Faction Phantom Limb [NJO]

[Shan Pavond]

Shan gave an awkward chuckle as Cora pointed out how he had missed. He didn't need reminded. Though it was nice to see Cora smiling, which in return caused Shan to break out into a big wide toothy grin.

"I have so much to tell you! I fought a Sithspawn, and an actual Sith! I got a Master...Oh, but that can wait until later."

He waved his hand dismissively, not wanting to talk about himself too much, especially when it felt like to him that he hadn't seen Cora in ages, when in reality it was probably because so much had happened in that period of time that it felt like it had been a long time. Either way, his concerns about feeling alone in the anti-force bubble had faded away quickly now that he had found Cora.

His face fell at the mentioning of Cora's husband's death. He didn't quite understand what had went on, but he could recall that her husband wasn't the kindest to her. So whilst he knew part of him should have felt sorry for her, another part of him was very shamefully happy for her that she was finally free to do her own thing. At least he hoped it was her own thing.

"Well, now that you're part of the order again, if you ever need to chat my door is always open for you. We could always re-enact the rage room."

Though whilst he had been smiling the entire conversation, his face dropped slightly at the mentioning of sparring. That was what Shan had originally came here for, but the idea of actually doing it was something that he was more intimidated by...Even if Cora was out of practice, Shan wasn't even in practice that much honestly. She had potentially not been relying on the Force as much as he had...but still at the end of the day, Shan wasn't sure how his odds were...

"Of course. If you're out of practice, we should perhaps just use our fists?"

Shan had little to no...well, leaning more towards no, practice with hand to hand combat, but at the same time it was going to be better for him to work on that in this kind of situation, as opposed to using a saber. It would also allow for him to get more of an understanding of his physical capabilities without the Force. So the young Mirialan just put his fists up in a rather clumsy and loose boxing guard, giving Cora a half hearted smile.

"I'm ready when you are Darth Frosty."

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Resh
​

Eloise's kick failed to land as the boy grabbed her standing leg. He managed to knock her off balance, sending them both crashing to the mat. "Get off me!" she growled. Rather than wrestle with him, she kept kicking at him, trying to free her leg.

 

[Resh]

Myrkr
Eloise Dinn
​

Perhaps Resh should have expected a few kicks to his head after grappling Eloise, but he didn’t. Getting hit usually sucked, but in this case it particularly annoyed him, especially one after the other. So, in retaliation, he fell back on a tried and true strategy.

Resh flashed his canines, sharper than that of a human’s, and bit Eloise’s leg.

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Resh
​

Of all the things that he could've done to stop her from kicking him, biting her was not something Eloise expected. Pain shot up her leg, provoking a yelp from the girl.

"All right, break it up! No biting!" The instructor tried to put a stop to the fight, but Eloise was seeing red. She grabbed the boy by the hair and pulled as hard as she could, determined to get him to dislodge his fangs.

 

[Thelma Goth]

Silas Westgard
​

Thelma watched as Silas entered the ring, stretching his muscles in preparation for the spar. His opening move was rather unconventional—he came over and kissed her on the lips. Raising a hand to her blushing cheek, her violet eyes darted around at the dozens of bystanders before she stood up a little straighter, ready to fight.

Silas gave her the first blow, as was the tradition for mismatched opponents. Thelma may have been very small and with limited reach, but she was quick and nimble and stronger than she looked. Much stronger. Closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye, she punched at his left side. She wasn't using all of her strength; she didn't want to hurt him any more than he wanted to hurt her. But it wouldn't be just a light tap, either.

 

[Colette]

Katherine Holt

Katherine would claim to have gone for the forehead, what she had hit however was just a little bit below. The impact knocked Colette back just enough for Katherine to escape the grip, and rather than grant her the chance to retaliate, Colette reared backwards. She let out an exhale, spread her lips in a grin and wiped the nonexistent blood from her nose and then…

Well, nothing. Colette had been on a constant offensive and it was about time that Katherine was given the chance to show what she knew; impart knowledge and all that.

Still unarmed, still as confident as ever, she merely raised her fists yet again and nodded. What she had learned was the wings were indeed the key to this. They allowed flight, balance, and when taken out of play proved somewhat burdensome for Kat.

Now, how could she use that info for a counter?

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Shan's energy was infectious, and Cora found herself smiling a little more genuinely as the Mirialian healer went on. Relief eased the tension on her shoulders when he chose not to probe further about her circumstances.

"Thank you, Shan. That's very kind of you. I'd love to hear all about your experiences with the Jedi since we last met."

"Fisticuffs then, is it?"

