Duel The Blind Leading The Blind

[Sars Sarad]

The Lightsaber commuted to its blow, after it made initial contact with Auraya's Sarad would tuck his left elbow to his hip to give him leverage for a pull through rather than permitting her to parry it wide again. The maneuver also allowed him to maintain contact with Auraya's weapon and ride it between the two of them, manipulating its momentum out of her intended blow and carrying it to his left, her right along with his own. Energy crackled between the two of them as their sabers clashed in another lock however unlike the first this proved more malleable.

As Sarad used the draw and pull of the sabers to manipulate them he'd attempt to maneuver them up high, pressing them overhead before disengaging again. This time after trying to work their sabers up and to Auraya's right he'd disengage by making a backswing. He'd let his saber sweep down between them vertically from her right to left, releasing with his left hand in the process in an attempt to clip her across the chest while the backswing went as far as to carry the lightsaber past Sarad's hip.

As the backswing concluded Sarad, stepping back at the same time to create a small distance between the two of them would wheel his weapon back behind himself until it arced upwards and back over his head where he could take it two handed again. Right hand over left....

"You seem better suited to this then you think."

...his comment was backhanded, his senses reached out through the force but he hadn't been using them to read her movements; Sarad could read her body language without aid. No, now he knew that some of the doubt she'd sensed had come from her. It didn't originate here but it existed.

The Lightsaber he was holding remained overhead in a high guard now, he squared himself with her preparing to either attack or receive.

Auraya Irath-Ur

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

Auraya found herself pinned back into a lock, and for the first time she felt some of her composure briefly slip. This was the last thing she'd wanted, if he tried to push it too readily the girl knew there'd be little way for her to overpower him. She tried to keep their blades low, but just as she'd suspected he had a much easier time gaining the vertical ground he sought than she had denying him. Up, up...​

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Raya pushed, but this time she utilized the power behind it to project herself back; she slid from him in the grass, putting ground back between them while also seeking to regain her blade from his. In almost the same breath he swiped for her in the form of a backswing, and she watched as the tip of his blade just narrowly avoided contact with her as a result. So close it seemed to singe the small, invisible hairs which lay upon her face as it made its pass.​

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Force, that crystal was a force to be reckoned with.​

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The words he uttered were matched with what seemed to be some Djem So centric stance. There was a strength to such, she knew, though it wasn't a form she'd practiced only studied, and the sight of it had her paling slightly in response. Her mind flicked back to Dagon Kaze and she put the distance between them to good use and cleared her mind, centered herself.​

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The bracing stance she took was far from optimal for pushing an attack, but just the sight of his blade held that way had her switching tactics. At least until she'd suffered her first few blows, she realized she'd be seeking only to stave him off, to survive so to speak had this been a legitimate fight. She had no hands on experience with contending with such, but now was as good a time as any she reckoned.​

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He didn't move, not right away, and when she flicked her gaze up to match his it seemed as though he was waiting to see what she'd do next. As much as she wanted to lead for once, a surprise to be sure that she'd so readily seek to prove herself like this, she didn't. She held her position good and strong and waited for him to come to her.​

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Sars Sarad ​

 

[Sars Sarad]

Innately he thought it was clever that she took a bracing stance to prepare herself for the heavier blows that his stance suggested he would make with his lightsaber. If there was any disappointment that she didn't attempt to push the attack and take the lead herself it didn't register on Sarad's features. His fingers flexed around the hilt of the lightsaber he was holding overhead in a high guard then he advanced.

Like his initial attack Sarad came at Auraya Irath-Ur quickly, utilizing swift but short steps that aided him in crossing the minor distance that separated the two of them.

As he came closer he'd angle the lightsaber sharply to his right then bring it down in a heavy diagonal slash the path of which would take it from over his right shoulder to his left hip. When he made the blow his right foot planted ahead of the left again allowing him to lead with that side. The Lightsaber was meant to contact the inside of her own and pummel it down to her right.

