Private Way of the Mynock - a training thread

[Sayuri Hatoko]

Location: Training dojo
Objective: Improve Soresu form
Tags: Kahlil Noble

Gear: Jedi robes and light saber folded neatly on floor

Saber training was a class that Sayuri was always early for, she was rarely late for her other classes, but almost never as early as this. She was currently in the dojo alone in a white tank top and lose fitting black trousers, preferring not to wear her robes for training. In her hands was one of the Jedi training sabers and she went through the basic stances one by one. She found Orron more natural but officially the intention was to train her in Soresu and the mastery of both forms was her ultimate goal.

Her trainer today would be Jedi Master Kahlil Noble and Yuri was excited to learn from someone as experienced in the form as he. He would be due any moment, so she would finish the next pattern and go and take a drink of water so she was fresh for his arrival.
​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil arrived precisely when he meant to.

Which is what he'd say if he was asked why he was late. The Jedi Master walked into the room, a calm, if sleepy, smile on his face. And a mug with #1 Jedi Dad filled with what could only be Caf. Vera was, even learning as a Youngling, still his daughter. And very much a reason for late nights. Playing games, reading stories, anything he could think to do to spend time with her between missions and his training of his own Padawan's. Sometimes he just got.. Carried away. And forgot to sleep until it was way too late in the night.

Valery Noble had already chided him on it. But hey, it was fine. Today wasn't diving into a battlefield, right?

He watched from a distance, sipping his caf as Sayuri went through her forms. Shield based Lightsaber fighting. Interesting to say the least. It wasn't like the Knights of Zakuul with their lightspears. Far more defensive. At least the shield, from what he could see. There was another long sip before he cleared his throat.

"Looks like you're pretty good. Sword n' board, uh.. Way of the Rock, right?"

Sayuri Hatoko

 

[Sayuri Hatoko]

Location: Training dojo
Objective: Improve Soresu form
Tags: Kahlil Noble

Gear: Jedi robes and light saber folded neatly on floor

Sayuri snapped round as Kahlil Noble spoke and instinctively deactivated her saber and bowed respectively. The master looked like he could do with a little more sleep, the large mug in his hand was testament to that, and its inscription was adorable. She listened to him speak and smiled at his complement "Thank you master, I believe the most accurate translation is the way of stone." Was that relevant? Need she correct the man who was about to swing a blade at her?

"The first form I was introduced to was Soresu, but I am less confident in that form. I am looking forward to working on it." She unclipped the buckler shield from her wrist and moved to place it beside her neatly folded robes. Taking a long drink from her bottle "Oh, I like your mug, the other padawans tell me Vera is very cute." she laughed a little.
​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Right, right. Stone, not rock." He nodded his head, gave a smile before taking another drink of his Caf. At least she knew Soresu, that'd make the lesson easier. To start, anyway. One last sip of his caf and he set down the now empty mug, stretched his arms across his chest, then motioned for Sayuri to move to the center of the room. And laughed. "As her father I to say she is indeed the cutest little Jedi you'll ever meet is the obvious answer. But it's true, so.."

He shrugged. Grinned. Of course he was going to say something like that.

"Let's start on the lesson. You know the term 'eye of the storm'?"

Sayuri Hatoko

 

[Sayuri Hatoko]

Location: Training dojo
Objective: Improve Soresu form
Tags: Kahlil Noble

Gear: Jedi robes and light saber folded neatly on floor

"What sort of dad would you be if you thought someone else's kid was the cutest." she laughed before Kahlil Noble indicated he was ready for his session to begin.

"Eye of the storm, to put yourself in a place of tranquility and peace whilst the world around you is in chaos. I think with sword fighting it means to be patient and focus on your own balance and emotional control, allow the opponent to be the one to get out of balance or make unprovoked mistakes." she was confident with that answer. The theory was drummed into them very on in theory training of the form, but the practice was much more complicated. Trying to stay calm in a situation as emotive and potentially life threatening as a lightsaber duel, where the slightest mistake could lead to death, that was a huge challenge. The challenge to do this was why Yuri was put on the path of this form in the first place. If she could control her emotional nature while someone was trying to kill her, then controlling her emotions in more common settings would be all that much easier.

