For All the Fringe Ripple Ice Cream (Spencer Jacobs)

[Yasha Cadera]

So there I am at my party and what do I see? A distinct lack of ice cream. A lack of Sakura Chocolate Ripple Ice Cream: my favourite. What happened to said favourite ice cream? After three weeks of my military intelligence scouts running around in circles, seven meditation sessions peering into the present and past of the Force (complete with nine 'aw I'm sorry you lost your concentration, honey!' pity sex sessions with [member="Mikhail Shorn"] when I got distracted with his lips blowing hot air at my neck and ear), I finally found out what happened to my ice cream.

It got dessert-napped by [member="Spencer Jacobs"]. Now, as Bucket suggested I could buy more ice cream and call it a day. But it's about the principle of the matter! Or something!

To be honest, Bucket bought me more ice cream and I've already eaten an entire box in the amount of time it took me to figure out what happened to the missing dessert. Alas! As I am a complicated and unnervingly emotional sort of being, I can have multiple reasons for coming to Spencer Jacobs and pretending to be in a huff. Okay so my pretending to be in a huff ended up sounding more like a plea.

What? I just got back from telepathically controlling wild zombie flowers with Spencer's wife [member="Ashin Varanin"] and with all the events of the last few months piling together it's time I stood up, took the lessons Ilias Nytrau and Lucien Cordel've been giving me and earn my stripes. I can't always hide behind the strongest person in the room, I can't always exit something unscathed or wrapped in bacta.

So it is, that dressed in loose trousers, a plain long sleeved shirt and my hair tied back in a ponytail down the back of my neck I am much the same looking Anders that Spencer brought to the Fringe from that park bench she found me on over a year ago. "Figured if I'm going to go all out and do this fighting thing, I might as well start with the biggest, baddest super massive weapon in the Galaxy. Besides. . . you ate my ice cream, didn't you!?"

 

[Allyson Locke]

It didn’t take just looking at Anders to know the boy was up in a huff, Spencer could feel the kid down the hallway and around the bed. Standing in the middle of her office she heard the huffing and puffing from the troubled boy and slowly turned around in the sleek form fitting black dress she had worn to the introductions party of the Empire of the Hand. Once again she was the other half to an Empress, once again they were involved with rather delicate political issues and she needed to fit the part – also the dress was hot as feth.

Spencer had her back turned as she listened to the boy complain and vow how he must prove himself and all of that fantastic stuff. The woman he was speaking too just continued to run her fingers through a hologram coloring possible areas of the map they would conquer. The star map held her attention until Anders’ stopped speaking, looking over her shoulder, Spencer pouted her lips and nodded. There was no lying despite the fact that Anders probably wouldn’t have been able to read her mind anyways. The woman focused on sealing up any tendril that the boy could use to enter her mind – she was a steel trap.

“I wasn’t the only one that ate it of course, Ashin joined me on the couch for a marathon on the holonet. The woman adores the old holofilms especially those Teras Kasi films – though the words always seem off when they talk. Anyways, I ate it and it was delicious. If you’re so determined to avenge your fallen ice cream...” A wave of her hand dropped the hologram of the galaxy and the disc component quickly flew from its place straight for Anders’ forehead. “Then I’ll entertain you.”

[member="Anders Sivas"]

 

[Yasha Cadera]

"AH! My ice cream!" I balk and wail, it sounds far more garbled and manly than I intended, my lip curled up in a whimper. "Ashin had it too? Did Ibby get any? 'Cause your daughter is the cutest kid in the universe and I'd be totes okay if Ibby got some. It was delicious, right!? Silky smooth chocolatey, flower petal-tasting, fudgey ice cream! Tell me you had it with sprinkles!" I almost fall to my knees at the memory of the delicious flavour brought from Sakura to my party by loving, caring importers. I imagine they were loving and caring importers, 'cause with the amazing ice cream they brought to the Fringe, how could they be mean and nasty?

In the fiction of my mind this is going a whole lot better until the point reality hits with the disc pezzing my forehead. "Gh-ow! Sonofabantha!" The force of the disc sends me careening backward and off my feet. I slide into a side wall with a dry thump. "Oooow." I ease back up and roll my shoulder with a pop, feeling the rapidly fading bruise on my forehead.

"Y-yeah. I'm ah. . . I'm in my right mind and duelling you, Spencer Jacobs!" I roll up on the balls of my feet and back down. Students duelled their teachers, didn't they? That was what happened? For a second or three I stand there completely and utterly unsure of what to do. "Ah. . . this is normally the point in the conversation where my trusty bodyguard droid Bucket comes out and rains blaster bolt fire down on whatever, but he's not here with me today and neither are my. . . " My index finger points at [member="Spencer Jacobs"], I shut my mouth and narrow my eyes.

