To be a paragon (OPEN Group Training Session. Padawans encouraged!)

[Jsc]

Sam decided it was time to at least attempt to create a barrier. Why not?

"Well. Nothing like a first time for everything."

She closed her eyes and began to meditate. Using her memory of a favorite place to draw her closer to the emotions of peace and tranquility. Then she outstretched her arm and began to summon a barrier in the Force. It grew slowly until it reached a full meter circle.

Then Sam opened her eyes and it disappeared. Perhaps never being more than a slight shimmer anyway. Yet she was still quite impressed with herself. After all, nothing had exploded this time.

"Way to go me!"

 

[Meeristali Peradun]

"Stali, catch!"

He'd heard, seen, felt the pebble coming within mere moments of the completion of [member="Kiskla Grayson"]'s first instructions on the matter of barriers. In fact, he had purposely resisted his quick-reflex urge to dodge, in favour of attempting to erect a barrier himself to stop the pebble... except for the fact that [member="Tracyn Ordo"] had beaten him to the punch. Inwardly, the former soldier groaned. He could handle things like this himself and was by now quite used to the immature nature of [member="Moroi Wareyasui"]. He could deal with the kid, one handed, with his eyes shut. Perhaps even with both his hands bound.

"Sir," he began, slipping into old habit, rather than the common ranking system of the Jedi as he did not know rank of the curly blond-haired man... or his name, for that matter. "I could have handled that myself."

That, and Moroi was hardly going to learn anything from a reprimand. That much was apparent. Even so, he felt familiar caution at going against what could basically be a 'superior officer', and no matter how many times he spoke up in the past, he still felt it. Meerstali could be bold, but not stupid. Never stupid. Stupid got you killed. Not to mention that there was never a good time to squander a good opportunity, which this was.

"If you could allow..." he gestured to Moroi, his orange eyes flicking briefly to the teen, before settling back on the face of Tracyn, "...my friend here to try that again, I would find it a suitable test of the barriers we are attempting to practice."

A half of a wry smile formed on the Felacatians's lips. "I have been shot at before, sir."

He only hoped the man would allow it, and that Moroi would do his part and throw the pebble hard.

 

[Jsc]

Sam continued drawing in the Force and creating a larger barrier. It was a difficult task and she valued the time to practice. The others continued in their way but she listen not to their conversations. Now was the perfect time to get the hang of this thing. Though, she quite hoped no one threw rocks in her direction. Uh no. She would simply panic. Ugh. She just knew it.

 

[Alan]

[member="Meeristali Peradun"] caught a glare. It wasn't a frustrated, or even a spiteful glare. It was simply a glare from one man to another. Tracyn raised a brow. If the man wanted to throw credentials around, he'd find himself particularly out of his league. Tracyn turned and faced [member="Kiskla Grayson"] for a moment, before turning back to the man before him. He was young, looking as if he used to be some sort of infantryman. Tracyn turned his back, facing away from him. Then, he spoke.

"Shot at? I can assure you the demonstration you're trying to do, that will not help you at all. Getting shot at, does not denote that you have prowess in any other area besides not getting shot. Now...I'm sure you can appreciate the concept of sink or swim."

And that's when Tracyn turned, and with an outstretched arm, and with an open palm, went to hit the man directly in the face."Pebbles do not help you in combat. Pebbles do not equate to the force of a lightsaber held by a Sith emperor, pebbles do not equate to anything other than a pebble. Now, use that, or I will not feel bad when I feel your nose break."There would be not much of a chance for the young man to avoid the hit, Tracyn was by far, one of the best hand to hand combatants in the entire order. He was using a Gand strike, a strike that had taken him years upon years to learn and more importantly, to be able to strike efficiently. Learning, and applying were two different things. The man could raise a barrier, and find himself without having his entire facial structure rearranged. Jedi were meant to be able to adapt, and a barrier with the force would prevent this. Tracyn did not do pebbles.

And neither did the enemies that the Jedi faced everyday. This man would learn, or he would suffer the consequences of failing to survive. But, he had faith in the soldier to raise the barrier in time.


Sink or swim, Tracyn thought, as his well-toned arm shot towards the man.

 

[Meeristali Peradun]

The glare he from [member="Tracyn Ordo"] got made the grin melt off his face entirely, leaving behind a face expressionless, stoic. His tail flicked, sharply. He hadn't received such a look from someone other than a peer, from a superior, since he was a boy of fourteen, still green, or fifteen, still stubbornly bristling against having to defer his burgeoning nature of dominance to those that outranked him, some ten years before, and here he was, green once again. Hasjo Hallu had been his first encounter with something that clearly wasn't by its nature friendly, and this man was the second. He did not return the glare, but he had experienced the variety of what often came after, no matter what kind of glare it was.

