Endurance Training

[Ryn'Dhal]

Ryn could be found, should one be actively seeking him, in a place he found himself often in his down-time. Master Cathbodua's gravity room.

He did repetitious calisthenics, with weighted bracers and leg-guards on his limbs to strain his endurance as far as he could get it. He was entering into yet another round of push-ups, having used a wall to serve as a guide for balancing his entire body upon just his hands. Toes pointed towards the ceiling, tail wrapped firmly about his waist, he began panting. Sweating was not an option.

His cloak, tunic, shoes, and mask, could be found in a neat, organized pile just inside the entry of the gravity room. He had no idea exactly what level he placed the room on, all he knew was that it was significantly harder today than the day before.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

Orihime stood in the ancient robes, she had gotten from from the jedi master with a blessing while she was moving with some of her attention on a few of the things. SHe stood there looking at herself in the white robes with her hair. Black and shiny from the water in a tight ponytail, there were a few strands coming out as she secured the blade of the rose on her hip adjusting it a little and her sigil around her neck. All the work they had been doing and going on expeditions before she was heading down into the sub-basement with the gravity room. Weighted straps on her wrists, ankles and waist to keep her working at it compared to the jedi knight.... Who was crazy and went at levels most would be unable to move.Her eyes moved at the door when she felt something or someone behind the door opening it with her card raising an eyebrow. A man... a boy? She wasn't certain he was taller and lithe while she moved in and saw the ring around the room was red identifying the safe zone as she set her things down. "Hello, you got Master Cathbodua;s training regiment as well it seems."

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

Golden eyes, which had till this point stared unfocused at a point beyond the far wall, snapped into focus, darting to the woman who entered the chamber. The fur on his tail, face, and back, almost unnoticed by the naked eye, stood on end. She saw him. There was no hiding the myriad array of scars dancing all across his bared torso, the light scar-tissue visible through the black fur. There were straight, long, slashed scars from slashing tools used on the padawan. Scars that were obviously tears in flesh from being whipped by flogs. Puncture scars. And even a severe branding on his left pectoral, which had fresh scar-tissue from someone attempting to 'remove' the branding.

The worst of these scars, where the 'prettiest'. Long, flowing, curing marks. Where a blade artistically skated across his flesh as a performer would dance their ice-skates across fresh ice. Patterns, interlocking designs. Horrific things to endure. All visible and on display.

After the initial shock of being walked in on passed, the padawan collapsed into a crumpled heap, the wind knocked out of him by the impact. Coughing, and sputtering, his lungs unable to expand due to a combination of the stunning impact and the excessive force of gravity pressing down upon him. He could barely manage to croak out a plea for aid. "T.... tur....n..... off...... puh..... puh....." His eye lids fluttered, golden orbs rotating back as consciousness began threatening to depart from his being.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

Orihime was looking over him with a curious expression waiting for an answer and she had seen scars on plenty of people. Standing there while she watched him fall over and want the gravity off as she moved along the ring of the edge. Touching the controls to deactivate the gravity and she moved over to him looking down and offering her hand as she spoke. "You alright?" A look was on her face though while she almost looked like she was pouting and trying not to smile. "That was quite a fall you took, what would master Cathbodua say about you getting distracted?"

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

The furred padawan kept his gaze deferred from [member="Orihime Ike"] after regaining his footing. He was quite thankful for his fur, as it mostly concealed his embarrassment, though the positioning of his ears would be a dead giveaway to any who knew him well enough.... In short, no one.

He took a steadying breath, before addressing the striking woman's queries. "For your first question, yes. My Master has had me taking regular sessions in here to keep my endurance and strength up to pace with the development of my proficiency with the Force." He turned to face the woman, deciding to use a trick he'd read about for talking with people when suffering anxiety. He focused on a point over her left shoulder, at roughly eye-level, as he continued speaking. "And Master Cathbodua knows full well my.... Social.... 'Limitations'... And hang ups. While she would be disappointed, she would likely acknowledge my improvements and hopefully not judge me as harshly."