This time Sarad attacked with slightly more intensity, instead of a singular blow one maneuver transitioned into another. The Lightsaber, energy crackling with contact would sweep off of Auraya's own as it sought to drive it low while Sarad used the momentum as well as a shift of the wrists to arc it back upwards and over his left shoulder in what became a continuous motion for a follow up sweep of the blade meant to descend in a subsequent diagonal stroke from over Auraya's right shoulder across her chest on route to her her left hip.

It was a power blow, plain and simple but executed with a degree on finesse and practiced excellence.

Sarad was still watching her, no intensity having left his gaze yet. It seemed like when he fought the world melted away behind him. He was focused.

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

He came fast and strong, and Auraya stood firm in both stance and resolve against him. As his blade fell toward her Auraya executed a swift but tight attempt at deflection, knocking aside his attempt at pressing her blade; at the very least, stopping it in its tracks.​

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But it was the sudden shift in pace which caught her off guard. So far they'd mostly dabbled in a regular back and forth, blow for blow, or something akin to that at least, intense but slower. With her eyes locked onto his he'd see her surprise in real time as he flowed effortlessly into the next strike, more a continuation of the first in her eyes, and by the time she shifted her blade to try and block it she was just a fraction too late.​

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The searing heat of his blade met with her shoulder before she could fully raise her guard, and a sharp exhale of breath huffed from her lungs. She continued the movement of her blade, intercepting the worst of it, but it felt more mechanical than intentional; dialed down blades or not, training weapons - especially of the lightsaber variety - still hurt like nobody's business, and the added intensity of the crystal burning within?​

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Her shirt was singed, as was the skin beneath, and a thick lump formed in her throat as her eyes began to water. She blinked it back as their blades locked, just one stray and uncontrolled tear making it through, and though her gaze had wavered in the moment she sought to steady it back on his. The Force flowed around her as she fought a different battle on three fronts, to keep up her guard despite how heavy her right arm now felt, to focus her mind despite the fact it broiled in response to the pain, and to breathe.​

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Remembering to breathe was probably the hardest part, it was as though he'd struck her lungs.​

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She tightened the hold of her left hand and slackened the right some, swallowing down the lump in her throat. There was a loud voice in her head telling her to fall back, to step down; she wasn't meant for this, and the fact that she believed she was had been foolish. Barely even a Jedi, yet with little worth outside of the Order, those thoughts and the crippling self-doubt sought a foothold within her mind.​

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Auraya silenced it as she held the lock formed of his downward slash before pivoting to the left to bring her body away from the natural arc of it, only then disengaging and returning her blade to center mass. She stood with the majority of her body now turned away from him, minimizing her frame while holding the blade now with just her left hand; the right she brought back slightly for balance. The shoulder throbbed despite her best efforts to ignore it, sending tingled pulses down the length of her arm.​

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Sars Sarad ​

 

[Sars Sarad]

On contact the blade of the lightsaber flared brightly, the phosphorescent blade lighting up like a torch when it touch Auraya Irath-Ur as though the barab ingot was alive in the weapon. Even dialed down it seemed plausible that the blow would hurt, stinging beyond what a mere training blade was capable of. Sarad knew this too.

She had minimized contact though. Their 'sabers were locked together again causing a crackling of energy and a palpable heat exist between them once more. On the otherside of the 'saber lock Sarad's focus seemed to transform into a look of mild satisfaction.

The way he looked at her from across the lock of their weapons, the crackle of energy however brief and it was clear he was still reading her body language. When the tear rolled down her cheek he'd noticed but it was a small thing in comparison to the rest. Through the Force he could feel the self doubt creeping back into her mind and attempting to cement itself inside of her psyche again.

He waited, she would either take the lead or try to survive. She tried to survive. He maintained the pressure.

The 'Saber lock had actually been more of boon to Sarad than a bane. Halting the initial completion of his diagonal slash assisting him in what came next. As Auraya pivoted to her left, drawing that side away from Sarad and turning herself into what would essential be a presentation of her right profile he took a large step forward with his left foot.

