Sand. It Gets Everywhere.

[Caid Centurion]

If nothing else, being with Alwine was certainly teaching Caid an abundance of patience. Again, patience wasn't exactly a concept that the Sith struggled to grasp. However, he very often did grow tired of interactions he found to be uninspiring or, largely, a waste of his time. Fortunately, his present activities did not fit into either of those molds.

In time, he felt the little wolf's presence brush firmly against his own. The sensation was rapidly followed by the sound of her voice tearing at the very walls of his brain. Rather than recoil from the, admittedly, intense pain, Caid simply closed his eyes, forcing himself to endure. Interestingly enough, the wolf part of Alwine though equally uncontrolled was much easier to stomach. The Sith supposed this had to do with his comfort in the natural habitats of said creatures.

"Easy little wolf. Do not try to force it. Try this - focus on my eyes and just imagine the words you think of in your head drifting between us on a shared connection."

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Fingers in the ears were never sufficient to block all sounds out. When Caid spoke, Alwine could hear it, and she removed her fingers with a grunt. He wanted her to try something else this time, a different approach.

Chocolate eyes snapped open with the same raw determination he had seen from her time and time again, their gaze landing directly on the silver-greens of Caid. Alwine blinked, knowing what her next question would be. But she had to follow the instructions, she had to make this work.

Imagining again. This time, words. Drifting. No, her words did not take the shape on of letters. That would have just infuriated her. Of course, she'd been taught her letters as a child. But on Stewjon... No, she would not focus on her desperately lacking skills of reading and writing. Instead, she gave the words shape.

They might have seen sitting there for a few minute or an hour, she did not know. But she was giving the words their shape, sending them to Caid. Letting them drift, in the correct direction.

You smell like a human, yet your eyes are anything but. Why is that? evetually came the question, shaped perfectly without needing to use a single letter. It felt to Alwine that she had done it, but she was not sure, not without being able to hear herself and be able to distinguish her own thoughts from the message she was sending. Carefully, her expression shifted as she looked at Caid, searching for some form of approval.


[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

As the minutes slipped by, it actually became easier for the normally constantly moving Sith to sit still. Holding Alwine's gaze, Caid did not flinch, blink only as necessary to keep his eyes from drying out in the arid climate of Geonosis.

While he waited, Caid allowed his own mind to clear, releasing what little internal monologue he'd been holding onto. The vast majority of his thoughts, though, had been about how best to proceed with the young girl's training. He believed in a flexible approach that adapted to what she needed and, to a certain extent, wanted at this particular stage. In a sterile environment such as a training room, this was fine. Once they set upon the larger galaxy, however...

The prickle of a foreign presence slipping into his mind instinctively prompted him to resume his defenses, but he wrestled down the notion likely before Alwine would have felt much of anything. Slowly but surely, her words rang true in his mind calm and clear as day. A thin smile formed on his lips as his deep voice reverberated gently within her own mind. That is a long story, little wolf. However, the short version is to refer to it as a mark of my ancestors, a mark of my family's history and power. Some are born with it, some inherit it over time, some will never have it.

In fact, based on the information his father had dictated. Most of the male line inherited the trait after proving themselves worthy unless they were born of a more...pure union. At least, that had been Caid's interpretation of his father's thoughts. Caid was not even aware that he didn't really know the truth.

For the time being, the dark-skinned Sith waited patiently to see what further inquiries the little wolf had percolating in her mind.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Neither woman nor wolf could keep the smile off her face when Caid responded, first with a smile and then with another telepathic message. Again, she had been successful, despite whichever hurdles she had to overcome, mistakes she had to make, along the way. Her bunch of little successes did not fool her however; she knew that making them would be costly in many situations, which was why she was both glad and grateful to Caid for offering her training in this sterile environment. Alwine couldn't help but wonder how much could actually be learned in such a place though. Sooner or later, they would have to venture out. The wolf was excited at the mere thought of it.

Caid explained - a mark of the ancestors. Alwine raised a brow, finding many parallels between what he said and some of the believes regarding the old gods on Stewjon. But he was not speaking of gods, he was speaking of people; other humans that came before him.

