Training for Trouble

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Vulpesen"]

Kay narrowed her eyes at her opponent and tightened her grip with both hands on the brass coloured hilt of her lightsaber. The light blue blade hummed with it's power, the colour a reminder of it's dangerous temperature. She began to circle her opponent feigning a high slash to the right, but then changing direction and hitting low on the left. Sparks flew as the saber hit it's mark and she kept light on her feet. One more hit was all that was needed. So she quickly spun and brought her saber across for a powerful strike across the middle. Her slightly unbalanced momentum caused her to continue with the spin and stumble into her opponent, who's top half was now teetering. Kay tried to stop it, letting go of her saber and using both of her hands in an attempt to stop it. But alas it didn't work. The stone pillar that she was using for an imaginary assailant, was now broken in half, weakened by her duel practice. The top half fell off and landed on the floor, trapping a corner piece of her cloak.

"Oh great." Kay pulled and tugged. If anyone was to have seen the spectacle, would have viewed it as either comical or pathetic. Either way, she wasn't very good. And losing to a stone pillar made that perfectly clear.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen rose a brow at the spectacle before him, currently being leaned up against a different pillar. In his day he'd fought some crazy things from dragons to cyberbugs to ewoks that could survive being burned like his cooking. But this was a new one for him. Some new craze among the next generation of force users? Deciding to step out of the shade, he walked over to the inexperienced fighter. "What'd it ever do to you?" His arms crossed in front of him and his tail remained draped downwards, hanging fairly motionless.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Vulpesen"]

Kay fell onto her backside as the question, and the appearance of a spectator caught her by surprise. Giving up for the moment, she just took her cloak off and got up to retrieve her saber. She shut it down and then walked over to her satchel, speaking to Vulpesen as she slipped it inside, "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to break it. But as you can see, it defeated me anyways. Or at least my cloak. I'm going to need to cut that piece off. Do you happen to have a knife handy, sir?"

He might recognize her as a Senator for the Republic, he might not. It all depended on if he kept track of those sorts of things. But in any case, she was just dressed as a simple merchant anyways.

 

[Vulpesen]

"It'd be pretty easy to cut it, but I think its easier just to do this." He lifted a hand, causing the pillar to rise back up. While he couldn't quite mend the stone, he could at least puzzle the pieces back into place for a stable balancing act. "You know, I've never been a fan of saber combat, but I've been in enough war zones and fights to know how to wield one. I might be able to show you the basics. Might help when some trigger handy bounty hunter fancies himself the money he can get from your head." Did he know who she was? Not a clue. But he'd been around the Republic long enough to recognize one of its people. He'd also been around merchants enough to know when someone was more than they dressed, especially when the attire was of his first trade.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Vulpesen"]

Well wasn't he just full of surprises. Kay gathered up her cloak and put it back on. She was going to pick up her satchel as well, but then Vulpesen spoke of teaching her the basics. She knew a little, but with a warrior for a husband, he kept her away from battle and just allowed her to show up afterwards to heal him and their friends. So needless to say, she was a bit rusty.

And then he spoke of her having a bounty on her head. Was it broadcasted everywhere? Or was that just a guess? Hard to say at this exact moment. So she decided to introduce herself. "I don't like to use my saber often, more so as a last resort. But I would be honoured if you could help me out a bit. My name is Kay, by the way." She left out the Lady and Senator titles as she wasn't there for any formal business. And the less that she was known for being a Force user in the Senate, the better. "And you are?..."

 

[Vulpesen]

He gave her a nod and leaned back against a more stable pillar, his tail flicking lightly behind him. "Last option is still an option you should have." He gave her a small nod of his head, akin to a respectful bow as she stated her name. "Vulpesen Torrevaso, a pleasure to meet you." He wasn't sure if he'd be more easily recognized as a leader of the Vitae, an ex-jedi, or simply completely unrecognized. Either way, it didn't matter. Training did not require his reputation.