Cora was already shaking her arms, loosening up for the fight. The young noblewoman was far more comfortable conducting combat with a saber or a blade; but getting out of her comfort zone was the overarching point of this lesson.

Still, fighting with one's fists was a rather uncouth endeavor that eluded her aristocratic sensibilities. Even if across the clearing, Colette and her opponent seemed to be going at it with no issues.

"Very well, Shan. Let us engage in a scrap, as they call it."

Once the pair had stepped away from the sidelines and ensured that no one else was within striking distance, Cora swung a left hook directly at the gentle healer's face.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan kept a grin on his face...up until he felt Cora's hook smash into his face and he stumbled off to the side a little bit, struggling to actually keep his balance. His blocking stance wasn't as good as he had thought it would be as his head just started to ring. Come on, he had to keep standing. Shan couldn't go down after just one measly punch could he?

The Mirialan shook his head, trying to regain focus as he looked back towards Cora, his grin having been wiped off after the first punch. "...Lucky hit." He was used to being punched back from Nar Shaddaa, but there was something more...embarrassing about it when it was in front of people he knew. He just had to focus and try to figure out how to actually try to strike Cora. He couldn't rely on the Force to help him do anything fancy, so this was all him...

"But it's not a real scrap. Not yet." At that, Shan just went low to try and tackle Cora down to the ground. He had to catch her by surprise somehow. Even if he didn't fancy punching Cora, managing to get her to the ground was going to be good enough for him. Then he could try and punch her as hard as he could!...Which honestly, wasn't going to be very hard. Even if some people might want revenge for the hook Cora had given him, Shan was not one of those people. He was here to have fun and try to learn.

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Resh]

Myrkr
Eloise Dinn​

Almost immediately after Resh bit his opponent, he regretted it. Already the pureblood felt as if he had messed up. Having given in to animalistic aggression that would have been encouraged in his old life. But this time there was no swirling darkness to encourage him. Nothing to scapegoat. That silence made it all the easier for him to commit to the act, but it also made him all the more ashamed that he had done so.

Resh was promptly reprimanded by the instructor, but before he could penitently dislodge his grip, he was harshly yanked up by his hair. The boy yelped, letting go and falling onto his back.

 

[Eloise Dinn]

Resh
​

As soon as the boy let go and fell back, Eloise was upon him. Blood was running down her leg from the bite marks, smearing on the mat as she straddled him. While he was pinned beneath her, she began to punch him in the head with both fists, her teeth bared like a wild animal as she beat him up.

The instructor looked a bit alarmed, but he didn't move to stop them yet. Resh could still fight her off, and Eloise could still work through her anger. Or so he hoped.

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

​

Objective: Obstacle Course
Outfit: Jedi Attire
Equipment: Lightsaber
Tags: Open

Racing forward, Dreidi reached the wooden tower. It was going to be a tough climb, she was use to teleporting things like this that she hadn't really worked on building her physique for climbing. However, it was the next stage and she needed to prove to herself that she could do this. Clicking her neck, and knuckles, Dreidi looked for the first handhold. positioning herself securing as she climbed slowly and methodically up the wall. She knew using her tougher than normal nails would not be much help here, since she could pierce them through the wooden tower to lift herself up.

Climbing, Dreidi could feel her muscles working hard to support her body, they were working hard and she could feel herself sweating at the halfway point. It was demonstrating how unused she had gotten to the process of climbing and exercising in this manner. Perhaps something she needed to reflect on and not simply just teleport everywhere. As she reached for another handhold, it loosened and her grip slipped away, causing Dreidi to lose her whole balance and dangle by a single arm.

Dreidi grunted and cursed at herself for getting in the position where she was dangling like a fool in the air. Moving her feet around, she put them back on the sturdy holds that she had them at before and relaxed her left arm slightly since it was no longer needing to hold her whole weight. Breathing in deeply, she could feel her heart racing and that her adrenaline was ramping through her body. Letting her body calm down and refocus on getting to the top of the tower, Dreidi looked for the nearest handhold that wasn't going to be loose.

It was a slowed down process but Dreidi was working methodically as she continued to climb.

 

[Irvelghrikk]

The Kashyyyk Viper
Myrkr
Tags: Gweneth Zarari

​

The duel began as his younger sparring-partner went on the offensive, the Irvel's eyebrow raising as she utilized a staff - a notable weapon similar to the double-bladed lightsaber though one which he didn't particularly like, the Wookie Master noting her drawing strikes to test the range of waters of how the Wookie would react.

The Mace kept clashing with the tip of her staff as the duel's momentum wasn't seemingly high, though a real strike was thrown as the young girl launched a vertical thrust motion at the larger wookie, to which the Master repositioned his upper-body, rotating his right shoulder in rightwards arc and placing an emphasis on his left shoulder more so left arm in an attempt to protect his face, as her staff slammed against his elbow area, he grunted and chuckled in response, the move hurting slightly.

