Private Form, precision, etc.

[Joland Graves]

Coruscant, Jedi Temple​

Joland waited. And waited. And waited. The person he was meeting wasn't behind schedule, he just arrived early. A habit from his brief stint in the Coruscant Security Force: never be late.

Joel was used to waiting. Time is fleeting; transcient -- there's always the next contingency to happen. He waited to grow up; waited to leave Aleen Minor; waited for job opportunities on Coruscant; waited for his evaluation at the Jedi Temple. And now he was waiting for Valery Noble in one of the Coruscant temple training rooms.

Jo remembered his Jedi training: be present. Focus on the here and now. Feel the Living Force breathe in... and out. He slowly scanned his immediate surroundings. The training room was clean, but faintly smelled of sweat, burnt skin, burnt hair, and burnt fabric. The air recyclers hummed. He wrinkled his nose. It was a peaceful moment, one of the few he'd had lately.

The truth is, despite Joel's modest tenure on Coruscant, he never got used to life in a bustling metropolis. Even at the Jedi Temple, there were lessons to attend, training sessions to take part in, knowledge to be gained. He missed his quiet, pastoral life on Aleen Minor. He had been so eager to leave. Guess home never leaves you, he thought.

Joland, posture now straight and firm hands clasped behind his back, was waiting for a lesson on lightsaber combat. He knew the basics of Shii-Cho, clumsy as it was. He was more experienced with firearms, familiar with the cold metallic touch of a blaster. But the lightsaber was the essential tool of the Jedi and he would have to learn. For even though the Second Great Hyperspace War had ended, threats to the peace of the Galaxy had not. And the Sith were not so easily defeated. Of course, he had never fought them -- never saved a planetary system from destruction -- and probably wouldn't for a while, if at all; but he was about to meet someone who had.

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Joland Graves

Valery walked through the Temple hallways at a steady pace — she was early, as always, but she could feel that the young Padawan was already there as well. Perhaps he was nervous about being late, or he simply appreciated being on time as much as she did. Either way, it was a good start to what she believed would be an interesting day.

Not only did she get to meet a new Jedi, but she could relive her days as a Lightsaber Instructor just a little again.

"Padawan Graves?" Valery asked after sliding open the door of the training room. Her bright, fiery eyes turned to the young man, studying him for a moment before she offered a kind smile and a bow of her head. "A pleasure to meet you, I'm Master Noble." She walked into the room and briefly looked around to make sure the equipment was where it needed to be.

"I hope that you've been settling in well?"

 

[Joland Graves]

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PLANET: Coruscant
LOCATION: NJO Temple
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Joland heard the hightening sound of footsteps. He straightened his back and broadened his shoulders. If it was Master Noble, she was early, too. An auspicious sign.

"Yes, that's me," Joland politely replied as she entered the room. His gaze caught her fiery eyes first; liquid amber. Then his attention drifted to the scar across her left eye and then finally her smile. "Greetings, Master Noble," he replied, gently smiling back. "Thanks for being here, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Joland's gaze softened, his attention fixing on her eyes again.

"Yes, I've been settling in well," he scratched at the stubble on his jaw, "for the most part." He paused again, "The Jedi way of life has been a... unique experience so far." He grinned, his last words softly ringing with mirth.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Joland Graves

"The pleasure is mine," Valery said, her eyes rising to meet his gaze. Sometimes, it was still odd that people started their journey as Jedi as adults — she was used to the old ways when Jedi began their training as infants. Not that it bothered her though, as even older students have proven themselves time and time again in recent years.

It just required a different approach.

"I'm glad to hear that you're settling in well, and that's... to be expected." She chuckled and ran a hand up through her hair to fix it in place a little. "It might take some time to get used to it, but the Jedi are typically very helpful." In her own experience, they were some of the most reliable people around.

They'd always be there to help each other.

"Which is also why I figured we'd meet. So we can get to know each other, and perhaps I can help with your training as well."

 

[Joland Graves]

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PLANET: Coruscant
LOCATION: NJO Temple
---------------------------

Expectations were tricky.

The tension in Joland's shoulder muscles softened. "It's expected? that's a relief."

"I didn't expect this life to be so busy," he said earnestly, but hopefully not accusatorily. "Life on Coruscant is hectic and I expected it would get better once the Temple became my home."

Turns out that wasn't the case for him.
Expectations were tricky.

Joland nodded his head, "everyone has been friendly and helpful." Though he didn't have much to offer at the minute, he hoped to return the favor to his peers someday.

