Do Your Worst (Keira Ticon)

[Sage Bane]

Location: Royal Dragon Club on Antecedent
Timeline: Before the great disappearance

Sage Bane sat meditating, cross-legged, in a lotus position in the middle of the floor of the Royal Dragon Club on Antecedent. The Jedi Padawan was scheduled to meet a new trainer at the Red Ravens' infamous fight club, at the order of his older brother who was convinced that Sage was wasting his Force powers faster than the glitterstim on his tongue. His brother's training with the Ession Jedi was off to a slow start, therefore, the Chiss crime boss asked his good friend and Red Ravens Secretary, Keira Ticon, to do him a favor and train his brother in lightsaber forms. Through the black market, the Chiss had even procured a training saber for the sessions. Most folks knew that favors for Cryax Bane generally meant orders, so it was likely that despite her feelings for Sage, Keira wouldn't likely say no.

Sage was completely unaware that his trainer was the recently-Knighted Dark Jedi. Ticon was a woman with whom he had a memorable first encounter. She'd caught him rifling through her office at the Dragon Palace Casino and then proceeded to fight off his amorous advances. Needless to say, the two weren't exactly the best of pals after that. The strained relationship between the two was half the reason that Cryax had picked Keira as a mentor to Sage. The Chiss felt it was high time that Sage's stratospheric ego got taken down a couple of notches, and if his brother could learn a thing or two while he was at it, well, all the better for the both of them.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Sighing quietly, Keira had to mentally prepare herself for dealing with Sage for a few hours at the very least. The two hadn’t kicked it off well by any means, and she hadn’t expected to be interacting with the man for any longer after their first encounter and the match in this very same spot not shortly after. Apparently things hadn’t quite been established, but she knew it was more due to the training she was able to offer after being Knighted not long ago. Shortly after that had been accomplished she’d been sought out both by Cryax and a young woman who seemed to be a new member of the Ravens. It was odd for her to consider herself being a mentor to anyone, so it was definitely something of a wakeup call.

It seemed he was able to draw on the Force with little issue, which was a good start, and she’d witnessed firsthand what he was able to do if he pushed himself. Ambition was something Sage had in reserve, which was all that she could ask for if she was to even consider training him. Her amber-tinted gaze remained trained on him as she considered where exactly they would start. Cryax had specified working on lightsaber training, but with the forms she employed, some measure of physical strength would have to be built up as well. With her favoring Ataru and Djem So, strength and acrobatics would be the one thing Sage would need to focus on. And from one look at his lanky frame, she knew that their work was cut out for them.

Nothing would be accomplished from merely watching him, however, so she stepped silently from the shadows, studying his Force signature for a brief moment. It struck her as odd that she’d even been considered a possibility, given her alignment that was far from what the Jedi considered acceptable. Maybe there was more to it all than she’d first guessed, but there would be time to consider that later. “Did you not have enough fun the first two times?” She moved around to stand in front of him, a wryly amused smile quirking her lips. “The only reason I’m doing this is because your brother asked. I guess the Jedi haven’t been teaching you enough to make him happy.” That was really no surprise. Her experience with the Order those years ago had been enough, and if she had to guess, Sage’s training had been progressing at a slow pace that wasn’t correlational with all that he was likely capable of. He had potential, all that there was left to do was exploit it.

“What is it you've been working on? Let's start with what you do know.”

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

He should have noticed the Force signature even before his trainer stepped out of the darkness, but as she emerged from the shadows, Sage let out a sharp laugh. Oh freg, it was her. His brother deserved a round of applause for picking a teacher that would get under his skin, a move he suspected was completely intentional on the Chiss’ part. He could already hear Cryax laughing about it. She didn't seem thrilled about the arrangement either. It was well known that Keira Ticon was hardly Sage’s biggest fan.

Still, antagonizing was one of Sage’s favorite games, so in that sense, his face widened into a broad smile. “Keira, how lovely to see you,” he said with a chuckle, then arched a brow. “No hello kiss for your old friend?”

Sage rose to his feet and began to stretch out his hamstrings. If memory served, he would need all the flexibility he could muster today. He wore a tank top over workout pants, with a light wrestling boot wrapping his feet. One ankle was still taped underneath from the last time they sparred, and still tender.