<<"Smart move. If that was a Lightsaber I would've lost an arm.">> He stated in a wise tone, he didn't take this spar too serious but not in a joyful manner, not wishing to suggest that she wasn't a worthy opponent. <<"But remember, if I was a force user I could've repositioned my body in a pivoting motion and closed the gap.">> He added in a educational manner.

<<"Your staff, you must swarm larger targets with lighter and quicker attacks. Make them uncomfortable, your targeting areas should be the neck area and upper abdomen, and their half below, near the legs. They reach too high and enter high-guard which opens up low attacks, and vice versa. They get too fixated on protecting the legs and neck and that then leaves the chest area open.">> He finished, speaking in his native tongue as he didn't go on the offensive, wanting to test her metal as he entered Soresu or Form III, a more defensive-stance. When he was younger Irvel adapted to combat situations with hesitance, maybe the new generation of force-users were better fighters.

Now awaiting her new attacks with intrigue.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora winced when her fist collided with Shan's jaw. She had expect him to block…or dodge. Either way, it was a strange sensation to feel her punch ripple across a friend's face. Especially given that she had harbored no hidden ill will towards the healer.

The strike left her overextended, and Cora couldn't slip out of Shan's range even if she'd seen the tackle coming. With an undignified yelp, the pair crashed to the ground in a tangle of pale and green limbs.

"Hey!" She admonished, even though her opponent was well within his rights to grapple her. "Away with you!"

Cora lashed out with an elbow towards Shan's throat while attempting to kick him off of her.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan hadn't actually expected the pair of them to go down into the mud, letting out a grunt of surprise at the messed up tangle of limbs that were currently there. It was going against every natural fibre of his being to try and prepare to fight back...but that's what sparring was about. He was meant to fight her to try and learn. Even if it felt wrong, it would help him to get used to it when he had to use his fists in an actual fight.

The Mirialan scrambled up to try and sit up with Cora pinned to the dirt, even with her trying to kick him, grunting each time. He was used to getting the life kicked out of him from Nar Shaddaa, having been too stubborn for his own good. As Cora's elbow swung out to get him, Shan actually reached to try and wrap his arm around Cora's own arm to try and get a hold of it before it could actually hit him. He wasn't much of a fan of striking or punching, but grappling and restraint might be something that suited him more.

His face was still throbbing from the punch, as Shan tried to readjust their positions. He had to try and restrain Cora's arm. Just had to try and twist it behind her...but that was going to be easier said than done as he kept his arm wrapped around her's. Just had to keep applying force, the physical kind at least, and not give up! Though he wasn't too sure if he'd even be able to do that.

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Katherine Holt]

Objective 1: Sparring
Tags: Colette​

The Padawan immediately jumped to her feet the moment Colette loosened her grip. Katherine turned on her heels, arms up ready to counter whatever was to follow. However, nothing did, but she didn’t lower her arms just yet.

Katherine couldn’t help but grin in response to Colette’s. No matter the blows traded, they were both still enjoying the bout. But now the ball was in Katherine’s court, and she was debating on how to make the next move.

She had already played the wing card, and Colette knew it was a tool she utilised in fights. It might be possible to use them again, but Katherine had no doubt her opponent was keeping her eyes on any movement from them.

Guess I’ll have to be more selective with their use.

Katherine folded her wings tight behind her back, and fell into a fighter stance. She raised her fists up, and approached Colette. There was a momentary pause as she got close, before Katherine shot forwards and aimed a punch towards her opponent’s face.

 

[Gweneth Zarari]

Location: Myrkr
Objective: Sparring
Tag: Irvelghrikk

My opponent opposite me continued to defend himself, offering up advice on the best way to utilise my staff. I nodded and smiled at the wookiee as he moved into a defensive stance and I went for a flurry of faster blows. I kind of wished he would try and strike me back. I was good at this, while Jedi studied in their halls the theory behind the force, I was growing up in the wilderness using these skills to survive. I was a much better fighter than I was a force user, so as much as the disconnect felt uncomfortable, it didn't feel as vulnerable as I suspected some of my padawan peers felt.

I went for his ankle with one blow then quickly reversed to strike towards his elbow with the other end of the staff. I had always found striking towards the bony joints to be an effective tactic to incapacitate someone with a staff quite quickly. The more experienced master was very good at blocking it though. "The style you are using is very defensive, it is not easy to get through." I said, now speaking basic as I had allowed my vocal cords to revert back to my devaronian structure. I wasn't versed in lightsaber forms, but it didn't feel like any traditional wookiee fighting technique that I had become familiar with, so I assumed it was a Jedi thing.

