Wanderlust

[Jairdain]

"My people didn't have lightsabers or anything similar to these," Jairdain moved the hand with her hilt. "So this is maybe more similar to what I was taught growing up."

While her Basic was spoken with mostly correct grammar, it was not her native language and she spoke with an accent.

"Hearing you speak about this is nice, very informative and so much more in just that little bit than I knew before."

She was a very curious person and it would show on her face that she really wanted to know more. Her violet eyes lit up in excitement and expectation. Almost like a small child at a fair.

"What is it called that?"

[member="Karl J. Winters"]

 

[Darth Arkanus]

"I am not truly sure why it is called Shii-Cho but, I do now why it came around and how it got its nicknames

Original lightsabers were unstable and cumbersome weapons, used merely for ceremonial purposes, and requiring no specialized fighting methods for such usage. However, as lightsaber technology developed and they became usable in combat, a combat form tailored to make use of the advantages offered by lightsabers and compensate for their weaknesses became needed. Thus, the first form of lightsaber combat was developed.

As the most ancient style of lightsaber combat, Shii-Cho was developed during the transition period from swords to lightsabers. Lightsabers were wielded in a manner similar to swords, so many of the maneuvers, such as attacks or parries, remained unchanged, as the key principles of the old sword-fighting methods continued to be incorporated. The simplicity and persistent methods of the form led it to being dubbed the "Way of the Sarlacc" and the "Determination Form".

As Shii-Cho was developed prior to either the emergence of Dark Jedi or Sith Lords, it was not created with lightsaber-to-lightsaber combat in mind. Despite this, it was the preferred form of such groups when they began appearing, as it was quite simply the only option. As lightsaber duels between practitioners of the Force became increasingly common, Form I was judged as being inadequate for the task, leading to the development of the second form of lightsaber combat; also known as Makashi."

While studying under his master, and his mother he took a lot of time in researching and learning about the form, he enjoyed the history of why things came around and found this one to be an interesting story. He recited it as if it was etched into his mind as he looked the girl down as he told her as much as he knew.

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

Jairdain was pleased Karl could admit where his knowledge lacked, but the answer really didn't matter as he went on to speak further of the form and how it got the nicknames he had previously said.

"Determination form, makes it sound like it's made for people that are stubborn."

He would hear a touch a humor in her voice and see a slight smile as she spoke.

"When did people start falling to darker tendencies and why did that effect saber combat?"

As she considered her own training both growing up and with the one master she had within the Silver, Jairdain realized her knowledge was low, but yet she was still a Knight. What she possess, she would freely pass onto others. She had so much to learn still though and Karl would help her to learn yet another facet of what it meant to be a Jedi.

[member="Karl J. Winters"]

 

[Darth Arkanus]

He would nod at her joke and shake his head with a slight grin before pondering her next question, it was a interesting one he would admit that, he raked his mind trying to provide her an answer, he knew of the stories from even before the time of Revan and the Old Republic but he wasn't sure about the answer but it was better then nothing.

"Long long ago during the beginning of the Jedi order even before the time of Revan and his Republic there was the Jedi. This Jedi was set up similar to the one we still see today and had some of the same conflicts we have today. Some of the members started to go against the teachings of the Jedi and turned to passion and power, and began their own mindset, when the Jedi found out they cast these Dark Jedi away from the order, and how they affected the style of combat I'm not sure but I feel that it has to go with the more aggressive nature of the darkside influenced the way they would fight, with more ferocious and powerful strikes."

He told her all he knew of the question but he honestly could not give a great response to her question, although he would like to know this too, he might just have to go research this one day, but that was another time, he would continue with his lesson.

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

Jairdain nodded and would have to agree with his answer. It was as good as any and not one she had thought of. Emotions quite often dictated how a person would react to situations so it made sense that fighting style would also change.

"Do dark side followers use different forms?"

She had never actually been involved with a battle or been able to observe the movements in a spar between the different ideologies.

"Was the Code the same then as now? You said the original Jedi were similar."

[member="Karl J. Winters"]

 

[Darth Arkanus]

Karl would nod and think about what she was asking, of course every user could use any form, some just were more aggressive and fitted the dark and some where more passive favoring the light. He would think about it some more before giving her a definitive answer.

"Dark-siders and light-siders use whatever form fits them the best, I favor Shii-Cho, but some may favor Vaapad or any other of the forms, on both sides they can be used, it just depends on how their used that defines them."

He would again nod at her next question, he truly didn't know the answer, he knew it was similar but he didn't know if the code was the same.

"To be honest I'm not sure if it is the same, it could be, yet codes change as new things come into play, no?"

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

It felt wonderful to be having a conversation about something that didn't deal with life and death, put her or another person in any danger and it was relaxing in a way. Her violet eyes looked in his direction and he would see she displayed the pleasure she was having from talking with him.

"My first master actually told me very little of the Forms, what they were called or did. She take me through the katas though so I have some knowledge. As a fighter, I am way more defensive than aggressive. I block or deflect blows rather than give. But my fighting experience is only a few spars in a ring similar to this."

