The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway [Théo]

[Valae Heavenshield]

ILUM
Home of the Iron Legion

The Tumbleweed touched down on the snowy surface of Ilum. Inside, Valae Kitra powered the ship down and stood from the pilot’s seat. Before moving away from the console, she leaned forward and peered out the viewport -- it was like a landscape painted in white. The view alone made her shiver. But even the thought of venturing into the blistering cold was not enough to wipe the smile from her face. Valae moved into the cargo bay with a bounce in her step.

There was a rucksack packed with essentials by the doorway, a heavy parka that featured a warm lining and accents of fur, gloves, woolen socks, and boots. Once she was dressed in her cold-weather clothing, she moved to the ramp and lowered it. An icy draft immediately slipped inside, but Valae found that she was quite toasty and warm. However, her ease of movement had been greatly compromised, the additional layers seemed to weigh her down. Valae trudged down the ramp and onto the icy ground. Looking down, she was greatly amused by the footprints left behind.

Despite the chill, it was quite a wondrous sight -- especially for someone that had grown up under the twin suns of Tatooine. Kneeling down, Valae gathered a couple of handfuls of snow and shaped them into a ball. She tossed the snowball up into the air and caught it a couple of times, laughing like a small child.

But Valae had not come all the way to Ilum just to play in the snow.

After a reunion on the jungle-world of Felucia, she had accepted Théo Heavenshield’s request to assist the Iron Empire with establishing a branch of healers. And today she had come to learn more about the Iron Legion. It wasn’t long before she spotted the form of the Praetor approaching.

“Halt! Who goes there?” Valae called in jest, and launched the snowball in his direction.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

He had stood back watching the light Corellian freighter descend from the heavens, kicking up a cloud of snow in its wake. A smile crossed his face as he saw the ramp lower and the familiar figure of Valae gracing the snow. She looked amazing in her fur, fit to combat such conditions as Ilum will offer, and flecks of snow began to fleck her hair, his pace quickened toward her. "Lord Commander of the Snowflakes", he yelled in return to her jest, only to sudden raise an arm in defense as a hard snow ball hit it and smacked showering him in ice.

"Welcome to Ilum, My Lady", he gave her a Jedi greeting in the form of a bow before opening his broad arms to embrace her. His voice lowered and softened, "It is good to see you again, and I must thank you for coming all this way". He would make sure her stay here was not only comfortable but worthy of her time. "Fur suits you", he added pulling back from the embrace to look into her face with a smile.

As the pair turned to walk toward the main gates of the Pantheon a horn sounded, heralding the return of friends to the Keeps. It was a tradition of the Iron Legion to do this, not matter the rank nor the faction. It felt so good to have someone he cared about with him on Ilum, even if it was for a while before she had to leave, it was like life had entered his soul again. He would remain here with the Iron Empire for as long as the Emperor deemed him worthy to fulfill the creed of the Empire, and his own creed to protect people from the evils of the galaxy. But regardless of this, it was always and will always be, wonderful to have loved ones in his company.

"I saw father recently, he is well as is mother", he said as he arms rested on Valae's shoulder as he guided her through the gates. "Lets find a brandy and warm up .. for medicinal purpose of course". He turned looking down into her pretty face with a smile.

[member="Valae Kitra"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae’s grin only grew when Theo approached.

“Thank you, My Lord Commander of Snowflakes.” She chuckled and returned his embrace. “And I’m always happy to come visit you, no matter the distance.”

The cold had already added a bit of rosy color to her cheeks, but the shade grew a touch darker at the sound of Theo’s compliment. She brought a hand up to touch the fluffy fur collar of her coat, and she smiled her thanks. As they turned towards their destination, Valae could see the outline of the Pantheon. It wasn’t long before they received quite a warm welcome. With Theo’s arm on her shoulder, she walked with him through the gates, eyes exploring her new surroundings.

The Pantheon was quite an impressive sight, if she did say so herself.

“Oh, good!” Valae was glad to hear that her Master and his wife were well. “I need to pay them a visit; it’s been such a long time – too long.”

She did miss both of them dearly; the Heavenshields were the closet thing she had to a family now. Valae’s brows lofted at Theo’s offer of a drink, but she gave a small nod. She never had been able to handle her alcohol very well, but she supposed that a few tiny sips of brandy wouldn’t hurt. Anyway, she knew that this gesture was mostly about sharing company. As they moved into the shelter of the keep, she felt the warmth beginning to return to her limbs. But she aimed a glance over her shoulder at the outdoors.

