The Pathfinder Chronicles and stuff

[Micah Talith]

[member="Vexen"]

"Tchhhh!" Micah gave a slight hiss, the stun baton catching him at his wrist. Again, the Defel was quick. Cockiness had a way of getting to ones head, and while Micah had trained with his father, his uncle, and his mother, one was always constantly training to get better. His uncle was used to hard, and unyielding attacks. His father, used the Force to attack. His mother? Roots and stuns.

Having someone to fight against in melee combat that was agile, hard to see, and quick was a weakness Micah was discovering he'd need to keep track of.

It also didn't help that with their bond, a few little nuances of what the other would do could bloom in each other's mind.

"Well... you are getting better," he grinned out at her, wringing his hand and wrist a bit, which now had a small red mark there. "Using your agility is good." he praised her.

"Remember... you can use the Force to help you focus, move just a little bit more faster." he told her. She was sensitive in the Force, and she could tap into it.

"Speed and your size are definite bonuses." he brought his saber back up. "Okay... try again. "

 

[Vexen]

[member="Micah Talith"]

Bright eyes watched that blade carefully. The filters on her goggles were well turned to narrow down the broad range of intensities of light that passed through them. It meant her eyes could track that bright blade whilst she could still see the background. Her first pair had instantly gone too dark for her to see a thing when a lightsaber passed before them, so Micah had made some adjustments.

Her footwork was still poor. She didn't really have the tactical mind for it. She was still reactive and liked to rush. Remembering her lessons her focus diverted from his blade to his feet. That blade seemed very long to the diminutive Defel and as quick as she was, she knew how fast he could bring that weightless blade to bear. She started to circle, following the basics and keeping her feet close to the floor. She feinted forwards, came down heavily on her front leg and reversed her momentum. As he was recovering from starting to bring his blade down she darted forwards again.

Again she had to abandon the charge. Instead she struck at his saber with a quick one-two from both batons and backed off again. It was definitely a problem getting past such a dangerous weapon just to get a clean strike at the body. There was a little growl of frustration and she continued to circle.

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Vexen"]

There were faint sparks as his lightsaber met her stun baton, a kaleidoscope of colors that would dance and drift around them. This was their little dance. Parry, slash, back step. A press of the attack, the block of an attack. More sparks.

Little beads of sweat would continue to form over Micah's face, his hair going wild with every movement. He could be pretty lighthearted, but when it came to training, he could also be quite serious. His brow gave a little pucker, orange eyes following at Vexen's footsteps and motions. She was difficult to see already, and she was getting a bit frustrated.

"Focus... breathe." he would remind her, "Feel me through the Force. Where am I going to go next?" he would instruct her. A flash of a grin and then a quick slash to her right thigh to try and tap her there a bit.

 

[Vexen]

[member="Micah Talith"]

"Bah!" she exclaimed. One stun baton came down and around to make the block. Late to contact, she was forced to use brute strength to arrest its momentum, rather than deflect it. There was once against that acrid scent as some fur was singed and she hopped back. "You can't jus' say and thing and then hit me!" she protested. He smirked. She mirrored his expression. Slowly backing away and then circling to avoid being pinned against the wall, she tried to heed his words. She was becoming more aware of her environment through the Force. She simply had to extend that awareness.

He came at her with a relatively straightforward offensive routine. Fatigued as they both were it was still testing. The first few blocks were still slow. The left stun baton was actually lost from her grip and went clattering to the ground. Even after surgery that paw had never been as strong as the right. White eyes narrowed through goggles and by being pushed to the edge she suddenly found her centre.

Vex was already moving when the blade came around. It hissed through the air over her head as she turned the duck into a full on roll and then launched herself into the air to leap over his blade again as it snapped at her ankles. She turned abruptly and left hand snatched the other baton out of the air. Both came up and crossed above her as she blocked his overhead strike. Her head poked to the side of his blade and a pink tongue darted out to mock him.

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Vexen"]


What that...

His eyes grew wide and his grin grew wider. Good girl.

They would need to strengthen her hand, ensure that she did her physical therapy to ensure that she couldn't easily lose her grip. It would likely never be as strong as the other, but with training and strengthening exercises, she should be able to improve.


