Private Combatant Personalities [Cerys Dyn]

[Balun Dashiell]

COMBATANT PERSONALITIES
INVENTORY: Jedi Robes, Echo Stone, & Lightsaber
LOCATION: Shiraya's Sanctuary, Training Wing
TAGS: Cerys Dyn

The dojo floor lay bare this early in the morning as Balun entered, sparing a glance in either direction as the mechanical doors slid shut behind him. He was glad for the lack of other students, oftentimes finding it far easier to focus on his training without the eyes of others watching over him, for the habit of his mind wandering, assuming the worst of their potential thoughts and observations towards his performance; followed by his self-ridicule as he knew better than to compare himself to others standards.

Balun wasn't like the Jedi here, not in his mind. He was twenty-three years old and had earned his way in the Galaxy on his merit through hard work and perseverance, without the help of a mentor. He had grown up in the New Jedi Order for fifteen years, and this was true. The Coruscant Jedi Temple was his first home, but he had been abandoned by a mother who didn't want him, and then, when he had been old enough, he had chosen his path in life. He had come to the High Republic not because he felt like a Student at the beginning of his training but because he was at the height of his training and needed to ensure that he had the approval of an Order, of qualified Force-Users who were capable of naming him worthy of Knighthood regardless of whether or not he would formally accept it. Balun understood that he couldn't simply go by his word, considering his training was fulfilled by his mind when he was inexperienced compared to others who had years on top of Balun himself.

Under the impression that most of the other students were still sleeping, Balun entered further into the duelling arena, stepping across the mat and stopping in the centre. Drawing his lightsaber hilt from his belt, he parted his feet evenly spaced to centre his balance. Raising his hilt in his right hand out in front of him, his left hand joining with the right, he triggered the activation stud, igniting the blade with a snap-hiss of amber energy illuminating the training floor around him. Turning the blade horizontally across his chest and holding it level, Balun adopted the centre of being stance as he prepared to begin his first kata.

"Speech"
'Thought'​

 

[Cerys Dyn]

Cerys hadn't come to watch.

She'd come to train, to isolate, to be left alone, like usual. The early hour offered silence, clean air, and a space unmarred by chatter or distractions. But when she stepped into the dojo, her breath caught.

Someone was already there.

Amber light pulsed across the mats. A lone figure moved through a kata with almost meditative rhythm. Not perfect. But intentional and controlled. Cerys paused in the threshold, arms folding before she realized she'd done it.

She should’ve turned around. Should’ve left him to his brooding. But something about the way he moved, about the seriousness he carved into the room, held her. Not like a presence in the Force, not some divine ripple. Just...stillness. A kind she didn’t know how to make for herself.

When the kata reached its midpoint, she finally stepped forward. Her boots didn’t make a sound, but the atmosphere shifted, just enough that he might notice her watching.

“Don’t stop on my account,” she said, voice even, “I’ve seen worse performances from Knights twice your age.”

She grew quiet, but clearly had more to say.

Her tone was flat, not mocking. Not quite. She tilted her head. “You train like you’re trying to convince someone of something.”

Her gaze lingered, sharp as always, but there was no challenge in it. Just observation. “And for what it’s worth…” she added, almost as an afterthought, “it’s not a bad kata.”

Brandyn would probably still criticize her tone, even though she was trying to be nice.

“…little rigid in the shoulders. But that’s probably a philosophy problem, not a posture one.”

She looked away after that, as if the words hadn’t cost her anything to say. Which, of course, they had.

| TAG: Balun Dashiell | EQUIPMENT: Vowsake, Dyn's Mercy

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[Balun Dashiell]

COMBATANT PERSONALITIES
INVENTORY: Jedi Robes, Echo Stone, & Lightsaber
LOCATION: Shiraya's Sanctuary, Training Wing
TAGS: Cerys Dyn

Balun's movements were focused, his subconscious guiding every strike and swing of his Lightsaber as he delivered three attacks before performing an evasive side-step to the right and drawing the weapon into two hands at his left side, falling into a defensive stance. The Kata was a succession of attacks, a combination of strikes, parries, evasive maneuvers and blocks that were taught within training. Yet, Balun had added his personal touch, noticeable in how he moved and how he handled his lightsaber.

