Friendly Sparring.

[Kaia Vullen]

They had arranged to meet in a grassy field on the temple grounds. It was a special place to Kaia and Zylah, a place they had met often. So it made sense to utilize it for training as well. It was a brilliant day under the two suns, the air warm with a gentle breeze that wooshed through the blades of grass.

The small Miraluka sat with her knees on her balled-up, brown cloak. She drew deep breaths as she visualised all she had learned of Form I, Shii-Cho, the Determination Form. She could see the swooping horizontal and vertical strikes, and the appropriate blocks and parries as she came to them. Kaia held a practice sabre between her hands, it felt heavy in her fingers, a comforting weight, she thought to herself. Kaia had asked her friend Zylah to help her with sparring. Zylah seemed to have a knack for the sabre. She was also older, taller and stronger in many aspects, a real challenge.

[member="Zylah Dvale"]

 

[Elijah Black]

[SIZE=9pt]The pale lady approached the grass field. It was a rather beautiful spot, really. Vast, open, with a fresh ocean of green. It was a soothing place, one which she had many fond memories of, most of them with Kaia. A beautiful day to spar. She had left her Jedi robes back in her quarters, it was too warm outside, so she simply showed up in the simple Jedi tunic. Kaia and Zylah had been friends for a while, and they had grown pretty close. They were pretty different in many ways, but they were a good match still. Zylah was beginning to notice how Kaia was exceeding her abilities in the Force, and generally seemed to catch on quicker when new abilities and powers were taught. It was impressive, considering Kaia was aproximately four years younger. However, Zylah seemed to be a bit ahead when it came to lightsaber practice. It was all a matter of preference though, and both were improving significantly in their less favoured areas, much in thanks to both being appointed their own masters. It was good though, how they were starting to developing their own areas of expertise. That way they could help the other, when needed. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]It had been some time since she had worked on Shii-Cho, actually, but after today she thought she might include it into her daily saber practice routine. It was a good basis, after all, a solid foundation on which other knowledge could grow. As she approached the field, she swung the hilt of her lightsaber, cutting through the air as she practiced a few of the standard moves. Recently she had been working hard to master Ataru. While she had by no means mastered the form, she was becoming increasingly comfortable with it, taxing as it was. It was the one that appealed to her the most, though she had yet to really master it and test if it was the right form for her in the long run. Luckily for her, her master was an expert at it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]The sight of Kaia came into view, and Zylah's lips immediately shaped into a wide smile. It was impossible to avoid it in her company, and Zylah had learned to accept it. "Kaia!" she said, waving a hand. She had been more than happy to agree to this meeting when it had come up in conversation. She saw it as a great opportunity for both to practice on their saber skills, as well as the two of them getting some training done while hanging out. She felt less lazy this way. They were actually being productive. "How's it going? You ready?" she said as she got closer[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt][member=Kaia Vullen][/SIZE]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Kaia observed the Arkanian offshoot some way away, but let the image go as she tried to maintain her meditation. She kept it up until Zylah shouted her name, then she opened herself fully with a big grin, dimples a-flaring in her cheeks. "Zylah!" She jumped to her feet and twirled the practice sabre in her hand. "I was born ready sister!" In her showing-off she almost dropped the lightsabre hilt, but managed to save it at the last second with a less than graceful fumble.

She straightened up, looking serious, but still keeping her mischievous smile. She held the lightsabre firmly in her left hand, pointed diagonally at the ground, it was not yet ignited, but she could almost feel it buzzing in her hand. Or was it perhaps her own excitement? "I'm still no good though." She ignited the blade and assumed the Jedi Ready position. Blade held vertical, weight on the back foot and legs thoroughly bent. She looked even shorter, which was kind of ridiculous. "Are you ready sister?"

