Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

[Nei Laa]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

Nei shook her head, relatively calm now. Even though she lost the fight, it was still a successful stress reliever. I need to get into fights more often...

"Never been to Kashyyk. Though, never heard Wookiees employing your fight moves, either. You be somewhere else, then?" Maybe, if this pipsqueak had been around a few places, she could get him to teach her his moves.

And then, once she'd learned his weaknesses, Nei would pound him to bits.

Pleased with this thought, her head tresses began curling at the tips happily while she waited for his response.

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Tugoro would shake his head from side to side, disappointed by her lack of traveling. Kashyyyk was a beautiful place in the boy's opinion, and he wouldn't let anyone else say otherwise.

"Shame," the Jedi commented, before continuing to listen to her snide remarks. He could not help but cringe at the thought of being being put into a joint lock by a Wookiee. "Not Wookiee martial arts, Echani martial arts," the youth would correct, looking at [member="Nei Laa"] condescendingly, though in a playful way.

"I trained with a skilled battle master, you know." He added, nodding his head encouragingly. Tugoro loved to brag about his feats.

 

[Nei Laa]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

Nei raised an eyebrow in surprise when the pipsqueak mentioned he'd been trained by an Echani. Well, that makes sense. She didn't like his condescending look, though. Her lips curled back slightly, but she didn't press the point. She'd already lost one brawl, and the kid fought dirty.

When he bragged about training with a skilled battle master, though, Nei knew she found a way to trick the human boy into teaching her his fighting moves.

Sneering slightly, head tresses twitching, she said, "Oh? Prove it! I bet you be lying. You fight dirty, anyway."

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

"Pft. 'I be' never lying, okay?" the youth would quickly reply, giving [member="Nei Laa"] a slightly stern look. It was obvious he was being serious, though that playful attitude was still evident as seen in his mockery. Tugoro couldn't help himself, for the Nautolan simply spoke funnier than even he.

"Echani martial arts are for disciplined, strategic minded fighters. You haven't seen me fight dirty," he would continue, once more flashing her a smug smirk. It was true, for he had not even applied the force in their scuffle.

Leaning against a nearby wall, Tugoro would begin to relax, his eyes closing for a brief moment, before looking back to the female. Examining her physically, he figured that she would probably be best suited for the Echani fighting style, given it did not require immense strength. The Jedi could not lie though, she was stronger than she looked.

"And what if I prove it?" The Padawan spoke, before pausing. How would he even prove such a thing? He'd probably have to continue fighting her, if she believed she lost by fluke. "How do I even prove that?" He questioned curiously, cocking his head upon realizing the foolish question he had been asked.

 

[Nei Laa]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

Nei bared her teeth at the boy when he mocked the way she spoke. "Do cahsinark solkan dan rao. And you be a dirty fighter." She held up one of her head tresses. "Pinching head tresses of a Nautolan is like kicking male in baby-maker -- it's cheating. Therefore, you be a dirty fighter."



The Nautolan dropped the tress and put her hands on her hips, chin jutted out defiantly. "Teach me to fight like that, and I be judge of whether or not you lie." Her logic was slightly skewed, as Nei didn't really know how to judge whether or not he was lying, but hey -- if it worked it worked. If not Nei would just try to beat him up again and learn his weaknesses the hard way.

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

The boy would shrug dramatically, still smirking as he noticed her anger. She was pretty easy to set off, it was rather entertaining. Still, the youth would make a point of going easy on her, seeing as she was pretty good at confusing him. Something most people were good at. She had started to use that strange sounding language again, too!

And what the kark was a baby-maker? He didn't know that babies came from her tentacles, if he had he probably wouldn't have grabbed them! Now he felt guilty. Wait a minute, [member="Nei Laa"] had bitten him! This had definitely turned out to be an interesting day, though not in the way he had expected it. "Rrrrugh arah-ah-woof," would spill from the youth's mouth, his vocal chords struggling to produce the several growl-like noises that sounded absolutely silly coming from a boy. Even so, any Wookiee would be able to understand what he had said. "What did you say? I ask how you like your coffee made," Tugoro would say, liking this game all of a sudden.

"Spar, huh?" The Jedi would contemplate, rubbing his chin with his robotic fingers for a moment. There was probably someone he could be helping at the moment, though another fight wouldn't hurt, right? "I know a place." Tugoro would conclude, thinking it convenient he was in Coronet city. There was a dojo nearby, the very one he had encountered the battle master in.

 

[Nei Laa]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

"..."

Nei really didn't know what to do when the kid started making those hacking noises. It sounded like he was trying to impersonate a drunk akk dog. She was about to point this out, too, when he said that that was his way of inquiring about her coffee.

"Don't drink coffee," Nei replied, rather bemused. And that doesn't sound like an actual language... Quite honestly, she was beginning to wonder if sometime during the fight the Nautolan had accidentally rattled his brains too much.

This line of thought ended though with the mention of a sparring place. "Good," she said. "You take me there, and I can learn how to be winner."

