Reality

[Zesiro]

She had other tricks up her sleeve she could use, but that hold was probably what she was strongest at. Not meeting his eyes as she answered, she nodded in agreement.

"I have only fought one Mandolorian, but even that was a simple spar many years ago. No life or death battles for me and when one did happen, I ran. I was a coward. No longer, I've learned to stand my ground."

Her hands fell to her sides ​when she was done and pointed at the floor under them indicating Kesh. Looking at him now fully, her face was hard and serious, but not mean or mad. Watching as he stood up and listening to what he said, Zesiro agreed with what he said and carefully considered her answer.

"A couple of reasons. There are too many people out there that want to harm and hurt, somebody needs to fight them. I also desire to the power to be able fight."

That was her answer to the first question and as to why him, she gave him a small half smile.

"Because I've not seen anybody do what you did. I know I didn't see the fight, but I did the aftermath. That's enough for me."

Turning to look out the window, Zesiro shook her head before glancing back at Sol.

"If there is somebody on this rock that could teach, I never found him or her, Mr. Damerin."

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Listening to her reasoning his expression finally changes. He frowns, a slight downward quirk of the lips, not a full frown but it is obvious. The first part of her response told him that she was conflicted. She wanted power to do good but also, likely, because she was tired of being helpless. In short, like most inexperienced Force users, she was on a precipice where she could be swayed down one path or another.

The second answer told him she hadn't searched very hard.

On an entire planet, there had to be at least one other person who knew how to fight. Though perhaps she meant with his skill, that was a possibility. Perhaps at present, there were no fully fledged Force wielders on Kresh.

"Alright kid, come on." He says gruffly as he heads towards the door not bothering to grab his gear. He opens it and heads outside trusting her to close it behind him. He doesn't say anything as he leads her well outside of the city limits on foot, until he finds a nice flat patch of dirt near a copse of trees. Turning on her he takes a neutral stance knees slightly bent his arms loose at his sides. "Come at me with everything you have, Force included."

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

At first, Sol didn't appear to really like her answers. Then something changed and told her come with him. Closing the door behind them, Zesiro hoped he had grabbed his key to get back in. Being here on her own time, she couldn't request the door opened for him by the authorities.

Following him, she caught up with him after a few steps. He led them outside the city to a patch of dirt near some trees.

"If I had known we were going to go hiking, I'd have brought some water."

When he told her to come at him with everything, she gave him a flat look, but considered her options. How best to go about catching him off guard and trying to take him to the ground.

Remembering her spar with that Mandolorian, Zesiro took up a stance with her left side closer to Sol and her right foot behind and at an angle to her body. Her knees were also slightly bent. Embracing the Force, she made her move.

She had a small ability to shape air so a shove of air came at him from behind at the same time, Zesiro moved forward with a dash. Her right fist came with the dash and she attempted to hit Sol on his left shoulder. Keeping her left arm to defend herself if he tried to hit her back.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Sol felt her shape the air behind him the ball coming against his back in a firm shove. Rather than resisting it he allowed the force push to carry him forward extending his left leg, stabilizing his balance, in the same movement he raises his left arm. Then in the moment before her fist would have stuck he pivoted on the ball his foot while placing his left palm against her right forearm. The practical outcome of this small shifting manoeuvre was he wound up turning about one hundred and eighty degrees while guiding her body past him harmless, with her left hand in position to do anything, and his left foot in place so that her dash forward would lead to her legs impact with his firmly planted left leg.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

When the air hit him, Sol went with the push, but stopped himself with his foot. His left arm came up and in a smooth motion, deflected Zesiro's punch. Her forward momentum did what he intended and she tripped over his foot. Curling up into a ball, when she hit, her shoulder landed first and Zesiro rolled forward in a somersault to come to her feet behind him if he didn't turn.

For just a moment, her back was to him and she turned around. Her left hand pointed out in front of her and a small arc of lightening erupted from her fingertips. If it connected, it wouldn't do any damage, but just a bit of a shock.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Considering that he'd turned in the direction she was going to fall as part of the move to make her fall, moving to track her movements was easy. She comes to her feet and he moves forward unseen since her back was to him. As she whirls he raises right arm and catches her left wrist in his palm. Once again her attack is forced to pass harmlessly past him. He steps across with his left leg, twists his hips and slams them into her's raising her up slightly, pulling her left arm down onto his shoulder. The whole move happens in a blur of movement and assuming that she didn't react in time to stop him, she'd once more wind up on the ground.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

Before Zesiro could even finish her move with the lightening, she back on the ground.

"Oumph."

Looking up at Sol, she gave him a bit of a dirty look and attempted to stand up. It had been a few years since she had that spar and this one was totally different. She knew more of the Force now and back then she hadn't touched it. Granted she could have, after that spar, her life had gone to hell. In the end, she had come to Kesh to hide, get away and grow up.

