To Air is Mortal, to Control is Sith (Dara Gola)

[Zion Mirtis]

​

Another day of learning was ahead for both Darth Raven and her apprentice [member="Dara Gola"] , the twi'lek assassin. The last time they'd met was within the Sith Temple where, after a little over hours of training both of them had gone through the transition of learning the power known as 'Force Scream'. An exhausting labor at first but a well gained power for both of them. Darth Raven had been taking advantage of teaching Dara by also learning newer abilities herself. Most of what she herself knew had already been taught to Dara, and the methods and abilities for one who grew in stealth instead of upright fighting and illusions as Raven had been meant it was an easy avenue to explore. All the more power after all.

Today's lesson required both of them to meet outside the temple this time. Raven had gone on ahead to where she wanted her apprentice to meet once she was ready: a bathhouse not too far from the temple itself. Through her powers and intimidation that the Sith carried practically anywhere they went Raven was able to secure the place strictly for herself and her apprentice alone today. Only the essential staff and the owner, a large gamorian, were left to stay.

Sophie, Darth Raven's true identity, had changed into a dark violet one-piece suit and went to the pool room within the bathhouse. While awaiting her apprentice to arrival she sported a pair of glasses as she read a small index within a book. It was the guide to understanding the Force ability she intended both herself and Dara to learn: Breath Control.

(Looks like this in case wondering lol: http://slimages.macys.com/is/image/MCY/products/0/optimized/2420250_fpx.tif?01AD=3csObIcAl-xa3uvFukdKbIQD9suDmqlJq5tfoEImgubSGIgSzodatag&01RI=2989C4F9C580B14&01NA=&wid=1320&hei=1616&fit=fit,1&$filterlrg$)

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara stepped into the bathhouse and looked around quickly, she was sure that it was usually a very busy place, but she knew that her master [member="Darth Raven"] had wanted to train in a pool, ands what her master wanted, she usually got. Dara had on her new black robes on as she walked, the soft soled slippers making not a single sound as she stepped quietly through the mostly empty building. She was once again wearing clothed given to her by Sophie, she actually wasn't even sure there her old clothes had been put, but she had a feeling that they would never be seen again. She still had the soft ribbon s wrapped around her lekku, the black material crisscrossing in a way that Dara found that she liked, it was her one vanity and she didn't mind what others thought about it.

She was exactly on time like she was supposed to be, but she was practicing using her gift to mask her presence from her master. She was hoping that by hiding her force signature and with the soft slippers that she was wearing she just might be able to impress her master with her stealth skills.She slowly made her way towards the pool room and she saw Sophie reading a book. She made her way silently to where she would be just to the left of Sophie and slightly behind her and she executed a deep bow, " I'm her my master." She knew that the words were more theatrical than they needed to be, but she was working on that as well.

She shrugged off her robes, revealing the suit that that had been delivered to her just that day by one of Sophie's many servants and slipped off her shoes, she knew that they would be going into the water today and she didn't want to ruin any of the clothing she had been given.

 

[Zion Mirtis]

Much to her surprise and amusement Sophie had perked before turning to see her apprentice. She had done an amazing job of using her Vong Seed's use of Force Dead to hide herself well. That added with the soft slippers on her feet as made her silent as a ghost. The perfect combination for an aspiring assassin. She was starting to exceed Sophie's plans, turning her into a silent weapon. She tipped her glasses forward to have a better look at her, seeing her suit, before smiling.

"As I can see." Sophie commented when [member="Dara Gola"] had announced herself. Standing she asked "Have you been practicing the Force Scream as we agreed? You'll need the same sort of Focus for what we have in store for today. Hence why we needed this entire house to ourselves."

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara smiled as she answered, " I have been master. It's been draining but not as bad as it was that first day. I have managed to remain standing the last 3 times I have practiced." She felt that alone was an accomplishment worth sharing and she wanted [member="Darth Raven"] to know it as well. She wanted Sophie to be proud of her, wanted her to know that she was working hard to exceed any goals or expectations that were given to her. She looked around and saw that there was no one in sight, she reached out with the force and found very few signatures near by and wondered why they would need to be alone for this training. " I'm prepared for our training today master. I have gotten plenty of rest and have been meditating most of the day to prepare myself for this challenge."