Breaking his defensive stance, he lowered the weapon in his left hand. He leapt forward, tucking himself in and rolling across the mat to stop in a crouched position wth his hand thrusting the lightsaber forward in a direct stab ahead of himself, as if to pierce his would-be target through the lower mid-section. Without hesitating, he exerted himself by propelling his body up off the floor and into a somersault, a force-assisted 180-degree flip, throwing his lightsaber out through the air at the same time as his feet left the ground.

The amber blade thrumped powerfully as it encircled Balun's form while he spun mid-air and landed on both feet on the training mat. Were he on the battlefield, the blade would have cut down anyone behind him as it had spun around controlled by the telekinetic saber throw, yet as Balun caught his hilt with a loud slap when it hit the open palm of his right hand, his eyes caught sight of Cerys Dyn while his gaze had been following the weapon.

“Don’t stop on my account,” she said, voice even, “I’ve seen worse performances from Knights twice your age.”

He couldn't help but smirk as he took in a steady breath, gathering himself after the Kata and the sudden surprise of Cerys' appearance. "I was hoping to avoid the others at this time, but it's good to see you, Cerys. It's been a while," Balun greeted her with a friendly tone despite how their first meeting had gone. They had butted heads, and yet it had been something of a friendly rivalry rather than any serious resentment or disregard for one another. She had shown quite the attitude and been very cocky about it, and Balun had decided to meet her head on. It had been rather amusing.

"Only one I'm trying to convince is myself, I'm afraid", Balun remarked in response to Cerys' following comment, giving something of a meagre smirk, shaking his head to himself; "That's where I always fall short" he added dryly, soon disengaging his lightsaber as she started to approach onto the training mat, following protocol and not having an active weapon when someone else was on the floor unless actively sparring with them. And even then, not before formally bowing as was the custom before entering into a bout.

"For the record, Philosophy was never my strong suit. I was more of a fieldwork kind of guy. Learn by doing, you know?" he chuckled, shrugging his shoulders as he turned to face her. Balun took a moment, studying Cerys as if seeing her in a new light. It wasn't as if she had changed; he didn't know her well enough to be able to think that way, yet she was trying to be considerate in the way she spoke to him, and that was a much different approach from the first time they had met, which was a bit surprising.

"I've been pretty busy moving back and forth, so I haven't been around much. How've you been doing? I've wondered, since our first run-in".

"Speech"
'Thought'​

 

[Cerys Dyn]

Cerys blinked. Not at the flourish of his lightsaber, though, the somersault was unnecessary, but at what he said after. Thought about her? Since their first run-in? Her brows knit before she could stop them. “Why were you thinking about me?”

The question slipped out sharper than she intended, almost like an accusation. She didn’t follow it up. Just let it hang there, suspended between them like the echo of a saber clash that hadn’t quite faded.

She folded her arms again. Tighter this time. “Still here. Still Brandyn’s padawan.” A theatrical eyeroll punctuated the sentence. “Clearly doing something right.”

She watched as he disengaged his saber, respectful, by the book. Maybe more than she expected. There was something disarming about it, which irritated her on principle.

“Your footwork’s better than expected,” she admitted, voice dry but even. “Guess fieldwork teaches some things after all.”

Her gaze flicked toward the nearby rack of training sabers, then back to him. “I came to practice.”

She stepped further onto the mat, bootfalls soft against the floor. “You’re probably better than the holo-targets.”