“The Ession Jedi have taught me a few things here and there,” Sage admitted with a shrug. “Mostly breathing techniques and Jedi code, a whole lot of bumblefluff if you ask me.” The former addict's terrible lung capacity had prevented his Master from pushing him too hard too soon, and to his embarrassment, his training had been lagging far behind the other padawans at the temple, even the younglings.

“I've had a scant bit of lightsaber training on Ession, but nothing to write home about. I believe that’s about to change today, isn’t it Miss Ticon?” Sage crossed to a nearby table and picked up the training saber, weighing the grip in his hand. “I know how to grip a sword. It’s not much different than that is it?”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

​

The look she gave him could only be described as one that communicated her absolutely annoyance at all of the sarcastic remarks that came out of Sage's mouth within the first three seconds of their making each other's acquaintance yet again. Counting backwards from ten in her head, the corners of her mouth tightened almost imperceptibly, her expression returning to its careful neutrality moments later. It would do no good to allow herself to get so easily irritated so soon. That wasn't how the game was played with someone like him. It required a careful touch, and an even more careful choice in teachers. Rather unfortunately, she fit the bill for the latter part of that equation.

Deciding to ignore his comments for the moment, palmed her own lightsaber, flicking a switch that lowered the power setting to match that of his training saber. If blade connected with skin, it would result in nothing more than a few minor burns, not that the pain was of any consequence to her. It only increased her willingness to succeed in all that she did. "Not much different, but the blade's weightless, so if you swing too hard you're just going to end up hurting yourself. It's going to take a bit of practice." She thumbed the button to activate her own weapon, the blade flashing into existence with a snap-hiss. "And that's before we get to the fun part."

Her feet slid shoulder width apart, and she took on the traditional opening stance of Ataru. Given that this particular style didn't require quite so much raw strength as Djem So, and she had a feeling the acrobatics would come a bit easier for him than the wide, powerful swings of the latter style. "This is the opening stance for Ataru. I'm assuming they at least went over the seven forms of lightsaber combat with you." She adjusted her grip on the blade slightly. "You're not going to want to hold it too tightly, or you'll just limit your range of motion."

Relaxing her stance, she regarded him once more, saber held loosely at her side. "And, luckily for you, I don't follow any code, least of all the one the Jedi abide by." Her fingers twitched nearly imperceptibly, a smirk on her lips as she tugged at his feet with the tendrils of the Force, attempting to trip him up. "Lesson one: learn when to shut your karking mouth."

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage flicked on his training saber and matched his trainer's opening stance, holding the saber loosely, his grip showing his masterful experience with weapons. He had only just begun his lightsaber training on Ession and still regarded the weapons themselves with a kind of reverence. Even the non-lethal plasma beam of the training saber held him in awe as he swung it slowly through the air.

When Keira asked him about the seven forms of lightsaber combat, Sage shook his head. “I learned the very basics. The zones and the three rings of defense,” he said, absently twirling the training saber. “Plus the stances, Jedi Ready, Defensive Neutral, and you know, the other one.” It was apparent that Sage hadn’t listened too well during his lessons. “But I haven't actually engaged with a foe yet.” At this statement, he raised a handsome brow.

Sage stumbled when Keira tripped him up with a slightly underhanded surprise Force maneuver. Tricky girl. Then he raised his head and grinned, his expression unruffled, and took the Ataru stance once again.

“Shutting my mouth is a lesson I’m going to have to learn the hard way, pateesa."

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Surprisingly enough, his stance was nearly perfect. Perhaps he'd been paying more attention to his Jedi instructors than she'd anticipated. Not so surprisingly, he was still up to his old comments. Hopefully Cryax wasn't expecting a momentous amount of patience from her when it came to training his brother, because she certainly wasn't the best one to offer such tolerance. At first she would ignore it, even playing along with just as sarcastic retorts. It was in her nature to never back down, especially not with one that she'd already more or less bested twice before. This was a battle of the verbal kind. "It's not a wonder you haven't learned much from the Jedi. You don't let them get a word in edgewise." A half-smile. "Though I've never put much stock into the peacekeeper act, myself."

