Private The First Form Basics

[Aris Noble]

It was good to be back on Coruscant, walking through the temple that Jonyna Si had rebuilt and fixed. It was well lived in now. Aris smiled ever so faintly as he looked through the halls, hearing people walking it's halls. Training, talking, learning. He had to learn some things himself sill. He'd been neglecting his original goal. The different forms, how to master them even with his inability to use the Force. How he could still teach others regardless.

Braze was seeming to really get into it himself, from what his dad had told him. Aris glanced to the lightsaber on his hip, brow furrowed in thought. When was the last time he'd actually used it? He paused his walk though as a different sound filled his ears. Training, but panic? He sort of picked up the pace. Not quite a hurry, but enough to be moving more than his leisurely walk before he peered into the training room with a curious brow raised.

"Everything good in here?"

Everest Vale

 

[Everest Vale]

Everest's day started with a certain diligence. She had found a spring in her step all week that was serving her well in all the beginner classes she had been taking part in. Even lightsaber training felt like it would be something enjoyable to her, and on a day she finally had to herself she had decided to invest the time in improving that skill, even to a preliminary level. So she had endeavoured to set herself up with a training saber in one of the dojos with a sparring droid.

Eve ignited her training saber, its blue blade protruding out as she reached gently through the Force and activated the droid's power. The rickety old thing sprung to life before her, focusing its attention on her immediately. It began to step towards her, suddenly finding its fluidity.
"I-ni-ti-at-ing-com-bat-trai-ning-pro-ce-dures," it rattled in a synthetic, monotone voice as it produced its own saber from its chassis. A sharp hiss reverberated through the dojo as another blue blade illuminated against the dojo floor.

Without a second's hesitation, the droid started swinging at her with relentless ambition. An overhead strike, a leg sweep, and a barrage of quick attacks to the centre, Eve found herself stepping back in defence immediately, losing any ground she may have once hoped to keep. It was too much. The droid's strikes were far too strong and agile, and Eve began to panic.
"Oh no, oh no no no, wait, wait!" she pleaded with the machine as she desperately tried to defend herself. "Stop! Turn off! Deactivate! Sleep! Finish! C-close?" she squeaked, stepping back in fear as the droid maintained its attacks, entirely unresponsive to her plea, and before she knew it she had tripped.

She gasped, winded, as she landed on her back dizzy and panicked. The machine loomed over her, its onslaught still not giving in, and as she held up her blade helplessly in defence - entirely unaware that an onlooker had entered the dojo - she gave a very uncharacteristic squeal for help.

Aris Noble​

 

[Aris Noble]

A creak of aged metal had Aris's attention right away. Some of the older training droids had been brought from other temples to make up for the loss of the former temple's stockpile. New models were being introduced, of course, but they needed to be retaught and remodeled for proper use. It wasn't anything abnormal to hear. What was? A cry for help. That was enough for him to go from just asking if she was alright to action.

He caught the next strike quite literally by snatching the droid by the wrist and flipping it to the ground.

"End procedure."

The droid didn't power down, but it did seem to understand as it stood and made it's way back to where it'd came from in the room. Aris watched for a moment before he looked to Eve.

"The older models are more specific with the code phrases. You alright?"

Everest Vale

 

[Everest Vale]

Everest was panting hard as her mind caught up with what just happened. Getting to her feet slowly, she brought her breath back to a gentle calm. She eyed the droid suspiciously, not trusting it but not daring to say anything to it again. Her eyes then shifted to focus on her saviour. He was a handsome young man with piercing green eyes whose height towered over her own. Everest blushed a little at the embarrassment of her blunder that warranted being saved in the first place.

"Thank you. S-sorry," she said quietly as she brushed down her robe nervously. "I'm okay. I'm not used to droids." She shuffled awkwardly on the spot. "Not sure what would've happened in you didn't come to my rescue." She suddenly realised how rude she was having not introduced herself. Remembering Jedi etiquette, she bowed stiffly. "E-Everest Vale. Padawan Everest Vale."

Aris Noble​

 

[Aris Noble]

"It'd hit you with a 'lethal' blow and thus finish it's program. It wouldn't keep beating you or anything." Even the blow wouldn't be anything painful, thankfully. At least to Aris. From what he heard it wasn't going to be painful. He ceased that line of thinking though, instead giving a little of a smile before he dipped his head in some form of a Jedi like greeting. She was flustered, not that he blamed her for it. No one wanted to have to be saved or the like from others.

"Padawan Aris Noble. Good to meet you. You from one of the outposts?"

Everest Vale

 

[Everest Vale]

Noble. Was this one of Master Noble's children? Eve felt suddenly shy.

She nodded. "Eshan," she said, his thoughts dwelling a little on home. "I've only been here a few weeks, but... I'm starting to feel at home. I have Grandmaster Noble to thank for that. She's been... so, so kind to me." She thought on that first week, and how different everything was for her then, and how in such a short space of time she had grown so much as a person, and leaned into who she really was. She was nowhere near a Jedi yet, but she was starting to understand what that might mean at some point. But she owed so much to Master Noble and how much she had welcomed her, how much she had been there to fill that motherly void that she had been feeling since her arrival. The café dates, the basic lessons with her made for her own pace, the moments of encouragement whenever she was feeling overwhelmed. Master Noble always seemed to find time for her. She was grateful for it all.

A few moments of silence passed and Eve, stirred to shyness, realised she was getting lost in thought again.
"Sorry," she said needlessly. "How long have you been a Jedi? Or were you born into it?" Having not made many friends at the temple, she realises she hasn't bad much chance to learn about 'how it all worked' around here. Were Jedi mostly born into it? Or were there any other exceptions out there, like her?

