An Elegant Style

[Taeli Raaf]

Taeli stood in a private training room within the Sith Temple on Coruscant, practicing her forms with the lightsaber and scowling as she once again messed up a sweep of her blade that was standard in Makashi. She could use her own distinct form of combat, but she was now determined to learn and master the traditional Form II style.

To that end, she had asked for one of her newest allies to assist her in that endeavor. She had been surprised Krest had embraced his Sith name, [member="Darth Ferus"] again, but she wouldn't complain. It certainly helped her and his goals far more if he was in the fold.

Deactivating her blade for a moment, she sighed and awaited his arrival, whether it be mysterious or not.

 

[Darth Ferus]

It's not often the Zabrak gets asked by another master to assist with training. More often then not, he would get brushed aside as a lesser, no matter how much he knew. And yet, [member="Darth Arcanix"] had called for him in training within Makashi. This did not surprise him, at least the fact that she used Makashi that is. It was the manipulation form, bent on outsmarting and forcing your opponent into a corner. It honestly sounded like her outlook on life from what he could tell.

Something very valuable.

He was already in the room, using a mixture of Art of the Small to mask his presence and simple blending into the shadows to watch her. People always acted truest when they thought they were alone. He would watch her self practice, marking her faults and skills within his head to help with a training plan. Only once she turned her saber off would he reveal himself, stepping out of the shadows.

"You're rather good, just need a bit of refinement. Tell me, how often do you use your footwork to trap someone into a corner though?"

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Ferus"]

"Always lurking as usual, I see," she said, smiling to show no ill intent at the jest. "I'll sometimes do it, but let's just say the person teaching me got busy and we never continued the lessons. I'd be open to learning what I can though, I heard you're rather good with the blade . . . or something like that."

She knew Ferus had a reputation as a master of all seven lightsaber forms, and she would only gain from this experience, not lose anything by it. Becoming more accomplished with her blade might be required given the current climate of the galaxy, what with all the disappearances and the Force being all out of whack.

 

[Darth Ferus]

"I suppose I can show you a thing or two. But seeming as though you already use the form, why don't you tell me specifically what you would like?" It was at this point he would move about [member="Darth Arcanix"] 's room, touching really anything he found interesting. It was almost as if he was a child curious on the world, if not for the fact he carried well over four weapons on his person at any given time.

"Makashi is known for its footwork, entrapement, and its unique defense against the force. Which is your prefered area?"

 

[Taeli Raaf]

"As I was in the fencing club when I was in university, I know my footwork rather well when it comes to the forms, but I really just want to try and perfect this style . . . before learning a brand new one," she replied to [member="Darth Ferus"]. "I suppose using it to entrap and counter my opponents is what I need to focus on a bit more."

She watched him go around this training room that she used regularly, touching the objects she had brought in to claim it as her own personal training room. If he thought she had a few things here, he should see her labs in the Temple and on Sposia. She had spared no expense on those, or her collection of books, and it helped when you ran a large company to have the credits to do so.

 

[Darth Ferus]

"Very well. Explain to me, if only to make sure I know which page your on, the basic movement pattern for Makashi. Not the footwork, but direction. Soresu for example is about moving to the center to block and dodge all attacks. Atari is about jumping around to find an opening. What is the general movement for Makashi?"

This was going right to the basics, but rather than duel [member="Darth Arcanix"] he felt it best to try a new approach. Simply by talking to her, he could get a general feel before beginning her first lesson. Turning away from a rather interesting piece of armor, he would field his red arms over his chest and keep his blue gaze on her.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Ferus"]

"Makashi is about redirecting your opponent's strikes, involving parries and blocks while searching for an opening for launching an assault of your own upon your opponent through sweeping slashes and quick strikes," Taeli said, thinking for a moment. "It's more elegant in a sense, similar to fencing because it requires a greater understanding of form and footwork, but it is not overly powerful and can easily be overpowered by Form V Djem So."

