Private The Weather Machine

[Starlin Rand]

“... Yeah, pretty much,” Starlin agreed. “Thunder is just the noise lightning makes. It seems different because the sound waves travel slower than light.”

He gestured vaguely. “So if you’re going to control the weather, you’re probably gonna wind up manipulating the water droplets in the air. Like I did earlier when I made it foggy. But you’re gonna do that…” He swept his arms upward toward the opening in the ceiling. “... in the sky! Woo!”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

This was the part where Eliphas always tripped himself up.​

​

The part that required him to actively try and figure out how to put what he was being told into action. The problem was he was something of a visual learner, he had to understand it, to be able to perceive it within his mind, and thus he more often than not tried to link it to something else he knew how to do.​

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The problem?​

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Well... Eliphas had never done anything even remotely akin to this. It was completely fresh.​

​

He followed Starlin's gesture up toward that opening, and then let out a small huff as he tried to make sense of it. For once though he didn't ask a bunch of silly questions, or try to verbalize his attempt at making sense of it. He ruminated for a moment, then closed his eyes.​

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Inhaled his breath, and sensed the world around them.​

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Rock, trees, Starlin, the structure of the Temple itself, all of those things readily came to him. But there was more present, wasn't there? Deeper... Small creatures that scurried around, such as the spiders, and ants, birds far overhead. Deeper... Organisms that they couldn't see even if they stooped down to try and perceive them.​

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Deeper.​

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No. Not deeper. Instead he broadened his senses to encompass more than just the tangible. Sensed the emotions pooling from Starlin, and lack of sentience in the arachnids, the breeze which whipped down and through the opening like a vortex, and--​

​

Moisture in the air.​

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Eliphas tried to grasp at it.​

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Starlin Rand​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin could tell Eli was onto something—the kid had gone into a deeply meditative state. As long as he was trying, who was Starlin to disrupt his concentration with silly comments or awkward attempts at elaboration?

So he stood watch, making sure no more critters interrupted the lesson. At some point, he sensed something. A shift in the air, or a drop in the temperature. His gaze flicked toward Eli, then to the opening. The blue sky had gone overcast, the sunlight blocked by thickening clouds.

"Good," he whispered. "Now just keep going. Keep fattening up those clouds until they're so heavy, it has to rain…"

Lief​

 

[Lief]

For a moment he seemed to lose himself to the process. Where typically he struggled with the fundamentals of what he was trying to do, he found that this came to him almost too readily. Now that he'd found it, now that he'd deepened and broadened his senses to encompass more than the naked eye could perceive, he found the rest of it flowed somewhat naturally.​

​

It still took him time, of course, and arguably a decent amount of it, this was new and exciting and in many ways scary, but it wasn't as frustrating as his telekinetic attempts had been, nor so impossible to comprehend as astral projection, or...​

​

Starlin spoke soft words of encouragement, prompting the boy to realize that he was in fact having an effect. More, though... He needed to draw upon more of the moisture, and so he did. He pooled it in from slightly further afield so as not to completely mess up the air around them, and sent wisps of it up toward the sky to meet with the rest of the fattening clouds.​

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Visually it would appear the way in which it would if one sat by the hot shore of a vast sea, billowing wisps first just a shimmer by the water yet the clouds themselves formed before your very eyes. Eliphas didn't get to witness how cool that was to see, his eyes were still closed, but all the same...​

​

The clouds became heavier, and as they did they turned from a crisp white toward varying shades of grey. As they deepened more into a charcoal colour the heavens saw fit to open up and the first patters of raindrops fell down through the opening and toward the devices housed within the chamber.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Well, whaddya know,” Starlin muttered, rubbing his hands together and grinning. “You’re a Rainmaker, baby.”

