing seethe of the Dark, instead she felt her heart grow heavy with admiration, respect and an unjustified loyalty, just like the good dog she had always known herself to be, for in her eyes there was no shame in serving diligently until it became her time to serve no more.

The Sith entered the room, and only after she had given a few steps on its floors, the Umbaran bowed her head in recognition. The first words of Ananta produced a sly, enthusiastic smile on Syss, though it did not reach any of her features. Until its collapse indeed, unless her own befell her sooner. The next words of her Master lingered in her brain for as long as they had to, the receptors of the attention she was so willingly giving. Most in her place would have felt either prideful or gratified to know a Lord would address them by their given name, but none of those emotions reached the Umbaran. She would have been happy to be called anything, names were not important to her, least when her presence was already being recognized by a figure she had idolized her whole life: a Lord. Names, if ignoring the practicality of them, were only what one called something that did not have any other meaning than just being what it was. A too shallow concept, one she would never be allow herself to fall below. The pride she did feel, was owed only to the fact she was finally under the teachings of a Sith once again.

"I have not yet, Master. Not ones of my own." The acolyte answered, the smoothness of her voice permeated by a respectful calmness. There were two saber hilts by her hips, they had been put to use by her hands. Yet they did not belong to her, they had been stolen from the one that raised her, the being she at some point in life called father. And because of their origin, they were unworthy of an apprentice of a Lord. She was ready to dispose of them, these did not hold any meaning to her besides having served her for defense when the need had arose. It was time to move on, and to start by the very first task of an Acolyte: forging blades of her own.

[member="Darth Ananta"]

 

[Ellie Mors]

A cursory glance was cast over the apprentice, like a teacher sizing up a student as though she could judge their character and intellect simply by looking at them, and a nearly inaudible sigh snaked passed her lips. Syss, the Acolyte, was an odd sort - odd in the sense that she had the sort of discipline and self control that was far and away superior to the average Sith hopeful waiting eagerly for a master to grant them their dreams and aspirations, as though it was that easy. No, the acolyte she had taken as her apprentice was, indeed, eager, in a manner of speaking, but she was composed - prepared, even - for the scrutiny that a Sith Lord might have put an acolyte whom might have stepped just a smidgen out of line. And, despite the common obsession with distancing one's self as much as possible from a Jedi, the Umbaran had a sort of poise, a reservation and cunning, she found admirable among their ranks in the days of old - something that usually signified a much longer lifespan than an irritable cur that might constantly seek conflict for the sake of courting chaos. And, just based on the position she stood and her punctual arrival, it appeared she had a thirst for knowledge that even impressed the Sith Lord herself. It was an honest thirst, a need or perhaps an obsession, that resonated with the woman that had spent the better part of several millennia researching the dark side of the force as it pertained to rituals involving the soul.

"You express respect, that is good." She commented, referring to the bow of the head that she had, previously, not given notice to. The answer that Syss had given her was adequate, and it was as honest as she'd hoped - pride was healthy, she could admire the pride in one's work, but had she boasted of making the sabers that lay at her hips she would've been far more disappointed than she was content now. Ananta, herself, hadn't brought the tools to make a new lightsaber, but, given the resources available to the duo, that was hardly necessary. "And yet here you are, an acolyte with two lightsabers." Ananta noted, putting some emphasis on the quantity of her weapons as though she was impressed - she was. "You will find that a weapon taken from a foe is just as useful as a weapon of your own design, if it can kill and do so efficiently then it is worth your attention." She said, her left hand sliding from her side to pull the saber from her hip with the force without so much as a gesture. "But we, as Sith, must hold the knowledge to create our own tools of our trade - just as I have learned to create my own lightsaber," Ananta began, her voice trailing off as the lightsaber she had removed from her side, now floating in the air, disassembled itself and remained spread out across the air in pieces. "So, too, will you."

"Remove your lightsabers, place them before you - together we will discover the makings of a lightsaber, and you will make these blades your own." She instructed, her outstretched left hand turning so that its open palm faced the acolyte and the disassembled lightsaber that hung in the air without movement.

[member="Syss Rembala"]

 

[Syss Rembala]

An inkling of annoyance found its little, hassling nest inside her chest. How could it be that a Lord praised her for her respect? The idea that other Acolytes lacked this, the very basic floor of manners simply bewildered her. Good etiquette was the most crucial, needed asset in social developments. Even when one meant not a word of what he said, presentation was everything. The art of deceiving by words was disrespected by the ill-educated and the fevered savages, often numb of brain and unimpressive of brawn. Even if she set aside her love of art, disrespecting a Lord, a figure that in her eyes was not only more capable but greater in its very essence was an act of utter, unjustified and punishable stupidity. No Lord should ever be disrespected by a lesser being, not even the less competent of them, for the tail of a Lion would always be better than the head of a Rat.