 

[Zion Mirtis]

With each little report [member="Dara Gola"] gave the more Darth Raven nodded. Sophie was glad to hear her apprentice was actually training on her own when not with her, meaning she was taking any and all advantages of her time spent honing her abilities. She had done the same herself, often finding small area or secluded portions of the surrounding city or high in the roof chambers of the Sith Temple to practice. She'd found it all the more easier as well but felt that she would barley use such an ability. At least they were both getting the hang of it.

"Very good." she said when Dara gave her eager finishing statement. "You'll need that attitude for today. Now tell me, Dara, how well are you at forming a Force Barrier?" She waited to hear her answer before following up with "And have you ever tried to make one....inside yourself? An internal shield of sorts?"

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara slumped her shoulders a bit at the question, " I'm not very good at using force barrier, master. I know how to make one, but the act itself isn't one I am very familiar with. It wasn't something my old master thought I needed to know. I haven't even considered creating one within myself.." she felt bad for even having to explain that she didn't know the technique very well, it made her feel like an unpolished gem, something to be tossed aside in favor of a more lustrous one. she looked up at [member="Darth Raven"] as soon as she had finished, a frown on her face. she wouldn't fail this day, now more than ever because now she had something to prove.

 

[Zion Mirtis]

With that answer Sophie sighed, saying "Then we may be here a little longer than hoped." She waved it off though and said "Let me see for myself. Stand there." she indicated the spot just in front of the pool. Once [member="Dara Gola"] was there Sophie had taken position a little ways in front of her. "Let's see how strong it is." she said, readying a Force Push. She gave Dara time to create a barrier for herself. After that she fired a small Force Push, wanting to see how well Dara could hold her own. She would need to build up her Force Barriers as much as possible for the rest of the lesson.

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara stood still and tilted her head, she didn't know what to expect but as soon as she felt the building power in [member="Darth Raven"] she knew that she would need to protect herself. she threw up a force barrier as quickly as she knew how, hoping that she would put enough power into it to protect herself from whatever was about to happen. the released energy was a push, Dara had done it a hundred times in the past and she would do it again in the future she was sure, it wasn't the most powerful of attacks that she had seen but it shattered through her barrier and she felt the energy shove her back, her bare feet slipping on the wet tiles below her, making her fall to her knees. she sat there for a second, not sure what to do. she wasn't hurt, but she was ashamed of failing in such a simple task. her cheeks burned at the thought of how utterly she had failed her master.

She got back up and instantly moved back to the spot she was pushed from, her stance one of defiance and her mind focused on not failing again, she began to pull energy around her and she dug deep into her reserve for the strength to succeed. she was going to make Sophie proud of her again, she looked up and met her master's eyes and uttered a single word. " Again"

 

[Zion Mirtis]

Sophie had shook her head at the sight of her apprentice failing from a weak push. If this was the sort of strength she had then she would never reach the needed levels for the lessons today. But when she stood after her first fall, insisting to try again, Raven only nodded. At least she was tenacious about it. Given her time Sophie built another force push, the same level as before, and then thrust it forward. If she failed this one she might have wound up flying back into the pool.

[member="Dara Gola"]

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara felt the power building again from [member="Darth Raven"] but this time she had Durasteel in her veins and the force in her heart, she wove the power of the force around her and she knew that she would be fine. As the blast of force energy rushed to meet her, she pulled all of her force energy into one focused point, there was a small crash of energy as the two opposing forces met, and she slid back just a few inched on the tiled floor, but other than that she remained unmoved. She didn't move for many seconds after that, standing completely still as she let the moment sink into her, she had dome something that she had rarely ever done properly, and she did it because she refused to fail.

She looked up at Sophie and smiled, but she quickly moved back to a mroe passive look and stance, she wasn't here to show off, she was here to train, and she should have already knows the skill that she had just demonstrated, she had nothing to be proud of, she was still far behind where her master wished her to be.