Her eyebrows raised but she offered no smile. But the sharp edges in her voice had dulled just a little.

| TAG: Balun Dashiell |

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[Balun Dashiell]

COMBATANT PERSONALITIES
INVENTORY: Jedi Robes, Echo Stone, & Lightsaber
LOCATION: Shiraya's Sanctuary, Training Wing
TAGS: Cerys Dyn

Balun couldn't help but chuckle as Cerys Dyn sounded startled by what he had said; that someone might be thinking of her, could be such a disastrous thing to happen. "Well, you did leave quite a first impression", Balun pointed out with a cocky smirk, his head lifting slightly as he eyed her. She had been all fire and brimstone on their first meeting, coming at him with judgment and attitude like she knew the Jedi he was better than he did himself. "Nothing terrible, mind you. I was quite amused. You've got a fire in you that most around here seem to lack. I was pleasantly surprised," he elaborated a little, offering a gentle compliment in his manner of speaking.

"You speak as though your being here still should come as a surprise?" Balun asked rhetorically. He shook his head once to show that he wasn't among those who might be. "From what I recall you saying about your Master, he seems to have faith in you so naturally you're doing well" Balun agreed, speaking plainly, not a hint of doubt in his voice as he followed her gaze across towards where the training hilts lay upon the shelves lining the side wall of the dojo.

Turning back to meet her gaze, Balun nodded approvingly. "I'd be happy to spar with you", he replied with a smile, though soon raised his lightsaber hilt in his right hand and begged the question: "Do you have a Lightsaber of your own?". While he awaited her answer, he moved to adjust the frequency of his blade emitter, setting the power balance to training setting to ensure that their coming match would not result in any injury between them.

The notion of sparring with Cerys was a welcome challenge. Balun had heard the saying that you 'don't know someone until you fight them', and though he wasn't entirely sure how true he believed that statement was, he did hope that perhaps this session might help her to ease up a little more. Ala Quin had set up that random little ambush between him and Cerys for Force knows what reason, along with Cerys' own Master's help, and though she hadn't divulged to Balun why that was, perhaps he could make sense of it if he and Cerys got to know each other better.

"Speech"
'Thought'​

 

[Cerys Dyn]

He complimented her again.Of course he did.

Cerys gave a tight, incredulous scoff and turned toward the practice rack, as if the wooden grips of the training sabers might offer her more predictable company. Her hands moved with automatic precision, unclipping the hilts at her belt, checking the emitters, adjusting the grip tape on Vowsake.

“You’re surprisingly chatty for someone who just got asked to fight.” It came out harsher than she meant. Not playful, not teasing, just pointed. A little too sharp, a little too fast. She didn’t look at him when she said it.

A few moments passed. The silence hung heavier than it should have. She exhaled through her nose, slow and steady.

“That wasn’t fair.”

Her voice had softened. She flexed her fingers against the hilt before finally turning back toward him, lekku shifting with the motion. Her expression was guarded but not cold.

“Sorry. I’m not mad at you. Just...” her jaw tensed, “this isn’t easy. Being…” She waved vaguely at the space between them. “…this.”

She rolled her shoulders and took a few steps onto the mat, heels clicking lightly. Her tone tried to find dry ground again.

“Anyway. Yes. I have lightsabers.”

The first hilt snapped into her right hand, Vowsake, a clean cerulean blade flaring to life with a confident hum. A second followed into her left, Dyn’s Mercy, smaller but no less deliberate. A blue shoto. Twin blades reflected in her eyes, sharp and steady now.

“Ataru and Jar’Kai. In case you were wondering.”

Her stance shifted low and fluid, centered, balanced, yet easily aggressive that felt coiled.

“You wanted to understand me better?” she asked, lifting one brow. “This is probably the closest you’re going to get.”

She brought her sabers into a ready stance.

“Shall we?”

Balun Dashiell

​

 

[Balun Dashiell]

COMBATANT PERSONALITIES
INVENTORY: Jedi Robes, Echo Stone, & Lightsaber
LOCATION: Shiraya's Sanctuary, Training Wing
TAGS: Cerys Dyn

“You’re surprisingly chatty for someone who just got asked to fight.”

