Luminosity

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Relina took a hit to her left shoulder, the inert beam zapping her mildly through her clothes. "Ow!" she grunted. She'd fall back as the follow up came. it was an impressive riposte, indeed. However, she did not give up ground for long. She'd make her response to this development by attempting to put him on the defensive. in the back of her mind however, she had to wonder how exactly a weightless beam of energy could feel as if it possessed mass. Curious, indeed.

Relina feinted a volley of slashes and stabs to try and elicit a counter attack. The trick was to anticipate where and how the counterattack might be performed, that she might evade and strike back where he had opened himself up in the process. Considering her opponent, she wasn't expecting to win the same way she might with any lesser being, if at all. Whatever the outcome of the duel, there was little doubt she would be wiser and perhaps stronger for it.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh went back on the defensive, just as she had planned on. Except, this was part of his gameplan. He would get his blade up to block the blows, without a counterattack. It was when she finished her flurry though, that she left an opening. Of course, if he struck, she would block it, he knew that. It was what she was expecting. Instead, he would take the opportunity to feint to the right, before using his left arm, his off-hand, to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her close, getting his lightsaber up to block her in case she tried to attack. He brought her incredibly close, pressing his nose to hers and grinning playfully. And with that, he would then spin her around, with force, before using the Force as a means to propel himself backwards, backflipping in the air before landing on his feet while he waited for her to right herself.

The Jedi Master would chuckle and wait for her to initiate the attack again.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Relina blinked. "You bloody tease!" she sneer with mock offense. She did not retaliate, however. She could see that his style so far consisted of an unusual degree of patience she wasn't used to facing. She'd stand firm where she was, flourishing her blade. True, he had his space magic and all, but how could he react like that?

Relina paced slowly around Josh, waiting to see if he would make a move on her. For a moment, she even considered leading him on in line with his own brand of teasing. She carefully considered his style so far as she had witnessed and sized him up, judging his stance, demeanour, the grip he used on his lightsabre hilt, and his move history. teasing aside, he was a fairly good swordsman and it was abundantly clear to her that her approach thus far was insufficient. She'd be content to wait for him to make a move.

"If you would, dear, try to keep your feet on the ground." she said. "In terms of swordsmanship, I believe I would do well to learn some of your techniques."

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"Get too close, and I just might smack your behind again" The Jedi would tease in return, the grin never leaving his lips. The two would pace around one another, each waiting for the other to make a move. They sized one another up, trying to find their advantage, but none seemed to come. She was trying to mirror him, though he knew it wouldn't last long.

"You need to be prepared for all instances, dear" He responded to her requests with a small smile. "You need to be prepared for anything. Especially the unexpected" He would add. And with that, he would suddenly charge forward, aggressively attacking with a series of quick but strong strikes that would target all around her upper body, pressing his attack. He wanted to teach her to adapt, and to handle pressure.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Relina would hear him and when he finally moved, she stepped back. She gave ground on purpose and defensively parried his attacks. he was stronger than her, but she used more leverage than strength to manoeuvre around his attacks. When she felt an opening had presented itself, in the form of a brief window during a backswing that signaled an imminent follow-up attack, she seemed to react on instinct, thrusting forth to his chest. If it hit, it wouldn't pierce him, since the blade was dulled and covered in a safety sheath. Incidentally, Relina's wrist hurt a little from parrying the onslaught, but she managed to not show it.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

In response to her thrust attempt, the Jedi Master would suddenly begin spinning his lightsaber with one hand, as though it were a baton, parrying her attack in doing so. It was hard to remember sometimes that the lightsaber itself was shaped like a small baton, lightweight, and the blade itself was completely weightless. This meant Jedi had a few more options and flexibility when it came to counters. He didn't seem to be tiring, regardless. It had been a remark by Matsu Ike about him becoming tired too quickly that had motivated him to redouble his training in endurance and stamina, something Relina might be happy about later, but certainly not right now.

