Private The Clashing of Ideals

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Waking up, Dreidi sighed, she stretched her limbs and sat up on her bed. Her room was a mess, likely from a night terror again. She couldn't remember what happened the previous night but usually found herself waking up and screaming in anguish. Wiping the dried tears on her cheeks as she headed to the shower and washed herself, taking her time as she let the hot water wash away the tiredness and some of the pain that was clutching deep at her heart. Drying her hair, Dreidi changed into some comfortable and simple clothes, she was slowly getting more and more clothes, the handful that she had brought with her were not enough to last a week. So, to avoid washing clothes every couple of days, buying new clothes was necessary. Checking herself out in the mirror, there were bags forming under her eyes, while her hair was washed and combed, it wasn't looking neat like she normally would make it. Also the clothes were quite baggy on her as she grabbed a big hoodie and threw it on, tucking her hands into her pockets. She wanted to be back in bed already but she had promised to meet new people and she wasn't going to break a promise.

Walking around, Dreidi stifled a yawn as she lifted the hood over her head to avoid having to look at all the happy people around her. They sucked and she refused to make small talk with them if she could help it. Instead she focused on who she was meeting today, someone called Lia Stilben. Apparently from what Dreidi could find out, they were a Sith, usually enemy of Jedi but in the CIS you could find all walks of life. It was a peace amongst Force Users that her father wanted, she thought he would be so happy that something like the CIS was growing as popular place to be, both as a Light sider and Dark sider. So, Dreidi was curious what this Sith would bring to the table in terms of training and differences in learning, were there stricter or harsher in training methods or were they just as relaxed as Asaraa made it feel for the young Padawan. Or was she just in an awkward stage of training because of recent events that things were more relaxed and as soon as things calmed down Asaraa would be spinning things to be more intense.

Entering the training room, Dreidi looked around and wondered what she would be doing with the stranger as she stretched her limbs out again to loosen up her muscles.

Lia Stilben

 

[Lia Stilben]

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Equipment: Lightsaber
Tag: Dreidi Xeraic

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The air was cool and pleasant as Lia found herself making her way through the compound. Coming to this place felt like a rash decision. It was like leaping off of a cliff without any equipment and expecting to land just fine at the bottom. She knew it was possible with the Force as her tool and companion. But the rational side of herself that had grown up without any real meaningful connection to it still didn't want to jump off that cliff.

The energy of the place seemed to be neutral, smooth, and relaxed. Which put her somewhat at ease. Though there was a whisper in the back of her mind that this place risked stagnation. She brushed it aside. She was here to investigate these people and see if they were better or worse than the Brotherhood of the Acherus. It had been some time since she'd been among their ranks, but she still remembered the beatings and reprimands for failure, and the disinterest... barely acknowledged successes. They still made her burn with resentment. But she'd never joined them for praise, but somewhere to belong. Somewhere to grow and learn. And those things she had done in spades. And made some friends along the way. And as many enemies. But they weren't likely to find her here.

Thinking back she found she missed her previous Master. The woman had been kind to her, but she was as hard as durasteel when it came to punishment. But it was never unjust, and she was hell as a fighter too. But she could be as soft as lace and as hot as a star when the mood arose. Thinking back on those times made her blush a little. But that was years ago. Lia was fairly sure Dimiah was dead. Echoes of sadness rolled off of her at the thought. But then her spirit hardened a bit. No crying over what was lost. Not right now.

As she came around the doorway to the training room she cast her gaze about. She wore a dark gray skirt, dark boots, a dark gray undershirt that went all the way to her wrists, and a red open front top, laid one side over the other and secured into place with inner tie strings, and a belt that went over it. Hanging from it was a basic lightsaber with an output tuner. It was simple, comfortable, and unassuming for the most part.

Taking in Dreidi with her gaze she gave the other female a nod. It wasn't hard to pick up the trepidation, curiosity, and generally miserable state from the teenager. Making her way in deeper she drew up short. At maybe a meter and a half, Lia towered over the girl at around 1.7 meters, and she had more mass to boot. And she was more than twice the girl's age. But that didn't mean she couldn't handle herself.

"Morning," Lia greeted Dreidi with pleasant notes of a core-ward accent coming across. "I'm Lia. You must be Dreidi. I was told I'd be meeting you here." It might have been a bit obvious she supposed. Her mind wandered back to her own teenage years, but she never recalled looking that tired or rundown. It made her wonder what the girl was going through.

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Dreidi sighed as she heard the door open, clearly she was not getting out of this but when she saw the person enter she blinked hard. There weren't many people that she met that she would call cool, most of the Jedi she met were stiffs or family so seeing Lia walk in looking pretty cool. Dreidi was really questioning why there couldn't be more Jedi who were cool, maybe she would be more engaged in classes. Instead of being so bored because everyone was so serious and dry. Pulling her hood off and trying to neaten her hair, Dreidi looked up to the woman, clearly older and much more experience in combat than Dreidi. However, she had been trained plenty in combat and to use her disadvantages as advantages, but she always felt confident in her fighting since her dad was a Master Lightsaber fighter, so when she was meant to be training she usually slacked off since she felt she was better than most of her peers. Assessing Lia, she figured it would be a tough duel but she felt sure she would win, her dad got out of a lot of tough situations from his stories.

Well, he used to before he got himself killed. Dreidi clenched a fist involuntarily as she thought about her dad and how he failed. That wasn't something she couldn't do, Dreidi wouldn't fail again. "M-morning." Dreidi stuttered after realising she hadn't said anything in awhile, her voice was raspy, little sore from her screams of night terrors. She needed to find something to soothe it soon Dreidi figured but for now she could talk. "I'm... I'm Dreidi Xeraic, nice to meet you, Lia. Oh, urm, sure. Any idea what we should do? I am a bit new to the CIS and my Master and sister told me to get along with people. Are you a Padawan too? Been training to be a Jedi Knight someday, how is your Sith training? Is it hard? Do you have to kill a lot of things? Or torture people? I heard so many bad things about Sith so hard to know what it is like to train like one..." Dreidi explained as she spilled out a load of questions, curious to find out more about Lia and her training.

Lia Stilben

 

[Lia Stilben]

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Equipment: Lightsaber
Tag: Dreidi Xeraic

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The word Jedi made her twitch, but not in a negative way but almost a silent "Oh." She inclined her chin a few degrees then nodded slowly. "Pleasure, Dredi Xeraic," she said, some mild amusement seeping into her tone. As the questions came boiling and bubbling out she did break into a small peel of laughter. It lacked any semblance of mocking the girl but instead was easy and warm. "Well, if you want, we can spar in a little while," she said, then shifted over to the wall, placing her back to it and sinking down to the floor, sitting.

