The Struggle Is Real

[Eenia Vahn]

It was a frustrating thing, to continuously be falling behind in training. No, falling behind wasn't quite right. Eenia could get through the movements, through the steps, and she knew how to handle and use a training saber. But where classmates seemed to progress and even excel in their form and use of said blades, Eenia could merely pass. It was hard for the blonde not to become discouraged by the fact, especially when she had an older sister who took to the more physical side like a bird in flight.

Now, Nia's overall physicality had gotten better in the past couple of months, and while that helped with her stamina and the like it didn't exactly help with her footwork or her saber training - or hell, any form of combat training. And so some outside help was requested from Master DragonsFlame.

A lengthy sigh left Eenia's lips as she shifted from one foot to the other in the designated meeting spot where she was supposed to meet [member="Gherron DragonsFlame"]. The blonde Vahn sister was early out of habit, and she continued to shift from one foot to the other as she waited. It was clear she was a little uncomfortable, and why wouldn't she be? This was a frustrating situation for her, and up to this point? Nothing was helping to make it any better.

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron chuckled lightly to himself as he made his way to the meeting place described by young Eenia. It seemed that the more he made himself known within the order and Josh's own circle of people, the more people wanted to meet him, and pick his brain for possible training. Was it his brother's name that drew them in, or was it actually his knowledge and who he was as a person? He wanted to think it was the latter, especially following his session with the excitable Kahlil Zambrano. He didn't want to be known as 'The brother of Josh Dragonsflame'. No, he wanted to be himself, and for people to seek him out for what he knew.

As he approached the room, he heard muffled sounds of frustration, and hesitated a moment. Quietly peeking in, he watched as the young girl sighed heavily, a small pout forming on her lips. Whatever she had called him over for, it was a big deal for her. That, he understood. He struggled for quite some time with himself when he first began training in the force. A small smile came to his lips when he recalled slamming headfirst into a wall multiple times in his attempts to master and control his force enhanced speed. So, as Eenia shifted and paced, Gherron had already decided that whatever it was she needed to hear or learn, he would be there to help.

Knocking on the frame of the entrance lightly, he finally stepped in with a small smile. "[member="Eenia Vahn"] I presume?"

 

[Eenia Vahn]

The knock one the door frame caused Eenia to shift her footing so that she could turn to face the door. For a moment she took in the sight of the body across from her, and the blonde's brow pulled down just slightly. It wasn't exactly hard to see the resemblance between her Master and this brother of his, and boy did Nia knew exactly how that felt. While there were obvious differences between the Vahn girls, there was no denying that they were sisters. And more than once Eenia has suffered the, 'Oh, you're Anora's little sister' in her day.

"Yes," she answered as she forcibly pulled herself from her brief reverie. "You must be Gherron." she paused however and her brow creased once again. "Is there anything specific I should refer to you as?" Honestly she didn't know how it all worked, addressing others who were higher in rank than she herself was. Or if the person in question even cared. So, asking always seemed like the first step in Eenia's opinion.


[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

"Oh no, Gherron is fine. Between you and me, I actually prefer it." Gherron sat down next to the girl, hoping to ease her nerves a bit. "So Eenia, what are you struggling with? I promise i'll help wherever I can."

He examined the girl for her response. It was weird; the second person he'd be giving some training to, and already he saw a bit of himself in her as well as his previous student. It would certainly make it easier to teach, being able to empathize with them on such a level. Gherron found it was often good thing to have a level of understanding with the trainee, especially so if the teacher had dealt with very similar experiences.

[member="Eenia Vahn"]

 

[Eenia Vahn]

See? It was a good thing that she had asked, and with an answer given the blonde girl bobbed her head in acknowledgement. Being asked what it was she needed help with however made Eenia's head duck a bit and a very faint hue of pink to color her cheeks. It sounded ridiculous in her head when she thought about it, even though she knew that there was nothing wrong with asking for help. Being over shadowed by big sister bothered her a lot more than she let on.

"I have absolutely no fighting finesse." she finally answered with a sigh. "I mean I know how to hold and at least protect myself with a training saber or viroblade, but anything offensive?" her gaze lifted back to him and she was frowning just slightly now. "Absolute garbage."


[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

As Eenia described her issue, Gherron's face lit up a little, if only for a moment. He might have been the best option for her in this case, him focusing on close combat as his fighting style. However when she called herself garbage, he was quick to nip that kind of thinking in the bud.