"So, with what little you know of saber combat, how would your see yourself on the battle field should you be forced to it? I'm assuming no aggression or frills. Quite likely an emphasis on the force should you be able to manage it. Or perhaps something more elegant? Or a style that's pure defense, making sure that you are untouched by the enemies assault."


[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Vulpesen"]

Kay bowed her head as he introduced himself. But just as he didn't know who she was, she didn't know him either. Sometimes that was best as for the moment it would just probably get in the way. "The pleasure is all mine."

As to his questions, Kay thought about them for a moment before responding. "Well, it depends on the type of battlefield and who I was against. I don't want to abuse the Force, so I try not to use it too much. Although I use my lightsaber even less. I have a small blaster in my satchel over there, which I use to stun people or knock them out as I've never killed anyone and I hope that I never do." She chewed the inside of her cheek a bit. "When I have been on the battlefield, I am normally hiding on it and I use whatever I have around me to help. But more often than not, in those types of situations I am never alone. As for other types of situations where my life or freedom is in danger, well sometimes I use my wit and other times I just run or wait for a chance to escape. Yet even then, someone almost always comes." It was a bit odd how she had always gained a bunch of protectors, no matter where she went. But then again, she would probably do the same for someone else.

((OOC: This is my 1000th post!! After just over two months That's a milestone that I never thought I could reach. ))

 

[Vulpesen]

"Well rounded and adaptable. And given that by the way you carry yourself, diplomat's form would probably be the best bet. Something that prepares you for conflict should you need it, but doesn't require the training that detracts from time you should spend speaking." He motioned to the satchel. "Now, I suggest retrieving your saber if it has a low power setting. If not, you can borrow one of mine."

[member="Lady Kay"]

(Congrats. Was kinda hoping I would get to be your 1000th post.)

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Vulpesen"]

She nodded as this must have meant that he was going to give her a lesson. Kay smiled as she went to her dear old satchel and retrieved her lightsaber. As she walked back over to him she set it to low power. "I could use all the help that I can get. Most especially with current events being as they are." It was not lost on her that the very fact that she was still alive was baffling to say the very least. But that just goes to show how wonderful that her friends were at keeping her safe despite her reckless behaviour.

((OOC: Awwww. Glad that I could oblige ))

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen grinned and twisted one half of his saber off of the other before activating the black and gold blade. The familiar snap his of the bicolored weapon rose to the air and his hand went to turn down the power dial so as to not accidentally earn both a bounty and the ire of the republic. "Niman, known as the diplomat's form will likely be your best bet. It has no real weakness but no real strength and is thereby relatively easy to get the hang of. Just follow my instructions and you'll be dancing in no time."

Moving to a two handed grip, he put his left side forward with the blade pointed to the right and slightly back. "The starting stance of Niman is the easiest to hold in a low guard. Relax, and allow your body to set into a natural rest with your legs evenly spread in this position. It should feel natural as in a battle, every ounce of energy counts. No need to waste what you might need later."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Vulpesen"]

Kay's blade was light blue in colour. It didn't quite match the brass-like hilt, but then again she didn't quite match either. At least that was how her late husband explained it.

She copied his stance, loosening her grip on the hilt. No white knuckling it now, no reason to give herself sweaty palms. Although when it came to dancing, she had two left feet. That could be another reason why she was always tasked with doing other things rather than fighting.

"Like this?" Kay kept her knees slightly bent and shoulder length apart, ready to jump back or to the side if she needed to.

 

[Vulpesen]

He grinned a bit and nodded as Kay took her stance and grip. "Perfect. Happy to see that you can at least pick those basics up." His feet started to move in a slow pace, moving him around her. "One thing I noticed about your attacks earlier, was how wild they were, uncontrolled and unbalanced. One thing you need to learn is control. You'll never know how long the fight will go on and for this reason, you must try to conserve your energy."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Vulpesen"]

She nodded. It wasn't as though the pillar was a proper opponent anyways. But as for his other remarks, she had her opinions on that. "Well, I haven't had a lot of practice and I was just fighting the stone here. And besides....wouldn't that make me...unpredictable? I mean that's if one could even predict what another would do in a duel."