“Say, is that what it’s like on Midvinter?” She pointed at the snow.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

"I know that they would both love to see you Val, especially father", he smiled as they passed through the gates into the Keep. "Well, this is it", he said of the Keep, which is as cold within the walls as it is outside. At least until they enter the doors. They both paused for a moment, Théo followed her gaze back behind them out into the snow fields. "No. Although there is plenty of snow on Midvinter, there is much more there to see", turning back to her, "That is where you will find father and mother". It would be impossible to describe Midvinter in a few words, and even then Théo doubted he could do it justice and there is only one way to experience Midvinter and that is to simply go there. Talking about the Valkyri alone would take hours of explanation.

"Come on lets get you inside, the fires are lit and we can thaw you out". They approached the main door which swung open on their arrival to the threshold and immediately a warm wall of air pickled at their faces so chilled from the outside. The main entrance is vast with high columns reaching to the ceiling almost lost to sight, the floor a surface of cold marble grey with flecks of colour caught on the light. At the end of the room are the turbo lifts to upper levels where one would find living quarters, and training rooms, common rooms and much more. It would be to one of the smaller common rooms Théo would take Val to sit and talk a while.

"I shall show you to your quarters a little later, but for now please sit by the fire and I will get you that brandy". He peeled off his black cloak placing it over a seat before finding the drinks cabinet. Once settle Val would be at leisure to explore the Pantheon and find her bearings and in time find a suitable place within it's walls to house the medical branch of the Legion.

​

[member="Valae Kitra"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

“Ok then, it’s settled.” Valae grinned, “A trip to Midvinter is in my future. Maybe you can even show me around, if you have the time.”

It would nice to see the Heavenshields together again, but she knew that Theo’s duties likely kept him very busy. And now that her own responsibilities were growing, she wasn’t quite sure when she would have the time herself. But she made a mental note to reach out to her Master next time she was near Silver space.

“Yes, please!” She said, shivering slightly now. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her form to keep the cold at bay, but her face was especially cold – it almost felt numb. With a grateful smile, she followed Theo into the shelter of the Keep, thankful for the warmth that found them almost immediately. Her chestnut eyes roamed her new surroundings, taking in the lofty ceiling and the columns that supported it.

Valae did not hesitate to take a spot right next to the fire, and she leaned forward to bask in the heat. After a moment, she leaned back into her arm chair and let free a content sigh. Her eyes shifted to the side, watching as Theo gathered glasses and a bottle of the amber colored alcohol. The scent brought back memories, as did the sound of the brandy being poured from the bottle. But she shook the thoughts away and returned to the present.

“I’ve got to say, it’ll be nice to have a proper room.” Her hand rose to rub the bridge of her nose. “Been traveling so much lately that my ship has basically become my home.”

She chuckled, and let her eyes focus on the dancing flames of the fire for a moment.

“So, how do you like it here?” Her hand swept in wide gesture to indicate the Pantheon.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

“It would be my pleasure to show you Midvinter Valae, there is much more to the place then the scenery, although that is majestic alone and worthy of a trip”. He said pouring the balloons of brandy for them both and once done he cupped them in his large hands and brought them to the table placing one in front of Val as he sat beside her by the fire.

His eyes dived into the flames of the hearth, the hypnotic ambers throbbing with the power of the heat, so life giving and life taking within its capacity. He let out a contented sigh after taking his first sip and feeling the burn of the brandy down his throat, it was fire liquid and soon he felt his body warm to it. Leaning back in the chair, he turned to Valae, and smiled as it was so good to have a familiar face around.

“You shall have the best room, I will make sure you are comfortable and well looked after. The Emperor was generous in providing for the Legion, he is shrewd enough to know to keep his people happy under his service”, his smile turned to a cheeky grin.

“I like it here, it reminds me of home largely although there are somethings that I do miss. But .. the Iron Empire has good will at its heart, they may do things differently to the Order but it amounts to the same result, the same oath”, which is to protect those within the realm of the Empire. But by all the Gods of Midvinter, how many oaths has Théo vowed in his young life? There are too many.

“You can stay here with me .. as long as you wish. And I shall be forever in your service should you ever need me”.