I was beginning to get frustrated and whilst he would not be able to sense it through the force, my face said it all. I was getting closer to just shifting into a different creature so I could get past this defensive game and wrestle him properly.​

 

[Colette]

Katherine Holt

A direct approach, much like Colette's own. The girl ducked to the side to avoid the hit, the hair from her ponytail brushing against Katherine's knuckles as she moved.

There was no need to beat around the bush. Colette's hand wrapped firm against Katherine's wrist and yanked at it hard to throw her into a forward stumble so that the two could essentially trade spaces.

Beyond that she really had no follow-up. In this moment, Colette had gone into a total defense position. She needed to understand more about what went through her opponent's head as they tried to hit her and how they'd think they could land strikes on her.

So, as such, Colette merely grinned yet again, raised her brows as if to dare her opponent to strike again and got herself further into her own defensive stance.

 

[Vulpesen]

Overall, Vulpesen was impressed with his apprentice's skills. So far, Gweneth had shown a skill that suggested a level of experience. Tips and books were a wonder to start the path of learning, but combat, as with all things, was best learned through practical application. "Keep mobile," he stated simply, his hands feathering over a shimmering green pelt as one of the diminutive wolves approached him. "Attacking from multiple angles can be just as useful, if not more so than attacking different places."

One of his ears perked up and he peered down to the verdant creature who's paws were now resting on his knees. "Actually yes, He's doing quite well. Found a little girl to bond with. Great family. I believe she game him the name Grairsy. He's taken to it." The wolf, content with the answer to his unheard question, happily scampered off to observe some of the other duels. As word of Vulpesen's arrival spread, and the company he brought, the jedi in the clearing were slowly becoming surrounded by miniscule lights as Ashlan wolves observed their practice from within the trees.

Leaning back against a branch that protruded form his log, the arch wilder pulled a silvery flask from his cloak. After a moment of unscrewing the top, he upended its contents for a quick swig, his face screwing together for a moment its contents burned their way over his tongue and down his throat. Such was the issue about roughing it out in the woods, ice was nowhere to be found for one to dilute their drink.


Gweneth Zarari Irvelghrikk

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

For a guy who'd just been punched in the face, Shan was pushing through the pain remarkably well. Cora, by contrast, was greatly displeased at being taken down into the mud.

"Ow-HEY!" She grimaced as Shan caught her elbow and attempted to twist her arm around her back. The one positive aspect about fighting in the muck was that as long as she kept moving, Shan would find it difficult to keep her pinned down entirely. Twisting her hips, Cora managed to wriggle a leg free and plant it on the healer's chest, applying enough pressure so that her other leg slipped out from beneath him.

This left them both on their knees in the mud, a most undignified position for the young aristocrat.

"Let…go!" She complained through gritted teeth, trying to yank her arm from Shan's grasp. Cora felt something drip heavily onto her shoulder, and raised her free hand to brush against a wad of mud that had worked into her hair. Her expression flashed from annoyed to horrified in an instant.

"Eww, you got it in my hair!"

This would not be the first time she'd said that.

Scraping as much of the muck away as she could, she flicked it toward Shan's face.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan was at home in the muck and grime. Sure, it was normally more like oil and grease but mud was pretty much the same right? Just more...natural at the end of the day as they rolled around in the mud and grime.

The sounds of pain from Cora made Shan's heart drop. Even if this was sparring, it didn't mean Shan had to enjoy any of it! Ironically, even though they were fighting in a dirty arena, that didn't mean Shan was going to play dirty as he tried to keep his grip on Cora's arm, though the pressure of Cora's leg against his chest was making it harder for the Mirialan to breathe. His chest felt like it was being crushed, as he tried to take in deep breaths.

"I didn't mean to get in your hair!"

Shan yelled out to Cora as the aristocrat complained about the muck in her hair. Why did she even care? She could just wash it out easily enough. God, girls were so confusing with their hair. Why did it even matter? She should be more focused on their sparring!

And so the Mirialan had to release Cora's arm to let her go. His breathing was more important than getting a win at the end of the day. He tried to get up to his feet in the mud, though it was slippery and he felt like he was sinking in the stuff as he raised his head up to look towards Cora...Only to get a face full of mud as he let out a yelp.

"My eyes!" He cried out as Shan threw himself backwards to try and get away from Cora and give himself time to wipe his eyes clean...meanwhile just kicking his legs out in front of him like a toddler throwing a tantrum. How else was he meant to protect himself if he couldn't see?

Corazona von Ascania