Offsetting himself with the step Sarad would essentially place himself to Auraya's right and her rear quadrant. The Lightsaber fanned in front of him as he moved, arcing back from his right to left before dipping downwards. As the lightsaber dipped Sarad would raise his right elbow, trying to plant it behind Auraya's right bicep in the process to pin her arm and block it from a backwards movement hindering her mobility while a chop with the blade aimed to extend down behind her and catch her on back of her left leg above the knee on the meatiest part of the thigh.

It was the type of blow meant to incapacitate the leg. In a real duel it had the potential to remove the limb entirely but in a fight like this it might just feel like someone had given her a horrible charlie horse as Sarad attempted to take her footing out from underneath her.

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

The burning at her shoulder was motivation enough to keep her from wanting to feel another bite of his blade. He stepped around her, and rather than stand there like a fool she pivoted further and turned to follow his motions, facing him instead; she raised her guard in doing so, protecting her front as she finished rounding on him.​

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Keeping him in full view, it wasn't her back his blade was aimed toward but her front, provided he went through with it still at all, and in a sharp motion she shot the blade down to bat his aside. Refraining from entering another lock with him though, she parried her blade upward with a flick of her wrist, targeting his center mass with a shiak inspired thrust.​

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Sars Sarad​

 

[Sars Sarad]

She'd need to pivot her right side back, after the previous motion that would have set her right profile at the fore to continue that pivot would have given Sarad her back completely whereas a reversal would permit her to draw her square, facing him as she intended. It wasn't unexpected, the maneuver Sarad had performed permitted her few options unless she wanted to veer into the realm of intricate and advanced 'swordplay'.

In that moment Sarad thought she might have understood more of the basics than she gave herself credit for.

As he'd committed to the blow there was no pulling out of it which meant that her lightsaber would be able to snap downwards and bat it aside, probably deflecting it off to his left though Sarad wasn't about to relinquish the pressure he was putting on her now. They were close, even after pivoting to face him again the distance between them would be largely marginal. When she went to parry her blade back upwards with a snap of her wrist he'd have released his lightsaber with his right hand and chopped it downwards to jar her over the left forearm and displace her intended blow...

"Not bad."

...his words were genuine but Sarad continued to maintain the pressure. Being they were close, his left side turned forward to lead he'd press off his right foot which he'd turned outwards. Springing forward at her he'd start relying less on his lightsaber and more on body mechanics, tactics, etc by letting his left leg extend and slide forward to hook around the inside of her right side until heel press to heel. Pressing in on her he attempted what was a basic heel sweep technique to unbalance her as he tried to put her onto her back...

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

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(Oops, I meant she pivoted again not in the same direction as before, my bad! I don't usually write anything combat orientated)​

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There hadn't really been a point in time when Auraya had fought in such a manner. Lightsaber on lightsaber, sure, blaster on lightsaber, sure, but mixing in more martial skills? His hand bore down to knock her strike off kilter, and he deftly avoided a blade to the chest for his efforts. Confusion wrought itself on her expression there, brows knitting together as her eyes narrowed at him.​

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So now they were playing dirty? That's how it seemed to her inexperienced mind, at the very least.​

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Closer now than before, Auraya drew her blade back to her center and returned to the defensive. Somewhere deep inside was the smallest bit of pride in herself for even trying to push for the offensive, but once again there wasn't exactly any room to think on any of it. He came closer still, saber seemingly forgotten for the time being, and began to rely on his footwork instead.​

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As he barreled closer she brought the blade straight down to intercept his body, and slid back from him. Her heart was hammering in her chest by this point, shoulder burned, arm was admittedly a little sore from the weight of his hand when it had knocked the blade aside. She'd been so focused on protecting her front, though, that the sweep caught her off guard.​

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She tried to turn her back foot, to strengthen her position as she felt his heel against hers, but it was too late, and the stance she'd taken prior wasn't really conductive to such regardless. Auraya reached out as she tumbled though, grasping for his arm in the process. Maybe she could keep herself from fully falling, unceremoniously to the ground, or maybe she could drag him down with her, either way she reached.​

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Sars Sarad​

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(Tiny edit: I put indicative instead of conductive, my brain doesn't like me today)​

 

[Sars Sarad]

The Spring of his body came quickly, as she repositioned her blade to strike him he'd sweep his own lightsaber back across from his left to right to connect with hers and parry it wide now that he'd had time to recover from the initial deflection of his previous blow. Insofar as the rest went he was committed to the attempt at sweeping her hell much the same as he had been with many of his other maneuvers. When she reached for his arm he'd feel her take him around the forearm but there was nothing her could do to disengage from her.