But in order to activate the machines, Eli would need to produce lightning. “You got a storm brewing, now just add friction. Try to aim it so the bolt will strike the platform, and strike true…”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

A smile twitched at Eli's lips, and only once the storm clouds lay overhead did he open an eye to peek at his craftsmanship. "Interesting technique" he muttered, more to himself than to his Master as he regarded the droplets of rain which made it through into the room. "It uh, didn't even resist me too much" he added, glancing across at Starlin as he did so. It was odd, because compared to some of the other things he'd learned it seemed on the surface as though it should have been more of a struggle.​

​

Yet here they were, and here the clouds were...​

​

But they were far from done. Eliphas rubbed his hands together, and this time when he drew upon the Force he kept his eyes open and drew his gaze skyward. His knowledge on meteorology was admittedly limited to high school level geography, but he did know the basics of how the static was formed to create discharge. Powerful, explosive discharge... Lightning was a frightening thing in truth, even if it was beautiful at a distance.​

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Without even realizing he was doing it his left hand moved slightly at his side as he sought to create the right kind of conditions amidst those clouds to conjure up the static needed. Gestures were sort of a thing he relied upon subconsciously more than he'd ever admit, more than he'd ever even take note of, he needed something tangible to channel the Force through. He wasn't alone in that, of course, but he'd also seen many draw upon it without first projecting their intentions.​

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Maybe one day he'd learn to be more subtle, but today was not that day.​

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Overhead the clouds shifted some, and the rain began to pick up. Where once it was a drizzle, now it was throwing it down. His expression became more strained than it had been previously, lines forming across his forehead and between his quickly furrowing brows. This was admittedly more difficult than simply drawing the clouds themselves into existence. Still he didn't relent, even if he did sort of begin to hold his breath a little...​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“It feels easy for me, too. When the rain falls and the lightning strikes, there’s something about it that’s like a… a release.” He wouldn’t be surprised if there was an emotional component to controlling the weather; it certainly seemed capable of affecting people’s moods.

“Helps with stress, I think. Anyway, keep at it.” Starlin sat down, content to watch the fireworks. Eli was starting to struggle with the lightning portion of the task, but he was close. Starlin could sense it. He just needed a little more…

...and then he's have to do it several more times as they moved to all the platforms throughout the ruins.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

There was definitely tension in the air as Eliphas drew together the necessary conditions, as though more than just the boy was holding his breath. As though the air stilled and became charged all at once.​

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It wasn't until he finally released that breath he'd been holding in a sharp exhale that the sky lit up with a flash of light that was conducted down through the opening in the ceiling. With their proximity to it, the crash of thunder boomed almost in unison; Eliphas jumped in surprise.​

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He couldn't recall the last time he'd been this close to lightning.​

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Frankly, it was kind of horrifying... Cathartic, though, too.​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Lightning lit up the underground chamber with a flash of brilliant white light. Starlin’s face, a sickly shade of pale naturally, seemed to glow from within with a ghostly luster. Eli too was caught in the kilowatt blaze, his teeth and the whites of his eyes gleaming.

Then it was over. The weather machine hummed with power, gears turning and cogs spinning. Somewhere nearby, a panel in the wall opened, revealing a hidden passageway into the next part of the ruins.

Starlin grinned at his apprentice. “I’m gonna have to start calling you Stormbringer.”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Recovering from the surprise of it all, Eliphas turned his head toward Starlin and smirked at his statement. "Better that than baby" he stated, words sounding rather breathless though he hadn't done anything which could be perceived as particularly strenuous. Drawing upon the Force, especially in new and exciting ways, was something which could readily sap one of their energy though. It was taxing, mental work.​

​

He turned back toward the weather machine, and then looked from it to the opening which had formed once lightning had struck the device. After shaking off his limbs a little to try and lessen the brain fog, he set one foot in front of the other and headed toward the passageway without even having to be told to do so.​

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Starlin had made him enter these ruins first, no doubt he meant for the boy to lead the way again.​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“You shall henceforth be known only as Baby,” Starlin replied.

Baby was clearly tired, but at least he was heading for the new door without having to be poked and prodded. Starlin got up and followed him through.

They found themselves in a natural cavern. No sooner had Starlin set foot in the cave, he instantly recognized his surroundings. It all came rushing back to him, bringing him to a halt.

"I have a gift for you, Starlin. It's a relic I recovered from a recent visit to Atrisia. To a place called Mount Muspelheim. I'm not entirely sure where it came from but its magical nature is something I felt would be of use to you since you are still struggling with it as a concept. Magic, you see, is empowerment..."

The shoto hanging from his belt suddenly felt unbearably heavy. Syd had given it to him here.