[member="Zylah Dvale"]

 

[Elijah Black]

[SIZE=10pt]Zylah laughed with mirth. She didn't read Kaia's fumble as clumsiness or her being unfamiliar with a lightsaber, but rather like her little body was unable to contain the great excitement within her. As Kaia straightened herself up, attempting a serious look while maintaining that mischievous smile, Zylah realized one of Kaia's greatest weapon: death by adorbz. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]"That's not true" Zylah said with a smirk, pointing at Kaia with the hilt of her training saber. "That's new" she said approvingly, referring to the Miraluka's stance. It had been Zylah's go-to opening stance as well, but seeing this, she thought she might try something else for the sake of experimentation. She moved her feet so that they were evenly spaced, and pointed the hilt of her training saber towards Kaia before igniting it, entering into Offensive Neutral. "You know me, sister. We're the same: born ready" Zylah smirked. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]They would likely stand like this and observe the other for some moments, until Zylah made her move. She didn't have the patience to wait any longer, frequently the first to press the attack in these situations. Her first move was to make two quick steps towards Kaia to close the distance between them, following up with two clean strikes, following a basic attack pattern that targeted two of Shii-Cho's body target zones. The first was aimed at Kaia's right leg, the second at Kaia's right side. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt][member=Kaia Vullen][/SIZE]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

"Good, let's go!" If she had eyes, they would look intensely at Zylah in their stand-off. However, she didn't and so it looked more like a mild constipation. As Zylah came in with her attacks, Kaia stepped back into a position more akin to the defensive neutral position, drawing her right foot back so as to better meet the power of Zylah's blows. She scrambled to turn her blade, blocking the first leg-strike with a plain block. as Zylah's second blow came for Kaia's side, she stepped diagonally back with her left foot and made a swooping downwards cut at Zylah's lightsabre hilt. "How's that?" It was a blow meant to disarm her, or at worst take a part of the hand while stopping her momentum. That is, if she was quick enough for it to connect. Then again, these were practice-sabres that would at worst give a light burn, and her execution was imperfect. The line of her cut was a little off and as such prone to being parried. On the bright side she was very quick to position herself, thanks to her light frame and sure feet.

[member="Zylah Dvale"]

 

[Elijah Black]

The two Padawans melted together, as they started their little dance. Kaia repositioned well, and Zylah's advances were halted, even countered. It was a good counter, its purpose agreeing with the ideals Shii-Cho's, as the Miraluka went in for the disarm rather than for the kill. Of course, no one would come near death today, but perhaps a little tingle as the training saber grazed them.

Seeing Kaia step aside and move in for the counter, Zylah made a few subtle moves. She slid her feet slightly to the side to be better positioned to receive the counter, so that her body would be facing directly towards Kaia. She allowed the shift to guide her blade as well, aiding with a slight pull to draw it to the side, having Kaia's blade hitting Zylah's, only slightly above the guard. After blocking, she'd attempt to raise her blade, and Kaia's with it, before shifting the angle from a horizontal guard one to a vertical one. The move that completed Zylah's counter was a vertical overhead slash, the Arkanian staying true to the Ideal Form, executing all her moves at either horizontal or vertical angles.

She had been too focused to remember to answer Kaia before now, and really, there hadn't been a proper pause to do so. That should be testament enough to Kaia being capable of keeping Zylah's mind busy and locked on the fight. At the earliest convenience, she'd say "Good! Have you been practicing?"

[member=Kaia Vullen]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Kaia knew Zylah well enough to take the silence as a compliment. She did not see Zylah's counter coming, and her own blade was lifted up above her head as she was forced to take a step backwards to keep her balance. She quickly assumed a firm foot-position and changed her vertical blade position to a horizontal one with a circular motion, attempting to catch Zylah's blade before it came down on her. She could feel how the force helping her feet gain traction and fortified her petite frame against the downward pressure of Zylah's blade. "Practiced with Master Raaf." She grinned at Zylah, sweat beginning to form on her forehead. They had just started, but it was warm out and this was taxing.

