Private The Jedi Arts

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Sith Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

Gatz was spending so much time on New Cov, that it was starting to feel like home. Or maybe that was because Valery was here, and she treated him like family. He wasn't sure the exact reason, but he was starting to feel comfortable even in the confines of her Jedi Temple, and Gatz wasn't sure what to make of that. His eyes had stopped darting to the dark corners of rooms, expecting a Shadow to emerge.

He even found enough peace within himself to meditate, when he was here.

So when Gatz stepped off of his ship—sans jacket and blaster, because he still didn't have the money to replace those—he let out a genuine sigh of relief. He felt... safe here. He felt like he was pursuing something important here. Gatz almost felt like he was a Jedi, when he walked through these ancient halls. He wasn't, of course. Gatz knew he would never be worthy of the distinction. But it felt nice to feel like he... belonged. Valery made him feel that way, when they trained. Or really just in general.

It was why he'd flown out to New Cov again. For training. There was a rather sinister looking lightsaber clipped to his belt, one he was barely proficient in using. But, after that Sith-turned-Rakghoul on Taris, Gatz had been forced to defend himself with its former lightsaber. If Rayne Lo'to hadn't tossed it to him... they'd both be dead. If he hadn't pillaged Briana Sal-Soren 's mind for her training, they'd be dead again.

Gatz couldn't deny the uses a lightsaber had. Valery had taught him much in the last few months, but little of it had a direct application to defending himself. Or, at least, little of it had as much of a direct application as lightsaber combat did. Gatz had held off on asking for instruction, afraid of the damage a man like him could do with the weapon. But Taris had been the second time he'd encountered a Sith when Valery wasn't around to protect him. If he counted the one he and Valery had killed, that made three.

Gatz couldn't hold off any longer. He hadn't felt ready for the training. But it was time to believe in his own ability, and more importantly, that he was capable of being responsible with what Valery had taught him, and would continue to teach him.

And so it was with a steely resolve that Gatz stood at the door to Valery's chambers, and knocked with his free hand.

"Val, it's me. Can you be in there, and not meditating on a cliff this time? Because I really need to talk to you, and I don't feel like tripping in a dark cave again."

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

The door slid open and Valery was right there, eyebrow raised, while she looked at him with a smirk, "I don't know, you slipping in a cave sounds kind of funny," she teased before stepping out of the room altogether. Unlike the Temple on Coruscant, every room on New Cov was fairly small. The Temple just wasn't massive enough to give certain Jedi luxurious rooms, and quite frankly, it didn't really bother Valery at all.

She was only there to meditate, sleep and sometimes for a moment alone if she wanted to read or not be bothered while eating a meal. But more often than not, it was easy enough to find a quiet place elsewhere on the Temple too.

"Come on, let's walk," Valery then said, as she started heading down the hallway, and back down into the Temple Hall, so they could take the stairs leading up to the bridge and reach Temple grounds. "What did you want to talk about? You sounded a little... concerned, almost?" she asked with a curious tilt of her head.

His training had been going well, and she felt like he had grasped all the core abilities she wanted him to know. He could shield his mind, resist certain Force-based attacks, and even handle himself with some Telekinesis.

So what was this about?

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Sith Lightsaber
Tag: Valery Noble

The door slid open, and Gatz resisted the urge to growl at Valery's snarky comment. He did, however, give her his best glare. The one he had learned from her, of course, having been on the receiving end of it more times than he could possibly count. Somehow, without the near-Sith eyes and three-piece scar, Gatz didn't think it was nearly as scary as her rendition of it.

"Hilarious. And here I thought I was the funny one."

But he probably got his point across: he didn't like cutting his head open in a cave, just because she had given him the run around. Even if she'd had a valid reason for it.

She asked him to walk with her, so he did. But when she asked him what he wanted to talk about... his mind practically turned into a tornado. What didn't he want to talk with her about? Dead Uncle, a bond like super glue to Briana, nearly getting killed by a Sith Rakghoul, being broke until he could finish laundering the money he'd stolen from Kragan, running low on food... The list went on and on, and the weight was crushing him.