I'm in a duel with Spencer Jacobs and I haven't the foggiest clue. Her mind is revealing none of the trails and ditches a non-mentalist mind will dangle like some form of sick mind twisting candy, I can't get a read on her. "Give me a minute, I'll think of something."

I remember back to when [member="Sargon Vynea"] 'tested my mettle' in his place. What did I do then? Oh right, I went Shorn on him and shoved a bunch of pointy weakly TK thrown objects at his shield. If the day has come where I have to rely on telekinetics to get through a duel, I am well and truly screwed. With Spencer's mind sealed tighter than the crown jewels of Atrisia, I've got next to nothing. What am I going to do, heal her into giving in?

I pull the strings of the Force and tug its inner workings until I centre in on Spencer's gut and equilibrium. Malacia - the ability to cause intense vertigo and nausea is one of the techniques i keep in my back pocket for that desperate get-away. But can I use it to duel? About the only thing I can do at the moment is throw Spencer's head and stomach for a loop and hope she doesn't puke on my shoes.

 

[Allyson Locke]

The facepalm was hard, Spencer wasn’t used to people picking fights with her and then nearly falling over after the first Telekinetic strike. Spencer pulled memories of a memo telling her that Anders had been promoted to Master and this was what he had to show for it? A part of her felt disappointed not only for Anders’ sake, but for her own efforts. Immature and young, she found the boy on a park bench, brought him to the Fringe territories and left him there. Course Spencer was still learning the force for herself, but she did an injustice to the boy.

Deciding to give Anders the time he requested, she spoke of the ice cream. “Oh so that was the odd floral taste. It was weird. To be honest I thought I grabbed the rocky road that was hidden back there, I would have left your fancy ice cream alone if I had probably read the label. We ate a couple of bowls then forgot it on the counter. It melted so I had to toss it before Ibbie’s dog got into it.” Spencer shrugged, feeling somewhat bad once again. It was apparent that Anders had gone through a great deal of trouble for the flower ice cream. The Fringe Master raised her hand, but before she could speak something triggered around her force aura. Something was trying to worm its way through and disrupt her physical balance. Taking a step forward, a movement she soon regretted, the taste of bile clogged the back of her throat and she quickly pressed her lips together to keep from vomiting up all over her paperwork.

Her memory registered what this was and she quickly reacted by launching the heavy desk that she stood behind towards Anders. In a one on one fight, the move was something she wouldn’t have suggested in using. There was a bit of concentration required and in a large group its hard to pinpoint the origin which allows the afflicted to hit max vomit and other issues. Spitting whatever had entered her mouth out onto the floor she waited to see what Anders had to answer with and to see if she could somehow rebalance her physical being.

[member="Anders Sivas"]

 

[Yasha Cadera]

If Spencer has wondered what I've been doing for the past months, it will soon become apparent. The desk hits me in the back with an audible pop and crack of bone. My spine snaps, one arm struck oddly behind my back as I'm half crushed by the hefty weight. The stabbing pain of a stabbed lung shoves my medical mind into the possibility of broken ribs. Blood cakes on my cheek. Pushing out from the wreckage, my arm snaps back from its break, wrist righting itself as my back crackles and snap-snap-snaps back to a healed state. I cough, the blood on my cheek flowing backward from the shallow wound until it disappeared. Standing up isn't a chore. I can't dish out more than a flicker of anything remotely satisfying offence wise, but the defence? I got that.

My hand finds something cylindrical and I grin. "My mental shtick isn't going to work on you, and I can't heal you to make up for my pride or whatever. But I can use one of these. Without cutting my fingers off... Ok so I only did it once." The lightsabre flickered to life in my left hand, I hop onto the wreckage of the desk and slice a section off, flinging it toward Spencer. I then turn the focusing crystal's power conduit down, this isn't a match to the death in any means. "My poor ice cream! At least it got mostly eaten... Awwww! The dooooog!"

I flick the lightsabre around my wrist and salute with an elegant swipe of the weapon. Lucien would be proud. I move at powered speed toward Spencer's shoulder.

 

[Allyson Locke]

Spencer watched as she finally centered herself. Her stomach wasn’t twisting and wanting to regurgitate whatever vegetarian food she had most recently eaten. The wounds that the other woman had sustained quickly disappeared and the corner of Spencer’s mouth pulled into a grin. So she wasn’t as helpless as she was making herself seem. There was a bit of relief internally, the girl wasn’t without something to protect her. The lightsaber was the next thing Spencer noticed, seemed she had forgotten it in the desk which was now in pieces and one of those pieces were being launched towards her. Quickly, using the force she pushed the desk corner from her and off to the side. In the same instance she caught Anders turning the lightsaber down and now began a charge.