"Yes, it's nice to finally meet you. There's a lot of talk about you among the younglings. Admiration, mostly. Sword of the Jedi, right?" Joland liked to eavesdrop but he also liked to do his own research. Another CSF habit: always come prepared. It was easy to find information on his fellow Jedi, especially as decorated as Master Noble, in the vast archives. When she entered the training rooms -- poised, confident, a scar across her eye -- it was the image Joel expected from a war-hardened Battlemaster.

Sometimes expectations weren't tricky.

"Yes, training," he said, "I probably need a lot."

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Joland Graves

"I've been living on Coruscant for years, and it still feels a bit odd to me," Valery said with a nod that showed her understanding. The planet was unfathomably huge, so unless you were born there and lived on one of its thousands of levels for many years, it likely wouldn't ever feel quite normal.

"But I'm glad to hear that people have been helpful, a least," she added with a smile. As long as fellow Jedi would be there to help guide him, she knew everything would be alright in the end.

On the topic of their meeting that followed, Valery chuckled — he had read up on her, it seemed. Or at least, he had heard about her through other Jedi. Younglings either talked about her accomplishments in the Second Great Hyperspace war or just the way she was with them. Valery has always been quiet and motherly, so interacting with the younglings was something she loved.

"That's right, and I hope the younglings haven't given you too much trouble." She smirked and then looked around at some of the training equipment around them. "All Jedi need a lot of training, even Knights or Masters. Our journey is that of an eternal student," Valery told him before she drew the hilt of her weapon into her hand and made sure it was set to low power.

"Have you attended any classes already? I can cover some basic lightsaber dueling, or teach you something related to the Force."

 

[Joland Graves]

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PLANET: Coruscant
LOCATION: NJO Temple
---------------------------

"It feels antithetical to have a temple here," Joland shrugged. "But Jedi have responsibilities," he followed up uneasily. Responsibility didn't come naturally to Joland. Avoidance was the usual reaction. One way or another, he'd have to learn if he wanted to be a Jedi.

"Not at all, quite the opposite in fact; the younglings have taught me a lot," Joel let out a little laugh. "Since I joined the order so late, I missed out on those youngling years. I'm living vicariously."

"Eternal student," he mused. "So I have to attend classes forever?"

Joland, with fresh wounds on his hands, removed the training lightsaber from his belt. The blade's power was minimal, but could still leave a minor burn or bruise. Joel's hands were covered in them; clumsiness was his usual opponent.

"Yes, I've attended a number of classes so far. I know beginner drills and basics of Shii-Cho," he said, his hand twisting the hilt. "Still clumsy, though, so maybe dueling basics would be best to start. But I'm open to whatever you think is best."

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Joland Graves

"I'm glad you're open to learning from them," Valery said with a genuine tone. Sometimes, older students didn't want to accept the fact that some Jedi who began their training younger had something to teach as well. But being open to learning from any Jedi with more experience would only allow him to grow his own skills and experience much faster.

Another part of being the eternal student.

"No, the classes are only useful until you become a Jedi Knight," Valery said with a chuckle. "But after that, you'll still always be learning. Just in different ways. You might learn about a new planet and its culture because you have a mission there, or you figure out something more complex about the Force. It could even be as simple as expanding your knowledge with the lightsaber," she explained calmly.

"There are always ways to improve yourself, and being honest about what you need to learn will help you be the best Jedi you can be."

Which seemed to apply to his lightsaber training as well.

"Let's start with Shii-Cho basics, so Ideal-Form. Perpendicular angles only," she explained before she ignited the violet blade of her lightsaber, waited for him to be ready, and moved towards him. To start simple and slow, she raised her blade up and transitioned into a vertical sweep straight down towards the top of his head. Never fast enough to cause harm if she were to hit, but enough speed to force him to react somewhat swiftly.

 

[Joland Graves]

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PLANET: Coruscant
LOCATION: NJO Temple
---------------------------

"That's true," Joland excitedly replied. "I hadn't thought about it like that." He considered for a moment. "The library is so vast, too, somebody could be in there for hundreds of years and only learn a fraction of what's in there." That concept fascinated him. Joel recited part of the Jedi code, "There is no ignorance, there is knowledge." Emphasis on the knowledge part.

Joel nodded along. Honesty in one's ability was vital. Jedi often worked in tandem, their unique skill sets complimenting each other. But hubris and the failure to recognize one's flaws was what got people killed. Again: there is no ignorance, there is knowledge. Emphasis on the no ignorance part.