He would move down his saber when it stopped spinning and hold out a palm, as though he were about to use the Force. This proved to be a feint as the Jedi Master would immediately go for a thrust toward her chest with the saber.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Relina parried the thrust along with a sidestep. She'd then roll her own blade across the lightsabre's beam to attempt a shallow, but close, swipe across the midsection. Hit or miss, she'd press forward into an aggressive flurry. She knew by now he'd parry her blade once she performed such a manoeuvre, so instead of seeking to land a hit, she would simply try to gain ground. For some reason, her senses were sharpening in an unusual way. To wit, the same intuition that manifested itself when she flew combat sorties in the Navy was beginning to manifest itself in this duel. Either she was simply picking up on Josh's technique or she was seeing what was coming before it happened resulting in the unusually fast reflexes that made her a valuable pilot.

"What's happening?" she mumbled during a brief pause just before making another thrust forward without really thinking about it.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

Josh would follow her movements closely, not letting their blades come apart at any moment once she started attacking. It left them at a stalemate, but it also allowed him room to wait for a chance to counterattack. For a moment though, her sudden flurry caught him off guard. He had felt a surge there... In the Force. Something was within her, that was quite clear, but if it were the Force, he wasn't entirely sure. His eyebrows furrowed as he was put on the defensive, but he wasn't going to give in just out of surprise.

Josh would quickly move to the side to dodge the thrust, before allowing the Force to push him off the ground and over Relina's head, and he attempted a strike at her back.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Relina saw the jump and reacted by turning on her toes, sweeping her blade around with the spin. She caught his blade on hers and would roll it around as if against another fencing foil, spiraling the tip inward towards him. My senses are as sharp as vibroblades right now! It's as if I'm chasing down an enemy fighter... right where I want him....

Quickly, she'd attempt to make contact with Josh's shoulder in the same movement as she broke contact with his blade before stepping to the side and resuming a ready stance. As exhilarated and strong as she felt, paradoxically, there was fatigue building up in her. Josh was really putting her body to work as they dueled. She didn't expect to beat him and never really did to begin with, so the idea to call the duel was starting to come forward. She was genuinely impressed with him.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

And that was when the Jedi Master would decide it was time to hold back a little less.

Her sudden influx of skills, and the surge in the Force, all puzzled him. But if she was looking for a challenge for her new senses, the Jedi was happy to provide it. He would meet her blow with one of the same degree, giving to the notion that a good offense is the best defense, before he would begin to strike with more of a frequency, moving to her left to try and go for a series of slashes on her blind spot before attacking with a flurry toward her back once he attempted to sidestep behind her. Years of experience paved the way for him to attack the way he did, and once his flurry ended, he would leap over her head, land in front of her and thrust, before leaping once again to land near her right side and go for another flurry.

When it came to using the Force, he was still working on keeping himself from getting fatigued when he used a great deal of his powers, and Matsu Ike had scolded him for it, but when it came to using his lightsaber, he could do this for hours and not feel fatigued. But he was pushing the attack on Relina now, seeing just how far her new senses could take her.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Relina had already been challenged as it was. When Josh ramped up on her, she found herself purely on defense. She managed to parry his initial strike and the following flurry, although her right arm was getting tired by this point. It was extremely difficult to keep up with the man and she expected no less from a Jedi. She also managed to sidestep the sudden attack from left field, too, only to catch the thrust when she failed to keep up with his next leap over her head. "Damn!" she grunted, feeling the zap in her chest.

She'd back up and placed the business end of her rapier down to the floor. The duel was over. "... I concede. Seeing your skills like this first hand certainly makes me feel safer when you are around." she said. "You impress me, Joshua. How I was able to hold you off and fight back against a mastery of the dueling arts such as your's is unclear to me.... but I felt something. It's a feeling I don't get often, like a river is flowing through me. The last time I felt it, it was in the last war when i sank the Bellerophon." She looked at him as if expecting him to know something that could shed light on this phenomenon.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He'd just started getting into his groove when Relina would concede the duel. While he hadn't meant to hold back as little as he had by the time the duel ended, he had to admit it was kind of fun to fight a little closer to his peak then the usual, it had been quite awhile. Generally, duelists didn't tend to last long enough when he was holding back for him to be able to ramp it up. He didn't mean to ramp it up against her as much as he did, of course, but it had been enjoyable. He took a breath once she would concede, and chuckled as he deactivated his lightsaber, making sure to dial it back up to full power in case he needed to use it later.

