We're not in Nar Shaddaa anymore... (Open)

[Ryn'Dhal]

The whip was being handled in a preparatory fashion. That did, in fact, concern the young panda wan slightly. He understood well about situational and circumstantial confinement or restriction. 'This is your space. Only your space exists. Hold no concerns for what is beyond the door.' This type of mental compartmentalizations is almost all that enabled him to retain his sanity back on Nar Shaddaa.

He spoke softly, "Before we begin, should I remove my cowl and tunic?" If he were to potentially flogged during the upcoming exercise, he'd rather not ruin his only clothing. No telling when new robes would be acquired.

[member="Cathbodua"]

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

The cloaked figure did not remain during the 8 days. He had his own matters to attend to. But around the final day, he had by chance returned, and watched from the corner, still with interest in how these two would be handling...

A whip? Under the cloak, a brow would raise. What kind of Jedi used a whip, for any reason, even training? He watched this with interest, as well as suspicion. If the Jedi Knight were to go overboard and start flogging, he would step in, make sure the problem was dealt with, and take the kid as a Padawan himself. They weren't Sith, after all... Jedi needed to know compassion alongside their discipline. Without compassion, they were no better then their Sith enemies.

[member="Ryn'Dhal"] [member="Cathbodua"]

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] [member="Ryn'Dhal"]

She looked at him as he spoke and thought about it... She hadn't worn things like that usually in traiing garb over her normal clothing and gave a nod. "You may." She waited until he had remaining quiet and watching while she remembered this for herself and the scars from an old slavers whip her teacher had used... With those nasty barbs for hooking into the flash. Hers was just guide wire and tassels to function while she spoke.

"The goal in this lesson is not pain nor punishment. It is practical applications of your lessons. I could stand there and tell you for hours how to dodge and move to avoid a fight, how to meditate and accelerate your healing but what will you really learn?" She wasn't really looking for an answer as much as for him to get the point of it as she continued. "When my jedi master taught me he used a slavers whip and I bare all the scars I failed to heal."

That was the other part she let come through while she directed the whip letting it activate and the tails gleamed in slightly differing shades of gold, yellow, orange. "Dodge the tails of the whip and allow your state of mind to become blank, they can come from different angles, wrap around your blade with energy as the tassels smack you in the face. It will teach you to channel that meditation state into your reflexes and move to avoid with your body before your mind reacts."

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

Ryn removed the cloak and vest, bundling the two together before hefting the load clear of the circles. The myriad pattern of scar tissue was visible, even through the fine fur coat of his. He kept his mask wrap on, keeping his large ears subdued.

He wasn't that fearful of potential pain, as he knew she wouldn't have wasted over a week in mediation with him if she wished him ill. As she activated the whip, glints of gold could be seen through the thin slits of his mask, as he watched their movements for a few moments with his conscious eyes.

After a steadying breath, he closed his eyes, reaching out to the edge of the circle, his 'world', and felt. Felt every spec of dust. The movement of the air. His own heart beat. He felt, waited, and visibly relaxed, his shoulders lowering slightly.

She'd surely start slow, gauging the youth, before gradually ramping up the exercise. The first 'strikes' were evaded with ease. [member="Cathbodua"] would likely notice the young Padawan was apparently gifted in his senses, as well as his meditations. Indeed he was. These were gifts he used to survive his early childhood. He grew up not knowing it was the Force protecting him, preserving him. He now sought to learn, and master the powers lying in wait within him.

The pace increased quickly. Ryn's natural Felacatian grace was evident as he almost danced about the confines of his 'world' as the strikes darted in from all angles. But, he was still rough, with plenty of room to learn and grow.

A beautiful dive between two strikes, landing lightly upon gloved hands, before springing away from a third strike, found the youth rolling to avoid two more before falling victim to the sixth in the sequence. He felt the tendril wrap about his ankle, and had but a moment to think himself a fool, before his world shifted. He found himself winded, on his back, facing the ceiling. He had no idea of how much time had passed, but he knew he'd been exercising quite a while, his breathing labored and body weak. He'd never exerted himself in avoidance so long or so hard before.