​With reserve and subtlety she studied her Master. It did not escape the eyes of the Umbaran that Darth Ananta was enveloped by a mysterious, dark and eerie veil that hid from the world what was not meant to be known. There was a feeling of experience, of seniority raveling around the figure of what was otherwise a young body, guided by the curiosity -the all ruler of her consciousness- the Umbaran could not help but feel drawn to the powerful presence of the Lady of the Sith that would guide her through the path to becoming worthy of a title akin to her own.

A graceful nod of her head was the response to the statement of the Sith, of knowing an arrogated weapon from a fallen enemy was as worthy as one crafted by the own hand. The Acolyte found the truth behind those words, the fact that her late father's sabers had always served their practical purpose with impeccable performance backing the words of her Master. However, the Umbaran would not be disappointed in her hunt for knowledge, for she would learn how to assemble her own weapon as it was one of the basic requirement of anyone trying to call himself a Sith.

​So in silent obedience, the Acolyte removed the lightsabers from their comfortable and familiar place next to her hips, suspending them above her open palm in front of her, imitating the movements of her Master with fluidity and control, never skimping an ounce of concentration as she focused her mind on both her Master and the pull on the Force.

[member="Darth Ananta"]

 

[Ellie Mors]

There was something satisfying about having a well-mannered apprentice that followed instructions well and made no complaints of the pace they began their training with. It was a common desire to attempt to learn, to know, everything as quickly as possible - to simply inhale the information available to them and regurgitate it when quizzed, only to forget the lessons most important or to simply lack the finesse that a slower approach to the basics would bring - and it was indeed well within the boundaries of the Sith code to seek that knowledge out. Ananta, however, had found that those who needed to push to advance further in training performed far better than those that were simply spoon-fed their lessons on a silver platter. It wasn't uncommon for a master to simply provide their apprentice with the information to create their own lightsaber rather than make it a subject of importance and teach it by hand.

"There are many pieces in the hilt of a saber." She said, her right hand lifting from its dormant position at her side to wave up and outward from her in the air as though she was tugging away at a curtain. Like an accordion the pieces of her own lightsaber spread out so that each major piece was separate. "It is integral that every part of your lightsaber is placed in exactly the correct position. A simple offset of the focusing lens could cause the lightsaber to burst." Ananta warned, bringing her right hand slowly back towards her left, which had hung still in the air as it had been when she had lifted the saber up originally. Each separated piece of her saber quietly slid back into place, constructed from bottom to top in a dramatized fashion. "For a simpleton, one incapable of touching the force, this task would be nearly impossible - relying on machines to barely even make that positioning - but you are gifted with the force." She began to explain, the lowering her right hand back to her side as the saber returned to its fully constructed state. "Meditation and control are key to drawing on that gift, patience and practice will earn you your weapon, rather than relying on simply being given one." Ananta said, her lightsaber flying back to her hip through a telekinetic tug caused by the flick of her left wrist.

"I will take apart your sabers, and you will reassemble them through trial and error. They will be strewn through the air in the same order they much be placed together, but it is up to you to utilize the force in order to succeed in this task." The Sith explained. No sooner had she spoken than the two sabers that Syss had removed from her person split apart with the clenching of her fist, as though by the seams, and hung in the air like two large, floating, three-dimensional schematics without words.

"The greater your control, the greater your reward shall be."

[member="Syss Rembala"]

 

[Syss Rembala]

Her white eyes followed the every move of her Master's hands. She tried to feel the Force gliding between the dissasemling pieces of the light-saber, pulling each of them apart from each other, suspending them in the air. She tried to imagine a path, drawn by the Force, showing her how to put the pieces back correctly. But that was just mental preparation, she knew the task in itself entailed much more than just being capable of understanding the rational aspects of the process. As the Lord had said, no common folk, not gifted in the Force would have been able to perform it, this alone was the full confirmation that the mechanic, logic part of constructing a light-saber was not the complicated goal of the task.

"Yes, Master." replied the Acolyte once Ananta had finished her explanation. Syss could feel how the pull of the Force abandoned the palm of her hand once the Darth took hold of her light-sabers through it, fractioning them into their many components that now floated before her for her to assemble. Her white eyes fell momentarily on those of her Master, without any visible emotion besides that of confirmation as she started slowly engaging her mind to perform the task at hand. Syss had found her way of reaching out to the Darkness not to stimulate her body and consciousness but rather to freeze them, to make them proper, efficient tools. However, the difficulty today was that she needed to achieve this very same feat in every aspect of her being, otherwise she risked failing. The Umbaran had never been afraid of failure in itself, she knew it could be unavoidable in certain instances. But failing in the very first command given by her Master was an idea that did set her in a slight state of nervousness.