After a moment of awkward silence, the furred padawan would start taking hesitant strides towards his gear. "I.... I guess... I shall.... Leave you to your... Session?" He was silently berating himself with savage ferocity for his crippling anxiety.

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

She looked at him more curious while standing there and cocked a hip to the side. the robes swaying but more then that she grinning to herself. "You don't have to go, training by yourself gets boring. It is much more fun with someone else. Besides... I rarely get to really show off my saber. My mommy made it and..." She lifted it up from her hip at it looked like a shoto blade small and compact in the off hand before she extended it into a full hilt for a saber. The force energies from the crystals within it as she twirled it in her hand. "Trainign with a saber in heavy gravity is a good way to stay alert."

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

Ryn'Dhal at least pulled on his tunic, still feeling quite embarrassed at the situation. Fastening his belt, his twin sabers now visible to [member="Orihime Ike"]. "As you wish. I shall stay." He'd reply. A small part of him desperately wished to stay, to train, to socialize, to... well, almost anything. That still small voice screaming for Ryn to not be so reclusive on Voss. To not just go to classes, and return to his own brand of solitary confinement.

The rest of his consciousness screamed for him to turn tail and run and hide. But, he was too disciplined to give into his social anxiety. He can fake it. Sorta. It was obvious to anyone he was feeling a little awkward. But, he would try.

"So.... What would you like to do.... Miss....?"

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

"Ike" She smiled looking at his twin blades and the saber spun in her hand as she extended it again into a saberstaff length and the duel snap hisses came to test it out as she looked at the twin silvery white blades raising an eyebrow. Her saber deactivating though while she held it and moved back a little turning the gravity on to a low setting. Make it like carida opposed to something dangerous to trip. She didn't add more for her name just yet. "Though telling you my first name will be after we duel. There are only several Ike's in the order."

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

Ike.... Feth.... Master Matsu's kin. His confidence was diminishing by the moment. Oh, wait, his confidence was fairly well shot the moment she walked in. Heaving a sigh, he shook his head slightly, ears still lowered in a slightly submissive fashion. "I am afraid I must disadvantage you then. I will reserve my name till after our duel as well. But unlike you, I have no surname with which to offer you."

Reaching to one of his two saber hilts, the right one, a snap-hiss would be heard as the silver-blade sprang to life. He then adjusted the intensity of the blade, lowering it to a level comparable with training sabers. A sharp stinging sensation, should it make contact with himself or his opponent. He set the other saber similarly. But stood ready with only the one blade in hand.

Ryn'Dhal moved towards the middle of the training chamber. "I guess, if you wish, you may lead in our dance." He said, as he rolled his wrist, the saber orbiting about, as he took as very traditional Soresu pose. He hoped her sabers were set to training intensity. Even then, he knew much pain was likely awaiting his very near future.

Seem's like a pretty average day, he thought bitterly to himself as he squared off against [member="Orihime Ike"].

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

She was looking at him and holding the saber it both her hands as she moved her feet. The weight from the straps and pads she had on her wrists, waist and ankles. Weighing her down before she noticed the stance he had for soresu which she was going over in her head on things to counter it. If he was going pure defense she could stand to go on some offensive but there was more tricks and she had a grin on her face. "That is fine, I am used to not knowing peoples names." The grin remained as she moved, the force pushing through her body and muscles with an intake of breath shifting the blades so one deactivated with her hand gripping it and slashing upwards from her right side then up. The attempted strike meant to get his blade down so she could work to have it guide her second blade into an overhead strike to try and tap his shoulder. She had the saber set low and ready to practice with.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

He had been practicing his defensive form extensively, working out how to best capitalize on his naturally high agility. As her strike came, his blade moved to meet hers. Not to block and deflect, but to redirect. The expected cacophony of noise erupted as blades met, his own saber sliding under hers to accelerate it on it's path towards the ceiling. At the same time, Ryn used the momentum of his counter to pivot around the woman, in-adverdently clear of her potential followup. As he took a couple cautious steps back from [member="Orihime Ike"], his own silver-bladed saber began its orbits around his body. Ryn'Dhal was creating his ring. His circle of defense. And he was awaiting her next attack, golden eyes taking in her movements, as his keen ears twitch all so slightly to better comprehend any noises she made in her movements.