"I.... I am.... s-sorry..... Master...." He panted, scarred chest rising and falling rapidly as he pried his mask off his face to ease his breathing.

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"] [member="Cathbodua"]

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"] [member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

She was watching him move and swinging the whip as the differing shades moved around the room her attention was on gauging his speed and performance and then adjusting quickly. It was less to her about getting him in a trap then it was making him have to think while learning to maintain the force under the most extreme situations. The scars on her back and body remembering the pain she had felt when he dodged and her hand jerked the whip quickly seeing it go around his ankle.

Then he was on the ground as she deactivated the whip and retracted it with the spools quickly bringing it back in. The holocron on her necklace humming with force energy as it was to small to project a constant gatekeeper but the voice of the original dark lady could be heard. "Whelp you killed him." The woman's humor not really getting the jedi knight to look at her padawan. "You have nothing to be sorry about, you did as much as you could for as long as you could. This exercise will teach you how to train your body to act first rather then your brain. It can save your life as well as as you saw warn and avoid a lot more then your eyes can see,"

She flicked the holocron with her finger while moving to the side of the circle and with the lights off removed the bodysuit sealing the shutters so they couldn't open as she stood there in light training shorts and tank top leaving her back, shoulder, stomach and legs exposed to the air where the masses of scars from her failures in the training were visible. She pointed to her ankle that was a mass. "It is the easiest place to catch someone."

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

He knew all to well how easy it was to be caught there. As he sat up, he lifted the leg of his pants, revealing more scars. It was obvious the torture he went through as a child. Shackles dug deep into his ankles, permanent reminders of how terrible many people in the universe have it.

There were also tell-tale markings of a clamping-type trap having bit into the ankle her whip had caught. Judging by the angry red color of the scar-tissue, this one was obviously one of his most recent scars.

As he stood up, standing still, [member="Cathbodua"] could see his most significant scar. On his chest, there was a mangled patch of flesh and fur. The older scar-tissue was of a brand. But it was distorted and deformed by the myriad array of tears across it. Some were still scabbed and healing. He had defaced his former-owners brand, rendering it completely unrecognizable.

"I am well learned in getting caught, and also in escaping." A slow, steadying breath escaped him, as those large, keen ears lowered against his scalp, his golden eyes closing slightly, downcast. "I have only called one person Master before, and I never did it in admiration or respect. It was always out of necessity, as it was the only way to avoid the lashing sometimes."

Lifting his gaze slightly, seeking out the Jedi's own gaze, "But, I think, I would very much like to call another Master. So I must ask, do you accept me? Will you train me?" She had not yet committed to it. He had to hear it. He had to know.

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

She was looking at him now while taking in the scars and well they matched. Masses of scars and wounds from many different things before she thought about it. "Yes I will accept and train you padawan, there is much you can learn from me and I can learn from you still." She clasped her hands behind her back though raising an eyebrow. "Wait until we get in the hard stuff, this was a fine work out but my training chamber in the sub basement has everything you need to learn how to maintain a meditative state while under stress... or you know ten times normal gravity."

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

The Padawan smiled warmly. His face was the only part of his body that bore no scars at all, asides from his tail, which finally unwound itself from about his waist, flicking about slightly as his ears perked up. He bowed slightly, "I will work hard, and learn all I can from you Master."

The word fell with ease from his lips. For the first time in his life, speaking that word as a positional title of authority over him felt right. Felt proper. True. He felt thrilled. Ryn knew Master [member="Cathbodua"] was going to be strict, firm, but fair teacher. He felt she would mold him into doing great and wonderful things.

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

There was a look at him while she walked around looking over him with her saber on her hip before she was letting attention go to him form and position. Her hand straightening him before she held a hand out directing around them. "Make sure you are ready to continue forward, I prefer teaching in the field and tere are many things you'll be able to learn. For now what do you know of the jedi way and their teachings?"

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

"I know the code, Master. I memorized it during my brief studies with another temple." The Padawan spoke softly. "I believe I know what I am to become, to an extent. Greater, and less, than I am today. Greater understanding, more knowledge. Greater skills, more capability. But more humility. Less of self."