She needed to push it away. So her eyelids fell, shutting her eyes from the world as she took in a long, silent breath through her nose. The Acolyte did not start pulling on the Force just yet, there would be no purpose in doing so if she was tense from the start. Slowly, she settled herself once more, taking her time without abusing that which her Master might have been willing to give. And slowly she felt the Darkness spreading from the core of her being to every single one of her extremities in a steady, pulsing pace. She lingered on it just enough to bring afloat that sense of security and power that always poised her mind in an active yet controlled place.

The pale hand of the Umbaran raised slowly, careful not to loose the concentration she had achieved, careful not to loose that soft waving of the Force within her. With a speed much slower than the one Ananta had displayed, Syss assembled the sabers, preferring to take a little longer and make sure her work was done in correct conditions rather than in an impressive time without practical results. Once both sabers had been reassembled she opened her eyes and placed them on her Master, slowly letting go of her grip on the Force as she waited for any correction the Master might have made.

[member="Darth Ananta"]

 

[Ellie Mors]

Sightless eyes examined every fraction of the apprentice's telekinetic reconstruction of her lightsabers, keeping a degree of attention fixated to the young woman's expression in order to best discern which points might prove the most difficult. It was fortunate for the Sith that the Umbaran was so well composed - taking her time rather than rushing forwards blindly - as it spared her the need to demonstrate the task a second time. It took the girl somewhat longer than she'd hoped, which was to be expected of one inexperienced with the force, but the sort of finesse and control that Ananta herself was able to command would only come with time and practice. Wordlessly the Sith Lord lowered her fist upon receiving Rembala's expecting gaze, the gesture lowering, too, the duo of lightsabers to her apprentice's feet. "Excellent." She said, bringing the hand she'd held as a fist back to her side with her fingers no longer clenched shut. "If you wish to excel further, not only in this singular task but in your skill with telekinesis, I would advise you replicate this task every night before you retire to your chambers." Ananta instructed with a slow, deliberate, nod of her head.

"From now on, rather than perform tasks of menial labor with your body, perform them with your mind - apply what you have done in this lesson and your skill will grow far quicker than mere training with myself or another could ever afford you." The Sith explained. A short pause and the Sith retrieved her own lightsaber from her hip with the force, the blade igniting to reveal a column of luminous red. "Take your lightsabers into your hands and we will prepare your lesson in saber-play by seeing what it is that you are already capable of." She said, the fingers of her right hand curling gingerly around her own lightsaber before tightening like a vice. She twirled the blade in her hand, allowing the tip of the saber to angle downwards to the ground. "As I am sure you are already aware, there are seven distinct styles of saber combat - Shii-Cho, Makashi, Soresu, Ataru, Niman, Djem So and its Shien varient, as well as Juyo and the Vapaad variant." Ananta noted, circling Syss like an akk dog stalking her prey. "I am a master of Niman and Juyo, favoring Niman on those that offer little challenge whilst transitioning to Juyo for foes that require my dedicated focus. However, as with most of the more able practitioners of saber combat, I do not rely on only those two lightsaber 'forms' in battle, choosing instead to incorporate aspects of the other five forms into those two when necessary." The Sith explained, sending her lightsaber into another twirl between her fingers. "To defeat your enemy you must not only rely on your ferocity and your passion in the heat of battle, you must learn to incorporate tactical ingenuity into your style of combat and outwit your foe. A powerful Jedi Master may be a master of Soresu, but there is little that an impenetrable fortress might do when confronted with a clever feint using the Trakata approach."

"Show me, apprentice, what you are already capable of - strike me down now and we will see where your strengths and weaknesses lie."

[member="Syss Rembala"]

 

[Syss Rembala]

A satisfied smile threatened to creep onto the cold face of the Umbaran, not reaching her lips but igniting a small flame in her otherwise dead eyes. Normally, she would have avoided -and with excellent results- any and all display of her feelings in front of a Lord. Firstly, because she firmly believed it to be tremendously unnecessary to exhibit any possible unbalance in front of her superiors. Secondly, because she knew most of them couldn't be bothered with them, nor could she when her sole purpose was most often to heed their commands. However, Darth Ananta presented the acolyte with a very different case. As her apprentice and she her Master, Syss knew a degree of honesty with her thoughts and feelings was necessary. If she had opted for her usual approach of ostracizing sentiment from her exterior presentation, she would have murdered the possibility of the Darth guiding her in a part of her path that was as important as the other two: the emotional one.