He opened his mouth to pick something as a response. And instead, practically tackled her in a hug.

"I'm sorry," Gatz let out in a hoarse whisper, "things haven't been... well. You're the closest thing to a sister that I've ever had, and you're all I have left. I love you, and I'm sorry I keep letting you down."

Gatz buried his face in her shoulder, trembling, shedding silent tears. For a few short moments, he let the fear, the self-loathing, the sorrow, and the loneliness from the last few weeks wash over him, and unfortunately, wash over Val. Then he raised his chin, looked to the ceiling, and let out a long sigh. He steadied himself, using his stolen hug for support and strength.

And pulled away, feeling lighter than he had in weeks.

"I'm sorry. I... didn't plan that," Gatz steeled himself, and pulled the Sith lightsaber off of his belt, offering it to her, "this is what I needed to talk to you about: I've run into Sith twice now, without you there to protect me. And both times, I only barely survived. If I run into a third..."

Even Scoundrel's Luck ran out eventually.

"I need you to teach me how to properly wield a lightsaber. I know I've... been dodgy about this topic before. But I can't avoid it any longer."

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"I have my moments," Valery said with a proud smirk.

She never really thought of herself as particularly funny or good at teasing, but perhaps that was because of her situation at home. Whenever she tried to mess with her husband, he always had ways to get her back tenfold and make her blush like a school girl. And the kids... well, they were too young to really mess with them that much. But Gatz didn't know the things needed to get to her, so it was fun to poke at him just a little bit at times.

As friends did.

Valery was still interested in knowing why he came, though, and when she had asked him the question, she had expected it to be related to his training. But before he could utter a word, she felt an emotional shift and turned to him in time to brace herself a little for the sudden hug.

At first, she blinked because it had caught her by surprise, but when she felt the trembling, she gently settled her arms around him and patted him on the back while they hugged. "You don't have to apologize to me, Gatz," Valery said, her voice much softer than it had been when she was teasing him a moment earlier.

"I know things have been hard, but it's okay." She offered him a smile as he pulled back, and watched him push the weight that had been on his shoulders away. He felt much lighter to her already, and changed topics to what he had really come to talk to her about — a Sith lightsaber, and a request for training with one such weapon.

Valery considered it for a moment, seemingly hesitant about something, but after a moment she did nod, "I can teach you, but on two conditions. One, you don't practice with a Sith Lightsaber and keep it somewhere safe until the crystal is healed. Two, you don't start looking for trouble. Your skill with a lightsaber will gradually grow, but always use it as a means of defense. Going after Sith should still be something you consider very carefully." A piece of advice she didn't share just with him, but with any Jedi really.

Sith shouldn't be underestimated, whether or not you were trained yourself.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Valery Noble

Nothing made Gatz feel as safe as being next to Valery. Which, admittedly, was ironic considering that he often got hurt around her. But, that was usually due to his own ineptitude or terrible plans. Like splitting up when there was a dangerous jungle predator stalking them, or trying to shoot a Sith Knight with a blaster pistol. Those things were hardly her fault.

So the comfort and security he felt when she wrapped her arms around him was very real. For a few brief moments, he was the safest man in the galaxy. The soft tone she used to address him put him at ease, and he felt like he could breathe after weeks of gasping for air. He was with a friend—family, really.

The Temple was safe. Valery was warm. And he could let go of his burdens for a short while.

Valery's training came with caveats, and Gatz thought they were fair ones. He just... wasn't sure how well he could meet her requirements. His life was kind of crazy, and not because he wanted it to be. Bad luck practically clung to him, just not tightly enough to have killed him—yet. He was sure that day was coming, or at least, it would be if he didn't buckle down and really focus on his training.

"Well, trouble usually comes looking for me, Val," Gatz scratched the back of his head with his free hand, "I'm not interested in hacking people apart. Certainly not Sith. But... I already had to use this thing to kill the last Sith I ran into. And I have no idea how to purify a kyber crystal. I fully understand what bleeding does, and why it's dangerous to use a bled crystal. But what am I supposed to practice with?"

He clipped the offending weapon back onto his belt, feeling the distant screams from the blood red jewel encased within.

