What's Love Without a Little Violence?

[Cedric Grayson]

A number of things had happened in a very short time. The Alliance was back on its feet, Kinsey was free of the Sith's hold (somewhat) and he had been named a Jedi Knight. The responsibilities that came with such a title were still quite jarring for the young man, but he had accepted his duties with pride. Master Sedaire had thought he was ready, so why shouldn't he?

Within all that chaos and the many battles that erupted around it, he had not had as much time with Kinsey as he would have liked. Yes, there was the bond, and yes, he was ever-present within her mind as she was in his, but physicality was something that they should cherish. There was word of a large assault being planned against the One Sith very soon. Odds were they would both be involved; they needed to be ready.

More importantly, Darius needed to make some of his private thoughts heard.

He sat cross-legged in the center of one of the many dueling arenas deep within the NJO's temple on Sullust. The New Jedi Order was growing, but it was not particularly large - the arenas generally afforded a significant amount of privacy. Part of him invited the former Sith Acolyte here to test her mettle, and partly to...well, he was not entirely sure. He craved her attention to the point of confusion with himself. Master Sedaire had explained that such was a normal feeling when one was particularly close to another. He had also warned him of the dangers of such feelings.

Breathing a heavy sigh, the newly-minted Knight ran a hand through his short hair and slid out of his robes, opting for the sleeveless gray tunic underneath. His lightsaber rolled between his fingertips; a new weapon crafted with the help of Master Sedaire and his own skill. He had yet to test the silver blade in battle.

"Don't leave me waiting..."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Darius"]

Kinsey black-booted feet strutted through the temple's halls. The place felt foreign. Being surrounded by this many jedi. It made her feel a bit off but she didn't shy away from anyone's gaze. Brilliant pools of blue boldly made eye-contact with everyone she passed, offering her signature Kinsey-smile. Most boys flushed. Feth, most girls flushed and scurried on.

"You know I wouldn't do that, D." The teen heard the voice of the one she shared a bond with. She grinned from the doorway and strode boldly in, keeping herself from bouncing up to Darius with a kiss. Today was professional. Mostly.

"Ready to get your butt kicked?" Lightsaber hilt slipped to her hand.

 

[Cedric Grayson]

Her presence might have made his heart skip a beat. Maybe. Kinsey's beauty was something most folks who came across her grew to appreciate, and while Darius certainly counted himself among their number, his infatuation with the Starchaser was borne out of something else entirely. He had come to understand that there were very few people one could trust in the galaxy. Most folks were out for themselves, even after you had already helped them. It was just how they were. Yet, in Kinsey, he saw someone he could trust: a friend, a fellow warrior, a woman that he cherished.

Of course, he would not say these things - not yet. Now was not the time to get all sappy.

"If by mine you means yours, then yes," he snickered as he pushed up to his feet. For a moment, he allowed himself to sink into their bond, to block out whatever else there might have been on Sullust. He found it so much easier to deal with his worries when they were out of his mind, and Kinsey made that oh-so-easy. "Lightsaber duels have always been more romantic than fancy dinners, after all."

Flashing a warm smile her way, Darius reached for his lightsaber. The weapon had been lovingly re-crafted, the crystal within it replaced with the silver core of a Corellian lightsaber. It came to life with a low hum, bathing the two of them in its glossy white light. "Master Sedaire gave me a new crystal. Fancy, ain't it?"

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Darius"]

"Very sexy." Pools of blue shifted away the lightsaber color to his face. Thumb switched on her blade, a new gift from her run on the space station with Abric. There was some re-configuration but the blade was a metallic-purple, like the tail of a comet breaking atmo. Fitting for a Starchaser.

It hummed through the air as she stepped closer. Hopefully they wouldn't need a healer. Just minor burns, right? For a moment, she felt his attention focused through their bond. On her. It was unsettling and thrilling at the same time.

Very rarely did her own cheeks flush but this time they did. She could blame it on the heat of the lightsaber passing close to her face. "Your move, D." Weight distributed evenly on her feet. She was ready. The last time she did something like this with Sage, it ended in another kind of activity.

 

[Cedric Grayson]

"The lady says it, so it must be true." Darius snickered as she brought her own weapon to life. He had never seen such a vibrant violet crystal before in person. Such colors were impressive enough on the holonet. In person, the weapon's radiance was truly magnificent. He lowered his weapon, if only for a moment, to admire its beauty, and that of its wielder. It fit Kinsey a whole lot better than the lava-red she had been sporting.