With this in mind, Syss was making the effort of going against the habit she had carefully cultivated throughout the years and let some of her inner aspects show, written -albeit encoded- in her features. She resolved, after the first words of her Master, that the task of re-learning when to show emotion, when not to and which would require the very similar process to the one of building a lightsaber. Like the Master had said, she would have to apply this complicated notion to every single action, balancing her mind yet influencing it deeply with the guiding darkness of the Force. That such a seemingly simple task as the confection of a lightsaber could represent this much higher, ultimate goal was an idea that fascinated her. She felt, in some way, that she already knew in some deeper, hidden part of herself how to do it. Now all she required was the time to learn, and for a being which patience when achieving her goals came easily, in her head she could already see herself enjoying the path of the learning. The Umbaran nodded calmly, demonstrating in this gesture she had understood the words of her Master.

And so the lesson proceeded, and the acolyte remained with her eyes lightly hovering over the area in front of her as her Master circled around her, introducing the name of the seven styles of light-saber combat. Indeed, she already knew this but that did not mean she payed any less attention. Not only because she believed there were always new things to learn, but because the devout little fanatic she was, at her core, would have rebelled at the idea of not providing the full of her focus to a Lord, much less the one that had chosen her, her undeserving self, to be her apprentice. Of course, Syss did not feel threatened by her Master circling her, but the action did stimulate the sense of alert in the Umbaran. This time, an almost invisible smile did find its way to the corners of her lips as she imagined how the very same situation would feel, if her Master in effect had had the intent of destroying her. It would be terrifying.

The Umbaran's interest grew even more, if that was possible, when Ananta mentioned her choices of style for her saber play. Syss new the theoritical aspects of each of the forms almost by heart. They had been one of the ruthless lessons of her father, even if the man had been as little and weak as a trembling leaf. Even more so than she was against her Master. She did not linger in the hatred thought of her father, she would not waste precious fuel when it was not required. Finally, Ananta instructed her to attack her, so that she could be able to measure her current skill at saber play. And for the first time in a very long time, Syss felt the gnawing pain of insecurity scourge through her.

Syss had never been discontent with her current skill, she had always done her best to be a well-rounded individual as regards her abilities for combat. However, she was also far from denying that she indeed displayed a preference for the usage of Force-powers, it came easier to her than saber-play. And even if, given the time spent training, her saber skills did not fall that far behind her force-usage as to be considered disastrous, the fact they were her weakness was enough to distress the perfectionist acolyte. Knowing she had to collect herself once more, Syss took a second to push back her emotions and settle once more inside a cold head. She told herself she was here to learn, and that that which was lacking was what required the most dedication. And so she ignited her sabers, her eyes firmly yet non-threateningly placed upon those of her Master.

The Umbaran had always utilized a combination of Shii-cho, the first form of light-saber combat and the very basic one to learn with a more complex one, Form V in its variant of Djem So. She fought in the Perseverance form for the most part, falling back to the more standard aspects of Form I when in need of stability or the correction of a mistake. She also employed the techniques of the Jar'Kai style, this last one being the one she preferred for she had always find it naturally to wield two light-sabers instead of one, and this style was the one her father had been able to teach. So once again calm and focused, the Umbaran pressed her first attack. It was a mere common opening move that she knew for a fact her Master would have no troubles dissuading, but she was using it rather to get moving and start falling into place with her abilities, so that the fluidity of her motions allowed her to upscale into the full of her ability. Syss knew she was no match for her Master and found no shame in it, it only fueled her to at least display the full of her ability an try, though she also knew she might fail, to satisfy whichever expectations Ananta had of her.

[member="Darth Ananta"]

 

[Ellie Mors]

There was no denying that Ananta expected her apprentice to falter and shows signs of anxiety in what would be their first of many trials in saber-play. Contrary to popular belief, a preconceived notion by so many acolytes, there had never been a Sith Lord who had skipped the process of learning from a master as an acolyte and Ananta had her own moments of insecurity at this stage of learning. No one started off as a master of their craft, and, just as Ananta, many preferred to utilize the force to cover up their own shortcomings - as the Umbaran undoubtedly did, as well.

Unlike many Sith, who card little for the education of their apprentices, or at least knew very little in the way of being effective mentors, Ananta did not simply seek to show her apprentice defeat and seek to humiliate her through her failure. A level head and a form of self confidence that omitted envy of those younger and potentially more talented than she allowed her to approach the strike her apprentice made in the same way she examined her own actions after realizing her own failures or missteps: by first exposing her apprentice to what a skilled duelist could do if they were to intercept the dual blades, in this case a simple block followed by a telekinetic push triggered by sliding her left foot forward during the shift in her stance, and a brief, yet satisfactory, in her own eyes, explanation of what to do differently, offered as advice rather than dictated as black and white - one option available out of many.

