To Pass the Torch (Emily Kao)

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino raised an eyebrow slightly, but gave a small nod. Youth. Such a strange time. But, he'd move along with teaching then. "If you ever wish to know something about me or anything at all. Ask. It's the one way to truly learn." He paused for a moment, thinking about how to proceed. "What training have you had so far in he Force, and from whom?"

Knowing the original philosophy she was taught with would make things much easier. He'd have a better understanding of how to frame lessons. The chances of her being Jensaarai were slim, but it would be nice. He didn't expect it though.

 

[Slot 20]

"Well, I had another master for quite some time. She taught me how to fight with a saber and also how to 'hear' the force around me. She was more than a master really. She was like a mother..." Emily's voice drifted. Sadness welled inside of her. She had loved her old master. In Emily's eyes, her master was her Mom. When she was slain, the girl's heart broke deeply.

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino nodded slowly, feeling her sorrow wash over him like a wave on the beach. He balanced in it, drifting through he ebb and flow. He remembered that feeling. It was like being completely lost with the ground torn out from beach him.
"I'm sorry. I suffered that as well." He sat for several moments, letting her grieve and be sorrowful. There was a time for all emotions and they were to be loved and experienced as they should, and then released.

 

[Slot 20]

Emily looked down at her open hands. "That was the worst day of my life, when she .... " She swallowed, unable to say it. "The Sith that killed her got me. Tried to make me 'listen' to him. He tortured me for... weeks."

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino nodded sadly, her sorrow written across his face. That was one of the disadvantages of being an empath. You felt everyone else's sadness, everyone else's joy, everyone else's guilt. It would be so, so easy to completely lose one's self and be overwhelmed by others. It had nearly happened before too on occasion, before he learned to block it.

This would teaching slightly more challenging. That type of treatment left a very broken person behind.

"I'm sorry." He had no other words to say. He did have something he could try though. He had no idea if it would work though. He centered himself in the Force, finding the comforting peace that his there, and pushed it out, so to speak, towards her.

 

[Slot 20]

Emily could feel an aura of peace come from Master Garn. She gave him a small grin. "Thank you Master," She said quietly. It was nice to be comforted every once in a while.

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino gave a slight nod. So it did work after all. He might be able to use that for some of the other students' difficulties. "You're welcome." He understood the Jensaarai leaders' reluctance now. Nobody would put his students in danger, and that was what he had done when he had left.

"Are you up for practicing with the lightsaber?" There would be a time when he would push her forward despite grief, but not yet. Not when the trust was still new.

 

[Slot 20]

Emily nodded, happy to move on. She stood up. "Sure. I'm pretty good at that."

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino nodded and stood up, unclipping his lightsaber. This would be interesting, he had never stunt lightsaber combat before, but it would probably be easier than other things.
"You have your own saber, correct?" He was fairly sure that she did, but it couldn't hurt to make sure. If not, there were practice sabers to use.

 

[Slot 20]

Emily nodded, holding it up. "It took a bit, but I figured out how to build it myself."

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino nodded approvingly, if a bit cautiously. "Excellent, then. Has it shown any signs of malfunctioning?" He wanted to make sure because he could help her repair it before possibly causing it explode. That was a nasty but of business when that happened.

He activated his lightsaber, turning the power down to its lowest setting, and stepped back with his left foot, raising the blade to a basic Soresu stance. "Which forms have you learned?"

 

[Slot 20]

"No, it preforms pretty smoothly. No trouble so far," Emily said. She took a similar stance. "I know Shii-Cho and Soresu. I've been trying with a few of the others, and been making a little progress. It's hard work, but I like it."
Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino nodded, pleased. That was excellent. It was a good mark for her that she could build a lightsaber. Even better was her knowledge of Soresu. That was his preferred, so he liked other practitioners.

"Excellent, I'm focusing on mastering Soresu myself, before moving on to others. Care to demonstrate your knowledge of it?" He could test her using Shii-Cho. Neither Shien nor Soresu were great testing Soresu skill. They were both far too defensive minded for that. Djem So would work, but he had barely studied the basics of that at his master's insistence on Spresu as the better option

 

[Slot 20]

Emily nodded. "Sure. Show me what you've got," She smiled. She positioned her feet and her saber, ready to deflect his attack.

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino nodded double checking to ensure that his power was down to a safe enough level, and began circling. Testing Soresu with Soresu was difficult, since it was such a defensive form. He would have to use a combination of forms.

Settling himself in the Force, he struck out horizontally at about waist level, blade leaving a glowing yellow trail of light behind, but then at the last half-second, he twisted his wrist, sending the blade downwards towards her legs.

 

[Slot 20]

Emily's movement were swift. She held her saber vertically, hitting his first away from her waist, and then away from her legs. It was a quick and smooth motion.

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

Veino nodded approvingly. That was good. She was no amateur that was for sure. He stepped back into the defensive stance, thinking, and then launched a more complex attack pattern, coming from multiple angles, seemingly all at once.

[member="Emily Kao"]

 

[Slot 20]

Emily followed his movements. She blocked his advances seamlessly. She smiled excitedly. It had been some time since she sparred with someone. She forgot how much fun it was!

Veino Garn

 

[Veino Garn]

[member="Emily Kao"]

Veino nodded. She was good. That was for sure. Well enough teaching her to duel wouldn't be his largest concern. It could take a lesser precedence over more important skills. He deactivated his lightsaber and took a step back, thinking. "Very well done. I can see you have been trained very well in the ways of Soresu.""