First Reply Way Of The Sword

[Silas Westgard]

Objective: Train and practice Sorosu
Location: New Covenant
Tags: Open

It was early morning at the New Cov temple, a day that showed an early promise of good weather as the bright sun sent a calming beam of sunlight through the windows. Silas, who had been kept up all night on the end rotation of thoughts finally began dragging his tired form to the training room. Even though his eyes and face showed a lack of sleep, he was determined to keep training no matter what. As a matter of fact, his physical form had improved. The drive for him to keep training, as usual, seemed to be proving beneficial for him. That unfortunately had its downsides, because every time he pushed himself it knocked him out of action for the rest of the day. But that didn't matter, he was pushing himself to be a better Jedi...

Walking along sheepishly in his training clothes, he stepped foot into the ghostly practice area and placed his bottle of water and towel on the floor. He slowly unscrewed the cap and took a swig before beginning his routine of warm up exercises. As he stretched off his body, he thought deeply about his transfer back to Valery Noble as his master again. It came as a shock to him that Kahlil had to unexpectedly drop him as a padawan, but he was very much proud to become her student again. He'd miss him for sure, but there was something different about Valery that always made him bring the best out of himself. Nonetheless, he was back in more than capable hands.

Finally, just as he had finished a few minutes of planking he got back to his feet and took out the peacekeeper known as his lightsaber. His right hand ignited the blade and let it hang loosely for a second, before suddenly snapping forward to practice against an imaginary shadow opponent. Even with no person there, his exhausted gaze looked focused and adamant about bettering the foe.

He couldn't let his mentality drive him to the ground.

 

[Hollis Orenn]

Hollis was hanging from a tree, upside-down from a tree, actually.

She'd picked up Skyfaring on Gatelena, and it was a hobby she'd brought with her to the New Jedi Order. She hadn't found a place to practice at the temple on Coruscant, that was still undergoing some renovation. But here on New Covenant, she'd found just the place. The grove of tall trees was powerfully peaceful. A literal breath of fresh air.

And it overlooked the training area, which was pretty empty at the moment.

Yeah, she probably ought to have been spending her time going through the forms... but this was just too good an opportunity to pass up. Hollis held to her silk scarf. This might have looked a bit graceful, but it was hard work. Her arms were already trembling from the effort. Mediation was a big part of Jedi life, she'd learned during her short time with the NJO. And she supposed that this was just as meditative as struggling to sit still inside a dark chamber or balanced atop a stack of garden rocks.

But her focus never lasted for long.

And her attention shifted when someone entered the practice area. He probably hadn't seen her, and Hollis certainly didn't want to startle him, but she called out, "hi!"

Silas Westgard

 

[Silas Westgard]

Objective: Train and practice Sorosu
Location: New Covenant
Tags: Hollis Orenn

Silas swung swiftly at the invisible foe and jumped back as if it was striking back, dodging and weaving around from the attacks Silas thought it would throw. Predicting its mistake the padawan lunged forward and struck back to make it pay for its mistake, letting out a defining grunt to show the shadow had been beaten. His body seemed to ease up slightly as his chest calmly took in some air, a process that seemed much more demanding due to how exhausted he felt.

Then, just as he was about to start again a voice from the stopped him in his tracks. Silas snapped his head to the source but didn't see anyone at first until he looked up to see a woman hanging from a tree. His head tilted slightly from the bizarre scene but he soon threw it to the back of his mind and nodded respectfully to her "Hello..." he said back cautiously, taking a few steps towards the girl position.

"Uh, what are you doing up there?" he asked, choosing to extinguish the saber and place it in his pocket for now as he spoke to the newcomer "Is that some kind of training?"

 

[Hollis Orenn]

"Oh, me?" Holils asked. "Just... hanging around."

She giggle-snorted at her rather lame joke. But she'd been waiting to say it ever since she took up Skyfaring. "I guess you could say it's a kind of training. The people of Gatelena meditate like this." Hollis let herself down from the pose and then slid down the silk until her feet were on solid ground. Then, she yanked the silk a couple of times until it came free from the branch and fell into her arms in a bundle. She walked over to the edge of the training yard.