Pressing the bulk of his weight forward into Auraya Irath-Ur he was pulled down with her however rather than simply fall forward he'd let his momentum carry him. In the most literal sense as she took him down with her he'd all but dive over her, almost as if she had actually thrown him with her movements and wrench his arm free in the process. Transitioning into a shoulder roll he'd hit the soft earth beneath the grass and let momentum continue to carry him.

As he went Sarad's lightsaber would deactivate, an action he did on instinct. If this were a more lethal combat he wouldn't to chance injuring himself.

The Roll he'd performed would take him several meters away from Auruaya and as he came up to his feet again, swinging around to face her in the process his lightsaber would reignite with a crackle of energy and the palpable heat that was familiar to him.

On his feet Sarad could begin a slow circle around her, both hands taking the lightsaber again right over left in what appeared to be another variation of a Shii-Cho stance with the blade of the 'saber repositioning at his fore, angled upwards and forward slightly. There was another flourish of the blade in his hands as he kept his limbs loose for the attack or a defense if she decided to come at him.

Nodding to her though Sarad had caught how her eyes narrowed, how her brows knit together when he'd changed the tempo and used more unconventional tactics...

"As a Padawan your Master should teach you that style is not everything. Master every lightsaber form and you'll still need to master your body, master your mind, master your emotions."

...a thin smile touched the corners of his mouth in an almost devious fashion...

"What opens are you willing to leave for a chance at success? What openings have I left hoping to lure you into a trap?"

...to Sarad the duel was as much the subliminal as it was the physical, he was dueling not just with his lightsaber but with his mind as well; he thought ahead. How many movements had she made that he'd already expected? How many was he counting on?

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

She pulled him down too, though frankly she was lucky that he leaned into his pre-existing momentum and didn't just topple because the weight of a fully grown man crushed against her would surely have put an end to all of this. As it was, she was left in the grass alone by a few feet. She made the mistake of setting her head back against the ground, and in doing so her body saw fit to remind her of how exhausted her limbs had become. Of how much her heart was forcing itself to keep up with the necessary flow of blood... Of how much her lungs burned, and her shoulder along with it.​

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It was enough to make her throw in the towel. She sucked in breath after breath, more than she'd ever needed in such quick succession before now. Auraya didn't think she'd ever experienced anything quite like this, nothing so intense that also had her hand in it. Jakku took the cake elsewise, but that had all been the others, Errant and Cotan. Not her. If anything she'd just been a liability.​

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Every muscle and bone in her body groaned in frustration when she forced herself back to her feet regardless, feeling a little heavy. She shook off her limbs and tried to rouse herself back to a more alert state, eyes falling back over to him as he rose up and began to speak. Spoke of her Master, but what did he even know of her, of them? Clearly very little, it was as though he'd chosen them at random even. Semantics didn't matter though.​

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Perhaps she should have made use of his little monologue, taken advantage of the distraction he was providing himself, but she'd needed it to steady herself back to her feet. If this had been for real?​

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Well, Raya wasn't stupid. If this had been for real she'd have been dead in the first few blows. And that was if she was being generous to herself.​

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With the brief gap in his words though she sprung forth, flowing the Force through her body in order to offset the pain and the fatigue, to limber up her joints lest she just falter before she even reached him. ​

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One hand rose up in the interim, and she tugged at him through the Force to pull him closer even as her left arm swung the saber from left to right into the path of his body.​

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No words from the girl. They were an unnecessary expenditure of breath she was already struggling to maintain a hold over.​

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Sars Sarad ​

 

[Sars Sarad]

It was the opening he'd been waiting for in a nutshell.