"I'll agree to your conditions, of course. I'm not arrogant enough to think I know better than the Jedi Grandmaster." Gatz offered as reassurance, "but... if I can't use this lightsaber, then what am I supposed to do the next time a Sith starts swinging at me? It's not like I constructed my own. I never made it to my gathering."

Not for the first time, Gatz was beginning to regret leaving the Order.

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"You're going to make your own."

Valery agreed that his questions and concerns were valid, but it was an important part of the whole process to her. She could teach him how to use a lightsaber with just a training blade or even by letting him use one of her own. But for a weapon he'd use out in the field, he needed to make something personal to him that would serve him for years to come. There had to be a bond between him and the weapon, and most importantly, between him and the crystal.

Whether it was a purified crystal, or one he found in Crystal Caves.

"For training purposes, I'll be giving you a training lightsaber but I'd like you to work on making your own lightsaber. For design, myself or another artisan can help, but the core of the project should be handled by you." She offered him a smile and began guiding him towards the training ring at the far back of the Temple. It was a circular training area, surrounded by cliffs and a beautiful valley.

"You could ask my husband to help you purify the crystal, or even go on a journey to collect a new one. That's your decision to make, but eventually, you will have your own lightsaber. Until then, a training lightsaber will do for these sessions."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Valery Noble

"Build my own?"

The idea of that had his mind reeling. Constructing his own lightsaber was the earliest dream he could remember having. The irresponsible youngling he'd been had attached much craving to such a little thing of light. Every would-be Jedi who'd grown up in the creche in the Jedi Temple did. Because, for all their lessons, their simple minds were unable to comprehend what it really meant to be one of the few who bore such a tool.

But Gatz, failed Jedi who had mired himself in debauchery, had left those dreams behind when he'd left the Order.

"I'm not a Jedi—I'm just another dropout. I don't have the right to that knowledge."

They sounded more like questions than statements. A stupid argument, and he realized that as soon as it left his lips. So, instead, he tried for a different one.

"I don't even know if I have the right to come back. I—I've thought about it lately, but I don't know if it's right?"

He still had so many hang ups about the Order. He didn't think he could ever find it in him to trust the Jedi Council—Gatz hated organizations who thought that they knew what was best for people they'd never meet. To say nothing of his persistent issues with Jedi Shadows, even if they reported to Valery, who he trusted more than he'd ever trusted anyone.

There were so many complications. So many reasons not to come back. But when he closed his eyes at night, and thought of the man he wanted to be now, he dreamt of the same man his youngling self had.

And Gatz didn't know what to make of that.

Valery led him to a beautiful training ring, but Gatz couldn't find it in himself to appreciate it, too busy trying to process what she intended for him to do. Where would he even find a crystal? Could he really bother Kahlil with something so small, for someone who probably shouldn't have a lightsaber in the first place—

No. No that was enough. He'd told himself that it was time to trust in his own ability to be responsible. If Gatz couldn't trust himself with the weapon, then what right did he have to ask Valery to teach him how to wield it?

"I'm sorry, uh," Gatz shook his head, and cleared his mind with a long exhale, "can we just focus on practicing with the training sabers today? And I promise I'll lock this thing up. Everything else... I'd like to take time to meditate on it, before I agree to anything."

God he already sounded like a stick-in-the-mud Jedi. But learning to purify a crystal, and collecting a new one, building his own lightsaber, maybe even returning to the Order—it was too much to think about today.

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"There are no rights to this knowledge," Valery countered very quickly, though calmly and with a gentle smile. "Whether you think you're allowed to learn it or not, you're going to have to do it if you want to use a lightsaber. Not just to construct your own blade, but also to learn how to maintain one. It's not some magical tool that will forever do what it did when it was constructed. It needs proper maintenance as well."

As for his other question, it was a lot more important than the lightsaber.

"The Jedi will always welcome you back, but it's up to you to decide if the time is right, and if you're ready. We all have our own paths to follow the will of the Force, and while we can offer guidance, it's still your decision to make. Nobody else can understand if it's right, but you." Perhaps it didn't sound like the most useful answer, but it was the truth. Being a Jedi and dedicating your life to this cause wasn't some decision others could make.