Her abandonment of the Order wasn't something she necessarily took pride in, but she viewed them with a sort of critical apathy, firmly rooted in her own beliefs. True peace was something she'd given up hope of ever finding, and she saw little sense in those that still strived for it. Such was her relative dislike for those that followed the ascetic dogma, though it boiled beneath the surface, never quite coming to light. Sage was something of a special case, and she could tell the likelihood of his living out the rest of his days within the Jedi were growing slimmer by the minute, especially since he'd agreed, more or less, to learn from a dark sider.

Raising the tip of her saber, she leveled it at his throat, an unspoken challenge. There were a number of ways to go about their first lesson, though Keira wasn't certain with many of them. This was the first real student she'd taken on since her Knighting, and the first time she'd had to formulate anything close to a lesson plan. So she was making things up as she went along, to say the least. Improvisation had gotten her this far, and likely played some part in her earning her new title. This was nothing new, right?

Finally she leveled her gaze with his, smiling faintly, speaking only two words. "Attack me."

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Mildly intimidated by her boldness, Sage drew back when the tip of her lightsaber reached his neck. He raised his eyebrows and smirked, a look that said he wasn't planning on making anything easy for her. With a dark chuckle, his eyes flashed red for a moment, betraying his Chiss blood. Then he took a breath, a painfully shallow one, his lungs still mending, and called the Force into his body, letting it fill his being.

"Oh admit it, my biting wit is part of the whole package," he said, sidestepping away from her blade, whirling around to the side of her as he circled his training saber through the air with a flourish. "Try and enjoy it, leeah." Then just as she had commanded, Sage launched into an attack on his trainer. Despite being a novice in lightsaber forms, he was experienced in swordplay, and he swept his saber forward in a strike on Keira's weapon hand, attempting to part her saber hilt with her grip. It was a fast and fluid movement for someone unaccustomed to wielding a plasma blade.

"Besides," he said, a sharp grunt escaping his lips, as his disarming strike was about to land. "You haven't punched me in the groin yet, so I think you're beginning to actually like me."

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Speed, that was always imperative if one wished to undertake the task of learning the saber forms Keira utilized. And it seemed Sage had at least that necessity well within his grasp. That was something they could build on and further exploit, given enough time. With that would come more eventual refinement, but those thoughts were best saved for later. Right now she had to work with all that was already available, and it seemed that plenty of potential was there. But what he had in possibility she had in training and overall experience.

The disarming strike was countered with a shift of her left hand that caused their blades to meet in a brief flash of sparks, parting seconds later. There was a certain fluidity to the way he moved that spoke of a knowledge pertaining to wielding a bladed weapon, though perhaps of the weighted sort instead of something akin to weightlessness such as a lightsaber. His balance was near perfect despite this. "Not bad. You're going to want to be fast to learn Ataru." Her blade flashed towards his midsection, at a training setting, though she wasn't sure if Sage was aware of this. "But sometimes disarming isn't an option. For example, when your opponent is looking to kill you just as much as you want to avoid killing them."

Regardless of whether the strike was successfully blocked or not, she once more allowed the tip of her weapon to stray towards his throat. "Disarmament isn't going to be your priority when you're in a situation like this. The Jedi can preach against it all they wish, but sometimes it's necessary to take a life in order to preserve your own. No matter what benefits lie in death according to what they teach, I think you'd rather live to see another day. Wasting talent is pointless."

Only then did she turn her attention to his comments with a slight smirk. "Let's not get too ahead of ourselves. I'll admit that I tolerate you, but don't push it."

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

As expected, Keira parried his attack with a powerful blow. Then as she gave him pointers, she launched a swift surprise attack on his midsection. Sage's reflexes were sharp from years of fighting, but it was a close call as he swung his training saber in an underhanded parry to deflect her blade. Landing badly on his lame ankle, his face was laced with pain for a few moments. The blades sizzled as they met, flooding his irises with sparkling red reflections.

He danced away for a moment, but not quickly enough to escape the blade at his throat once again. Damn. She moved at fething lightspeed. His eyes flashed down at the blade and back up again and he chuckled.