Master Noble's lightsaber sprang to life, warm plasma vibrating violet. Oh, we're doing this, Joland thought. He thumbed the ignition switch on his training lightsaber, the blue blade illuminating before him. Light and shadow elegantly shifted, their encounter changing the environment around them.

Human brains were strange. Flawed, but adaptive. They often relied more on primal instinct than thought... and the Force, of course.

Master Noble's purple blade arced upwards and came sweeping down toward Joland's head with sudden speed. The Force tickled Joel's limbic system. Impulses instantly flooded to his battered hands. With a two-handed grip, he raised the blade perpendicularly to meet the instructor's attack. Light and shadow repositioned as the lightsabers crashed. Sparks flew. Warmth amplified. Joland felt confident and remained firm, his feet planted like a pillar into the ground. He held the block and waited for her next move.

Valery Noble​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Joland Graves

"There is no ignorance, there is knowledge."

With him voicing that line of the code, Valery was satisfied with their conversation and shifted to the more practical part of this meeting. Her violet blade had ignited, and after opening up with a fairly telegraphed strike, she found herself in a blade lock with the young man. She met his gaze, her fiery eyes burning bright, and flashed just a brief smirk before she fluently withdrew the weapon, rotated her wrists, and brought it back around for a new attack.

This time, its angle was perpendicular to the ground, so she could aim a horizontal sweep to his left side. Wide and raw in nature, how Shii-Cho should be, but with the restraint of not only a Jedi Master but an instructor as well.

She wanted to test him and see how he'd respond. Would he focus on his defense, or also attempt to counter-attack?

"Your stance is strong, and your balance is just right," Valery added with a nod. "Let's see if you can keep up."

 

[Joland Graves]

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PLANET: Coruscant
LOCATION: NJO Temple
---------------------------

Master Noble's fiery gaze lit up Joland's cool blue eyes. Their duel, if one could call Joland's clumsy movements dueling, was heating up. Her form was impeccable and she was much faster than Joland was expecting, her economy of movement the pinnacle of Form I. The beauty of a blademaster at work.

The elegant sweep of the violet blade came horiztonally to strike Joland's side. With the hilt of his lightsaber still in both hands, he perpendicularly slashed his blue humming plasma into the instructor's blade. The strength of his manuever was meant to parry her blade back in a primitive disarming slash.

The compliments washed over him, inspiring him. It was time go on the offensive. Joel raised his lightsaber over his shoulder and pivoted on his foot in order to twist his waist, reduce his movement and provide momentum for his attack. He diagonally slashed the blade towards her right shoulder: Body Zone 2. It was predictable, a staple of the form, and a move he frequently fell back on. Hopefully it worked.

Valery Noble
​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Double-Bladed Lightsaber
Tag: Joland Graves

While Valery held back enough, she was throwing in enough speed, strength, and skill to push the Padawan just beyond his comfort zone. She wanted to force him to focus and provoke him into trying new things to adapt and keep up. This was training, so it wasn't about winning or losing — this was the time to experiment and develop new skills. So when he altered his tactics after their blades first connected, she was already quite satisfied.

Rather fluently, he shifted from the Ideal Form to the Live Combat Form.

Valery was quick to adjust as well, and raised her blade into a diagonal guard, allowing her to catch his strike still at a 90-degree angle. She forced their weapons into a lock and dipped her head approvingly. Then, all at once, she let the Force surge through her body to augment her strength and used it to shove his blade aside.

Immediately, she pressed forward and swung her blade diagonally upwards from his left hip to his right shoulder, before bringing it around for a more powerful horizontal strike from his right to left. She felt that he was ready for more pressure, so she was throwing more of herself into it.

 

[Joland Graves]

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PLANET: Coruscant
LOCATION: NJO Temple
---------------------------

A subtle warmth crawled up Joland's neck, his pale skin flushed and turned pink. He was beginning to understand why Shii-Cho fostered an emotionally-heated mindset. Determination; the continuous footwork; the wide, incessant, sweeping attacks and parries. The bladework was raw and there was minimal precision, especially for an unrefined duelist.

Joland understood this because he had let the heat of battle effect him. Switching forms was unintentional. He briefly worried about Master Noble's reaction, even if she did deliberately provoke him, but the nod of approval was enough to keep him going. The muscle memory of his velocities supported him and instinct drove him.