Able to feel the machinations of the Force Sarad only had to wonder how Auraya Irath-Ur would utilize it. It could Force Speed, a common application used by every level of Force User. No. It could be Force Push, maybe she sought to throw him backwards, send him reeling. No. It was Force Pull, she wanted to pull him forward and off balance.

Up to this point they'd relied on their lightsabers, their 'swordsmanship' as it were with either dipping into an application of body mechanics briefly. Now Auraya was making the first move but it might cost her.

As Sarad felt himself being pulled forward, almost stumbling as he was wrenched ahead by the force he'd press off his backfoot and manipulate the physics of the situation with his own use of the force. Rather than fight the 'Pull' of the Force that Auraya exercised Sarad went with it, galvanizing himself in the process so that as he leapt up he supercharged his actions. He'd leap up over her, over the lightsaber she swung at him.

With the Force Jump taking him over her he'd having swung his lightsaber downwards and diagonally so that as he passed over her he could attempt to clip her over the left shoulder, starting at her shoudlerblade and carrying on to where the shoulder met the base of the neck. It was a stroke of the 'saber made with more of a liquid fluency than sheer power because against an unarmored opponent that would be enough.

Sarad would land on the soft grass somewhere in the background, swinging around to face her again with another flourish of his lightsaber as he repositioned back ahead of him.

If she didn't want to talk he had no objections.

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

The air around them shifted as he was pulled closer, and the very nature of her pull along with it.​

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Soon he wasn't coming straight at her as intended, as he should have been if riding solely on her own whims, instead he'd pushed up off the ground in the midst of it. Arcing up... Overhead...​

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Auraya pushed off the balls of her feet and dropped low, sinking forward into the grass and rolling from where she'd previously been stood over to the space he'd just been occupying. A more practiced body, a more learned mind, might have seized the opportunity, lashed up at him, ducked below and still held their ground, but truth be told she didn't know what she was doing.​

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They'd long since passed the realms of understanding, where her training was concerned. The saber deactivated at some point during the action, and as she sprang back up on the other side and turned to face him she extended her left arm out and forced the cyan blade back into existence. There was a lot more space between them now, arguably too much. A veritable chasm.​

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And she had no clue where to even go from here.​

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Sars Sarad ​

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(Edit: Fixed Typo)​

 

[Sars Sarad]

It would have been difficult for her to attack him in midair if only because she had already been swinging her 'saber in anticipation that he would have been coming at her as she'd intended. She'd made the right decision.

Now they were faced with one another again but at a wider distance accounting for the manuevers they'd both undertaken.

If Sarad was getting tired it didn't show but there was something about him that said he was used to far more arduous circumstances. As he stood across the distance from her he'd raise his lightsaber, holding it only in his right hand now whereupon he positioned it horizontally at height with his shoulders so that it ran from his right to left. The Lightsaber crackled, its blade pulsing with energy and resonating due to the crystal used in its construction though having used it for a long time Sarad had grown used to any residual heat.

He looked at her and he seemed distracted momentarily as if something was calling to him in the back of his mind. He was used to fighting with 'Old Sin' in his left hand, in a purely metaphysical sense it felt like it was calling to him now. Shaking his head Sarad refocused, adjusting his stance by taking the lead with his right foot while watching Auraya Irath-Ur ...

"You seem to have taken to the basics well enough."

...his remark was pointed, his own technique was largely basic and without unnecessary flash but Sarad controlled his blade with expert efficiency allowing him to wait for the mistakes of his opponents. That said she surprised him, he had only managed to strike her outright once during their exchanges regardless of whether or not she may have been on the defensive for the majority of the time. In a strange way he looked pleased.

"If you wish it I will exchange with you one more time. If not you may deactivate your weapon."

...in a sense he offered her quarter unless she wished to continue for another exchange which could be as simple or elaborate as either desired. As it stood Sarad now had what he wanted and abiding by the agreement he'd made he wouldn't seek to harass either Auraya or her Master further. At least not yet.