Before she returned to revisit her old haunts, she needed to know more. Maybe Sol would be the one to teach her.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

The girl once again winds up in the dirt. Sol is hunched over hand on her wrist and he releases it straightening his back. "First two lessons. One, don't telegraph your attacks. When you go for a rush don't commit to a swing before you even reach your opponent. Two, never turn your back to an opponent. If you do wind up with an opponent behind you, dodge and run until you can safely face them again. When you can't see them you can't react, at least, not until you get better with the force. Even then other Force wielders can shield themselves fairly well."

Lifting his right fist he presses it to his jaw and cracks his knuckles and neck by applying slow pressure. "There are two ways to learn how to fight. One is by fighting, one is by training. Both have advantages and disadvantages if you want to do this, we will be doing both. That means you are going to get hurt. At the end of the day that is what fighting is all about, learning how to hurt another person. You may be doing it for a good reason, in fact, you better be, but you are still hurting people. I get the sense that you already understand pain, but are you ready for more"

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

"To be fair, you're the one that made me with my back to you..."

Zesiro listened to his words though and nodded.

"How does one not project? Need to get some power behind a blow before connecting."

This observation was meant for the physical fights. The comment about Force user though made her curious.

"What shield or how?"

She shrugged her shoulders when he mentioned getting hurt in training. Having been through both mental and physical abuse from her various masters, it didn't surprise her at all. Having only one word as a reply...

"Yes."

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

There was a ripple in The Force when she asked about shielding. This was it Sol realized, the reason he was here the path he had to choose. In that moment he knew he had two options. Train her how to fight unarmed without revealing himself or truly train her. The former was the easy path for him, they would be done in a few weeks and he could leave. He'd likely never see her again and he could know that he'd helped her. However, if he did that she would still be weak in The Force still vulnerable to being pulled down one path or another against her will. He could train her properly give her the power to choose her own path, it would take far longer it would be far harder but it was, he knew, what the force wanted.

Inhale, exhale.

Reaching out to The Force he chooses his path. "A Force wielder can hide their presence in The Force." He says as rocks, leaves, and dirt begin to float upwards defying gravities pull. "They can also shield themselves from your power. It's one of the first skills you need to learn if you wish to fight another Force user since without it they can just pull your weapon from your grasp and toss you away." He lets it all the floating objects drop. "We will get to that later. For now, let's stick to the basics."

"When it comes to throwing a strong punch you are right, you do have to telegraph a bit when you are going for a knockout. However, you should rarely be going for a strike that powerful from the start. You want to get your opponent off balance first then when they are reeling you go in for the big hit. For example." He raises his fists in front of him in a classic boxers stance, his feet shoulder-width apart left leg slightly in the lead.

He snaps out a left jab towards her face, it is lightning quick but it falls a good foot short. "Start with a light jab, make them blink or take a step back. Then..." His right arm had pulled back when he started with the jab, he moves forward putting his body weight behind it his fist once again flying towards her face in a right straight but stopping well short. "Follow up with a more powerful punch, this is basic tactic involving a few of different rules. There are a lot of rules to combat but we need to start with the three controls, the three rules that make up the basics of how I fight." He returns to a neutral stance and holds up a finger. "Control yourself." A second finger. "Control your environment." A third finger. "Control your opponent. Care to guess what these rules mean?"

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

Her eyes narrowed when Sol mentioned that a Force wielder could hide themselves, but nodded slightly. That must have been why he felt different to her when they met. He could use the Force, but she hadn't known that was what she had picked up on. Sol said they would come back to the Force topic later and would focus on teaching Zesiro how to fight first.

Listening to what he said and watching his body, she attempted to mimic his stance. They were far enough apart that there would be no contact when he showed her how best to throw punches and how to get a second blow in. When he finished his moves, Sol took his neutral stance and named his three rules. Then asked what she thought they meant.

"Well, control yourself to me means thoughts and emotions. Don't let them control you. As for the environment, I think you mean the battle ground, maybe?"

It was clear Zesiro wasn't positive on that and ended the sentence as more of a question than answer.
​
"I highly doubt you mean with manipulation on that last rule, but in a physical sense. Run the fight by taking charge and control where it goes..."

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

"You are partially correct on all accounts, seeing just a piece of the puzzle based on what I said. Never be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand something, but expect more questions like this in the future. Getting your thoughts on a subject doesn't just help me understand how you think, it helps you learn to think on what I am saying beyond the obvious. Learning more than what was stated plainly is a good skill to have, it is intuition and it's useful on and off the battlefield." Sol's tone was dry and flat, however, he did have a certain presence about him that made him hard to ignore. It was like each word he delivered had weight behind it, from experiences had and wisdom gained. Or at least, he hoped that is what his tone conveyed otherwise this was going to be awkward.