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

The boy would shrug nonchalantly, before walking right past the Nautolan, and further along the streets. Tugoro's arm would lift, waving to [member="Nei Laa"] in order to make sure she followed. "Neither do I," he would reply, preferring to stick with water and the occasional blue milk.

"Yeah, I'll teach you to win at losing," Tugoro would retort, still enjoying their back and forth banter. Up ahead, was the establishment the boy sought, prompting him to walk forth and open the door. After a brief conversation with the front desk clerk, the two would be assigned a room that they would meet in, before going to the change rooms. "See you soon," the Jedi would call, as he strode down the hall, turning into the men's changing room. Approaching one of the lockers, Tugoro would take off his boots, along with his jacket, pants, and shirt, stuffing the items into the storage. He had been taught to fight with little clothing as possible, hence why he wore his black jumpsuit. The pant legs went down past his knees a bit, while his sleeves went past his elbow also.

Exiting the locker room, the young Padawan would once more walk down the hallways, his arms lifting into the air as he stretched them out. He knew this was going to be fun, and if he wanted to not get taken by surprise, he'd have to be ready right from the start. Opening his mind to the force energy around and within him, Tugoro would begin to concentrate it's flow into his arms, causing them to move at a dramatically higher speed as he punched directly in front of him at nothing. His fists would cut through the air audibly as he walked, ceasing and dispelling their power as the boy stepped into the small arena.

"Ready?" Tugoro would question, tossing a glance to the Nautolan that was within/just entering.

 

[Nei Laa]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

Though Nei would deny it, the reason why she really didn't speak for the duration of the trip was because it was obvious the kid knew better.

Her main reason, though, was that after his comment about losing, the Nautolan spent the time pretending to use the Force to choke him. Of course when people started giving her weird looks she stopped.

While the boy (now dubbed "Pipsqueak", since she didn't know his real name) went down the hallway, Nei continued on into the small arena. One of her big things was to be caught outside of her armour, and as such it was always a familiar sight. Besides, by her figuring, if she was going to fight she might as well do it in the outfit she planned to wear, right? Not to mention her movements were now accustomed to it, anyway.

The Nautolan took out her blasters, stared at them in indecision, and set them in the corner of the room. She didn't trust lockers unless they were aboard her ship.

At Pipsqueak's question, she turned and gave a casual, two-fingered salute. "I always be ready, Pipsqueak."

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Tugoro wouldn't bother to look back as he walked, completely oblivious to the force choke that [member="Nei Laa"] had attempted. He had seen the strange expressions tossed in his direction, which he felt apathy towards. He could slightly feel her frustration, though he figured it was just because of something he wasn't involved with. Having changed into his jumpsuit, the young Jedi would delve into his combat stance.

The youth's feet would spread apart, while his legs bent at the knees to lower himself to the ground. This gave him a better center of gravity, and much better balance than before. Both of Tugoro's arms would lift from his side, his left staying tucked to his torso while his right extended. It would stretch and aim towards the Nautolan, it's palm opened and pointing towards her.

"Echani arts is about fluid movements. About redirecting attacks, not meeting them head on." He explained, not giving her a chance to speak. The young Jedi would break into a sprint, aiming to close the small distance between the duo. Tugoro's torso would turn at his waist as his left arm struck like a cobra, lashing out straight forward in hopes of slamming it's fist into Nei's chest. He wondered if she would be able to avoid his blow with the tactics he had explained, vaguely at most.

 

[Nei Laa]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

Redirecting attacks... Nei mulled this over, even as Pipsqueak came at her.

She saw his arm flash out and, bearing his words in mind, sidestepped a bit. She then grabbed his arm and attempted to use his momentum to swing him around.

Of course, that only looks graceful if your balance is good.

Even as she released his arm, Nei began to flail her arms. Some of the momentum had been transferred to her, causing her to lose balance as soon as she let go. She hoped she could regain her balance; Nei didn't feel like falling again.

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

The boy'd momentum would lesson somewhat, thanks to the novice grappling that [member="Nei Laa"] had employed. Nevertheless, the move she had used was moderately successful, and would be able to be practiced further in the future. Tugoro's arm and body would simply continue forward, passing by the Nautolan as she stumbled backwards. The young Jedi would shoot one of his feet out, slamming it into the ground in order to halt his movement.

Closing his eyes for a brief moment, Tugoro would allow the force to flow through his body at a faster rate, enhancing his speed and reaction time. Once more breaking into a sprint, the Jedi would hope to close the distance again, his arms and legs extending towards the female. The boy's hand would reach out and hold Nei's own, preventing her from falling while his foot slid out, re-positioning her feet to give her a better center of gravity.

Taking a step backwards, Tugoro would allow the force energy around him to fade, his abilities returning to normal. "Echani art users also employ joint locks." He spoke, not really wanting to bend her arm.