Letting his peripherals flicker he'd see Davron Feln on the sidelines, the 'Blind Man'. He'd already committed the mans features to memory. When he sight returned it seemed likely Sarad might seek him out.

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

He might not have been tired, but she evidently was. Her cheeks were flushed, her chest rose and fell rapidly, and there was a slightly slackened nature to her stance, like gravity was having more of an effect on her.​

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Lucky Auraya, he didn't come barreling toward her. Didn't cross the grass between them. He stood with his too-hot blade flourished, and regarded her as she regarded him. He did adjust his stance though, that she took notice of.​

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He spoke of her grasp of the basics, and Auraya slightly shook her head in response. Not a full action, one she faltered on part way through. It wasn't a rejection of what he'd said, but something less tangible. Something introspective in nature. After sixteen years with the Jedi, it ought to have been more than just the basics she knew. Still she'd managed to more or less hold her own, she'd put those sessions into some sort of tangible practice.​

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Now all she had to do was actually build upon it. Grow beyond that which was more levelled at Younglings. Her mind drifted back to the Shii-Cho basics lesson she'd had upon first coming to Coruscant, the embarrassment she'd had to press down when surrounded by so many smaller beings, and only one fellow Padawan. Of course, it was difficult to progress when you were constantly being reset.​

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Every Master had always wanted to go back to basics, to return to the start of her training. They'd always pass her off, or disappear, before she could get beyond it. His statement only brought further reality to such, pulled that realization to the forefront of her mind.​

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Her gaze shifted to Davron. Had he really meant what he'd said earlier, before they'd exchanged blows at the tip of their blades? Would he really take her on as his 'Learner, or had that just been words used to try and compel Sars to reason? Her heart fluttered with the uncertainty of that thought. If he was genuine, would this time be different..? Or would she reach adulthood still as stunted as she'd been for as long as she could remember?​

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Sars stole her attention once more, leaving the floor open for her to make a decision of her own. Continue, or walk away... He was done with her insofar as his initial challenge had bade, she could end this whole thing now and continue on with her day. Tend to the burning wound at her right shoulder, and give her lungs the respite they desperately required.​

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What would they make of her if she did that?​

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What would Davron think if she sought to carry on all the same? Impulsive, reckless, showing an unnecessary desire to prove herself, or to give in to her more aggressive whims? She wasn't even sure why she was so concerned with what either of them thought.​

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Lost in her mind again... Auraya forced herself back from what could so easily become an addictive spiral and shifted her gaze from one man to the other. Then she settled it straight on Sars, matching his own.​

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"One more time" the girl said, trying to mitigate just how breathless she came across. She'd spent so long stranded on Coruscant, aimless both before and after the news of her Master's descent into darkness came, stagnant... Lost. Now she was on her way to some previously unseen world, and this bump in the road had invigorated her spirit once more. Reminded her that she was alive, that she could hold a purpose once more. And in the act of asking her, of giving her the option, he'd returned to the girl her autonomy.​

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So she turned the hilt in her grasp, reestablishing her grip of it, and took a more neutral ready stance.​

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Sars Sarad Davron Feln ​

 

[Davron Feln]

"The basics are the basics for a reason," Davron commented from the sideline. He seemed as pleased with Auraya's performance as Sars did, if not moreso. "Often they're what proves the difference between life and death." While he didn't know perfectly how their blades had crossed, between his hearing and the Force, he'd been well able to keep track of their relative positions and movement, including that of the blades that hummed so incessantly however they moved. Neither one resorting to flashy or elaborate technique. Fast, for sure, but direct, relentless.

Brutal, even, if either were to truly lose their control.

He had started to walk in closer, about to comment on Sarad's further challenge, before Auraya spoke up to accept. A short break to catch her breath might've been wiser—and he'd say as much later—but for now, he stopped in his tracks. Giving a short nod in her direction. If she wanted to continue in the training spar, it wasn't his place to deny her outright. Just to step in if things should get too rough for any reason.