Somewhat offended, she put everything into next force push and focused it on the charging woman. She wasn’t willing to fight further unless Anders was willing to put everything into the fight as well. “Don’t insult me by turning the power down. Come at me again when you’ve returned the lightsaber to full power or I’ll do it myself.”

[member="Anders Sivas"]

 

[Yasha Cadera]

The sick slap of my body against the wall collides with my dazed lungs. I slide down and stare at Spencer, momentarily confused as to why someone would ask to have a lightsabre put to deadly force.

"I don't want to hurt anybody! Why would I turn it up?" Insulting? It never occurred to me that folk would be upset by my lack of violent tendencies. "I'm beginning to see why so many people get after me for my weak knees." I flick the lightsabre up to full. "Sure. I can heal the freckles off a sainted grandmother but gosh. Kinda stupid if I think about it. For the love of Perceval. I get it. I think I get it."

Maybe I ought to get it less and do more about the it I apparently get. One of the few things I do well, adapting to a situation as it comes is a thing of beauty. Just wish it was easier in moments like this. I feel the pause in my bones I want to stop Pausing and strike. To move. There is this uncanny shade of grace it coat everything I do. My lover was right when he cautioned me on going too far without Bucket and the other droids, and today I'm regretting the lack of my sword viper by my side. I think I can use it now of all times. More than anything I am proud Lucian taught me well and proud he talked me about Grace and I'm proud he taught me that two dual another being is an act of faith. I look at Spencer I see the way her hair is tucked behind her face and I know this fight will be life-changing. Am I ready for such a moment?

I want to be. I lunge for her collarbone in a fake-out, the real target is lower. The lightsabre's real trajectory is the space between her third and fourth rib. [member="Spencer Jacobs"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

If this had taken place a few years ago, when Spencer was only eighteen…the lightsaber would have found its target and would have cut through her like butter. Spencer had only a few short years under Ashin’s training, but she held locked away in her mind years upon years of experience she had learned from not only Ashin, but several dark masters, rogue masters, and even Jedi. They all bestowed the young woman with their greatest knowledge. One Master in particular took a liking to Spencer and taught her something that eventually became the basis to her defenses.

Anders would get a front row seat to what makes Spencer, the master of Tutaminis. Spencer waited for Anders to draw close enough to strike, the feint was seen and drew new reaction, though as the blade drew closer the half Echani remained calm. As if it was second nature, Spencer stepped back into a slightly lowered stance, her left hand crossed her body and with the force focused into the palm of her hand, she grasped the blade stopping it and keeping it still. The blade was warm in her hand and she could feel the energy fueling what was now manifesting in her right hand. A small ball of kinetic energy formed and as she pushed the saber aside, her right arm came forward along with a step forward. “Try again.” Aiming for her chest, Spencer punched the small kinetic ball towards Anders at their short distance.

[member="Anders Sivas"]

 

[Yasha Cadera]

I burst out laughing as Spencer catches the Lightsabre with her bare hand. "Oh snap! That is the best thing I've ever seen!" No wonder Spencer got offended when I tried to turn the saber down. That one act put me at ease. My feet widen in their stance and I come back up for a ri-gah! Ball of energy!

Right at me ribs! Where Spencer's mastery of Tutaminis shows in spades, I have but a mediocre affiliation with the skill. The ball of energy hit on my shoulder and I stumble back, a seething burn bubbling up. But hey, I'm not dead. That's a plus! I try and pull the blade out of her grasp, instead pulling out the skill set I learned from Sargon in days past. Namely: I elbow Spencer Jacobs in the face, using another of my skills that cohabitants with my healing factor: Force Body. I'm no powerhouse. I'm a wet noodle, but Force Body gives me a split second or three to pour concentrated energy into my muscles and hit harder than feather pillows or a speeder bike going six kilometres an hour. My shoulder lights up in pain but it fades off to the distant end and I snap my wrist to try again to loose the blade. [member="Spencer Jacobs"]

 

[Allyson Locke]

The elbow to the face was something Spencer somewhat expected, but not fully. As the point of Anders’ elbow made contact with her face, she leaned back the best she could to easy the blow. The hand released the lightsaber, the last thing she needed as a burn from grasping it for too long. A step back gave Spencer distance which allowed her to wipe the blood from the tip of her nose. Like Anders, Spencer was a bit delicate. Quickly healing herself enough to stop the bleeding she noticed Anders sticking to the lightsaber for the time being. “Let’s see what you can do now that you’ve seen why I don’t mind the saber being turned all the way up.”


Taking a step back, Spencer settled her stance. She wasn’t the greatest at hand to hand combat, but she could hold her own with tutaminis and Shii-cho. The latter being form 1 with lightsabers, Spencer focused the concept of balance and being grounded to her own training with Echani combat. The bastardization of both techniques formed something rather unique for Spencer. Either way, she kept her guard up and waited for Anders to make a move. [member="Anders Sivas"]