 

[Zion Mirtis]

Seeing her succeed this time Raven nodded before saying "Very good. Now...again. Only this time, try to focus harder. We're going to build that barrier strong enough to take a full charge from a rancor by the time we're done." She gave her a moment to regain herself and create another barrier before readying another Force Push, this one with a little more kick to it. Not the strongest she could build if she wanted but enough to get her all the more ready. She needed her strong. She needed her ready. She needed [member="Dara Gola"] to reach her utmost potential for the future and what was in store.

 

[Dara Gola]

The praise was welcomed but now she would have to do it again. She focused again and ran through the memories of the last few minutes, of the look on [member="Darth Raven"]'s face as she fell and failed to block the first force push. She remembered that look and focused on it, she remember the look, the failure in her own heart at letting Sophie down and she pulled all of that deep into her, letting it turn from fear into something more, something useful. she prepared for the attack and right as she thought she was ready the strike came at her. She felt the power of the attack, the energy in it and knew it was stronger than the one before. She again focused her force barrier into a strong point and met the energy of from her master head on. The clash of energy was strong enough that all of the water laying on the floor was pushed away from the clash of force energies.

Dara was pushed back a few feet and she came perilously close to sliding into the pool behind her, but she stopped just before reaching it. She sighed heavily as she stood up straight and looked at the room around her. Several of the objects that were laying around had been violently pushed away from the area around the two women, there was a look of triumph on her face as she walked back to her place on the tiles. she waited to see what her master would say this time.

 

[Zion Mirtis]

Seeing her only skid back a little Sophie was again impressed. Given her apprentice's strength she was lucky to have at least not broken under the pressure of her attack. Her barrier still held and she'd managed not to fall into the water. A decent enough sign that she was getting better. And now Raven nodded to the twi'lek, indicating on more shot. However Sophie would try something else. She made it seem as if she was building up to a more powerful push this time, one that would cripple [member="Dara Gola"] if she didn't stay focused on keep her barrier up. However this would be a ruse as the initial push would actually be as soft as the first one. It was matter of seeing how far she could push her limitation of a barrier in-general. The idea of not wasting too much energy on a smaller task; which would come into play as the lessons proceeded.

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara moved back to where she had stood before, her bare feet making not a sound on the wet tiles as she moved. She didn't hear [member="Darth Raven"] say that she was going to test her again, but it made sense, there had to be more than one success for her to be able to be called proficient with it, and she knew that Sophie wanted her to be powerful, she had said as much before. She didn't want to fail ler master, the woman that had easily becoming her lover. she wanted to become the powerful weapon that she could be. She began to feel the force swirling around Sophie and she knew that this next attack would be her most powerful one yet. She focused all of her fears and anger and hatred as she had before, knowing that failure wasn't an option in Sophie's eyes. She was prepared for the attack and as she felt it being released she felt a difference in it, there was less power behind it than she had felt initially. Not wanting to underestimate the attack, she left her barrier in place and waited for this new attach to meet her defense.

she felt the weaker attack crash against her barrier and she didn't move an inch as the attack was hardly stronger that the first one that had sent her to her knees. She tilted her head and frowned a bit " That wasn't a strong attack at all."

 

[Zion Mirtis]

"Of course not." Raven explained. "I just needed to see how strong you could actually create a barrier." She walked up to her and explained "When we proceed into controlled breathing you'll need to make exceptionally strong barriers within yourself.There have been accounts of both Sith and Jedi being able to hold their breath for days." Pointing to the book she was readying she further explained "It's all a matter of shutting out water or poison gases by blocking both the nose and the lungs. And, by extension, you'll keep the body from going numb without air. It's an amazing feat that both of us need to be able to do. Is it clear enough for you, my apprentice?" She waited for her answer before saying "Come and sit." Raven have brought [member="Dara Gola"] down near the pool but sat cross-legged with her. After that she explained "We're going to try now. I want you to focus on a barrier but create inside. Understood?"