There was something about the girl, Jedi, or not. She recognized that haunted expression. There was something painful going on with her. Most Sith training would seek to whip that pain into fury and turn it productive energy. And while it could be valuable, she sensed immediately this would only be self-destructive. This was something she recognized in her own face; the pain of loss, and still fresh. What she needed was a friend, distraction, and maybe some attention that wasn't from most adults or peers.

"Cop a squat," she said, gesturing next to her. "Truth be told, I don't know a lot about Jedi training. I've heard a lot about the Code and its philosophy. A lot of Sith view it as weak and misguided. I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Two sides to a story and neither side are completely correct," she answered honestly.

"What I can tell you about is my training experience. I know some of it is unique," she said quietly. "So around ten years ago my home planet was being evacuated. I made it. My mom and dad didn't make it. My ship dusted off before they could board. Last I saw of them. I became a refugee for a few years. Served as a medic. I'd picked up a lot from my parents who were doctors. I wasn't certified at first, but it didn't matter to my refugee group. we came under assault by the Sith. A lot died. Some escaped. Others were enslaved." She sighed heavily. "I still remember that Marauder's hand squeezed like a vise around my neck, lifting me up off the floor after ripping the blaster out of my hand. A hair's breadth away from impaling me on his saber, he stopped, threw me to his peers. It was probably the most powerless and helpless I'd ever felt. I hated it." She shuddered.

"They recognized my Force potential. Shipped me off to the shadow academy on Korriban." She shook her head. "I didn't really want to be there, at first. I was in the hands of people I hated. Was quite scared. I was pretty sure I would be murdered at any moment. But I wasn't. They started teaching me and some other classmates about the Force. Their view on it. They treat it like a weapon. A slave to their whims and will. They taught lightsaber combat with vibrorods and low power sabers. Only it wasn't so much instruction as it was beaten into you. Every mistake was swiftly punished. If your stance is bad you get hit. If your guard is open, you're gonna get hit. But you learn, fast. And you toughen up fast."

"I turned out to have a lot of raw strength in the Force. Mixed with anger, resentment, hate, and fear. And pain. I was very good at lashing out with it, as much as I was scrappy with a saber," she mused. "After a time, I completed my training there, but I was still really only an Initiate or Apprentice. I was picked up as a student by a Sith socialite who wanted to drag me into her political machinations. That would have been fine but Lady Dimiah had other plans. She took me under her wing."

At this Lia smiled fondly, going back in her memory. "She was a little taller than me. Raven's wing black hair, pale skin. Lived on Nar Shaddaa at the time. She was surprisingly kind. My view on the Sith Code was different than the perspective the academy would have crammed down my throat. One of the first things Lady Dimiah asked of me was to ponder the Code and give her my interpretation of it. I don't think she expected my answer, but she approved. It was very similar to her own. After that, we grew much closer. That woman was hard as iron when fighting, or when she had a punishment to administer but when it was over, it was over. And she never truly raised a hand to me like that. Only once as a demonstration of her ability. Like me, she was great at striking out with raw power and lightning."

She sighed. "Lady Dimiah introduced me to her sect of the Sith, the Brotherhood of the Acherus. They were a group of academics and scholars. Seeking to gather what knowledge they could on the Force, as well as all things Sith. It sounds like dealing with a bunch of professors and librarians. But believe me when I say these people were far more dangerous and powerful than any Sith I'd met before. Their activities paid off in spades."

"There, I would be set to completing my training by squiring the Marks of Power as they called it. All of the students were in competition. We could earn marks through completing dangerous tasks and missions, by doing very well in training, by stealing from our fellows, and so on. Training there was brutal. We were pitted against each other in various duels. I quickly gained a reputation for being quite skilled with a saber, as much as I was with my lightning. I guess my initial instruction was better than I thought."

She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Lady Dimiah disappeared somewhere in this time frame. I think the Acheron or one of the higher-ups sent her on a mission that might have claimed her life. Or she left. But I think she's dead. I was left to wolves. But I did start making friends. And when us initiates were sent out on missions, we were exploring old tombs and retrieving minor artifacts. I often did very well. It wasn't long before I had the five marks I needed."

"There was one mission right before I ... essentially left. Our team of students was dispatched on a hunt. I can't remember the name of the world. We were looking for a Holocron. But there was a Jedi on the world who sought it as well. She apparently found it before we did, and we wound up engaging her. Exploring into the Holocron had damaged her psyche. She was completely crazed. It gave her some knowledge though, draining life to repair herself. And she was apparently corrupted in some way. I watched her go through my classmates like a blade through the grain."

"I went in with one of my partners for the trip, almost immediately they went down. But the Jedi woman and I faced off in a very pitched fight. Saber exchanges and telekinetic blows. I was flying and flowing with the Force. It was an incredible experience. I was in my element and I felt alive. I almost had her. I was so close, then more of my classmates arrived and jumped into the fray."

She placed a hand over her belly with a grimace. "She was able to use that moment to strike me down and slam me into a cliff wall with the Force. I knew it was going to happen as soon as they showed up. They disrupted the flow. She cut them down too, easily. It wasn't until the Archon showed up that he was able to take her down and snuff the life from her," she said with an apologetic wince. "It was really the only way. She was too powerful, too dangerous, and just kept healing. She would have fought even if she were in a dozen pieces."

"Little did we know, those of us that survived... that she'd imparted some kind of corrupting disease to most of us. The Archon used her life energy to purge it from himself. I was the only one that didn't contract it. I don't know if I was just immune or what."

"So spending weeks in quarantine wasn't fun but I didn't have to train. I finally got out and got back to training. I forget why now, but I wound up getting into it with one of the other girls. The instructors called for us to solve our differences by lightsaber. Not to death, but... I had to hit her six times to win. She only had to hit me three. No holds barred otherwise. It turned into a knock-down-drag-out fight. Again, I almost had her. I only had one hit left to go, and so did she, and I had her on the ground... was pretty much kicking her teeth in. But she hit me with a sneaky blast and that was it. The instructors were impressed and had indeed gotten a good show. But the one called the match still decided to beat the crap out of me anyway, despite how well I'd done, and had proven myself over and over again. That was when I decided I was done with it."

She shook her head. "The Archon did send me on an important mission as my final Trial, and I did alright, but shortly after that, the Brotherhood fell apart. I imagine the disease had a sudden resurgence in my absence. I never went back, save to get all the archival information I could. I took a ship as well, but since then I've been on my own. Hunting relics." She shrugged quietly.

"Then I met Taiia. She turned me on to this place. So here I am, hoping I've found somewhere to belong. Somewhere that's worth it... and people won't treat me like garbage, especially when I'm doing far far better than I have any right to be. Maybe somewhere I can rebuild a life with... lovers, and friends. Maybe a new family. People I can trust to have my back." She glanced over to Dreidi. "Sorry, it's a long set of answers. Hope I haven't bored you to death."