"Controlling yourself can refer to your emotional state. However, that isn't always the case some people fight at their best when their emotions as running wild, instinct guiding them. Others need to control them to reach their peak. You'll need to figure that out for yourself, just how you will handle your emotions. However, what I can teach you is how to control your own body. The first rule refers to training, to practice. To do a move a ten thousand times in a row so when you are in the heat of battle your body moves exactly how you need it to. That is control of oneself. It is the foundation all fighters must start from." He pauses looking at her waiting for a nod of understanding, letting the words sink in.

"Controlling the environment is the next skill. It means that when you enter a new location you immediately scan the area. You know where exits are, immovable objects, cover, debris. It means staying aware of the environment as the fight progresses so you never misplace your feet. It means manipulating the environment to your advantage. Like using a well-placed rock as a starting block to add a little oomph to a charge or throwing sand in your opponents eyes. You need to learn how to read the terrain and then make it work for you." Another pause as he waits for a nod before he comes to the final point.

"Controlling your opponent is the hardest of the three to master. It can be practised but it is also experience and intuition something that you relearn with each new opponent, though there are some constants. It is knowing how to move to get a certain reaction, it is throwing a jab at their face to make them flinch and then hitting them all out. It is laying the foundation of a good feint by deliberately creating a twitch for them to read and react to. It's a hundred different little thing you can do to make your opponent react to you in the way you want them to react so that you can exploit that reaction. That is what it means to control your opponent." Another pause his eyes on her waiting for her nod of understanding.

"From there the other rules and techniques reveal themselves. Many of them are just learning the obvious ways you combine these rules. Like forcing your enemy back into a wall without them realizing it, an application of rules two and three. Take what I said to heart, you don't have to remember it word for word just the gist of it. Anyway, you seem to be in decent shape already so I'll trust you to handle your own physical training. Focus on cardio and endurance more than weight training. It's unlikely you'll be able to outhit every opponent but outlasting or outrunning them is usually attainable. Anyway, that's enough talking for today. We'll start some basic kata training tomorrow, meet me here at dawn." With that obvious dismissal, Sol starts walking back to town.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

As Sol started speaking, Zesiro stood up straight, with her hands behind her back and all of her attention on him. Her blue eyes were sharp, crisp and clear, taking in everything he said. Even if he spoke with very little inflection in his voice, he had knowledge to share with her and she knew how important it was to listen.

"Understood, sir."

The control he spoke of wasn't her emotions, but her body and that she understood better than anybody else. In the past and to her failure, she had relied on her emotions to fight with. They hadn't helped her, so she didn't feel they would be of use in the future. Pausing in his talking when his point on that was made, she did give him the nod he wanted that allowed him to continue.

She already did her best to control the environment by scanning it before charging in. In her line of work though, Zesiro had to learn how to adapt though. She gave a grunt as he finished as his points were valid and not ones she had not thought of before.

When he finished speaking and started walking away, about the only thing Zesiro could do was stare after him maybe even with her mouth hanging open. Having quite a few questions in her mind, she decided to remember them and ask tomorrow when they met at dawn.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Arriving well before dawn Sol does a bit of work on the clearing. He flattens it with The Force creating a perfectly flat surface in the dirt, he'd have prefered sand but that wasn't realistic. The hard packed dirt would hit if someone was slammed on it but hey it was flat. Rule two came after rule one so no need for the arena to be filled with things just yet. Once he is finished getting set up he settles down in the middle of the circle. Off to one side is his bag filled with his gear and a few new supplies for their training.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

Arriving as the first sun rays broke the horizon, Zesiro wore a uniform similar to what she had been wearing the day they met. In the night that had passed since they were here, he had flattened the area and cleared it. Raising an eyebrow as she walked up, she gave Sol a nod.

"Good morning."

She knew by the end of the day she was going to be on hurting woman.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Getting to his feet as Zesiro arrive Sol lets out a breath. "Morning." He replies as he stretches his arms over his heads. Meditation always relaxed his muscles but it never hurt to give to stretch them out a bit before a workout. Moving over to his bag he unzips it and pulls out two sticks with some padding on them. Turning he tosses one to Zesiro, it was a good throw if she fumbled it was on her.

"I said it yesterday, you are in charge of your own physical training. I recommend taking that very seriously, the better shape you are in the easier this will be. A big part of rule one is having a body that is strong enough to do what you need it to do." Twirling the stick in his hand he moves it through a few practice movements. While he normally fought with two short blades he wielded the single long blade very well, he practised all the styles with regularity. He wasn't a master at all of them but he was adept at all of them.