"Soresu takes a lot of self assurance to do it right, doesnt it?"
​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Everything about Soresu is about letting your opponent tire themselves out. To weather their storm until they can't. Being in the eye isn't just about letting yourself be at peace even during the violence of a fight. Have you ever been in one? An actual eye of a storm." Kahlil moved around the room, reaching out for a controller. Clicking on some simple training drones. It wasn't anything crazy, but the goal was never to do anything crazy.

With someone he was just meeting, anyway. They could kick it up when he had a better understanding of what she did know.

"It's calm. So peacefully calm. It's not about self assurance or believing you can do it. Or not giving up or gritting your teeth and pressing on. It's about letting go and trusting yourself and the Force. It's about being vulnerable, and accepting that it's a strength, not a weakness."

Five of those training drones buzzed up, floated. Started a very basic pattern of drifting around her. Bit by bit, seeming random but clearly not. Drones could only be programed so much.

"Close your eyes, and find your calm."

Sayuri Hatoko

 

[Sayuri Hatoko]

Location: Training dojo
Objective: Improve Soresu form
Tags: Kahlil Noble

Gear: Jedi robes and light saber folded neatly on floor

Sayuri nodded as if she understood the words, they made a lot of sense. As the training drones buzzed out she stepped into the centre and watched them for a few moments, listening to the buzzing and the little tishhh-tishhh-tishhh as their jets moved them about in space around. Her. The teen closed her eyes and quietened her breath, almost meditating, but trying to keep herself alert in case the drones began to fire on her.

The more relaxed she got, the more she recognised the pattern in the noises of the drones and then tried to pick them out where they might be in space. She put the palms of her hands to her face and gently exhaled as she dropped them back to her waist. She felt calm and at peace within the room. But surely inner peace was easy when you weren't being shot at. Raising her hand up again she twisted her hand in the air, making gentle movements as if she was blocking the laser bolts in slow motion with her hand. Sayuri didn't speak, or open her eyes until she was otherwise instructed, she just concentrated on being as calm as she could, emptying her mind of distracting thoughts and solely focusing on th3 force itself. Kahlil might be able to feel the calmness in her emotions as she progressed.
​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Good."

She found her calm. Kahlil watched from where he was standing, hands clasped behind his back as he stood straighter. Looked more like an actual instructor now that they were in the lesson. And it helped him to keep the controller out of sight for when he hit the button.

All at once the drones started to open fire. Their pattern changed, introducing a whole new level of chaos. A wild storm just to overwhelm. Not actually overwhelm. There was nothing to be taught in completely overwhelming her with drones. Just enough to push her. If she seemed comfortable, the dial went up. Bit by bit, until there was a storm she couldn't weather.

Sayuri Hatoko

 

[Sayuri Hatoko]

Location: Training dojo
Objective: Improve Soresu form
Tags: Kahlil Noble

Gear: Jedi robes and light saber folded neatly on floor

Just before the first shot was fired, she felt the force tell her to draw her blade and the training saber hummed into life finding its way into the perfect spot to block the first shot. Her eyes opened and she continued to move, trying to keep her movements fluid and her emotions settled.

Sayuri tried to not see the bolts, but instead to just allow the force to position her blade in the right place to defend the shots, this was the theory that she had heard, and for a short time she was able to defend herself. But more and more quickly the bolts came and she was far from being able to block multiple shots with a single movement like the masters of the form. As the rate increased she found herself becoming less fluid and more direct, until the first shot hit her hand then the second hit her arm "Ow!" she yelped as a further bolt hit her. Her calm had gone now and the bolts stopped. Sayuri quickly deactivated her saber and returned to a neutral position, blowing a strand of hair away that had dislodged into the middle of her face.