She noticed he seemed to have an interest in the things she had gathered, even if they weren't exactly her more valued treasures. Those were safely hidden away in her secret lab in the Coruscant Undercity.

 

[Darth Ferus]

There was a rather odd look for [member="Darth Arcanix"] as she spoke. In fact, the red man stopped his wandering to look over to her, and tilt his head a bit. Just to the left, but it was clear he was surprised. "While that is good information, and all completely accurate, I meant the general direction. Makashi's direction is back and forth. You put your opponent to the side of you and you don't move side to side, just forward and back, with your opponent being where you go forward. None the less, you have done your homework. Which I suppose means you've put effort into learning this form. All good things."

Moving away from the walls of stuff he would step over to be across from her. Pulling out the blue saber of his two, he would flick it on, nodding once. "Talking is nice and all, but I must see what you have. Attack me, for now I shall stick to defense to see your offence. Once I've seen enough, we will switch."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Ferus"]

Nodding her head, Taeli pulled out her hand guarded lightsaber and ignited the red blade. Sweeping it up in a salute to her ally/friend/teacher for now, Taeli swept it to her side and began the dance. It had been a long time since she had enjoyed a good duel or fencing match, but this would probably be the closest she would get right now.

Taking note of what he said, and realizing it would be similar to her days at the University of Lorrd, she began her probing assault, moving forward and using quick jabs and short slashes to try and maneuver Krest towards the corner of the room. Whenever he would block or direct her attack elsewhere so he could have launched a counterattack, she made sure to pull back ever so slightly before pressing again in case she needed extra room for her own defense.

 

[Darth Ferus]

He would keep to the defense, sliding his way back from [member="Darth Arcanix"] as she began her assault. He would keep up with light parries, just going to push the blade away from his form. His feet would keep close to the ground, never once crossing as he kept light on his toes. It would almost be a dance as his blue blade grazed against Arcanix's own. But he would find himself soon back to the wall, with only a step or so left before he would be pressed against it. His face would remain placid, but he was already finding himself stuck.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Ferus"]

She allowed herself a half smile, the only evidence that she was actually a little happy that she was taking well to this already, she kept trying to pin Krest against the wall and claim a win.

Making sure to keep his blade occupied enough to not have any window for a counter attack, and also making sure to keep her footwork light and not crossing to risk a trip, she kept the pressure up with quick strikes and sweeps designed to push him against the wall completely and leave him no room to maneuver to either side.

 

[Darth Ferus]

It wasn't long until the red man felt his back foot brush against the wall [member="Darth Arcanix"] had been pushing himself to, yet he seemed rather calm. She was smart as to not let the seeming victory on her part get to her head, something rare for Sith or Jedi to do without prior experience in failure because of it. But, he wasn't out of tricks yet. With her light attacks, he continued to defend himself with a single hand on his saber, and would bring his free hand, the metallic one, around to send a push for her form. The intent was to use this as a surprise to take away her momentum, yet it was also a test to see her reaction on one of the more forward traits of Makashi.
Defense against the Force.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Ferus"]

The push was unexpected and Taeli felt herself slide back a bit, knowing that was going to give Ferus some breathing room. Not if she could help it though. Using her own command of the Force, she rooted herself for the rest of the duration of the push and then started sending Force pushes of her own at Ferus.

They weren't direct at him though, but they would keep him from moving away from the wall to the sides, and the only way forward would be through her. She couldn't normally beat him in a duel, but one had to try and be smarter. Something she always would strive for as she once again commenced her attack, using the Force to speed up her limbs and strikes.

She had to keep him off balance, so she would alternate angles slightly and also the speed of her strikes to make them as random as possible for his defenses.

 

[Darth Ferus]

As more of a demonstration than anything else Ferus would immediately throw himself after [member="Darth Arcanix"] as his push hit her. Raising his left hand holding his saber to eye level, he would push himself forward off the wall utilizing the foot that was already pressed against it. His metallic hand was kept forward however, and a shimmer would form in front of it as he went to show Arcanix the advantage she hadn't been able to use yet. The push had given him just enough room, and as the Lady's own pushes would come out, he would thrust his blade directly for her chest, the blue blade driving forward.