Balun smirked, stepping backwards as he moved towards the far side of the training mat, placing space between himself and Cerys Dyn while speaking up in response; "Friendly competition is far more enjoyable than the real thing. I'd wager you can relate to having experienced a true fight, so I'm sure you'd agree?". Though he sounded quite sure, his statement still rounded off with a question, as he could never be entirely certain when it came to Cerys.

The display of her dual lightsabers caused Balun's head to lift once more, this time in slight surprise, as he hadn't expected to be facing off against the Jar'kai form. It was a swift and aggressive form, utilising twin blades in quick, successive strikes; a dance of blades that required both excellent agility and skill. This was going to be interesting, and it seemed Cerys wasn't planning on starting lightly.

Nodding lightly to himself, Balun glanced at the floor and inhaled slowly. He gathered himself, seeking to find his centre before committing to the sparring session. If Cerys planned on coming to the bout seriously, then so too would he give as good as he got. Exhaling slowly through his nose, he raised his eyes to look across the room to meet her own and soon leaned forward, bending at the waist and bowing formally. It was protocol after all.

It may have seemed odd for Balun. He smoked Cigarras and drank whiskey. He used a Blaster and skirted the line of what others in the Sanctuary held dear to heart, of what it meant to be a Jedi, yet Balun took this one gesture quite seriously. It was a show of respect to someone before entering into a fight with them, even if only in training. A show of recognition and a vow that even in defeat, there would be no hard feelings or resentment.

Finally, as he stood upright, he positioned himself with his right foot forward, his Lightsaber igniting in his right hand and being held out in front of him with the tip of his blade pointing towards Cerys Dyn, while his left hand remained behind his back. She would recognise the stance immediately, a by-the-book application of the Makashi-Form, the duelist style of swordsmanship.

"Ready when you are".

"Speech"
'Thought'​

 

[Cerys Dyn]

Makashi. Of course.

Cerys’ gaze flicked over his posture, the precision of it, the distance control, the signature finesse. Duelling form. Elegant. Economical. Arrogant, in the wrong hands.

It was a good choice against Jar’Kai. Too bad she didn’t plan on giving him the space to use it. Her blades rose in tandem. One breath. Then two. And then she moved.

She closed the gap in a burst of motion, her steps light, pace quickened by the Force. Precise form guided in her limbs, a kinetic rhythm as her longer blade arced in a high, deliberate slash, testing his stance. She pivoted hard, boots skimming the mat, and swept low with the shoto toward his legs.

It wasn’t meant to land. Not yet. She wanted to see the lines of his defense. Wanted to feel how he handled momentum.

She slid to a stop and spun on one heel, sabers crossing in front of her as she reset her stance,eyes sharp, lekku twitching behind her.

“You don’t smell like a cantina today.” Her eyebrow quirked. “Did you quit smoking or just run out?”

She didn’t smile. But something in her tone carried a shade less ice than usual.

Balun Dashiell

​

 

[Balun Dashiell]

COMBATANT PERSONALITIES
INVENTORY: Jedi Robes, Echo Stone, & Lightsaber
LOCATION: Shiraya's Sanctuary, Training Wing
TAGS: Cerys Dyn

​

Dedicating himself to one form at a time in combat did not come naturally for Balun whereas he was more accustomed to dissecting moves and tactics from various forms which favored his particular style and the given situation at the time; As such, his stance would have seemed incredibly out-of-character for someone who knew him well, and yet that was precisely what he was relying upon with Cerys Dyn, the fact that she had never sparred with him before and understanding the risks that she was equally unpredictable. He had decided to step into this match with his head entirely in the game, to play it smart and to gauge her skill and tempo.