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Dreidi watched as Lia took a squat stance and gestured her to do the same, she had never really done squats, her father keeping her to cardio work mostly in terms of training and running with him. Though he hadn't been able to do that in the last couple of years as he had, but she had been training with other Padawans best she could. The mention of sparring of interesting and she was curious to see how Lia fought compared to Jedi in a sparring match, would she be harsher or more intense than Jedi. They seemed to be more critical, which could end up being really distracting in a fight Dreidi found. As she attempted the squat and holding it best she could, leaning against the wall, Dreidi breathed out slowly. "My father always said the same about the Sith, it was why he was happy for Asaraa to be working for the CIS and for me to train under her, he had some training from a Sith and he believed that peace could be achieved by acceptance in differences, not conflict." Dreidi stated then listened to Lia's story.

It was intense, from the sounds of things, being a Sith was tough on a person. However, Dreidi could tell that there were moments of joy and happiness from the way Lia described things. That she had a good relationship with a Master, a sense of achievement in her skills and pride in her ability to do things. It was interesting to hear that a Jedi had become so corrupted and dangerous, to have killed so many lives as well, it just didn't seem like the Jedi that Dreidi knew, or the ones that her father wanted the Jedi to be. He believed in conflict when absolutely necessary, and when you did get into conflict, then you won at any cost and used everything you had to win. Because, like Lia pointed out in story about the Jedi, people tended to fight to the death when they felt threatened. Dreidi gasped in shock that Lia had a disadvantage in the fight, "seems unfair to make you have to hit six times and not three. Why would they force you to fight at a disadvantage and not her?" Dreidi couldn't see the benefits in that, she heard Sith were all about strength and here was someone she considered to be very strong from her story and let those Sith let her go...

"I didn't find it boring at all, I am glad you told me." Dreidi paused, unsure if she should mention her story which seemed basic in comparison. "I was born into the Jedi Order, at the time, my dad was Yuroic Xeraic, leader of the Silver Jedi Order. He was smart, and strong in combat, though he tended to say he would annoy his enemies in battle more than he would fight them. Trying to end the conflict than keep it going. He was funny when I was growing up too..." Dreidi paused as she realised she was just rambling on about her dad. "Anyway, I was born into the SJO and my parents held back on my training, they said that I showed promise in the Force when I was young because I would play pranks on my sisters and brother using the Force, or throw a tantrum with the Force. Think my dad decided that when he knew he was getting ill, that I needed to be trained by a Jedi, someone he trusted. So, he asked my oldest sibling, Asaraa to train me."

Dreidi felt her thighs start to give some burn as she held the squat best she could. "Training with Jedi isn't too dissimilar but it is difference, we don't use negative reinforcement in training, so punishments are held back for serious problems, like throwing water balloons at teachers when they are giving super boring lectures on the origin of the Jedi Order. Seriously, we have lectures, not fun adventures through tombs and ancient temples, lectures! That go on for hours!" Dreidi groaned as she remembered the last lecture she attended, she thought it would never end it seemed to go on that long. "When we do training, we are shown what to do and told to practice, they correct us when necessary but not through violence, just helpful tips and if you get the right teacher, get some tricks to make it easier. Sparring is less intense and tends to be even unless you demand more unfair matches."

"Jedi also tend to be a little more stiff from what I have seen, at least older ones, Padawans usually up for a laugh and you can convince the Knights to join in the laugh but Jedi Masters can be so stiff and proper. Some of them wear the ridiculous robes and expect you to be wearing them too, it is insane." Dreidi giggled for the first time in awhile, then sighed sadly. "My dad was killed by a Sith. He decided it was more important to go sacrifice himself to help strangers than stay around be there for his family. So Jedi tend to be trained that self sacrifice is better than being supportive to your family." Dreidi said with a bitterness in her tone, something she didn't truly believe but something she had wanted to say for ages. "I miss him." Dreidi let tears stream down her cheeks again.

Lia Stilben

 

[Lia Stilben]

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Tag: Dreidi Xeraic

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Lia listened with rapt attention as she rested on the floor. As Dreidi began to cry, Lia shook her head. Right on the money, and it explained a lot. She found herself instinctually wanting to comfort the girl, and after a moment she did slip one arm around her shoulders. Part of her Sith training rebelled at the idea of trying to ease any suffering. It should be faced and used as a means to grow stronger. But compassion was not forbidden either, and it too was an emotion. Some might have argued that it made her weaker, operating in service to others. Lia felt no such thing. She'd wanted and needed such things long ago, and it wasn't a rescue. It was merely a personal connection.

"It's okay," she said quietly. "He's not permanently lost. He's left behind a legacy. And I hear there is a secret to hanging around even after returning to the Force." She shrugged one shoulder. "I still miss my mom and dad, and it's been twelve-ish years now." Her words were meant to impart empathy, rather than competition. "I don't know your father, but I understand sacrifice. He made a choice, to try to preserve peace and protect life. It seems like a waste, maybe. But everyone is valuable in some way. Maybe he saw it as a way to be of most value. And I know that's cold solace for the ones left behind, like you and your sister." She smiled a little then. "But you still have people close to you. And I'm pretty sure he'd want you to not waste his efforts, and find every bit of strength you have and put it to good use."

That much was true. Each sought strength in their own way. The Jedi sought service. The Sith sought to rule, but even that, on the true path, was not one of malevolence. Or so she'd been taught. "It's okay to hurt and to miss him. And to feel the way you do. So long as it doesn't consume you, and you grow from it." It might have been a bit of Sith ideology, but it was also just healthy, to be in the moment, the now, and not to suppress, but rather provide room to heal.

"As for raiding tombs and such, those were indeed the fun parts. There were lectures. There were things that I had to go through that I don't recommend anyone do. My initial training was as an inquisitor. I was very good at discerning lies, and clawing the truth out of people. Besides the beatings, I had to endure torture too. It was especially fun for some of my teachers, as I hated electricity. So yeah... I got tickled with that a lot in ways you'd never want to experience." She shook her head and shuddered a little. At the same time a blush crossed her face. Those times were particularly difficult and embarrassing if not outright humiliating.

"Your masters might be a bit stuffy and stiff, but pulling a prank on the wrong Sith Lord could get you really hurt or killed. Others would laugh it off. I had a teacher at my academy that might have encouraged such shenanigans, so long as we didn't get caught. I know some of the other initiates did have a little fun now and again. But a lot of them were backstabbing, conniving, scheming sociopaths I couldn't trust as far as I could throw them. It wasn't until I joined the Brotherhood, I was able to make a couple of connections I would call friends." Shaking her head she lapsed into silence, staying put, enjoying the quiet.

