All in the Footwork (Open to SSC, others PM to join)

[Dravis Rosilla]

VOSS

The Courtyard was a lovely place time of year. The entire planet was bathed in life by the various trees and plants, all connected by the Force. In said courtyard, many different Silver Jedi practiced their forms almost religiously, striving for perfection in their arcs, orbits, and slashes. Padawan Tyyni Oluja was not one to be perfect in anything when it comes to saber combat. Hutts were not known for their strength, or acrobatics, or grace under fire, all things necessary for a successful duelist. For these reasons, Tyyni did not often come out here. The Hutt Padawan felt that he lacked a certain aptitude for saber combat.

However, he was convinced that he should at least practice the art of dueling. Most likely, it would be a skill that he would need in the future anyways. So, Tyyni waited silently in the middle of the Courtyard, the chaos of soft battle all around him, waiting for his sparring partner.

[member="Vorian Adasca"]

 

[Tyberius Fel]

A pulsating ache spread throughout Vorian's body as he drew himself from slumber. That session with Master Dune took a toll. Vorian's physiology was genetically enhanced as to reach the apex of physical ability for his species; as were most wealthy Arkanians. This gave him a measure of quicker regeneration, but left him incredibly sore as tore muscle gradually knitted itself back together. Yawning, the young Arkanian threw on the loose, comfortable cloth of his Jedi robings, sat down to a quick meal of local grain mashed into a mildly sweetened bowl of oatmeal (befitting Jedi philosophy, Vorian was a dedicated vegetarian) clipped his training lightsaber onto his belt and finally set out from his humble chambers into the greater, sprawling complex that was the Voss Academy. Passing viewports on his journey through the winding corridors, the total white of the Arkanian's Jedi pupils caught dew condensing on blades of grass, blankets of mist coating the dense canopies of the surrounding forests and the quick dots of native avians soaring through the air.

It shall be a sad day when I grow accustomed to such sights of beauty. Flipping his hood over his dense mess of silvery hair, Vorian continued through a hallway until he once again found himself in the broad, open space of the courtyard. Within it's center, stood(?) a huge, slug like creature. Straining his eyes as he approached, Vorian soon made out the tell-tale features of the Hutt race. A Hutt Jedi? Unusual, but the Arkanian considered himself to be relatively open minded. Drawing close to the creature, he further observed the tensed muscles beneath slimy skin and blubber.

Vorian possessed little natural skill in the use of a lightsaber; what little adeptness he had with the weapon was hardly earned through training sessions. The most recent of one with the Bith Jedi Knight however, gave Vorian a sense of confidence. Deciding that he had little else planned for the day except a session of meditation and study, the wiry and silvery body of the Arkanian Jedi Apprentice drew close to that of his sluggish compatriot.

"Ho there, friend!" He offered a courteous smile. "Care for a spar?"​

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni looked up from his musings as the strange humanoid Padawan walked forward. Tyyni straightened his own robes as he was addressed, looking the man in the eye. The Hutt's own were a vibrant green, shimmering with the display of colors around the two. The Hutt smiled, and replied with enthusiasm. "Yes, that would be wonderful."

Sliding slowly away from his new sparring partner, Tyyni turned when he got two meters away, training saber in hand. With a quick swipe of the hand, Tyyni ignited the blade, sending a weak azure glow over all of his features. The Hutt quickly spun it around his back in a simple Soresu exercise, a flash of blue over his shoulders, and he adressed the other Padawan.

"I am Padawan Tyyni Oluja. It is a pleasure to meet you," he said, going into his basic Soresu stance, lightsaber held over his head, hand held in front of his corpulent body.

[member="Vorian Adasca"]

 

[Setzi Lunelle]

Setzi was sitting on the steps of the part of the Voss Academy which overlooked the Courtyard. In her hands was a datapad with a copy of The Jedi Path open. She was interested in pursuing the Jedi Consular branch and was spending some time studying the principles on her own. Agricorps had been wary of taking her back in since she’d stolen one of their ships and their droids, but news of her refugee status from the Sith to the Silvers had made its way to AC headquarters. She was now a poster child for the lightside.

Which also meant she needed to be on her best behavior. Therefore she was specifically avoiding conflict, preferring to use practice droids and Telekinesis versus her beloved Makashi.

She was dressed for comfort this day in a sweater and dark training pants.

Spoiler

Despite her age of twenty-nine, with her pale skin and bright green eyes, she could have been mistaken for a younger student. Setzi was lucky that the darkside did not ravage her as it had done so many of her colleagues when she’d been serving the One Sith. She had some scars, but they were not visible to the casual observer.