[member="Zylah Dvale"]

 

[Elijah Black]

[SIZE=9pt]The switch in Kaia's guard from a vertical to a horizontal one had Zylah's blade clash against Kaia's, rather than hit Kaia on the noggin. This was just as good, as even with their training sabers this would probably have hurt. She didn't want to risk burning any of Kaia's hair either. She liked her noggin. "Nice! You're faster now." Zylah commented. Her legs seemed to move with greater ease, not hesitating because she didn't know where to move, but simply letting herself be guided and trusting in the Force. "Have you met Prudence yet?" the Arkanian asked with a big grin. Prudence was the name of a cat Corvus had brought with her in a private lesson to Zylah about Force Empathy. It was beyond adorable. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt] Zylah felt the heat, both from the suns and as her body warmed up from the fight. She wasn't quite sweating yet, or feeling tired. This was, after all, what most of her daily practicing revolved around; saber practice and physical endurance. Ataru was a very taxing form, and to be able to put it to best use, one had to be in great shape. She felt an urge to switch forms, leaving Shii-Cho behind in favour of the more aggressive Way of the Hawk-Bat. But today was about Shii-Cho. Zylah bounced back, their two blades no longer connecting. Now it was Zylah's turn to play defence, as she dropped into the same stance Kaia had had at the start of the fight, Jedi Ready, holding her saber in a vertical guard at the centre of her body. "Your move, sister" she said with a playful smile[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt][member=Kaia Vullen][/SIZE]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

"I haven't! I'll have to ask about her." She was a bit puzzled about who 'Prudence' was. If Kaia didn't know Zylah better, she may have lost concentration and fallen into some clever trap. So she kept up the pressure until Zylah jumped back. Kaia immediately slipped into the Offensive Neutral, it was the most natural step. "You better look out." She grinned back, and exhaled to let go of the tension and centre herself. As she exhaled, a cool breeze tugged gently in their clothes. It cooled her down wonderfully.

Kaia took two steps to the side, moving away from Zylah's dominant side in an attempt to gain a little extra time. Then she lept in with a vertical strike aimed at Zylah's head. She put everything she had behind it, trusting in Zylah to be able to parry, dodge or counter it in some way. She might have gotten a little serious, but Kaia felt a need to get better, a dire need to be able to protect.

[member="Zylah Dvale"]

 

[Elijah Black]

[SIZE=9pt]"Do that" Zylah said with a grin. She didn't want to spoil the surprise by giving away Prudence's identity. Kaia would have to experience that for herself, if she ever got to meet with the feline. In reply to Kaia's warning, Zylah only smirked. Then she thought to herself, can she even see that? In the event that she couldn't, she added jokingly "Come at me, sis"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]When Kaia took two steps to the side, Zylah took two to its opposite, not wanting to willingly give her her flank. Zylah lifted her blade in a horizontal guard. She was surprised by the strength the Miraluka put behind it. "Wow, you're stronger than you look" she commented. It was clear that size didn't matter, at least not in this case. Zylah didn't mind the increased pressure, after all, if one always held back when practicing, how could one improve? It would seem that they were through with the warm-up phase, and things were about to get a little more intense. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt][member=Kaia Vullen][/SIZE]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Kaia could indeed see the smirk, not only did she see it as a contortion of Zylah's facial structure, but through a strong mutual connection forged by years of friendship combined with the rigorous training of the Jedi, Kaia had also begun to see a glimmer of smirk in Zylah's essence. The warm up was indeed done and she smirked back at Zylah.

"Thanks!" She gave an extra downwards push to keep Zylah from following up as Kaia took half a step back and made a low cut for Zylah's front knee. She too stayed true to the ideal form of vertical and horizontal lines. Some of the motions she had been drilled in suggested going from a low attack to a high, or visa versa, in order to buy time against your partner's defence. Kaia's smaller stature made the transition from high to low quite favourable as she was closer to her opponent's legs.

[member="Zylah Dvale"]

 

[Elijah Black]