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara listened intently to everything that [member="Darth Raven"] said to her and she nodded along as she did. She understood the process and what she was expected to do and wasted no time in replying. " I understand master" She didn't want to waste time with trivial long winded answers, she had wasted enough of Sophie's time today training her on something she should have already known. she sat next to her master, facing her as she did, her legs folded under her. she was going to use the same thing she had just done to keep an attack away, but she would use it to keep her body safe from the inside. " I understand master." She said as she began to focus her mind on pulling the force to her. She had been doing it quite a bit in the last few minutes and it came very naturally to her, there was very little work that was needed for her to find the power she wanted. She focused on the barrier and began to manipulate its placement so that it would cover her nose and mouth. She focused on what a small mask might look like and began to fashion the force barrier to hopefully function like that.

 

[Zion Mirtis]

When [member="Dara Gola"] understood Sophie nodded before beginning the same process as well. She took a large breath in and held it before closing her eyes, creating barriers within herself. Around her lungs, her nose her mouth and so forth. She had enough air in her lungs that she didn't feel anything pass out of the swelling one would feel if not enough new air was brought in. She opened her eyes, seeing how Dara was doing, while also glancing at the clock. She would wait a full hour and a half to see if both of them could hold their breath long enough. Often she would keep her eyes closed but would poke one open to see how Dara was doing, seeing if she wasn't struggling for air at any point. Sophie felt luckier since it felt like a bubble inside of her that kept her alive, but she had to stay focused on that without letting anything break or escape.

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara kept her eyes closed as she focused, the feeling was strange for her, to not breath at all and yet not feel panicked. She had a brief moment where she had had to calm herself down because her body thought it was suffocating, but she had managed to continue to focus and hold onto the barrier. She could feel [member="Darth Raven"] right next to her, her force signature was almost as familiar to Dara as her own. And she could feel the calm radiating off of the other woman. It helped that she was training with her master, if only because it helped her focus on the feeling of failure . She had on idea how long they would sit like this, but she was relaxed and calm and could keep it up for as long as it was needed. Her thoughts were focused on the force, and how to make it do the things she needed ti to do so she could keep from needed to breathe

 

[Zion Mirtis]

Once the time was up Sophie released, letting out a small gasp before saying "Alright, Dara. That's enough." She waited for apprentice to regain herself if she needed to before saying "Very good. You're showing control and patience. That will be needed. And now for the second portion of the test." She stood before indicating the pool and saying "I'll go first. I'm going to use the same technique but you're not to come in until I'm done. And that won't be for....three hours." She said, pointing at the clock. "By the third hour you can let me know it's finished. And during that time only keep an eye on me in case I drown. Understood?" Once she said so Raven nodded "Good. And feel free to order food or drink if you wish. This will be a long wait."

Taking another breath Raven jumped into the pool, a large echoing splash heard all around. And from there she began to sit at the bottom holding her breath in. It was different than being up above. At least now it felt as though there was pressure around her from the water. Hard to move but at least she had air stored inside. As Sophie sank to the bottom she would wait for a while before trying to see if she could swim as well, still keeping focus while moving herself back and forth under the water. Sometimes she'd glance up to see if [member="Dara Gola"] was still at the surface before continuing her little routine.

 

[Dara Gola]

Dara took in a deep breath and tried hard not to gasp for air as she did. The experience was unique but she could see it being useful to her. She listened as [member="Darth Raven"] explained what she wanted her to do, she nodded and gave a quick, " I understand master". She watched her master jump into the pool and she looked up at the small clock on the wall. She sat back down by the pool, at the edge so that she could see Sophie in the water and she crossed her legs and closed her eyes.

She began going through a set of mental exercises designed to help her relax and to focus. She would meditate the entire time that she waited for Sophie. she wouldn't call for food or drink while her master trained, she would eat when Sophie ate. While she meditated she focused on remembering the reasons that she was where she was. The failure of the jedi to safeguard her , the maliciousness of her former master that drove her to the darkness. The kindness of not only the host lord, but also her new master, that had helped repair the broken girl, shown her that life was worth living again. She would focus on those emotions and allow them to give her strength for the task at hand.

She opened her eyes and saw that it had been exactly three hours, and as ordered she sent out a slight prod with the force to let Sophie know that her time was up.