"I saw you practicing," she said. "You're quite good. Much better than I am -- but then again, I just started training recently." Hollis smiled a bit sheepishly. As she watched the young man, she gauged his age somewhere below her own -- a teen, maybe? Oh man, it'd be pretty embarrassing getting beat up by a kid... But Holils was all about getting embarrassed. There were some training sabers nearby and she lifted one.

"I don't suppose you'd want to help me train a bit? Do you have any pointers for a newbie?"

Silas Westgard

 

[Silas Westgard]

Objective: Train and practice Sorosu
Location: New Covenant
Tags: Hollis Orenn

"Hmph, I can see that," he said with a slight smile, seemingly a sucker for off the cuff puns. Nodding, he seemed to be pretty intrigued by the activity she was doing, and as she slid down the silk he couldn't help but watch. He'd have to try it one day, but the possibility of falling on his head seemed far too great for him to stomach. Silas glared at her approach and tilted his head slightly from her question. For some reason, he thought of her as being way past his ability.

"Oh, so you're new to the order?" he said, looking her up and down. She was much older than he was, possibly early twenties? it must have been pretty strange learning from that age "Uh, sure! I'm not much of a master myself but I can give you a few tips" he smiled before pulling out the training lightsaber he was using earlier.

"The first and most important rule is..." without a quick movement he thrusted the weapon forward at her chest, only stopping inches from her chest "To always be on your guard! you never know when danger will be around the corner" the teen explained before lowering it and going into a laid back defensive position.

"Have you been specifically practicing a form by any chance?"

 

[Hollis Orenn]

"Yes," she confirmed. "I'm very new to the order."

Hollis offered a somewhat sheepish smile. He'd probably thought she was a knight – or at least close to knighthood. It certainly did feel strange to be starting her padawan journey at such an age, but there was always time for new things. After all, she picked up and dropped new hobbies all the time. And she had a feeling she'd still be doing that when she was an actual old woman.

She grinned when he agreed to give her some tips. Then, she suddenly found the training saber pointed right at her chest. Hollis put her hands up – the unignited training saber in her hand included. He's fast. When he relaxed back into a defensive position, Hollis let out a breath… even though she knew he wasn't going to run her through with a training blade. Still, it got the point across!

"Well, I've mainly been going through the basics," Hollis said. She was starting from scratch when it came to sabers. "But I've an interest in Soresu. I can see myself using that form, so that's what I want to practice most." Hollis extended her hand to the teen. "I'm Hollis, by the way."

"And I'll be glad to train with you… if you promise to go easy on me."

Silas Westgard

 

[Silas Westgard]

Objective: Train and practice Soresu
Location: New Covenant
Tags: Hollis Orenn

"Ah Soresu, I was just refining that myself," he said before slowly lowering his hand and twirling the saber playfully in his right hand "I can certainly show you a few things, but please don't expect your head to be blown. I'm only still a learner, like yourself," he warned the fellow padawan. Maybe when he was stronger in the force and more experienced would he even think about going out of his way to training another person. However, for now, he'd still take up the challenge.

Seeing her extend a hand he didn't hesitate to reach his own hand out to shake it, one that was quite firm "Pleasure Hollis, names Silas" he said back with a warm smile "Oh, now that I know your skill range I sure will" he promised the woman. Finally, he withdraw the hand and took a few steps back to gain some distance between the two.

"The first thing you need to know is that Soresu is more of a defensive form, mainly used for self defense than aggression." the boy noted first, his saber arm doing a few loose strikes "It's great against larger and more powerful opponents who put a lot of strength into their strikes. This is perfect for me because many of the Sith very much have that advantage" Silas added on. So far, it had proven him well and even matched foes who were known to be very dangerous "When they start to slow down or make a mistake in their strike that's when you finally attack"

"How about you throw a few strikes at me? it's better to show it rather than simply discuss it don't you think?" the boy said, lowering the lightsaber to his side as he prepared to dodge and weave around each strike she threw. However, if she made a mistake he wouldn't hesitate to jump forwards and send a gentle strike to the area she left open.