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Dreidi hiccupped as she tried to wipe the tears away. Breathing irregularly, her emotions were bubbling hard to the surface as she couldn't think straight the grief was overwhelming her and the pressure to scream and release her emotions was unbearable as her vision tunnelled. She was trying not to let out a scream since that wouldn't be good for the situation and would only cause destruction and potentially harm to Lia since Dreidi knew that she had no control over the power and it would just blast from her. The arm placed around her in comfort was an anchor for Dreidi, she could feel her breathing become more regular and her nerves settle down slowly as her vision returned to normal. Dreidi sighed heavily as she leaned up and silently thanked Lia for being supportive to her.

Shaking her head, she knew of the technique of living on in the Force after a person's body has perished. "My dad said he knew that people could live on through the Force but when he passed, he wanted to find peace and not linger around and haunt people. I always thought I would be older when it would happen though, maybe with my own family..." Dreidi wiped the tears away with the sleeve of her hoodie as she stood up, the burn in her thighs were a bit too much with everything else going on as well. Lia seemed to understand her situation and she knew that the Sith was trying to show empathy and really appreciated her efforts since it was helping to know that she wasn't alone in feeling the emotions that she was right now. "He was being idiotic hero, he was ill, too ill to be out in an invasion and fighting but he went anyway, and the Silver Jedi let him go out and sacrifice himself for their cause." Dreidi said, it was fake anger, she knew that the way her father was and the direction he was heading. His life would not be the life someone should suffer through. But she missed him and wished she could still hug him, tell him she loved him and hoped that he would love her after all the mean things she said the last time they spoke.

Sighing, she slid down the wall and curled up into a ball. "How does someone grow from the death of their father? What growing can I do?" Dreidi asked genuinely unsure how she could grow from this, how she could move forward from what had happened to her. Right now, guilt, sadness and heartbreak were gripping her tightly and she couldn't see a way out. The Jedi were all about acknowledging your feelings but then letting go of them, not to let them consume you but how could she let go when the feelings were gripping onto her, clawing her into their darkness. "Sith lectures sound terrifying, they must have been both intense and boring." Dreidi commented, trying to work up to a giggle again though right now she was just staring at her shoes as she held her legs. The fact that Lia had to endure so much torture was shocking to Dreidi, it sounded terrible and made her wonder why anyone would want to be a Sith.

"Was it really that bad? I don't get what torturing a person achieves? Do you think it really made you a better person?" Dreidi asked, curious to know more about what Lia thought about the Sith ways. They were so alien to her that she wasn't sure that she could accept them as a good way of teaching a person. "Most of the Padawans I knew were fun and easy going. My dad said that Padawans could get competitive and childish, he tended to stick out from the others since he didn't have any clothes or money when he first joined. And I noticed that there can be some elitism but that is just how people are in general from what I can tell. Jedi tend to help each other out and lift one another up than stab a person in the back." Dreidi explained as she thought that the differences were quite deep in some areas in training. But Lia seemed like a genuinely caring and nice person, so surely the Sith way didn't prevent a person being good, it was just extreme.

Lia Stilben

 

[Lia Stilben]

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Tag: Dreidi Xeraic

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Lia felt that storm of emotion and let her ride it out. She was grateful it didn't turn explosive. She was fairly sure she could weather it, but it would really do the girl or herself any good. But she did settle, slowly. "I don't know what illness your father had. But it sounds like he was making a choice. To not let it slow him down or dictate his life. And if he died, then it was while doing something worthwhile and important to him. Especially if he accomplished his goal," she said gently. "And I know it sucks and doesn't help. But in time, you may well understand, even if you chose differently."

"As for being a better person..." She trailed off, mouth open wide as if to say something but gave a wide and slow shake of her head with a shrug. "I don't know about that. I am certainly a lot tougher, a lot stronger than I was when they found me," she said, lapsing into silence for a moment. "I know what it is like to suffer, especially when things are beyond your control. I learned to endure. To push through it for what I wanted. What I needed to make happen. It's like... experiencing enough pain that lesser pains don't matter. Or even register. I think though a lot of Sith get lost in the negative. They let their anger, their fear control them. Some of it is healthy. But not when you let it run the show. Being angry all the time isn't healthy. And that's without the things the Force can do to the body in the mix. You have to learn to keep an open mind and an open heart. Laugh, sing, dance, love as much as you might be angry, or scared. None of it is inherently bad. It's what one does with it, and whether or not one can maintain control of themselves, or let their emotions run their lives. And it's possible for a Sith to lose their way, sometimes easily. It's not for everyone. But it's also not as black and white as what you've probably been told." She shrugged again.

"It's really difficult and painful in so many ways. And every day is a struggle. But so is life. You can either wallow in it or rise above it," she said quietly. "A lot of the Sith philosophy revolves around the idea that those that have power, that can rule, should. I can see the point, but I personally have zero interest in it. I just want to surround myself with good things, good people. And generally, be left alone... in a larger sense. I'll fight to protect what is mind, and what is important, but I'm not out to crush star systems beneath my boot heel. Or anyone really."

She glanced over to the padawan next to her. "I think a lot of the conflict between Jedi and Sith is because ... people have taken things to the extreme. And I can see where things break down with the Sith. I just.... don't see eye-to-eye with it."

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

It was comforting being able to talk to someone who wasn't family for once, or a Jedi. Dreidi nodded her head, she wasn't sure what her dad had, he had mentioned it but she could never really remember the name of it. She knew that he hated what was happening to him and that he never wanted her mum, her siblings or Dreidi see him as he got worse, to remember the man he had been before the illness affected him. Especially since he would need more and more help to do the most basic of things. Dreidi sighed, tears still streaming down her face as she continued to stare at her shoes, Dreidi couldn't face to look around the room or even look Lia in the eye right now. She was a mess, emotionally all over the place as she held herself tighter. Listening to what Lia had to say, it sounded like what made her tougher was enduring the torture and pain of the Sith training. It seemed still a little barbaric in her mind since she was so use to the Jedi way of training but it clearly was effective training for Lia so it couldn't be a bad way to train in Dreidi's mind.

"Do you think the Sith in the Sith Empire are different to the ones that you were trained with? Just they seem so intent on killing Jedi, in wiping out the Silve Jedi that it makes it hard to think that Sith aren't just people filled with such hatred and corruption." Dreidi admitted, she held a lot of contempt for Sith currently, though she was starting to see another side of them. Seeing what the training benefitted Lia, even though it was clear that Lia still held some reservations about what she went through. "Do you think that you rather have been found by Jedi and trained that way? Or that the Sith was the right fit for you?" Dreidi asked, seemingly a never ending well of curiosity that she was when people of intrigue are around her.