She’d given him a few gifts over the years. The shoto, his shield, the meditation band. Meanwhile Starlin had yet to give Baby Eli anything except knowledge and strife.

“Hey,” he asked the boy. “Is there, uh, anything that you need or want that might help you with… being a Jedi?” Probably a dumb question, since Baby, by virtue of his privileged upbringing, had wanted for nothing all his life. Or maybe he'd say some sappy chit about how Starlin had already given him a great gift by teaching him. Which would be nice to hear, but still—pretty predictable.

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Eliphas groaned.​

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Why... Why had he opened his stupid mouth and spoke those stupid words? Now he'd never hear the end of 'Baby'. No, please, Stormbringer, come back... Nope, too late, already gone.​

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He continued to lead the way in spite of Starlin's bold statement, and soon found himself in a cavernous space that at first was narrow but soon seemed to spread out before them.​

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Waiting until he was further into the open, so as not to get in his Master's way, Eliphas peered out over the space ahead of them and smiled gleefully at the sight. There was something strange and different about it, truth be told he'd never really explored caves before. It was refreshingly different, even with the previously encountered spiders still in the back of his mind.​

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Starlin's question had him turn on the spot to face him, and a curious and thoughtful expression fell over him.​

​

"I'm not sure" he admitted, with a shrug, "I left most everything I own back at that pitstop, didn't seem worth losing my head over. So at some point I'll have to replace that equipment." Yeah, that's right, Eliphas hadn't brought much of anything with him when he'd come to the Jedi. Privileged though he may once have been, he'd turned his back on all of that when he came to the Jedi. No more trappings or belongings, just standard issue gear. The Hermes Holopad was the only flashier thing he'd picked up, and even then he'd saved for it himself.​

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Losing it was a little irksome.​

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"Is there something I should need..?"​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

"Wha—You lost your gear?" Starlin sputtered. "And you didn't tell me on the ship?! You just came down here to the Shadowlands with nothing but your clothes and your lightsaber? Do you even have a comlink?—"

Starlin quickly realized what he sounded like (an overprotective parent) and stiffened, swallowing to hide his embarrassment. "Alright, alright. I just wish you had said something, I could've gotten you replacements along the way or whatever."

Upon hearing Eli ask if there was anything he should need, Starlin snorted. "Well, I dunno. My master gave me gifts that I didn't ask for. Some of it wound up being useless, others turned out pretty good. Like this." He unclipped the shoto and held it up. "She gave me this here, in this cavern. It's a relic she found on Atrisia, near a volcano. Or at least, the lava crystal inside it came from Mount Muspelheim..."

Lowering his hand, he looked at Eli, one corner of his mouth turning up. "I guess my situation is a little different from yours—I'd never had much of anything, so gifts were a big deal to me. But if you do need anything, Baby, don't hesitate to ask."

Lief​

 

[Lief]

"I uh... I guess I got caught up in the moment, back at the pitstop, and then we got to talking about other things, and I didn't really need to make use of any of it so, I uh, I guess, I..."​

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Colour entered his cheeks for a split second before they paled with guilt. He looked down at his feet, shoulders feeling heavy all of a sudden as Starlin chastised him for not speaking up sooner.​

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"I'm sorry." His voice was quiet, one might even say small, in the face of it all. Even when his Master eased up a little he didn't really lift his head or shift his demeanor, he just kept staring down. "I didn't mean to leave them behind."​

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It wasn't until Starlin verbalized the fact he had something to show that he tipped his head up a touch. At least there wasn't any anger or disappointment left upon his face, not that Eliphas could read, so that was a relief. Head lifted a tiny bit more, and he glanced over the shoto with intrigue. ​

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"Lava crystal?" he inquired, still fairly sheepish in his tone. Eliphas had never heard of a lava crystal before.​

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"Gifts have always been special to me too" he whispered, a slight knot forming in his stomach as he was called out on his background, "I just... Prefer to give them. It's nice, to see something that reminds me of someone. I can't really indulge in that anymore, but when I could..." The only thing he'd bought for someone as of late was the holopad for @Iris Aranis and that had been more so that he could show her how to use it, and so they'd have an easier time keeping in touch.​

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Wasn't as though he had much of an allowance these days. Just a standard stipend that mostly just covered essential needs. Which made the loss of his gear all the more foolish.​

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His head dropped again. "Okay" he breathed, barely even registering the fact that Starlin was back to calling him a baby.​

​

Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

Starlin stared at Eli, leaning down a little to meet the wilted boy’s gaze, squinting at him.