That bond with the Force and this path needed to be there, and only he could recognize it.

For now, Valery dipped her head in agreement, "Of course, take all the time you need to consider it," she said before she walked over to a small tray just outside the training den, where she could pick up a training lightsaber. Their yellow blades were very classic, and the hilts were just simplistic cylinders of metal. But they felt and handled just like a real lightsaber.

"How much did you learn in the past? Any basics or stances that you remember well?"

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Valery Noble

"I..." Gatz let out a heavy sigh, "I understand. Sorry, I just... I still think of myself as that selfish scoundrel, who shouldn't be trusted with something like this."

Looking into his memories was like looking at a different man. Gatz should have felt proud at far he'd come in the last year, but even now, he was only capable of shame and disgust. How could he have been that? So casual about killing and smuggling drugs. So fixated on himself. Incapable of seeing the damage he was doing to other—or worse: incapable of caring.

Ostensibly, it had all been for his mother. That's what he told himself. And maybe that truly was how it started, but by the end he'd only been in it for himself.

"I've been thinking about returning a lot, lately." Gatz admitted, "it's been in the back of my head ever since we met, really. But with what you've been teaching me... I don't know. I feel a little bit closer to the man I want to be with each passing day, but I don't think I'd make for much of a Jedi."

Too afraid. Too prejudiced against the Order. Too tempted by selfishness. Still, as Gatz told Valery, he would meditate on that later. Or, at least have a deep thinking session on it. Better to live in the moment, and focus on what Valery was about to teach him.

As Valery retrieved a couple of simple training sabers for them, she asked Gatz a question that was hard to answer. He still hadn't told her about what tied him and Briana together. He was... afraid to tell her, in truth. After what she had accused him of with Capris, when all he'd done was put himself in harm's way so the Padawan didn't have to...

Well, Gatz thought that maybe it was better to keep some things to himself. For now, at least. Maybe he'd wait until he and Briana could tell Valery together, so she wouldn't immediately assume the worst of him.

"I remember Shii-Cho just fine," Gatz decided on the truth, and merely omitted why he remembered it so well, "at least, I remember the motions. I could certainly use a lot of refinement. And I had barely started experimenting with Soresu, before I left. I don't really remember it though."

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

Valery nodded, "It's important that you see yourself as more than that, because you are. A selfish scoundrel isn't going to learn how to wield a lightsaber." At least, not to the extent where it'll actually do them any good. He needed to be driven by far more than selfish desires, and give this training everything he has.

She had no doubt that he'd be able to do it, and even Gatz agreed that he was getting closer to the man he wanted to be. The man he had spoken of many times before — he wanted to help others and feel useful. Yet, he still didn't think he could be a Jedi. Valery just smiled a little at the contradiction and shook her head.

"I know what you want to do with your life, so I do think you could be a Jedi. But it's important that you believe in it as well, so take your time to consider the decision. There's no time limit on it, so whether it's today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, it doesn't matter."

"Just don't push it back forever."

With that, Valery shifted into a focus on the mission and hit the ignition switch of her lightsaber. It was set to low power, so it effectively was the same as a training lightsaber, and she held it in a two-handed grip in front of her, the blade angled about 45 degrees up and towards him.

"Let's start going through the zones following Shii-Cho's rules for the marks of contact. Simple perpendicular angles," Valery said before she readied herself to let him take the first move.

"Just to warm up, we'll start simple."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Valery Noble

Sometimes, Gatz wondered if even knew how to be more than a scoundrel. But there was nothing to be gained by voicing that. Valery was right: if he wanted to be more than scum, then he had to believe he could be more than scum. So he simply nodded quietly at her words, as he accepted the simple training saber she pressed into his hands.

Her faith in him felt uplifting. Usually Gatz struggled with the trust she placed in him: one part of him was grateful that she saw more in him, while another felt stressed and pressured because he couldn't possibly live up to her expectations for him. Today though... today it brought him only relief. Gatz didn't know if returning to the Order was the right move for him.