She’d seen the Hutt Padawan before. And now a silver-haired Jedi came before him and challenged him to a duel. Setzi set her datapad down and began watching with interest as the impromptu practice spar came to life.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"] [member="Vorian Adasca"]

 

[Tyberius Fel]

With the aid of the force, Vorian called the metal cylinder that was his training lightsaber into his pale palm. "I am Vorian Adasca." The Arkanian returned the greeting as his lightsaber roared to life with an audible snap-hiss. He pulled the lightsaber close to his center of gravity, a distinctive characteristic of Soresu, which was the form that Vorian adopted; though albeit rudimentary. The Arkanian began to circle the slug being, the analytic mind of his species rapidly working on picking out weaknesses and strengths. Hutts were far from the most physically athletic of species, though Vorian reckoned this particular specimen had admirable raw skill in lightsaber combat. If he wished to prevail in the spar, the Arkanian figured that he would have to exploit his agility and intellect.

Though taking the offensive was uncharacteristic both for the form of Soresu and Vorian's philosophy, the young Arkanian Jedi decided that the optimal course of action would be to probe the Hutt's defenses. Thus, with some minor aid of the force, Vorian rapidly attempted to circle around to Tyyni's vulnerable back and utilize his superior reach to unleash a jab in one slick motion.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

[member="Setzi Lunelle"]

 

[Quenladose]

Oh a duel was happening, there was a look on her face as the jedi knight stood there off to the side. She rather enjoyed walking around and when you were four foot looking like a kid... no one noticed you. She could see another came by to watch the practice spar and moved silently as her multicolored ankle length hair made her almost look like a cousin IT instead of a humanoid. She just let the only sound her be thin sword on her back touching the ground while the two wheels on the sheath let her carry it around for fun. "Oh something fun going to happen?" She said it softly while watching her padawan the large hutt stand there. The tattoo shifting its appearance across her skin like a wave when she pulled her hair back a little to let her ghostly pale skin give her away. Her thoughts were movtly on'Now believe what I taught you and use the feather to fly....bodyslam him.'

 

[The Wicked Truth]

[member="Tyyni Oluja"] [member="Vorian Adasca"] [member="Setzi Lunelle"]

The twins weren't going to miss this as the moved out there, fresh out the research lab with the newer bodygloves, boots and jedi styled crushgaunts before seeing the large hutt and small crowd. Being from military it was fun to see duels to settle things or to practice.... but the settling things worked out issues like when your sister ate the last of the cake or left dishes. Either way with the two of them there a lot could be happening as Lyna and Syna moved sitting down with small grins on their face. Wasn't often a hutt wanted to move more then to grope or eat so this should be one of the more interesting things happening.

 

[Keira Priest]

"You know I haven't worn anything like this in over a decade, right?" The mostly rhetorical question was leveled at one [member="Connor Harrison"] as Keira adjusted the ensemble she wore befitting of a Green Jedi of her homeplanet. Everything about it was alien, though at the very least the robes were something befitting of a Corellian rather than simply another Jedi. Giving herself a once-over she cinched the belt tighter about her waist so it fit properly, knowing this was for the sake of appearances and formality but managing to despise it all the same. If she had been asked in that moment just why she left the Republic Jedi as a teen, included in that response would have been the robes that most everyone was expected to wear.

Her hand shifted, lightsaber clipping itself at her waist with that single movement, and she let her eyes slide shut for a moment as she sank into temporary meditation. While she would never in her life be any sort of devotee of the Light, she was a step closer to that now that she dabbled in the grey rather than playing a dangerous game with the darkness that had previously resided in her core. That middle line was what she centered herself on, branching out into the two halves of the Force and drawing on them both synonymously in order to bring herself closer to something resembling balance, both inside and out. Breathing deeply she exhaled slowly, cobalt eyes opening to her surroundings once more.

Glancing about the quarters, her gaze settled on the man before her, an individual she had grown closer to over the past few weeks, their bond seeming to include less squabbles and more actual conversation than it ever had before. "Alright, fine, let's go. You want to teach and be a proper Jedi, I can do that." Flashing a smile she nudged him playfully on her way past him and out of the room, "Just don't expect them to walk away quite the same ever-obedient and willing to please Padawans they might have been before. That's not at all how the Green Jedi were and still are. 'Chaos opens the door to opportunity', and all that." At least she had somewhat of an excuse for her headstrong and straightforward nature, since it was ingrained into the fabric of her culture.