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

She kept moving, not with a pause but with the momentum and speed he gave her. Pushing and directing her blade back and up while she moved around behind her and the small padawan brought it up. The force guiding her movements as the other blade came down from above missing but up to try and thwack against his kneecap with her jumping a little. Acrobatics to the side in a twist to use the rotation and speed but add to it so it became a faster double strike with a small gust of wind from the force.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

Ryn'Dhal watched his opponent carefully, both in the natural, and in the Force. Using his practice in the art of sensing through the Force, along with using the deductions that rational thought and what his eyes witness, he was able to visualize her most likely paths of attack. Her first strike was simple enough to evade, but her followup was the problem. Her most likely targets from her striking trajectory would be either his hip, thigh, or possibly as low as his knee. Using this information, his sabers orbits shifted to the appropriate hemisphere of his body. Their sabers would meet, in the expected clash of light and sound, as he caused her blade to glance off harmlessly.

Close. He was fortunate he included the knee in the equation. Had he not, he wouldn't have blocked so low as to catch her strike. He moved away from her, his sabers orbits around him varying in size and direction, shifting from a downward sweep at times, then upwards. His rhythm was quite erratic and unpredictable, yet fluid and graceful. There was very few discernible openings to the untrained eye. A Master or Knight would more likely find an opening though. But he practiced this form extensively, seeking to potentially master it's ability to prevent almost all conventional attacks.

[member="Orihime Ike"]

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

She moved back, watching distance be created as attention to the details had her crouching down to make her target area smaller and more defendable as the one blade deactivated and it she held the blade in two hands while it compressed and folded up. Looking at him with the force while feeling the gravity and he was making a lot more movement as she brought the blade to protect and block. Cast off and let techniques like the falling leaf as a bang flew out of her pony tail and tickled her nose. The padawan was... not bad for using a purely defensive form and that wasn't a bad thing. Sometimes you needed a skilled defender but she felt her lips crack into a half smirk while watching him and she reached out to pull at him with the force and try to trip up his footwork. "Boots are untied." Orihime moved forward showing a shii-cho stance and leaping up with the saber in front of herself spinning like a fan to bat away his blades as she tucked in. Letting the gravity add more power with the falling leaf and preparing to kick out when he blocked her rotating blade.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

He couldn't refrain from laughing at her ploy. His boots didn't lace up. But as she attacked with the more direct Shii-cho, he reached towards her again with the Force. He felt she was going to attempt to het his blade out of the way. Would it be a punch to follow? A kick? A blow from the Force? He wasn't too certain. But he knew something was coming.

Her strike came in. He caught her blade in a way that would, if all went as he hoped, force both of them to rotate and spin away from each other. His hope was to wear her out, tire her out, and win by default, or rather, a draw. He would begin his rotation, as her kick came in. He detected it too late, jerking his leg to get cleared. Her foot made contact with his leg, causing him to stumble. As he hit the ground, he willed the Force to travel through him as a conduit, down his extending arm, into his free hand, in the form of a Force push directed at the ground. The force of the impact would propel him a few meters away from [member="Orihime Ike"]. "Well played." He muttered, a wry grin cutting its path across his face. "Very well played."

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

She was moving, in the air when the force was below her and acting like a cushion while she was moving with roll to pop back up and let the momentum of her roll and intertia lift her up. with her saber pointed forward as he spoke. She was breathing in through her mouth a little but she was excited and this was fun as the work out was welcoming until she was moving. Shrugging out of the robes and down to the light training garb that was clinging to her. The grey silver robes slamming almost to the floor as she spoke with a wink. "Weighted cloths make it fun." The strapped weights on her were still there but she was jumping more and more now in place. "You ready for round two?"