"You tolerate me, huh?" laughed Sage. "That's beautiful. I suppose I should start picking out honeymoon spots then?" He walked back a few paces and twirled his weapon absently, grinning widely at her.

"I have to admit I'm a little shaky on the hand positions," he added. "Maybe you could come over here and show me how to hold my saber?"

She had to know that innuendo was coming at some point, and of course, he couldn't help but deliver.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

At the drop of a hat, Sage went from a tolerable student back to his usual remarks and more than suggestive innuendos. Hopefully Cryax didn't expect her to go too easy on the man just because the Chiss hybrid was his half-brother. While Keira hadn't quite reached her limit with him just yet, that time was fast approaching, if he kept it up. It was one thing to endure his comments out of necessity, and even return them to show she wasn't out of the game just yet. Even she had to draw the line somewhere. But she hadn't physically injured him in any way, this time around. Yet, at least. Only time would tell if he would remain unscathed past a few minor bumps, bruises and likely burns.

"I said I tolerate you, not that I'm going to jump in bed with you. Or has it been so long that you can't tell the difference?" That might have been a bit low, but she wasn't going to spare any expense. Whether he liked it or not, this time around she was the superior, at the very least in title, if not ability as well. Taking a few steps towards him, she twirled her saber once with a flick of the wrist, deliberating her next move. There were multiple ways to go about this, but she had a feeling subtle intimidation would reap more rewards than outright violence. He'd seen enough of the latter to be unfazed by it. A quietly threatening demeanor was the best way to go about things.

Stopping when there were no more than two meters between them, she studied him for a long moment, her gaze calculating. "Unless you want to lose a few important parts close to that saber of yours, I'd learn when to keep your mouth shut. I'm not as forgiving as the Jedi."

With no hesitation she looked him right in the eyes, unwavering. "I believe I told you to attack me, and I don't think I mispronounced. Ataru and Djem So are both aggressive forms, and there isn't room for weakness or passivity. If you're going to amount to anything or be any kind of fighter, you need to learn to not let up, unless you're looking for an early death. You run into anyone like me on the battlefield and you pause for just a second, consider yourself already dead." She paused a beat, inclining her head slightly with a half-smile. "So fight, or die."

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Sage was unfazed by Keira’s idle threat on his manhood. He was impressed by her power, yes, but it took a frightening monster to truly intimidate the jaded young man. Plus, he knew that his brother wanted to see him make it out of his training in one piece. It made him a real pain the ass to deal with. On the surface, Keira was keeping her composure quite nicely, but the way her yellow eyes flashed told a different story. Sage let her talk and when she was finished, smiled widely.

“I like it when you get all forceful,” he said appreciatively, apparently not shutting his mouth in the slightest. “Don't worry, leeah, if you want to order me around later on tonight, I could get with that.”

Sage slid into an imitation of the Ataru opening stance she’d shown him a few minutes before. Then he pulled the Force into him, letting it flow through his rangy frame, energizing him. As he let the energy help to push himself past his physical limit, his bad lungs and bum ankle, he launched into his next attack, spinning around and hammering her with short, sharp blows.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

The way Sage kept running his mouth left something to be desired, but Keira couldn't downplay his skill in battle thus far, even if this was just another sparring match. His swift, short and powerful strikes were impressive given that his lanky frame didn't leave much up to the imagination in terms of physical strength. And he seemed to be feeding at least partially off of the Force, which was another step forward. Being able to inherently access the energy field meant he was being taught something at least marginally useful among the Jedi. Starting with limited experience was always better than starting with none, and it helped her to gauge his progress as well.

Not countering or parrying just yet, she simply blocked each of his swings, quietly impressed with his skill thus far. It was one thing to learn Ataru through training, but another to display something of a natural affinity for the form. Maybe she had to give the Jedi that had been instructing him more credit than she thought. But this was no time to begin going easy on him. So in the next second she adjusted the angle of her weapon, bringing their blades together in a saber lock, sparks flying between them. "Your speed isn't going to save you here, so you're going to have to rely on strength. Or, alternatively, the Force." Not waiting for him to determine a possible escape she broke away with a minute shift of her saber, parrying and countering with a quick strike first to his midsection and then his head.