Looking up, tears drying up on her cheeks as she feels her eyes red from her heavy crying. "Yeah, the extremes of each side is always what will cause conflict, or at least that was what my father said. He would say that CIS was how he saw what the rest of the galaxy should be. Balance of Light and Dark and no conflict." While her father was a Jedi of the Silver Jedi, he was a Grey Force User, his dedication to the Silver Jedi was because they were his first family. He supported the CIS and would often help whenever he could. Dreidi sighed softly as she thought about her parents and their connection to the Force, her mum was often in her life not a Jedi but something in between, it was only her father that convinced her that she could be a Jedi and not be fully dedicated to the Light.

"Maybe if more people saw things in the same way you and my father did, then things would be easier in the galaxy." Dreidi said as she leaned into the comforting touch of Lia.

Lia Stilben

 

[Lia Stilben]

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Tag: Dreidi Xeraic

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"Do you think the Sith in the Sith Empire are different to the ones that you were trained with? Just they seem so intent on killing Jedi, in wiping out the Silve Jedi that it makes it hard to think that Sith aren't just people filled with such hatred and corruption." Dreidi admitted, she held a lot of contempt for Sith currently, though she was starting to see another side of them. Seeing what the training benefitted Lia, even though it was clear that Lia still held some reservations about what she went through. "Do you think that you rather have been found by Jedi and trained that way? Or that the Sith was the right fit for you?" Dreidi asked, seemingly a never ending well of curiosity that she was when people of intrigue are around her.

"Technically I'm still just an Acolyte," she mused. "My training would be considered incomplete. Open to weakness and being misguided. Others would say that I'm finding my own way, and following my own passions that are useful to the Sith. There are a lot of individuals and varying degrees in the ranks. But I have seen what you're talking about. Some would call it eliminating weakness. Others, maybe revenge over some perceived sleight." She shook her head. "A lot of those people that are of the mindset of wiping out the Jedi feel they're a threat. Or they just don't know how to coexist." Lia heaved a small sigh. "I saw it in my own sect, in a way. Not all of them were like that, but some of them, sure."

"Sith training is brutal. Like military bootcamp on insane performance enhancing drugs. They take everything from you. Ship, belongings. Maybe even everything you have on you. And then it's all about breaking you down. Crushing you into dust. Then, with that dust, they make you into clay, molding you into what is useful, and what you might wish to become. So long as it serves the Empire. It is maddening. And there are many ways to go about it. The weak perish, and those that remain become something more." She sighed.

"The Jedi have a much gentler approach. True transformation is always painful, even agonizing. But the Jedi seek less to transform and instead grow a seed from within, teaching new habits and ways of being, new abilities. I'd like to say that ... this would have been a better way for me. But as much as they hurt me, shattered me... I can't say that I would be stronger, internally, if I had been picked up by the Jedi. I don't know for sure. That's not a timeline I can see. But I do know that honey works better than vinegar sometimes. The trick is to find the balance."

"Maybe if more people saw things in the same way you and my father did, then things would be easier in the galaxy." Dreidi said as she leaned into the comforting touch of Lia.

Lia nodded. "Maybe. Maaaaybeeeee," she said drawing the word out again. "I don't see the world so much in black and white, but shades of gray. And I feel like a lot of the extremes just can't see it any other way but a dual dichotomy." She shook her head. "That's part of why I'm here. I'm investigating the CIS, and The Knights Obsidian. I talked with Taiia about them when we met, and I was intrigued. She was so strong and steady. I admired that and her a lot. So I want to know more. I'd love to ... really find a place. I haven't felt anywhere is 'home' since the day I lost my mom and dad." She chewed her lower lip then shifted a little. it had been a while since she'd shown anybody such vulnerability. Dreidi was a Jedi sure, but right now she was just a teenage girl in a rough spot. Lia doubted she'd do anything nasty with that little bit of vulnerability.

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Dreidi looked stunned when Lia informed her that she was still a Padawan, it didn't seem right, clearly Lia knew plenty more about the Force and just life in general. Also, she was older, not like old but older than Dreidi, usually Padawans or Acolytes were more around her age. She closed her mouth in surprise then nodded as she listened to what Lia said about views on her training and what she thought on Sith and their war on Jedi. It seemed that all parts of Sith there were those that wanted to wipe out Jedi, it made her curious about if there were people who thought that in the CIS, she hoped not because it would mean that there would be Sith in the faction she was working to call home out to kill her. However, there were Jedi who thought a link to the Dark Side was a weakness and something to be killed over.

The way Sith training worked sounded intense and unpleasant, not something that Dreidi wanted to find out personally as she leaned against the wall. "Being a Sith sounds intense and a lot of work. I am not sure I could cope with all that, I think the Jedi way is just more suited for me. Being relaxed and just growing in power at my own pace, a steady increase instead of forcing improvement." Dreidi thought aloud as she tried to tidy her appearance and rolled her sleeves to hide the wet patches were she had been wiping her tears away. "Though there is some truth, I do need to be pushed at times. I think perhaps there needs to a balance too, I know that I am terrible in keeping up my combat training." Dreidi let out a small giggle at that, she was a solid fighter but she found it boring or her opponents tended to bore her. Been awhile since she last had a competitive sparring match.

Nodding her head, she was feeling lost herself as she left SJC which had been her home for all her life. So trying to adjust to the new way of things meant that she wasn't as sure how she felt about things or if the CIS was a good fit for her yet. Currently she had limited interaction with others in the CIS so she wasn't sure how she felt about her place here. Though she was eager to prove herself and find out where she fitted.

Lia Stilben

 

[Lia Stilben]

---

Equipment: Lightsaber, casual sith attire
Tag: Dreidi Xeraic

---

She nodded, listening quietly. It wasn't hard to feel the girl's shock at the revelation that she hadn't ascended the next tier. She was older than Dreidi when she'd been taken by the Sith. And while she'd learned fast, she'd been adrift for a few years, so to speak. "Mmm, I wouldn't say it's so much being forced to grow. True, there is always that, and being pushed out of one's comfort zone." She thought about it for a few moments.

"You've heard the expression 'the more you sweat in practice, the less you'll bleed on the battlefield'? It's a lot like that. Sith pursue conflict. They see it as a way of growing stronger, as the Mandalorians do. It's about testing one's self, growing their mastery. But also asserting their will and dominance. The harder you train, the easier the fight. So it's multi-faceted. And you're right, it's very tough, especially in the beginning. The price of failure is often death. And even then the suicide rate is... high," she said quietly. "But it weeds out the weak, as they put it. I personally don't think it needs to be like that."