When they arrived at the Courtyard it was clear that some form of training had begun already in earnest, with training sabers out and poised to strike, one having already lashed out. They were students, by the look of things, of the sort she hadn't worked with in quite some time. Jedi learners were far different from the breed she typically took under her wing as students, she had a feeling, which meant a different approach altogether would be needed when it came to any sort of teaching. "Well, Connor, you're the expert here." Another crooked grin. "Enlighten me, if you would be so kind, Master Jedi."

[member="The Wicked Truth"], [member="Quenladose"], [member="Vorian Adasca"], [member="Setzi Lunelle"], [member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni nodded as his opponent said his name. "Then let us fight," he said, in a flourish of movement.

The Hutt noted the humanoid's stance, also one of Soresu. Hmm... How does one combat a defense with another defense? Tyyni barely had any time to think before he was rushed at by the Padawan, deftly circled around him, lightsaber rushing forward. With little effort, the Hutt utilized his Soresu training to quickly throw the blade slightly off-course, so that it ran parallel to his face, without moving his body. Using the momentum he had aquired, Tyyni batted away the stab, and harnessed his own force to spin himself around, sweeping his fat tail at Vorian's legs, attempting to swoop his legs out from under him. Even if the strike missed, Tyyni would then be facing his opponent.

Then, Tyyni felt a presence rub up against his mind, recognizing the signature mind-barriers of his master, @Quenladose. Body-slam, eh? I'll keep that move for later...

[member="Vorian Adasca"]

 

[Tyberius Fel]

Out of the corner of his white pupil, Vorian caught a large crowd of his fellow Jedi -- mostly females, interestingly enough -- congregating to spectate the fight. Whilst Vorian had slowly became accustomed to the pressures of sparring, he rarely had attracted so many eyes, scrutinizing his every movement.. A chance to impress? Certainly. But the pressure of embarrassing failure weighed heavily on the Arkanian's shoulders, even despite the philosophy of learning-through-defeat he held so close to heart.

As suspected, the Hutt managed to swat away his probing strike with relative ease. Vorian tensed his moments in preparation for the riposte that was the hallmark of the Soresu style. Instead, he found the Hutt hurtling it's massive tail towards his legs. Caught by surprise, Vorian's inexperience with combating non-humanoid races was revealed when the slug's tail crashed into his lower body and sent the Arkanian hurtling backwards. Vorian connected to the cold ground with a dull thud. Aching pain shot throughout his body. Grunting, Vorian attempted to quickly stagger back onto his footing before the Hutt exploited this weakness.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni felt contentment as he felt his strike connect, pushing Padawan Adasca away, giving Tyyni the respite that he needed. Using the Force on his own body had always tired the Hutt Jedi, so he needed the breather. Tiny had just noticed the small crowd that had come to watch the show, but Tyyni wasn't surprised. He was often viewed as an oddity, and it wasn't uncommon to have onlookers wherever he went.

As Vorian got back on his feet, Tyyni breathed out heavily. He paused a second, and called out. "Are you ready to continue?" Tyyni raised his saber over his head again, preparing for Vorian's next attack. As a Youngling, Tyyni had sampled all of the basic Lightsaber forms. He found Soresu to be the one that came most naturally to him. It required an extreme amount of control over one's self, and the blade, which posed both as a welcome challenge, and peace of mind. He didn't know if it was the Hutt in him, but Tyyni enjoyed total control over a situation.

[member="Vorian Adasca"]

 

[Tyberius Fel]

Vorian remained silent, allowing his body forming back into the opening stance of Soresu speak for itself. This Hutt possessed extraordinary skills with a lightsaber it seemed, one that heavily contrasted sharply with his heavily sluggish appearance. The Arkanian became consciously aware of the flow of his breath, inhaling and exhaling in rhythm as he manifested the force within himself, wrapped Ashla around the metal cylinder hilt in his hand. Whilst he focused the force, Vorian kept a eye on the Hutt. The defensive nature of Soresu and it's relative lack of agility made Vorian figure it would be unlikely that it would decide to press the offensive.

Unlikely.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Tyyni waited like that for a few seconds, for either of them to move. When neither did, Tyyni didn't know what to do. He had counted on his opponent to attack, so that that he could counter. But the other Padawan didn't attack. Tyyni didn't know what to do in this situation, so he switched his stance, lowering his azure lightsaber down in front of his body, two hands firmly clasping the hilt. He wasn't as farmilliar with Shii-Cho, but he could use it okay-ly. He had low hopes about his next attack, however.