When the topic came around about her ability, he had to think for a moment. "You know, I could definitely feel the Force, in some way, at work... But I'm not entirely sure past that" He would admit. "The Force is an interesting thing, sweetheart. But your present duties likely take priority over investigating it" He added, scratching his head. It was a shame, really, if she were a Force Sensitive, she'd make a hell of a Jedi, but... She had her own duties to deal with, as Ducha.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Relina nodded. "They said something about that when I had my Military physical. It had something to do with my bloodwork. I never gave it much thought, really. At this point, it has become a curiosity." she said. "But if the same Force you use all the time is manifesting in me, is there a way it can be used without committing to Jedi training? After all, it is as you say: I'm too busy to devote my life to your path. However, if it is something that I am able to make use of, even in a minor way, It surely would be to my benefit to learn how."

Relina wasn't really sure what this all meant apart from what the average layperson would think. She had no presumption of becoming a Jedi and little interest. But, she wanted to maintain control of herself and remembered how her therapist carefully tried to guide her away from things that might exacerbate the post-traumatic stress she had been struggling with. Relina still possessed a remnant of the PTSD she acquired in the last conflict, which for the most part manifested itself in the form of frequent nightmares. She looked back to Josh as she sheathed the foil she held. "Don't Jedi meditate to clear their minds or something?"

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"It can be" He answered. "But... I wouldn't recommend it. The Force is not something to trifle with. And even then... It would still take quite a bit of time. The Jedi path of training is longer then others, yes, but it's also the primary way to control it, without losing control like a Sith would" He would add as he walked around a little, deep in thought. "A Sith allows their abilities to consume them. They do not master the Force... The Force is bent ass-backwards and masters them. It's funny, really... They are the ones who say they use the Force as a weapon. But they're wrong. They've merely bent it to evil, and serve that instead. They just don't realize it" He spoke as he looked back at her.

"It is your choice how you choose to pursue training. But there is a reason Jedi training is so difficult... It is the path that will not corrupt you. You will be the one in control. A Force User that has no control of their abilities is more of a danger to themselves and those around them, then they are to their enemies"

To her question, he merely nodded in response. "Or sleep. That works too" He added with a light smile.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Relina shuddered at the fleeting notion of herself as a Sith. She hated Sith with a writhing passion and generally distrusted Jedi, although Josh was a very notable exception. So far, he's the only Jedi who has managed to gain her full and complete trust. This fact was more pronounced in her having listened to Josh's own opinion about other Jedi. It made sense to her that he struck out alone like he did, although part of her wanted to believe there were other Jedi like him.

"i see." she said, moving to put the practise foil in its home on the wall with others like it. "I have no love for Sith and I fear I might not be suited to train fully as a Jedi. I merely asked because your own technique as a swordsman impress me greatly and I am admittedly ignorant about the Force. As a little girl, I always thought it was either some form of trickery, plain and simple sorcery, or perhaps the actions of the gods in some cases. I couldn't dismiss it all as simple myth, as I have seen live holovids of Jedi in action before... and our history with Jedi on the Hapan throne or in a secret praxaeum on Shedu Maad are just that: history."

At that last statement, Relina gave the praxaeum some additional thought. "I wonder... Perhaps I can ask my sister to arrange something with Her Majesty about that historical place.... The place on Shedu Maad the Jedi Luke Skywalker had been allowed to establish a base for his Jedi by Queen Mother Tenel Ka, Hera rest her soul.... Perhaps you might be interested in seeing the place?" she asked, now standing a bit closer to him. This time she was ready for any flirtatious actions.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"I didn't become a Jedi for the sake of becoming a great swordsman, sweetheart. I did it because it was the right thing to do" He spoke, chuckling a bit in return as he put his lightsaber away, cracking his neck. "It's sort of hard to dismiss the Jedi's actions as simple myth when you saw me leap several feet in the air from one flying speeder to another though" Josh would joke cheekily. "Nor tail an assassin without them knowing they're even there, and knocking them silly once their intention is clear and proven"