Aris Noble

​

 

[Aris Noble]

"Mom is pretty nice to new arrivals."

No reason to hide his relationship to Valery Noble . It'd be known soon enough, and well. He was proud that she was his mother. Though, watching as this Padawan seemed to retreat into her mind had a softer smile on his face. It was really good that mom had reached out to her, then. "I wasn't born a Jedi, no. I didn't really choose to be one till I was older. Eight, with my sister. What about you?"

Everest Vale

 

[Everest Vale]

So this was one of her children. Eve felt suddenly self-conscious, as if she had been pretending Master Noble was her own mother and taking away from her actual children. She pushed the thought away.
"Your mother is wonderful," she said quietly, a little embarrassed about having fawned over her so in front of him. "Me? Well, I've only been here a few weeks, but my father was a Jedi and I always wanted to train to be one too, once I was ready." Her thoughts lingered a little on her father, but it was not something she wanted to let herself dwell on in front of him, as she knew she would only make herself upset if she wasn't careful.
"I was just practising lightsaber... stuff. Not very well... I was trying to remember the basic form, but... well, you saw..." She blushed a little, eyes flitting back to the droid that stood lifelessly in the corner.

Aris Noble​

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris glanced to the droid as he nodded his head. "Yeah, you didn't seem to have a good memory of it." Blunt truth, not teasing, not meanness, though it could seem that way. He reached up to rub at the back of his neck, seeming to fall deeper into thought as he mulled over some sort of solution. The answer was obvious, of course. He wanted to be a battlemaster of the Jedi Order.

"Instead of a droid, why don't we spar? I can help you find some things you might've forgotten."

Everest Vale

 

[Everest Vale]

Eve blushed a little at Aris' comment, embarrassed at yet another new memory where she had made a fool of herself in front of new people. The reaction to it made her bite her lip sheepishly. But then the young Noble offered something she wasn't expecting at all, and a combination of excitement and nervousness came to her. Nevertheless, it was the smile that won over any other expression, and she gave an enthusiastic nod to him.

"A sparring partner would be really helpful. Thank you, Aris." Setting her stance back to the traditional starting place for Shii-Cho combat, she saluted. "I'll follow your lead."

Aris Noble​

 

[Aris Noble]

"Then we start right away. You remember the zones, right?" Aris smiled brighter before he turned to gather up a training saber from one of the nearby racks. He ignited the green blade, settling in a stance to mirror her own. His expression stilled then, the smile replaced by focus as he nodded once. "If you do, we'll start easy. I'll call out the zones, and you can alter between vertical and horizontal cuts. Nice and simple."

Everest Vale

 

[Everest Vale]

The young man's manner was both polite and serious, something Eve could respect a lot. Her own focus matched his as he assumed a stance. She nodded at him. The zones were just about the only thing she could remember, at least she hoped she did. They cycled quickly through her head just to make sure.
"Okay," she said quietly, nerves setting in a little, and she took a deep, controlled breath. Nice and simple. "Ready."

Aris Noble​

 

[Aris Noble]

Aris gave one last nod before he lifted his blade, and the drill began. He called out the different zones one after another for Everest to react to. Slow and deliberate at first, to make sure she could keep up. Then up went the tempo. Bit by bit, faster and more random every time as he wanted to push her, keep her constantly guessing. Keeping her constantly improving.

It was the best way he could help right now.

Everest Vale

 

[Everest Vale]

Aris' motions were measured and intentional. One after another, the boy had Eve focus on each zone with increased speed and precision. Her comfort with the zones matched his increasing intensity. She wasn't unfamiliar with the methods of routined forms, and her experience as an Echani martial artist provided a certain intuition as she settled deeper into the practice, but she nevertheless appreciated the mindfulness Aris showed her with each strike.

Up.

Left.

Centre.

Down.

Right.

Her focus had set in deeper than she could perhaps comprehend, as her eyes honed in almost unconsciously to the strikes as they came. But her footwork was causing her problems. Her natural tendency to move like an Echani seemed to get in the way of the comparatively rigid footwork of Shii-Cho, or rigid-seeming to her surprisingly stubborn unconscious. Diligently, however, she strove on to ensure her body conformed against the inhibiting instinct, moving her hips and wrists as a sign to her legs to move.

Aris Noble​

 

[Aris Noble]

The rigidity she had was more surprising to Aris than anything else. Perhaps it was the advantage of growing up as Aris had where his combat style with his family was ingrained into how he learned how to use a lightsaber. He didn't have to separate the two. For Everest, was it different? Was this what Jedi Padawans were supposed to be like as they figured out the forms to the letter?

Discipline was important, right?

So he kept it up, giving pointers here and there about her positioning. The slashes were meant to be perfectly horizontal or vertical, and while he wasn't harping on it he was still suggesting it. At least until she'd get tired, anyway.

Everest Vale

 

[Everest Vale]

Aris was showing himself to be a tough instructor, but it was something Eve was extremely grateful for. She would rather this, than that droid again. So she kept on, endeavouring to keep up with the incoming strikes, and paying attention to the critiques he was offering her with her form. But as an hour went by, fatigue started to set into her muscles, making her motions sloppier with each drill.

"I think I might need to rest," she finally said through heavy breaths. "Thank you for this. I really needed it." She meant it. She knew she wouldn't have made the progress she did on this day without his help. Suddenly, her serious demeanour broke. "That's two Nobles I owe. How many more I wonder?" A soft smile came to her.

Aris Noble​