 

[Hollis Orenn]

Silas, she committed the name to memory and gave him a warm smile. And she let out a small breath of relief when he agreed to go easy on her. As he explained the basics of Soresu, it only affirmed to her that this was indeed the form that she'd like to focus on. She wasn't an aggressor; she didn't have the kind of confidence that it called for. However, she could see herself using a saber in defense.

"Got it," she said as he noted that this form relied on waiting for your opponent to become tired or slip up. Now, would she last long enough to ever get to that point? The thought drew a small pang of nerves. "Oh, yes," she nodded, but suddenly looked a bit unsure. "Showing rather than telling."

Hollis looked down at the training saber in her hand and ignited it.

This one had a light blue blade, which she gave a few practice swings. The saber was an iconic weapon, and it made her a bit anxious. She looked at Silas, silently trying to give herself a pep talk. It's just practice, don't worry. Hollis assumed a ready stance, and then gave her partner a small nod.

Pushing off her back leg, she advanced and brought the saber in a downward strike – towards his head. It was one of the basic strikes she'd just learned recently. Then, a step back before coming in to throw a strike towards the hip. But Silas was quick and seemed to easily avoid each strike.

Hollis panicked.

She'd just struck for the right hip and couldn't decide how to recover and place the next blow. She faltered a bit, the saber blade hesitant as she brought it back up over her own head… leaving her mid-section very open.

Silas Westgard

 

[Silas Westgard]

Objective: Train and practice Soresu
Location: New Covenant
Tags: Hollis Orenn

"Great, now whenever you're ready..." he said calmly as he raised looked carefully at her saber, predicting and planning to move when she swung it at him. Finally, she push off her leg and threw a downward strike to his head, something of which he was more than prepared for. Kicking back, he jumped backward a few inches and glared at her next move. So far so good, she wasn't giving him any room to strike so far, but due to her inexperience she was going to do that any second now

The next strike was to his hips, and like the other, he was able to weave away from the attack. Although, she seemed to make a vital mistake as she went for her third strike. Lifting her saber in the air, she left her midsection wide open for a swift attack. Silas saw this almost quickly and suddenly thrust the saber forwards, stopping it only inches from her belly. Slowly, he pulled it back and looked at her with a smile "You see what I mean? you need to keep an eye on your opponent's movements to see when they make that little mistake which all warriors do one way or another."

Silas twirled the saber in his hand for a few seconds before finally speaking once more "By the way, I'm not expecting amazing results considering you're new to all this. As long as you put in a considerable effort, that's all that matters" he said reassuringly, taking a few steps back to raise his saber "Now that you know the premise, you will be the one finding an opening. I will be going slow for this one, so I wouldn't expect any fast attacks" Silas promised her, his hands preparing to strike "Ready?

When she gave him the go signal, he slowly gave her four strikes. Each one would be from a different angle, and quite predictable to get away from. However, on his last strike he seemed to go for legs which left his upper body completely open. If she saw it, Hollis would be able to strike him down way before his strike made contact with her.

 

[Hollis Orenn]

"Ooof." Hollis looked down to see that Silas' saber was humming close to her body. Despite her mistake, she smiled too. "I do see what you mean. It's easier said than done for me," she said with a bit of a good-natured chuckle.

She gave a nod as he spoke again, noting that she didn't have to suddenly be the best at this. Hollis knew she should give herself some grace if she was trying hard. However, she felt frustrated with herself that her limbs didn't seem to cooperate or move as fast as she wanted. "Alright, I'll give it a go!" she said, and drew a breath to prepare for the next round.

Hollis watched his body and movements for signals about where he was going to strike. Thankfully, he telegraphed his movements in a slow and thoughtful way, for her to catch on. She brought her saber up to block, making sure to keep the blades meeting at the correct angles – right angles so she'd learned recently.

As he swiped for her legs, Hollis jumped back a little bit. Then, she saw it! His attention was towards the lower part of her body, momentum still carrying his follow-through. And she brought her saber over in a strike for his midsection; she'd have hit him in the side if she was really trying to. Hollis would eventually withdraw her blade, step back and give Silas a wide grin.