Sars Sarad Auraya Irath-Ur

 

[Sars Sarad]

Looking at her it was easy to tell that she was fatigued, no doubt she hadn't fought this hard for some time if at all. As for Sarad he had fought past this extent many times, on many different worlds and once he was done here it seemed likely he would go on to the next world. Life ensured he traveled constantly, always looking for the next opponent which the Force assisted him in finding.

Only Davron Feln 's voice seemed to break his concentration momentarily. When the Jedi spoke it caused Sarad's eyes to flicker however when Auraya Irath-Ur indicated her desire for another round he looked back at her and refocused. There was something about him that seemed pleased...

"As you wish."

...under usual circumstances Sarad wouldn't have offered the option to continue, wouldn't have agreed to the terms as they were first set out but these were unusual circumstances. It was refreshing that girl so readily accepted when given the opportunity.

One more round.

The Lightsaber he'd been holding repositioned slowly, coming out of the horizontal position he'd set it into and angling forward in an offset fashion so that it aimed across towards her right shoulder while remaining at shoulder height.

Once he'd made that alteration Sarad came at her.

Sprinting forward his steps were longer than those he'd been taking up to this point but no less swift allowing him to cover the distance between them easily. As he came within range his right foot planted ahead of the left again, allowing him to lead with his right and he'd snap his 'saber out with the flick of his wrist. It made a quick stroke against the outside of Auraya's lightsaber causing the energy of the blades to flare as he attempted to parry her weapon off to her left with quick contact.

That initial contact transitioned into a more advance move though when Sarad rotated his wrist inwards, turning his saber with it in a tight arc that allowed him to disengage and then press his lightsaber into a forward diagonal slash aimed to pass over the inside of Auraya's left pectoral down to above her right hip. It was a variation of technique known as a moulinette....

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

Davron's voice drew her attention back toward him, and for a moment she worried he might choose to balk at the idea of continuing; imagine her surprise when he didn't. In fact, he didn't actually say anything in regards to her decision.​

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Back to Sars, and once he responded to her she dipped her head into a more formalized bow. He used that time to reposition his stance, or more the hold of his saber, and then he was charging toward her.​

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Auraya held her ground. She didn't move forward to meet him, nor did she draw back as his long steps were made in quick succession. Quietened her mind, breathed through her nose, and focused through the Force; in that moment, she forced herself toward the eye of the storm. Calm, tranquil, just as she was when she meditated.​

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As quickly as he came upon her, it was seemingly with measured steps. She tracked his progress, eyes not even really focused on the scene before her, and as he reached her sphere of contact and flicked his blade out toward her she turned her body away from the path of his blade and set her left side away from him.​

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Turned as she was, that initial swipe missed the humming blade of her saber and as it carried through with the residual momentum she brought her blade up in a swipe meant to strike his left arm.​

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Davron Feln Sars Sarad ​

 

[Sars Sarad]

She was becoming a quick learner during the time they'd spent engaged in this bout. It didn't altogether comes as a surprise to Sarad when she avoided his initial engagement of his saber but it was safe to say that he hadn't counted on that tactic from her. As the residual momentum carried his blade he almost smiled.

Of course he wasn't unprepared.

When his initial engagement of her lightsaber failed to meet its mark and the residual momentum carried it onwards he rocked back onto his left foot allowing him sweep his right side away from Auraya Irath-Ur and open a minor gap between them. Regardless she had brought her blade up to swipe at his left arm. Allowing that residual momentum to carry his arm around though Sarad would whip his lightsaber back around behind his head so that it came around, over his left shoulder and then descended overtop of Auraya's blade to block its strike and engage it in a flare of energy.

Their sabers locked again, Sarad would push his against hers to maintain control while taking his hilt in both hands again with right over left as was the norm for him.

It seemed the two of them were in a bit of a stalemate.

Staring at her from behind the crackle of energy and the residual heat from his own weapon Sarad had made several observations over the course of the duel. Judging by his own style it should come as no surprise that he was largely a purist, relying on an expert execution of the basics over a lot of flash however she was quite capable herself. Auraya had a penchant for defense.