“You’re acting weird, man,” he said.

Had he said something specific that rubbed Eli the wrong way? If he had, he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

“Look, it’s just—the last thing I need is for something to happen to you, maybe you get lost down here or something, and you can’t call for help because you don’t have a comlink. The Force can do a lot of things, but so can technology. You get it?”

The kid perked up a little at the mention of his shoto, asking about the lava crystal. “Yeah, it creates a blade that’s hotter than usual, and sometimes it splatters flecks of lava. ‘S pretty dope.”

Aaaaand back to slouching and mumbling. What was happening here? Starlin didn’t like what he was seeing, but he didn’t know what to do about it. He hated not knowing what to do about something.

“Eli,” he said. His tone was startlingly gentle, at least by Starlin’s standards. He wasn’t sure why the feth he was practically crouching in front of the boy—they were close enough in height that it shouldn’t have been necessary, but Eli was so hunkered down it made him seem smaller. “What’s wrong?”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

As he further explained the cause for his concern, Eliphas could only nod his head a little. It all made sense, of course. Had they just gone straight back to Coruscant it likely wouldn't have been such a big deal, he could have looked for a quartermaster to get some of the gear replaced or something, but they hadn't. They'd come here instead.​

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And as wonderful and verdant as it was, Starlin had a point. It could be dangerous too, not just insofar as creatures were concerned but its winding underbrush and caves such as these ones could have him all sorts of turned around should they ever end up separated.​

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"I understand" he replied.​

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The lava crystal sounded cool, while he was familiar with the idea that crystals could have properties - his own did, after all - he didn't exactly know what lay out there. Maybe he'd have to do some more research...​

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Now Starlin was stooping low, trying to get a good read on his expression or perhaps hoping to catch his gaze. His question felt loaded in the mind of the boy, though the softness of his tone was by contrast working toward alleviating such. He swallowed, and then shrugged.​

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"I don't want to disappoint you" he mumbled, the words sort of mingling together in both haste and reluctance to get them out into the void between them, "I feel bad for leaving them behind, and for causing trouble." He kicked at the ground a little with the toe of his boot, then let out a small sigh. Back home there hadn't really been all that much room for error, he was a Dune and how he conducted himself mattered greatly. Oskar had never been one for anger or raising his voice, though, he'd just be... Disappointed.​

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And that was perhaps the worst part of it.​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

“Disappoint me?” Starlin echoed. “You do realize that I’m a disappointment, don’t you? How can you disappoint a disappointment?”

Okay, so maybe he was being a little hyperbolic. He was on probation, after all. But still.

“There isn’t a whole lot you can do to really disappoint me, Eli. Hell, if you fell to the Dark Side, I don’t even know if I could really bring myself to be disappointed. I’ve danced on the edge of the abyss far too many times myself to judge you for it. Now, if you go berserk and start killing kids or something, that’s another matter—but in what timeline is that gonna happen, anyway?”

Eli still seemed a little droopy, so he held out his arms and pulled the gloomy teen into a bro hug.

“People think that if they screw up once, that’s it. But that’s not true for me. I’ll still be here, no matter what happens. I don’t give up on people.” Pulling away, he gave Eli a slap on the back. “I just get a little annoyed sometimes when y’all do stupid shit. But it’s fine, Baby.”

Reaching for his belt, he retrieved a lightsaber he hadn’t used around Eli before. “Surprise extra lesson,” he said, holding it out to him. “We’re gonna try some Jar’Kai, see how you do with it. That’s the two-handed lightsaber form.”