Jedi on the Hapan throne? He hadn't heard that before, with what Tallia had said before, he assumed Jedi weren't able to take the throne. She was the Princess, after all, and had conveyed disappointment over having to leave the Jedi one day should it come time for her to assume her duties. He shrugged that off for now though. Where was Tallia now? He wasn't all that sure. When she would bring up the place that the former Jedi Grandmaster (At least in one continuity) had visited, he would tilt his head, obviously intrigued.

"I would" He said, nodding his head. "It'd be an interesting sight, for sure"

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Relina chuckled. "No, I suppose not. Of course, I was younger and smaller at the time and knew next to nothing about the Galaxy beyond the Hapes Consortium." she replied. "Hell, I couldn't even speak Basic at that age. I didn't become fluent until I was sixteen." Relina shrugged after mentioning that last fun fact. Her accent was thick enough to make it instantly obvious she may have learned basic as a second, or possibly third or fourth language. While its undertones might remind one of a Coruscanti or Corulag accent, it had distinctive inflections of its own. Basic may well have sounded posher and sexier coming from a Hapan, their own language being considered a romance language.

"Shedu Maad is a temperate world on the fringes of our territory. I know that the Jedi had once used it as a base and academy at one point in our history... established about eight centuries ago, if I am not mistaken. I have never actually been to the place, but I orbited it once while on deployment in the last war. The next day, I was flying a Terminus over Terephon." she recalled.

She'd get ever closer, her tone softening. Perhaps she was concocting some sort of elaborate date?

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

"I've been a Jedi since I was five years old. It's all I know. I couldn't imagine a galaxy, or an existence without them. I learned how to use a lightsaber before I learned how to use a blaster. I learned how to use the Force before I learned how to properly socialize. I learned how to fight before I learned how to do much of anything else. I don't even know where most of my personality came from, it just... Came to me" Josh would admit, laughing a little bit. Josh knew a variety of languages. Basic, Wookiee, and Binary came to mind. He just hoped that Hapan wouldn't be a serious challenge to learn, but he would try.

He noted her getting closer, her tone softening. He kept his eyes on her, her eyes, her body, her movements. Like a Jedi should. "I suppose we could go and check it out, when you're ready" Josh spoke with a shrug, chuckling a little. "Or did you have other plans? I assume you've probably got busy-ness with a few suitors at this time of day, no?" He joked.

[member="Relina Zhan"]

 

[Relina Zhan]

[member="Joshua DragonsFlame"]

Relina shook her head at the notion of suitors busying her. "No." she said, almost whispering. "Only one.... I hope."

At the point, she was close enough that he could smell her perfume, mixed with her own natural pheromones. There was a subtle need in her eyes as she looked up to find his. Surely, it didn't take a Jedi's Force senses to tell what she wanted at this point.

"All my life, I've been an overachiever and extremely fortunate to have what I have.... to have grown up the way I did. While males have come and gone, none have made me feel the way you do. I cannot explain it and right now I don't need to." it was now more than obvious why she tolerated his brazen flirtations. She was coming to collect on a debt he had been running up... a debt not in gold, but more like finishing what he had started and exacerbated. She reached for his hand and slowly began to head toward the door.

 

[Josh Dragovalor]

He knew it was coming. He'd been flirting and making jokes since he had arrived here. He'd smacked her bottom more boldly then anyone would dare try with a Ducha. And now it was time for him to pay the piper. He took a breath as she walked toward him, noting the look in her eyes. He watched her carefully, watching her eyes, and her body language. He let her speak, he didn't say anything, just nervously scratched his head in return. This would be the first time Relina had seen him anything but calm, cool and confident. A slight blush made it's way to his cheeks, but he would nod.

He took a deep breath and took her hand. He knew it'd been building up, a tension between them. He didn't know what it entailed fully, but he was going to follow his gut on this one.

[member="Relina Zhan"]