"Oh is that right?" he bantered, noticing her wide toothed cheeky and toothy grin.

Most opponents were likely to use their size against her, but he wanted to first ensure that she was able to master her speed and deftness. Again, they went through the rotations and the forms, until both were a bit more out of breath, but amused just the same. Training wasn't all serious business with Micah. There was usually a joke tossed there in.

"Trying to turn into lepi?' he joked, but aware that she had found her center. Now she just had to sustain it.

 

[Vexen]

[member="Micah Talith"]

Crackle, crackle, hiss, crackle.

Her arms flowed from position to position, keeping her defensive circle tight to her. One block left, then right, then she ducked under the blade before blocking the reverse sweep. She had to keep her distance when on the defensive. With one-handed batons if she tried a single handed block and caught his saber too near the hilt he's simply smash through. She had to catch his blade nearer the tip to prevent him from having the leverage to flick the batons from her hand again.

Whilst she kept her balance and moved quickly his skill was once again beginning to push her. Her heart beat was a high cadence thrum within her skull and she was panting heavily. Right baton met blade high, and she stepped forwards onto her left and thrusted forwards trying to catch him out. Not only did he meet her counter, but he shifted his weight to her left blade coming around to strike at her back. Trusting her instincts she pivoted on the front left foot in a clockwise direction, throwing her right baton around to catch his blade behind her.

She reversed the spin. This time pivoting on the front right. A strong backhand swipe came in at his left thigh whilst his blade was pressed out to his right.

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Vexen"]

Micah gave a wince, feeling the sting through the light armor he wore. It wasn't really armor really. He was just in a comfortable pair of pants and shirt. The Defel was starting to get more hits in, wiggling her way under his defenses due to her diminutive form.

He slid back, brought his blade forward. While she did have the advantage of agility, if she expended her energy in a consistent manner, it would tire her out. She had to learn to do it in controlled bursts.

He shifted his weight, coming at her from the right only to feint. Another crackle of baton and saber, and he pressed into her personal space to see what she would do.

 

[Vexen]

[member="Micah Talith"]

"Karkstickles," she swore under her breath. Years in civilisation hadn't quite tempered her predilection for using colourful language.

He was inside her guard now and poised to strike hard with the middle of the blade. Once again she had to dig deep. She had to be quick and predict each motion through a combination of the Force and watching his feet and hands. The first three strikes were blocked early. Each time she was the one to step in and aggressively block before he could get into the swing. Unfortunately she mistimed the next one and got a painful strike to the forearm as punishment.

Lips curled up revealing a row of gleaming teeth. She dug deep she wouldn't give in yet. When it seemed he had her she sidestepped with remarkable speed, this time calling on the Force for aid. She'd used her indistinct outline to make it seem her balance wouldn't permit the manoeuvre before exploding into motion.

Saber kissed air and she ducked low. "Jab Jab!" she exclaimed and the stabbed out with both batons for his shins before darting backwards, hoping to escape the circle of pain.

If she escaped she would hold up a paw for a reprieve. Her lungs burning.

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Vexen"] was a blur.

He didn't expect her to move so fast, Jeco like reflexes coming straight at him. The sizzle and sting of her hits struck him, and he gave another wince. He had to move back, but not before comically hopping around for a bit. She go her reprieve, Micah's saber deactivating with a slight hiss.

"Well, that's one way to do it." he grinned out at her mid wince, not upset, but proud that she had managed to narrow down her focus. He would dramatically flop down onto the floor, sitting on his bum. He let his saber sit in between his legs, both hands used to brace himself up from the floor.

A chuckle would rumble out, "Breathe Vex... I can't have mum yelling at me that I'm trying to send you to an early grave."

 

[Vexen]

[member="Micah Talith"]

Batons were dropped unceremoniously to catter to the floor. She immediately looked up with a guilt expression on her face. He'd told her off for not treating them well before. She might come to rely on them, he told her, and they hadn't been cheap either!

Her hands found her knees and she bent over and gulped in air. As she returned to a higher state of consciousness she felt herself emerging from a depth of connection to the Force she had not achieved before. It also struck her quite how hard she'd been pushed. She was starving.