Despite maintaining the lock between their sabers for a moment Sarad would eventually disengage before stepping backwards to create distance between them. As he went he'd have said...

"Your Soresu is strong and you don't act recklessly. That's smart."

...the way he spoke he almost seemed like a teacher at one point though he was far from it, teaching was not something Sarad put much stock in...

"We might do this for an hour or more and I would only hit you another time or two. Many cannot make that claim."

...he wasn't bragging, Sarad was completely serious when he said as much to her. On that note he deactivated his lightsaber as well.

 

[Auraya Irath-Ur]

He was quick and practiced, and unlike her he actually knew what it was he was doing, so it came as little surprise to her when their blades locked once again. When he pushed back against hers, she had to strengthen her hold with her right hand and the act of doing so just reignited the flaring pain of her shoulder. The girl visibly winced, set her jaw to try and mentally mitigate some of it, and met his gaze through the glare of their sabers once more.​

​

The oppressive heat which radiated from his blade at so close a proximity wasn't any easier to exist around for her, even after however many locks they'd found themselves in, though with her cheeks already flushed and her forehead already slick with sweat it wasn't exactly easy to tell. Thankfully their lock wasn't in such close quarters this time, it wasn't singing the microscopic hairs that lay even where the skin seemed smooth.​

​

That was something of a consolation.​

​

She held his gaze unflinchingly until he chose to disengage, and then she blinked in surprise. His words only furthered that expression. In the aftermath of all he had said, as well as the deactivation of his blade, Auraya made a mental note to send Dagon Kaze some cookies or something, not that she knew how to bake them. Maybe she'd find someone who could, some nice bakery or the like, or else she'd see if Davron Feln had a recipe he could teach her.​

​

After all, he'd seen fit to show her how to make a meal or two on their journeys thus far.​

​

Either way, clearly his guidance aboard Prosperity had worked wonders for her.​

​

Auraya bowed deeply toward him, after extinguishing her cyan blade and returning the hilt to her belt. When she rose back up she offered a rather fatigued smile his way, and lifted a hand to brush the fringe of her hair out of her face. It tried to protest, clinging to her clammy skin, but she tucked it behind her ear all the same and exhaled a huff of a breath.​

​

"You were a man of your word" she said, somewhat surprised in truth that their spar had never once devolved into more of a serious duel - yet at the same time he hadn't pandered to or babied her either. At least, insofar as she could tell. If he had, he'd done a good job of not projecting as much. "Thank you for that."​

​

She might have left it at that, returned to Davron's side and longed for the refresher back aboard Mudskipper, but there was still one pressing question that was circling her mind - one which resurfaced now that they were done. "Why'd you do it?" she asked, between hungry breaths, "What purpose does all of this serve?"​

​

Sars Sarad ​

 

[Sars Sarad]

Now that the duel had concluded he held his deactivated lightsaber in his right hand, spinning the hilt in his grasp slowly before replacing in over his right hip within the confines of the Tako'raas Duster he wore. Ironically though it never came into play he'd fought with the Duster on his person the entire time and without impediment of movement at that. During the rush of combat he seemed to have forgotten about it entirely.

Tilting his head he'd have acknowledged what he said and prepared to depart however her question caused him to pause and look at her again. Looking at Auraya Irath-Ur again it appeared as though he was pondering whether or not to answer her before...

"Your lightsaber is an extension of you, how can you ever know yourself if you don't know the weapon in your hand?"

...it made perfect sense to Sarad but he wasn't certain she'd understand...

"Every swing of the saber, every maneuver, every opponent brings me closer to a center of being."

...she might think him mad but the Galaxy was filled with force traditions, the Jedi and the Sith were merely the most prominent. He'd answered her then he turned to leave however he hesitated again when his gaze set on Davron Feln and he would have said...

"When your eyes come back to you, I will find you."

...Auraya had benefitted from a training spar and at training intensity too though Davron might get the sense that Sarad had something different in mind for the two of them. Regardless he turned to go then.