Being entirely on the offense was always preferred for those who fought as she did, but there were times that wasn't an option, as she'd learned the hard way. However much she disliked Sage, that was one lesson she wanted to get over with in a relatively harmless situation such as this. The better a grasp he had on these techniques before he went out and engaged someone on the battlefield, the better. Even if she would have liked nothing more than the opposite, sometimes.

"Your sweet-talking isn't going to get you by on the battlefield. Believe it or not, you might have to make some effort. I don't give a kark if you respect me or not, because I'm not about to do the same for you. Try and let some of this get through your thick skull, at least. Your brother didn't send you here so you could walk away just as stupid as you began."

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

There was no doubt that Keira was a powerful lightsaber combatant. Each of his strikes she deflected with panache. As their weapons clashed with a hiss, Sage felt himself becoming winded, his bad lungs punishing him for years of flagrant abuse. He called upon the Force to fill his body and push it in ways that he wasn't physically able to himself. He was pleased to feel his body responding gratefully to the boost.

When her offensive strike came to his midsection, he had enough Force energy to supplement his fatique, and was able to parry her blow. The attack on his head was unexpected however. Lightning-quick reflexes kicked in and Sage managed to duck down as the plasma beam passed over his head, singeing a few tufts of shaggy hair.

He laughed as she berated him for his sweet talking. "Oh, but sometimes sweet talk is the perfect distraction for the right opponent patessa," he said with a chortle, spinning around and launching a series of quick thrusts towards her legs. "Especially when it makes one's opponent so angry." he added, letting his last attack flow into a wide sweeping arc that was meant to bisect the opponent if the saber were on the right setting.

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

For once Keira had to pause before replying, focusing her attention on either blocking or countering his attacks. Already Sage was applying what he'd learned in these few minutes of simulated combat, and it was a promising sight. Adaptation and improvisation were two skills she held in high regard, and they were two he didn't hesitate to implement. And not only that, but he seemed to be drawing on the Force to augment his own endurance and strength as well. Maybe your brother isn't half bad, Cryax. There was talent to work with, when one got past his natural attitude. But that took most people too much time to ever see his true skill. And it wasn't a wonder why.

Utilizing her acrobatics so early wasn't what she'd planned, but with his newfound skill it would be necessary. Jumping over his low cuts and landing on her feet just as he swung towards her middle, her saber flashed up at the last possible second, just managing to avoid what would likely have been burns she would have felt for days afterward. Batting his blade away she met his quiet laugh with a wry smile, not missing a beat and this time attacking more bodily, aiming a sweep kick for his lower legs, hoping to knock him off of his feet. If she was successful, this little sparring match would end in the next few seconds, allowing them to move on once more.

Regardless of whether that strategy ultimately sufficed she released a burst of the Force directed at his midsection, one that would throw him backwards if it connected. There would be no kindness shown to him by one of her rank on the battlefield, and she intended for this to be as accurate of an example as possible. Of course, the fact that he kept running his mouth didn't exactly help his case either. In the end he just kept digging himself a deeper hole that was becoming harder and harder to climb out of.

"I wouldn't say angry. Just calculated. Focused." She did her best to not allow her emotions to rule her in combat, though it wasn't successful in some scenarios. "I think you've had enough of sparring for now."

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

Her lightsaber spinning like a fan, Keira jumped gracefully through the air and then blocked all of his attacks. He had to admit, the Ataru form was beautiful, but he could plainly see that mastering it would take a larger amount of work on his part. He would no doubt be handicapped by his health issues, but it only strengthened his resolve to become skillful in the form.

Sage swung his saber high over his head, half a beat away from bringing it down directly on her again, when the darksided Knight swept his leg out from underneath him, planting him flat on his back and also flying backwards simultaneously. Was she trying to see if he bounced?

"Well, gravity works," he said from his position on the floor. "In case you were wondering." He glided to his feet using the Force, letting it flow into him in case she came barreling towards him with another surprise attack.