"Alright, I am going to show you the basic katas of each form. There are seven in total. You are going to practice each of them today until I am satisfied. Then you are going to tell me which one you like the best. After that we will spar, then we will mediate. Tomorrow you will show me each of the katas again, I will make corrections as I notice mistakes. Then we will start learning more about the form you chose today. After that sparring then mediation. In your free time, beyond basic physical training, I want you to practice all of the katas. A good understanding of the basics will help you identify and understand the form your opponent is using to better know how to counteract it. At minimum, you want to run through each kata on your own at least ten times a day. I'd recommend you run through the katas of your prefered form at least a hundred times. The more you practice the more your muscles learn. Any questions before we start?"

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

When he stood up and walked over to his bag, Zesiro's eyes followed him. She did catch the padded stick when he tossed it to her. Watching him as he twirled his around a few times and started going through a few practice moves, she nodded. He explained what the plan was for the day and she blinked when he said they would meditate. That was one thing she just could not do, the sitting still and focus needed...well she couldn't just sit for that long.

When Sol asked if she had any questions, she shook her head. The meditation issue would be dealt with when they got there.

"No questions at this time, Mister Damerin. However, I do at least know the names of the various forms, just no practice in them or what they are even meant for."

One of her masters had at least attempted to train her, but duty stepped in and it was never completed. Sol's request for her to practice made sense and Zesiro would figure out ways to incorporate it into her daily routine.

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

Meditation was key to understanding yourself in Sol's opinion. While Zesiro may think herself incapable of it when the time came she may find it easy. He knew a few tricks to make it easier on her, not the least of which was working her until she was exhausted. Which meant they should get started, but before that something needed to be addressed. "While we are practising call me master. That helps you remember who the teacher is. At all other times just call me Sol, no need for the mister."

With that out of the way, he got to work showing her the forms. First, he would demonstrate the basic kata of a form, starting at one. Once he'd demonstrated it once or twice at half speed and then full speed he had her repeat it. He had her go slow and corrected every imperfection he saw in her form, having her repeat it again and again until she had it just right. He seemed to have an endless well of patience and he never hit or gave a harsh word. Mostly just a grunt, the correction and then telling her to proceed.

It takes several hours and it is almost lunchtime when he is satisfied that she knows each well enough to practice on her own. He tells her to stop and provides water and sandwiches. "Alright, which form felt right to you?" He asks as he munches on his morsel.

[member="Zesiro"]

 

[Zesiro]

The young woman listened to what Sol had to say and gave a mental roll of her eyes when he told her to call him master while in training, but accepted it. Zesiro just hoped he would prove to be better than all of her past masters. So far he was proving to be though. His request to call him Sol all other times brought a pair of raised eyebrows to look at him.

"Understood."

One of her masters had started teaching her some of saber combat, but they hadn't gotten very far. Paying close attention to him as he showed her what they were and then mimicking him, the morning passed quicker than she expected. Her respect for him grew through the morning as he was very patient, didn't raise his voice or even come across as irritated when she made mistakes.

Accepting his guiding hand, she corrected her stance or movements when he pointed them out. When they finished going through the katas he asked which felt right for her and she sat down to take in the food and water he gave to her. Letting out a sigh and giving her answer some thought before answering.

"I like the precision of Makashi and the at the other end of the spectrum Ataru with the full use of my body."

[member="Sol Damerin"]

 

[Sol Damerin]

"Well, you are going to have to focus on one to start." He says as he munches and considers what she just told him. "Ataru would be the best place to start. Makashi is for dueling which you shouldn't be doing. In fact, if it seems like you are going to get into a duel with a person with a lightsaber running should be your first thought. At least for right now." Brushing the crumbs from his pants he gets to his feet. "Depending on how things go I might teach what I know about Makashi as well. But in both cases, I can only get you so far... Probably to the point that'd you'd be able to master them on your own with enough training." He shrugs. "We will see."

Nodding at her training weapon he readies his. "Get ready." Once she is they would have a sparring match, Sol is neither gentle nor cruel during the fight. He only strikes her when she deserves it for doing something stupid, like leaving herself open. He doesn't pull his blows either though he doesn't augment them with the force. He force Zes to go until she is breathing hard, dripping with sweat, and nursing a few marks that will be bruises tomorrow.

"Tomorrow you'll practice the forms with one of my shotos. I'll adjust the emitter so it is a full-length blade. You'll find that there is a difference between the practice sword and actual sabers. You'll have to get used to it so when you practice tomorrow you'll want to go very slowly at first. I don't have training blades so if you mess up you'll kill yourself. Now it's time to meditate, you ever meditated before?"

[member="Zesiro"]