Lai sighed and straightened herself. "I sense that turmoil. You might be younger, but we're in kind of the same boat I think. Having lost a lot, not quite sure where we fit in the grand scheme, looking for a place," she said, giving the girl a small but warm smile. "Best we can do for now is take it moment by moment if not one day at a time." Ass he spoke, the older woman gave off nothing so much as the warmth of spring sunlight on one's back, or a feeling akin to a blanket fresh from the dryer being wrapped around you when you're cold.

"Now, if you're interested, I'd be happy to spar a bit. I haven't done it in a while, so I'm rusty, and the exercise would probably do us both some good. Unless you'd rather keep talking. I'm more than fine with that too. I haven't had good conversations in a while either," Lia offered.

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Nodding her head, for Dreidi it still felt more forced than the Jedi way, which she had always seen as something done at a more natural pace. The mention of Mandalorians seemed a fair comparison, Dreidi knew that Jedi, especially the Silver Jedi, had fought Mandalorians several times over the recent years and Jedi had fought them many, many times throughout history. "Though Mandalorians pride themselves in combat and push to gain better through it. Their training in new recruits or children isn't meant to be as harsh as the Sith's is by the sounds of it. And surely letting the weak die isn't necessarily maintaining strength or ensuring only the strongest survive but ensuring that the status quo is maintained. For only those who can survive the training will teach, and they will only teach the same way. So change will be difficult to achieve in the Sith. Being weak for one reason or another isn't necessarily bad, I am weaker physically than others, but I am also skilled in the Force so I can use that to gain an advantage, others cannot but that doesn't make them weak. Just means they have to overcome in different ways."

Dreidi wasn't sure if her point was clear, part of her wasn't sure what her point was. She just didn't like the thought of people dying because someone at some point decided that the Sith training had to be done in a certain way, that if they couldn't overcome it in the expected way then they would suffer and likely die. Though she was glad that Lia agreed on her on that point, people dying seemed a bit too much, even for the Sith. The warm smile and aura was gratefully appreciated, as Dreidi stood up and stretched her limbs as she smiled and her presence was more open and warmer in return to Lia. "Live in the moment, be mindful of the past and future but keep aware of your current surroundings. That was always something my dad said, believing in the living Force." Dreidi shrugged, it was habit for her to quote her dad on things like that, it had been drilled into her head for years.

The thought of sparring was mixed, but her curiosity of seeing how a real Sith fights overrode her long lasting boredom of fighting people not decent at fighting. "Sure, should be good to see how a Sith spars in comparison to how a Jedi spars." Dreidi smiled warmly and eagerly.

Lia Stilben

 

[Lia Stilben]

---

Equipment: Lightsaber, casual sith attire
Tag: Dreidi Xeraic

---

"That's part of the paradox of the Sith. Not everybody dies. Every person has value in some way. But they also don't care if someone dies in the course of training. If you break in a way they can't use to be an Acolyte, then they can put the person elsewhere. Military service, sweeping floors, powering a bio reactor. It's relative. But you're right, just because someone fails at something doesn't make them a failure. It happens. And just because somebody fails once, doesn't mean they won't kick ass next time. It's usually the real screw-ups that get killed. Failure is often punished, but pain is a good teacher. You don't forget. Tells you're alive, too. Sith embrace pain, actually. They don't shy away from it. Even use it to keep themselves focused, push themselves on." She said quietly. "Sacrifice is a big part of it. To get ahead, you often have to give something up. Nothing is free. It's gonna hurt in one way or another. Whether it's physically, emotionally, mentally, financially. Temporally. That's part of the training too. Like for a boxer or career martial artist. You get hit in the face enough, and it's just thumpy impact. Yeah it hurts some but as many have said 'its just pain'. It usually doesn't mean anything. You kinda get used to overriding the body's self-preservation mechanic or information like pain." She shrugged. "Least that's how it's supposed to be, according to the Sith. I know it's even possible to turn pain into pleasure. I've ... not really explored that. Don't think i will. Either. ... But I agree. There's a lot of waste in aspects of the training. And it's a self-licking ice cream cone in some aspects."

Lia pushed off the wall and stretched some, rolling her shoulders, then twisting and bending at the back and around the hips, loosening up some. Fishing her saber off her belt, she made her way to the center of the room. "Well, if you want the Sith experience for sparring, I can deliver. I like you, a lot already actually. But if that's the route you wanna go, it's gonna hurt. But it won't be personal. Shouldn't be lasting discomfort though," she said apologetically. "And hopefully those that look after you won't be too mad at us." Since when did a Sith care what others think? With each step, she came closer and closer to 'the silence' as she thought of it. Everything else washed away. The past, the future, she became more aware of the air around her, the swish of her skirts, the placement of her feet on the floor,t he pull of gravity in her joints.

The energy around Lia began to change, shifting and intensifying. Though she made no aggressive moves, there was a sense like a comming storm. A change in atmospheric pressure that one felt in their chest, ears, and maybe head before anything else.That nervousness or edginess that proceeded the smell of a storm. The hint of ozone, almost akin to hot wiring or heat lightning began to fill the air. A tiny tendril of electricity arced between the fingers of her right hand, then her left as the Force swirled and gathered about the woman, growing in strength. One could almost feel the temperature in the room drop a few degrees as well.

Inwardly, she simply stood there, eyes closed. She focused inward, seeking and calling on the Force and it's energies. At the same time she let her mind drift back to past fights, past conflicts. She resented the things she had been subjected to, the arrogance she'd faced. The grudges held, and the cold calculating plans she'd had for her revenge. This was tempered by the Archon and the others that had helped her along the way and made friends with. She called up the faces of those she'd sought to protect and had loved. Those that made her smile and laugh. The Force filled her up and swirled around her as she focused on the good and bad portions of her life thus far. Even the conversation she'd just had with Dreidi and how much she liked the teenager.

The gathering storm changed in it's energy becoming less volatile and more steady. Less raging out of control and rather somethign that could persist, and could almost choose to be destructive or life-giving. And at the center of those swirling energies or impressions there of, Lia stood then, the calm eye of the storm.

It only took a few seconds for the Sith to gather herself and reaffirm her powers to herself, before she turned to face the young Jedi and flash her a delighted smile. "I'm trying something new," she said, speaking out loud while reaching for her saber. It activated with a familiar snap-hiss followed by a resonant hum, a little lower than most Jedi sabers. An amber or honey-gold blade sprang to life, bathing her in warm light, and giving the weapon a spin, she gestured for Dreidi to approach, a grin on her face. The expression was one of exultation as she seemed come alive in a whole new way. There was still no aggression in her demeanor or intent.

((OOC: Note, there is no actual physical storm... yet. Just the kinds of energies and impressions created around her.))