AND YOU? she asked, realizing now she had retreated back to how she had so early. Alwine shook her head. Apologies, she said telepathically. Success. Good. And you, Caid? Were you born with it or did you inherit it?

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

It actually took a modicum of effort not to laugh at the barely-restrained outburst this time. Instead, a roguish grin snaked its away across Caid's lips, subsiding as her normal voice returned to his mind. I inherited them shortly after discovering the depth of my lineage, and its connection to times long since forgotten by history.

Inhaling softly, Caid elected to redirect the conversation away from his family. Endelaan was not a place to discuss with those that had not a reason to know. Regardless of how close he and his apprentice got, they would never be close enough for that complete discussion. Not without...a very specific set of circumstances. Are there any other questions you would like to ask, little wolf?

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Forgotten history. A low snarl emitted from Alwine's throat, but she swallowed it down. She had a stomach full of things to say about forgotten history and current people who claimed they knew it all, but the time for that wasn't now. Besides, there was no reason to burden Caid with the stupidity of certain dogs, especially when she was already keeping him busy with teaching her.

His attempt to change subject did not go unnoticed, but Alwine had no reason to insist on returning to the subject of his eyes or his lineage. Now was the time for more questions.

Can someone work the Force on another without their knowing at all? she asked, something akin to possession, or causing them to behave in ways they otherwise would not. Something that ran sufficiently deep and strong for one to believe he was in love with another, to pledge his heart and entire being as well as his future to that person.

It was a foolish question, she knew. But there were so many things about her brother's story with the auflaque that did not make sense. Deep inside, Alwine knew that no spells had been cast on Gerwald, that all this nonsense was his own stupidity and self imposed blindness. But still, she had to know, even if only to assess the potential danger of the dog he was mounting.

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

Alwine's question was...well it wasn't exactly complicated. However, as was the case with most things, there were so many ways to answer. Fortunately, Alwine seemed very adept at eventually articulating precisely what she meant even if it was very emotionally infused. It seems as though you have asked a question and made a statement, little wolf.

A smirk that was becoming almost shockingly routine with Alwine returned to his lips per usual. To a person that is not able to truly sense the flow of the Force around them, yes it is certainly possible even without possession. There are sorcerers and sorceresses that can make this happen from afar through the use of spells and other methods. There are yet still practitioners that need no spells, merely to completely dominate the mind of another to bend them to their will. Most often, the target does not know or fully understand what is happening.

Caid paused for a moment, thinking of the appropriate words to fully explain the answer to Alwine's question. What I mean in this regard is...without the ability to defend your mind against others and not what it feels like to suffer an intrusion, you would hardly be able to tell that it is happening. On the specific point of possession, I assure you that is entirely possible without any being any the wiser until it's all over. Even then, you would need a familiarity with such a concept to think it anything other than an awkward dream or forgotten time.

While Caid was curious to whom Alwine was specifically referring, it wasn't actually any of his business. It also seemed rather personal. Allowing the training session to devolve into a deeply personal matter would undoubtedly be counterproductive.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Had she made a statement? Alwine reflected on the words she had chosen for her question, but it did not immediately jump to her attention. Still, she set it aside for the moment, listening intently to what Caid had to say.

In essence, the news was not good. It was very possible, and in a variety of ways. She wished this new information would have given her an ah-ha moment, something that would snap into place, explain what had been going on. But it did not. Truthfully, she doubted it was a direction that would ever prove true. But with what she had to work with, she was going to check in every possible direction she could.

Still, she was of the same mind as Caid. Deeply personal matters were not for this room. She only had a last one to ask, before she would return to questioning him about things that could an had been done with the Force.

Why do you keep calling me 'Little Wolf'? came the next question, this time with a smile of her own.

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

Soft laughter rumbled from the base of his stomach. The reverberations in his chest gradually receded as an easy smile lingered on his lips. It's the most appropriate way I can think of to describe not only your existence, but the raw, unsuspecting power you command within your tiny frame.

Caid only added one more brief comment. It's a compliment.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

The wolf blinked as the laughter rolled out of Caid in a way she had not seen before. She waited patiently for it to subside, chocolate brown eyes never averting their gaze. There was no shame or embarrassment that could be read upon her face; curiosity reigned supreme, trumping what other emotions were or were not there.

