Learning!

[Lira Dajenn]

[member="Ben Watts"]

Lira stood in the center of a large training hall that seemed to be entirely devoid of all life. Here on Ossus that was a rare thing, usually there was a hustle and bustle of activity. Padawans going to lessons, Knights preparing for the war against the One Sith, Masters seeking those Knights who had screwed up one thing or another. This training hall however seemed completely devoid of all that, which was unusual given that she knew for a fact that this was one of the more sought after halls for lessons.

She frowned slightly, tightening her grip on the electro-staff.

That was the only weapon that Lira carried. So far she hadn't been able to use a lightsaber, or rather had not been instructed on doing so. Instead Hal had focused her combat training in a more generalized sense, giving her a staff of Durasteel to help in the transition to fighting, when that had been snapped in half on a mission, she had managed to snag an Electro-staff from a destroyed Magna Guard.

The weapon suited her well, it was impossible to kill with and offered a unique defensive stance that blades and other weapons simply did not offer. She liked the Electro-staff, and the few times she ahd fought an enemy it had come in handy.

However, she wanted to be a Jedi. She knew that she needed to be one, and in order to do so she had to learn how to use a lightsaber. Lira knew that the weapon was synonymous with her Order, and she knew that the versatility it could offer her was far greater than the Electro-staff. So she had told Hal, and Hal in his infinite wisdom had decided that she would learn from one of the best, Ben Watts.

Truth be told, she was still nervous, but as she studied the empty training hall that feeling seemed to be forgotten.

 

[Ben Watts]

Ben strolled through the halls of Ossus on his way to the training ground. He was using the force to lift a training lightsaber in front of him and inspecting it for use. He tinkered with the setting, making sure it would not harm either of them during training, and when he was satisfied he let it drop into the palm of his hand. He clipped it onto his belt, under his robe, next to the training lightsaber he would be using. He had his normal lightsaber, one crafted by his own hand many years ago, but he was considering building a new and more updated one, one with a crystal he made himself, as soon as he had time he would begin the work.

Lira was a young Padawan he had met in the archives, she had asked him questions, and he had given answers that he was not sure if she had taken well to or not. He knew that his words could make or break a Jedi, a curse more times than not, he had always been known for his loose tongue, terrible jokes, and passive aggressive optimism.... whatever that meant. But, her master had requested that Ben train her, and he was more than happy to oblige. Apparently she had not had much training with a lightsaber, today that was to train, and over the next coming months she would become an excellent swordsmen under his watch. He remembered when Adonari Cinn could barely throw a punch without breaking something, and now he was a Jedi Master, respected amongst all of the Order.

Walking in, he noticed her with the electro staff, and he smirked. "You any good with that thing?" Ben said as he walked in and scanned the room devoid of other trainees. "These are going to be a bit different," he pulled out the training saber and held it out to her, she would be able to keep it for as long as she wanted, she would be using it quite a bit. "Concept is still the same.... be better than the other person." Reaching into his robes he pulled out a data pad, a list of the seven forms was inside. "Have any idea which form you would like to study. I can teach you anything you would like besides Form Seven, I would also not recommend it to you after our little conversation." He handed her the data pad and folded his arms. The style she chose would most likely define her from here on out. He remembered when he had first learned Form Three, Soresu. Now he was a renowned master of the form, though, there was still room to improve.

[member="Lira Dajenn"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

[member="Ben Watts"]

She looked to the Electro-staff, yes she was good with it, it was the only weapon she had ever used and surprisingly it suited her quite well. The weapon had been taken from a Guard on Prakith, and since then Lira had hardly ever parted with it. Lightsabers were all well and good, but electro-staffs were more...solid, more tangible. Her right hand wrung around the weapon as her left extended to taking the small training saber.

The One handed hilt felt small and insubstantial.

The weapon simply felt as though it weren't there. Carefully, Lira ignited the blade. Bright blue the blade sprung out, somehow dimmed by its training nature. She frowned, waving the blade around far too easily, then glancing at her Electro-staff.

No, this wasn't for her.

