| [member="Krest"] | [member="Malok"] |
As consciousness returned, Elensa took stock of her surroundings, knowing with certainty that she was not in the place she had been when last she had been aware. It was a natural consequence of tournament participation: the Acolytes were not to know when and where they might encounter their foe, only that such a moment would come when they were least prepared for it. She had been taken unawares, consciousness slipping away as some invisible force had struck out at her. And now to awake, here, in a place she had no name for, to deal with a situation she had no time to prepare for. Such was the nature of their training, she supposed.
Standing slowly, the young woman did a quick mental check: aside from a small headache, the sort of dull pain that ever followed a sharp trauma, she was in one piece, though not rested nor comfortable. Her hip twinged a little from where she had been lying on the cold stone floor beneath her, but that faded even as she came shakily to her feet. She remained clothed in her usual attire: long black skirts concealing the black boots that covered her feet. A tunic of similar dark colours covered her from the tight collar at her neck to the flowing material that was gathered by a sash at her waist. The semi-transparent veil she wore to cover her face remained in place, and the lightwhip she had crafted was gathered in a tight coil at her lower back, fastened into place as she had left it.
There was no additional equipment resting nearby, no bedroom, no ration packs, no weapons.
Which can only mean we will not be here for long, or we will be expected to survive as best we can. That came as no surprise: she had learned from the first that the Sith favoured deprivation as a training methodology.
Strength develops only from crisis, when one is pushed to face that which threatens or challenges them. It was a truism that the blonde had long come to terms with.
The room around here was dark, barely illuminated, sufficient only to give her an awareness of her enclosed space. The air felt moist against her skin, damp in a way that suggested bad insulation, the faint scent of mould and decay reinforcing the impression of being somewhere decrepit and poorly maintained.
Join the Sith! See the Galaxy! Enjoy the most exotic locations, she thought sarcastically. Trust them to pick such a place for a battle between students. Rob them of their senses, place them in a dangerous and unfamiliar environment.
See how we adapt, see if we are capable of adjusting to our circumstances. That was ever the real test.
Such was not the only mystery left to resolve, of course: she did not know where she was, true enough, but nor did she know the identity of her opponent. Was it someone she knew, or a complete stranger? Someone stronger, or weaker? What other difficulties might they face before they encountered each other, and did what they had been brought here to do? The Force would guide her to find answers to those questions, and only with it would she survive.
Sadly, her opponent would have that same advantage. Which one of them was favoured more by it might yet walk away.