​

[member="Valae Kitra"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae smiled as Theo came to sit by the fire, and her eyes found the glass of brandy that he had placed before her. Reaching out, she cupped the brandy between her palms and brought it up to sniff. After a moment of eyeing the amber liquid, she took a tiny sip. Her eyes squeezed closed immediately, and she stifled a cough against the arm of her sweater. It was strong stuff, she could already tell. But it had done its part to warm her up, coupled with the heat of the fire – she had quite a toasty situation.

“How very kind,” Valae said with an appreciative nod. “I’m sure I’ll enjoy my stay here on Ilum.”

It brought her relief to know that Theo was happy here, and that he found his duties fulfilling. She set the glass down gently and folded her hands across her stomach. Valae leaned back in her chair comfortably, but turned her head to glance sidelong at Theo as he spoke. While Ilum was far from her idea world, she had a feeling that she would grow to like it here. With Theo here, she would never want for good company.

“Forever?” She echoed with a grin, “That’s a very long time, Theo.”

She chuckled and lifted the cup to her lips for another sip. Blinking a couple of times, she exhaled audibly. Her head tilted to the side in thought, and her eyes once more shifted to find the dark-haired man sitting at her side.

“Say, maybe I do require your services. I know you’re a skilled fighter, and you probably know that I’m not. Now, I’m not looking for a fight… but I’d be open to learning a few tricks of the trade, if you’d have me as a student.”

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

The balloon glass in his hand swirled the liquid amber around until it clung to it's surface, the aromatic scent filled his nose before he took another sip and smiled directly after it. "An eternity in fact", he added to the jest while his eyes remained fixed on the fire. Forever is a long time, and most never reach it, some are lucky, some do. His head turns quickly finding her eyes taking him in. And for a moment he just looked back, taking her in.

Shifting in his seat, he pulled up his knee to rest on the seat and turned his body to face her leaning his back on the thick leather arm rest. "Of course I will train you, we can start tomorrow. Out the back of Pantheon is a courtyard, be there before the dawn". He sounded so dramatic in is direction, and a slight grin was masked by the rim of his glass as he took another sip.

The brandy is strong, the purpose of it to bring warmth to the body in this climate, he could not account for the taste but anything is good with good company and a nice open warm fire. A hiss escaped his lips as he drew in breath from the heady brandy, "This certainly is not honey mead", that he could handle by the barrel load and still march to battle directly after, this however, had an entirely different effect on his demeanour.

"So, what fighting skills do you wish to learn?", he asked while stretching to place the balloon glass on the table. "I am correct in thinking you do not use a saber? so, attacking force skill or .. maybe you want to wrestle". And so the brandy would make a naturally mischievous Théo, even more so.

​

[member="Valae Kitra"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae’s expression grew serious to match the sound of Theo’s instructions. She gave a solemn nod, her eyes closed for a long moment. However, a smile broke through and completely ruined the effect. A light-hearted laugh escaped, too. The sound became a bit muffled as she brought the glass up again for another small sip. The Ilum evening was frigid, she could only imagine what early morning would be like. Already she was imagining an ice encrusted courtyard.

“Before dawn?” She wrinkled her nose, “That’s awful early, but I’ll be there.”

With the help of the brandy and the fire, Valae was now growing a bit too warm. Finally, she peeled off her parka and draped it over the back of her chair. Dressed in a wool sweater, she would still be quite toasty and comfortable. She sank into her chair and drew in a deep breath as she basked. Valae smiled down at her glass when Theo remarked about it not being honey mead. She did remember the taste fondly, for she remembered it from Zak’s wedding. Valae imagined that her old man would be proud that she was drinking brandy, and not some terrible light ale. If he could only see her now.

Her eyelids began to grow heavy, but she opened her eyes when Theo inquired about her training.

“You are correct.” She confirmed, patting the sides of her hips where there was no saber present. “Defensive force skills and attacking as well, just so I have a better handle on things.” Her brows arched as Theo mentioned wrestling. “Well, just maybe.” She laughed, and added a playful wink.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

“You won’t regret the dawn”, he said knowingly and he wanted her to experience the sun rise on Ilum, providing there was no cloud cover of course, but the sun’s rays hitting the ice and snow in the courtyard was nothing short of magical. The mood of both was one of comfort and enjoyment in each other’s company, he expected that Valae had little time to just sit and relax and the same for him as well, so times like these are treasured.