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

Ryn'Dhal may be another species, be he was still male, and as far as he knew, the only one of his kind. He still appreciated the female form. And her reveal of her weighted robes, as well as her reveal of her light training garb clinging to her form, made for a distraction. He managed to refrain from emulating his friend James, who would have naturally let his own eyes roam up and down the woman's body. Instead, when he felt his eyes start to even threaten to wander, as she stood there hopping about, his eyes instead remained glued to her own, through sheer discipline.

He chuckled slightly, as he removed his own tunic. The gravity did cause the fabric to slam down faster than it would have normally, but not because of it being weighted. Just higher gravity. "I think I'd like to get my hands on something like that myself." He'd say with a chuckle. Flexing slightly, he too hopped slightly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His saber performed a couple more orbits about his body with one hand, as his other hand extended slightly. Into his free hand his second saber-hilt drifted to. Wrapping fingers around the curved hilt, he took it and proceeded to weave it into the orbit behind his lead saber. The twin silver blades weaved about him, as he grinned.

"Round two you say? Perhaps." He'd say coyly. "I have heard... in some cultures, you cannot truly know the spirit of another person until you have fought." His right ear cocked off to the side, left still perked upright, the effect being visually quite endearing. "So, in that theory.... let us get to know one another." He'd state with a taunting grin, as he continued in his modified Soresu, awaiting [member="Orihime Ike"]'s first move, allowing her to lead this dance.... for now.

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

Orihime looked at him and raised an eyebrow as she was standing there and held the saber, carefully for a moment watching his defense and his movements with more interest before thoughts came to her of what she could do against his guard. The best way would be continue to be unpredictable and use her range compared to him. He didn't seem to have an offensive form for use yet at least in the heavy gravity. She was unable to use sokan like her mother had taught her with the ring around the room and lack of places in the room to jump or use for her advantage. "Are you trying to flirt with me? My mother is very protective and knows a lot about the force." She revealed it but no one usually knew Matsu had children let alone four daughters each with jedi talent... and one was two but Kia was adorable.

 

[Ryn'Dhal]

He faltered. His eyes blinked, going wide, as ears cocked out at odd angles, head tilting slightly towards one shoulder. He lowered his guard completely, taken completely off balance by her statement.

"F...flir..... Me? No. Nonono... I..." <Holy feth, was I flirting?!> The padawan stammered, and questioned himself. He genuinely was not sure. He'd never flirted before.... Perhaps, was it something he'd picked up from James? Perhaps.... But.... That wasn't him... Not Ryn'Dhal's way.

He'd retract his blades, thoroughly flustered, and bow formally. Had he not been covered in that fine, black fur of his, had he been of a complexion capable of doing so, the padawan would be almost glowing scarlet from his embarrassment. "I.... I am sorry.... I am.... There are no words I can think to convey how out of character such a bold statement from me that is...."

Was he helping the situation, or was he making things worse? He was not very good at dealing with peers of his own age group, let alone of the opposite gender. His social interactions tended to be limited to older Knights and Masters, or younger padawans. Very rarely had he had any opportunity to interact with another so close in age to himself. His awkwardness was almost palpable in the air around the padawan.

He'd glance to his inactive hilts, unsure what to do now, before bringing his gaze back to [member="Orihime Ike"], looking just past her head over her shoulder, his shyness overtaking him once more, rending it impossible for him to make eye-contact with the woman.

 

[Orihime Ike]

[member="Ryn'Dhal"]

She was watching him now and raised an eyebrow while thinking of what to do... she had to play it cool and had meant it as a joke. She didn't actually know what the flirting was or how to identify it but he seemed to guess at it and was reacting in a way that made her giggle like when she was with her sisters while watching him seem flustered until she straightened herself up. "Yes shame on you, a jedi should not think those thoughts." SHe was now unable to contain her grin and was laughing."