A bemused grin formed on the Zabraks face as he spoke out one word during his trust, practically offering the female a wink.

"Switch."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Ferus"]

Parrying the thrust so it would pass to the outside, she smiled at the Zabrak and nodded. He wanted to test her defense now, but she wasn't going to let him have an easy time with it at all. Even as she parried the blade, her other hand came up and a small burst of Force Lightning would flow from her fingertips. She had a certain affinity to the technique, possibly because of her chosen path of being a sorceress more than anything else. Taeli couldn't wait to see his face when she showed him a few things a sorceress could do with her lightsaber.

To follow through with the parry and anticipating the next attack, she moved backwards, making sure to keep herself just enough away to react to sudden attacks, but also to continue small bursts of Force lightning at different spots. She might have agreed to be defensive now, but her mother had always said a solid defense still left the opponent no room to out-maneuver her.

 

[Darth Ferus]

As the old saying goes:

The first shock is always a surprise.

Or something like that. Needless to say, there was little he could do about the first sudden zap but take it. Stumbling back, a low growl would emanate from his form. His skin would begin to take a slight black pigment, but it would fade away rather quickly as the red man kept his anger in check. Flicking his hand about, he would begin to catch the lightning in his free hand, utilizing Tutaminis to turn it into his own strength.

A strength he would begin to batter [member="Darth Arcanix"] with. Lashing out with a single hand, he would continue to assault her form, his free hand ever acting as a shield against her lightning, or as best as he could.

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Ferus"]

Constantly moving, she kept her feet working in a circle to dodge the attacks from Ferus, not unleashing lightning anymore as she saw him just absorb it to fuel his attacks. She really needed to learn tutaminis herself one of these days, but deflecting another attack, she was buffeted by a powerful Force Push that sent her skidding back, giving Ferus plenty of room to maneuver now.

For a moment, her eyes turned from their natural purple to yellow, and her own Mark of Darkness started to radiate out from her eyes before they vanished again as she calmed herself, falling back into a defensive posture, staying light on her feet and ready to defend again.

"I'm going to have to learn tutaminis eventually," she said, conversationally, even as she dodged and parried more of his powerful attacks.

 

[Darth Ferus]

Flicking his saber back to a neutral stance, he would let off of [member="Darth Arcanix"] for now, his face gone from a grin to a stoic frown. "It's a good ability to have handy. My first body was killed thanks to it." It wasn't often he talked about his first death. It wasn't a pleasant thing to think about, having all your bones crushed in a single instant. But it was still an important fact for even he to remember.

"You've done well so far, but you will need to learn how to utilize the form to defend yourself against the Force. Your free hand can be used for practically anything, be it another blade or the force itself. Keep that in mind."

 

[Taeli Raaf]

[member="Darth Ferus"]

"I'll definitely keep that in mind," Taeli said, smiling a bit as she started to circle slowly, keeping her weight balanced. Ferus was a blademaster after all, she would do well to be cautious and prepared for anything. Her advantage did lie in her large knowledge of the Force and her distance attacks, but that didn't matter right now. This was a Makashi lesson, not an actual sparring match with no limitations.

"So tell me, Ferus, what would you say about my form?" she said, tilting her head curiously, even as she slowly had her Force signature slip away and shrink to almost nothing. She wasn't going to give him any advantage or indication of her actions anymore.

 

[Darth Ferus]

"You're no master, but you could certainly give one a run for their money, especially with all those other tactics and abilities you have. After all, it's all about the planning." A smile formed for [member="Darth Arcanix"] , but it would be replaced with another look. A look of thought. "You own a ship company, do you not? I have a favor to ask." A grin would now take place on his red lips, and his eyes would be filled with joy at the thought he had.