Her heart was racing and a bead of sweat was on her forehead from the exertion, but she had a smile on her face. Lightsaber combat was her happy place and challenging herself to be better gave her such a rush. She centered her emotions with a deep exhale before speaking. "How did I do? I feel like I could tell the exact moment I switched from calm movements to frantic defence."
​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

"Decent."

Kahlil clicked off the remote, nodding his head in his approval. She moved well, let the Force guide her well. He gave a brief smile before nodding to the blade in her hand. The thrill of combat, it was a dangerous emotion to have for some Jedi. Something to worry about, if it was a problem on the battlefield.

"It's not an easy thing to stay calm when you're being shot at. Nor is it easy to remember you don't need to block every shot. Let them pass, let yourself go. Make sense?"

Sayuri Hatoko

 

[Sayuri Hatoko]

Location: Training dojo
Objective: Improve Soresu form
Tags: Kahlil Noble

Gear: Jedi robes and light saber folded neatly on floor

Sayuri laughed and held up her hand showing a slight redness on her hand where one of the low intensity bolts had winged her. "I believe I did not block every shot." she grinned "But I understand your lesson in that regards."

The teen looked at the drones now buzzing idley trying to work out which of them got her while got her breath back and awaited her next instruction. "let myself go" she repeated to herself. Letting herself go during combat seemed like a strange concept, and almost counterintutive.
​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

Kahlil let out a soft snicker as he nodded. "True, true. But I meant more.. When you fight, you're thinking, right? About where to move, the next step, how to fight, how to win. They're distractions. Let yourself go, and the Force will keep you safe. Want to try again?"

The moment she agreed, he'd click on the remote again. The drones would shift, going about their pattern all over again to start pushing her to her absolute limits. All under his watchful gaze to make sure she didn't get actually injured. The stun bolts from the drones were uncomfortable, but not harmful in anyway.

Sayuri Hatoko

 

[Sayuri Hatoko]

Location: Training dojo
Objective: Improve Soresu form
Tags: Kahlil Noble

Gear: Jedi robes and light saber folded neatly on floor

The teen nodded, his words made a lot of sense, putting them into practice was another thing, trusting the force entirely in a saber fight against a hostile opponent, almost seemed like tossing a coin. But then that was the difference between a novice and a master she guessed.

"Aboslutely" she smiled as she activated the training saver against and began blocking the bolts. This times she made herself concentrate on not concentrating and imagined the relaxation exercises she has gone through as a child in order to stabilise her moodswings. Crashing waves sprayed water on her face and her arms moved in the breeze around her body.

This detachment was incomplete as her mind still perceived the droids and their bolts, but it was helping her movements become more fluid. She relaxed as she blocked them getting faster and faster, stepping out of the way of several blasts. Yuri felt a stone whip across her arm, kicked up in the waves and it caused her relaxation to falter again. Then a second one hit her cheek and she was back in the room, thinking about what she was doing and beginning to lose her timing again. A few more moments passed and Kahlil Noble stopped the drones, she was certain she had gone longer this time, but perception if time was very difficult during combat, particularly if you were deliberately trying not to pay attention. "Any better, Master?" she was out of breath and casually reached for her water bottle to meet her in the air telekinetically. She took a big drink on it and smiled again.

​

 

[Kahlil Noble]

He watched. And he smiled.

Even when she reached her limit and the session came to an end with a click of the button. The drones floated back to their starting positions, then further. Towards where they'd been deployed from to be housed once more.

"Much. Being a Jedi is.. Full of contradictions. We must care, but we must also let go. We must feel, but we can't let our emotions control us. Be present in the fight, but let yourself go. It's.. Difficult, but that's why Jedi are taught so young. Not so much a contradiction when we're taught it from the get go, right?"

He gave a thumbs up, and a grin.

"Keep working at it. You're already doing great."

Sayuri Hatoko