Kay wasn't trying to be difficult, she was just trying to learn and have him understand her way of thinking when it came to such things. It's not as though she was an idiot. Her knowledge was just lacking in this area.

 

[Vulpesen]

"Predictability while never a goal, shouldn't be traded for imbalance. There are some who can enter more wild tactics, such as those who utilize Ataru or myself during my more enraged battles. Instinct in my experience, is what is used to sustain such tactics. Other times, some are simply predisposed to such chaotic maneuvers. But overall, using such ferocity to hide your intentions will only expose you to your enemy and end the fight with your head or more rolling on the ground." As his speech finished Vulpesen made a fairly quickly lunge at the woman's left leg though he made sure to flick his wrist, sending the blade into a sudden swerve to her right arm. "Far better to use more practiced methods such as feints."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Vulpesen"]

Again she nodded as she listened to him. What he said seemed to make sense and she imagined the different scenarios that he spoke about. And then he lunged at her. She swung her blade down to meet it, but then he changed it's course. By instinct she changed hers too, moving her blade to intercept, hoping to catch it in time. Kay was too busy thinking of what he was saying to worry about overthinking on what she should be physically doing. And that made her less clumsy in her movements. So for this moment, it worked.

"How often are feints used in battle?"

 

[Vulpesen]

He smirked as she caught the blade and pulled back before circling her once more. "Depends on the opponent. Some are straight forward but powerful enough to blow through defenses. Some, like myself, use them with almost every strike. It all depends on their preference." Lunging forward, he repeated the earlier feint, but assuming she would block the same way, he would keep his blade against hers and attempt to slide past, lunging towards her heart.

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Vulpesen"]

As he circled, she turned too, keeping him always at her front. She knew well enough not to expose her back, especially during a duel. So he almost always used a feint when he attacked someone? Nice little hint there.

Kay brought her blade down to catch his, but was caught off guard as he changed his direction and slid his blade along hers towards her chest. She tried pushing his blade away from her as she jumped back a couple of steps. This was probably too easy for him.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen grinned as she managed to catch his blade and leap away. Certainly a quick thinker, and quick on her feet when she stopped thinking. Int truth Vulpesen's training almost never had lectures or formal lessons. He'd learned in trial by fire and those he thought would learnt he same way. No book prepared you for the searing heat of a bolt passing by your face. Only practice did that, and even then, an actual battle would always be overwhelming in ones first encounter.

"Just because I prefer feints doesn't mean I'll always use them. The trick in battle is to find the patterns of your opponent. Everyone has a certain set of tactics they prefer. The one who first finds their way past the enemy tactics wins. But remember that your enemy learns with you. If he notices you getting used to one thing, there's a chance he'll switch to something different." He swirled his saber brought it back into the starting position. "Now, come at me. Lets test your skills with the offensive."

[member="Lady Kay"]

 

[Kay-Larr]

[member="Vulpesen"]

Offensive? Great. He saw her offensive against the pillar and she had lost. Kay much preferred defending herself over being an aggressor. She had no pattern that she was aware of either. Instead she just did whatever came to mind first. Oh it was much harder to be a fighter than a healer and as she respected fighters before, she had an even higher respect for them now.

"Well....here goes nothing..." She swung her saber upwards towards his left shoulder.

 

[Vulpesen]

Vulpesen's saber flicked up to to catch her saber while his left hand sprung out from its grip to hit her in the chest, forcing her away from him. "Remember what you learned. You defend easily enough. But your attacks should never be wild, no overly simple. Your blade is an extension of your arm, think of it as your hand while your wrist keeps full motion." He fell back into his starting stance. "Try again."

[member="Lady Kay"]