"No, you'e not garbage Eenia. I can promise you that. Maybe you're just not applying your skills the right way, or maybe you haven't thought of a way around your issue yet. But I assure you, you are anything but garbage."

He bit his tongue for a moment to stop himself. He had to stop that; laying the positive talk on too thick when it came to teaching. It was simply habit for him, after feeling worthless for so long in his youth. It was because he knew that feeling so well that he never wanted another person to feel that way, if he could help it. "Tell you what". he countered as he stood up and walked from the table to an open area. "I will be your personal tutor on offensive fighting. You say you can protect yourself pretty well? How about without a weapon?" He motioned for her to join him, grabbing a single wooden sword from one of the racks against the wall.

[member="Eenia Vahn"]

 

[Eenia Vahn]

Eenia closed an eye at Gherron's response to her. Yes, she knew she shouldn't talk about herself that way, but really she wasn't using the term as a derogatory description of herself. She was merely trying to emphasize just how bad her skills were when it came to...well...anything physical, really. But, she didn't argue. Nia wasn't about to blow her chance for some help.

"Yeah, I can protect myself." she answered, and shifted around to first watch him when he moved, then followed when he beckoned for her to do as such. When he asked if she could protect herself without a weapon, a small smile lifted one corner of the blonde's mouth. "I do alright." she assured him. "I mean I'm by no means an expert, but I can protect myself most of the time."


[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron nodded silently as he listened to the girl's words, taking in what she said. Well, if she was here to learn how to better protect herself as well as being able to counter, his hope was to at least have her leave with a better understanding overall of those two things. Flourishing his sword, he watched Eenia as she approached, a friendly smile on his face. "You ready?" He wouldn't go full force; after all she didn't have a weapon herself, and that was the whole point of the exercise. His intent was to slow down with each strike just enough to leave a small sting, if even hitting her at all. His last instruction with Kahlil proved that he had some decent amount of experience already, so Gherron went harder on him. However, Eenia was still a bit new to all of this, so he would take things slow.

[member="Eenia Vahn"]

 

[Eenia Vahn]

Was she ready? Well, that was a million credit question now wasn't it? Eenia shook both of her arms all the way down to her hands to loosen them up, and then her head bobbed once. "Lets hope so." she answered, and then she shifted her stance just slightly. She braced herself, while she wasn't completely unsure what was about to happen, she didn't know what was about to be thrown her way, but she was as prepared for it as she could be in that moment.


[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Gherron waited patiently for the young girl to assume her stance before moving in closer and striking downward at her leg. In a real fight, landing a hit there could take one's opponent by surprise quite easily, and in some cases cause them to collapse due to the loss of balance. However, as promised, he went slow enough so that Eenia would have an easier time tracking his movements while keeping enough momentum to hurt her slightly if she wasn't able to block or dodge his attack. This first exercise was purely to gauge her reactions and skill, as was how he started all of his combat related lessons. It was a chance for the padawan to show him what she could do.

[member="Eenia Vahn"]

 

[Eenia Vahn]

That seemed to be something popular among those who came at her with blades of any type; leg shots. Granted Eenia understood of course. You take out someone's legs, and in most cases they're screwed. In this case however, she was almost not fast enough to cover herself from the blow. Luckily, the blonde was better in tune with the Force than she ever had been with a weapon in her hands.

One of her hands was quick to lower, making up for her moment of hesitation. There wasn't even a serious look of concentration on her face as she focused the energy around her leg and created a quick barrier between herself and the weapon aimed at her. When said weapon connected with the temporary shield and not her body, Nia's gaze lifted quickly to Gherron's face to watch him now.


[member="Gherron Dragonsflame"]

 

[Gherron Dragovalor]

Right after the quick whap to the leg was blocked by a force barrier, Gherron used the extra momentum to bring his swing back to the other side, aiming for the opposite leg, except that at the last possible second, he directed his attack upward at Eenia's arm. Whether or not the attack struck, he would use it as a catalyst for two lessons. Bringing his sword back down to give the girl a break, he spoke again.

"The force is an excellent sense to have, but like any of your others, it can still fail you at the most inopportune of times. Use it, yes, but don't rely on it too heavily. Be cognizant of your surroundings also; not everything is always as it seems, and your enemy can and will take your lack of experience to their advantage. Again, use the force when needed, but as a first resort? Not your best option. Train your mind and body first, and the rest will follow."

[member="Eenia Vahn"]