His eyes, from that point, scarcely dared to leave the blonde, curly-haired man, who seemed approximately his own age. Watched as Ordo turned his back. His eyes narrowed, then. It was almost as if a challenge had been issued, but he could see the trap for what it was. So Peradun stood there, joints relaxed, body ready, observing every twitch of muscle. Then the turn came, just barely cautioned to him by the Force, and the hand flew.

First instinct - stop the advancing arm, break it if need be. Yet... though this was instinct, it could easily be trumped by rationale, by the fact that an opportunity was not to be wasted, for such was one advantage of sentience. The Felacatian wasn't one to sink, the image of [member="Kiskla Grayson"]'s demonstration of the barrier transforming to impulses as his arms and hands flew up, and a barrier spouted forth, crackling, far from smooth, and needing much refinement. It sufficed in its purpose, some scant inches from the tip of his nose, as it deflected the strike, maintaining integrity for several moments thereafter before seemingly shattering.

But his face was still the shape it was supposed to be. There was that. Still... he eyed the blonde, wary that he might try something like that again.

"And you wouldn't have been the first one to break it..." He said, bringing forth emphasis for the end of his words, "...sir."

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Spoiler

Apologies for the delays. Back now!

Part of teaching was observing. Once Kiskla closed her palm, the shimmering display disintegrated and she could focus on the new arrivals ([member="Vala Melina"]), and the students who were already expending themselves. There was a tremor of anticipation that wove itself through the empathetic threads of The Force, and although Kiskla was largely mute to subtle emotions, when there were many in a limited proximity she could hold her own. Theirs were like little beeping beacons.

A full meter already? Kiskla’s brows quirked when [member="Sam Jhovna"] congratulated herself. Well-earned, in all honesty.

“Try to thicken it, this is a barrier for protection after all.” The blonde commented. She was a very..stoic teacher when it came down to it. Her attention was caught however, by the ruckus created between a triangle of Jedi.

What the what! Was that [member="Tracyn Ordo"]? For a moment, she paled. She had felt him die, The Force had curled out in an eerie way that day. The transaction between himself and [member="Meeristali Peradun"] was terse and quick, and Kiskla stepped away from Sam.

“Pebbles are fine for a start, although pushing limits never hurt.” Light eyes drifted briefly over Tracyn. “How..are you..” she gestured slightly, briefly at a loss of words. Resurrection was beyond her. She meant to end the sentence with here.

“But good reactive work, Stali. Tracyn, if you intend to aid this lesson do — but remember there are an assortment of students here. They all need attention. Your assistance is welcomed so long as it benefits.”

 

[Vala Melina]

Something distracted Vala from her relaxed state. It seemed that most of the Padawans have managed to complete the technique they were learning. There was also a brawl in the making that escalated enough for the Jedi Master to get involved. Vala moved away from the river to a few feet from the edge of the group, close enough to hear but not enough to see very well. Maybe the next lesson will start soon.

[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Jsc]

Sam took the advice to heart and began again. This time attempting to create a barrier of size and thickness. As she meditated and focused her thoughts, her barrier slowly began to take shape. She pushed inwards and outwards to strengthen both her abilities and her resolve.

Sam would continue practicing for now.

 

[Fen]

A youthful man who couldn't be more than twenty approached the group. Dark red hair hung past his ears. He wore part of it in a thin Padawan's braid, denoting his rank. A scar just under his right eye spoke of experience, or brashness. Grey eyes the color of threatening clouds scanned the group and grew hard as they settled on the faces of the Masters present. He came here to train because he had to in order to better protect those who could not protect themselves. But that did not mean he had to enjoy the presence of the Jedi Masters. He bowed stiffly to [member="Kiskla Grayson"]. His dark grey robes rustled.

Well did Ryan Korr remember the halls he'd grown up in. The Temple was more his home than his father's farm had ever been. Returning here felt right, though he could not reconcile that with the twisting in his gut every time he saw a member of the Council who had exiled him.

He breathed deeply, trying to calm the inner storm. Some fine Jedi he was, but did they really expect him to be some emotionless robot?

"Here to train at the request of the Council, Master Grayson."