“Master Watts.” She said almost sheepishly. Lira needed a different type of lightsaber, one handed was simply too much like a sword, too much like a blade. “Is it possible to try other...lightsabers?”

There were many designs after all.

 

[Ben Watts]

[member="Lira Dajenn"]

Ben smirked at his request and he put his hand on his chin. He was not expecting to teach her with a different type of weapon, but, he could definitely make an adjustment. It had been a long time since he had practice with a double bladed lightsaber, or even a duel lightsaber, but he was not unfamiliar with the notion. He racked his brain trying to think of something they could use in the meantime but he nodded his head at her request. "Of course, of course, whatever style suits you best we will work with."

Light bulb!

He made his way over to a door that harbored weapons for training. Opening it, he scanned the contents, hoping to see what he was looking for. Alas, he found it, a large staff hidden in the back corner of the closet. Reaching in, he grabbed two of them, and he pulled it out. While the weight would be much different with an actual lightsaber, these would serve as a building block. "So are you more of a duel bladed user, then?" He walked forward and he tossed her the staff and used his own to lean against as he spoke. "It will take some time for me to forge you a duel bladed training lightsaber, but, I can have you one by the end of the week at the very least. When you are ready we will make a trip and I will help you forge your own real lightsaber if that suits you. I will show you how to make your very own crystal."

Nodding his head again, he spun the staff he was holding in his hands, and then he put it out in front of him in a defensive position. "For now we will use these, so, let me see what you can do."

 

[Lira Dajenn]

[member="Ben Watts"]

Lira hefted the staff, feeling its light weight alloy.

The weight change wasn't significant from her electro-staff, though noticeable the ends were much more light than the other weapon and the entire thing seemed to almost be made of air. For a moment she let out a whistle, impressed with just how...insubstantial the weapon felt.

Like an old pro she spun the weapon a few times, twisting it in the air several times until it nearly became a blur.

A strong gust of wind blew from the staff, and then suddenly she stopped it, slapping the weapon down into her palm and not hesitating a moment. She lashed out towards Ben with a suddenness that most would find surprising. The length of the staff slipped forward, her grip firmly in the middle. One end swept towards Ben's legs while the other remained high up in the air.

 

[Ben Watts]

Ben readied himself as she launched towards him. She was quick and she knew what she was doing so this wasn't going to take near as long as he thought. The end of her weapon came forward in an attack, but her main attack was a leg sweep. Ben parried by swinging the back end of his staff under to meet hers and stop the leg sweep. Following through, he continued his momentum, lifting her and up and then thrusting the top end of his blade towards her arm for a light smack. ( Not an auto hit, totally blockable. )

Spinning his staff, he spun backwards, and put a little distance between himself and her. "Impressive. You're faster than you look. But instead of relying on your skill with the weapon, let the force take over your attacks. Let it speed you up when you need to be faster, give you power when you need it. Skill alone will get you nowhere, when you let the force guide you, only then will you become the warrior you need to be." He remembered how hard it had been for him the grasp the concept of the force taking over. It was not easy, to put your faith into something you could not control, but now he understood the gift of the force.

"Again!"

( We can either keep going or we can skip forward to the end. Say we sparred all day, and in the next post, we can go to a new day or even a few days later. Both have merits, but, if we skip forward a bit we can have her progress a bit quicker. That make sense? Also, posting from my phone, so they'll be short. )

[member="Lira Dajenn"]

 

[Lira Dajenn]

[member="Ben Watts"]
(Skipping, its easier)

Lira wiped the sweat off of her brow. The staff that she had been using for the better part of six hours now as dented and slightly bent in a few places, the thing would need to either be fixed or thrown out. Heavy panting breaths escaped past her lips, and she wanted to throw up for the tiredness in her bones.

Ben had worked her near to death.

“That...” She trailed off.

“Was...” Breath was forced into her lungs.

“Painful.” The last word exited her as she began to poke spots on her arms, stomach, and shoulders. Massive bruises had formed where Ben had gotten the better of her, which had actually been pretty much every single time they had engaged.

Still, she felt a hint of pride.