When he explained, she merely nodded with a little smile.

My brothers call me the Angry Wolf, she explained the source of her question. And now it was time for more important questions. You pushed me backward without touching me earlier, she resumed, how?

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid's smile slowly dissipated. Angry Wolf was also an apt nickname for the young girl. However, Alwine, as always, moved the conversation along to more professional pursuits. You are getting very good at this. It seemed as though she was managing the telepathy almost without even thinking about it...which of course was the point of his instruction. As much as the Force can work through you passively, you can also wrest control of its energy flow and manipulate it to your own desire.

Holding out a hand, Caid allowed purple-white tendrils of raw dark side energy to crackle around his knuckles before it dissipated. Placing the fingertips of his hands together, the Sith slowly pulled his hands apart, creating a visible sphere of energy between them that he eventually shrunk back to non-existence. Naturally many applications are a touch more complicated than others. What you are specifically referring to is known in general terms as a Force Push. A more...three hundred and sixty degree application would be known as Force Repulse. It requires reaching into the ether, willing the Force to rapidly move in one direction or another. It's invisible and hard for even the most skilled Force Practitioner to resist simply because...the Force will always be a more awesome entity than any Force Practitioner.

The Sith Lord paused for a moment. You recall the stick you levitated yesterday; rotated, manipulated? The process is the same, see and feel what you want the Force to do, push your will into its energy and see your will done.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

The wolf wanted to wag her tail when she was told she was getting good at this. Alwine instead merely nodded, promising the wolf that after today's session would be concluded, they would go run freely in the sand. It wasn't as good as a forests or lake area, but you used what you had at your disposal to the best of your abilities.

Her eyes widened when Caid let the purple-white tendrils out, turned them into a sphere. But it wasn't just the visual aspect of it that caught her attention - it was the smell. She had to focus on his words, make an effort to listen to them, when the smell felt almost overwhelming to her nose. Was it her nose though? Alwine neared her face ever so slightly, sniffing. Yes, her nose, but not only. What her heightened sense of smell caught was so minor compared to what she felt course through her body now.

"This is not like what you did or have shown me earlier," she noted, motioning to the sphere, her senses almost going wild. She had to keep them at bay though, keep herself in control. She didn't even realize that she was using her mouth to speak now, rather than telepathy, "this smells... Different. And I can scent it not just with my nose."

What was it? Was this something Sith-related? Was that why it felt so different? She knew, generally-speaking, that there were abilities that were only for the Darkside, and only for the Lightside. She knew that Sith and Jedi were religions of both sides. She also knew that most abilities within the Force were considered neutral and available to all those who had control of it, if they were willing to learn.

But no one before had actually done something that was either Dark or Light sided around the Lupine. Neither woman nor wolf could recall having taken the scent before.

"What is this scent?" she asked, forcing to tear her gaze from the sphere back to Caid.

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid did not speak wolf, so Alwine's preoccupation with scents was something the Sith Lord was still adjusting to. It wasn't hard to understand what she was trying to say necessarily. It was merely a weird way to convey the question in his mind. "Raw energy of the Force, but we'll talk about that later. Stay focused." Now was not the time for Alwine to even remotely concern herself with what was commonly referred to as the two sides of the Force.

In truth, there was but one Force. As the most powerful entity in the galaxy, it could be twisted and manipulated to fulfill whatever desire a skilled force practitioner wished. The use of the Force for its more destructive purposes was simply referred to as the dark side. Beyond that still, there powers and abilities unlocked by the secrets of ancient civilizations such as the Sith.

"Did you hear the rest of what I said?" Caid, in truth, would not have been surprised if Alwine had been so focused on the shiny thing in front of her that she stopped listening.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

She could not keep her displeasure at the answer hidden. A snarl came from her lips as what Caid said did not give her an answer she could understand, but it was clear that he would not be elaborating on it in the next few moments.

"Of course I did," she almost spat at him when he asked if she'd heard the rest.