"What else are we going to do then Miss Ticon? I can think of alot of things myself, but you're the teacher, leeah."

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

A quiet laugh escaped her lips at his first comments, and she shrugged her shoulders, lightsaber spinning lazily in her grasp. His mettle had been sufficiently tested, and he wasn't found lacking in any areas, at least in terms of his assumed skill level. Now it was time to move on, though she wasn't sure on to what just yet. Saber combat was what had been specified, but she was never one to follow those plans that had been laid out for her. And more than that would be necessary if Sage was going to get any start on learning Ataru. At the very least he would need the Force to augment his speed to begin with the acrobatics, something that would be interesting to see.

Taking a few steps forward to stand but a meter away from him, she tilted her head slightly to one side in thought, considering both his physical condition and what the wisest next step would be. However much he irritated her, he was her first real student, and deserved some semblance of formal teaching. So she would do her best to deliver that. "I dare say you deserve some semblance of freedom to choose what you'd like to learn next. Acrobatics would be the next logical step, since we're working on developing your skill in Ataru. It's not going to be easy, but I think you're smart enough to have figured out by now that nothing is."

Her lips pursed thoughtfully, and she continued, "Alternatively, we could work on the less common techniques with a lightsaber. Nothing terribly unheard of, but it involves more of a firmer grasp on the finer points of telekinesis. And we don't want you to hurt yourself so soon, now do we?" That comment was part teasing with the faintest semblance of seriousness. She wasn't exactly sure how far his skill in manipulating the Force extended, but there was really only one way to find out. "What Force related combat techniques have you been focusing on? I can't assume the Jedi have taught you anything terribly offensive. You're supposed to be a peacekeeper, after all." That remark was definitely pointed.

"Take your pick, funtihruo."

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

“The Jedi taught me kark,” Sage said disdainfully. “I sat around in a lotus position with a Holotext up my nose half the time. Let’s just assume I’m learning it all from scratch.”

Sage’s eyes strayed to the ceiling as he thought about the question of what to learn next. His lungs hurt just thinking about doing strenuous acrobatics, but as Keira teased him about getting hurt, he changed his tune. He might have spent his life trying to take the easy way out of things, but when it came to combat, he had a steely determination to compete and excel, most likely cultivated from his tournament days. As destroyed as his lungs felt, that bit of sparring had whet his appetite for more.

“As you can tell, my health is bad,” he admitted. “I would like to learn acrobatics and speed training, but I’m not sure my lungs can take it. Can you show me how to use the Force to push myself beyond the limits of my physical state?”

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

Nodding as he spoke, Keira took a moment to consider his words. There was much that could be done that would still abide by his requests. None of it required too fine a control over the Force, which was all for the better given that the two of them were more or less starting from the very beginning. With her having no experience in teaching others, at least not in any traditional sense, this would be a good place to start for the both of them, even if she wasn't entirely sure about it all just yet. "You were doing something like that when we were sparring, whether you recognized it for what it was or not. You're drawing on the Force instinctively, which will make all of this easier. Believe it or not, thinking about it too much can be your downfall in the end."

It would be the simplest for them to begin with augmenting his speed via the Force, moving on to acrobatics afterwards. Both techniques arguably branched off of each other with not much difference between them, but if he wasn't consciously aware of his use of the Force in combat just yet, then giving him the chance to learn and exploit that would be the first step. "Pull the Force into yourself, and let it sit until you feel as if you can move and shift it to any part of your body with little issue. Once you have that down, focus the energy into your legs, and run from one end of the arena to the other as fast as you can. Done right, you'll have already learned how to increase your speed with the Force. The same technique roughly goes for augmenting your strength as well."

Thumbing the ignition switch of her saber the blade receded back into its hilt, and she clipped the weapon at her waist, briefly indicating for him to do the same. There wouldn't be any need for the weapons, at the very least for the moment. Perhaps more would come later, once he got a decent hold on the acrobatics aspect. Wielding a saber, or any kind of bladed weapon for that matter, in midair was a different game altogether. It required a bit more finesse, something that he would have to develop over time and through experience. That was one of the most important parts of it all, learning from experience. In the galaxy as they knew it, formal training would only get one so far. It was applying those skills in live scenarios that truly tested an individual. "Remember, this isn't going to be as easy when someone's actually trying to kill you. So practice." As much as he probably didn't like being told what to do, repetition was necessary to learn most any skill.