Lief​

 

[Lief]

Starlin's impassioned words had the boy lifting his head to meet his gaze. Wait, so he wasn't disappointed? Confusion writ itself across his expression for a moment, somewhat snuffed by the brief embrace he found himself tangled up in. Eliphas returned the gesture, surprising even himself by how tightly he clung in the moment. However brief it might have been, it left him realizing how long it had been since he'd last had that level of contact. Back on Teta he'd had his mother's love on hand, and even his father was clear in his affection, but since then?​

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He pulled back when his Master did, and finally swallowed away that lump in his throat. "You're not a disappointment in my eyes," he stated, voice firm despite its lowered volume. "Sounds like you've been through Chaos, but look at you - you're still here, even after the Galaxy tested you."​

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A soft sigh, then he nodded his head. "I understand what you're saying now, and I will try to be less reckless with my things in the future Master. Or, at the very least, inform you sooner." He meant it too. Eli was the kind of kid who really tried to learn from his mistakes, and he always had been. Sometimes he took things a little too literally or seriously, it could easily swing the other way, but... Nobody was perfect, right?​

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The mood in the cave was lifted some by the announcement of an impromptu lesson, and Eliphas found himself staring at the outstretched elongated hilt of a saber which had far more buttons and dials than he was used to. His eyes widened, though he took it into his grasp all the same and began to inspect it, resisting the urge to mess with the buttons. Something told him that wouldn't end well.​

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"It's so long" he said, brows knitting together. Heavy too. It took him a few seconds longer to notice the indent which ran a ring around the center, perfectly splitting it in two. And of course it helped that there were two emitters. "Wait, is this... No way!" He blinked up at Starlin, "Two sabers in one?" They were attached though, how did that work?​

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Starlin Rand ​

 

[Starlin Rand]

"It's so long."

Tempting, but the jokes write themselves.

“Yeah, it's a split saber, which means it can be double-bladed or two separate blades." Starlin snickered. "You don’t wanna press any of those buttons yet. At least, not as long as the other emitter is pointed toward you.”

Taking a step back, Starlin palmed his lightsaber and shoto, activating the two blades. "I'm actually going to teach you both Jar'Kai and Niman. Niman is the proper name for the dual-bladed lightsaber form, whereas Jar'Kai apparently refers more generally to any dual-wielding blades, not just lightsabers. I won't give you the whole convoluted history on how the two became separate forms, my name isn't Professor Errik Nimdok, and to be honest I don't think anyone cares.

"In fact, I went several years without even realizing that Jar'Kai and Niman were two different things," he said. "Which is pretty weird, considering that dual-wielding is my default mode. But I'mma be honest with you, Eli—I'm not that great at lightsaber combat. I love lightsabers, the way they look, the way they sound, how they feel in my hand, the smell the hot plasma produces as it burns particles in the air, but I am not a prodigal swordsman by any means. Val Drutin is, though, so I recommend you go back to him sometime."

He demonstrated the moves for Eli to watch and replicate, searching his memories to try and recall what Syd had told him...

"The style I am using is called Niman. It is the most balanced of the styles... and its the one you use to combine with Force Attacks. No specific strength... but no weakness. Sorcerous types like myself will often employ it against you, and they will use much nastier combinations than what I am using..."

Lief​

 

[Lief]

"How do I, uh, split it?" he inquired, still puzzling over the strange saber he now held. ​

​

As Starlin began to explain the Form - well, Form and Technique - and no doubt told the boy how to separate the blades, Eliphas held each half in opposing hands and got a feel for them. His right hand was going to have to adjust to wielding a weapon beyond being the support for a two-handed grip, because he'd only ever made use of his left for swordplay.​

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But he was sure, with time, he'd adjust. Before he could actually activate the blades, Eliphas paused and frowned. "Can you show me how to adjust these, so they're non-lethal?" he requested, "I think I'm more likely to cut off my own hand than anything..." Yeah, his right hand was going to be a little clumsy to begin with.​

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Adjustments made, he ignited the sabers and adjusted again to the way they felt, their weight, and how best to angle them so that they didn't clash with one another. All of this he did while listening to and watching Starlin.​

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"Understood" he said when Starlin made his speech about seeking out further help from Val in the future, though that didn't mean they couldn't make some progress now all the same. ​

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Jar'Kai specific maneuvers were then deployed by Starlin, the man whirled both blades around himself in a move known as the Rising Whirlwind, and then brought both blades into a swinging arc in a united strike known as the Twin Strike; there was more, of course, and Eliphas soaked in as much as he could. Without prompting he even took a few steps away from his Master in order to try them for himself.​

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He was clumsy though. The idea of using two blades was still entirely foreign to him, after all.​

​

Starlin Rand ​