They wanted him supervised. It wasn't everyday someone returned to the Order. Especially after being expulsed not two years previous.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

At the request of the council, eh? Kiskla hadn't received word of this, and she was usually the first to know. You know, secondhand to the Grandmaster and all that. This must have been a very special case -- something she would investigate later with all those records she was privy too. As it stood, there were many about who were still keen to learn (even with the interruption of the formerly deceased).

Her blonde brow cocked, recognizing the traditional way the newcomer wore his hair. Clear indication of his rank within The Order. [member="Ryan Korr"], and the other female who had just arrived could now begin together. It was best to try new things with a partner, in fact, it was best to do most things in pairs should one falter.

"Welcome, Padawans." She nodded in their directions (seeing as [member="Vala Melina"]had now decided to join the group), and shed the stiffness she had about her posture when dealing with the interactions between [member="Meeristali Peradun"], [member="Tracyn Ordo"] and [member="Moroi Wareyasui"].

"Your timing only puts you at a slight disadvantage, as we were working on telekinetic barriers. If that's something that interests you, I encourage you to mingle with your peers to pursue this technique. In fact, Padawans [member="Sam Jhovna"] and [member="Meeristali Peradun"] have adopted to this learning quite quickly.

However, if that's not something that interests you, you're welcome to pursue and train under other avenues. This is an open forum, and completely for your benefit." And maybe hers, as it was demanding that she learn more and more patience by the second.

 

[Fen]

"For your benefit." ... those words rang hollow to Ryan, whose sharp features became as cold and stern as steel. He had endured too much while others proclaimed those words. Nobility, the Senate, the Council. All the same. They sat in plush high-backed chairs and commanded others to go die. But no, he couldn't put the Council on the same level as the others. Theirs was perhaps the greater evil. At least the nobility didn't claim to be doing justice while they whimsically slaughtered peasants. But the Council? They sacrificed lives in the name of the Force's will. For the greater good. For the benefit of all. For your benefit.

A tic in his jaw worked furiously, then he bowed again. Very slightly. "I'll train with the Force Shield."

An easy task for one raised among the Jedi practically since he was a toddler. He turned around and raised a palm and willed the Force through him, grabbing it, subduing it, and bending the energy to his will as a blacksmith would bend metal. He shaped an invisible Force Shield that glimmered slightly at the edges. Crude, but effective.

He didn't spare a glance for the other padawan. He'd given up on learning the names of others. They would all be sacrificed by the Council one day. Just like Laden had sacrificed him.

[member="Kiskla Grayson"] [member="Sam Jhovna"]

 

[Jsc]

Sam made great strides with her barrier and with her confidence. Now it was time to go find her friend outside and continue their ride together.

The bubbly blond hoped to Kiskla side to thank her for such a wonderful lesson,

"Thank you very much for hosting this forum Master Grayson. It was wonderful!"

She bowed low before escaping quickly. Like a teenager escaping out into the afternoon sun. Practice time was over. Now it was party time.

 

[Vala Melina]

Vala Melina watched as the others practiced and a new Padawan came and talked to Master [member="Kiskla Grayson"]. He didn't seem to have a very good attitude, she didn't need Force senses to see that. Master Grayson suggested that some of the more experienced Padawans help those who aren't such quick learners (like herself). However the opposite seems to have taken effect as a woman left, satisfied with what she learned today. That left the Master alone as others practiced.

Normally shy, Vala saw this as the closest opportunity to get in and practice. She carefully wove through the other Padawans, being careful not to disturb them, until she stood before the Jedi Master. Master Grayson's reputation was known even to the small enclave Vala came from. It was slightly intimidating to be in the presence of a legend. Asking her for help even more so. With a breath of courage, she bowed before her. "Greetings, Master Grayson. I was...I was wondering if you could help me. Oh, I'm Vala, Vala Melina. I understand if you're a little busy, being a Jedi Master and all, but...I'm not so good," she realized she was rambling and decided to cut to the chase, "You see, I was never the...best using the Force so I was wondering if you could help me with, well, 'connecting' with it. Sensing things and...stuff.

It was clear Vala was nervous talking to the Jedi Master. She was never a people person and it was a big step for her talking to someone of such importance. She wouldn't be surprised if the Jedi Master denied her or passed her to another Master but she seemed nice. She did set up this open forum after all.

[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

One didn't need to be a lorridian to notice the details of [member="Ryan Korr"]'s physical presentation. Something she said agitated him beyond belief, but he obliged. So as not to stoke the fire, Kiskla simply bobbed her blonde head and stepped away from his proximity to allow the telekinetic shimmering display to manifest.

