Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy knight

[Aya Clarke]

What a maneuver, she was a violent one. In a normal fight that would be easier to manipulate, but a force user had significantly superior agility to her, and [member="Maple Harte"] demonstrated exactly that. What could she do... normally the General would've attempted to parry the strike, however her blade had been thrown far up to the left, too far even if she dropped to a hanging guard. And at Harte's angle she would be difficult to strike back at. No, her best choice was mitigation. She couldn't win cleanly but she would win at any cost. The service of a knight was as a blade, if she died in combat she would welcome it, and drag her enemy with her.

So how would she do that? Simple. She dropped her left arm, swiftly, and caught the arm as it swung in at her. At this angle, it caught her on the outside of her wrist, forcing her arm likely to bend back a bit as she tried to grab hold of her wrist. Regardless, the blade of her training saber dug into Aya's side, sissing and hissing as the pain was readily evident on Aya's face. Even if it wouldn't be permanent it stung in a way she couldn't ever explain. Except of course, by inflicting it in turn. Regardless of if she managed to grab Maple's arm, she swung her training saber back down diagonally, intending to swing right through Maple's shoulder to hip. Which would sting like hell, and likely leave a minor burn, but it wouldn't kill her. Aya's only real hope was that it worked, and they could then take a break. Because her side really hurt now.

 

[Guest]

Oh damn, Aya was a crafty one.

Maple knew when Aya caught her by the wrist that the retaliation strike would be too fast for her to dodge.

The sabertip stung badly and Maple yelped in pain as the tip burned across her torso. She went slack the air gone out of her as she dropped to the ground, coughing.

"Ah...its...worse than that time I accidentally whipped myself with that wet towel." Maple coughed. Skip. She flew across the clouds. Skip. On the ground. Blessed ground. Sexy ground. Tea, anyone?

"You should have seen the welt that towel left. Had to get a cream to avoid infection. I was screaming like you would not believe."

Maple looked up at the General. "You're very formidable."

[member="Aya Clarke"]

 

[Aya Clarke]

Success.

Aya let go easily as the strike hit, and stepped back slowly to give them space. Then, she sat herself down, and slowly breathed while Maple let the pain go through her, and spoke to her. She chuckled at the comment about a wet towel, holding onto her side as she listened. "Welts, I know those well enough. Shouldn't need to put a cream on for that hit but I'd suggest an ice pack or something to handle the burning sensation." Her smile admittedly grew more as she was complimented, bowing her head to the girl. "I had best be! I carry the honor of my family on my shoulders, being a capable, formidable warrior is the very least I can do for that. For your part, you are quite difficult to predict, bold and erratic."

"However, I would suggest that you refrain from committing to heavily to those bold, risky strategies. You were right to attempt to get around my defenses before I could discern your habits, but your position would've cost you your life. Perhaps a worthwhile sacrifice, perhaps not. Risk must be measured and calculated, wild risk can lead to great rewards but you cannot be unintelligent in it. Consider my retaliation, I could not stop you from hitting me, so I chose to try and delay it to strike back just as hard. Risk calculated in my head, I did not see a better option. A courageous blind man may win a battle, but it is a wise risk-taker that will win a war."

[member="Maple Harte"]

 

[Guest]

Maple lay on the ground for a few moments.

"I used to be a lot better at this but even at my best you would be a lethal foe." She admitted. "Seeing as how we have quite literally left an impression on one another, we should make this a loooong break."

After a few moments, Maple found the strength to rise.

"I have no great house of my own to honor. My drunken style was taught to me on a beach by an old man." she admitted. "But your family has quite a tradition. I always could respect the old ways. Never had the...finesse for it. Always tried to find time to improve where I could. Most of what you saw was adapted from my stick fighting. But it's clear I am bested. On behalf of the Mandragora, allow me to say this: Any Force Adept that would dismiss you does so at their peril. Some are cowards who will cheat but only because they know without their precious magic they are nothing. It was an honor to be schooled by you, with all sincerity."

[member="Aya Clarke"]

 

[Aya Clarke]

"The honor is mutual, it may not seem it but in many ways fighting those like you proves my own deficiencies. Against your 'Force Adepts' even my old arts are considered much like a child playing pretend. Those who can hear the echos left to us, your Force, are inherently capable of surpassing me even without my martial knowledge. Being able to innately predict, and act faster, stronger, as you see it makes fighting in such proximity a dangerous endeavor. However, every match like this gives me insight into your habits as a whole. It is an enlightening experience, perhaps someday I may even appear sensitive myself." She smiled at her jest, before bowing her head once more to the woman. [member="Maple Harte"] was an interesting woman, to say the least.

".. Perhaps you could enlighten me to something, Miss Harte. This Force, what is it like?"

 

[Guest]

Maple was given pause at Aya's words. She sat on a nearby rock contemplatively.

"For every living being it is different. Even though you don't use the force actively, you still have a connection to it, like almost every living thing in the galaxy. For those who can actively use it l...for me...when I was in my prime..." Maple trailed for a second, trying to think how best to word it.

"For me, it's like being a rat in a maze. A maze whose path keeps changing. Whose walls keep shifting. You have some vague idea of your end goal, or at least what direction to take that will get you in the general direction to that And yet at the same time you don't actively know what that goal is. Thing is...if you try hard enough...you can go inbetween the walls of the maze. Sniff at the connections between living things, to be one with the wall."

Maple still wasn't sure she had explained it fully. She decided to elaborate further.

"The maze is the galaxy. You take a wrong turn down a wrong path you end up at a dead end. Or a long pit with spikes at the bottom. Those things constantly shift within the maze also. Some others might give you some sort of line about feeling the connection between themselves and all living things. And they are right about that. But they are also wrong. Its more complicated than that but yet its not. Just as I am also wrong. Just as I am also right. There are secrets in the maze. Things not dreamt of in the ancient philosophies. Its...a matter of being wise enough to discern which are safe enough to uncover...for a given value of 'safe' where the Force is concerned...and which secrets should remain buried. Or even whether you should enter the maze at all...or when you should exit. Because the exit is always right next to you, flitting in and out of the corner of your eye as you walk to the goal and take shortcuts between the walls. But the short cuts are dangerous too. And just as prone to shifting their locations. And they don't always lead to the same places."

Maple paused. "I'm sorry if I confused you General. The thing is, where the Force is concerned, questions like that can get awfully complicated and prone to interpretation."

The brown haired woman gazed wistfully into the sky. The sharp forest colored gaze of the woman dilated from the surrounding light.

"No doubt you would perceive it differently, were you to ever become open to it." Maple said to the General. "Its not a thing to be feared. You are already in it. No doubt you've already run across your own secrets. But once you become really aware, you realize just how narrow the path can be, and how high some of the walls can get. You can scale or bore through them if you're clever, but there are costs."

[member="Aya Clarke"]