The Jedi Master had caught Joland's blade in a perfect 90 degree angle block. Plasma sizzled. Damn - he quickly realized he made a mistake: he was no longer in a stable stance after he pivoted for his attack. His footwork was clumsy and put him off balance. After blocking, she was quick to respond to the opening, aggressively shoving his blade with more than just raw strength. It was enough to send his whole body staggering back. Then, she pounced.

In a past life, Joland would have dropped the lightsaber, pulled the blaster pistol from
his jacket with his sweaty hands and pulled the trigger. Or he would have ran. Either way, it was a desperate move that would maybe find success against petty criminals, but certainly not competent blademasters. Regardless, Joland was a Jedi now; he trained for this, he could handle it. He was Determined.

The stagger gave enough distance for Joland to catch himself, right before the instructor's blade caught up to him. He pushed off of his back foot and used the momentum to block her first attack. His feet came back down flat, his knees bent slightly, and he intercepted the next horiztonal attack with a vertical block. His precision was off, her blade almost hit his hand, but he was safe. That was a close one, Joel thought, as he parried the blade away and brought the lightsaber back infront of him. The blue plasma threw light across his face. He was on the back foot, waiting for Master Noble's next move.

Waiting probably did him no good. Was he supposed to look for an opening? She was the Sword of the Jedi, she wasn't going to make mistakes. Joland needed to make his own opening, but how?

Valery Noble ​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Joland Graves

Even though she focused on the duel and all the necessary movements of both body and blade, Valery was also keeping her senses focused on him specifically. Not his fighting technique, but the emotions and intent flowing out from him through the Force. Shii-Cho was raw in nature, and could easily get so heated that unprepared Jedi lost control. But despite being relatively new to the Jedi, Valery felt that Joland was staying true to himself and this new path he had chosen.

He was forced on the backfoot, and rather than lashing out, he drew his blade into a guard and awaited her next move. Perhaps it was just the most logical decision for him, but Valery saw the potential of a true Jedi in shifting to a defensive stance like this. Aggression or emotion would not control him.

Now she hoped it could endure.

Once more, Valery moved to close the distance, but hopefully to his surprise, she switched to a single-handed grip. With her other hand, she telekinetically summoned her second blade into her hand and engaged the Padawan. To generate some momentum, Valery jumped up, spun around, and used it to first lash out with her right-handed blade — a simple back-handed sweep across his chest. Then, as she came around to face him, she swept her left blade down to the top of his right shoulder.

It wasn't exactly Shii-Cho anymore, but why not apply a little more pressure?

 

[Joland Graves]

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PLANET: Coruscant
LOCATION: NJO Temple
---------------------------

The luxury of waiting for an opponent's move was watching their movement and preparing accordingly. But velocities training could only prepare him so much. Joland had little in the way of experience against a lightsaber wielder. Shii-Cho emphasized straight blocks and parries; if his adversary became more aggressive, he was probably screwed.

When Master Noble moved to close the distance, Joland planted his feet and rose the lightsaber in a two-handed guard position. To his unfortunate surprise, the instructor reversed her grip, force pulled a second lightsaber and spun in the air. Yeah, not prepared — definitely screwed.

Joland might not be prepared for advanced tactics, but he was prepared to give it his all. His Force-adrenaline-instinct pipeline desperately jolted, his perception anticipated her movements almost like he could see it before it happened. She was quicker, but this could be an opening; her momentum could be used against her. He parried her first attack away with enough strength to hopefully shift her balance. Joland then swept his lightsaber across and blocked her second attack, but his own blade slapped him in the shoulder after their blades clashed and bounced off each other. His lightsaber fell to the floor and disignited. He staggered backwards with a grunt, but not before pulling out his blaster — set to low power — and firing.

Joland had been reluctant to try this move before, but she had two lightsabers so it kinda seemed fair.

Valery Noble ​

​

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Joland Graves

Valery's first blade connected with his guard, and was met with considerable strength. It shifted her balance a little, but the Force was flowing through her, and empowering her to keep going. A second attack followed in the blink of an eye, and once more, he managed to block it. Sure, his own lightsaber was forced against his body and he dropped the weapon, but she was already pleasantly surprised that he managed to catch it.

It wasn't easy to keep up with two blades when wielding only one, and without the training to counter it.

Perhaps even more surprising was what happened after Joland staggered back though — he pulled out his blaster and opened fire. The lack of danger in the Force made sure that she knew it was set to low power, but even so, she immediately stopped the acrobatics and remained grounded to use both blades to swat aside the bolts he fired.