"If you want to try something else, and have questions -- ask."

A leap and a bound, and the Padawan [member="Sam Jhovna"] was expelling words once more. "Glad to hear, Sam." Perhaps she'd host this forum again later, or request that other masters assist. Perhaps Daella and Diana for some swordplay.

Speaking of questions, it wasn't long until a skinny youth jumped to the fore with her own queries. A soft smile touched the woman's pouted lips upon recollection of her own time as a Padawan. Her master's HK-droid had referred to her as a windbag. Or perhaps it was a talkative meatbag, either way, she could empathize with the girl's enthusiasm and hoped she wouldn't be one to snuff any sense of curiosity out -- simply because curiosity was her own motivator.

"I'll do what I can, Vala." The young master obliged, glancing briefly at the activity the forum had taken on. The learners were doing their own thing, and her fellow master instructing the forum had paired off to teach something about growth acceleration. Cerulean finally settled on [member="Vala Melina"] "When you say you have trouble sensing The Force, do you mean now, or even when you meditate?"

 

[Vala Melina]

Vala was a bit surprised and also grateful that the Jedi Master took time out of her day to help her. She was so happy she almost missed what Master Grayson. "Oh, uh...well a little bit of both I guess. I never really had a strong connection to the Force but my Masters back at the Temple never...elaborated much on it to me," she said then her eyes wondered off as she continued to think.

The Masters didn't really pay much attention to Vala as she was growing up in the Temple. She was by no means a prodigy and eventually she faded into the background. Many things she learned and practiced by herself up until now when she finally became a Padawan. "Actually, the time I best sense things is when I'm fighting something," she said.
Vala knew that she was a natural fighter. Some Masters told her she got it from her mother whose dogtags she wore around her neck. Dueling was the only thing she found she was at least decent at.

[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Alan]

[member="Meeristali Peradun"] was aware. He was good, but he wasn't that good. Tracyn looked at his fingers, wiggling them. Finger tattoos that had been fading the last few months had been recently re-done, adding emphasis to some of the older Mandalorian ones he possessed. He turned and faced the sky for a moment, before turning back to the young man. Tracyn stared at him for a moment, before his gray eyes flickered.


Several words popped into his mind. Tracyn had an unusual thought pattern to most Jedi if they tapped into his mind, due to that he still thought in Mando'a, his native language. So, needless to say, the words that crept up to describe the man before him exactly weren't the most usual to hear."Atin verd..1". Tracyn turned back to face him after a moment."What you need to be prepared for is not only stopping a single attack, but be ready for a follow up attack. And for the record...it wouldn't be very hard for me to literally punch through your skull. Now you and pebble-boy, @Moroi Wareyasui, should practice together. Give you some bonding time."Tracyn's eyes danced over to Kiskla, a hint of a smile coming over his features.


"I'll explain later, Master Grayson."Tracyn said cooly, turning back to watch the two students. Hopefully, [member="Kiskla Grayson"] wouldn't gripe about it too much in the learning session.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

As Kiskla was about to be in the depths of a consuming student, she turned and nodded with a grin toward [member="Tracyn Ordo"]. It was strange seeing him again, with curly blond hair after the matted mess it had been when he was monstrous. She didn't see him often, but she'd assisted in the initial purge of sith poison from him, and he'd stepped in to assist her on Ossus before.

Then, her attention was back on [member="Vala Melina"] who explained her predicament. Instantly, it reminded her of Dar'rak who was innately in tune with the Force when he danced with his blades. He had been a promising student indeed -- but swallowed by the stars.

"Strange it was never elaborated." The kiffar commented, tapping her lower lip thoughtfully before brushing the comment aside. "I suppose now is as good a time as ever." She turned slightly, placing a hand on the teenager's back to steer her slightly away from the activity behind. "As Jedi, we are students of The Force and never stop learning. It is the life that you can feel in all things, in myself, in the grass around us, even the waters you were near earlier. Within those waters is a plethora of lifeforms, all having their own signature within The Force." The problem with teaching about The Force, was Kiskla shared a similar view to it as Valik. It was a tool and an instrument, rather than an omnipresent teacher and compass -- but she wouldn't pass that on to her students. Each Jedi developed differently.

"When you're fighting, do you feel The Force within you, pumping through your veins? Because it is now. It always is. Some Jedi have their skillset varied, some are Force Warriors, others are more adept with the lightsabre -- usually following the path of Guardians. " At this, Kiskla stepped away from [member="Vala Melina"], giving the girl some distance.