Tyyni decided to take his time with his approach, to make the Arkanian question whether or not he would strike. Once he got a few paces away, he stopped, rigidly. Without a word, the Hutt tapped into his Force, and surged his body forward, blade swinging in an upward arc, in an attempt to bat the Arkanian's saber away. He was in a direct collision course with Vorian. If his attack succeeded, his opponents blade would be knocked upward, leaving his body prone to being flattened by a slug-like projectile. If his attack failed... Well, there were plenty of ways this could go wrong.

[member="Vorian Adasca"]

 

[Connor Harrison]

"Look. Green Jedi, Silver Jedi, Pink…whatever you are, the name means nothing. It’s what’s inside that defines you and how you act. You’re here now so don’t worry about how you look. Although it does suit you. Kind of.”

Lacing his fingers behind his back, Connor stood in his more casual garb – dark trousers and navy tunic sleeves rolled up. No cowl, no armour, just his normal look for now. The fact Keira had asked him to join her in scoping out the new faces in the Courtyard wasn’t something he openly jumped at, but he was there, and she had asked, so it would kill time.

He listened as she went on, getting herself ready and talking to herself at times while he stood waiting, and then followed her out along the way to the Courtyard where the activity had started. Again, mostly new faces - [member="Vorian Adasca"] [member="Tyyni Oluja"] and [member="The Wicked Truth"] – (A Hutt? What was the Sanctum becoming??) and a few familiar ones - [member="Setzi Lunelle"] and [member=Quenladose].

He didn’t acknowledge any of them, as they were a little further away, but he kept an eye on Setzi. Did he trust her? No. Did he care? A little. She was walking a fine line at present, but he still wanted to make sure he didn’t lose another Lunelle as long as he was around.

Connor turned to Keira. "You know how I feel about this. They’re going to have these ancient principles drummed into their heads, which is fine, but when it comes down to it, dancing around preaching codes and policies the Jedi follow won’t save you.” He watched the duel in progress. "I like to see what really makes these Padawans tick. What drives them. What motivates them, and what makes them potential targets to break down when they least expect it to hopefully make them stronger.”

 

[Keira Priest]

While he spoke Keira watched the distant sparring match with an interest piqued by observing how those lesser experienced utilized the skills they were being taught for the first time in their lives. A Hutt Jedi was a strange enough concept, but she had learned to never underestimate an individual based on appearance alone. Besides, she liked to think the Sanctum wouldn't have taken him in if they hadn't seen some kind of potential, not that it was her place to commend or decide such a thing regardless. Both [member="Tyyni Oluja"] and [member="Vorian Adasca"] seemed as if they preferred the more defensive aspects of combat as a whole, something that was entirely strange to her. It was better to end a fight before it began, rather than let everything drag on.

"The Hutt is the stronger fighter." She spoke quietly, holding a conversation only she and [member="Connor Harrison"] were privy to. "He might not be able to move as quickly or deftly as his opponent, but he isn't afraid to use more than just the techniques taught him. That's what lets you survive combat, not how well attuned you are to the Force or the blade in your hand." She nodded once, momentarily glancing over the few others that had gathered to watch a bit closer to the action. These were those true to the Light, walking that path truly rather than choosing some middle ground like she and Connor had. It was at once admirable and strange to her, and she didn't think she would ever adjust to the aura of the Light Side.

With her arms crossed across her chest she remained silent for a moment as the pretend battle continued ever onward, wondering if this was all it meant to be a Jedi when there wasn't anything with which to occupy one's time. It wasn't difficult by any means, but it was certainly boring overall. "We're not getting much teaching done - or anything else, for that matter - by just standing here and watching them, you know." She looked over to Connor, already fidgety despite having been outside for no more than a few minutes at best. It had long been a habit of hers to keep herself busy in almost every scenario, and to do nothing but stand around and wait for something to happen was nearly maddening in itself.

Motioning with her head she began to move closer to the small gathering, calling out to the one behind her, "Why don't you say we give them a bit of a demonstration? It's been a while since I've kicked your teeth in just for fun, wouldn't you say?" Her tone was lilting, teasing in nature, this being their own form of friendship and caring for the other. "Come on, I want to see if you can still keep up."

[member="Setzi Lunelle"], [member="Quenladose"]

 

[Tyberius Fel]

The total white-within-white pupils of the Arkanian Jedi carefully surveyed the slimy outline of the Hutt, muscles tensed, nerves ready. The Hutt quietly slithered along, drawing closer and closer at the snail's pace one would expect of it's appearance. What is it doing? The question rung out through the skull of the Jedi Apprentice. Nevertheless, he was prepared for any contingency. By now, he had gathered a significant amount of force within his body, his mind honed to a sharp edge of focus. He became hyperaware of his surroundings, the gentle gust of wind that sent blades of grass swaying, vibration of feet dispersing through the ground, the hum of the spectators clattering and chattering among one another.