[SIZE=10pt]They stood there, staring at each other for a moment. Kind of. Hard to stare without eyes, but you get the meaning. Until Kaia made her move. She pushed on Zylah's blade to cover her own retreat. Now it was Zylah's turn to attack... But wait! She had figured Kaia would retreat entirely, like Zylah had done before, but she followed up with another attack. She really had been practicing, fighting with a confidence Zylah hadn't noticed before, at least not when it came to swordplay. She'd grin in approval, if not for the fact that she was kind of screwed. Seeing Kaia's counter, switching lightly from high attack to a low attack, her short body making the transition easier than it would've been for Zylah... She couldn't block it. It was too fast. Had she underestimated her? It would seem like it. Yet she wouldn't make it that easy, she'd make an effort to avoid it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]While her lightsaber couldn't reach a low guard in time, there was a quicker, simpler solution. Zylah was slipping into an Ataru-mindset. Was it cheating? Naah. She bent her legs slightly, then kicked off, leaping up into the air, doing a flip over Kaia. She had great flexibility and leaping power, though the jump was aided with the Force as well. Ultimately, it would have Zylah landing behind Kaia, blade up in the standard vertical guard. If Kaia was slow to turn, or didn't attack, which hopefully was the case if she was taken by surprise, Zylah would move in with a horizontal slash aimed towards her right arm. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt][member=Kaia Vullen][/SIZE]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Kaia's sabre swiped through the air, but Zylah was gone. Kaia was thuroughly confused, she was just there! It took her a brief second to realize what had happened, and she scrambled around to face Zylah. This was rather confusing and highly irregular for Shii-Cho. Was it cheating? Well, it was something else, that's for sure. At the last moment she managed to put her practice sabre vertically between herself and Zylah's horizontal slash, but she was not able to get a sure footing and stumbled back with the force of the blow. After some three steps she regained balance and slipped into the defensive neutral position to regain her composure. "What was that?"

[member="Zylah Dvale"]

 

[Elijah Black]

[SIZE=10pt]When Kaia stumbled backwards after Zylah's strike, she did not follow. Zylah was sufficiently preoccupied to make sure her own footing was secure, after she had made a rather fancy escape from Kaia's blow. "Ataru" Zylah confessed with a poorly masked grin. "I think it's my preferred form. For now it is, at any rate. It's very aggressive, and users employ acrobatic manoeuvres all the time. I've been training a while to be able to pull that one off" she smiled. "You almost had me there, sister" it was true, if not for that bouncy dodge, she would've likely taken a hit. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt]Zylah stepped forwards again. She didn't have the patience for staying on the defence, the Arkanian would've made a horrible Soresu practitioner. The Ataru mindset was starting to seep into her Shii-Cho. It didn't manifest in terms of the actual strikes, they followed the style of Form I. Rather, it was her new aggressive and unrelenting approach that was influenced by the philosophy behind Ataru. Zylah stepped forwards, coming at the Miraluka with sequence upon sequence of clean, horizontal and vertical strikes that she had practiced earlier. Each followed a certain pattern, familiar to those trained in Shi-Choo, targeting the various body target zones. Once she completed one sequence, she'd follow up with another, pressing the advance, provided Kaia did not break her form. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=10pt][member=Kaia Vullen][/SIZE]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

"Ataru? Yes, that does sound like you, sister."

Kaia laughed at Zylah's confession. She was caught by surprise, but she bore no resentment for her missed chance. Instead, she appreciated the opportunity to see how fast her sister was growing, becoming strong. However, Kaia would not let the older Arkanian leave her in the dust, she would practice harder and learn more.

"I'll get you next time then!"

Kaia naturally slipped into the defensive side of the sequence, seeing as Zylah was attacking. Here and there, she implemented an element form the three circles of defence. She was baiting, waiting for the right attack to deviate from the true form and disarm Zylah with the disarming slash.

[member="Zylah Dvale"]

 

[Elijah Black]

Zylah smiled, then joined in with Kaia's laugh. Kaia knew her well. How grateful she was for their friendship. Though the word sister was in part Miraluka tradition, the two not being actual sisters, Kaia was becoming that to Zylah on an emotional level. The Jedi were becoming her family. Kaia, her close sister.

"I believe you" she spoke in honesty, she wasn't mocking her. In a sense, the two completed each other perfectly. Zylah was aggressive in her fighting style, Kaia perhaps more defensive. This allowed for a duel where both got to practice their strengths, as well as familiarizing themselves with the methods of the other style. Their close bond made both stronger.

Kaia on the defence, skilfully blocking Zylah's basic sequences. For a moment, she wondered how it'd look like a year from now, ten years from now. Would they be like a blur, flying over the grass faster than the untrained eye could pick up? It brought a tiny smirk to her lips. She liked the thought of Kaia and her standing together, training together, even in ten years. Zylah hoped nothing changed.