"Careful love, you're blushing," he snickered as he stepped forward, lightsaber flourishing as he closed the distance. Darius was a warrior: he was no sage, healer, or diplomat. The majority of his training revolved around the art of combat, and how one could use the force to amplify their abilities in the midst of it. His bladework matched his experience, the weapon more an extension of his own body than an item all its own.

"My lightsaber is powered down. It won't hurt much, and I won't hold back."

The blade hissed as it carved a pearly white arc through the air toward Kinsey's right shoulder, all of Darius' weight being swung with it. It was a blow meant to shatter whatever parry she might create, to bring about an early end to the contest with brute strength.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Darius"]

Movement was always something she could do. It was a Starchaser trait. Timing to find the little free space through crowds, that moment of side-stepping in a fight. Flying through space was even better.

Darius come in hot in more ways than one. A quick flick of her eyes confirmed her saber was also powered down. That could've been a big whoops. Awkward bantha.

Lithe movements carried the teen to step left as his lightsaber wickedly carved through the air singing away a few of her dark tendrils of hair. But she pounced like a Nexu, bringing her saber in for a quick jab into his exposed left-side, just beneath the ribs.

 

[Cedric Grayson]

A human couldn't twist far enough to repel Kinsey's strike given the way he had attacked. No amount of flexibility would make that possible. Indeed, if Darius had been a lesser experienced fighter, such as the Sith acolytes she had quite likely trained against. the weapon's strike would have bisected him. At it were, the young Knight had dealt with this sort of situation before. In the millisecond between his near-miss and her counterattack, Darius adapted. Rather than try and right himself, he let all his weight travel forward, dousing his lightsaber and pitching a roll. He just barely managed to evade the violet blade.

"Almost had me there love," he breathed as he sprung up to his feet, his lightsaber coming to life once again, "You always were a little quick though. Should have accounted for that." He snickered. He drew up to his full height, chest rising and falling quickly as he drew in each breath. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins. The fight was really beginning now.

Darius stood ready with his weapon level to the ground, a pleasant smile on his face. He was going to enjoy this.

"Your move Kins. I'm content to watch."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Darius"]

If this had been a real battle, she would've followed his rolling form without hesitation, going to stab or swipe any body part she could find. With extreme prejudice. But this was practice and she held herself back.

With a quarter turn, she faced him again, trying not to get distracted by his...erm...muscles. Quick eh? "More than you know." She grinned. "And I'm sure you are but this isn't a show."

Blue pools twinkled in mischief.

Lunging forward, she went for a jab for his upper chest with about fifty percent power behind the stroke before bringing her blade back for a swoop at his saber-wielding hand.

She could certainly be tenacious.

 

[Cedric Grayson]

Tenacious indeed.

The newly minted knight cracked a thin smile when Kinsey lunged for him. His blade twisted about to parry the flourish toward his chest. The feint, however, caught him off-guard. Her blade hissed toward his exposed wrist, and his own motions were not quick enough to stop it completely. The silver light of his weapon twisted back to clash against the violet of her own, but not before the violet ray scathed his exposed skin. Had it been a real contest, the weapon would not have removed his hand, but the burn would have been serious, and the pain unbearable. As it was, Darius grit his teeth and fought through it, calling upon the force to further his tolerance for suffering. It was a skill he excelled at.

"Really? And here I was allowing myself to be entertained," he spouted through a pained smile, "Could even say I was charmed." Despite the slow agony of the burn on his wrist, he managed a chuckle. He enjoyed little contests like these, and with Kinsey? They were exhilarating.

"But!" Holding his lightsaber high above his head, Darius charged the girl, "I can be quicker!" The silver blade roared as it fell down in a savage chop toward her right shoulder blade, not unlike his opening strike, but far faster. The force, combined with sheer adrenaline drove Darius now. There was no hesitation; only the roar of battle thundering in his ears.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Darius Sedaire"]

He was fast. A fast power-house. Violet-blade errupted upwards in a parry to his strike. Fortunately her blade caught his. Unfortunately the power behind his strike forced her own saber to dig into her shoulder as his hammered hers' down. Wincing, she pushed off his saber and ducked to his side.

The burn wasn't horrible but it was a wake-up call.

As she ducked to his side, she brought her lightsaber for a series of semi-slashing jabs at his stomach, side, and small of his back. Movements were fast and precise, like the biting teeth of a tu'kata.