Danse Macabre [Kaalia Voldaren]

[Nisha Skaiyr]

Forest Moon of Endor​

---

Deep in the Forests of Endor's Moon, in a glade both beautiful and serene, there was a woman.

This woman was grey-skinned, black-haired, and red-eyed. Her form was athletic and lithe, and rippled with muscle every time she moved, easily visible thanks to the fact her torso was mostly bare, save for a wrapping of bandages around her chest. And in her hands she wielded a silver cylinder, from which emerged a meter long blade of green fire, sweeping and slicing with it as she danced from tree to tree, using each as an improvised target.

The Lightsaber was one of the few melee weapons that Nisha did not understand. She was more comfortable with a proper sword, a dagger, or a spear. But like the Slugthrower, that strange and utterly destructive thing that Nisha kept strapped to her hip, the lightsaber was, with proper training, far superior to the weaponry she was used to.

So train the Witch did, and whilst she did, she made sure to take in every detail of how the weapon moved, how it felt in the hand.

The blade was weightless; all the mass was contained in the hilt. In that respect, it was similar to an extreme example of a thrusting-oriented sword. It was incredibly nimble, exceptionally easy to move with a flick of the wrist and almost effortless to redirect mid-swing. Except while any sword this agile would be poorly suited to hacking and chopping, the lightsaber performed these tasks with frightening ease, burning through flesh and bone when it so much as grazed a target.

Unfortunately, of course, the lightsaber was not a perfect weapon. A series of nasty burns and shallow cuts decorated Nisha's body, reminders that one must be eternally aware of their form and technique - which led to the second problem. When wielding a weapon with heft, no matter how light, there was a natural awareness of where that weapon was. This was not the case with a weightless weapon. To be aware of the blade, and more than that, to wield it with any sort of grace or skill, required both a connection to the Force and incredible dedication to the art.

Had the Witch not been so focused upon her training routine, she might have noticed the approach of another Presence; one which brought to mind the weeping of the guilty, and the pain of a choice one wishes not to make.

---

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

Travel wasn't a strange notion to Kaalia. She grew up going from planet to planet, first under the wing of a Jedi master, then as a mercenary, and now as a Knight of Ren. Her short life was one of unwanted change, her embrace with the dark side one filled with regret. To cope with the inner turmoil, the struggle between light and dark that had a permanent occupation in her mind, the woman often retreated to places like this. Here she found peace and quiet to still the demons that plagued her. Unfortunately, such things were not in store for her today.

The Ren's hair was covered by a hood, simple dark grey robes covered her body and black boots protected her feet. Clipped to her hips were her weapons that she carried always, two cylinders that both carried a different color of lethal light, one blue and one red, as conflicted as her mind. They were a stark reminder of her past and present, of how she once was a Jedi but now had no choice but walk a different path.

As the redhead moved through the forest, she sensed another presence. One of irreplacable loss and hatred, one of chaos and darkness. Such Force auras were no longer unknown to Kaalia, the Ren all carried such a presence with them, but there was something about this unknown soul that bothered her. There would be no peace in this place for as long as this presence remained. The approach was slow, but steady. Before her was a woman, black hair contrasted by a very pale grey skin tone, wielding a weapon of which she carried two: The weapon often mastered by wielders of the Force, the by many fabled lightsaber. The young woman had received training in the use as a child, and although she was no master, she saw the inexperience in the technique of the other woman.

"I did not expect another soul here."


[member="Nisha Skaiyr"]

 

[Nisha Skaiyr]

It was not until she heard footsteps in the distance that Nisha took notice of another life nearby, and it was not until she saw a flash of orange-and-grey in the treeline that she reacted. It wasn't an obvious reaction, as she didn't want her visitor to notice that she'd, well, noticed. Her movements become ever so slightly more measured, her strikes ever so slightly more controlled; adjustments made so that, should the need arise, Nisha could redirect both her body and her energy towards fending off fending off this intruder.

But as the redheaded woman entered the glade and began to speak, it appeared that violence was not going to be necessary, at least not at the moment. In fact, it appeared as if the other woman wasn't hostile at all. A pleasant surprise for the Witch, who was slowly forming the opinion that most every sentient in the Galaxy was harboring some lust for deranged violence.

Either way, Nisha made the other woman wait until her routine was finished and her saber disengaged to get a response. That response came in the form of a short sentence, uttered as the Witch approached her visitor with predatory grace. Her tone was friendly, casual, in direct contrast to her barbaric and savage appearance.

"Nor did I. But the glade is large enough for two, I am certain."

---

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

The sight of the woman that spoke to Kaalia would've triggered aggression in some, intimidation in others. Neither of those emotions were found in the redhead's being however, despite the circumstances. Her experiences on Kaeshana hardened her in a way, willing to the beast in the eye before deciding raising a blade was necessary or not. There was a flashback on top of a building, together with Isla Ashen and Darth Veles, as Jedi and soldiers alike swarmed their position in an attempt to take them out. She was shot at from all directions, saw someone use their body as a shield against a grenade, and yet she made it out alive. The fear that fueled her that day had burned up, replaced by a different kind. Fear of her future, fear of the path she was on. Those fears drove her now.

The response to Kaalia's words were unlike the figure that spoke them. She couldn't sense hostility, which in all honesty surprised her, seemingly welcoming the redhead. She nodded, acknowledging the stranger's words. "That it is. It truly is something to behold, isn't it? I sense you are not unlike me, a wielder of the Force." The woman took a quick glance at the trees that were used as targets, showing the wounds of the other woman's strikes. "I see you are practicing the art of the lightsaber. Perhaps you will allow me this opportunity to join you." She revealed the weapons she was carrying, her hands still a good distance away from them to not incite aggression. "My name is Kaalia."

[member="Nisha Skaiyr"]

 

[Nisha Skaiyr]

"I am Nisha Skaiyr," began the grey-skinned woman's response. Her words were clipped, her pronunciation extremely precise, and her accent overly formal - obviously not a native speaker of Basic. "And I would be pleased if you would join me." Practicing her cuts and her technique on her own was all well and good, but a partner would give Nisha an easier time of seeing her own mistakes - any openings she created in her defenses would be exploited, any telegraphed strike avoided and easily countered.

And besides all of that, the Witch was itching for a fight. With a small grin tugging at the corners of her mouth, she took a deep bow - and jumped back, propelled by the Force. Now a safe distance away, Nisha gestured at Kaalia's chest with the tip of her saber. All that said, there was still no overt hostility to be detected from the woman - there was plenty of aggression and just a bit of playfulness, however.

"So, shall we duel? For sport, of course."

---

[member="Kaalia Voldaren"]

 

[Kaalia Pavanos]

The woman in front of her seemed to be itching for a fight, and the glade was the perfect place for a friendly duel. Kaalia returned the bow, letting the Force guide the saber on her left to her hand as she straightened back up. "Duel we shall, so we may both learn from each other." A snap-hiss brought the blue blade to life, and the woman twirled it around before she mirrored the position [member="Nisha Skaiyr"] was in.

"And so, our dance begins." Taking a Makashi stance, one she learned many years ago from her former master in her days as a Jedi, she approached Nisha. She didn't use it often, generally preferring the use of her self-taught Jar'Kai techniques, but this opportunity was as good as any to sharpen her skill with one saber. The blue beam of light guided her forward, meeting with her dueling partner. In an attempt to set the tempo, the redhead attempted a quick diagonal sweep moving down starting from the right. There wasn't much power behind the strike, leaving the opporunity to back off but making it easy to block. The woman preferred starting a duel with a bit of feeling-out, discovering the style of the opponent.