He maintained his position, facing in the same direction, regardless of where Master [member="Cathbodua"] moved about the room, unless directed otherwise. "I know that the path I am on will be a long one. A hard life. The choice was mine, and I made the choice when I stepped off that ship onto the temple-grounds." He swallowed hard. "It will be a hard life, but I know I will figure out exactly who I am."

He knew who he was, but then was not now, and tomorrow is not today. Ryn knew with time, with training, and with experience, he will become the person he was intended to be. The Force would not have preserved him as he had been if there was not some greatness in his future. Ryn was certain of that.

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

"Good, it should never get easy." Okay that was a lie there were things that could get easier with time and she wasn't going to deny it while heading off to the side of the circle. "A jedi should feel the weight of their decisions seek to better understand. Once it feels comfortable or easy to make decisions that alter the lives of thousands they should change to something else but that isn't to say some decisions won't be easy. Protecting a family from people trying to kill them is something easy, defending an overpriced market from those who are hungry and can't afford to buy food for their families is something you should think about."

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

The young Padawan nodded in agreement. Protecting innocent lives seemed like a blatantly obvious choice. Protecting property, food in particular, from those in desperate need of it.... That approaches a grey area. Theft is never excusable... understandable, maybe, but never excusable. That would obviously require quick thinking, ingenuity, and being able to exist outside the box. One would need to address all possibilities before taking an action. But, that exist with all decisions.

His eyes dances to follow his Master, curious now as to what was to happen. She states she was more of an 'on the field' instructor. How long would they be waiting before she took him out? His understanding of the active use of the Force was limited at best. Passive uses he stumbled across on accident, but his only truly shining prowess from his previous instructions was his meditation.

His ears were perked, actively following Master [member="Cathbodua"] as she walked, picking up every breath, every step, every sway as she displaced the very air around her. He eagerly awaited his next lesson.

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

There was a look at him as he seemed to understand. She knew what she wanted to get across but after having explained it to Boolon Murr it had come across the wrong way. For now as she getting back itno the bodysuit with her mask sealing while she finished securing her equipment. Motioning and leading the way. "There are even things here on Voss one can find. Refugee's from nearby planets who have moved into shanty towns because their worlds were taken by another group or in the case of Dromuund Kaas when it was attacked." She opened the door and started going forward motioning with her hand while withdrawing from a belt a blue cube. "These are telchek cubes, powerful synthetic healing crystals the researchers we have created for helping us. It can help you focus your energies and magnify them when moving around in these towns."

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

"Healing crystals?" Ryn was curious. Again, with his limited formal education in the use of the Force, he had no idea one could use it to accelerate healing in ones self or another. "How does one take advantage of these items?" He asked, eyes wide as he marveled at the small device. He then registered she was re-equipping her suit and mask, so he moved swiftly to do the same. After carefully tucking his ears into his hood, he pulled his mask back into place, locking clasps onto the hood to keep the mask in place.

His mind danced at the possibilities of what those little 'healing crystals' could do, and his excitement increased at the prospect of learning. What would Master [member="Cathbodua"] show him next, he would wonder, as he resumed following her movements with his eyes.

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

As she was walking there was a look at the padawan with a small grin under her mask before she was heading off towards the exterior of the temple while she held the cube. "Healing crystals of fire are ancient crystals the jedi found that can bring a person back from the brink of death and augment even the smallest of healing abilities. They are also extremely rare with only ten or so being found in twenty thousand years and so we created synthetic crystals."

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

"Master, will you be able to teach me? How to heal?" The Padawan asked excitedly. The thought of being able to aid an individual in such a direct manner. His eyes were wide beneath his mask at the possibility. His greatest desire had always been to serve. To benefit another.

But healing. That would be the greatest power! He was eager, the path for him to do great things for others stood before him. All he needed now was for Master [member="Cathbodua"] to guide him!

 

[Cathbodua]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

She continued to walk and held her attention while working on some of it and she nodded her head. "Yes I will teach you how to heal but it is not something explained. You must experience it and see for youtself otherwise you'll think you can heal just because you call yourself a healer like other jedi I have seen." She remained there and ready with attention on a few things before they entered the jungle and she could feel the moisture clinging to her bodysuit before she looked at the map with a smile.