"Your movements can usually be predicted, even without the force, by your line of sight and the movement of your feet and core - try to be unpredictable when utilizing jar'kai, or else attempt a strike on two fronts so long as you do not leave yourself open to a faster opponent. I would suggest, when confronted with an opponent such as myself, that clearly uses the force and their fury as their repertoire in combat, that you attempt to not project your strikes through your movements, and attempt to catch them unawares with a slightly delayed strike with your second blade rather than a nearly simultaneous assault. It would require me to defend twice against two blades acting independent of the other rather than once against a single strike with two weapons. And do not be afraid to incorporate the force into your actions, they will hinder even the greatest of duelists by forcing them to defend against an unseen force combined with the stroke of your blade." Ananta explained, stepping back with nearly preternatural agility - no doubt the work of a speed accelerated by the force.

[member="Syss Rembala"]

 

[Syss Rembala]

Syss did her best to keep up with her Master's movements, the times she failed were noticeably vaster than the times she had succeeded and of course she could not help but feel some form of self-disappointment. It was simply natural, no one enjoyed being showed how lacking they were in ability. Yet it was necessary, and the acolyte would force herself to understand that if she had to. There was no room for improvement if she convinced herself that her skills were fine. Syss had never seen herself as bad, she dedicated herself to learning and thus most of her abilities usually were satisfactory...for her level. And she was in a path to improve that level, not remain on it forever. It was bothering being outside of her comfort zones, were she usually had the upper hand and the control of the tables...but it was also a weakness she needed to shake away from her.

By the time they stopped sparring, Syss was tired, physically but most importantly, mentally. The few movements she could block or parry she had achieved only because her attention was kept on Ananta with a focus that was almost painful to maintain. And as her Master spoke, denoting how predictable she had been, the Umbaran instinctively nodded in full agreement, not even because she wanted to display her understanding of the words but because something had cleared on her mind. She had been so absorbed in watching the movements of her opponent, she forgot to plan for hers. It was a fatal mistake, an ignorant mistake. And she hated every bit of it. A flame of ire ignited her white eyes for a moment as though she were to explode any second. Until suddenly the Umbaran got a grip of herself, and swallowing the fire of anger for later, made the ice-cold composure reign over her again.

"I understand, Master. I shall apply your counsel in my future encounters, and today I've realized I have been too conceited as regards my abilities. It won't happen again." Syss replied, her tone calm yet a vague allusion to the conflicting feeling provoked by her realization. So many years without proper guidance, thinking the training she had done by herself had done anything other than simply increase an unjustified ego. The Umbran felt like she had much thinking to do in respect of that matter.

[member="Darth Ananta"]

 

[Ellie Mors]

It was always amusing to watch a less skilled duelist through the eyes of a mentor, not in the sort of way one might view a comedic failure, rather in the way they realized their faults and partially, sometimes completely, lost their composure. Even one so controlled and self-aware as Syss Rembala was no exception to this, although she hid it well. There was a certain aura that surrounded those that felt the tinge of the dark side with their frustrations and their anger, but just as quickly as she had felt it rise in the acolyte so, too, had the Umbaran quashed it as though it had never been there in the first place. Ananta hadn't been the least bit displeased with the acolyte's performance in their mock duel, it was a very telling experiment regarding where the woman's strength's lie.

It wasn't Rembala's intent to suppress herself emotionally that drew a visible reaction from the otherwise stern and focused Sith lord, however. There was something of a misunderstanding that had formed during their short bout, perhaps sprung from her criticism in her predictability as a duelist. "There are many facets to the abilities of a duelist, Rembala." Ananta said in turn, the right corner of her lip curling slightly in disapproval. "Had I intended to make you feel you needed to improve drastically I would have made that very clear - but you require refinement in your approach to dueling. You hold your saber well, you strike with precision and without fault, but you must aim to always grow, to be better." She explained, the lit saber twirling in her hand before it abruptly deactivated and found its way to the clip at her hip. "Just as you excel with the force, so, too, will you eventually be more than a competent duelist - competency means complacency, and complacency begets sloth. And you are better than that - you deserve more than that. Take what you deserve with a clenched fist and let no one take it from you and you will grow into a Sith that will be the envy of all the Empire, and those long after it."

"It is good that you have not allowed your ego to consume you, but you must never be humble."

"Seek to best me and you will overcome all of your shortcomings on your path to greatness."

[member="Syss Rembala"]