Private Way of Makashi

[Silas Westgard]

Location: Ilum
Objective: Refine Makashi
Tag: Cale Gunderson

Being back on Ilum so soon was an unexpected opportunity. Since helping Valery Noble safely restrain a murder worm and help rebuild the temple, he had been non stop refining his lightsaber technique. One of them being Makashi, a style which he had been trying to make perfect ever since initiate training. In terms of dueling, it was by far his preferred style. Being nimble and fast was a specialty for Silas, who used it to his advantage against bigger and stronger foes. There was one condition though, he had to be always in the best physical shape possible. If they kept swinging and he kept dodging, they'd be wasting more energy in the long run. And, once they were at their most exhausted he was sure to strike with all the energy he saved up.

Today was another one of those days. After he had helped the other Jedi rebuild parts of the temple once more, he decided to do some personal development before some much needed rest. Dressed in his training clothes, he made his way over to the development area at his own pace and thought about old memories. In a duel he did with Iris Arani Silas underestimated her ability and completely used the wrong style, leaving him open for a taste of his own medicine. The only reason he didn't use Makashi was because of the worry it wouldn't work well on shorter and faster opponents. In the end, his strength tactic didn't work out anyway.

Right now, Makashi was the way forward for all he cared. He needed to make sure he could use it in all situations, and perfecting its style was one of the many things Silas needed to get right. The padawan slowly stepped onto the mats and ignited his lightsaber, allowing it to hang loosely in his right hand. He slowly rolled his shoulders before suddenly stepping forward, slashing and retreating from the open air as if it was an imaginary opponent. His strikes and movement were swift, impressive for a boy his age to do. However, there were still floors in his game. Sometimes, he'd have the habit of following through for too long, leaving him open for an extra few seconds for the opponent to get a strike in. As well as this, his footwork could be all over the place if he went back without thinking first.

Any of those mistakes could cost him one day, it was better to work on them now rather than pay the price in the near future...

 

[Cale Gunderson]

Cale hadn't meant to find his way here, the practice yard of Jedi Temples had a nasty habit of opening wounds he'd have preferred to be left closed. How many years had it been since he'd wheeled around like the boy making his way through the motions now? Cale had ignored the other forms, Dejm So had been all he needed, it'd been his tool, and later his undoing. It'd taken time and lots of rather unorthodox training. Cale hadn't studied under any master, he'd learned as he went, piecing together things from memory, holocrons, and foes. Whatever mutt of a fighting style he'd come to master, it apparently was somewhere between Forms II and III, it'd saved his life, and maybe it'd save this kid.

"You're not making enough distance when you retreat. Either get close or get far, but don't half-ass it. Not every bastard with a saber has got the same reach as you and me, some got a lot more, better to clear even their reach." Cale tutted, stepping onto the training floor with a lit stimstick stuck between his lips, arm hanging at his side. He didn't look like much, maimed and sleepless as he was, but appearances were often deceiving.

"And quit pulling your punches, too slow on the follow-through, hit hard and hit fast so you can hit them again." Cale took a long drag and puffed smoke skyward, settling his tired blue eyes on the learner. He wondered whose kid this was.

Silas Westgard
​

 

[Silas Westgard]

Cale Gunderson

Upon hearing the voice of a man Silas stopped what he was doing and snapped his head in the direction of the visitor. At first glance, he didn't really have much going for him. His face looked tired and scruffy, and along with the stimstick between his lips, it appeared he wasn't in the best of health. Even though he didn't have a clue as to who he was, Silas still respectfully listened to what he had to say.

Nodding along, the man did raise some good points. Without realising he really was not getting back fast enough, nor did he think about the varied reaches of his opponents. As well as that, pulling punches was something he wasn't expecting to be bought up. Was the man really speaking the truth? or was it a random worker who has mistakenly stumbled into the training area. Well, there was only one way to find out...

"You raise some good points sir, but I'm afraid I don't know who you are." his look alone screamed that he wasn't a Jedi, but you never knew what appearances they took form in nowadays.

"And you look a bit... you know, rough." the boy said in a concerned way, turning off his lightsaber as he slowly approached the strange figure "May I ask for your name?"

 

[Cale Gunderson]

"I like that you were sure to let me know I looked rough before you got my name." Cale chuckled, the lit stim hanging loosely between his lips as he stepped closer to the learner, looking him over. He couldn't have been any older than Cale was when he'd entered the wars of the galaxy. Too young. He was too young to be pounding the dirt with Alliance soldiers, too young to streak through the skies at the wings of veteran aces, and too young to clash blades with a damned Sith. But Cale had been too young as well, and the galaxy hadn't cared in the slightest.

Violence would visit itself upon the padawan before him one way or the other, Cale might as well have been sure he was a little wiser before it did.

"Name's Cale Gunderson, I've uh, come on back here just recently." He felt that was probably the best way to put it, the whole story was for one incredibly private, and for two, the relevant parts would've preceded Silas' birth by some years. "What about you kid, got a name? Or you not bothering once since you're fighting like you wanna get killed anyway?"

Of course, that was blatantly dishonest, the kid had quite the handle on things from what he could see, a few errors notwithstanding. But Cale wasn't trying to stroke his ego, he was trying to get him to tighten up his bladework so he didn't end up dead.

Silas Westgard ​

 

[Silas Westgard]

Cale Gunderson

Rubbing his arm slightly in embarrassment it was not the best to mention the man's rough state before asking his name. It was quite rude to do that and considering he was brought up with manners he should have known better, "Excuse my rudeness, sir..." he apologized, momentarily examining his sunken eyes with a frown. Whoever he was, the lack of sleep suggested he probably went through quite a lot in his lifetime.

Silas couldn't help but form a smirk in the corner of his lips when he mentioned how he was killing himself. In ways he wasn't wrong, some of his strikes were leaving him open and vulnerable to counters. Although, everything else seemed to be smooth and precise.

"My name is Silas Westgard, I've come here for a few days to help rebuild parts of the temple," he said with a small respectful bow to the Knight, even after the funny joke. Looking back up to him, the way he acted and carried himself made him look like a knight of some kind, possibly a master if he was generous. Either way, he seemed to know what he was talking about when it came to Makashi.

"If you don't mind, can you give me a demonstration sir? not that I don't understand what you're saying, but I always like to see it done before my eyes to give me a better idea"