"I'd like to see your basic forms, and then perhaps I can feel how The Force reacts with you -- that could make for more beneficial instruction."

 

[Vala Melina]

Vala listened to every word the Master Jedi said, drinking in the knowledge she provided. She seemed surprised that they didn't teach her much about Force Sense, something Vala secretly thought but never brought up. Placing a guiding hand on Vala, Master Grayson then said that a Jedi never stopped learning and that every life form had their own signatures in the Force. Vala's eyes unfocused a little as she thought about it. She never thought of it that way. Did that mean she can sense every living thing? That was...cool.

She then asked if she felt the Force flow through her when she fought. Vala did feel something whenever she was a about to get in a fight. She nodded in affirmation. Master Grayson explained that every Jedi was different and that some Jedi were better with the Force while others were great with a ligthsaber. Those people were named Jedi Guardians. While Vala wan't given much attention at the Enclave she used to be part of, she did do some independent studying by herself. While she was reading up on lightsaber forms she came across the title. They were what the title suggested, guardians of the peace who fought to protect it and all the people under their care. It sounded like something she wanted to be.

She then noticed that Master Grayson had some distance from her. The Jedi Master then asked her to do some forms to help her gauge how best to instruct her. Vala nodded and pulled out her vibrosword. She studied all of the Lightsaber Forms and practice some basic stances but she only used two of them in sparing, one in a real fight. The first form she took was Form I: Shii-Cho. It was the only form they taught her at the Enclave. She showed some basic forms, demonstrating that while she had some practice, her understanding was still just that, basic. Next she showed a Form II: Makashi stance, trying to mimic something she saw in the images in the library. It was a good attempt, but also obvious she never practiced it before. The same was with Form IV: Ataru and Form VII: Juyo was too advanced for a simple Padawan though she gave it a try. She then tried Form III: Soresu. The stances she took showed that she had a rudimentary understanding of it but rarely practiced it. She got into a Form VI: Niman stance, trying to imitate her current Master, Talon Vosra, when they fought off the thugs. This was one of the better showings since she actually seen it in person.

Lastly Vala got into Form V: Shien/Djem So. First she did some basic maneuvers characterized as Shien, imagining blaster bolts flying at her. She felt her blood run hot as she moved with precision. She did pretty well, considering she actually performed them in real combat. She then moved on to moves that were typical of Djem So. Those times at the simulators showed. This was by far her best form out of all of them. It was unusual considering that a girl of her skinny build would use a form that emphasizes strength. When she was finished she twirled her vibrosword once, held it in front of her, swept it to the side, and bowed. She sheathed it and waited to be evaluated.

[member="Kiskla Grayson"]

 

[Tugoro Taidarious]

Arriving on Tython, Tugoro could not help but admire the beautiful scenary he had run into on his way to the training spot. It seemed they were rather close, actually. A large stream of water poured down from above, crashing into the water below that would trail off into another small waterfall. Gazing forward, the teenager would be able to spot the large group, specifically [member="Vala Melina"] and [member="Kiskla Grayson"] as they trained. Pivoting on his heel, Tugoro would walk away from the view he had been admiring, towards the two training Jedi. Watching the demonstration, he would wait quietly and patiently to be addressed. He did not want to interupt anything, seeing as it looked as if he had missed quite a bit. It would be rude. Looking over the others that had gathered, he would watch their training as well, examining it closely to truly define what it really was they were doing. Many were training their force power it seemed, a wonderful sight to the young lad indeed.

 

[Kiskla Grayson-Matteo]

Kiskla observed patiently, flinching only slightly when [member="Vala Melina"] attempted Vaapad. It was an over glorified form, and definitely not one that should be pursued by anyone who was not a master of The Force -- but the girl was displaying her prowess of all the forms.

After this, the blonde mistress to the Light closed her eyes and opened herself to Force Sight. She could see the midichlorians actively pumping when Vala lent herself to their will, and manipulated them with her finesse of forms. "You're subconsciously attached." Kiskla concluded finally, once the Padawan had concluded her demonstration. "When you have a goal, the Force can bend to your will. Your goal is in your form, to be fluid and demonstrative. I want you to close your eyes, and focus on what is going on inside of you when you imagine sparring.

Then, I want you to see if you can sense me and ---" she glanced up as a new presence neared the two who were training "And your fellow Padawan." She grinned at [member="Tugoro Taidarious"] in salutations, but wanted Vala to get a hold of The Force before she continued the lesson.