But if Valery Noble thought he could be a Jedi, then who the hell was he to argue?

"I'll think on it. I just have... trust issues, when it comes to the Order." And even Valery couldn't blame him for that, "but, thank you for believing in me. Even when I don't. Especially when I don't."

But with the sappy and philosophical stuff out of the way, it was finally time to double down and focus on the reason he'd come to New Cov today. Gatz ignited his borrowed training saber, the dull yellow light of the non-lethal blade painting him, and mirrored Valery's stance. Immediately, Briana's knowledge of Shii-Cho—and what little remained of his own—flowed through his mind, and muscle memory that might have been his adjusted his initially flawed stance into something more refined.

Valery was clearly waiting on him to make the first move, and she wanted to start simple, so Gatz opted for the traditional horizontal and vertical strikes, as opposed to the more practical diagonal strokes that had been adapted later on in Form I's history. His movements lacked the grace and finesse of a practiced Jedi, yet weren't nearly as clumsy and rough as they should have been, considering he was fifteen years out of practice.

If Gatz had been focused on anything other than sparring, he probably would have recognized how odd that must seem to Valery.

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"That's what friends do, hm?"

Valery offered one last smile before her expression turned a little more serious. She wasn't one to reject some fun during training, but she would always take it seriously. This was also Gatz's first lesson, and that meant they had a lot to figure out. She needed to know where he was at, how comfortable he was with a lightsaber, and then build up to what he wanted to learn and focus on. He had already mentioned some experimenting with Soresu, so perhaps that would be a good Form for him.

She was going to find out soon enough.

Shii-Cho's ideal Form was going to be a breeze, even for a Jedi over a decade out of practice. But while those angles were easy for anybody with some motor skills, Valery took her time to study his movements. They were a lot more fluid than she had expected them to be, to a point where it looked and felt like muscle memory, rather than active thoughts he was acting on during their little spar.

"Let's make it more interesting," Valery quickly said as their blades locked, and this time she'd make the first move. Several diagonal sweeps now came at him, and each time their blades clashed, she struck and counter-attacked a little faster. Training meant finding limits and pushing beyond them, so she wasn't going to stop until she found his.

Then, she'd be able to adapt and really push him into improving.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Training Saber
Tag: Valery Noble

Gatz had spent most of his adult life with a blaster strapped on his thigh. He had more experience with a gun than he'd ever had with a lightsaber. How could he not? His youngling training had been far more focused on philosophy and grasping the basics of the Force, and far less focused on laser swords. He'd practiced with one regularly, to be sure, but never to any great extent.

And yet, the training saber in his grasp felt as though it had been molded to his hands. Far more comfortable than any blaster had ever been.

Valery must have picked up on that too, because she picked up the pace and put him on the defensive.

All of Gatz's experience and muscle memory lent itself to Shii-Cho's ideal form. So when Valery started throwing diagonal strikes, and started putting pressure on him, she nearly broke his guard. As it was, he was forced to stagger back to give himself a little bit more breathing room, as he struggled for a few seconds to mirror her new usage of live combat form.

But once he did... it flowed easily. He had no muscle memory to rely on, but the diagonal strikes reduced movement, allowed him to increase his pace, and Gatz found that it felt far more intuitive than ideal form. Valery had him on the backfoot, she was holding at least ninety-five percent of herself back, and yet he felt far more in control than he had before she'd forced him to pick up the pace.

Was that due to Briana? Her knowledge made his ease possible, that much was true. But he hadn't fallen back on any muscle memory after the change. No, for once, Gatz was sure that whatever skill he was presenting, it was his own.

"This is cathartic for you, isn't it?"

Because even when the Sword was pressuring him with a lightsaber, Gatz couldn't keep the bad jokes to himself.

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"No..." Valery said softly while she focused on the duel, and especially on its pace. She was adapting to him at every given chance, just to keep pushing him. At first, he had needed a moment to make the mental switch and adjust, but as soon as he did, he began to flow into the Live Combat Form. Though as he got more comfortable, she started putting more speed and more strength into her attacks.