That clarity brought back two memories in quick succession. A promise she'd made to herself and a few fleeting images that had come to her before the crash a few years back.

It came with a dawning realisation that she hadn't mentioned this because of fear. Fear was not something that could be allowed to rule you. That's what she'd been told. Not that she didn't get scared from time to time. But there were different kinds of fear. Some were self driven and needed to be faced up to.

"Micah... I..." she paused for a moment, still breathless. "There was something I wanted to ask you about."

An indistinct shape hovered before her vision. She didn't truly understand it, but knew it to be a benevolent presence. She felt a gentle touch down the side of her cheek. Turning her head, she drew a long breath through her nose. Familiar smells elicited emotions that did not come easily to vexen. She felt calm, safe, loved.

The peace was interrupted by a high pitched whine. Despite trying to cling to them desperately, those emotions faded away. Confusion and fear crept up on her in their place and she mewled pathetically. There was a commotion of noise and light. Flashes burned spots into her vision. There was a low growling sound, then another flash, and the noise was silenced. That familiar shape loomed before her again and she reached for it. Something else appeared, a long silver streak, with a hoop at the end of it. There was a throaty gurgle and the shape vanished. Something dark descended upon her.

All faded to white. The benevolent figure appeared before her again. Whilst still indistinct, as if she was peering through a bottle, it's voice was clear and crisp this time.

"Vex. You need to wake up." The voice was distinctly female. The words were spoken in a language she didn't know, and yet she was aware of their meaning. "There's nothing you can do for me now, but you're not safe. Your friends are going to need you. Be brave. I... I'm... "

She would try her best to describe that dream or vision. Or whatever it had been. Her expression twisted up in confusion for a moment. "Does that...do you think it means my family are...you know..." she paused trying to force herself to ask it. "...dead?"

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Vexen"]

The Talith's smile would wane, but it didn't somber.

He let his mind settle upon what Vexen had described, pondering it. The Force worked in mysterious ways. It could very well be a vision or a memory. He took a deep breath, feeling the rush of cool air into his burning lungs.

"It could mean anything really." He was honest with her. "What you saw could be a memory or even a vision. The Force works in mysterious way." that was something his mum had always told him. "But if something... had happened to them, and this was someone of your family... it could be that since you are Force sensitive, so were they." a pause.

"... my mum would tell me of Force Ghosts who were able to guide and help others. She said that there isn't any death, but the Force. So your love ones never actually leave you."

 

[Vexen]

[member="Micah Talith"]

Vexen nodded slowly to herself. His explanation didn't assuage or confirm her concerns. If he'd tried to cover up the truth she'd have felt it too. She knew him all too well now. If she concentrated hard she could sense the echo of his own breathless feeling. Different, but not entirely so, to her own.

"Alrigh', thanks," she said. She had long ago learned that she could not spend her time worrying about problems that could not be solved immediately. Even if that long goal was actually always out of her reach, the Taliths were the only family she had ever really known. You had to take things day by day. Follow the routine. She had found many of the Galaxy's inhabitants lazy and slow. They didn't know what it was to swallow the bitter pill, put your head down and take each day as it came.

Her eyes turned to the pile of spare parts in the corner. They were just as good as stones for practise. She knew what came next. Sparring was fun, but that exercise was just endless concentration.

"Food first?" she asked hopefully.

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Vexen"]

At that, his smile would turn into a wide grin. "Yes, food first." he fell back, then with a nimble rock and push of his legs, popped himself up to his feet. That was the garhoon in him, that little bit of blood that made him move as quiet as Vex without thought. A flutter of the Force along with the wave of his fingers drew his hilt off the floor and into the shell of his hand.

With a lanky stride, he came over to her, stopping just beside her. Always one to use touch to comfort - Micah didn't understand, or did but didn't bother with personal bubbles - his hand coming up to try and scratch behind Vexen's ears.

"You did well." he' would compliment her, "Got me a few times on my shins." he'd say with a bit of over dramatic woe. "So harsh... I'll be scar'ed for life. There goes any chance of showing off my legs to the ladies.."