He liked her laugh, the way it made her eyes smile when she did and she had such a pleasant laugh to the ear. Maybe it was the brandy turning his mind to such thoughts, and the thoughts of the curve of her hip as she patted it demonstrating her lack of saber. The training she wished to develop he would teach her to the best of his ability and he knew he had a good study in her. She had not been father’s padawan for nothing, he knew talent when he saw it.

That playful wink would never be lost on the likes of Théo, nor that look and giggle as she took another sip of her brandy and he pushed back against the arm rest, crossed his arms over his chest all the while giving Val a mock shock expression. “Valae Kitra!? Are you .. are you flirting with me?”. He hoped to the Gods of Midvinter she was, but then it was he that had started it.

His expression shifted to soften, his eyes however set firmly on her face and he knew it was more than the brandy that played a part in his mood. She is a young beautiful woman he was not blind to this and she was his friend who he would never do anything to hurt her. “You must be tired from your trip Val. I shall show you to your quarters when you are ready”. And the thoughts of them wrestling, he pushed away from the front of his mind.

[member="Valae Kitra"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

When Theo sat back casually and exclaimed, Valae’s mouth fell agape. For a moment, she tried to respond, but found that she didn’t have the words to do so. But though she was wordless, a rosy blush had found its way to her face. Had she been flirting? As she thought about it, she came to the conclusion that maybe she had been. Her eyes shifted down and away for a moment, and she tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear as she shook her head. Instead of making things awkward between them, she decided to poke fun at herself.

“I don’t know how to flirt,” She answered sadly, chancing a glance up at him.

Maybe it was the brandy, but maybe it wasn’t. Valae couldn’t deny that Theo had grown into quite a handsome man. He was built strong and tall, and had those piercing blue eyes. They had always been friends; she hoped they always would be. Valae was fond of Theo, but was that fondness growing into something different? For the moment, she couldn’t say. Slowly, she drew a breath and sighed.

“Maybe I should get some rest.” She said with a nod.

Standing up, she gathered her parka and clutched it close. Valae stayed quiet as the pair walked the halls of the Pantheon, and soon she was standing in the doorway of her room. There was already a fire lit in the hearth that sat across from a comfortable-looking bed. Valae started to turn to enter the room, but looked back at Theo standing outside in the hall. Her hand reached out to give him a stiff and awkward pat on the shoulder.

“Good night, Theo.” She said, “I’ll see you out there.”

With that, Valae gently retreated inside the room and closed the door.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

He had cursed himself all the way down the corridor until they came to her room. And now he just stood in the corridor staring at a closed door as Valae retreated for the night. Yeah that was smooth Théo, he turned in disgust at himself and headed back along the cold floor to his quarters. One saving grace, he thought, was he would see her in the morning and he hoped that he could make amends. She patted me on the shoulder, not a good sign at all. And so he prepared for bed to rest for training come the dawn.

Although the night would pass without event, Théo woke with a headache once more, he seemed to be having a lot of them of late and events in the near future would release to him why and they would be confronted soon enough. He sat up in his bed the sheets falling away from his chest while he sort to the sleep from his face. The room was dark and cold as the fire in the hearth had died through the night and the soft chill issued from his mouth with every breath he took. He grabbed for his loose shirt on the floor and pulled it over his body before getting out to face the biting air. A quick glance out the window told him it was snowing, the snow flakes hitting the glass and sliding slowing down the pane melting from the relative warmth from the inside. It would be a cold dawn.

​

​

He threw a glance high to the wall of the Keep and in the night he could see the figures of the men and women of the Legion guard walking their path along the ramparts in constant vigilance. He had done this watch not that long ago himself, standing the cold night keeping guard over the Pantheon and all that lived within its gates. The courtyard was empty, save for the sword practice dummies that stood in line at the far end, they too keeping their voices silent, not that they could speak. He felt like one of them however.

To the side of the large courtyard is a run, an area in which members of the Legion can practice training on each other to keep their skills sharp against a more active 'foe'. Théo proceeded to walk there, boots digging deep into the freshly fallen ice that lay in powder about the place. A small barrel designed for a fire sat cold but soon he had that lit, not that this would provide much warmth, at least they had some form of light before the sun rose over the walls. As the fire began to rise and bit the wood, Théo on bended knee, held his hands toward it in order to gain some comfort from it.