Cerys began on the attack, launching herself forward with alarming speed. Balun felt the force as it flowed in strength from the direction that she came at him, driving him to instinctively take several paces backwards in order to counter her momentum alone while raising his lightsaber to parry the first of her strikes high, their blades clashing with a flare of sparks, a magnificent blend of cerulean and amber.
Balun continued to step back another two paces as his right sword hand recoiled from the impact of their blades meeting, while he watched as Cerys pivoted and turned, dropping low to the ground. With his sword arm high, he was open below, and so he dashed back with a quickened leap, short yet efficient and landed on both feet before having to lift his front foot knee high to avoid the shoto which swept beneath him, from one side and out passed him.

Balun's front foot returned to the sparring mat while his sword hand brought the hilt down onto his chest and drove the blade forward at her, seeking to deliver a piercing blow to her chest. Were she not able to avoid it, thankfully, they were utilising training settings, yet he wasn't prepared to stop there. Instead, he continued on the offensive with two follow-up diagonal slashes from shoulder to hip, one from the left side of her and then from the right. The three attacks in quick succession meant to prod at her defence, though he still refrained from his natural style of combat for the time being.

Were he not so focused on a game plan, he would have remarked how much time she spent smelling him, or something along those lines. She'd left herself wide open for a jest that, under normal circumstances, Balun would have likely provoked an emotional response with...-But in this case, he was devoted to taking her skills seriously.

"Speech"
'Thought'​

 

[Cerys Dyn]

The thrust came fast, clean and precise, and Cerys had to admit, not without a flicker of appreciation, that Balun’s timing was good.

She vaulted. The Force surged through her limbs as she launched into the air, twisting clean over the stabbing blade. One saber caught the ambient light mid-spin; the other stayed tucked close, ready to parry if he followed through.

She landed lightly behind him, knees bent to absorb the momentum, sabers flaring back to guard. Her heart was steady. Focus sharp.

He hadn’t taken the bait.

Not the smoke comment. Not the jab. Not the part where she expected him to say something snide and force her to bite back. That silence nagged at her more than it should’ve.

She spun on one heel to face him again, blades loose in her grip but angled with intent.

“No witty comeback?” It should’ve landed sharper. But something in her tone betrayed it wasn’t real venom, just habit. A worn-in script.

He was focused. Present. That...irritated her. Maybe he was the problem.

Her stance settled again, back foot pivoting, long saber low, shoto angled high in mirrored rhythm. Ready.

Let him keep playing the composed one. She could play chaotic just fine.

Balun Dashiell

​

 

[Balun Dashiell]

COMBATANT PERSONALITIES
INVENTORY: Jedi Robes, Echo Stone, & Lightsaber
LOCATION: Shiraya's Sanctuary, Training Wing
TAGS: Cerys Dyn

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Once again, Cerys Dyn proved her feat of agility, a show of ataru as she had previously forewarned. Not only did she clear the entire reach of his sword arm and the weapon itself, his lunge finding nothing but air; Cerys managed to stave off the follow-up slash while somersaulting overhead in an evasive maneuver that put her out of arms' reach.

As was the nature of any Duel, a moment of reprieve to gather oneself and reassess the situation was not something to be overlooked, thus Balun did not immediately go on the attack after her but quite the opposite, he settled in where he stood, straighting his posture and flourishing his weapon by rolling his right wrist, causing the blade to audibly whirl as he spun it once over, trying to alleviate some of the tension in his arm.

"You're surprisingly chatty for someone in the midst of a fight", he spoke up as he stood with his lightsaber held at his side. His posture was calm, not that of one in a combat stance, but simply standing there, watching his opponent with a studious gaze. Despite his seemingly passive demeanour, however, it wasn't just his eyes that were upon her. Still, he was focused, his mind reaching out to translate the flow of ethereal energy around her as the Force shifted with every time she utilised her control over it to empower her movements, her speed, and her aerial control.