To show him, Alwine didn't even think. It was like moving the stick, only this time, in her displeasure and anger, she didn't apply her conscious thought to it. All she wanted to do was manipulate Caid's body as she had the stick. Her hands reached forward as the Force Push was sent from her body, containing her her pure rage along with it.

As soon as she felt it escape her hands though, the wolf jumped back in surprise, eyes opening wide as she forgot that she was supposed to be angry, looking at Caid to see if it not only worked, but how badly he was going to take this.

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

There was a sense, a hint, a flickering image of what was to come. However, as Caid had just finished telling Alwine, resisting applications of the Force required a lot of factors. The seated Sith Lord was decidedly flat-footed, having no real ability to stop what Alwine was doing. Instead, he did as his own training dictated, manipulating the Force to keep his body from flailing out of control.

As soon as Alwine's rage-fueled attack slammed into his body, the Sith Lord levitated himself off the ground and stabilized his upper torso. In effect, it would give Alwine the impression that she'd thrown him up and backwards. Landing softly a few meters away, Caid's bright gaze locked onto Alwine. There was no evident displeasure or rage in his face. In fact, he seemed eerily calm.

Good, little wolf. However, I sense another lesson in control is needed. In truth, Caid had been impressed by her action. It wasted no time, accomplished the objective, and it caught him by some amount of surprise. That was something for her to internalize, certainly. Still, there was always a lesson to be learned...success or failure had no bearing on that reality.

Outstretching his free hand, Caid closed his fist, seizing Alwine's small body with the power of the Force. Abruptly motioned his closed fist back towards his chest, the Sith ripped her aggressively towards him. Allowing Alwine to go little more than half the distance between them, Caid opened his fist and flung his hand back outward, commanding the Force to send her reeling backwards with just as much strength.

In the next instant, an actual sword from her earlier warm-up raced into his right hand. This time, the Sith flourished the weapon deftly and settled into an aggressive stance. Come, was the simple command.

This time, however, Caid intended to push the little wolf with unrelenting attacks until her emotion overran her conscience mind.

She needed to fully taste the danger of laying bear all of your emotions before you were ready. The truest vulnerability to any force practitioner.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

He wasn't taking this badly. Still, something inside Alwine did not allow her to rest or release a breath. She knew something was coming, but by the time her senses understood what and Caid grabbing her with the Force, it no longer mattered. She did not know how to block that ability anyway, and something inside her felt that merely moving away would not have helped in any case.

There was little room for limbs to flail, but she could still scream, tough it came out more in the shape of growls and snarls, the unhappy sounds of a wolf that turned into yelps as she was moved first to him and then tossed away. She thanked her training with the Force, which had ingrained her ability to land, first on her feet and then down on a knee, still sliding backwards while her hands flattened against the floor.

Looking up, Caid now had a sword in his hand, and she... She had nothing, but was still bid to come.

Alwine called one of the other swords to her hands, launching at Caid without thinking. That was what they had worked on, wasn't it? Let the Force flow through her, warn her of oncoming attacks. But the anger still roared through her, her moves once again not as seamless as they could have been, more brute force than technique. And still she pressed on.

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

Despite playing the part of enraged attacker, Caid still did register when Alwine was able to demonstrate techniques she had recently learned with surprising ease. The girl's affinity for the Force shined through every action should took when it really mattered. Yes, continued training and practice would always be a thing, but a part of him was happy for her progress.

Still. There was the current lesson to learn. There was the dip, the hint of reliance on brute strength when it was not expressly necessary. It was the tell-tale sign of emotion overworking the mind. Parrying strike after strike, Caid attempted to make it seem as though is defense was effortless. In truth it wasn't. Pouring her emotions into the Force would absolutely make Alwine stronger, faster. Emotion was an easy door to massive success with the Force, but doors did work two ways. It would rob her of all energy and strength just as quickly as it granted such.

Dancing backwards, Caid narrowly avoided yet another strike before allowing a strong, repulsive blast of Force energy to erupt from his core in all directions.

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

Her apparent success did nothing to settle the wolf's rage. If anything, it served the opposite, her anger growing with every move, more and more energy pouring both into her defensive and attack moves. Caid was blocking her effectively and she was outright growling, the wolf inside her scratching to come out once again, wanting nothing better than to lock her jaw on his neck as hard as possible.