Valae would arrive soon he hoped.

​

[member="Valae Kitra"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae’s eyes slowly blinked open. Wrapped comfortably in her blankets, she sank further into the warmth of her bed. She didn’t want to move. Her chestnut eyes shifted to find the window, it was still dark outside, and the dim light of morning was still hours away from even touching the sill. A small groan escaped her as she pushed to sit up, realizing then that she’d slept in nearly all of her clothing. It would take time to get used to this kind of cold – or perhaps, she would never truly get used to it.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, and then let her feet hit the floor. The fire in her hearth was just smoking embers now; the last of its heat was quickly dying. And so, Valae changed as quickly as possible and added her protective layers of outerwear over her clothes. After stepping into her boots, she wrapped a scarf around her neck and pushed the heavy door open.

Cold air from the corridor was there to greet her, and she had a feeling that it would only be worse when she finally stepped outside.

The Jedi healer made her way into the chilly morning air, and looked up to see that there were pretty snowflakes falling down from the sky. It was a lovely, and the sight made her smile. Leaving footprints along the edge of the courtyard, she walked by a line of practice dummies – their limbs scratched and marred from the damage they had taken. She didn’t envy them. Though she couldn’t see Theo yet, she felt that he was close by.

Squinting, she spotted a barrel of glowing fire up ahead, and a tall figure kneeling next to it. Valae pushed on, her pace quickening. Trudging along, she waved to Theo and grinned wide enough for him to see, even with the distance between them. As she arrived, she stifled a rather large yawn with the palm of her hand and then rubbed her eyes.

“Good morning,” She said, fixing her bleary gaze upon him. “Sleep well?”

Valae canted her head to the side, and held her own hands out towards the warmth given off by the fire.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

He turned his head to look up at her, her face showing the glowing light from the fire sat softly on her skin and he smiled. "I did thank you", he lied, the voices had revisited him in his dreams once more, those lost souls trapped in the ice cave of Ilum. Of late, the coldest hours before the dawn were his friend for in those hours he could lay and be free of them in his bed.. awake. Theo stood up and stretched the morning fatigue from his body before pointing toward the east, "Keep your eyes fixed on the horizon", he encouraged her and it would only be moments before the dawn would greet them.

"Come closer to the fire while we wait", he said with a hand on her elbow to guide her, it did very little to aid any warmth but something was better than nothing. And soon the first of the golden rays pierced the soft morning sky over the Pantheon.

​

​

"Even if you only see this once ..", it was worth the ungodly morning hour and the bitter cold. And the sun rose spreading it colour throughout Ilum. Theo would allow her time to take it in, although there was no warmth with it's arrival at least it warmed the soul. They would soon start training, but sometimes in the sight of something beautiful comes wisdom. And that is worth more than all the lessons in the galaxy.

Behind them in the Pantheon, life stirred from slumber as the Legion began their daily routine. The night's watch had returned with their reports filed and away to bed, as the day shift commenced and Theo could hear the whir of the vehicle engines, before the sound of the gate's opening.

((OOC: apologies for such a late reply))

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[member="Valae Kitra"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae wasn't sure if Theo really had slept well. Despite his words, he looked quite tired. But then again, she probably looked tired, too. As Theo drew her attention to the east, she turned slightly and gazed out at the horizon. She let him guide her closer to the fire, and she felt just a touch of warmth reach her. It wasn't much, but it was just enough to keep her from shivering in the bitter cold.

And the darkness was broken by soft morning light.

The golden rays rose above the horizon and bathed the landscape. It was quite a sight. The snowy landscape and the ice formations almost seemed to glow. Even though she would have gladly slept for a few hours more, this certainly was worth seeing. She drew in a deep breath of crisp air, and turned around to glance at Theo.

"Wow, it's stunning." She said, when she finally found the words. "Thanks for sharing that with me."

Surely, this morning would stand out in her memory for a long time to come. All around them, the Pantheon was waking up. As the guards changed shifts, there seemed to be a flurry of activity. It was time to prepare for the day. Rolling her shoulders, she looked up at Theo.

"Well then, should we get started?"

She started to jog on the spot, an attempt to warm up.

"Just promise to go easy on me, okay?" She smiled.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

[OOC: No worries!]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

After viewing the sunrise for a while, he finally took his eyes from it to her with a smile. "I am going to be doing the attacking .. you the defending. You go easy on me I think", his smile widened as he walked over to the training area and grab a wooden sword and returned to her.