They followed after each other quicker, and every one of his attacks was met with a quicker counter-attack. At no point, did she allow him to fight comfortable and just be in his element. He wouldn't learn from it — she wanted to provoke his mistakes and prod at the gaps in his knowledge or skill.

That would help him learn.

"...but this is," Valery added, as she suddenly pulled on his leg with the Force to off-balance him, before swinging her blade diagonally across his chest. The training arena was even ground, but in battle there were so many factors that could off-balance you or the opponent.

She wanted to see how he'd respond, and hopefully without hitting his head against stone again.

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons: Blaster Pistol
Tag: Valery Noble

Valery didn't let up on him. At all.

Every time Gatz got a little comfortable, or found a rhythm, Valery changed the way the game was played. She got faster, or hit harder, or angled her lightsaber strikes differently. He was forced into a permanent backpedal, making slow circles around the training arena as he fought just to have a little breathing room. Of course, no matter how far back he stepped, or how fast, Valery was always right on him.

Well, he supposed this is what one got when they asked the Jedi Battlemaster for lightsaber instruction.

The worst part wasn't even the grueling pressure of Valery's dull purple blade. No, the worst part was the jungle's oppressive heat and humidity. The exertion from sparring alone had him sweating bullets. But New Cov's stupid weather exacerbated that, and perspiration began to drip down from his—well everything, but in particular sweat was pouring down from his brow, stinging his eyes, and blinding him.

Gatz had to delve into the Force to compensate for his addled sight, but it really didn't make much of a difference. Sight or no sight, Valery was pushing him into stumbles and staggers, and he was at the point where he was only narrowly avoiding finally being tagged by her blade.

And this was child's play to her.

"...but this is."

Without warning, Gatz's own leg was tugged backward, and he unwillingly slid down onto one knee. Eyes wide with alarm, he raised his lightsaber to keep Valery from striking him in the neck, only for her tag him in the chest with a stroke that would have been too fast for him to block anyways. With a groan of stunned pain, the momentum forced Gatz the rest of the way onto the ground, clonking the back of his head on the stone flooring.

He let his arms fall to his side, training saber extinguished, and his breath came out in harsh pants.

"Okay...." He gulped down air as if he was about to suffocate, "so what was that for? All the squabbling... the starving... or calling you old that one time?"

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

Finally, she got him.

She wasn't really satisfied about bringing him down — there was no 'winning' in training, as far as she was concerned. But because this was their first lightsaber lesson, it meant that she had gotten a good feeling about where he's at in terms of skill, stamina, focus and everything else now. Every training session from here would be much easier to plan, and she could specifically target the things he struggled with the most.

One seemed to be the environment, so there was definitely going to be more training here on New Cov. Similarly, she was already planning to take him to extreme cold, dry dessert heat and other extreme climates. If he could learn to fight and pace himself there, he'd be able to hold his own everywhere.

"Let's say... all of the above?" She smirked and held a hand out for him to pull himself up. "Now we're even" Valery helped him to his feet, then walked over to the side of the training arena to grab a bottle of water she had placed there. She tossed it over and took one for herself too.

"I don't think we really need to linger on Shii-Cho beyond warming up. You grasp it well enough to try focusing on a Form you'd actually like to study. You mentioned Soresu already, but are there other styles you think might be fitting?"

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Valery Noble

His body was already sore.

Gatz had already realized that Valery was putting him through the wringer: it was hard to miss with the way she'd constantly kept him guessing, trying to trip him up. But he hadn't realized the impact such ferocity was going to have on his muscles. His arms and legs felt like lead. He was lightheaded, though that might have been a result of his labored panting.

He'd done his best, but Valery had dismantled him with a simple trick. One he should have been aware of. And she'd been holding almost everything she had back. He'd still ended up like this.

Briana's knowledge only helped so much, it seemed.

Gatz took Valery's hand gratefully—he genuinely might not have been able to get up on his own. Even once he was on his own two feet, he still immediately hunched over, placing his hands on his knees to support himself. Yeah, this must have been cathartic for Valery, after all the stupid shit he'd done to annoy her.