He danced backwards and she flung herself forward, not wanting him to open the distance between them. Her sword was ready to come down on his head with all the strength she could muster, no longer even aware how much of it was just her and how much of it was due to the Force enhancing her abilities.

And suddenly, she was flying backwards.

Alwine's scream was inhuman as she went through the air, the sword falling from her grip. But Caid's attack was strong enough; she had more air time than anticipated. Before she landed, she was already sending her own Force Push towards him. She wanted to send a bunch of them out, but there was only time for one before she landed, sprawled on the floor, screaming again as her leg twisted in a way it was not meant to.

It was the same leg they had broken on Stewjon, thinking to find the place from which the demons spoke to her. The new injury was not in the same place, but she could feel the pain radiating through her, drawing another scream, this one mingled with the pain of the memories of those months she had spent in that prison.

Alwine was not one to cry, and she did not cry now either. But it was too damn close for comfort.

"KYORL!" (wait) she screamed, all anger gone from her voice, unable to mask the anguish of the pain that now threatened to take over her body. She could not shift with a broken bone, not like this, not unless she wanted to make it worse and then spend days as a wolf waiting for it heal. Was it even broken? She didn't know, she didn't know how to check. All she knew was that the pain was too strong, too sudden, and that she would not be able to resume the session in that state.

[member="Caid Centurion"]

 

[Caid Centurion]

Caid could practically taste the conflict in the Force. The energy twisted and contorted on itself as the two force users continued to fight in the training room. Cavernous in construction, the entire space seemed to fill quickly with their combined strengths and a smattering of emotions, mostly on the part of the student, but it would be a lie to say Caid did not have some element of emotional investment in the current match.

Following the force repulse, the dark-skinned Sith saw the Lupine's next move. He saw himself flying backwards. As usual, Caid's intent was not to waste his energy fighting the Force itself. Instead, he hurled his sword sharply at his opponent, focusing his energy on propelling it forward in a small cocoon of its own force energy.

When Alwine crashed to the floor, the sword buried itself into the wall behind her a mere foot above the level of her head. Controlling his landing much in the way that Alwine had done, Caid ignored all of her yelps and cries until such a time as she literally screamed. Alarm did not shoot through the Sith Lord's body. Instead, he casually made his way towards the little wolf on the ground.

A quick evaluation with his eyes and through the Force confirmed Alwine's suspicion. She would indeed not be continuing any training today. Kneeling down beside her, Caid's silver-green eyes gazed intently at Alwine's eyes. "Little wolf." His voice was calm, even, and in the usual deep tamber. "You can control this pain. The cells in your body that allow you to feel the Force can ease your pain on a cellular level. It will cause your nerve endings to tell you brain the pain has diminished."

Another brief look down her leg. "You need to get to a bacta tank, but I will not carry you. If you are wounded in battle or on a mission, you may not always have someone to carry you off the field. Whether you crawl or limp, you need to fight through this and get yourself there."

[member="Alwine Lechner"]

 

[Alwine Daye]

It was almost enough to send her raging again. She sat on the floor with the pain and the fear of another broken leg, and Caid staled towards her with that annoying calmness of his, almost as though he did not care. True, he would not have, if they were opponents on a battle field, but they were not. This was a training session. She wanted to claw his eyes out for that calm expression on his face.

Her hands gripped her leg, trying to find a way to touch it without causing further pain. Caid spoke of cells in the body, a cellular level, more things she did not know about. The gist was clear though; she could use the Force to control the pain. But she did not know how, and he did not explain.

"Dos buki fa'la zatoast," she cursed, "how do I control the pain?! Where is the nearest bacta tank?!"

It would be her first time in one. The lords of Stewjon had them, so she knew what they looked like. But she'd never actually gotten to use it herself, her family's caste in the Stewjon social ecosystem not allowing for the funds that were needed. Even bacta patches had been off limit to her as a servant. And now, she could not even get excited about it, as the prospect of... Limping or crawling, towards it, was enough to bring a rise of shame within her petite form.


[member="Caid Centurion"]