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Lia explained the way the Sith worked better and Dreidi nodded her head, understanding them more was good for Dreidi. She could accept that while she disagreed that people had to die, there was reason behind it and that the Sith believed that their harshness bettered the lives of their acolytes. Dreidi also noted that the Jedi sacrificed negative emotions, trying to be more distant emotionally compared to the Sith. Her emotions over her dad's passing wasn't usually the way that a Jedi grieved, they tended to deal with emotions more internally and don't let it drag them down. However, she was finding that way very hard for right now. So feeling her emotions and expressing them, even the negative ones didn't sound too bad but she also didn't think that using them to inflict pain on others like Sith did was the way that she wanted to go.

Dreidi followed Lia and did some stretches to loosen up her body for a sparring match, she smiled and felt a warm red grow on her cheeks as Lia told her that she liked Dreidi a lot. It was nice to have a friend, especially someone older and cool like Lia, so it was good to know that Lia liked her back. Nodding her head, Dreidi understood it would hurt, she had trained with practice sabers before and taken hits which stung in the past. Nothing serious but it was not what she considered to be fun. "Just don't take it easy on me, I can handle it." Dreidi said, though she wasn't exactly confident she could from what was described to her but she came from Jairdain and Yuroic Xeraic, two Jedi Masters who dealt with a lot of pain and harsh trials as Jedi. So, she was using that as grounds that she could take more than others.

As Dreidi thought about what she was going to do in terms of the sparring match, thinking that in terms of Force combat and fighting, while Lia was the same level as Dreidi, she was older and had a lot more real combat experiences. She would have to be creative like her father mentioned, perhaps use the Force in creative ways like her mum. Dreidi could feel the air change, the electricity gathering in the room and radiating from Lia, it was an impressive and intimidating display of control over Force Lightning. It was a power that she knew a lot of Sith used as a staple, even her father knew how to use it to some degree. However, Dreidi wasn't too sure how she was going to deal with that, such control was hard for Dreidi to have in the Force or at least she had been struggling to control the Force to that degree. Gripping her practice and ignited it, the practice saber was a deep green colour, she had not been crystal hunting for her own saber yet. Told she would have to wait until her skills in Lightsaber combat had improved.

Breathing out slowly as Dreidi thought, the yellow glow around Lia from her saber did not make her appear like a Sith but the aura of the Dark Side was something Dreidi was sure was Sith-like. Thinking her movements out, she knew that overthinking would be bad, every duel she overthought she had lost, so she was going to keep it simple. Gripping her saber in one hand, the other hand she reached into the Force and shot forward a Force Push, nothing super strong but Dreidi was happy with what she had done, normally her aim was off or it was much weaker than the Force Push she had released. She then moved forward, jumping up and slicing high at Lia.

Lia Stilben

 

[Lia Stilben]

---

Equipment: Lightsaber, casual sith attire
Tag: Dreidi Xeraic

---

Lia could feel the girl's mind drift over the past fights she'd had, mixed with the turmoil. But she seemed to settle after a moment, and relax. That was good. There was a balance between tension and being relaxed when it came to fighting. One had to be ready, but also loose. A relaxed body, a relaxed mind reacted faster. And that only came with experience. The girl was true to her word, she had some experience.

The Sith, or former Sith(?), seemed relaxed and content to wait, to let Dreidi make up her mind. The Sith didn't really teach being on the defense much. It was better to act than react. But so too her training had including the ability to wait, be patient, and strike when the time was right. A flawless finish was better than a sloppy hack job. But Lia, in past spars and duels had always been one to watch and gauge her opponent, letting them make costly mistakes and then exploit them. On more than one occasion she'd made opponents almost murderously anger. She thought back for a moment of a blue-skinned Twi'lek she'd been fond of back with the Brotherhood. And though she'd cared for him, she remembered the hate and resentment in his gaze after she'd trounced him. It hadn't been her intent to do anything other than proving herself, and also try to teach. He took it far harder, and never really spoke to her again.

On the heels of finding her calm, her decision came the opening blast of energy. This alone was a technique she had battled with before. Things slowed down then or rather got quiet. She didn't move but could feel the oncoming wave. She pondered how she might handle it. A shield? A counter-blast? Deflection? Wrap it up in a ball and throw it back? It came on faster than she expected and hit her like a large feather pillow. It sent her skidding backward, her boots squeaking in protest as she skidded at least a meter.

And then the girl's saber attack came in high. Her own saber swept up in a hard cross-block as she dropped her left foot back, bracing. The blades met with an arcing screech that was almost music to her ears. Lia angled the tip of her weapon down toward the floor off to her right, slanted like a rooftop. Dreidi's blow deflected to her right (D's left). The deflection should have off-balanced the girl because the resistance wasn't really there. But her height and a lower center of gravity meant her weapon merely skidded off Lia's.

The sorceress shifted her left foot almost even with her right, turning through the ankles, knees, hips, and torso. Her shoulders twisted to as the amber saber whipped behind her then around from her left, coming in at an oblique angle, aimed for the back and right side of Dreidi's neck. It was whip-fast and had the power of her entire body's considerable musculature and mass, but remained controlled, precision, and something she'd practiced over and over. But could she connect before Dreidi recovered from her first strike?

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

The fight started in electric fashion, Dreidi was instigating the fight but she was not in charge of the duel, her initial attack was swiftly dealt with in an easy block from Lia and then Lia decided to go on the offensive. The block was meant to cause Dreidi off balance but that didn't bother Dreidi too much since instinct was taking over the young Padawan and instead of leaving herself vulnerable to the upcoming attack, she fell towards the floor and went into a roll that moved away from Lia. It was fortunate that Lia went for a high strike instead of a low one, or that Dreidi went from a roll instead of jumping and somersaulting away. Either way, it meant that the attack from Lia missed, though if Dreidi had hesitated or stopped her instincts kicking then the Padawan would not have been as lucky, Lia was fast and it seemed that she was giving it all in every strike. Reigniting her practice saber as Dreidi stood, she looked over to Lia and gave a cheeky smirk.

"Seems I got lucky with that one, have you fought many people?" This was a trick her father had often employed in fights, talking to the opponent, it would make things awkward for them since they would have to be able to multitask. Though Dreidi was not very good compared to her father, who would often fight both verbally and physically with opponents. Dreidi was just being naturally curious, there were only a couple of stories that Lia had shared about her combat history, so it would be good for Dreidi to assess how much trouble she was in for. Because while she knew that there might be a few lucky escapes like she just had, long term this spar would not go in her favour. She didn't have the mass, strength or experience to keep a long duel going, though deep down she despised the fact that she was not going to win this.