She would motion with her empty hand the ring they were standing in and look back at Karl.

"I agree, Karl," it was the first time Jairdain had not attempted to put sir in front of his name. "Code should change as situations rise and fall. Nothing should be so set in stone that it can't be."

[member="Karl J. Winters"]

 

[Darth Arkanus]

He would nod again, he realized she had expertly steered him off track with her questions, be he didn't mind he thought it was good that she was being inquisitive and wanting to know more about the form. With her last statement he would have recommended to her Form III because of its defensive nature.

"Okay now let's get in the ring and start a small duel, I want you to follow what I do for a while and see how the form is preformed and see if you can understand the proper response to such attack, knowing how to use a form is good, but to truly master one you must know its weaknesses and the way to attack it, so you can block their chances of exploiting you. Also, when we get off this rock I suggest finding a Form III teacher for your defensive nature, it'd be good for you."

As he said that he made his way to the center of the ring and turned on his unique lightsaber, the hum filling their ears as he stood there. He thought of what he was going to teach her first, he would have to wing it.

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

Jairdain nodded as Karl spoke, dreading she would prove to be inept in learning. She knew this wasn't the case, but memories of her younger years, the kids teasing her, made self conscious of her poor ability.

"Is there fancy foot work involved? Quite often I seem to have two left feet."

Falling into step with her companion, Jairdain looked at him.

"What is Form III called then?"

When he ignited his saber, Jairdain turned hers on as well and held it how it felt comfortable. Her left hand on top and her right on the bottom of the hilt to control its movements.

[member="Karl J. Winters"]

 

[Darth Arkanus]

He would nod again and look at her stance, he walked up to her and fixed her movements a bit but overall her form was perfectly fine. He would step back and laugh a little as she asked about footwork.

"Yes of course there is footwork but I have a feeling that if a little Padawan can do it, so can you."

Going back to his original position he looked at her as she asked another question.

"Good question, Form III is also known as Soresu, most famously used by Obi-Wan Kenobi of the Clone Wars era Jedi."

He would saw this matter-of-factly as he remembered what it was called, he was more used to calling them by their formal numbers but he could rack up in his mind their actual names when it came down to it.

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

Not having held her lightsaber very often, Jairdain wasn't surprised she was a little off. After Karl adjusted her positioning slightly, she gave him a small smile and a larger one at his next words.

"You should have seen me when I was going through the katas. Two left feet, I tell you."

Tilting her head slight as he answered her with the name, she was sure there was more to it. Like they all have proper names and then nicknames. Her nickname being Jera, though she didn't many people that.

"What is its nickname and purpose?"

[member="Karl J. Winters"]

 

[Darth Arkanus]

He would look at her and shake his head, this girl wanted to everything right now, he'd have to sit her down another time and tell her about all the forms of lightsaber combat, but right now he finally focused on the topic at hand.

"Maybe you should be called an enchanter, using your words to dodge everything I'm trying to actually teach you."

He would chuckle at her and shake his head again with a small smile before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath opening them and going through a quick routine of swings and slashes and cut, a dance played in the air with his lightsaber, the slashes the parries, a mock battle playing in his head before he stopped and looked at her.

"Did you see how I used the form, it was like flowing water, I let the knowledge flow through me."

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

Jairdain had to blush a little at his words. It was just so much to know and she wanted to learn as much as she could. She also had to smile at his humor though.

"I'll try to stop asking questions, Karl. But I'm not trying to dodge anything!"

He took a breath and went through a series of fast motions, much faster than her first master had ever done with her when going through the katas before. She wondered if when Master Dune tested her if he had moved that fast yet she had been able to counter him. It didn't possible she would ever be that good, but one never know.

"I would think one should have knowledge before it could be allowed to flow through them."

Did he want to try and mimic him? She brought her saber up and would try to just as gracefully move as he had and probably failed miserably.

[member="Karl J. Winters"]

 

[Darth Arkanus]

He would come up behind her and put his hands on her adjusting a arm and a leg as she moved from phase to phase of the motion he watched her, she was clumsy she got that right, but that could be fixed, he continued to help her, a few adjustments each time as she continued to move from one move to the next, his eyes watched her as she attempted to mimic him.

As she finished the form he sighed finally and pondered what he could do to help her. He looked at her as she stood in the final move and he slowly reached out to her with the force and touched her mind, concentrating he threw images of what it looked and tried to show the emotion through each movement, hoping that the sigh and the feeling of each move would help her more then seeing it through the force.

He spoke softly into her mind, "You got all that? Now let's see you dance."

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

Jairdain felt she was a little off as she went through the motions, but whenever her stance or movement was wrong, Karl moved to adjust and correct her. There was silence when she finished and lowering her saber, she looked in his direction.

After a moment or two more, she felt his touch on her mind. This hadn't happened to her since her people banished her. Her eyes grew wide for just a moment and she allowed the images and emotions Karl felt while doing them. This helped her comprehend what he was trying convey much better than them just talking and moving as one.