He was joking, it was easy to see.

 

[Vexen]

[member="Micah Talith"]

"Pff. S'if they wanna see those skinny poles," she remarked. The scratching stopped. That wouldn't do. "Alrigh' alrigh' you have great legs," she back pedalled, moving the flat of her head up to his palm.

There was a satisfying thwuck as each baton slid into its holster. Vex was still a quiet soul a lot of the time, but not usually when she was alone with Micah. It had taken a long time to come out of that shell. She vividly recalled one of the first times she'd started that journey. She'd suddenly said something quite rude and amusing at the dinner table that had even made Micah blush. Kira had giggled like a girl.

"I'll grab it," she announced in the galley. "What you want?" For herself she found a vacuum sealed ham steak to cook. Fresh meat had always been scarce for her as an infant and now she had a taste for it.

She looked down forlornly at the singed patches of hair. She needed some leathers or something.

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Vexen"]

"We have any bantha steaks?" not the higher quality Nerfsteak, but Micah wasn't picky when it came to his red meat. He enjoyed eating, and with how much they would wander, their selection ranged from rations, fresh kills, and the occasional BlueMilk restaurant when they wanted to stand out like a sore thumb with fine dining.

He caught the slight furrow and twitch of her nose as she studied her fur. A thought came to him. "How do you feel about using armor, Vex?" he would ask her, hooking his saber on the magnetic clip on his belt. While she went about with their main meal, he would wander to grab them something to drink.

"You want juice or water?" they had others, but one little lingering guilty pleasure had been the juice boxes Micah loved. Quite silly, but hey, why would one argue their own taste?

 

[Vexen]

[member="Micah Talith"]

Vexen slapped some steak on a hot skillet and found some vegetable salad in a tub to reheat. "Water please, big glass," she answered. Over the year she may not have entirely removed her tendency to swear, nor gained a broad vocabulary, but she had learned some basic manners at least.

She turned the meat over and looked down at the singed streaks. There was a quiet growl of annoyance. Micah was all too aware of how she thought of her fur. The complaints about the time spent in front of the mirror were vocal enough anyway.

"How do I feel about it?" she echoed quietly. "Right now? Pretty keen."

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Vexen"]

She was adorable when she acted that way.

Micah gave a small grin, bringing over the glass of water for her to drink. He gave her a small nudge with his arm, bright orange eyes shining down with warmth at her.

"I think I can make you something that would suit." he told her, leaning against the counter as he brought his juice box up. His mind began to race, going through what he could do.

"Maybe something like mine." He considered. Leather would work well. He didn't want to give her anything clunky. "I could coat it so that it would mimic your shadowing."

 

[Vexen]

[member="Micah Talith"]

Vexen found the notion of clothes strange. She tried to imagine being wrapped up in armour and trying to move around quickly. Her fur would get all sweaty and ruffled too. Eugh.

But seeing his expression, she decided not to mention it in that manner. He was off now and would probably start making notes soon. She had always liked watching him work. Sometimes he'd sit idly thinking on a tricky concept and just scratch her fur for long periods at a time.

Her first thoughts were similar to his. "None of those big plates though. Something I can move in?"

 

[Micah Talith]

[member="Vexen"]

Maybe something more pliable. What would work well. Nothing too stiff...

Vexen's voice cut through his thought process. "Huh?" his eyebrows disappeared under the messy fringe of his mop of hair. "Oh. No." he shook his head, dismissing that worry immediately.

"You'll be able to move easily. I don't want to risk any of your agility and dexterity." he told her. "We can likely do a form of pliable leather... or if you would prefer, a breathable cloth. There are a few materials in between you may like better than that."

He could add a defel mimicker too.

 

[Vexen]

[member="Micah Talith"]

Vexen smiled. It was so charming when he got like this. Also, she figured, if she indulged him she might manage to escape telekinesis practise.

"Oh kriff!" she swore, realising the steak was burning. She rapidly took it out of the pan and put each piece on a bed of salad.

She slid down onto her chair, pushing a plate towards him. "Why dun' we 'ave some lunch, and then you can show me some fabrics?" she asked hopefully.