 

[Nei Laa]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

Nei crossed her arms, glaring at Pipsqueak. It all made sense now! His superspeed was the straw that broke the bantha's back, as the saying went. "You be Force User," she grumbled. "No wonder you win! Nearly all Force Users be cheaters; just not natural. Or fair." Nei shook her head. Though, he did stop her from falling... but she probably would have done that in her own. Maybe.

After a pause, though, the Nautolan lowered her arms slightly. "Uh... what be joint locks?"

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Man, this female was unbelievable. Thinking back to all of the women he had ever encountered, none of them had been like [member="Nei Laa"]. Of course, the crazy assassins and Sith ladies were far worse, but this Nautolan was simply stubborn. It wasn't something that annoyed the boy exactly, for he actually enjoyed the challenge her defiance provided.

Rolling his eyes at her second comment, the youth would simply sigh, before speaking, "I used it just once, seriously," he would begin to reassure, shaking his head from side to side. On top of that, he had only used the force to help her. Waiting for the Nautolan to get back into a comfortable stance, Tugoro would continue to speak, "Bending or twisting someone's arm to it's limit to...Incapacitate them." He concluded, wondering if he had used the correct terminology.

Once more, the young Jedi would attack, his walk breaking into a run as he charged at the female. The boy's arm would lift and cock back, before thrusting through the air towards her chest. Tugoro moved at a decent speed, though it definitely was not enhanced by the force, for he wanted to teach her on fair grounds.

 

[Nei Laa]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

"You still used it," Nei shot back. Tresses twitching, the Nautolan resumed her ready stance as Pipsqueak explained what a joint lock was.

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?" she grumbled, as the kid began to attack. As he ran towards her, Nei considered simply sidestepping and tripping him, but decided against it. After all, he was supposed to be teaching her, not just fighting her. Although, had Nei been in a different situation, she most certainly would have--

"Oomph." Caught up in her indecision, the boy's blow had caught her square in the chest, knocking her onto her back. The blow really didn't hurt -- her suit was, after all, designed to handle impacts -- but the Nautolan still knew that there would be a bruise.

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

As the youth arrived within striking distance, his arm would lash out, causing his fist to slam directly into the Nautolan's torso. The boy's face would wince in slight regret, not having wanted to hurt her. Than again, her armor probably protected her from the brunt of the blow.

After skidding to a halt, the Jedi would take a step back, looking down at [member="Nei Laa"], trying to decide whether or not to laugh at the female. Most females didn't like it when he laughed at them, so this time he decided to stifle it. Now taking a few steps forward, Tugoro would extend his arm, reaching down in hopes of helping the Nautolan back onto her feet.

"You okay? Let's focus on learning, not defeating." The boy would suggest, a slight smile on his face. He could still feel the hostility that Nei held towards him, though it felt competitive if anything.

 

[Nei Laa]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

Nei begrudgingly took Pipsqueak's hand and used it to hoist herself up. She knew he wanted to laugh at her -- the smile and the pheromones said it all. Sticking her tongue out at him, the Nautolan grumbled, "Yeah, yeah, I be fine."

Now on her feet, she released the kid's hand and brushed off her armour. "If this be about learning, when did you plan on starting?"

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Now that the Nautolan was back on her feet, Tugoro saw it fit to begin. Giggling at her immature behavior, the young boy would begin to step backwards, giving [member="Nei Laa"] a moment to get into a comfortable stance. "Well," Tugoro would start, beginning to think about any other pointers he could give the female, "Keep light on your feet, and be fluid with your movements," the Jedi would explain, wondering if the Nautolan would understand what he meant. Masters of the Echani martial arts had crafted their bodies into deadly tools, capable of having their body move in sync with all of it's parts. It was sort of being attacked like a river, now that the youth thought about it.

Once again, Tugoro would sprint forward, not going too fast, nor too slow. His feet would skid along the floor as he neared the Nautolan, his torso leaning forward while both of his hands struck out. The boy's arms would overlap, as he attempted to deliver an open palmed blow, one that would push Nei backwards if she was not able to redirect it.

 

[Nei Laa]

[member="Tugoro Taidarious"]

"Light on my feet, fluid in my movements. Got it." Nei then adopted a stance that minority mirrored Pipsqueak's.

As he came running near her, Nei abandoned any thoughts about attacking and defending. Instead, she waited until the last moment before rolling to the side. As an afterthought, the Nautolan stuck out her foot, too, to get back at the kid for earlier. Revenge be good, she thought. Even if it be all in good spirits.

Getting back on her feet, she turned to see if her move did anything at all.

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Tugoro's strike would sail past [member="Nei Laa"] as she dodged it completely. Instead of employing the Echani arts to ward off his attack, the Nautolan had decided to play dirty. The young boy's legs would slam into Nei's own, causing him to topple over face first.

The Jedi's body would lose balance, causing him to impact with the ground quite loudly. For a few moments, Tugoro would simply lay still, shocked by what had transpired.The nerve! Leaping to his feet, the boy would begin to rub his face frantically, having hurt it badly. Turning to glare at the female angrily, he would question her, "Why'd you do that?!"