Giving Karl a very large smile, Jairdain brought her saber up again.

"Let's dance."
​
[member="Karl J. Winters"]

 

[Darth Arkanus]

He smiled at her as she moved through the forms a little better, his hands adjusting her less and less each time as he continued to flood her mind with his thoughts of the moves, helping her learn it, each movement seemed to make her understanding grow exponentially. He just continued to help her and smiled more and more as the moves flowed seamlessly.

He stood back and watched her go through the moves, each step moving with grace, her two left feet became two feet, one left and one right, as she moved he felt her understanding it, even as simple as it was, but finally understanding it and it made him want to leap for joy but he pushed it down, to be a good teacher of course, and to be modest.

As she came to the end of the movement he saw the saber go for a stab and stop near his throat, he gulped and smiled at her. "Good job, I think you've learned a lot more from me.. showing you then me doing it myself."

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

While she was going through the Form he had shown her, Jairdain could feel the moves becoming more natural and fluid. As her comprehension became stronger, she felt her movements becoming more confident and secure as well. Once in a while, Karl would reach out and adjust either her hands or stance a little by the time she finished though, he hadn't done that for several minutes.

While she could not see his smile, she felt he joy almost coming off him, even he tried to push it down. She was empathic and well in tune with other's emotions. Not that somebody couldn't hide an emotion from her, but it was difficult to keep from her.

"Did I get that much better, Karl? The whole," raising a hand to her head, "thing really helped."

She asked him honestly and looked at him with all of her attention.

"It felt better and easier than it had before."

[member="Karl J. Winters"]

 

[Darth Arkanus]

He watched her with a smile before he nodded and crossed his arms and looked her over, he felt happy, and proud of her, and... something else... he thought... a feeling unique... but he pushed it away and just nodded to her again and gave her his award winning smile.

"You improved ten fold, you did very well, your two left feet betrayed you though... and became left and right and worked flawlessly together."

He would smile at her more his joy almost leaping out of him as he held the restraint back to hug her, he enjoyed watching someone improve on things, even if they weren't intent on it, if they were dedicated into trying and he noticed some improvement he would be happy for them. He also thought that she needed something to defend herself, and it gave him a sense of security that she could at least half decently fight for now.

"We can practice more if you wish, or we can do some other training if you'd like, less physical more mental, you always need to be training and honing both your mind and your body."

[member="Jairdain"]

 

[Jairdain]

While she wasn't looking for the praise, it felt good to get it. Jairdain felt his words were true as his emotions couldn't lie. She could almost feel his smile at her. There was an odd one she sensed from him, but he pushed it away and she wondered what it was.

"Thank you, Karl. Though I'm still not as graceful or secure as you are. Give it time and practice and maybe I will be."

Her face lit up with hope as she spoke and a touch of excitement filled her voice. She lowered her saber a moment and though her face still showed hope, it also looked a little disbelieving.

"I've always had two left feet though. They've never worked that well when I've tried," she would wave her saber around slightly, but not move her feet. Turning it off at his last statement, Jairdain probably gave Karl the largest smile she had seen from her yet.

"Mental skills and abilities are where I'm strongest. Being blind lead to that. Kids making fun of me or whatever just made my defenses stronger."

Clipping her saber back to her belt, Jairdain moved to stand in front of Karl and her full attention was on him once again. She had accommodated herself to understanding people that could see and adjusted her body language for them. She while she could not see them, she would look up at them with her face. So she looked up at him.

"Do you prefer the physical or mental dance?"

The question could be interpreted a few different ways, Jairdain wanted to know how he would take it. He had established a mental connection already. Would it go further? Time would tell on that. She wasn't opposed to either and was quite curious where this would go. There was something about him that drew her, but she couldn't identify what. Whatever it was, she wanted to explore and figure out.

[member="Karl J. Winters"]

 

[Darth Arkanus]

As she would talk he would stand there listening to her and nodded rubbing his chin a little as she talked, he listened intently not wanting to seem rude and actually being fairly interested in what she had to say. She waved her lightsaber around a bit and was a little more then relieved when she finally turned it off, he didn't want to lose a arm today.

He looked and watched her as she walked up close to him, coming a lot closer then he expected and he looked down to see her soft face staring back up at him, his face was filled with surprise, confusion, and a little bit of something else, that he couldn't put his finger on. He just started at her face not moving, looking into her non-seeing eyes and listened to her as she asked him how they wanted to dance.

He would ponder the question in his mind, he felt his heart almost leap out of his chest but he remained calm his face showing a fortress, but his emotions were on fire, like fireworks springing and sparking as he figured out what he wanted to do, what he think he should do. He knew in the back of his head she probably saw everything he was feeling but he wanted to at least pretend like he was under control.

Without a word he slowly put his hand into hers and put a arm around her and slowly drew her in looking down at her, he stood there in a very formal position as he just admired her from this close, then out of nowhere a slow song played over the room and he glanced to see his trusty droid putting the music on.

[member="Jairdain"]