Zylah kept up the advance, keeping up the attack sequences. After another finished sequence, she tried locking blades, stepping to the side as she'd try to slide the blade down on top of Kaia's, to hit either the hilt of Kaia's hand. She attempted to achieve the goal of Shii-Cho, disarming ones opponent

[member=Kaia Vullen]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Kaia did really see them as family, it was not just a tradition. It was but an outlook on life and all living things around her. Zylah was and always would be Kaia's closest sister, now and always. The image of them together as knights had popped up in Kaia's head too, perhaps she had copied it from Zylah just then? Flying across the meadow in a dazzling display of lightsabre proficiency, or standing together against the darkness pressing in on the Galaxy. "So you better not get sloppy."

Kaia appreciated the chance to practice her defence, she emphasised it for two main reasons. First of all, a good defence was key in any form, even the aggressive Ataru form had its defence. The second and most important reason was something her master had said: You can't fight when you're dead.

When Zylah's blade came running down Kaia's, she lifted her hilt, pivoting her blade around Zylah's, and pushed her blade up while lowering her centre and stepping sideways to escape the disarm. She then tried to disarm Zylah in the same fashion she had tried to disarm Kaia. She surprised herself with this move. It was not one she had practised or thought through, but rather her hands moved seemingly on their own.

[member="Zylah Dvale"]

 

[Elijah Black]

The blades spun, Zylah's plans thwarted. Kaia was already shaping up to become quite the swordswoman. Maybe she'd surpass Zylah in this area as well? If so, she would really have to double her efforts in terms of training. She didn't want to be left behind in the dust on all fronts. Of course this wouldn't be the case at any rate, there were many purposes for Jedi, all which they were guided towards by the Force. Relying on, and trusting in the Force rather than herself was something Zylah could do well to practice on. Kaia sidestepped, and moved in with a counter, similar to Zylah's own approach a few moments before. Mimicking Kaia, Zylah too spun the blade, but unlike Kaia, she took a long step back, disengaging, as if the situation was about to get too hot for her.

"You know I won't!" Zylah said with a grin as the blades disconnected. "Same goes to you." Though she felt the pair would keep each other in shape. Zylah considered her next move for a moment, then stepped in, attempting another approach. Her first attack was a standard Shii-Cho horizontal swing towards the sword arm. She anticipated a vertical guard to be raised against it. Should the blades lock, as the result of a block, her intention was to batter at it once more, hard, targeting the blade this time as she stepped in further. Her plan was to knock the Kaia's blade aside, keeping both of their blades at a distance, as she stepped in with a shove, pushing at her body with her shoulder. Ideally, have her fall over. Superideally, not really hurting her. Had this not been a spar, and the opponent been a Sith; rather than a shove, she likely would've done something closer to an elbow to the face. Again, Zylah was drawing upon the physical aspect of Ataru.

[member=Kaia Vullen]

 

[Kaia Vullen]

Zylah disengaged, and Kaia slipped back into the Jedi Ready position. It was a very handy start, more flexible than having to choose between the offensive or defensive version of the neutral position. As Zylah had predicted, Kaia blocked with her blade vertically, the first blow held, the second blow pushed her blade aside and then came Zylah's shoulder. It pushed Kaia backwards, she tried to regain her balance with a step, but her heel hit a stone and she toppled over. Thanks to her training, she had learned to go with the flow of such situations. Instead of crashing into the ground, she fell into a backwards roll and was soon back on her feet, albeit a little scrambled. This was the second time Zylah had pulled a new stunt and caught her off-guard. She was further ahead than Kaia had expected.

"That's also new."

[member="Zylah Dvale"]

 

[Elijah Black]

Zylah watch Kaia felt, and immediately she felt bad and wanted to say sorry. She didn't, however. She wasn't sure if Kaia would appreciate it, or take offense to the gesture. On second thought, she found it hard to see Kaia take offense to anything. Though in a spar match such as this, one could not apologize for every minor injury. They were here to learn, and someone had once told her one learned more through mistakes than success.

Speaking of success, Kaia seemed to be doing fine, the young Miraluka recovering with a graceful backwards roll. "Nice recovery." Zylah offered.

[member=Kaia Vullen]