"That's all it takes to make us even?" Gatz huffed out, "well, then I guess I should poke fun at your age more often—"

Something immediately collided with his face, and he staggered back a step. Gatz, hunched over as he was, hadn't noticed the water bottle Valery had tossed his way. She hadn't meant to hit him in the nose with it, but frankly, it was karma for immediately trying to call her old. That was probably cathartic for her too.

With a groan, Gatz bent over to retrieve the water that had assaulted him, all while mulling over Valery's next question.

"I think I'd like to learn Soresu. I mean, the Force is only to be used for knowledge and defense right? Kinda feels like Form III is the quintessential Jedi Form, then." Gatz frowned, taking a sip of his water, before choosing his next words very carefully.

"But... I suspect I'd pick up Form V quicker than anything..."

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov Temple

​

Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"You can poke fun at my age, at your own risk," Valery said with an innocent smile after helping him up. "But we'll see what you look like when you're my age. I'm in the best shape of my life~" she stated both proudly and smugly. Especially after carrying triplets, she was just a little bit proud about how quick she had gotten back into shape. It had been a must, as a Jedi, but it was still all hard work and sweating bullets.

Valery then watched the water bottle hit his face, and as hard as she tried... she snorted. Yeah, that definitely felt good after he tried his luck poking at her age again.

"Form III is definitely that, but it has its drawbacks as well. Each Lightsaber Form is meant to tailor to a specific style of fighting, and we all have our preferences. But some of them are rather... extreme. Soresu is almost too defensive and passive sometimes, while Ataru can be too aggressive."

Luckily, he had already decided that Form V was potentially a good pick for him too.

"Those are good options to combine. Depending on who or what you're facing, you can adjust your fighting style accordingly. Shien specifically has overlapping aspects to Soresu as well, so it shouldn't be too hard to go from one to the other."

 

[Gatz Derrevar]

Ship: The Red Night
Weapons:
Tag: Valery Noble

"I'm in the best shape of my life~"

"Oh wow, me and the rest of the galaxy hadn't noticed." He was feeling a little smarmy after being hit with a water bottle.

Still, he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth, even if it had just kicked him in the face. So Gatz uncapped his water, and took a long swig of it. As refreshing as it was, it did nothing for his exhaustion. His muscles still screamed in protest at even the lightest movement. So, naturally, Gatz forced himself to his full height, and started rolling his shoulders, stretching out his hamstrings, and generally abusing his abused body with stretches.

"Let's be real Valery, I won't live to your age." He said it as if it was the most casual statement in the world, "I'll be lucky to make it to the end of the year, with the way things have been going."

Maybe that wasn't a bad thing.

Gatz shook his head free of that bad thought, and focused on Valery's explanations of the forms. Form III might have been the Jedi philosophy physicalized, but it had its drawbacks. Maybe, then, it was a good thing that Briana held so much mastery over Form V. He wouldn't go looking for that knowledge—he'd cheated off of her enough—but even if he didn't go looking for it, the knowledge would eventually trickle into his brain, against his will.

One way or another, he would absorb her expertise. It was both a boon, and a curse. And... Gatz had kept that to himself, for far too long.

"Val, I need to talk to you about something. Something... I should have asked for guidance about months ago."

Fear filled him, immediately. Gatz knew how protective Valery was of her Padawans, former or otherwise. And Gatz knew she would assume the worst of him, once she learned of his very invasive mind meld with Briana.

It was why he had stayed quiet for so long.

 

[Valery Noble]

New Cov Temple

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Outfit: Factory Link | Wedding Ring
Appearance: Link
Weapons: Lightsaber
Tag: Gatz Derrevar

"With the way things are going, you'll be just fine," Valery said with a slight roll of her eyes. Especially with the addition of lightsaber training, he'd be more than capable of defending himself. But she figured that he'd accept that soon enough, when he had been given a chance to actually use the things he had learned on a mission.

Maybe she'd have to bring him along, or even assign him to work with some other Jedi too, if he decides to continue his path as a Jedi once again.

But, for now, something else seemed to be on his mind.

"Oh?" Valery asked with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong? You make it sound like something bad happened." In which case, she very much wanted him to explain exactly what was up, so she could offer her advice or help directly.