"And as much as I might speak out against the Jedi, they know a thing or two about training, when it comes to certain aspects. Don't disregard all you were shown just yet. Meditation, among other things, is something that can be applied to those from all walks of life, regardless of their alignment in the Force or otherwise. Some of their philosophies might be flawed, but they aren't without merit. However much you might despise them, you can always learn from your enemy."

[member="Sage Bane"]

 

[Sage Bane]

He shook out his arms, loosening the muscles, then closed his eyes and concentrated on pulling the Force into his body. He could feel its power undulating underneath his skin. Focusing on pushing the Force into his legs, he found himself unable to feel anything at first. Ah, but it wasn't about pushing the energy. It was about letting it flow. He remembered this lesson from Master Rexus. Like a waterfall, he let all of his Force powers flow down into his quadriceps. His muscles felt loose and almost untethered. Then Sage sprinted from one end of the arena to the other, moving at preternatural speed, his form blurred.

His short burst around the arena was suddenly stopped by a vicious coughing fit. Sage bent over, his knees on his hands, hacking until he could breathe again. Then he took in a long, croaking gulp of air and dashed off again. The second time, not only did he reach impossible speeds, but the training room and everything in it slowed down around him, just like a Ryll stupor. The effect soon subsided, draining the young man so severely, he had to take a knee.

He had seen some of the Jedi on Ession using the power, and had enviously watched as one of them sprinted so fast, she ran vertically up the side of the temple wall. The sheer control of the Force that one would have to have to perform that astounded him. He lifted his head to look at Keira with a smile.

"That was amazing," he said, his chest heaving painfully. He let out a doleful chuckle. "Well, except for the part where I was coughing up my guts. I will attempt it again when I make sure that my lungs haven't burst."

[member="Keira Ticon"]

 

[Keira Priest]

When not making sarcastic remarks left and right, it turned out he wasn't that bad of a student, and Keira was impressed with how quickly he'd picked up on that skill, however simple it was. Reaching down she offered a hand to help pull him to his feet, the first gesture of goodwill she'd shown him since their first meeting and those that subsequently followed. "You did good, for your first shot at things. Keep refining it, and pretty soon you'll have it mastered in no time. Speed isn't necessarily one of the key points of Ataru, but when your opponent is bigger and stronger than you are, and likely slower, you'll want to use it. Trust me, I speak from experience." When one's mentor was a hulking Gen'Dai whose idea of training included numerous sparring matches, you did indeed learn quickly and on your feet.

That same aggressive style wouldn't do well for someone like Sage. Before in his life he'd already experienced bouts of something similar, and at this point it did little to garner his attention. A more gentle approach would glean the same results with less of an effort made on both their parts. Sometimes the easier paths were the better ones, though that didn't mean she would remain so passive once his attitude changed again, as it inevitably would. So long as he was respectful she would remain the same, but it was liable to change at the drop of a hat. All of this could go one of two ways, and she didn't think that he wanted to drag things out any longer than was absolutely necessary.

"You can apply the same when it comes to augmenting your strength, because speed is one of the defining factors in making any of your strikes strong. If the strength of the swing is your only focus, then concentrate the Force a bit more densely in your muscles. It'll do a bit for speed, but not all that much. It's all about balance." Anyone could preach focus on one ideal or the other however much they wished, but there was a reason the incredibly skilled fighters she'd seen in her life didn't favor one or the other where many did: equilibrium typically served one well. "Ataru will let you work on both in roughly the same amount, but you'll want to favor speed over strength, at least when it comes to the acrobatics. Keep them on their toes."

That was a lot of talk, but it didn't do much for application. "If you'd like you can work on your speed for a bit longer until you feel like you have a handle on it, then we can move on to acrobatics. It's a lot of the same, but it requires more finesse than just moving quickly possesses. Have you had the chance to demonstrate anything similar before?"

[member="Sage Bane"]