"You'll make an amazing master someday, Silas," she said. "You're already a great teacher."

Silas Westgard

 

[Silas Westgard]

Objective: Train and practice Soresu
Location: New Covenant
Tags: Hollis Orenn

"You'll learn from it, as we all do," he said back with a smile, reassuring her that not everyone was going to be amazing right off the bat. Silas even had trouble himself when he first began learning the style, everyone had to start somewhere. He was happy that she was still willing to knock away at it, not letting the small setback put her down "Good..." the boy said proudly as he started to begin another drill.

When he was slowly swinging at her, she seemed to be keeping all her concentration on him as well as the direction of where he was going to head next. Hollis blocked accordingly and waited for an opening, one of which was about to present itself. Going low, he offered his chest as a weak point. Thankfully, she saw it pretty fast and took the moment by the scruff of the neck. The training saber got through his defenses and would have struck a pretty nasty blow if it was real.

"Hey, well done!" Silas congratulated her and got back to his feet. It was a good start, and hopefully, she'd take it with her when a master taught her properly "I'm flattered, honestly. But I have a very long way to go to even come close to the masters who teach us" Silas didn't want to brag at all, it was only a small thing compared to what they could achieve with her.

"You've done well Hollis, I'd ask you to show me a thing or two of what you were doing but I'm afraid I'll fall on my head"

 

[Hollis Orenn]

Hollis couldn't help but smile at Silas when she actually landed a hit. "Thanks!" A good-natured laugh escaped when he mentioned Skyfaring. "You know, I have fallen on my head before. I guess it's like saber work... practice makes... well, it makes you better, right?" Hollis laughed again.

She withdrew the saber, held it down at her side, and offered the teen a small bow in thanks. Hollis also couldn't help but be impressed by Silas' calm composure. Maybe it was a result of Jedi practice, but his aura seemed serious... solemn -- when she was his age, she'd been anything but. Now, she was quite curious about her new acquaintance.

"Have you been with the Jedi long?" she asked, canting her head to the side. "Who's your master?"

Of course, she was still learning the who's-who of the NJO. But she figured it'd be good to know some names, just in case she ever ran into them in the future. She deactivated the training saber and returned it to the weapon rack. Her attention span was only so long.

Silas Westgard

 

[Silas Westgard]

"You know, I have fallen on my head before. I guess it's like saber work... practice makes... well, it makes you better, right?"

"Of course, but like you said you'll come across some bumps along the way which are quite unavoidable," he said truthfully, knowing it took him some time to be where he is right now. Silas turned off his lightsaber and bowed back to Hollis with one of his own, she seemed like an interesting and promising individual so far.

"In terms of everyone else I'm still quite fresh within the order. Instead of being sent on my own accord, I was thankfully found by the Galatic army who sent me here to be trained. Valery Noble is my master, she's quite strict on a lot of things, but she's one of the kindest people I've ever met in my life. I'm happy to call her my Master, no doubt about it" he said with a thoughtful smile about what she had done for him. Her strict training methods were not bad at all, without the diet plan he probably would not be in exceptional shape right now.

"Have you met her? she'd be more than happy to teach you a thing or two. Way better than I did by that fact."

Hollis Orenn ​

 

[Hollis Orenn]

Hollis smiled. It was certainly nice to have some new friends within the Order. And both of them being rather new definitely made her feel a sense of camaraderie. Of course, their situations were quite different – evident by the ways they'd come to the Order.

"Valery Noble," she repeated, squinting her eyes as she thought. "I've heard the name for sure, but I haven't had the chance to meet her yet."

She filed the name away for later, so she'd be sure to remember if she met Master Noble. Though she'd only just met Silas, she had a feeling that he'd be one to watch. Young and skilled and kind, he had qualities that would make any master proud.

Hollis set the training saber back on the rack. "Thanks very much for the lesson," she said. A warm smile formed on her face as she stepped to the edge of the training area. "I ought to get back to my meditation..." Hollis' smile turned sheepish. Since coming, she'd been looking for ways to distract herself from meditating... it was boring.

"I'm sure I'll see you around, Silas!"

Silas Westgard