Vorian gritted his canines.

Aided by the force, the Hutt leapt forth, hurtling faster than anything it's size had any right to, blue beam of azure on a collision course with his own training saber, likely in an attempt to disarm.

The Arkanian waited half a second until the moment was optimal, and like the strike of a whip, swung his arm outwards, harnessed force exploding outwards from his outstretched palm in a powerful (for a mere Padawan) force push that caught the Hutt a mere moment before he would have been upon Vorian. With the intensity of the blow, Vorian hoped the strike would send the Hutt sprawling onto it's back, essentially ending the fight.

Or perhaps not. This Hutt is full of surprises, after all.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Dravis Rosilla]

Once Tyyni had surged forth, he had assumed the Padawan to either dodge out of the way, or get trampled. What he wasn't expecting was his sudden charge to be met with a more powerful force. Tyyni gasped slightly as his large frame was tossed upward near ten feet, the energy of the two attacks springing him up and out. Without thinking, Tyyni gathered what little energy he had remaining in him, and tried to do what Master [member="Quenladose"] said.

Tyyni felt his own presence with the Force, a small thing, with twinges of dark emotion, quickly subdued by the light inside of him, and tried to focus on it as he fell. He remembered his training with his master, remembered moving the rocks, and tried to do so on himself. The results were less than satisfactory. Instead of floating up gracefully, as his Master had tried to teach him, he only dampered his fall a little, landing on the ground, flat on his face. Getting up with a bit of a grimace, Tyyni sheathed his lightsaber, letting the blade return to the hilt with a hiss-snap.

"Alright, you win," The Hutt said, holding one arm tenderly. He figured he had sprained a wrist, but it was nothing major. He smiled to the Arkanian, and bowed. "That was... Quite the rush." Tyyni slid closer to Vorian, and put his uninjured hand out to shake. He had never enjoyed lightsaber training, but something about a duel got his blood pumping.

[member="Vorian Adasca"]

 

[Tyberius Fel]

A wide smirk split the milk-grass pale visage of the Arkanian as the force rippled out from his palm and successfully connected with Tiny, thus sending the ironically amusing named Hutt tumbling a few feet backwards. Tremors of adrenaline rippled throughout Vorian's body in response. It felt good to finally display his potent force abilities that he spent so many long nights and frigid days training and perfecting. The arm that birthed the force push fell limply at Vorian's side, chest heaving and forehead beaded with sweat. Slick eyes rolled in their sockets as the Hutt regained up right mobility. Tiny was clutching his arm. Did I hurt him?

The intoxicating feeling of victory gave away to concern, and finally to disgust. Only a moment prior he was mentally patting himself on the back for.. what? 'Winning' a spar? A minor training exercise? Vorian mentally scolded himself thus as his feet quickly carried him to the side of Tiny. The Hutt merely offered an amiable smile and a bow in return, offering out his unharmed hand out in a comradely handshake. Upon closer examination, the Arkanian could see his arm was only afflicted with a minor injury, perhaps a sprain of sorts? Relieved, Vorian returned the gesture and gratefully took Tiny's hand. A shiver ran down his spine at contact with Hutt slime, but the well mannered Arkanian gave it a firm shake anyhow, making a mental note to remind himself to wash his hands afterwards.

"Quite the rush, indeed!" Agreed Vorian. As the adrenaline subsided, a few bruises sustained from the Hutt's tail whip began to ache. "And quite the throttle you gave me, too." Murmured with a good natured smirk.

[member="Tyyni Oluja"]

 

[Quenladose]

She moved quickly mostly to stand there and check her padawan as she had hoped that would go better.... She didn't expect him to be soaring through the air fighting with tripzest but maybe a little more to cushion his fall. The small child fun sized knight stood next to him looking up for a moment. "You did very good for practice though we are going to have to work on your landing. Need to teach you how to stick the landing." She was looking at him and noticed Connor and someone else while starring with silvery eyes. "Jedi Master Connor Harrison.... you look well I think and you brought someone new."

 

[The Wicked Truth]

The twins stood there watching the duel but more then that they wated the two arriving to watch them as the stayed where they were. Sitting down ready with their training blades ready for the fight. Or whatever they might be doing but a shrug between them before they clapped looking at the hutt for his hard work. "Nice work big man." THey kept the smiles on their faces with the sigils glowing around their necks to give them a stronger aura and connection to the force. They saw the other padawans and looked towards the arkanian with approval until ready and prepared to hear the masters speak.