"I can't say I was expecting that, but good thinking," Valery said, and by disengaging her weapons, she hoped to make it clear that she wasn't going to attack again. "I'm sorry if I caught you a little off-guard, but I wanted to see how you'd respond. Some students panic, others respond with their own clever tactics."

She smirked again.

"For the relatively short amount of time you've been here, I must also say that your Shii-Cho is looking quite good. Have you tried any other Forms or styles already?"

 

[Joland Graves]

"Thanks, Master Noble," Joland replied with a little pride in his voice, though he wasn't the type to dwell on that kind of emotion. "If I'm being honest, I'm not sure it was intentional. Consciously, I mean. That's okay, that's what training is for; always expect the unexpected. I think I did a little bit of both," he grinned. "But you make it look so effortless."

Joland holstered his blaster pistol. "No, I have been so focused on just getting the basics down I haven't tried any other forms. I've read about Soresu from holobooks in the library. It's a lot different from Shii-Cho, but I could use some work on my defense," he gestured to the evidence on the ground, his lightsaber plain to see — a snapshot of inevitable defeat. He made the short walk of shame to retrieve his weapon off the ground. "Do you think that's something we could work on?"

Valery Noble

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Joland Graves

Valery nodded, "I'm glad you think about it that way, and it only looks effortless," she chuckled and returned her two lightsaber hilts back to her belt. "But I've had a few decades of practice and a lot of field experience as well. Once you have that under your belt, it'll feel just as natural." She smiled a little with that, but let the conversation shift a bit more to him.

She wanted to know where he was at, and what he wanted to learn as well.

"Soresu, hm?" she gave it some thought and nodded, "Shii-Cho's basic blaster deflection formed a basis for Soresu, so it shouldn't be too hard. You've also spent plenty of time working on these basics, so I'd say you're ready to try something new. I used to be a Lightsaber Instructor when that was still a dedicated role, so I can teach it. But I can also highly recommend contacting Kahlil Noble , my husband, if you seriously want to focus on Soresu."

"He's one of the best, while it's not really my preferred style."

 

[Joland Graves]

Valery Noble

"Speaking of field experience," Joland said, looking as innocent as possible. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you get that scar on your eye?" The incessantly curious padawan wanted to learn how she earned the distinguishing mark. Half the reason was because he was intrigued by her. The other half wanted to know for future avoidance — Joland kinda liked his face. Eyes were nice to have, too.

Her husband, yes, he remembered reading she was married. "Thanks, master. I'll contact Master Noble — the other one — and see if he's available." Some more training to look forward to.

Joland softy tossed the lightsaber hilt between his hands. A mimicry of the thoughts jostling in his mind as he pondered what she said. Even a battle-master and instructor had preferences. Makes sense, specialty breeds mastery. A skilled Shii-Cho practitioner could make a fool of it's counter, the elegant Makashi, for instance. There was a beauty in that.

There was a beauty in diversity, too. He wanted to learn as much as he could.
"What form does The Sword prefer?"

 

[Valery Noble]

Sleheyron

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsabers
Tag: Joland Graves

"My scar?" Valery wasn't too surprised that he asked — younger Jedi were often curious about it — but she needed a moment to think about how she'd explain it. Once she figured it out, she offered a smile, "As a Padawan, when my skills were starting to really grow fast, I became a bit too arrogant and stubborn. I thought I was able to handle certain threats that in reality, I wasn't ready for yet at all. It led up to a reckless decision for me to chase after a dangerous enemy alone, at night, and in one of the Galaxy's most dangerous jungles. It... did not go very well, and I nearly died that night."

"It was an important lesson for me, so I decided that I will always wear this scar." She had been asked about treatments to make the scarring disappear, and at the time she might have gone for it if she knew about it. But now, so many years later, she was almost proud to wear a mark of her own failure. It showed how much she had grown as both a person and a Jedi.

On the topic of her husband, Valery smiled brightly again, "Good, just let him know I sent you and he'll understand. We swap students quite often."

"As for me, I use Ataru quite often when I'm really wanting to pressure an opponent. Especially if I know I can easily overwhelm them and end the fight quickly. If I want to be a bit more careful, Form V." Often enough, Form 7 as well but she preferred not to talk about it too much with Jedi early in their training. As a Master of the Old Republic, she still firmly believed it was a form only meant to be practiced by some of the most experienced Jedi.

"I can teach you about those Forms as well if you'd like."