She had been trained to win fights, even against impossible odds, she had been trained to be the best. Or at least she had always assumed that her dad and Master were training her to be the best. Both of them were skilled fighters and everyone would be looking to Dreidi to prove herself worthy of the Xeraic name, even her mother who wasn't skilled in combat was very powerful in the Force. Dreidi felt like she was under performing in a lot of regards, especially since her father's sacrifice was him fighting well past his prime and she was told how well he fought even at the end. Dreidi wasn't sure she could compare to that, or to her mother and older sisters. So, she had to win, she was Xeraic and they always won against impossible odds even if it meant dying.

Steeling herself, feeling her emotions on the surface of bubbling over but contained for now. Dreidi rushed forward and launched into several attacks, a sharp jab at the side was a quick feint to pull back, twirling the saber in her hand then going for a slice at Lia, holding the saber with both hands to use all her body mass into the blow. Her stance was firm and keeping her grounded as fire to win burned in her eyes.

Lia Stilben

 

[Lia Stilben]

---

Equipment: Lightsaber, casual sith attire
Tag: Dreidi Xeraic

---

"Plenty of spars," Lia said as the girl rushed in, feinting. Lia gave ground, creating space, but only enough to slip to her left, circling to the outside. The slash came in, and though Dreidi was smaller and had less mass, she exhibited more speed than Lia had, without the assistance of the force. That translated into power and impact. Her height forced Lia to adopt a lower guard. Holding her blade vertical she intercepted the strike, hissing and crackling along her midline.

Dreidi was very fast, and the blow deflected her own saber away, even as Drei's blade rebounded, rather than getting caught in a dangerous lock. And she was good at not telegraphing her intentions. She operated on instinct. That cut down the prediction time, but she wasn't in the flow of battle yet.

The Sith woman seemed almost passive, biding her time, though she took opportunities as they came. Rebounding from the clash she created a quick push-pull motion with her wrists, snapping her blade around toward Dreidi's right ear in a nearly flat cut, turning a little to give her some power, but it was mostly speed based on mechanical leverage. With a real lightsaber, it stood a good chance of killing. With a practice saber, if she didn't defend it would probably smart a bit. The motion of the strike caused a small flash of pain at Lia's right bicep.

A quick glance showed a small burn along the sleeve. Dredi's tip had clipped her. A sloppy block. Had it been a real one, her sword arm would be severely hampered. Not that it mattered as much. But she liked the sword as much as she liked using the Force directly.

Drawing back from her flick of the blade in her hands in a witik or snap strike variation of the cut. She let go with the left, shuffling back and to her left once more, appearing to give ground. The Force gathered around Lia but rather than come out in a blast of lightning or a large push her left hand twitched a little. It was mostly a mental trigger as she reached for the girl's footwear, only one piece, and sought to give it a sharp tug. Quick, simple, with the force of a kick if her mental grip could take hold. Just enough to off-balance or trip her up. Why throw boulders when one only needed a pebble?

More than that it was a little thing, meant to distract her footing. She was solid in her base, but making the girl move, adjust, and then undermining her footwork was simple enough, and meant to frustrate a bit.

"Sparring was fun after a while. Been in some engagements where I was fighting for my life though," she said, continuing to circle. The two had really only just gotten started.

 

[Dreidi Xeraic]

Lia responded to Dreidi's question and it was simple answer, plenty, which was not something Dreidi wanted to hear since the older Acolyte was well versed in duelling, while Dreidi was more an amateur at it. The feint didn't really work, she was still quick enough to block the attack then countered with a hard strike to her head. Dreidi knew that she couldn't block with her saber in time, not with the position she was in and the way that Lia positioned herself. There was only one option, her father would disprove of it since he believed that a spar match should be a test of how well one would do in an actual fight and not winning a sparring match at any cost. But Dreidi was desperate to win and she didn't have much choice in the matter, a blow to the head would hurt too much. So screw what her father would think, she did what was necessary.

Dreidi let one of her hands release the saber and block the strike with her forearm. Lia's saber burned against her arm, she would have lost her arm if this was the play she did against an actual Lightsaber. For now, it just stung so, so much. Gritting her teeth, Dreidi held the block with her arm and swung at Lia's hip. The burn mark on her flesh was painful and while she could still use it if Dreidi really wanted to, she was panting and her arm was not looking a healthy colour from where she blocked the saber. Dreidi needed to be on her toes and use her speed and agility to her advantage. So far, she had been quicker on the mark but Lia was definitely hard to hit.

Before Dreidi could plan her next attack, her foot was pulled from its position and she was forced to be in a weaker stance. It was clear that Lia used the Force to do this and it was smart, also showed what control and skill she had with the Force. Something that Dreidi, herself, was far from able to demonstrate. It was annoying but Dreidi was able to adjust into a different stance, something lighter on her feet to allow herself not be solidly grounded and risk her being pulled to the ground. Breathing out, she had to maintain calm, letting frustration bubble over meant you lose straight away, even those who use the Dark Side need to maintain control.

She tried attacking at Lia's legs, to slow her movements down even more. However, Dreidi was starting to sweat and with the pain in her arm, she could feel dull pain hindering her. The pain was threatening to overwhelm her but adrenaline was keeping it at bay for now.

Lia Stilben

 

[Lia Stilben]

Location: Theed?​

Equipment: Lightsaber, casual sith attire ​

Tag: Dreidi Xeraic​

​

With only one hand on the saber, the attack to her hip and legs was to her weakest side. Lower and she could pick up on the tip. Higher and she could use an outside block, but just a little below her pelvis? She had no leverage or power there. Getting her weapon in the way, they clashed harshly, crackling and sputtering against each other. But the girl had the advantage and her glowing blade crashed into the back and side of her thigh. It couldn't cut, but the impact was hard, and the weapon itself sent pulsing energy thrumming deep into her flesh.

She spun away getting more of it across the back of both thighs before she was clear, though this was only glancing, as she hobbled. Transferring her saber to her left she rubbed at the welted wound with her free hand. It hurt abominably. The girl got her good. Had this been a real fight, it probably would have been over. Angrily she slammed her fist against the wound. A white-hot fire erupted across her nerves, giving her more fuel to work with.

"Good," she barked out. And it was. the girl managed to get in a very good shot. While she was hurt and angry, it was more at the situation than Dreidi. She was doing exactly as she could. Adapting, getting sharper, pressing her defense, challenging her. Raising one hand she gestured for the girl to come on, shifting the saber back to her right fist. "You're adapting. Very good." A wicked smile lit her face. Despite the hit, she was enjoying the fight, feeling alive in a way she hadn't in a while.

As Dreidi closed, Lia shuffled forward hopping from her back foot to her front which popped forward, closing almost a meter in a blink of an eye. Bringing her saber up she gave a sharp thrust toward the girl's breastbone, leaning into it with her body but not over-committing. It was a move straight out of the Makashi handbook, precise and deceptively quick.

​