"I don't suppose you paid any attention to the Galactic Kaggath by any chance, did you?" He enquired as a thought came to mind. If Cerys had seen his fight against Fenn Stag , then she would possibly suspect that his use of Makashi might seem a little tame compared to how he fought against the Mandalorian in the public arena. If this were the case, then his plan of waiting until he had a good read on her fighting style and any sense of a pattern in her tactics, then proceeding to utilise his more natural form of combat wouldn't have as much of an element of surprise as he was banking on.

Balun gave a click of his tongue against the inside of his cheek, a subconscious act as he decided on adjusting his game plan. Cerys appeared to be allowing him to go on the offensive, this time waiting for him to come at her. Sliding his right foot back, his left hand moved to join the right as he brought his lightsaber closer to his chest, the blade held high. A slight pivot on the front of his left foot adjusted his angle as he faced her. This stance was of the formidable Djem So.

Only, he did not attack. Instead, he wished to hear Cerys' answer to his question.

"Speech"
'Thought'​

 

[Cerys Dyn]

He echoed her words. Of course he did.

Cerys paced slowly now, blades drawn down to her sides, not attacking, just circling. Watching. “If I wanted to talk less, I wouldn’t be fighting a man with opinions.”

Her gaze dropped briefly to his stance. The shift was subtle, but not lost on her. Djem So. Strength and forward pressure. Less elegance, more weight. A form that absorbed punishment and sent it right back.

Makashi had been polite. This was...deliberate.

He was taking her seriously. She hated how that settled in her chest. Like something warm trying to bloom in soil that had no business being soft.

He asked about the Kaggath. She tilted her head slightly, lekku brushing the side of her neck.

“Saw enough to know you enjoy the drama,” she said dryly. “And that you don’t fight like someone trying to impress a council.”

Which, she supposed, made him slightly more tolerable.

She stopped moving. Blades lifted again, cross-angled in a loose Jar’Kai stance, her knees bent and shoulders poised to spring. Her tone remained even, but her footing said ready.

“So...Djem So now?” A flick of one brow. “Didn’t think you’d bring out the blunt instrument so soon.”

She didn’t attack yet. But there was tension building in the coil of her stance.

One of them would move first. She hoped it was him.

| TAG: Balun Dashiell |

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[Balun Dashiell]

COMBATANT PERSONALITIES
INVENTORY: Jedi Robes, Echo Stone, & Lightsaber
LOCATION: Shiraya's Sanctuary, Training Wing
TAGS: Cerys Dyn

​

“...-And that you don’t fight like someone trying to impress a council.”

"In that case, seems there's little need for me to handicap myself then", Balun remarked as his hands brought the blade of the lightsaber down behind him, the tip of the weapon pointing back towards the sparring floor at his back. At the same time, he studied her form, paying attention to her body language for any sign or hint of intent before she acted upon it.

"It is curious though, isn't it" He soon added, a slight curl to the left corner of his lips as a thought crossed his mind; "How in most cases you can't wait to be rid of me, and yet we engage in a sparring match and suddenly you're wanting to talk to me?" he once again raised the point with a rhetorical tone, a question that required no answer. A statement that she had proven fact through her behaviour thus far.

"Not that I'm complaining, but I had expected a challenge on my hands when you suggested we train together. I figured you, of all people, would be confident enough to simply ask for my time rather than use this as an excuse to talk to me".

Balun knew his words would get under her skin, and despite the complete truth behind them, he would have been lying if he had denied there was a specific tactic in how he articulated himself. She had seen him fight and understood that he wasn't like the typical Jedi swordsman who relied on the forms of sabre combat so rigorously, but instead wielded his weapon with unpredictability, emotional force, and the strength of his physical form.

Given the fact that he had lost the element of surprise, it was time to play Cerys Dyn ' game. She had been trying to provoke him emotionally, so he decided to meet her head-on.

"Why exactly would I want to impress the Council, by the way? Is that something you're trying to do? Impress people around here?".

"Speech"
'Thought'​