Theo is unaware of Valae's skills and the development of them and there was only one way to find out. "Lets start off slowly. I will strike at you with this", he held the sword up in ready stance, "And I want you to defend my attack with the force". There would be many ways to do this using the force, after all it is a Jedi's main weapon.

"Ready?", he moved forward, left foot first and swung the sword from right to left aiming for her waist. The arc of the strike was strong physically but it did have reasonable speed in its application. If it was to hit her, it would smart. Theo hoped to find that Val would retaliate and knock him off balance or better ..

​

[member="Valae Kitra"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae’s gaze followed the wooden practice sword as it came to Theo’s hands. The sight of the simple weapon was enough to conjure up many memories. It was a strange sensation; she could recall Thurion with a sword just like it in his hands, back during her days as a padawan. And now, her master’s son was here to practice with her. She smiled as Theo explained the plan, and she gave a nod.

“Alright, I’m ready.” She stood with knees slightly bent, ready to move.

She grounded her feet as Theo began to attack; her eyes flickered from his face to the practice sword. In an instant, she attempted to guess its path. However, she wasn’t so good at guessing games. At the last moment, she let instinct take over – her hands shot out. With her palms facing Theo, she sent a quick burst of force energy in his direction.

Valae didn’t wait to see if her attack had landed. Just in case Theo had been anticipating this sort of move, she jumped out of the way… rather clumsily. She landed face first in the snow, but she looked up – she was laughing. Maybe she was taking this a bit too seriously. After all, Theo was her friend, he wouldn’t harm her intentionally.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

He lay flat on his back laughing after Val's push with the force, but he was pleased as this was exactly what he hoped she would do. He looked over to her laying in the snow as well, "Good", he said through his laughing. It was also good that she had a second move ready even if it did not pay off for her this time. He scrambled to his feet and held out his hand for Val to take and he would help her back onto hers.

"If faced with a foe coming at you with a saber, give them all you got", he knew she had only tapped the force slightly so not to hurt him, after all this is training and only starting out. In the future, that is when they don't hold back.

"Lets try something else this time", he moved back into position sword held aloft. "Before I strike again, take a look around you. See what there in the environment that you can use to defend yourself as well", he moved back a good ten paces and would come at her from that distance.

​

[member="Valae Kitra"]​

 

[Valae Heavenshield]

Valae extended a grateful hand and grasped Theo’s palm firmly. With a bit of effort, she pulled herself to her feet, still grinning ear to ear. She was pleased that her attempt to defend herself had landed him in the snow as well, and she was happy to see him laugh. Maybe training could actually be fun. She gave a nod as Theo offered her some instructions. And once she had composed herself again, she stood ready.

Chestnut eyes focused on the large form of Theo as he backed away, her gaze taking in each step.

"Alright, I'll give it a shot!" She called out.

When she saw his foot begin to push off the ground, she cast a frantic look around. There were racks of weaponry that lined the edge of the practice area, but they were well out of her reach. And of course, there would likely not be any weapon racks nearby in a real life situation.
Her fingers wiggled anxiously at her sides, her hands ready to reach out and grab up nearly anything.

At the last moment, she spotted a long plank of wood leaning up against the fence. Reaching out, she called it to her hand with the force. Her gloved hands closed around it, and held it out in front of her. Valae’s eyes squeezed closed as she braced herself.

[member="Théodred Heavenshield"]

 

[Théodred Heavenshield]

Good, he thought as a piece of wood flew to her and she held it firmly, but it would not be enough. Theo stepped forward, his sword struck the wood in her hand and he lifted the sword hilt upward and slide the blade over the wood until the tip of it touched the center of her chest. "Always have a second or third move in your mind, never allow someone to get this close. Had this sword been a saber not only would it have cut through the wood but would have sliced you in half in the process".

But Val had the right idea and there was something around them even more better for her to use in this situation. The Voss Temple and more likely his father, would have helped her train in Telekinesis this was more valuable in defense and more powerful if one was to use it to advantage.

"This time you come at me, and I will defend myself just using the force". He walked about to his position but not before handing her his wooden sword. How she would use it, mattered little. Theo stood waiting with his hands turned palms facing downward and would be ready for her strike.

​

[member="Valae Kitra"]​